#gonna do 2 more seconds of schoolwork and then pass out

[5hark-byt3]

Got possessed and drew Calf1sh….I’m gonna have so much school work tmrw

(Rest of the drawings r under the cut btw)

[ghostdiva]

mental ducks

Has any other neurodivergent people (people with ADHD, Autistism, or both) ever like, gone into a different room and completely forgot what they were doing? yeah, me too.

want me to tell you why it happens? (to me, at least everyone's experience is different.)

see, I was thinking about how my mindset always changed depending on where I was. like how I could never get schoolwork done outside of school (I either stayed after school to get it done or it never got done). or how any thought of doing the dishes left as soon as I exited the kitchen.

the more I thought about it and understood it, the more my mind was blown. so now I'm going to explain this wonderful phenomenon through ducks and rooms.

now, the more frequently you use an area (ie. your house, place of education, workplace, etc) the more ducks you'll likely have in this space. now, for the sake of explaining, I'm gonna use my house as an example for how I experience this. see, every room I frequent has at least 1 duck. my bedroom? duck. the bathroom? duck. the living room? duck. the kitchen? you guessed it, duck.

now you might be thinking, "well, what's with the ducks? like what do they do?"

the ducks represent tasks and mindsets. if you're in the kitchen, unless you're passing through to get somewhere else, you're likely either getting food or doing the dishes. those are 2 primary tasks assigned to the kitchen. so if I'm in the kitchen, my brain will go "are we hungry?" and if the answer is yes we'll start figuring out what we want to eat and taking the meal prep steps to do that. if the answer is no we'll look at the sink and see if dishes need to be loaded into the dishwasher. oh speaking of the dishwasher, we should see if someone else in the house loaded it. open the dishwasher, and determine the next steps from there. be it putting dishes away or attempting to load it ourselves if we have the energy. if we don't just leave the door ajar so that someone with the spoons to do it can do it and we'll unload the next one. (dishes are a struggle for me because food textures can be bad. but handling clean dishes and putting them away is easy for me)

there's a mindset duck in the basement too, as that's where my personal panty and fridge are. so when I go downstairs my first thought is to look in the fridge, even when I go down there to grab my T gel (trans masc moment). there's no reason my T would be in the fridge, but it's the first thing I do when I get down there.

now, here's the thing about the ducks. 1, they don't move. the second that duck is created (that mindset if you will), it imprints on that room. you can try to pick it up and take it out of that room, but the moment you set it down to do the duck, it will immediately book it back to it's room of origin. you can try as many tricks in the book as you want, nothing will bring that duck out of the place it was created in. (schoolwork ducks can't leave school, no matter how many "at home learning environments" a parent can try to make.) now, I will say that there are some ducks that'll show up in multiple of the same type of room, but I'll get to that in a bit.

the second thing is that if you start doing a duck, and are pulled from the duck half way through. unless you gave yourself a timer that bound you to coming back to the duck, that duck will be forgotten. that means if you started cooking food for yourself, and a friend or family member pulls you from the kitchen to help them with something, they are essentially dooming whatever food you were cooking to either become burnt or overcooked, because unless you're medicated, you won't remember to come back to that duck. you should only leave a duck if you either have a tether to it like a timer or something that'll summon you back to the duck. if you don't have that, then you don't leave the duck until you're done doing the duck.

now, there are ducks that can exist in multiple rooms at once. I call them "visual ducks" because they usually have visual cues that tell me if that duck needs doing. because I was given trash duty, I have a trash duck at every trash can in the house. so if a trash can is visually full, it's time to do that duck. if doing that duck means putting boots on with no socks in my pajamas and walking into the snow for a minute to take out the trash, then I guess I'll suffer for a bit but that duck is getting done.

now, there are 2 mental ducks in my room. there's a duck on my bed, which is reserved for resting, rotting, and sleeping. it's mostly a "do nothing" duck, the only reason it can become a bed rotting duck is if I have something I gotta do, and no energy to do it, but I gotta do it, but my brain won't let me, but my brain is also screaming at me to do the thing. sure it might seem like relaxing, but the internal screaming and degradation for not being able to do a "simple task" make relaxation impossible. it's more like being paralyzed while having yourself scream at you. it still happens in the same place though so it has the same duck as sleep, relaxation, and generally goofing off. then there's the duck at my computer desk that is reserved for doom scrolling tumblr, gaming, editing, and watching whatever shows I have access to on my computer.

now, a fun little note about the ducks, is that because they are separated and rarely ever overlap, if you aren't in the right area to think about a task, you won't remember that task until something summons you to that area. vast majority of the times I've put dishes away, I was hungry doing it, because I originally came in the kitchen to get food and see what pots and pans were available to cook with, and saw the clean dishes I could use for acquiring food wasn't put away yet. I prefer to cook with optimal tools and utensils available, thanks. I've also been hungry taking the trash out because the most used trash can is also in the kitchen.

and hey, if you like this method of thinking about mindsets, tasks, and the like for neurodivergent folks, then the next time you need motivation to do that thing you've been procrastinating, just remind yourself that the duck that's assigned to the room of that task is probably lonely and misses you. you should go do the duck so it's no longer lonely.

[thedocs-in]

Military School Pt.2

Apologies for taking so long on this. Life got a little hectic around Christmas time, and I just haven't had the time since. But things have finally calmed down enough that I had the chance to make those edits.

But here is part 2, I will get part 3 up as soon as possible. But it might take a bit since I have to re-write it. And hopefully I can get more Cecil art done. As well as drawing his dad because, fuck it, why not.

Link to Pt.1

TW: blood, injuries, mentions of the foster system

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Walking through the empty halls with his father, there was a growing tension between the two. He was dreading the ride home, knowing as soon as they stepped through the door, he was gonna be on the receiving end of a tongue lashing. While his dad rarely yelled at him, this situation was different. He was on the verge of getting kicked out of the only high school in town and there weren’t many options for him.

Exiting the school, he was hit by the warm evening air. Despite the sun nearly being down, the air still felt sticky. Looking around he noticed only a handful of cars in the parking lot. Given how long he had been sitting in the office he wasn’t surprised. Normally he would’ve been home by now, but he wasn’t expecting to get into a fight after school. A fight that the jackass senior started and was blaming him for. In his own defense, he didn’t throw the first punch. But it didn’t matter.

Reaching his dads’ car, he reached for the door handle before being stopped when his dad called for him. “Hold up. Let me check your nose first.”

Turning around, he faced his dad and braced himself. As his father’s fingers prodded at his nose, pain erupted, and he violently jerked back.

His dad hummed, “Hmmm… should be an easy fix. I can put it back into place as soon as we get home.”

His father stepped back and walked around to the drivers’ side. Sighing, he pulled open the passenger side door and slid in. Shutting the door behind him. As he buckled himself in, his dad started the car and pulled out of the parking space.

For the most part it was a quiet ride, the radio was off, and the only other sounds would be the occasional passing car that would break the silence.

A few minutes go by when he finally mustered the courage to say something, “So, should I be packing my bags for Marlin academy?”

For what felt like forever they both sat there in silence, nothing but road noise filling the void.

His dad sighs, “Were you telling the truth? Were you really just protecting your friend?”

“Yeah, that senior threw the first punch when I went to talk to him.”

“You really went to just talk?” His dad raised his brow.

“Yeah, I really tried to deal without fighting this time.”

His dad got quiet for a moment, “I know you wouldn’t throw the first punch without a good reason. You’re not getting off easy at home by the way, you will be doing all the schoolwork you’re gonna be missing as well as extra chores…” His dad paused for a second, “You really went off on that kid, not gonna lie though, he did kind of deserve it. Probably learned to act that way from his dad.”

“Kind of like how I got my foul mouth from you?”

His dad chuckled softly, “Yeah kind of… Listen, you can’t keep getting into fights, or at least ones that severe. One day someone will call the cops on you, and I won’t be able to help you. I know you don’t like it when assholes get away with doing bad shit, but you can’t always take justice into your own hands. You’ll find yourself in a situation where you’ll just have to accept the consequences.”

Looking down at his hands, they ached in pain. And he knew they were gonna be bruised tomorrow. He started to use the rag to try and wipe off the blood.

His dad must’ve seen him messing with his hands, “Knuckles hurt?”

“Yeah, a little bit.” He replied as he rubbed his thumb in between in knuckles.

His dad smirked, “I’ll get you some ice when we get home. Hopefully you didn’t break anything, I can’t do anything about that. Honestly… and I’m not trying to encourage you or anything, but I’m impressed that you were able to kick his ass.”

He smiled, “Kinda makes you think that he’s not all that great of a football player.”

The older Stedman laughed, “Haha, no shit. I wonder what’s more hurt his ego, for getting his ass handed to him by a 14-year-old, or the fact that he’s gonna be missing some games till he’s off probation?”

“Probably both.”

Silence quickly took over, nothing but the sound of the road and the occasional passing car.

After a couple minutes they finally pull into the driveway of their little home. Hopping out of the car, he started to make his way to the front door when he heard his dad call him.

“Go get the first aid kit and meet me in the bathroom, gotta get the mail first.”

Nodding his head, he bounds up the front porch and unlocks the front door. Going inside.  and goes straight for the first aid kit in the laundry room. Grabbing it, he darts to the bathroom down the hall and sets it on the bathroom counter.

Looking in the mirror, the skin under his eyes and across his nose was starting to change color; his lip swollen. Dried blood stained the lower half of his face and neck.

As he inspected his face, he heard the door open and shut. Keys being tossed into the bowl by the door. And his father’s footsteps coming towards the bathroom.

Turning to the door, his dad stood there. “You may want to leave your shirt on, it’s already ruined. Might as well use it to keep blood from getting anywhere else.”

Nodding his head, he stepped aside to let his dad grab what he needed.

“You know the drill, edge of the tub.” His dad washed his hands, glancing over at him briefly. “Do you need something to bite on?”

Thinking back to the last time he broke his nose, he remembered how he had bitten his cheek so hard last time he could taste blood for nearly two weeks straight. “Yeah, I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

His dad held out a scrap of leather that came from an old belt. Taking it, he remembered all the times he’s had to bite down on it when he got hurt. Usually from doing something stupid, like the time he climbed the tree in the backyard and the branch he was stepping on broke out from under him; resulting in a nasty cut on his leg that required stitches. Putting the scrap between his teeth, he braced himself.

Finished at the sink, his dad sat down on the toilet, “Alright, the sooner this is done the sooner I can start dinner. You ready?”

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. He watched as his dad used a little rod to push the broken bit of bone back into place. Biting down on the leather, he squeezed his eyes shut. Trying his best to block out the pain.

With a click, he felt his nose pop back into place. Slowly opening his eyes, tears blurred his vision. Through blurry vision he watched as his dad’s packed his nose with gauze. Which only sent more pain throughout his face. Blinking, he cleared his vision and looked at his dad. The same serious expression plastered on his face.

Soon his nose was all patched up and his dad leaned back, “Alright you’re all done, you know the drill be careful with your nose. Painkillers are in the cupboard, make sure you take it now, so it’ll kick in sooner.” His dad stood up and was about halfway out of the bathroom door before stopping, “Oh, and take a shower before dinner, you’re uh… smelling a little ripe. And be sure to tape up your nose as soon as you’re done.”

Nodding his head, he watched as his dad strolled out of the bathroom. Leaving him to get cleaned up. Standing up, he went to his room. Rifling through his closet for clean clothes. Grabbing the first thing he saw; he quickly went back to the bathroom, taking the painkillers before hopping into the shower. Within 15 minutes he’s cleaned up. Before exiting, he taped his nose up. Silently, he walked out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen, ruined shirt in hand.

Walking into the kitchen, his dad had his back to him. Focused on the stove, finishing up their dinner.

Holding up his shirt, he makes his presence known, “Hey dad, inside or outside garbage?”

His dad turns his head, “Hm? Oh, uh, outside, just make sure you bury it under the other stuff. Hate for the raccoons to shred your shirt on the front lawn.” His dad chuckled. “That’d be an awkward conversation with the neighbors, don’t want them to think I beat you. Dinner will be ready any second, made some soup, so be quick.”

Going out the backdoor, he walked over to the garbage can. Pulling off the lid, and pulling a few bags out, before burying the shirt deep in the trash. Replacing the lid, he went back in the side door and looked into the dining room, his dad already sitting at the table.

His dad motioned for him to join, “Dinner’s ready.”

Sitting across from his dad, the two of them silently ate their dinner.

As he ate, the situation of the whole situation started to settle in. Causing a knot to form in his stomach. Setting the spoon down, he stared at the bowl in front of him. Wondering what was going to happen.

His dad noticed, “You okay? Does it hurt to eat?”

Shaking his head, he continued to stare at the bowl, “Do you think they’re gonna believe me? I know you said you weren’t gonna send me to military school, but it’s not like there any other high school in town. Except maybe the Catholic school.”

His dad set his elbows on the table and put his hands together. He was quiet for a minute and sighed. “I’m not sure. Honestly, it seemed like principal Owens was on your side, considering how ‘jackass’ had reacted, but I’m not sure. I’m certainly not sending you to the Catholic school. Nothing against the church, I just don’t think it would be a good idea to send you to a Catholic school. You’d get yourself kicked out on day one. No offense kid, but you swear too much for someone your age. But that’s on me. As for the military school, it may be our only option, considering driving you back and forth to the next town over wouldn’t make things easy.”

His dad leaned back in the kitchen chair, “You may have screwed the pooch on this one kid. But no matter what happens we’ll figure something out, we always do.”

He laughed nervously, “You could always send me to live aunt Sarah or uncle Ollie, and I could go to school where they live.”

His dad stiffened up, and his expression changed to one that was a mixture of sadness and concern. “Hey, hey! I don’t want to hear that. I threaten you a lot with military school, but I’m not gonna send you off to live with relatives. I refuse to be one of those parents that pawns their kid off on someone else when they get out of hand. I know I’m a bit of a hardass, but I just want what’s best for you.”

His dad rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I didn’t have my parent’s growing up, and I don’t want you to go through something like that. It doesn’t matter if they are my siblings, I’ve got nothing against them, but I want to raise my own damn child."

A sad silence took over the Stedman household, both of them staring at their dinner. A twinge of guilt rose in his chest; his dad rarely talking about being raised in the foster system after his mom had died, but he should’ve known better than to bring it up.

He sheepishly broke the silence, “Dad, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”

“Don’t be, we both got screwed in the family department.” His dad scoffed, “I mean for fucks sake the only person I’ve met on your mother’s side, is your mother.”

The rest of dinner passed quietly, and the two did their evening routines, winding down from a hectic day. Hunched over his homework, he heard a knock at his bedroom door. Looking at the door, his dad stood in the open doorway.

“Lights out kid, you may not be going to school tomorrow, but you’re not staying up all night.”

Nodding his head, he closed his math book and sat up, “Yes sir.”

His dad then walked away leaving the door open, light from the hallway illuminating his room. Getting up from his desk, he shut off the desk lamp as he walked away. Padding off to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Looking in the mirror, a large purple bruise had begun to grow. Spreading across his cheeks and his nose. Sighing, he spit out the remaining toothpaste in his mouth and went back to his room. Exhausted, he crawled into bed. Reaching up he shut off the lights above his bed and quickly passed out.

[tandytoaster]

I'm gonna complain more actually

I went to community college to get a social services diploma ( not to be confused with a social work degree ) so I could work within that field. From the get go I knew I had no interest into going into university afterwards because that's a lot of money to loan from the government that I don't wanna worry about, and a lot more schoolwork that I know I don't have the energy to keep up with!!!

In the winter semester of my second year ( so like. RIGHT before covid got everywhere and ruined our lives forever ) it clicked with me that I'm not gonna get a job that resonates with me. I tried to talk to my instructors about it and my classmates and my god they tried but hey . i work in an art store now. The reassurance didn't really help because it ended up not being true for me.

I think the course was truly intended to be a stepping stool into going to university afterwards, because the jobs readily avaliable after graduation were all support work jobs, like working in group homes ( i am more of a paperwork kind of person ). At least in my town anyway. OCCASIONALLY a program coordinator position would pop up for an org but half the time, even then, it was intended for summer students, so Not people who had already graduated.

Most people in my class went on to university and I can only think of one person who actually got a job outside of support worker, but even then she was a support worker for a year or 2 before getting the position she has now- AND she knows that lady that runs that org.

I did support work for almost 2 years then left because our new supervisor was a fuckin bitch!!! And I was burnt the fuck out. I think in some regards my mental health was better back then because its certainly Somewhere Else right now. But even then, I still felt more on the level of the clients than I did any of the other people I worked with. You could argue thats imposter syndrome but take a Good Longggggg Look at my blog and you will Clearly see I have NEVER been emotionally sound.

And something that is such a shame, I did a work placement with a local hospice society ( which was actually a lot different than what you'd expect ) and I loved it !!!!! I was great there, they loved me too. But the kind of position there I could work with the credentials I have, would be a program coordinator, which is one of my weak points. I'm not good at planning things and I'm not good at leading a group. But now on top of that, I know I can't do 8-4 for 5 days a week. So like. There really isn't really a place for me to thrive. Its a shame its a damn shame. Ever since I was 16 I've been really interested in death and the varying cultures surrounding it and it really, really, really has been a calling to me and I really do think that the work placement I did was the closest I'll ever get to being In It. Being a funeral director requires another course ( money i don't have and don't want to get a loan from the government ) and I'd have to learn embalming which is very unfortunately something I can't do ! Not in a stereotypical "ew I'm squemish" way, but in a very sad, I am genuinely interested in what is in front of me, but then I have passed out. Its a safety hazard.

I'm happy to have the job I do, aside from the fact that some of my coworkers are besties with the partner of the girl I wronged in 2017 and my fear of that coming to light, along with the fact that our store manager seems to favour me over the others.

I guess I'm disappointed and sad about the lack of career options I have with my diploma, both because there isnt anything where i live, and the fact that I'm so unwell.

But the weird thing is, I don't regret it. It never felt like a waste of time. I use the things I learned in college, I enjoyed learning the things I learned there, I connected with some really wonderful people. Like genuinely my most valuable experience from all that I have lived thus far.

[twyla19]

This is a long one (keep reading just cause its a lot)

This school semester has been absolutely shit. I am FINALLY getting to finish the last two finals, and then i will be done.

I started off dealing with losing a friend (to be homest i should talk with them) and then i had a friend stay with me, which he got locked out of my spare room, which turned into me finding out i wasnt allowed in there (i live in a 2 bed but paying for one cajse of my disability, so its stupid i dont have access) then that next week my car battery died, so i spent the day worrying about everything BUT class material.

A friend started leaving me on read and ghosting me. Then my friend left cause he needed to be back, and i could only host someone for 2 weeks. I started to try and catch up with schoolwork but am constantly anxious about everything all at once. Kept overthinking and worried cause of deadlines and midterms.

Then, after midterms, i dealt with two friends just leaving / blocking me. For no reason. Which i have dealt with like all of my fucking life and im sick of it. If you dont want to be friend just fucking tell me, which one did and mad respect. However, the other one literally stayed with me for two weeks.

So i was very depressed and just again stressed about school work. I lost motivation for everything but am still doing my best. Then, before i knew it, it was fall break. I was able to catch up on late assignments, i got in contact with a case manager, and now it's finals week. I am teeering on a C, which can pass or fail me with the essay i turned in today. I struggled to find my topic for this essay. And this same fucking class the professor is my advisor for my second major OH IM A DOUBLE MAJOR BTW so i had a 19 credit semester PLUS ALL THIS OTHER BS. Its like every week *something else* has to go wrong. Im just hoping and praying that i passed this class cause it's been a shitty semester, and i dont want to cry more.

I suffer in silence cause i hate taking from others positive moods, but damn do i want to finally be done. I have two more finals i have procrastinated and are due tomorrow night. So i have all day to get them done.

Im just tired. In all aspects. And it sucks. Once i get to my parents' house, i am gonna curl up into a ball in my room and just stay there for a while. Im so thankful for the people who have been in my life and have supported me (with or without knowing about this) and still love me through it.

I have not been more happy to say i love my friends so much, so much platonic love. It's so overlooked, but it means the world to me. I am so grateful. 💜

[wylde-attributions]

Kai & Anna pt 2

The truth was that Kai had seen Anna multiple times before their second conversation but had been much too shy to try and talk to her again. It wasn’t until two weeks of accidentally watching the girl live her life had passed that he managed to work up the courage to get her name no matter what and set out to find her. Admittedly, it could’ve gone better. He only learned it because someone called out to Anna, not because she told him. 

I feel bad. Now she actually has a reason to be mad at me too… Kai sighed and plopped down on his bed.

He shared the room with another boy, but they never really talked. No one talked much in the group home Kai lived in. Not unless you did something wrong or they needed something from you. He’d gotten used to it, though. Lots of time to think, lots of time to teach himself what he could from the school’s library when class didn’t feel like enough to fill a day.

Ever since his aunt died and he got put here, Kai had just been quietly passing time as best he could. He wished he had real friends, but no one seemed to care when he talked. Sure, he chatted with classmates, but once the bell rang, they were gone. He couldn’t help wanting to befriend the aloof girl he kept seeing. I wonder where Anna goes to school. Maybe she’ll be different. No, she will be. She is. Something about her is way different– why, though? Kai hummed to himself in thought before sitting up and grabbing his backpack.

“Hopefully she’s not too mad at me…” The boy sighed and pulled out his books and schoolwork, setting them on the small desk at the foot of his bed. I still hope I see her soon. With that, Kai shook his head as if to disperse his thoughts and sat, getting to work for the night.

Anna, truly, was pissed. She had managed to run into the same annoying little idiot twice in the same month, and now he knew both her name and somewhere she went nearly every day. Somewhere her sister was nearly every day.

At least he doesn’t know why, I guess. God damn it. This sucks. What do I even do about it? I can’t get in trouble right now. The girl sighed and rubbed her face as she started to make sandwiches for her sister and herself. I know that McClain kid is gonna try to pick a fight again soon enough; I need all my good graces for when that goes to shit. Anna closed the refrigerator door hard in frustration, immediately freezing at the loud noise. Shit– please stay asleep. I can’t baby you right now too, Mom.

After a few moments of silence passed, the blonde released a held breath and continued making dinner. Get it together. What does it even matter? The fuck is a twig like him gonna do anyway? He’s just annoying. I've dealt with worse, and I’ll do it again. He doesn’t matter. He’ll leave me alone soon enough, and I’ll get on with it. “Just me and Rosie. Like it should be.” Anna grumbled quietly as she finished her task and walked across the small apartment to the balcony where her little sister sat waiting. Rosie smiled up at her and started telling her all about her day for the second time as they ate together. Anna smiled and nodded along intently, trying to forget about the day she had herself.

Kai is, by all means, not a creep. Nor is he a stalker. What Kai is, however, is scared shitless of the beautiful girl who he can't help wanting to know more about. Now, Kai found himself quietly following behind Anna for a minute or two whenever he happened to see her. Just to see what kind of things she gets up to, and to try and eventually apologize to her. Turned out, his small frame seemed well suited to going unnoticed, so he'd been following for longer and longer, trying to work up some courage to start a conversation. Eventually, the tall, intimidating blonde stopped walking and turned around, looking directly at him.

“So when are you going to give up being a fucking weirdo and following me? What do you even want from me?” She scowled down at him. Kai squeaked, his face immediately flushing pink.

“I’m s-sorry, I wasn’t trying to! I just– I um..” Oh jeez, I’m so stupid– this was all so stupid.

“Spit it out, god. I played along or whatever for a while, but this is just fucking annoying!”

“I didn’t mean to! You um, you always got busy, and I didn’t want to bother you, s-so I was just waiting to–”

“Yeah, right, liar. Just cut it out. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be at fault for starting some shit if I was being stalked.” She huffed and turned to lean against a building, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

“...I’m really sorry. I’ve just been scared you’d be super mad at me for learning your name without you telling it to me.” The boy looked down slightly and fidgeted with the strings on his hoodie. “I- I’ve been trying to think of how to apologize. Can we start over? Maybe? My name’s Kai; it’s nice to meet you.”

Anna just rolled her eyes and looked away. “Yeah, Anna, whatever. Not that it makes much difference. That’s not even what I’m pissed about. Just stop trying to figure out my routine or whatever the fuck.”

Kai raised his hands defensively and shook his head, replying quickly. “Oh, I r-really haven’t been trying to follow you like that or anything! I just– I see you, and I’m impulsive, so I want to talk and try to think of what to say, but then you’re moving on before I get brave enough, so I have to follow you while I think, and usually I only realize how long it’s been because I look around and realize I don’t know where I am at all, and then I worry about being lost and–”

“Jesus Christ. You don’t need to talk like you’ve only got seconds to live, Kai.” Anna chuckled slightly and continued smoking. “The last person to see me pick up my sister was just an ass, alright? I don’t like people knowing where I go and what I do. Forget where we wound up last time, and I at least won’t skin you or somethin’.”

Kai couldn’t help but stare at the girl in quiet awe. She just laughed. She used my name, and she laughed! His cheeks were dusted with a soft pink as he snapped out his miniature daze. “I- I already did! I uh, I actually tried to remember the next day to see if I could find you and apologize then, but I couldn’t remember at all! I swear, Anna! I didn’t even know you had a sister! Ah– maybe I could forget that too if you need me to!”

The blonde girl simply stared at the smaller boy for a few moments before shaking her head, a barely noticeable smile on her lips. “Whatever, it’s fine. I’m not gonna make you give yourself brain damage or however the hell you’d willingly forget things. You’re already weird enough. I trust you.” She stayed quiet for a few beats more before her expression hardened again. “Don’t make me regret saying that. I don’t take that shit lightly.”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” Kai crossed his finger over his chest and nodded with a smile. “I hope I never upset you again.”

“God, what are you, five? Just say you won’t or something.” She chuckled quietly again before sighing. “Anyway, do you even know where we are now, then? You followed me for a while.”

Oh jeez, do I? If I’m as lost as last time, I might be late again. He looked around at the street where the two stood, failing to recognize anything as a familiar landmark. “Ah, guess not… Shoot.” He couldn’t help but blush deeper in embarrassment and fidget with his sleeves as he thought about what to do. Maybe she knows a bus station with a map nearby; I’m sure I can figure it out before I get in too much trouble.

“Come on. Where do you live? You look like a lost dog or something.” Anna stood and stamped out the end of her cigarette. “Don’t want to see missing posters because you got hit by a fuckin car or some shit.”

“W-what? It’s okay! I’m sure I can figure it out; you don’t have to trouble yourself helping me–”

“Well, I am. I have nothing better to do anyway, so come on. I need to know where we’re going.” She started walking back in the direction they initially came from, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets.

Man, she looks so cool– and I knew she was nice. Kai smiled nervously and moved to walk beside the girl. “Thanks… At um, at Open Door, on 42nd street.” He smiled and looked over at her.

“Oh. Isn’t that one of those kid's group homes or somethin’? Sorry.”

“Yeah. Sorry for what?”

“I dunno.” She shrugged. “That you must not have parents, I guess? Although there are worse things. None of my business though. I’ll drop it.”

“N-no, it’s fine! Don’t worry about it. I don’t really care or anything. I never even knew my parents in the first place.” The boy shrugged and kept smiling as they walked. “I’ve lived there a few years now; it’s nothing new. I was with my aunt before, but she died.”

“...The place nice?”

“Sure. I mean, they do their best. Mostly it’s just kinda lonely.” Kai chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Not to be a bummer or anything, sorry. It’s not bad, really. They can be strict, and lots of people come and go, but I can kinda do what I want at this point.”

“Cool.” Anna nodded in acknowledgment and asked no further questions as the pair continued through the town in comfortable silence. 

Kai figured he shouldn’t push his luck by asking too many questions of his own, so he was happy to simply spend the time with Anna peacefully until they made it to his home. Once they did, the two casually said goodbye, both secretly hoping to see each other again soon, one in denial of this fact.

[see]

idk if it depends on the country/specific college but my biggest fear going into uni is that it'll take up all my time and i won't have enough free time to hang out or do hobby stuff so ig my question is is it rlly like that...for some reason i have this image of uni in my head where it's far more stressful and energy consuming and serious than high school idk why

hi! i'm going into my junior year at a college in nevada, what will follow is a few pictures of how my schedules have looked through the semesters

for me to maintain my scholarships, i have to take 15 credits a semester. each 50-75 minute class taken twice a week for a semester gives me three credits. labs give me one credit on top of the class i'd be taking them for, and special cases where, say, i'd have to take a class every day instead of every other day, would give me four credits instead of three (see math 181 in the 4th semester, that was four credits).

i also have a part time job. focusing in on the fourth semester, during that time i would also work around 20-25 hours a week each week (incl. weekends). still, with all this, i was able to maintain a social life and complete my schoolwork and pass my classes (all As and Bs in the fourth semester ☺️)

my college let me create my schedule for myself from the second semester onward. if your college lets you do this too, i do have a few tips:

a.) don't schedule classes you know you're not going to. if you have a hobby like a sport or work later in the day, i suggest not taking super early morning classes. you're not a machine, you're not going to be able to remain consistent with energy for 12-14 hours. only take early classes if you know you can maintain it

b.) give yourself a gap around lunchtime, especially if your school has food accommodations. if they do, i suggest having your lunchtime break from 11-12 or from 1-2. everyone is gonna be trying to buy lunch from 12-1 and shit gets packed.

c.) try to balance out your days. don't take four classes on m/w and one class on t/t. that is going to suck.

and some tips for maintaining your schedule:

a.) college isn't highschool, and (at least in my experience) you're allowed to leave class/not go at all without giving a justification to the teacher. don't do this for labs or recitations, but if you need a break or are sick, don't stress

b.) if you follow the above advice, make sure you know what's going on the day you skip. one of my teachers a year ago randomly decided there were two days we HAD TO COME INTO a week before the days aforementioned, and i almost failed the class because i missed it 😭 don't allow yourself to slip either, just be aware of your limits and know that you can skip days that aren't as important as you need to

c.) if you have friends that go to the same college, hang out with them during your breaks! it's a nice opportunity to recharge

good luck! maybe your college doesn't look or function like mine does, but i still had plenty of time to keep up with my hobbies and hang out with friends despite working a job and maintaining these schedules. i personally found college a lot better than highschool in this sense, and i hope you feel the same

[moonslinger130]

had a dream last night that was sort of spiderman/spidersona related and i want to recollect it here sorry for long post but it was really interesting. it’s gonna sound wacky but it’s a dream ok

in 2 parts/dreams

- i was playing a role but can’t tell if i was myself or someone else in both dreams

part 1:

- i was a popstar idol who performed songs at lots of different places

- i had two companions who performed with me like backup singers/dancers, named canary and crow. they were shorter than me and may have been younger

- there was a sort of bird theme but mostly cutesy magical girl theme

- we had a female manager who drove us in the bus to our shows (the bus rides were always hectic)

- she had a nephew who sometimes tagged along named ray. he sometimes showed up in a bright blue/white/black spider suit, but i couldn’t tell if he was real hero or another performer or if it was a secret but i knew it was him. he also seemed to be the love interest of my character. out of costume he was tall, short light brown hair and a bit of a emo or rockstar look (mostly black clothes)

- there was another character nicknamed death. he was quite goth, very tall and lanky, light blond hair, and one eye sometimes had an eyepatch or was showing, which was all black with an orange pupil/iris. he had some kind of magic power and also rode a motorcycle, may have been another performer, kind of the antagonist

- it was really fun and everything was in 2d animation mostly anime style

part 2:

- i woke up, or maybe i just thought i did, and had a second dream. i retained the memory of the first dream but knowing it was a dream. this one had a cool plot going on that was kinda set up by the first

- i was more close to me but not quite myself, another character. i remember in the parts that were third person that i looked kinda like a disney alice in wonderland girl (long blond hair, but no hair accessory, and blue dress). i was a very happy and positive kind of character

- i lived in a big city and was probably still in college or maybe high school?? i remember there was schoolwork i had to do

- i had a best friend named amelia. she had long black hair and knew everything about everything. i got the vibe that i had maybe just moved to the area and she was guiding me around. anytime i had a question she had an answer and helped me move along. we explored lots of places in the city together

- at some point i was in a store and buying something for one cent at the register. a guy tapped me on the shoulder and told me that “Way wants you to call him.” i didn’t know what he meant but i pretended i did and said sure and he walked away

- i asked amelia who way was and she got serious and said something wary about him. i was a little nervous but felt confident with amelia there

- i think at this point i asked if she knew anyone named ray. i knew he was in my previous dream and for some reason, i felt that the dream was prophetic and the people there were real (in the context/world of the second dream). she perked up and said yes and that he’s really cool

- she started going somewhere so i followed her feeling that she was leading me to him. we passed by a huge crowd outside in a park that was a birthday celebration for some teen girl, and i had to push past all these people to follow amelia but i kinda lost her. so i just kept following the dirt path i found until i came to some building. inside i think it was a basketball gym and in the bleachers was ray

- he was writing something in a notebook and i called out to him. i don’t think he knew who i was but i was really happy to find him :) his aunt was there too, the manager from the first dream. she was scolding him about something but i made up an excuse for him and whisked him away

- we parted ways and i met amelia again. i told him i met ray and she was like awesome! and i asked “but way is different, right?” and she said “yeah he’s like… really cold.”

- then amelia tells me that ray hangs out in another world a lot (i think she just called it fairy world). she led me to a public pool and jumped in. she sank to the bottom and sat there. i asked a girl next to me what she was doing, and she said “she’s teaching you, look” and i looked down and amelia had both legs together and moving them to the right, the left, the middle, the right, the left, the middle, and then she was gone

- i jumped in the pool and had one of the weirdest dream experience i’ve had; i kept my eyes closed but could feel the water around me and let myself sink until i felt the bottom under me (my dreams are extremely visual which is why it felt weird)

- i moved my legs the way she did and my vision was suddenly all white with a loud “shine” sound effect, and i found myself next to a pond in a grassy forest with extremely tall trees

- ray was nearby and was surprised but happy to see me there, and we all hung out a lot in this place

- i had the feeling that he had powers from my previous dream, which was confirmed in this place where he showed me his powers (including web-slinging when he saved me from falling because i swung from a vine that broke)

- his powers could be strengthened by touching a flying dragon (this shape 🐉) that lived there

- he also showed me bookshelves i think he stole from the library with all his favorite books in them lmao

- at some point i left and explored the city more. there was a moment that didn’t seem important at the time but as i was walking out of a building, a heavy ball was accidentally thrown toward me and i was able to dodge it, to the surprise of everyone nearby

- then i meet ray again and he has been challenged by someone to a fight, possibly by way. we go to prepare for the fight and train but find out that rays powers won’t work 😱

- we go back to fairy world through the pool to find a way to get them back. we bring a sandman-like creature (little guy that produced sand/pollen that makes you sleepy) with us to catch the dragon and put it to sleep, but as i hold the dragon my face begins to change to look kind of like it until i let go, but my character wasn’t aware of this (in third person at this moment)

- ray sees and kind of laughs, then makes me stand up and says he wants to test something. he says he’ll get a friend of his (one of the creatures in the forest) to shoot an arrow and see if i can dodge it. i could actually kind of feel an alarming feeling grow until i had to dodge, and then an arrow flew past into the dirt

- he concludes that i probably have the power to absorb other peoples powers, and that i now have his. i felt kind of guilty about it but he seemed fine with it and got the idea to train me so i could take his place in the battle with way

- unfortunately i woke up around here but i think i did catch a glimpse of way and came to the conclusion that he was the same as death from the first dream, but looked a bit different, and also got the thought that amelia might have been canary and crow, my friends from the first dream

- there was technically a third dream but it didn’t have much to do with this plot; i was fully myself but i did pass by the girl i was in the 2nd dream but she had bright pink hair and makeup now, and i overheard something that implied she was a mutant

anyway here’s some doodles of ray my new blorbo from my brain

[fandsart]

Where the 20 Chain Links Lead

Also on Ao3: Chapter 2

[Chapter 1]  [Chapter 2]  [Chapter 3.1]  [Chapter 3.2]  [Chapter 4]

Chapter 2: What Comes With Loving Nancy Wheeler

He wants to get drunk after that. God does he want to get absolutely shit–faced, to forget whatever the hell that thing was. To rinse away the regret of not having listened to Nancy when she told him she saw something when she went looking for Barbara. Doesn’t want to think about how quickly his girlfriend resorted to pointing a gun at his face.

He knows he can’t drink though. He has a girlfriend now, and he doesn’t trust himself not to wake up with another girl in his bed if he does. He’s not entirely sure what he’s like when he’s drunk, other than “good in bed,” but he’s heard that about his sober self too. He smokes a whole pack of camels that weekend. It calms his nerves a bit, but it’s in an artificial way that could never be all that effective.

It doesn’t actually help him get his mind off the events. He has the opposite problem when the week starts up again. He can’t exactly smoke at school, so he’s still on edge, even though he is able to distract himself (to an extent) with schoolwork. Plus the new developments in social ranking and the rumors that follow him no longer speaking to Tommy and Carol. The rumors are definitely made more severe when people notice how tense he is.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

He heads to his house almost immediately after. He doesn’t realize until he’s on his own doorstep that he hasn’t dropped the bat. He thinks about returning it, but the idea of putting it down right now fills him with dread. Every time he tries to talk himself into dropping it, his grip only tightens. He triple checks that all of his doors are locked.

He finds himself sitting at one of the kitchen chairs, doing nothing but clutching the nail bat when the sun comes up. He hadn’t registered how much time had passed until the sun was above the horizon and burning his eyes through the window. He decides it’s probably time that he finally heads to his room. He’s technically supposed to be in school today, but there’s no way that’s happening.

He stands up and finds himself off balance. He doesn’t know if it’s the lack of sleep, or related to the panic, but there aren’t any nails poking out of the end of the bat, so he uses it as a sort of stabilizer. He’s making his way through the living room when the doorbell rings. The foyer is in the next room, so he doesn’t have to keep them waiting very long. Long enough apparently.

He’s almost to the door when another sound rings, this time being pressed in rapid succession, the first note of the tune repeating several times before whoever’s at the door finally stops and the jingle continues. Steve opens the door just before the last note rings.

He finds Jim Hopper—the goddamn chief of police—on the other side. He looks like a mess and Steve vaguely wonders which of them look more like shit. Hopper doesn’t need to say anything for Steve to know why he’s there. He hadn’t previously been aware of his involvement, but being the day after the event, one look at his face informed Steve of the chief’s involvement.. He gestures to the house before Hopper can even say anything, a silent invitation to come in.

“Nancy mentioned you took a bat home with you. I didn’t realize it was gonna be filled with nails,” Hopper says. It’s not until Hopper speaks this sentence that Steve realizes how much of a fog he’s in. Sure he’d been off balance, but now he’s hearing words that are taking him three whole seconds to understand. He blinks owlishly in response before fully registering the words and he looks down at his bat. “You alright over there?” Hopper asks, despite being four feet away.

“I uh… didn’t really… get any sleep.”

“Clearly,” Hopper says. “I need to talk with you about what happened last night, but I need you to be… fully conscious. For now just don’t tell anyone about what happened. Think you can handle that?” Once he registers the sentence he gives a jerky nod. “Come down to the station as soon as you can, alright?”

“Yeah.” Hopper leaves and Steve ends up moving back to the living room instead of trying to take on the stairs, where he promptly passes out on the couch. He doesn’t sleep very deeply, waking up every half an hour, arm dropping off the couch, hand still holding the bat laying on the ground, his grip is tight even in his sleep.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

The next day he finds out that Hopper called them out of school the previous day. He’s pretty relieved to hear it. His parents had long since given up on his grades, but if they thought he was playing hooky they would rant at him for ‘tainting the family name.’

Given his reputation and what the public does know about recent events, he considers himself incredibly lucky that there aren’t any rumors of him having a threesome with Nancy and Jonathan. He doesn’t want to deal with his parents throwing him in the closet today.

Maybe those rumors would have spread if they don’t all come to school looking like absolute garbage. Instead people chalk it up to them all getting fevers the previous day. After all, they’d all been seen together. It would make sense for it to have been a simple spread illness.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

He heads over to the station after school and Hopper makes him tell him what he knows.

“We killed a monster that fell out of the ceiling. It doesn’t like fire,” is all he can say. Hopper nods before telling him that it’s good he doesn’t know any more. Steve stiffens in his seat, before demanding information. He’s used to being confused, so the fact he doesn’t know isn’t something that’s getting to him. It’s more the fact that Hopper doesn’t seem to think he deserves to know, because he does.

“You don’t understand how dangerous this stuff is,” Hopper tells him seriously.

“Like hell. I faced it with a bat.”

“Not just the monster. The knowledge that comes with it.” He then goes on to describe what ‘they’ could do to him if he starts blabbing. He tells him that he managed to cover up all of the teenagers’ involvement, and that they’d better not let him regret it, because it would be his ass on the line too.

“Is that all then?” he asks, after Hopper gives his handful of threats, secondhand and his own.

“You’re right; you do deserve to know more. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more. You know what though, I can tell you what the kids have been calling the monster. It’s not something that, you know, the ‘bad people’ recognize, so it’s really the only piece of safe information I have.” Steve nods at him to continue. Hopper tells him. He forgets the name by the time he leaves the building, but that’s to be expected.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

The reappearance of Will Byers is big news the next day. Bigger news than when he’d gone missing, which is saying something, because this is Hawkins and nothing ever happens here. Will’s in the newspaper and he’s all anyone is talking about. Apparently what the public is being told is that he got lost in the woods, and the body they found in the quarry was a John Doe. Steve is fairly in the dark, but he knows that’s not true.

He feels bad for the kid. Whenever he goes to Nancy’s and he sees the kid there, he has a haunted look in his eyes. He clearly went through something during his disappearance. Given what he saw the night of his return, Steve has some theories, but when he asks Nancy about it, she tells him that he doesn't want to know. Insists that it could get both of them in trouble anyway.

With… the government, he supposes? That doesn’t sit right with him, but it’s not like he can talk about it.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

It’s not long—barely a week—since he first wields the nail bat, that he smokes his first joint. He’s been practicing with his basketball hoop a lot. It helps get his mind off of it, though it takes a while to get to the point where he’s able, since his hoop is outside where Nancy claims to have seen the thing for the first time. It also helps wear him out, but he’s still barely slept despite that and he’s getting desperate. He recognizes the recommended dealer as the guy who’s always being dramatic about ‘conformity’ or whatever. Steve’s not even entirely sure what that word means.

He’s not sure how well Eddie “fuck society” Munson would respond to King Steve attempting to buy, but at least he has a bit of a safety net. Eddie won’t pull anything when he knows Steve rules the school he goes to every day. He has a bit of a safety net that he wouldn’t have with any other dealer he’d find. The worst that could happen is Eddie refusing to serve him. He meets him at a picnic table a short way into the forest.

“Well, hello there, your majesty,” Eddie says with a weak bow when Steve first walks up. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” He moves to sit at the table bench while Steve remains standing.

“Your goods, I guess,” he answers. Eddie lets out a dramatic sigh.

“I suppose it was foolish of me to hope you might have just wanted to talk to me.”

“I don’t know man. Did you hope that? I can’t imagine you like me all that much.”

“I’m just messing with you,” he says, dropping the whimsical voice. “Can’t say I mind the view though.” Steve looks around.

“Yeah, it’s nice here.”

“Wow,” Eddie says, seemingly more to himself than to Steve. He’s smiling, his cheek resting in his hand, his elbow on the table. “So how can I fix you up, Harrington? Looks like you could use something if I’m honest.”

“I just… need to relax. Probably just-” he says “marijuana” at the same time Eddie asks, “Weed?”

“Yeah, sounds about right,” Eddie continues. “Weed’s a pretty safe call in general.”

“If you’re trying to get me to buy something harder, don’t think calling it ‘safe’ is going to make me feel puny. I just need an outlet.”

“You think I'd try to emasculate you? I wouldn’t dare. Not without asking nicely,” he winks. “All I mean is, you won’t really have to worry about getting addicted.”

“Alright.” There’s a pause. “I’m gonna be honest. I don’t really know what I’m doing. How much I’m supposed to pay for how much makes sense to take.”

“How about this Harrington. You give me 20 bucks, and we can smoke together until you feel like you aren’t dying or whatever.”

“I don’t feel like I’m dying.”

“‘Or whatever!’”

“Yeah. Ok.” They lay side by side on the picnic table as they smoke their individual joints in silence.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Steve doesn’t remember falling asleep, but he eventually finds himself being shaken awake.

“Hey, man,” he hears Eddie say. He rubs his eyes so he can see him too. “You should probably finish sleeping at home. It’s getting dark.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

He doesn’t find himself needing to buy any more as often as he thought he’d be resorting to. He doesn’t know or understand a lot about biology or psychology, but it feels like his body never let go of the fear and adrenaline from the last link in that chain, and the couple joints he’d used up worked to forcibly turn those down. Steve wonders if his brain not recognizing that the danger is gone relates to his brain being unable to retain information. But what would he know about it?

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Nancy tells Steve about what Jonathan told her. About his photographic motivations. Seeing people in their element. He doesn’t at all think that makes it ok, to take pictures of people who don’t know you’re there, but he understands the appeal of candid photos. One day after his workout with the basketball team, after he’s taken a shower in the locker room, he finds Jonathan in the darkroom, developing photos.

“Dude,” Jonathan yells when Steve opens the door. “I put the ‘In Use’ sign up for a reason!” He stops as he finally sees that it’s Steve. “Oh, it’s you… Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t really know how this whole,” he gestures to everything on the tables, “thing works. I should have, I don’t know, thought when I saw that sign. I mean, knowing that I don’t know anything about this.”

“Ok,” he responds cautiously. “Why are you here?”

“Listen, you’re friends with Nancy now, and since I’m dating her I just want to make sure that we’re cool.”

“You want to… ‘make sure that we’re cool?’”

“I mean, I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me, but I’d like us to be on good terms.”

Jonathan sighs. “Did Nancy ask you to do this?”

“Well, no- I mean, I am doing this for Nancy’s sake. But also… I shouldn’t have said all that stuff. About your family.” Jonathan only hummed in response. “Or calling you a queer.”

Jonathan took in a sharp breath. “Yeah, that’s… I mean, besides the fact that I’m not, that wasn’t cool. I don’t think you should be using that word at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because-” Jonathan looked somewhat exasperated, like this isn’t something he should have to explain to him. He probably shouldn’t. “Some people are just gay, Steve. I don’t know what to tell you!”

“Yeah, but…” But what, he didn’t even know. He’s obviously heard literally everyone talking about how that’s a bad thing, but stuck in the position of explaining himself for following those opinions he found himself with no actual arguments. It was always sneers of ‘Those people.’ Something about a disease that honestly made them seem more sad than ‘predatory.’ He can’t imagine they’re spreading it on purpose, and maybe he's not that smart, but Byers is probably a more reliable source for this than Tommy and Carol ever were anyway.

Looking at Jonathan’s tired face made him not want to figure out what he was even trying to argue, so Jonathan wouldn’t have to deal with explaining very simple concepts to him. So he relents. “Alright man. You’re probably right.”

Jonathan nods slowly. “Alright. We’re cool.”

“As long as you’re not taking pictures of people who don’t know you’re there anymore.” Jonathan looks down guilty.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t. Wouldn’t again. Never again. But I’m not really taking pictures of anything these days. You still broke my camera, you know. We’re still cool by the way. That was a… fair response.”

“Oh… Yeah. Whose are these then?” He gestures to some of the drying photos.

“Nicole’s. She likes taking photos, but hates the development process, but I think it’s relaxing. Besides, this is really the only way I can participate in the photography club anymore.” Steve sticks around as Jonathan finishes the last few photos. Jonathan explains the process to him, and he’s right. It’s relaxing. Steve doesn’t understand how it works at all and maybe that’s why he finds it so intriguing. If he didn’t know any better he’d think it was magic. It amazes him that this is how people put photos to paper.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Most of Nancy and Steve’s dates the rest of the school year are study dates. It doesn’t start out that way. It happens after the first time they have a study date for his sake, as opposed to hers. They spend most of their waking evening going over the book he’d managed to cram in for his English class.

“Are you sure you don’t mind helping me with this?” he asks.

“Are you kidding? This way I won’t have to read the book next year. That will save me so much more time for my other classes.”

“God, I love you,” he breaths. She giggles and blushes.

The day he gets his grade back he has a D. There’s an attempt at an encouraging note in the corner of the page from his teacher saying that it would be a C if he didn’t misspell every other word on the extended response questions.

“You got a D?” Nancy chastises. “What did we spend all Thursday night studying for?”

“I almost got a C,” he defended, pointing at the note in the corner. “See? I’m… I’m trying…” The next thing he knows Nancy’s arms are wrapped around him, and he returns the hug.

“I’m sorry,” she says.

“It’s ok.”

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

The next time she comes over she tells him that she’s done a bunch of research on learning disabilities and teaching methods. He almost wants to yell at her that he doesn’t have a learning disability, but he decides that even if he doesn’t (a matter his father insists on) he might as well see if the teaching methods Nancy’s found work. So he relents. Though he does make sure to mention that he doesn’t have one. She seems unconvinced, but doesn’t argue.

She asks him if he ever did well in school and he asks if she ever had Mr. Clarke. She immediately knows what to do with this information. Of course she does. She’s Nancy goddamn Wheeler. She’s a genius.

She learns all of his material and they go over it with her reciting jokes and anecdotes about the topics to get him to remember it. It’s so obviously scripted, which keeps it from being as effective as it could be, but it’s enough. It’s more than enough. Steve doesn’t know where she finds the time to do all this.

“You could skip junior year at this point,” he tells her.

“Maybe, but there are some classes I want to take that you aren't taking this year anyway.”

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

The longer he dates her the more he starts to understand what Tommy and Carol meant when they told him that sex and romance go together. Sure, he’s wanted to have sex before, but it was more that he was in the mood for it than it was he was entranced by another person. But here he is, absolutely smitten with the girl who almost made learning fun. Almost. It’s still absolutely exhausting.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Christmas is only a few weeks away and Nancy’s inviting him to a sort of party on Christmas Eve. He hasn’t met Nancy’s parents yet, but he’s fairly well known around town for reasons that aren’t exactly being all that great. He’d hope the knowledge that most of their dates are study dates would reassure them, but he seriously doubts they even believe that’s what they’re actually doing. So meeting them isn’t something that he’s too eager to get over with.

“Yeah, I’ve considered that.” she says when he brings up these concerns. “That’s why I think you should come to this specifically. It’s not like you’d be coming to a family dinner. Mike’s friends are all gonna be there, and so is Jonathan and one of my aunts. They won’t have nearly as much focus on you.”

“I don’t know, Nance. I would still be the only person in the room they haven’t met yet. Don’t you think that would make it kinda worse.”

“The kids will be in their own world, but they’ll be filling any silences. There’s only so much tension that could build with that. Also, my aunt hasn’t been in town in almost a year. My mom, at least, is going to be distracted catching up with her.” Steve grimaces. “Come on! You’ll have to meet them eventually. This is a one time opportunity to make the tension as slack as possible.”

He caves. “Yeah. Ok. I just… this is my first serious relationship, so meeting the parents is never something I’d needed to worry about before, and I’m kind of… out of the water… or whatever.”

“Do you mean ‘you feel like a fish out of water’ or ‘you’re kind of out of your depth?’”

“Aren’t those the same things?”

“Yeah, basically. But those are what you’re talking about right?” God Steve feels stupid right now.

“Yeah…” He needs to change the subject. “So, Jonathan’s gonna be there?”

“Yeah, he’s mostly coming because Mike invited Will and, well, you know. The Byers have had him on a bit of a leash after… everything. But he’d be welcome anyway.”

“Has he met your parents already?”

“Well, he’s Will’s brother, so yes. My parents also like to use his photography abilities for events like this. Of course he won’t be able to do that this year.”

“What? Why not?”

“Well- Steve, you broke his camera.”

“Yeah, like a month ago. He hasn’t gotten a new one by now.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he doesn’t live in a mansion Steve. Not everyone can just buy whatever they want whenever they want.” He knows that. Of course he knows that. He’s just… inexperienced in that area. It’s hard to remember. “He’s really upset, you know. It’s almost all he talks about now— that he won’t be able to afford a new one for several months.”

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

The next time he sees her he asks what kind of camera Jonathan had—or would want. A proud smile crosses her face, and Steve isn’t sure if she’s proud he’s ‘stepping up’ or whatever, or proud of herself for guilting him into it.

“Now, what makes you think I know anything about Jonathan’s camera preferences?” Steve blanks, and she’s right. It was an odd assumption to make. Idiot.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he says sarcastically. “I was just under the impression that you were some kind of genius or something.” She laughs and blushes a bit.

“Well you’re just lucky Jonathan’s so obsessed with his craft,” she says, matching his joking tone. “Because he talks about it all the time.”

So she tells him about how Jonathan has been saving for a specific camera, but has been practically drooling over a different—more expensive—camera in a catalog that he keeps in his nightstand drawer.

Steve manages to get his hands on one of those cameras before the party. He’s never had to wrap a gift before, but he thinks he does a decent job. Nancy offers to help, but he wants to try to do it on his own. Plus he was already using her family’s wrapping paper since his doesn’t exactly keep it in stock, and he doesn’t want to buy a whole roll that will only ever get used once.

He spends way too long trying to figure out what to wear. His family always stuffs him in a dull shade of a green shirt with a matching shaded red tie, or its reverse, and black pants. Steve wants to wear something more comfortable. He picks a Christmas sweater. Nancy’s family seems like the kind of people who would go for that. He doesn’t want to go overboard with the whole ugly Christmas sweater thing, so he keeps it basic.

He gets there with the camera tucked under his coat. He fully intended on handing it to Jonathan himself, but no one else is exchanging gifts and—despite his previous conversation with Jonathan establishing them as ‘cool’— he still doesn’t feel super comfortable with the exchange. Maybe he shouldn’t have wrapped it. It’s not even really a Christmas gift as much as it is an apology- Why did he wrap it?

When he gets there he almost immediately practically drags Nancy up to her room and explains his conundrum to her. He’s vaguely aware just how bad an impression on her family. If he made it quick it wouldn’t be too bad, but they now know he’s aware where her room is, which isn’t something he’s supposed to know.

“Maybe I should just tear off the paper. That’s less weird, right?”

“What? No- you worked so hard on that.”

“Yeah, and it still looks like garbage. I’m just gonna-” He goes to tear off the paper, but Nancy stops him, putting her hands on the box.

“What if I just give it to him?” A wave of relief floods through his body, like it’s in his bloodstream.

“Oh my god, yes. Please do.”

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

The dinner is fairly quick and simple. Of course, Steve couldn’t expect anything too extensive for the meal the night before Christmas Day. It comes up during the meal that Mike is the one who suggested the idea to have breakfast for dinner as the meal, waffles as the main dish, but with sides of things like scrambled eggs, toast, sausage, and bacon. Apparently he’d been insistent for reasons only his friends and Nancy seem to know, but refuse to explain.

Nancy’s aunt has to leave quickly after the dinner ends, but Nancy had been right. She’s a great buffer. She’s a bit of a chatterbox, and has a lot to say about what she’s been doing with her time away from Hawkins. Her stories are engrossing and she makes getting away from Hawkins seem even more appealing than it was before. Most importantly, she keeps everyone’s attention away from him, even in his ridiculous sweater, which he regrets soon after arriving.

After dinner the kids head to the basement for some complicated nerd game, and Mrs. Wheeler starts working on some desserts for the next day. Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, and Mr. Wheeler settle into the living room to watch some Christmas movies. Mr. Wheeler isn’t really watching though. He’s glaring at Steve, who in turn keeps a slight distance from Nancy. Well, he’s not glaring as much as he is giving him the most judgy look Steve’s ever seen on a middle aged man.

Jonathan can apparently tell when the kids are starting to wrap up their game and heads downstairs to collect Will to take him home. Once Jonathan leaves the room, Steve slowly moves his head to look at Nancy, just now remembering about the camera Jonathan has yet to receive.

“I’ll take care of it,” Nancy tells him. So he’s left alone watching the movie, and god is he glad Mr. Wheeler is asleep by now.

Nancy comes back a minute later and immediately cuddles up to him. With her father asleep, they feel allowed, but she’s still stiff, not settling comfortably.

“Did you give it to him?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

The movie ends a half hour later, and he heads home. He doesn’t see Nancy until school starts back up.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

It’s January, and he’s sitting at Nancy’s kitchen table, since Nancy’s parents are now more aware of their relationship and don’t want them in her room anymore. Nancy had gone to take care of something for her mother and Steve was attempting to continue writing his goddamn essay, so that he can go over with Nancy once she comes back. Instead what happens is one of the middle-schoolers that are constantly running around the place comes up from the basement and decides it’s appropriate to look over his shoulder and correct his grammar.

“It’s ‘further,’ not ‘farther,’” he says.

“And you’re wearing a hat indoors,” he lazily snarks back. He doesn’t put much effort into the quality of the retort or much sting into his voice, but the kid pulls the bill down just a little bit, slowly, somewhat embarrassed. “Sorry. I’m a bit frustrated with all this,” he gestures to the page, even though what he’s really frustrated with is his own brain.

“It’s ok… I’m just up here to get some snacks. I’ll get out of your hair.” Steve’s not sure if the comment about his hair is intentional, but he’s found that his hair being ‘incredible’ is a major factor in people’s interest in him. The kid heads over to the pantry in silence and grabs an armload of various snacks. He goes to leave, but stops at the doorway before turning back to Steve.

“I have cleidocranial dysplasia,” he says. “That’s why I wear the hat.” Steve doesn’t know what that means, but he gets the feeling he crossed a line that was much closer than he’d realized.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Steve’s been dating Nancy for months at this point, and they’ve still never really had an actual date. They mostly just hang out and work on homework. Sometimes they have sex, but it’s a bit rare now. Nancy rarely has an empty house, and she refuses to go over to his house after everything. So Steve wants to do something special for Valentine’s Day, to make up for the lack of actual substance in their relationship. He feels like he’s dragging Nancy down with his schoolwork. He could at least give her a fun night out on the day designated to celebrate relationships.

He doesn’t take her to Enzo’s, because that’s where his parents are. Besides��while there will probably be a lot of people there for Valentine’s Day, adult or not—it isn’t really a teenager’s scene. So he takes her to the next best place. The diner date he’d been fantasizing about since he first laid eyes on her. The diner was in the same area of town as Enzo’s, but was nothing too fancy, but somewhere that isn’t too greasy. Plus he doesn’t feel like he’s flaunting his wealth by proving he can get into a place like Enzo’s on Valentine’s Day.

So they’re sitting there in the diner and Nancy looks massively uncomfortable. She’s avoiding looking at anything but the table right in front of her, be it empty, with the menu on top, or the plate in front of her, which she picks at. Nancy hasn’t said a word since they arrived, except to order.

He should have known it was a stupid idea to bring her here. Ideal dates like the one he’d been conjuring in his head probably don't actually happen in real life. People like him just fantasize about it sometimes. It's not realistic. He hoped that maybe the mood that’s set with Valentine’s day would make the idea feel less cheesy and awkward in practice.

He gulps. “Are you ok?”

“Can’t we just like… go bowling, or something?” she answers his question with a question.

“For Valentine’s Day?” 

She looks somewhat ashamed of the suggestion. “No, you’re right. This… This is fine. This is great!” She’s forcing it, and he knows it. He supposes he should have known that this wouldn’t be up her alley. Headstrong and ambitious Nancy. Just some of the things he likes about her. Why would he think she would enjoy this? Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. So he immediately starts scarfing down his chicken.

“Wha- gross, Steve!” she says, but she’s laughing. He got her to laugh; something he savors. He’s always loved her laugh. “What are you doing?”

“Well, we’ll want to hurry up if we want to get to the bowling alley before they tell us we won’t have enough time to play!” She immediately follows suit, and they’re both lucky neither of them choke with how much they’re giggling. At some point it becomes an unspoken competition to see who can finish first. He lets her win, pretending his laughs are more extreme than they really are to give bigger gaps between bites. By the time they flag a waiter, most of the tables are staring at them, and many sag in relief as they leave the building.

They’d had the waiter put the milkshake that had previously been left with two untouched straws, in a to-go cup, and Steve gave it to Nancy. She drank it on the way to the bowling alley. Nancy was right; bowling is much more fun and comfortable. He beats her score with almost twice as many points as her, because he’s good at this kind of thing. He has strength and precision on his side from playing basketball for the past several years.

“I still won the eating competition,” she rationalizes as he drives her back home.

“Competition?” he asks cheekily. “What competition?”

“You ass. You know what I’m talking about.”

“Ok,” he concedes. “You’re a fast eater.”

“And you started it. I had to catch up.” She’s very self satisfied, but he’s not even sure that would have made a difference in the fact he would have won had he not let her, but he lets her have it.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

The school year will be over in a couple of months when Nancy first asks Steve to join her at dinner with the Hollands. She tells him she wants to show them that more people care than just them and her. He agrees.

It doesn’t actually seem to convince them that anyone else cares all that much. Steve thinks that’s fair. He just looks like a boyfriend helping his girlfriend prove a point. But Barbara was a human being, and she died, and her parents didn’t get any kind of closure or warning. Of course he cared. Plus there was the guilt surrounding the subject that clung him like wet fabric. Especially after Nancy felt the need to prove that other people do. He cares that so many people don’t.

The first dinner is a bit tense. They clearly don’t believe that he’s there for anyone’s sake but Nancy’s. And again, he can’t blame them for thinking that.

“So they throw these dinners every week?” he asks, driving Nancy home after they leave that first meal.

“Every two or three weeks. It depends on when people are available.”

“Have they been doing this since she disappeared? The whole time?”

“No. They were… distraught for a really long time. They’ve only been doing this for the past couple of months.”

“When’s the next one?”

“Are you planning on coming again?” she asks, smiling hopefully.

“Yeah. I mean, I’d have started coming before if I knew about it.”

“Steve,” she smiles. “I would have told you about it sooner if I knew you cared.” She caught herself. “Not that I thought you didn’t, but you’ve never seemed all that torn up about it.”

“I didn’t know her that well, but… she clearly cared about you. I think it’s, I don’t know, it’s just not cool that there aren’t a lot of people bothered by it. Like they did for Byers' kid brother.”

He expresses these sentiments to the Hollands at the next get together. They don’t seem bothered by his poor wording. He’s relieved about that. He didn’t want to feel like an ass about this topic.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

It’s Thursday and school lets out in a little more than two weeks. Steve knows everyone is going to get the results of their finals back the next day, and he’s nervous. Sure he’s gotten better grades this year than any other, but he didn’t have enough time to go back and review all of it. When he went to go over some of the early year stuff, he was unsurprised to find he’d forgotten almost all of it. Nancy had been studying for her finals and he wasn’t going to pull her into his problems when she was stressed for herself enough as it is.

So he reviewed it on his own and hopes it’s enough to have jogged his memory enough to pass. He has enough marks for “behavioral issues” that scoring low enough would raise a suspicion that he’d been cheating all year, and he could be held back. He’s already completed the tests. He just needs a distraction now.

He finds himself outside the darkroom. He knocks this time.

“Just a minute,” he hears Jonathan call through the door. It takes more than a minute, but he keeps his patience. When Jonathan opens the door he seems a bit surprised. “Oh, Steve. Hey. Why… What’s up?” Steve suddenly feels incredibly stupid for coming here. He doesn’t exactly know Jonathan that well. He swallows his pride.

“I’ve been a bit stressed,” he says awkwardly. Jonathan seems to understand. He smiles a bit and gestures for Steve to enter, which he does.

“Finals?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

Jonathan nods. “You wanna try developing some?” He gestures to the bins of chemicals.

“I don’t really know how.”

“Yes you do. I showed you a few months ago.”

“Yeah. A few months ago.” Jonathan chuckles.

“That’s ok. I can guide you through it.” He’s a man of his word, apparently. He takes him through the first one step by step, lets Steve take over on the second as he hovers, and leaves him be entirely on the third. It makes him nervous, afraid he’ll do something wrong and not have anyone to correct him, but the image turns out fine.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about your score,” Jonathan says after they’ve been silently working at their own stations for a while. “Nancy tells me she’s been helping you. I don’t know you very well, but I know she knows what she’s doing.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what I’m doing.” There’s a pause.

“Thanks for the camera, by the way.” Steve’s head jerks up, eyes leaving the photo he’s working on and hitting Jonathan. “She didn’t tell me it was you, but she let it slip a little while after that she had to get Mike a pretty cheap gift because most of the allowance she’d set aside for gifts was used up on all our monster hunting gear. Wasn’t hard to figure out after that.”

“Nancy mentioned how long it was going to take for you to save up for a new one. Sometimes I forget that people can’t just buy things back. I’m trying to work on that.”

“I guess it wouldn’t be very helpful of me to suggest trying out what it’s like to be poor. So I guess that’s all I can ask for you to do.”

“Cool. I’m pretty sure Nance brought it up hoping I’d get you one, but I’m still trusting you with that camera. Don’t make me regret it.”

“No, I wouldn’t dream of it.”

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Nancy is probably the only reason he passes junior year. With his finals scores worsening every year prior, Steve’s pretty sure his father fully expected him to fail this year, which is quickly confirmed. They’re eating breakfast on the first day of summer.

“Did you know that Steven’s going to be a senior this year,” his mother asks his father, who turns to him.

“You passed?” he asks. Steve doesn’t know why his surprise got to him. He already knew he was a disappointment. He tries to keep the tone light, for the sake of his own emotional state.

“Well, yeah. After all the work I put in this year, I’d certainly hope so,” he laughs.

“Was all that work put into cheating?” Steve feels his smile strain.

“No.” His father raises an eyebrow, unbelieving. “Why would I cheat for Bs and Cs?” he asks, rhetorically.

“As if anyone would believe you’d get any higher.”

“I’ve gotten Bs before. Who’s to say I can’t break my record?”

“You got Bs in one class in middle school. You’re not in middle school anymore.”

“Honey,” Steve’s mother interjects, “leave it alone. Who cares how he got it? If this is what it takes to keep  him from embarrassing the family, we should take it.”

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

That summer, Steve’s parents break their record for how long they’re out. They go on vacations every summer, but this year they decide to be ambitious and travel to several countries in Europe. They tell Steve to plan on not seeing them for almost a month. The only emotion Steve feels is impressed. It’s quite the extended holiday they’re taking.”

He asks Nancy to come over the first day, but she declines.

“Sorry,” she says. “It’s just… last time I was at your place was the first time I saw the demogorgon, and the time before that, well…”

“No, Nance, that’s fine. I shouldn’t have even suggested it.” Idiot.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Vanessa shows up the first Friday they’re gone.

“It’s been a while since you learned anything new,” she says. “It’s not as important that I teach you this time around, but if you want, we can expand a bit. Give you a bigger variety to pick from when your parents are away.” He eyes her up and down.

“Last I checked you were tired of wasting your time teaching me things,” he says.

“I was tired of not getting paid for raising a whole-ass child who wasn’t even mine. I enjoyed teaching you, but that shouldn’t have been up to me. And I’d already taught you more than enough. You’re getting older now, and cooking should be about more than survival by now. Isn’t it?”

“I… yeah, I enjoy it.”

“Then let’s get started. And hey,” she pulls out a bottle of wine from her oversized purse, “let’s have some extra fun with it today.”

She shows up every Friday that his parents are gone that month. They mostly go over breakfast recipes because back when she was teaching him regularly, he already knew how to make eggs, and she didn’t feel the need to mess with that. He never complained, so he couldn’t blame her for teaching him how to make more filling meals, but he really didn’t like eggs. Not on their own. He would find himself often making simpler dinner foods for breakfast just because he didn’t want to deal with the squishy, wet egg feeling in his mouth.

She shows him how to make omelets, which are considerably more bearable than the regular eggs. She teaches him how to make a variety of pastries. He learns how to make french toast, and bagels. Bagels are surprisingly easy to make and, with them being so easy to grab on the fly, he decides that when school starts up he’s going to keep up a decent stockpile.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Steve mentions that he doesn’t trust anyone else with his hair—especially anyone his parents would hire to cut it—so he cuts it himself. Nancy looks impressed, and he feels his chest fill with pride. It’s obviously difficult to impress her, and he wasn’t even trying. Then she smiles.

“Can you cut my hair?” she asks, excited.

“What? Why?”

“I get my hair trimmed every year when school starts, but my mom doesn’t want me cutting it short. I cut it myself in middle school, thinking she’d pay for it to be cleaned up, but she didn’t and I just had a terrible haircut that year.” Steve always liked Nancy’s long hair. He definitely had a preference for girls with long hair; something about the way it framed them and their face. But he didn’t think it was fair that Nancy wasn’t allowed to do what she wanted with her hair. That’s the whole reason he cuts his own after all. Besides, he’d impressed her.

He gives her a bob and she loves it. She’s more affectionate that day than she’s been in a long time.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

The school year starts and Steve has PE with Tommy. After he broke it off with him and Carol, they’d mostly just been avoiding each other. It wasn’t exactly difficult; they only shared their lunch period that year. For the first few days back they try not to acknowledge each other.

One day they’re playing dodge ball and they’re the only two left, on opposite teams. They’re both hesitant, and it must be obvious because Coach Miller yells at them to ‘pick it up, boys.’

So Steve chucks the ball at Tommy’s knees and Tommy’s face grows dark. Steve gets a feeling any remaining mutual respect has just been shattered entirely. The class heads to the locker room, but Gabriel S is the only one who deems it necessary to shower. Everyone else just gets changed, since the game that day wasn’t particularly taxing.

Steve’s about to leave the locker room when he hears Tommy’s voice, right behind him.

“Do you even know Carol moved to Colorado last month?” he asks, accusingly. Steve turns around to face him.

“No,” he answers, attempting to sound apologetic. “I didn’t know that.”

“Would you fucking look at me!”

Shit- his eyes darted from where he was looking over Tommy’s shoulder, to his face. He’s snarling, and the next thing Steve knows he’s on the ground getting his face pummeled in.

He doesn’t fight back, but he still gets the closet that night.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

He hasn’t gotten the closet since his parents finally gave up on his prospects and stopped caring about his grades, back in middle school. It’s somehow worse this time. He wonders if the fact he’s so much taller has anything to do with it, but it feels as bad as it did the first time, when the closet was still being used for linens. It’s hot and he can’t breathe. He begs through the door and his father tells him to stop being dramatic.

He grips the door through the slit at the bottom, the cool air on the other side pressing against his fingers. The only thing keeping him sane.

Masterlist Chapter 3.1>>

[imjusttpeachy]

she's a rae of sunshine (c.h.)

okay so this was a request but i completely read it wrong so i’m gonna write it again but i finished this one anyway so here take it

so sorry to the anon who requested it bc u were so fuckin sweet i’ll have it up asap i promise

playlist

ralph castelli - morning sex

crumb - bones

jorja smith - teenage fantasy

summary: balancing college life and wanting to support your best friends online endeavors was difficult, but reader regrets trying a little harder when she finally meets one of her newer stream-mates

word count: 2, 828

WARNINGS: she/her pronouns used, coarse language, lowkey OOC Corpse, that needs its own warning i’m sorry,

•••

“Look you knew I had to stream before I said you could come over ya fuckin idiot.”

“Yea I knowwwww, I just wanted to spend more time with my super-hot best friend forever.”

Being the best friend of an online personality had its perks— the amazing trips you got to hitch a ride on, the adoring fans that seemed to latch on to you as well, the sponsorships that would always send you something along with the original PR package, and especially the way she was able to choose their own work hours.

Well... mostly.

As much as you adored spending time together during the day, whether it be shopping or going out for brunch, those late nights that always seemed to hold the most memories you held so dear were few and far between. Of course, you couldn’t blame her; responsibilities were responsibilities, and fuck if you’d let your selfish wants override the way she chooses to get her work done. You really couldn’t be one to judge either-- having to call off dates because you’d underestimated the time you needed to complete a school paper, or when a last-minute lab was called in and you’d have to leave her sitting alone in those cafes with your half-finished mocha and a promise to Venmo her the money to cover it later. What left you feeling the most guilty, though, was the fact that you weren’t able to watch her content as much as you’d like to. Sure, you’d catch a few minutes of a stream here and there but any time you spent apart was usually spent with your head buried in a book, mind bleary with countless espresso shots trying to keep your tired eyes focused on the seemingly unending work in front of you.

But, a distraction every now and then couldn’t hurt. Right?

Having had enough of your current assignment, any coherent thought was long gone, you’d decided to pay your favourite person a little visit. You knew she’d probably be busy as she hadn’t replied to your previous text for a few hours, but knowing her presence alone and any passing comments would lift the heaviness that had found its home in your head and chest, you shot her a message to let her know that her office couch would be occupied by you for the next few hours. Normally, you’d just show up so you knew she wouldn’t have a problem with it; so when that fateful message popped up on your phone giving you the go-ahead you completely ignored the warning of her work schedule and drove right over.

So now here you were, sprawled haphazardly on her couch clad in sweats and a sports bra scrolling through your phone as you watched her finish her final touches so she could start her stream.

“You’re gonna be in the background of my face cam if you wanna sit there y’know.” Groaning in response to her warning not wanting to move from the comfy spot you just found, you looked over at her with the best puppy eyes you could muster. She chuckled softly, raising her hands in surrender as she turned back to her setup. “Hey I really don’t care, just warning ya bug. The thirst comments and screenshots are outta my hands.”

Scoffing under your breath at her comment, you turned your head back to your phone as a Twitter notification popped up at the top of your screen.

Corpse Husband: streaming among us in a few mins, join in on youtube

Heartbeat picking up slightly, you scrambled for the purse you’d thrown at the base of the couch for your headphones. Ever since you’d found this handsome-voiced stranger’s channel on your late night horror binges, you had fallen completely in love. While you weren’t typically the type to watch video game commentary outside of Rae, his voice got you completely hooked and you couldn’t get enough of it. Yeah, maybe you were a bit of a simp, but that sweet and genuine personality that hid behind that gravelly tone had you melting completely into his clutches. You tried to convince yourself to get over it, you didn’t even know what he looked like. But, y’know, a little crush wouldn’t hurt anybody right?

“Going live in T-minus 30 seconds babe.” Jumping slightly as Rae’s voice knocked you out of dreamland, you mumbled out a small “got it” as you once again got focused on getting your headphones connected to your phone. You’d never been able to watch one of his lives before, his horror commentary videos usually playing as background noise as you did schoolwork or while you were falling asleep. Practically shaking with excitement, you opened your YouTube app seeing the live at the very top and tapping on it immediately only to be met with that sweet laugh ringing through your headphones like music to your ears. You grinned to yourself, grabbing the throw pillow you had previously tossed to the floor and hugging it to your chest while your eyes remained glued to your phone screen, completely forgetting what was happening around you as you zeroed in on the gravelly tone you’d fallen oh-so in love with.

“Hey (Y/N) wave hi.” You startled slightly as the faint voice of your friend sounded from across the room. Glancing up from your phone, you pulled an earbud from your ear and furrowed your brows at her before slowly processing what she said, lifting a hand in greeting to her watchers. She laughed at your confusing antics, turning slightly in her chair to look over at you. “What the hell are you so smiley about?”

“…Nothing..” You grinned widely as her laugh once again resounded around the room, shaking her head at you before turning back to her screen with a scoff, muttering something under her breath so only her watchers could hear. Smile still plastered across your lips, you settled back down into the comfiness of the couch and popped your earbud back in, zeroing in again on the screen in front of you. Watching as Corpse moved his character around the lobby as he waited for his friends to join, a small giggle escaped from under your breath; trying your best to be mindful of Rae’s stream but not being able to hold back the flustered feeling welling up in your chest, mind giddy with the thought of finally being able to see one of his famous live streams, well, live. It had only been a few seconds later when you heard Rae’s voice once again, only this time, not as muffled as before.

“What’s up motherfuckers.” Brows furrowing in confusion, you lifted your hand to your earbud and pulled it from your ear once again, hearing her voice from across the room but from your other earbud as well. No, there was no fucking way. All your questions were answered, though, as you glanced back down at your phone screen seeing a red character move around the game lobby along with Corpse’s, the gamer tag ‘Valkyrae’ floating just above it. Blinking hard at your screen trying to convince yourself that your eyes were lying to you, you slowly pulled your hand to cover your mouth in shock. How… How could you possibly not know they knew each other? With the way they spoke to each other in sarcastic comments, poking fun at the other it sounded like they were close too. Body finally catching up with your thoughts, you scrambled at your phone, shaky hands moving as quickly as they could to pull up your texts with Rae. Your fingers tapped furiously at the screen, anxious to get back to the live stream to listen in more but also needing to know what the fuck was going on.

TO my rae of sunshine: care to explain what the fuck is going on??! how the fuck do you know corpse husband?????!??!

“Oops sorry guys, guess I forgot to turn off my phone ringer-“ Staring up at the back of her head helplessly, you watched as she picked up her phone seeming to read out the text before bursting into a peal of laughter. Tossing a look at you over her shoulder, you looked back down at your phone bashfully, seeing the three loading dots in your message thread indicating that she was messaging you back.

my rae of sunshine: lol what about it? you gotta crush on him or something?

TO my rae of sunshine: …no

Hitting send you rushed back to the stream, anxious to see what Corpse was saying in response to Rae’s absence, not thinking anything about your brief conversation and thinking you would discuss it after she had logged off for the night. Though, as you heard her phone chime again from across the room followed by another bark of laughter, you knew you weren’t getting off that easy.

“What are you laughing about?” Corpse’s honeyed voice sounded from your earbud, hearing Rae’s giggles from what you presumed to be their discord voice chat. Glancing anxiously between his stream and the reflection of Rae’s face cam in one of her monitors, your heart began to sink as you watched that familiar mischievous grin tugging at the edge of her lips.

“Oh just my friend (Y/n) sent me a funny meme”

“Wait, is she the one in some of your Instagram posts?” You swear your heart stopped beating at that moment, eyes glued to the screen in front of you as you tried helplessly to process the conversation happening right in front of you. He knew who you were? You thought you’d always be lost among the hundreds of thousands of his new adoring fans, left in the anonymity of your Twitter tag in his subtweets, or just another subscriber that fawned over him silently behind a keyboard. Knowing that he’d actually seen your face you could feel your own beginning to heat at that moment; you brought your hands your mouth again, unknowingly curling your body tighter around the pillow in your lap as you tried to hide your face behind it as you become more and more flustered from the words nonchalantly escaping his mouth.

“Yea that’s her, pretty thing isn’t she? She’s my absolute favourite.”

That’s it, you were gonna fucking kill her.

“I mean, yeah... I guess..” The timid words followed by a soft awkward chuckle had your breath hitching in your throat. There was no fucking way this was happening. This had to be a dream, that was the only possible explanation. You were just about to pinch yourself when Rae’s voice startled you from your thoughts.

“She’s actually over right now. She insisted on getting wine drunk later tonight because her professor’s been on her ass lately. I’ll get her to come say hi.” Rae had barely turned around in her chair when she was met with your wide-eyed gaze, panic painted across your features as you shook your head wildly. You were in no state to be talking to your long-time internet crush in such a casual setting. But with the look Rae shot you from her chair as she started to plug another headset into her PC, you knew you had no choice and begrudgingly pulled yourself from the couch almost tripping over your own feet as you shakily walked over to Rae. Shooting her another pleading look, she only shoved the headset in your direction in return as she grinned up at you. Finally biting the bullet, you pulled on the headset and leaned down toward the mic.

“Hi, how’s it going?” Cursing at yourself for how quiet and shaky your words came out, you barely had any time to think it over before a chorus of greetings sounded through the headset. A small giggle escaped your lips as you watched the different Discord icons appear and disappear from the top of the screen. You knew most of these people already which made you even more confused as to how you managed to miss that voice from all the discord chats and voice calls. Well, knowing them was a bit of an overstatement anyway; you knew /of/ them, and they knew /of/ you in the other times you popped up in the background or in passing conversation during Rae’s streams. They did know you well enough, though, to know this was not the way you usually spoke around them.

“No way, that can’t be the (Y/N) I know!” The voice you recognize as Sean echoes through your headset, another chorus of knowing laughter following quickly after. Taking a deep breath you managed to force out a few words that would get them off your case.

“…Shut the fuck up”

“There she is!!” As the group erupted in laughter yet again, all you could focus on was the faint deep chuckle that resounded through your headset. Feeling your face start to heat up, you covered your wide grin with your hand as butterflies burst through your stomach; you could listen to that laugh all day. Before you were able to speak again, though, that heavenly voice piped up and wiped all train of thought from your mind.

“Nice to meet you (Y/N).”

“It’s nice to meet you too Corpse. I gotta be honest ‘n say I’m a pretty big fan of your no-sleep work.” And... there’s the word vomit. Fuck, you could feel your cheeks starting to heat up with the ongoing realization of who you were talking to.

“Aha thank you, I uh really appreciate that. I’m sure you just heard, but I guess you could say I’m a fan of yours also.”

No.

No, there’s no fucking way.

Is he...

Flirting with you?

Before you could even think about what to reply to that with, the rest of the group beat you to it.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is happening.”

“CORPSE! You SIMP!”

“Is- Is Corpse really shooting his shot right now?”

You didn’t realize you were frozen in place until you felt Rae’s hand on your elbow, snapping you out of your bewildered trance as you tried to comprehend what was happening yourself. As your thoughts finally caught up to the present, you could feel your cheeks start to burn; pulling your hand up to cover your face you stepped out of the view of the face cam. Rae’s laughter filled the room as she watched your flustered antics, shooting you a sly grin as she started scanning the monitor displaying her live chat.

“Wait, wait, chats telling me (y/n)’s blushing right now?” Sean’s voice echoed through the discord chat, only making you flush further as you tried desperately to find a way out of this.

“Okay, okay, leave her alone.” Corpse’s voice finally piped up amid all of the chaos causing everyone to immediately pipe down. God, you didn’t even want to begin to think of the mess this has already made, you just needed to get out of there before you caused any more damage.

“Yeah, I uh- see- see that the lobby’s full so I’ll just uh- leave you guys to it.” Quietly thanking the stars that Corpse finally got you out of this mess, you went to pull the headset off your ears when that fateful voice piped up again.

“Wait, don’t let these nerds make you leave. You should stay- I mean, only to help Rae y'know? She needs it.”

“I do not!”

“I- I mean yea sure, as long as I’m not intruding,” Cursing yourself again for stuttering before forcing yourself to swallow the knot in your throat, “I mean, she really does need the help.”

“Okay just because you want to flirt some more doesn’t mean you can bully me-“

“Okay, I’m starting the round!” The booming accented voice cut off everyone else in the call as you all stared as the screen began to count down to the game, and before anyone had the chance to say anything else a chorus of laughs resounded, and then the lobby fell into silence.

•••

And it went on like that, the not-so-subtle flirting followed by relentless jabs from the group immediately after. The game was almost forgotten with how much of each lobby was taken up by teasing words and endless laughter, but every audience was just eating it up. You didn’t even want to think about the mess social media was going to be after this stream but right now you were having fun with your friends and that’s all that mattered. The grin was practically plastered on your face as you laughed along with Rae the chat during the gameplay portions and you knew everything from this moment on was gonna be different, but you couldn’t find a single thing within you to care.

Especially when you logged onto Twitter right after the stream and saw that little message right at the top of your requests.

@.corpsehusband: wanna hear some of that no sleep work in person?

•••

beep bop here u go,

[txdoroki]

Hello ^^~

May I request Todoroki, Bakugo, Midoriya and Denki's reaction to the readers confession? In which they also have a crush on the reader? 💜

hi! yes ofc,, sorry it took so long for me to get back to you! been busy >,<

since it’s so long it’ll be under the cut :^

include todoroki, bakugou, midoriya, denki, kirishima :P 

might do a pt 3, lmk what characters yall wanna see ^-^

part 2 has been done

words: 1696

not edited btw i wrote this at 4am lmk if something doesnt make sense and i’ll fix it ahhhhhhhhhh

todoroki would be like 0-0 the entire time.

“hey todoroki, wanna go out on a date with me? we could go to the movies or wherever, it’s your choice,” you smiled up at him while he walked beside you, carrying both of your bags of schoolwork and books while he stared off at the road in front of you both.

he had always made an effort to do small, caring things for you. he’d hold the door, carry your books, or walk you home after school among many other things. you didn’t think much of it, you’d both been friends for a while, so you figured he was just being kind. no, no that wasn’t it.. he was just bad at showing he wanted to be more than just kind. more than just your friend from a while ago.

he was taken aback by your question, and internally cursed at himself for not asking you weeks ago. 

“um, todoroki?” you softly shook his arm when he seemed to have zoned out on the ground, but your bright smile didn’t fade. he adored that from you, he loved how eager you were to spend time with him. to talk with him. to try and learn about him. to do anything at all with him. you were so sweet and understanding, always. 

“oh, yeah sure,” he nodded at you, glancing down at you from sheer nervousness that you’d be laughing at him. that it’d be a prank. 

when you picked up on how on the edge he seemed to be, you leaned into him a bit, a goofy attempt at ensuring you wanted to go and it wasn’t a forced thing.

“you know, i’ve liked you for a while,” you grinned at him, winking when you saw his eyes quickly flash between content and joy. 

“me too,”

bakugou would be like ??!??!?!?!?!?!!???!?!!? who???? me??!?!?!?!?!!?? how??!?!?!?!?!?! screaming internally but on the outside like duhhhh

“hey, bakugou, i have a crush on you, by the way,” you whispered in his ear from behind the beanbag chair he was seated in. him and denki were in the middle of a wii tennis match, mina, sero, and kirishima all focusing on it to see who won.

“what? fucking dumbass, hold on a sec,” he scoffed when you ran your hair through his hair, ruffling it while he tried batting your hand away with his free one.

he tried to maintain focus on the match, lowkey trying to impress you with him winning. it was difficult, his mind kept drifting off to you and your cute face and your cute- back to the game, he’s gotta win. for you. after what felt like forever, he finally won, then dragged you out of denki’s dorm.

 “ooo sneaky link?” you heard mina giggle, and the three boys that remained in the dorm roared with laughter.

it got louder when bakugou screamed over his shoulder as he took you by the hand away from the dorm, “fuck off, extra, hell no,”

once you were both out of earshot he smirked, “so, you think i’m hot?” he rolled his eyes when you giggled and nodded, and a blush covered both of your faces, “well, you’re okay, i guess,”

“so when’s the date?” you smiled at him, chuckling when he pulled out his phone to check his fucking calendar app. such an old man.

after a few seconds, he pulled up a date on his phone and turned it to you. only a week from then.. ”february 14,” he winked at you and walked away, not even turning back, “see you at the dorm, dumbass,”

midoriya would be like  ≧◉◡◉≦

“all might’s spot as the top hero will not be easily passed by endeavor, or anyone else. he’s great for many reasons, would you like to hear them?” he only paused for a second, turning his head to see your amused nod before immediately continuing, “well first of all his quirk is-”

“midoriya, i wanna date you, if you want,” you interrupted and slowly put a hand on his arm, softly smiling at him.

“huh?” the small sentence shook him from his ranting, and he turned his entire body to look at you. your cheeks heated from the disoriented stare he gave you. he was that shaken up by something you’d said? “really?” 

“yes, of course. you’re very handsome and very passionate and ve-”

“yeah of course i’ll date you, thank you, y/n,” he kissed your forehead before turning back to the school hallway, ignoring the excited giggles of his classmates, “okay, so all might’s quirk is obvi....” his mind started wandering to how excited he was at the thought of dating you. it was a dream come true. “oh, sorry, so his quirk is obviously very good for hero w-”

“midoriya, can we go to your dorm after school?” you interrupted him again, smiling sweetly at him. sometimes it was difficult for him to not talk about heroes and all about them all, but you understood and tried helping out with other things.

“oh, of course, sweetie.. hah, can i call you sweetie? or would you prefer just y/n?” he began going on and on about the different things he wanted to call you if you were comfortable, not stopping until you grabbed his wrist and dragged him to both of yours next bell. 

ugh, calculus.

denki is like oh.? hehehehehehehehe 

you were sprawled out on your best friend’s bed, laying starfish on your back as you huffed about how frustrated and annoying today was. although you held back the most important part. it was especially frustrating how much you adored him. the good ole denki kaminari. you had these feelings for quite a while, trying your best not to confess. i mean, he was a class flirt, he wouldn’t like you back, right?

nah. he hadn’t flirted with anyone other than you in months. and you were the only one that didn’t pick up on it. 

“c’mon, y/n, i know you aren’t telling the full story. say what’s on your mind,” denki lightly ran his fingers up and down your right leg. it tickled but not enough to be uncomfortable. 

“i can’t,” you groaned, giggling when he rolled his eyes and persisted, saying no matter what he wouldn’t tell anyone.

“if you tell me, i’ll give you five bucks, y/n,” he chuckled when you sighed and finally nodded. when you sat up, he turned so you could tell he was listening to what you had to say.

“fine, but only for the money,” you giggled, “i uh.. i’ve been interested in you for a really long time now.. but i understand if you don-” 

wait what

he kissed you, moving his hand up to cup your cheek. your eyes slowly closed, leaning into his touch.

holy shit he kissed you???

when you were let go, your cheeks felt burning hot.

“denk-”

he kissed you again, and you melted into it. it felt like fireworks, euphoria filling your body.

“so does this mean you like me back?” you nervously played with your hands, trying your best to disregard the harsh red blush that was thrown on your face.

“well, duh, took ya long enough,” he chuckled, brushing some of your hair out of your face.

you cried out when you heard the click of his phone camera, and went to hide yourself.

“awe you look so beautiful, y/n. can’t wait to brag about you, baby,” he winked at you, typing something into his phone.

later that day you checked snapchat and saw on his private story the photo of you plus a caption, it read, 

“they finally realized, big dummy. y/n if you see this, you’re lucky you’re a good kisser ;)”

you shook your head and ran to his dorm, pounding on the door. you were gonna beat him up.

kirishima is a big ole softie duhhh everyone knows this. he best boy, no arguing!!

you sighed as kirishima held you to his chest, the lovely feeling of your growing feelings for him hummed in your chest. you had tried hard to push it back, how would that work out? would he reciprocate? was this only platonic?

“are you alright, y/n?” he whispered into your neck when he heard the sigh, trying to hide the deep red hue on his cheeks from you.

you both had agreed not to catch feelings for each other, fine at first with just cuddles and sweet compliments. no specific ties to the affections, just a way for the both of you to feel loved. an ideal thing to have, except that both of you were slowly breaking the agreement. 

you both ached for each other, but neither of you wanted to be the first to admit it. it was simply too risky.

“y-yeah, sorry, just thinking,”

“awe, no need to be sorry, pumpkin, what’s that pretty brain of yours thinking of?” he ran his fingers through your hair, appreciating the shivers of content that had you moving a small bit in his hold.

when you didn’t respond, he cocked an eyebrow, wondering if you hadn’t heard him or if you just chose to be quiet.

“pebble, what’re you thinking about?” he asked again, gently running his hand up and down your arm.

too deep in your thoughts to actually comprehend you were saying this out loud and not in your head, you whispered, “i wanna date you, i don’t want this to be just platonic. i need to be with you, kiri,”

“oh? you need to?” he smirked, chuckling when your eyes widened as you realized you had actually said that out loud, “well, if it’s a need.. i can make it happen, of course,”

“w-wait what?”

“you said you need to be with me, you weren’t lying, were you?” you slowly shook your head no, avoiding his gaze that bore into your skin, “let’s do that then, how’s that sound, pumpkin?”

“good,” you smiled into his chest, trying to move your hand to your arm to pinch you. were you dreaming?

you weren’t, this was real.

the man you’d liked for a while liked you back, oh hell yeah.

[btssaysstudy]

Cheap Sunglasses || jjk

Pairing: Jeon Jungkook (BTS) x reader

Note: Inspired by cheap sunglasses by John K || do let me know if you liked it :)

Summary: Being a teaching assistant for college definitely has it monetary perks but who knew it had other perks in meeting a potential significant other.

Warnings: swearing, mentions of injury (not the reader), angst, jungkook being an annoying player at times, mentions of over-exhaustion from schoolwork

“Thanks y/n!” Mingyu grinned, reaching out for a fist bump. You laughed, returning the gesture. “No problem, just doing my job.” 

“I’ll treat you for a meal soon, you can count on it! I’ll see you around!” He gave you a quick side hug before leaving the lecture hall. You got up from your seat, packing your belongings to head off for lunch. 

“y/n! Could you help me compile the outline for the chapters to read for the semester?” Your professor approached you, handing you the list of chapters that class had to read. “Sure, when do you need it by?”

“Preferably by the end of this week? No rush! As long as it’s before midterms.”

“Okay, sure!” You glanced at the list, it was the same reading list as last semester, you just had to use your own outline for this semester. You smiled, thankful that nothing much changed with the syllabus so you had less work to do as a teaching assistant.

Your professor thanked you and left the hall. “You know, one definite perk of being a TA is tutoring hot students. Mingyu was definitely hitting on you.”

“No he’s not. We’re friends, I already met him for one of my classes last semester.”

“Mm, yea don’t believe you. Anyway, let’s hurry go, I’m starving.” Sooyoung rubbed her stomach and you grabbed your bag, leaving the hall with your friends. 

One definite perk, which was not what Sooyoung said, of being a TA was that you get paid and you definitely needed the money. It was tough to juggle being a TA at first and you weren’t sure if you were cut out for it, but 2 semesters later, you’ve been a TA every semester and it’s become a part of your schedule.

“Chan-mi!” A loud bright voice called out for other friend. The three of you stopped, turning around to find the boy who was dubbed as the “sunshine” of your college.

“Yes?” Chan-mi clearly unfazed by his loudness. Hoseok grinned, saying a brief hello to you and Sooyoung. “Our club manager just texted me that we have an upcoming gig. Just a little insider info for you, you’re on the performing team.”

Chan-mi nodded her head with a short laugh, “He texted me too actually.”

“What?! I thought i’ll be the good news bearer.” Hoseok pouted, his group approached him, patting him on the shoulder to rush him for lunch.

“I’ll see you at next practice then!” Chan-mi waved goodbye as he was being dragged away by his friends.

His friends. That group.

That group was popular and they knew it. They don’t seem to bask in it but they would slip some of the times — easily charming people to get what they need, having girls praying that they’ll become their girlfriends. It was no surprise that they have quite a list of girls they dated.

Despite the list,their reputation wasn’t that bad. They would make it clear to the girls they take out on dates — that they’re not looking to commit. You figured it was the least they could to do the poor girls who were pining for them, laying out the facts immediately.

“So what are we eating? I’m about to die any second.” Sooyoung grumbled once more.

—

“If you’d like to book my TA, I’ve sent you an email with a google sheet for you to find a slot. She’s a popular one so better book a slot asap if you need her help.” Your professor announced to the class, making you feel shy from her comment, your eyes glued to your screen as you felt the stares.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t know that you were a popular TA. You did put in the effort to help others since you were being paid after all, so, you did deserve the credit.

Throughout class, you could do your own things since you didn’t need to pay attention to the lesson. Halfway through the class, you clicked on the google sheet link to see that your upcoming week has been almost fully booked.

‘maybe i need a pay raise’ you thought to yourself, opening your own calendar to update your own schedule. Your eyes landed on a particular name, shocked that he even bothered to book a slot. 

Jeon Jungkook.

You stopped yourself from whipping your head around to find him. He was part of that group and known to be the very athletic one. You guessed you stereotyped him to be those athletes that didn’t care about studies. You felt slightly uneasy, knowing his reputation in college and the girls.

‘It’s okay, it’s just one time slot.’

Once you noted the ones who booked a time slot with you the upcoming week, you contacted each of them to settle the venue & confirm the timing.

We can meet at my place :) - Jungkook

Yea, I’m not entirely comfortable going to a stranger’s place - y/n

Relax, it was a joke. How about near your place? So you don’t have to travel so much. - Jungkook

That works fine, there’s a cafe near mine. I’ll text you the address later. - y/n

Once class ended your two friends rushed to your seat. “So how’s your schedule Ms. Popular?”

“Really busy.”

“I saw the sheet, Jeon Jungkook booked a slot with you? Perks of being a TA is definitely helping cute students.” Sooyoung giggled like a little pre-teen girl.

“You don’t even need to be a TA to get cute guys, you have so many admirers.” Chan-mi made a very true remark.

“I’ll admit, you’re not wrong. But y/n’s snagging boys of a different league.”

“Stop idolising them like they’re gods.”

“They’re looks are god-like.” Sooyoung countered.

“You’re unbelievable.”

—

“Hey,” someone tapped your shoulder, taking out your earpiece to greet Jungkook. “Hey.”

He was dressed in a typical tired college student, in grey sweats and a black hoodie. Yet, you had to admit he looked cute in them.

“Sorry, did I make you wait long?”

“Oh no, I just came early to make sure we get a good spot. Not too near the rest of the customers.”

“I see you want a little privacy.” Jungkook grinned cheekily, clearly implying something else. You raised a questioning eyebrow at him, “Sorry, just kidding.” He quickly apologised, taking the seat opposite you.

“Anyway, we can just begin immediately. Do you have any questions?”

Jungkook nodded his head, taking out his laptop. “I do actually. Quite a long list if you don’t mind.”

“Well you have me for an hour. Go ahead.” 

Throughout the 2 hours, you realised you really stereotyped him a great amount. You assumed he barely paid attention in class but he did — he even had a list of questions to ask. You honestly enjoyed helping these type of people the most, those that made their own effort to help themselves. 

“You know,” Jungkook spoke, coming back from ordering his drink. “For the past hour and a half, I gotta admit, I stereotyped you to be a super uptight and socially awkward person. Then again, having to help tutor a lot of people would need social skills as well.” 

With a chuckle, you shrugged your shoulders, “I stereotyped you too, so I guess we’re both guilty.”

Curious, Jungkook rested his weight on his arms as he leaned closer to you, “Oh really? What did you stereotype me as then?” A playful smirk clearly threatening to appear on his lips. 

“A dumb jock.” You mischievously grinned back at him, his smile dropped, clearly not expecting that answer. It felt good to bruise that ego of his, even if it was just a split second. “Since I’m asking you to tutor me, I’m not gonna argue that.” He leaned back, regaining his composure and confidence.

You could feel his entire presence exuding with confidence, though he did have something to be confident about. In fact, he had a few things to be confident about - athletically gifted, popular and handsome. Anyone would call you a liar if you said you didn’t think he was handsome. 

“If you don’t have anymore questions, we can wrap this up now.”

Jungkook nodded his head, “Thanks for helping me. Appreciate it.” He reached out his hand, offering a handshake. “A handshake?”

“Are you afraid of a little physical contact?” He teased.

Rolling your eyes, you reached out to give him a firm shake. “Glad I could help you.” He gave you a cute bunny smile, grabbing his things and leaving you behind in the cafe. You stayed for a few more minutes before heading back to your place to prepare dinner for your guests.

Cooking always seemed to make time pass by quickly because before you even realised, your friends were spamming your doorbell, rushing you to let them in. “How was he?” Sooyoung questioned the moment she entered your house. 

“I had a good day thank you.” You sarcastically replied, grabbing a cup for them. “He was alright, he actually came prepared with questions.”

“That’s surprising. I honestly thought he booked a slot just to flirt with you.” Chan-mi commented as she helped you set up the dining table. “Come on, he wouldn’t waste his time on me.”

“Why not? You’re a great catch.” Sooyoung argued.

“Pretty sure I give off the vibe of “date to settle” and not “date for the fun”. So obviously, he won’t even bother.” 

“Mm, you do have a point for that.”

“Anyway, enough about my tutees, let’s just enjoy girls night.” You raised your shot glass of soju, Sooyoung grinned excitedly, “Cheers to us”

-

As every week’s slot was released in the online sheet, Jungkook was always one of the first few to book. You couldn’t help but be surprised every time you saw his name on the schedule. 

“So you picked up the sport by accident?” You clarified again as you took another sip. Jungkook nodded his head, leaning back into his chair. “Seokjin was the one who wanted to learn it, he dragged me to the trial class and the rest was history. He takes credit for it.” He laughed, a reminiscing look on his face.

“From your stories, you guys seem like brothers.” You watched an endearing smile creep onto his face, “They really do seem like it.”

His phone started vibrating and he checked the caller ID before sighing, silencing the call. You furrowed your eyebrows together, “What’s with that annoyed look?”

Jungkook shook his head, running his fingers through his hair, “Nothing much, just someone I went out with a week ago.”

“Trouble in paradise?” You joked.

“There’s no paradise. It was just a date, nothing more to it.” He nonchalantly dismissed it. You felt a bit offended of how casual he was treating their feelings. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to go out with them, you know? You’re just giving them false hope.”

Jungkook sat upright, “That’s not true. I clearly tell them that I don’t mind going out on a date but that’s nothing. Nothing more than a date out. So it’s on them for still going for it.”

You sighed, “But you already know these people are dating you and hoping that they’ll be the one who will change your mind about the idea of commitment.” Jungkook shrugged, “Maybe that’ll happen one day.”

Narrowing your eyes at the boy in front you, you wondered if that was what he had been secretly hoping for whenever he went out with these girls. “Do you want that to happen? Is that why you’re more than glad to go out on dates?”

He didn’t answer immediately, staring at you as if he was thinking of a reply. Clearing his throat he adjusted his sitting position, “I didn’t say that. I just said maybe it’ll happen.”

“Yea but are you hoping for it to happen?”

Jungkook casted a soft glare, “Okay enough about my love life. How about you? Aren’t you single as well?”

You leaned back, nodding your head, “Yea, what about it?”

“Well, why aren’t you attached?”

Pressing your lips into a thin line as you thought carefully of your answer. “Unlike you, I date to settle.” Jungkook jutted out his bottom lip, internalising your reply as he nodded his head in response. “Interesting. You’ll probably click well with Jimin.”

“Your friend Jimin?”

“Yea, he has the same thought as you. Always nagging at me about the same thing you just did.” Jungkook chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he recalled the countless times Jimin was talking about Jungkook’s active love life. 

“He’s right you know… Doesn’t it get lonely always meeting different people?”

There was a short pause in the conversation, Jungkook’s eyes shifting away, his gaze fixed on the table. “To be honest, yea. But at the same time it’s what keeps me from feeling lonely. Doesn’t make sense, I know.”

You smiled, “It’s cool, I kinda get it. But after our numerous study sessions together, I’m certain you deserve to be in a good relationship.”

Jungkook shrugged, “Thanks but I don’t think I’m cut out for it.”

Confused, you questioned for an explanation. Jungkook’s eyes wandered around as he thought of a response. The athlete randomly took out his pair of shades. “Are the shades part of your answer or something?”

“It’s cheap.”

“Okay?” Your response sounded for confused, wondering if he was trying to change the topic. If he was, it was a very weird way.

“I buy the cheap ones because I know i’m going to lose them sooner or later. Can’t keep the good ones. That’s how I feel about my love life. Sometimes it feels like I can’t have nice things.”

“Man.” You breathed out, leaning back into your seat. “That’s a great analogy and all but don’t be so bleak. Between the two of us? You’re probably going to be first one who gets into a solid relationship.”

Jungkook chuckled, “Thanks for the faith TA. Do you have the same amount of faith in me for this module?”

You pursed your lips jokingly, “I think you’ll need more consultations for the same level of faith.” Breaking into a chuckle right after and so did Jungkook.

The popular athlete reached out his tattooed hand once again, for a handshake. By then, you were used to this gesture, chuckling as you reached across the table to shake his hands. “Tell you what, let’s take a pause on tutoring. You should meet the rest.”

“The rest as in your group?”

“Yea,” He stood up, throwing his backpack over his shoulder and stuffed his hands in his sweatpants’ pockets. You liked his laid-back look, he always wore that similar style whenever he was meeting you and you assumed it was to get comfortable enough to study. 

“Are you going to keep staring at me?” Jungkook smirked. You rolled your eyes, standing up to get your bag. “Come on, don’t be so mean to me.” He playfully pouted and he looked cute. You felt yourself feel shy just from that, “I am not.”

“Yes you are, you always mock me or insult me. Where’s my compliment?”

You pursed your lips, bringing your finger to your lips as you pretended to ponder. “You’re doing well with this class.” 

Unsatisfied, he grumbled, “That’s not a compliment.”

“Of course it is.” You grinned cheekily at him, patting his shoulders. “But alright, you look cute in sweats.” Even though you clearly sounded nonchalant, your heart was racing from admitting that and you hoped that your face wasn’t getting hot. You kept your composure, and made the first move to leave the cafe. 

You realised that you didn’t know where you were going to meet his friends, “Oh yea, where are we going?” You turned around to see Jungkook still standing in place. He cleared his throat and adjust his bag strap. “R-Right, just follow me.”

You didn’t want to tease him further but you clearly saw a pink hue on his cheeks. “Cute.” You muttered to yourself as he led the way.

—

“You want a snack? My treat, for all the tutoring you’ve been giving me.” 

“Jungkook, you don’t have to—“

“Okay I’ll get you your usual.” He winked at you before heading off to the counter. You smiled to yourself, watching his figure walk away. You continued on your own work as you waited for him to come back. 

Jungkook happily came back as if he won a prize. “Guess who just got free cake? We did!” Jungkook cheered, pushing his stuff aside to make way for the food. “Free cake? Why?”

“So the lady who we always see here apparently owns this place. She’s at the counter today and she randomly gave me this cake for us to celebrate Valentine’s Day.”

Confused, you looked at your calendar. “Oh, it’s Valentine’s Day.” “yea it is, didn’t you know?” “Clearly didn’t.” You shrugged, “But you should’ve told her we’re not together. I feel bad for the free cake.”

“No no, you should feel flattered she called us a cute couple. It means you’re cute.” Jungkook’s body froze for a moment realizing what he had just said. You laughed, “Yea right. Good joke, kook.” 

Jungkook frowned, “I’m not joking. I think you’re cute.”

You pointed your pen in his direction, “You know, when I was young I heard that cute meant adorable but ugly.”

“That’s obviously not what I mean. You’re not ugly, that’s for sure.” Jungkook argued without hesitation. You felt flustered this time, retracting your pen. “T-Thanks, I guess.”

The two of you not only spend weekly 2h sessions together, but also became “study buddies”. Jungkook was unsurprisingly super concentrated whenever he started studying. You realised it was his character to always give it his all even if it was something he wasn’t too fond of — like studying. You also noticed his eyebrows would furrow as he tried to comprehend the materials, or sigh and scold himself whenever he found himself stuck. 

He had a lot of endearing habits while studying, you couldn’t help but smile every time you noticed it. 

“It’s Valentine’s Day, why aren’t you on a date today?”

“Because we arranged a study session today.” Jungkook answered as if it was so obvious. 

“It’s just one day of not studying, you could’ve just told me. Plus, I’m sure many girls were hinting you to ask them out.”

“You’re not wrong about that.” He smugly answered and it made you feel a tinge of jealousy that Jungkook saw these girls as “date potential” while you were just his “study buddy”. “Tone down your ego—“

“But I’d rather study with you than go out on a date.”

You found yourself speechless, not knowing how you should be replying to that. Sensing that you were lost for words, Jungkook smiled, “Did I just take your breath away?”

“Shut up.” You snapped out of it, throwing your pen at him.

—

Hey y/n! Sorry i’ll be a bit late later, at the clinic so it might take a while before I’m let off! - jk

Are you sick? We can just reschedule! - y/n

No no! Just sprained my ankle during practice, that’s all! - jk

that’s all?! you’re not traveling today. what’s ur address? i can go over instead - y/n

You bit your lip, wondering if you were overstepping by insisting that and quickly sent another text.

if you’re alright w that of course - y/n

sure i just didn’t want to suggest it in case you weren’t, i’ll text u my address in a bit! - jk

On your way to his place, you felt nervous but you shrugged it off, blaming it on your usual ‘first house visit jitters’ — just like any other time you visited a place for the first time. Or so you told yourself. You ignored that feeling as you rang the doorbell, waiting for the injured athlete to answer the door.

“Hey.” Jungkook greeted you with a smile. You took a good look at his casted ankle, his weight resting on his crutch. A wince crept on your face, “Ouch, looks bad.” 

“Thank you for asking, I feel fine.” 

You stepped in, eyes taking your time to wander around his place. It was cozy, not cluttered as you had assumed. Jungkook pointed to the table placed by the window, well-lit for a good place to study or to wind down and have a meal. “Nice place.”

“Thanks. Didn’t have much time to tidy up the place before you came.”

“It’s alright, looks neat to me.” Your eyes glanced back down to his ankle, “Are you sure you want to have this session today? I feel like you should be resting—“

“You’re already here. I can take a little revision. Don’t underestimate me.” He teased, gently shoving your shoulder. With a light laugh, you nodded and sat down at the table. You watched Jungkook as he tried to find a comfortable position for himself, especially with his injury. Dropping his crutch on the floor, he settled down quickly to begin the session.

“So how do I know which case to use?” 

“It depends on the scenario prof sets for finals. Just a tip, prof loves answers that argues both sides. So, it’s best if you argue with both cases but conclude with which is more relevant or stronger for the scenario.”

Jungkook nodded his head, his bottom lip jutted out once again as he took down your response in his notes. “Thanks, I’m glad I started consultations with you since the beginning of the semester. I would be drowning will all these laws and cases if I didn’t.”

“I’m sure you would’ve managed fine. Your friends are managing well too. Jimin’s pretty good with this module.” You made an off-handed comment about Jimin as you started to pack up your belongings. You failed to catch the slight furrow in his eyebrows and that irritated twitch in the corner of his lip at the mention of Jimin. He knew you two would match well, which he should be happy for Jimin, but instead, he felt annoyed that Jimin was having consultations with you.

He couldn’t help but ask, “He meets you too?”

“Oh yea,” You nodded, your eyes still not meeting his as you scrolled through your schedule, “He meets me lesser than you though, just once a week.”

Just once a week. He repeated your reply. That was enough to get close to you. Hell, he meets you three times a week almost every week. One would question if he really needed that many consultations a week. Jungkook would argue against that, defending that he needed it. But deep down inside, he knew he was lying. 

You thought the same. Chan-mi and Sooyoung would make remarks on why Jungkook needed three sessions a week, hinting that he just wanted to find excuses to meet you. You would deny it every time, saying that he would always come prepared for each session with questions, proving that he really took those sessions seriously. But just like Jungkook, you too had a feeling that it wasn’t true. 

“Anyway, hope your ankle gets better soon. I better give you time to rest.” You checked the time on your phone. Jungkook did the same time, quick to respond, “Do you want to stay for dinner? I’m going to be ordering delivery anyway. You know... With my ankle. You could have dinner before you leave.” He shrugged his shoulders, trying to be casual about it. Jungkook wasn’t sure what was making him particularly nervous to suggest that. He normally wasn’t nervous with his dates. Why was he nervous around you when it was not even a date to begin with?

You contemplated, imagining your schedule in your mind. The pause made him grow nervous, “You don’t have to—“

“I’m down for dinner. My schedule’s not too busy tonight.” You smiled, settling your bag down back on the chair. Jungkook returned an eager grin. “My treat. For coming all the way here to tutor me.”

“Enough with the treats—“

“No negotiations on this one. I really owe you for traveling here, especially on such a last minute notice.” Jungkook shook his head, scrolling through the list of possible food options.

“Alright, thanks kook.” 

That nickname made his lips tug upwards as he tried to fight the smile. “No problem. What do you want to have?”

—

Dinner didn’t take long to arrive, you helped him collect the delivery and set it out on the coffee table. Jungkook had convinced you to watch a movie with him while waiting for dinner. Sinking yourself back onto the couch, the two of you happily enjoyed dinner while watching the movie he had chosen. 

“That’s cute.” You commented as the credits rolled. The movie was a short light one and it helped the both of you de-stress from the upcoming finals season. You really needed that self-care. 

“Thanks for the dinner and movie. I honestly needed it. Haven’t had much time to wind down lately.” 

“Too busy with your consultations?” 

You nodded your head, letting out a long sigh. “Yea, don’t get me wrong. It’s rewarding helping others, especially with the pay. But it’s just during this killer period that makes me regret it.”

Jungkook frowned, sitting upright, “I’m sorry I keep booking you.”

You chuckled, “Don’t be sorry. That is my job anyway. Plus, you’re always prepared for the sessions. I hate sessions when they don’t even know why they booked it. Drives me mad.”

Jungkook hummed, agreeing with you. “That must suck.”

“Yea,” your eyes trailed back down to his ankle once again. “What happened with your ankle anyway?”

“Training today. It’s been tough as well for me. Coach has been increasing the intensity and we don’t really get enough rest with studies as well. I wasn’t in the greatest condition today so I slipped.” 

“Yikes. Hope it heals fast though.” You smiled cheekily, “Do I get to sign it?”

Jungkook laughed, “That’s so childish. No one signs casts anymore.”

“Please? I’ve never done it before!” You pouted, doing your best to convince him to let you vandalize his cast. You didn’t need to do much to convince him, he was willing to give in pretty much from the first time you brought it up. “A-Alright. Just don’t draw a dick or something.”

You hummed, feigning consideration. “I wasn’t planning to but now that you mentioned it...”

He glared, grabbing his throw pillow to toss it at your face. “Don’t you dare.”

“I was kidding.” You laughed, rushing to the table to grab a pen, sitting back down close to him to draw on his cast. 

Don’t flunk my module.

“Done!” You added an “A+” next to it, willing yourself to not draw a heart which you almost did. You pulled away from the cast, looking at your work proudly. Jungkook snorted, “Don’t flunk my module? I won’t. Definitely not after all our sessions together.”

“You better.” You turned to look at him, suddenly aware of how close your faces were next to each other. You watched his gaze drop to your lips before flickering up to meet yours, “May I...?”

You nodded slightly, overcome by the adrenaline and fluttery feeling that was consuming you. You both leaned in, gently kissing each other, making sure you don’t put so much weight against him to avoid hurting his injury. Jungkook’s hand found your waist as he pulled you in, the other cupping your cheek. With your arms snaking around his neck, you both deepened the kiss.

Something in you snapped and made you pull away abruptly. “I-I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have done that.” You quickly got up to take your belongings.

“W-Wait, what do you mean—“ Jungkook called after you, struggling to get up fast with his crutch.

“You’re just going to end whatever we’ll have if we try. We’re looking for different things remember?” You rubbed the nape of your neck, “L-Look, could we just pretend this didn’t happen? I don’t want anything to be awkward between us.”

“W-Wait but...” Jungkook sighed, noting how resolute you were with your suggestion. “If that’s what you want.”

“Thanks Jungkook... Anyway, I should probably go. Get well soon.” You shifted your bag on your shoulder and sent yourself out the door.

After that incident, your schedule you had planned went down the drain. Your brain was foggy and your focus out the window the entire night as you kept thinking about that kiss. How it felt and how happy you felt. But you also reminded yourself that Jungkook was not looking to settle and you didn’t want to put yourself through that. 

You just hoped things would be the same after that day.

—

I’m guessing the usual cafe? :) - jk

Where else would we go? - y/n

Maybe my place? - jk

Good try - y/n

Worth a shot - jk

You couldn’t help but smile to yourself every time you conversed with him. Your usual 2h slot with him would drag on if you didn’t have anything that day. It wouldn’t drag on because of questions, you two would just be talking and enjoying each other’s presence. Ever since you met his friends, you met him more outside your 2h slot with him. Though, it was always off-campus. 

The incident at his place was as if it didn’t even happen. As if it was just a wet dream of Jungkook. You were thankful he stuck to the agreement and acted as if nothing happened. However, a part of you felt that it was the wrong move. 

You look great today btw - jk

But that doesn’t mean you look bad on other days - jk

Just extra great today - jk

Feeling that familiar fluttery feeling in your heart, you chose to ignore the message, promptly closing your chat. You reminded yourself about their reputation with relationships, they weren’t into a serious commitment. You didn’t want to waste your own time either. For some reason you could feel someone staring at you and you could bet anyone 10 bucks that it was Jungkook. 

After that moment, class went by fast and it was finally time for lunch. “Y/n! Do you want to grab lunch sometime this week? I promised I’ll be treating.” Mingyu flashed a very charming smile that made you smile back automatically. Behind him was Sooyoung and Chan-mi approaching you. 

“You really don’t have to treat me, I’m just doing my job—“

“I insist, yn. I still owe you for carrying me on your back last semester for the other class.” He chuckled. “Come on, you pulled your own weight.” You shook your head with a laugh. You glanced at your two friends who were patiently waiting for you and possibly eagerly eavesdropping. Just as you were about to turn away, Jungkook’s group walked behind them.

You could’ve sworn that you made eye contact when you gave him a smile to which he coldly ignored, looking away and leaving the hall with his friends.

“We can go for lunch but you’re not treating me.”

Mingyu reached out to pat your shoulder, “We’ll see! I’ll get you again soon!” He winked at you and headed off. Your two giddy best friends reached out to pull you along with them. “Is that a date?”

“N-No it’s not!”

“Why are you stuttering?” Chan-mi teased, poking your sides. You took a few steps in front of them, turning around to face them as you walked backwards. “I swear it’s not a date. We’re just friends.”

“Alright, alright, now walk properly before you hurt yourself Miss-I-have-a-date-with-Mingyu.” Sooyoung turned you around by your shoulders. Just as she strongly whipped you around, your eyes met with Jungkook’s.

Your mouth opened to say hi but nothing happened when he once again, looked away, not acknowledging your presence. “Hey y/n!” Jimin happily greeted you, pulling you in for a hug. “Thanks for tutoring me yesterday.”

“No problem, just doing my job.” You grinned at him but your thoughts still on Jungkook ignoring you.

Jimin chuckled, ruffling your hair, “You’re cute when you’re humble. Anyway, see you around!” You said bye to the others, noting that Jungkook didn’t say a single word to you. It was as if you weren’t right in front of you and you felt offended.

“Did something happen between you and Jungkook?” 

“No, nothing happened.” You denied as the memory of the kiss flashed in your mind.

“Are you sure?” Chan-mi questioned and you sighed. “Sorry, can we not talk about him? Let’s just have lunch.”

You didn’t notice your two friends sharing a look before collectively agreeing to drop the topic.

—

“Hey.”

“You’re late.” You commented, staring at your screen as you continued your assignment. “Yea sorry, I was on a date with someone and it kinda over ran.”

Oh. A date with someone. “O-Oh, how did it go?”

“Pretty well.” Jungkook took a sit, taking out his laptop, ready to fire his questions. “That’s good!” you sounded happy for him. You weren’t sure if your eyes were just trying to make you feel better but it was as if Jungkook seemed disappointed with your reply, as if he was hoping for a different reaction. 

“Yea... Anyway, I don’t have much questions today so it should be a fast one. If you want, we could go get an early dinner?”

“I don’t think I can... I have quite a lot of things to do today.” 

“Oh... That’s cool.”

Moving on from the topic, you two went through the questions he had smoothly though there was something nagging at the back of your mind. Why was he so cold towards you that day? Why is he acting as if he wasn’t being such a dick towards you that day? 

“You good?”

“Hmm?” You glanced up to see genuine concerned eyes that made your heart flutter once again. “Y-Yea I’m good.”

“You sure? You seem quite out of it today. Are you unwell? Is something bothering you?”

You shook your head, getting frustrated. “Why were you ignoring me today in school?”

“W-What?” Jungkook pulled away, taken aback by your question. You sighed, “You know what I’m talking about.”

Jungkook shook his head, “I was just having a bad morning.”

“A bad morning.” You scoffed, “Right, so a bad morning would make you ignore my entire presence. I’ll take mental note of that.” Jungkook himself got annoyed, crossing his arms as he countered, “You didn’t seem to care about anyone else either when you were chatting up with Mingyu. Didn’t think my moody morning would even be noticed by you.”

You blinked a couple times, processing what he had just said. “W-What? I was just talking with him. Why are you even bringing this up?”

He didn’t answer this time, sighing as he packed his laptop in his bag. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” Jungkook got up and so did you. “You can’t do this? Are you jealous or something?”

“What? Of course not.” Jungkook frustratedly ruffled his hair. Not wanting to cause a scene at the cafe, you took your own stuff, chuckling dryly to yourself. “Well, you need to sort out whatever shit’s going on with you. I’m not here to guess how you’re feeling.”

“You’re not here to guess?” Jungkook whisper-yelled. “You were the one who suggested to ignore what happened. I’m here trying to keep my shit together because of that.”

“Jungkook, look. Let’s not talk about it here. Can we just drop it please?” ”Whatever.”

You walked away, not looking back to see Jungkook’s regretful look on his face.

—

Jungkook didn’t contact you after that day and you didn’t want to contact him either. Jimin, on the other hand, was trying to find out what happened between the two of you. 

“He always shuts the conversation down the moment one of us brings you up.” 

You sighed, “Nothing serious happened.”

“If that’s true, you guys wouldn’t be ignoring each other like the plague again. I had to lie to him about where I am today.”

A part of you, admittedly, would want Jungkook to reach out to you to just come clean about snapping at you the other day. You couldn’t understand how he could go on a date and then get pissed that you were talking to Mingyu. 

“You shouldn’t have lied to him.”

“It’s nothing.” Jimin shook his head, “What really happened between you two?”

Defeated, you told Jimin what happened that day at the cafe. “You two are just plain stupid. That poor boy likes you. You like him. Case solved.”

“If that’s true, he wouldn’t have gone on a date right before meeting me.”

“Yes, I agree that part’s fucked up. He just sucks at admitting his feelings to himself. Don’t worry, I’ll sort him out for you.” Jimin draped his arms around your shoulder, “you can count on me to give him a good nagging.”

“Thanks Jimin but you don’t have to do that—“

“Jimin? Y/N?”

The two of you turned around, Jimin immediately retracting his arm when you saw Jungkook standing right behind you. “Oh Kook!”

“I thought you said you’re meeting your Tinder date.”

“R-Right about that—“

“No, forget it, it’s clear who’s your Tinder date. Enjoy.” Jungkook shut him down and walked pass the both of you. Jimin sighed, “Looks like it’s time for me to fix this mess.”

“I think he’ll beat you up if you go after him. I’ll talk to him. You’re right, we need to talk.” Jimin gave you an encouraging smile, patting your shoulders, “Good luck.”

You needed that.

You hurriedly followed after him, calling out to him to stop and wait for you. It wasn’t that hard to catch up to him with his injury as well. 

Jungkook looked hurt and cold, as if he was building up his wall against you. “We weren’t on a date. Jimin didn’t want to tell you that he’s meeting me because apparently you get pissed every time you hear my name. I swear.”

“You don’t need to explain anything—“

“Yea of course I don’t, because I should just leave it to you to make wild assumptions every time some shit happens. I don’t get it. One moment, I think you may like me and the next moment you’re out on a date with someone else. Just tell me what is it and we can stop having this misunderstanding.”

Jungkook ruffled his hair, looking around the campus. “Can we talk somewhere else? And not here in public?”

You gestured with your hands, asking him to lead the way. Jungkook led you to a more secluded area, not too far away from where you bumped into him. You both couldn’t take walking together without clearing things up. 

Jungkook didn’t waste any time, immediately diving straight into it. “I do like you. Hell, there’s nothing to even doubt especially after that night. I wanted to kiss you for so long. I never admitted that to myself until that very moment. But then you said you wanted to drop everything and I thought it was just in the heat of the moment for you so I agreed. I rather be friends than back to strangers.” Jungkook breathed, taking a short pause, “But then I see you with Mingyu, with Jimin, and I know these men are your type. The ones that settle down with the right partner. The ones that don’t go on many dates. But that’s been me. So i figured you regretted it when you said that i didn’t want the same things you wanted. But fuck, i want to settle down with you. Take things slow, see where the future takes us. Three sessions with you was over the top for my studies but I did it because I love our time together. I love studying with you, going off topic and talking about other things. I love teasing you just to see your reaction because it makes me smile. I love it when you tease me back just to annoy me. You annoy me but I love it.” He sighed, looking at the floor before meeting your watery eyes.

“But I know I’m not the type of guy you’re looking for. You made it clear yourself that night when you asked to drop it. So there. That’s why I went on that date before meeting you. Because I was so nervous about seeing your face, I needed to get my mind off of you. I admit, I’m sorry for doing that because that just further proves your point about me.” He trailed off, as the realization sinks in of how he had just fucked up his own chances of being with you.

You didn’t bother interrupting him at all, your heart pounding loudly against your chest as you took in every single word he said. Your brain and heart having a civil war with each other. Not knowing what should your next move be. 

“I’m guessing silence means I’m right.” He spoke after receiving no response from you. “I’ll see you around. Take care of yourself.” He gave a pained smile as he headed off back to his place.

Your knees felt weak as you leaned back against the wall that was hiding the both of you from the others. Your hand brought up to your heart. 

What were you going to do?

With a heavy heart, you made your way back to your place. As you settled your dinner, you aimlessly browsed through the shows on Netflix as Your mind was busy thinking about Jungkook’s confession. 

Why didn’t you go after him? Why didn’t you say anything? Were you scared that it was all words? Were you scared of ruining the friendship you two had established? What was stopping you from doing what you wanted?

You knew you couldn’t leave things there. You had to do something before you regret. You liked Jungkook. A lot. You were willing to take the risk with him. Just as he was as willing to prove to you that he’s serious. 

You reached out for your phone and key, making your way out the door and to where you needed to be.

Once you had arrived, you were knocking on the door profusely, “Jungkook!” You called out.

The door opened, “W-What are you doing here—“

“I like you too. You’re wrong. I don’t regret that night. I regret saying that we should forget about it. Because i couldn’t. I didn’t. I thought about it everyday. I’m willing to take things slow with you if you’re willing. I don’t want to regret this as well.”

The smile on his face grew as you admitted your own feelings to him, Jungkook pulling you in with his free hand as the other still held on to his clutch.

“I mean it as well. I have zero intentions to play around with you. I’m serious and I’ll prove it. I’m not going to lose you, you’re not cheap sunglasses to me.”

“I trust you.” You said with a laugh, recalling his metaphor as his grin only grew wider. “You just made me a really happy man.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell with that wide grin on your face.”

“You’re annoying.” Jungkook said with no malice in his tone as he leaned in for a kiss. Both of you had been wanting to do that again ever since that incident. Your leg kicking the door shut as you pulled yourself closer to him. 

“I could get used to this.” You smiled as you pulled away. 

“Well, you should. I’m going to be kissing you for a long time.”

[wondernimbus]

stressful times — fred weasley

pairing: fred weasley x female!reader

request #1: Can I request soft Fred Weasley comforting his girlfriend when she’s not feeling well/on her period and falling behind in classes/ homework? Pretty please 🥺

request #2: Can you write a Fred x reader where the reader is on her period while at Hogwarts during a time when a lot of tests are happening and she needs to be studying but isn’t and Fred notices cause usually she’s like Hermione and always does homework/studies and he figures out why she isn’t and helps her feel better? 

a/n: THIS IS WAY OVERDUE IM SORRY but i decided to combine these 2 reqs bc they were pretty similar !! 

[Y/N] is stressed.

School has never been a piece of cake for anyone—not even for Hermione Granger, who is one of the brightest people at Hogwarts, and certainly not for her, one of the Gryffindor Quidditch team's Chasers, and on top of that, a prefect currently studying for her N.E.W.Ts.

Wood expects her to practice out by the Quidditch pitch every free period in preparation for the upcoming match against Hufflepuff. This goes for every member of the team—even the ones who, like [Y/N], are studying for the so-called "big exams". And despite [Y/N] wanting to do well in her tests, she also doesn't want to lose her position in the Quidditch team—so she goes to the practice sessions, anyway, even if it's at the cost of her sleep.

That—coupled with her prefect duties and schoolwork—is wearing her out. So far she has managed to miraculously plow through, but when that time of the month comes and she can barely even bring herself to get out of bed, [Y/N] begins to wonder whether giving up would be a better option.

She could do it. Drop everything and lay in bed all day for the next week or so with a bag of chocolates at her side and pillows cushioning her entire body.

She could—technically, anything in the world is possible—but she shouldn’t, because she has obligations. Prefect tasks; patrolling the corridors and making sure no first-years go astray in the Forbidden Forest (it already happened once—she's not going to let it happen again), N.E.W.T. revisions, homework, Quidditch practice, homework, and then even more homework—

The very moment she wakes up and feels the pain in her lower abdomen, she knows she is done for. She only barely drags herself out of bed and trudges to her classes the entire day feeling like pure and utter dung. Her entire body is sore and her entire mood cranky, but that hardly matters because she has homework to do. And classes to go to. And Quidditch practice and patrolling and studying and Merlin-knows-what-else.

The sourness of her mood doesn't go amiss by any of her friends, and certainly not by her boyfriend, Fred Weasley, who automatically just knows when something is out of the ordinary with her. And while her friends decide to leave her alone after noting her less than pleasant mood, Fred does quite the opposite.

Which is, of course, no different from what he does everyday: stick by her side like glue. And while they'd been best friends for a while, it's only been a few months since Fred finally sucked up the courage to ask her out. So naturally Fred has very little experience with, ah, women’s dilemmas.

To put it simply, he doesn't know how to deal with a girl on her bloody (no pun intended) period. For the love of Merlin, he can't even tell.

So he's a little surprised and his feelings are a teeny bit hurt when he nudges her in the middle of Charms class and whispers, "Was that an earthquake? Or did you just rock my world?" only for her to shake her head without even as much as looking at him.

And so Fred's thought process goes like this: he's done something terribly wrong. He doesn't know what, but he must have, and now he has to make up for it—whatever it is.

First, though, he has to figure out what.

—

It's midnight. [Y/N] doesn't know how on earth she managed to get through the entire day without passing out, but she did and now here she is in the nearly empty common room, sitting on the carpet in front of the fireplace with several sheets of parchment and open textbooks splayed out before her.

Jotting down History of Magic notes, her face is scrunched up in the utmost concentration. Fred watches her from where he's sitting on the couch, pouting a little.

"Don't you think you should be resting by now?" tries Fred, the concern in his voice audible as his gaze darts from her to her homework.

She doesn't respond. Fred sighs and gets up off the couch to sit down next to her on the ground. But even then, she doesn't look up from her homework, so Fred takes matters into his own hands and reaches out with his hand to gently cup her cheek, trying to tilt her head towards him.

"Not now, Fred.." she mutters, leaning away from him a little to keep writing. His hand hovers in mid-air, fingers now just barely brushing her face as she's moved away. "I have to.. finish this.."

Her tongue is poking out in concentration as she almost feverishly moves her quill over paper. Fred tries not to feel too dejected and lets her be, waiting until she's broken out of her trance enough to grab her attention again. In the meantime, he props his elbows on his knees, the pout on his lips very much evident as he watches her work. He still doesn't know why she's been acting so distant, and no matter how much he tries to mull things over in his brain, he still doesn't know why exactly she's angry at him. Or if she even is angry.

Was his pick-up line really that bad? Could it maybe be because he'd kept trying to play with her hair in potions class the other day? Or is it because of what he did last week, when he’d talked McGonagall’s ear off about how wonderful a girlfriend he had? Maybe Fred should've been a bit more considerate—[Y/N] has always been a teacher's pet, after all, and he knows that the teachers themselves were surprised when they found out that she was dating him, one-half of the devious Weasley twins who had six O.W.L.s combined..

[Y/N]'s hand stills, and for a moment Fred thinks she's finally finished her homework, but her shoulders have bowed a little and her eyes have closed. The effect this image has on Fred is instantaneous: the pout on his lips is replaced quickly by a fond smile as he lets out a quick breath of slightly dubious laughter and moves to gently tap her on the shoulder.

Slowly, slowly, her eyes blink open.

Another tiny laugh. "You fell asleep for a second there, love," says Fred softly, hand moving to touch her hair, and he's so bloody endeared by her it hurts. Voice a mere mumble like he’s afraid of speaking too loud, he says, "Reckon we should turn in for the night, yeah? You and me both."

There's silence as she exhales, leaning into his touch almost unconsciously as her eyes close and her shoulders slump. "I'm really tired," she tells him quietly, nose wrinkling a little as her mouth stretches open in a yawn. (Good grief, Fred's heart aches.) He scoots forward a little into her, gathering her into his lap where she almost automatically curls up, head on his shoulder and her lips just barely grazing the side of his neck.

Fred can't even remember what he'd been agonizing over just moments before. All his fluttering heart cares about at the moment is his sleepy girlfriend, who's shifting a little in his lap to get herself more comfortable, mumbling something inaudible in her half-asleep state. He has to physically suppress himself from throwing his head back and laughing out loud, because something about the situation he's in is making him feel oddly euphoric. He only has to think about if for a few moments before he realizes why: it's because of how adorable she's being. And Fred’s heart might be melting in his chest—should he be concerned?

"I'm gonna carry you up to your dorm, okay?" says Fred, tone just loud enough to make himself heard but quiet and soft enough so as to not jar her awake. He feels her nod a little against his shoulder. Carefully, he gets to his feet, one arm under her legs and the other supporting her back the way a groom would carry his bride. (The thought crosses Fred's head very briefly and just like that he's smiling goofily to himself.)

And the moment is romantic and intimate in a quiet, calming way, until Fred makes the big mistake of murmuring, "I'll fix up your homework and bring it to you so you can work on it tomorrow" and [Y/N] quite literally freezes in his arms. Her entire body goes rigid.

"Homework. Oh, crap." Fully awake now, she lifts her head off of his shoulder, looks back at her pile of homework still on the ground, and then, her panicked eyes meeting his, she says, "Oh, no. No. I can't—I've got to get it done now, Fred."

An incredulous sound tumbles past his lips. "I could've sworn you were asleep two seconds ago.”

She sighs, squeezing her eyes shut for a few seconds before peeling them open again. Fred notes that the bags under them look even more pronounced up close; something that has him frowning at her. “Put me down, please? I really have to get that essay done."

He huffs, shakes his head, and starts walking towards the staircase leading to the girls' dormitory. "What—" [Y/N] yelps, looking up at him with an expression that suggests he’s admitted to strangling a rabbit. "Fred, I said put me down—"

"And let you work yourself to death? No can do, love." Fred looks down at her, lips pressed together in a sorry smile as he shakes his head. He lifts his gaze back away from her as he begins climbing up the steps, trying not to jostle [Y/N] too much in his arms. His tone sing-song, he says, “You need to rest. The essay can wait."

[Y/N] opens her mouth to predictably retaliate, but Fred stops halfway up the staircase and presses a kiss to her lips, effectively cutting her off. At first she’s stiff, but it only takes her a few seconds to relax and melt into him.

When Fred pulls away with one last peck to the lips, he smiles down at her, eyes twinkling. “Have I changed your mind with my superior snogging skills?”

Unable to help herself, she lets out an exasperated laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. But even then her gaze lingers on her homework, still on the floor in front of the fireplace—totally not yet finished—

“But I’ve only got a few pages left to go,” she says in one last stroke of adamancy.

”And what kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you stay up all night without getting enough sleep?” They’ve reached the top of the staircase now, and Fred is fumbling with the doorknob of her dorm room, trying to open it with one hand without having to set her down.

“But Freddy.”

Fred pauses trying to open the door, lips unconsciously twitching up into an incredulous grin as he raises his eyebrows at her. Of course she had to use his one big weakness against him—he loves when she calls him Freddy. Or perhaps love is a severe understatement, because he always goes all putty in her hands whenever she sings it into his ear or shouts it at him from all the way across the hallways.

But Fred isn’t having it, not this time. “But [Y/N],” he mimics her tone, still grinning, and the voice in his heart tells him to peck her lips again, so he does. “I'm telling you, love, you need sleep. And besides, we’re already here—once I get this door open—aha!”

The door clicks open and reveals behind it the dark seventh year girls’ dorm room. Fred peers inside, unsure as he steps a single hesitant foot through the door, and then he withdraws back into the landing. “Suppose I'll have to drop you off here,” tuts Fred. “Can’t really barge into an all-girls dorm room in the middle of the night—even when I’m with you. Mum would have my head.” Gingerly, he sets her down on the ground, making sure she’s standing up completely before he takes his hands away. Grinning, he holds his palm out towards her and says, “That’ll be twenty galleons.”

”I didn’t even ask for—“

“A kiss, then.”

And her incomplete homework is still lingering in her head, bothering her—she really does need to have that done at least before breakfast tomorrow—but Fred is standing in front of her with the same playful smile that [Y/N] has never learned to resist so she sighs and stands on her tip-toes, places her hand on the back of his neck, and pulls him in for a kiss.

Fred is smiling—she can feel it against her lips. Eventually she starts smiling too, unable to help herself. When she pulls away, Fred cups her cheeks in his hand and pecks her forehead—and then her nose, and her cheeks, and her eyelids, and then she’s laughing, saying, “What are you doing?”

Fred lands another kiss to the tip of her nose, then drops his hands back to his sides. “You look far too lovely for someone in dire need of sleep.”

At the mention of sleep, a yawn tears its way out of her throat. Fred has to restrain himself from doubling over and sobbing because Merlin’s beard was that adorable.

”Fine,” [Y/N] says through yet another yawn, hand coming up to rub at her eyes. “Fine. Maybe I am tired.”

Fred gasps far too dramatically. “Who ever could have guessed?”

[Y/N] may be sleepy, but she still has enough strength within her to reach out and shove him lightly by the shoulder. Fred is as theatrical as always; he clutches the spot where she’d touched him as though he’s been fatally wounded.

She rolls her eyes, smiling. Another yawn. Fred drops his act and shoves his hands into his pockets, expression somber as he looks at her, eyes dancing over her own tired ones. “Go get some sleep, alright?”

She purses her lips, shoulders slumping in defeat as she nods. “Okay. Suppose I’ll just try to finish it as fast as I can tomorrow.” And then, voice going soft, she says, “Thanks, Fred.”

Fred is so goddamned endeared.

“And. Um.”

”Yes?”

“Sorry about being so bloody cranky. I'm—“ she pauses, eyes darting away for a moment as she gestures wildly to nothing in particular.

Fred raises his eyebrows.

“On my period,” she mutters. “Have I made it awkward? I'm sorry. I just didn’t want you to think you’d done something wrong for me to be acting.. you know.”

Fred’s brows have risen so far up his forehead he’s surprised they haven’t disappeared into his hair. His mouth has fallen open a little in surprise; whatever he’d been expecting her to say, it certainly hadn’t been that. But part of him is relieved at the knowledge that he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“So that’s why you’ve been acting like someone pissed in your tea,” says Fred teasingly. She rolls her eyes again—another yawn; the largest one so far, actually. He can’t help the fond laugh that tears its way out of his heart and past his lips. Reaching out, he places a hand on the back of her head and kisses her forehead. “Sweet dreams, love.”

She wraps her arms around his middle and nods into his chest, and Fred’s heart melts. “You too, Freddy.”

—

The next morning, [Y/N] wakes up to a mysteriously completed set of History of Magic homework and a bag of Honeydukes' chocolates on her bedside table.

[teenwolffan-with-nolife]

New Life Pt.13

Word Count: 2,216

Characters: Derek Hale, Damon Salvatore, Laura Hale, Stefan Salvatore (mentioned), Zach Salvatore (mentioned), OC Characters, Reader

Pairings: Eventual Derek Hale x Reader, OC x Reader, OC x Derek Hale

Warnings: angst, near-death, fluff

A/N: hey! so, after this part, i’m gonna take a small break from the series, I am six fics away from hitting 200, and wanted to do something big and not series-related from it! If I write like I’ve been writing for the past few weeks, I should hit 200 either next week or the week after

A/N 2: Thank you all for supporting me!

Masterlist    Series Masterlist

“So, you two are real-life superheroes? Batman and Robin,” Dean looked more excited than scared, sitting across from you and Derek.

“Well, I guess you can put it that way,” Derek raised an eyebrow.

“I’m Batman,” you said.

“Hey, I’m the werewolf,” Derek argued.

“And? I’m the one who saves your ass and has guns and knives.”

“I’m older.”

“And stupider.”

You saw Dean laugh, shaking his head.

“This is great. I mean… you guys help so many people…”

You laid next to Emily, keeping your arms wrapped around her. Everyone else was asleep, Dean and Derek both laid on the floor.

You hadn’t talked to Zach, Stefan, Laura, or Damon in six days, instead, the four of you spent every day with each other.

You'd yet to tell Emily about the supernatural.

You looked at the clock, seeing it just past seven in the morning. You slowly got out of the bed, walking out of the room before Derek accompanied you.

“Going for a run?” he asked.

You nodded, walking down the stairs.

“What are we gonna do? We can’t avoid everyone forever,” he kept his voice down, leaning against the door.

“It’s only been 6 days,” you replied.

“Still.”

“I don’t intend on seeing Stefan or Damon for a while,” you crossed your arms.

“Zach wants us home. Laura’s just worried about us. She doesn't want to force us to come home but she wants to talk to us,” Derek said.

“Well, when?” Derek texted Laura, immediately getting a response.

“She wants to meet us at the Grill in 15 minutes,” he read the text.

You put on your shoes, nodding.

“Race you there, wolf-boy,” Derek rolled his eyes before the two of you ran out of the house.

---

“He feels really bad about it,” Laura said softly.

You avoided thinking about what happened with Stefan. You'd never seen him angry like that, especially to the point where he could have hurt you.

“I don't know what I’m supposed to do about that,” you replied.

“Laura, you said you just wanted to know if we were okay,” Derek sighed.

“And this is my way of doing that. Where are you two staying?” Laura asked.

“Emily's house,” Derek replied.

“What about schoolwork and studying?” Laura asked.

“Well, we have to go back soon to study for our AP exams in a week,” you said.

“Okay, good. Hypothetical, if Damon left, would you come back?” Laura asked.

“No.” you shook your head.

“Stefan…”

“I said no. Look, we have to go soon,” you raised your voice slightly, getting a look from both Laura and Derek.

“Sorry,” you sighed.

“It doesn't matter. Damon's saying that it wasn’t him,” you scoffed loudly.

“You believe him?”

“Obviously not. Just thought you should know.”

You ran your fingers through your hair, nodding.

You heard the bell ring, seeing Dean walk in as he waved to you.

“One second,” you got up from the table, walking to him.

“What are you doing here?” you asked.

“Have a shift. What’s going on?” 

“Nothing. We’ll probably go home soon. Laura wanted to talk to us,” you replied.

“Okay. Em was still asleep when I left,” he replied.

You nodded, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Stay safe,” he whispered.

“Yeah, you too,” you waited for him to walk away before you went back to the table.

“I didn't know you had a boyfriend,” Laura raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” you replied.

“Well, I'm happy for you. Come on. I’ll drop you two back home?” Laura asked.

You nodded before the three of you walked out of the diner.

---

After hours among hours of studying, you all decided to take a break. Derek asked politely if you could leave for a bit. 

You had your hands in your pockets, walking around Mystic Falls. It was rare for the weather to be good, it would either be too cold or too hot.

Dean was still at work, he'd get off in an hour or so. 

You could hear footsteps behind you as you continued to walk, reaching for your gun.

You heard a twig snap, hearing the footsteps getting closer to you as you turned, pointing your gun. Damon stood behind you, holding his hands up.

“Following me?” you raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I’ve been trying to talk to you,” you cocked the gun.

“What do you want?”

“I didn't hurt your friend. Or sleep with your friend. I only got to Mystic Falls that morning,” he said.

“Why do I not believe you?” you scoffed.

“Because…”

“Because you have your humanity on so you’re some type of angel now?”

“I didn't say that-”

“A vampire compelled her. His name started with a D. What more is there?” 

“Me and Stefan aren't the only vampires in town.”

“Prove it.”

You saw a look of confusion on his face before he nodded.

“The Grill has security cameras. Doesn't your friend work there?” he asked.

You hesitated for a moment, before nodding your head.

“If you try anything-”

“I won’t. You have my word.”

“Yeah, the word of a psycho vampire. Because that’s so important,” you said sarcastically.

He clenched his jaw, slowly putting his hands down.

“Come on,” the two of you walked to the Grill.

---

“Hey,” Dean pressed his lips against yours, before frowning, seeing Damon there.

“He said he didn't hurt Emily. Do you think we can look at the cameras?” you asked.

“Yeah. The manager’s probably passed out by now. Just be quick,” he led both of you to the room.

“Is everything okay?” Dean whispered, looking at Damon before facing you.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” you replied.

“The guy who was working here the night you left with him, he said that Damon kept putting his hands on you,” Dean said.

“It’s okay. Go back to work. I’ll see you in a bit,” you pressed a small kiss to his lips before walking into the room.

You looked on the computer, pulling up the footage from last week. It was slightly blurred, you squinted your eyes.

“That’s Emily,” you pointed to her face on the clip, watching carefully.

“That’s not me,” Damon stood behind you, while you raised an eyebrow.

You cocked your gun, watching him take a step back before you turned back to the computer.

You watched carefully, seeing another man talking to her. She pulled away from him, scooting down the bars before he followed her.

“That’s not you,” you said softly.

“So…”

“You're not in the clear. You think we forgot what you did to us?” 

“I don't expect you to forgive-”

“Forget about it. We need to find this new guy.”

“We?”

“You wanna prove you’re not 100 percent bad? Help me then,” he nodded, before you sighed, walking out of the room.

“Hey, Dean-” you looked around the restaurant, unable to see him as you frowned.

You walked back into the room, quickly looking through the security cameras from the last five minutes.

You froze, watching the same man who hurt Emily walk up to Dean. Your eyes widened, seeing Dean walking out the front door with him as you felt your heart racing.

“He…” your voice drifted off, finding yourself at a loss for words.

“What are we gonna do?” Damon asked you.

You got your phone out, calling Derek.

“I need you to get something that belongs to Dean and meet us at his house. Hurry.”

---

You paced around nervously, scratching the back of your head as Derek ran into the house.

“What the hell took you so long?!” you yelled.

“Why is he here?!” you saw Derek tense slightly, taking a step back as he saw Damon.

“He’s helping us find Dean and this vamp,” you explained.

“Again, why is he here?” Derek raised an eyebrow.

“We don’t have time for this! Can you smell him anywhere?” you raised your voice.

Derek could see the worried expression on your face before he nodded.

You ran your fingers through your hair, walking to the table as you began to gather your weapons.

Your hands were shaking slightly as you tried to load the gun, accidentally dropping the cartridge case.

“Shit,” you watched the bullets falling out of it, quickly trying to pick them all up.

“Hey, are you okay?” Derek asked softly.

Your chest was aching as you nodded softly, picking up the bullets.

“(Y/N)...”

“Stop asking so many fucking questions and find Dean,” you yelled.

You saw Derek's face soften as he put his hand on your shoulder.

“C’mere,” he tried to wrap his arms around you before you pulled away.

“You know you’re starting to do that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“When something bad happens and you start pushing us all away,” you paused, clenching your jaw as you shook your head.

“You don't know what the fuck you’re talking about. Now help me save him.”

----

You ran through the woods, Damon and Derek both following closely behind.

“You said he was here!” you yelled, turning to Derek.

“I…” Derek’s voice drifted off as you saw his face drop, seeing fear in his eyes.

You turned slowly, jumping slightly as tears rushed to your eyes.

“Oh my god,” you ran, seeing Dean’s body on the floor, nearly unconscious.

“D-Dean,” you stuttered slightly, putting your hand on his neck as you lifted him slightly in your arms.

“He's still here,” Dean wheezed.

You heard footsteps behind you, seeing Derek running after the vampire.

“We can save you,” you felt hot tears rush to your eyes.

You put your hand on his neck, looking at the blood dripping out of his bite. 

“I have to go…” Damon dug his nails into his palms, taking steps back.

“What? No, you can't go,” you shook your head.

“(Y/N/N)...” Dean’s voice was barely above a whisper as you held him tightly.

“You're not dying. Damon…” it was harder to ask Damon for his blood.

You would never drink vampire blood, if one thing went wrong, you would become a vampire.

“I love you,” you froze, holding back a sob as you stroked his cheek.

“Stop saying that like you’re gonna die,” you shook your head.

“Damon… give him some of your blood,” you turned your head.

“(Y/N)...”

“Do it! Now,” you could see Dean struggle to keep his eyes open as you held his hand tightly.

“It’s gonna be okay,” you cried softly.

Damon bit his wrist, bending down next to you as he put his wrist over Dean’s mouth.

You clenched your jaw, sniffling as you looked at the expression on Dean’s face.

He frowned, before his expression softened, his eyes remaining closed.

“Did it work?” your voice wavered, looking at Damon.

You watched as the bite wound on his neck faded away. He continued laying with his eyes closed as you frowned.

“Why isn't he waking up?” you asked.

“I don’t…okay, let's just get him to the hospital, okay?” you nodded, before Damon lifted him gently, rushing off to the hospital.

You put your hand over your mouth, holding back your cries as you wrapped your arms around yourself.

“(Y/N)!” Derek ran to you, slightly out of breath.

“Did you find him?” you asked.

“No. I don't know where he went. Where's Dean?” he looked to the ground.

“Damon took him to the hospital. We have to go meet them there,” you explained softly.

Derek nodded, holding your hand.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“We don’t have time for this,” you wiped away your tears, before letting out a shaky breath.

“Okay, fine. Let's go.”

---

You sat next to Dean’s bead, focusing on your hands, which were shaking slightly. Damon had gone back home, Derek had tried to see when Dean’s parents were coming back into town.

You kissed Dean’s hand, your tears at bay as you looked at his pale life form.

He shuffled slightly, while you looked up, feeling him squeeze your hand.

“Hey,” his voice cracked a little before you handed him a cup of water from next to his bed.

“Hey,” you said softly.

You stroked his cheek, while he looked up at you.

“How do you feel?” you asked.

“I feel good, actually. Are you feeling okay?” he frowned.

You nodded, before wrapping your arms around him tightly. You buried your face in his neck, holding back a cry as you sniffled, looking up at him.

“So, vampire blood can heal you?” he raised an eyebrow.

You nodded softly.

“God,” you let out a breath of relief, before resting your forehead on top of his.

“You know… I meant what I said before,” you tensed slightly, looking into his eyes.

“I really do love you. You make me really happy,” he said softly.

A small smile appeared on your face as you felt warmth rush throughout your body.

“I love you too,” you replied.

He laughed, before pressing his lips against yours. He put his hands on your waist, pulling you up.

You raised an eyebrow, only getting a shrug for a response.

“I feel fine,” he replied.

You scoffed, leaning onto his chest before resting your legs on top of his.

“Not in a hospital,” you muttered.

He pressed a small kiss to your forehead, stroking your back.

“I love you,” you whispered.

“I love you too.”

taglist:

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@eunoia-kth​

@shortimaginewriter​

@linkpk88​

@thetiny-hufflepuff​

@gabbyper1215

[totomoshi]

Everybody Talks

Pairing: Why Don’t We x best friend!reader, Daniel Seavey x reader

Warning: Mentions of depression and death!!

authors note: this idea has been in my head for a few months now and i was a bit hesitant but, here’s my very first attempt of fanfiction based on my ideas. hope you guys love it !

Today was most probably the most boring day in all of the boring days... at least that’s what you thought.

In all honesty, with everything that’s been happening in the world + life making you depressed, you just wanted to go and have fun. Even if sometimes you don’t want to get out of bed and just stay in the comforts of your trusted blanket.

Alas, you know you’ll have to get out for food and water so here you are: lying on the couch for the past 10 minutes, figuring what to do to conquer your boredom. You’d call the boys, but they’re probably at the studio right now, at least that's what Daniel told you anyway.

You've already contemplated on whether just to go for a walk in the park for the needed amount of fresh air, but that meant you’d have to go change and you’re already so comfortable in your worn-out tank top and baggy jeans.

It was another 10 minutes of thinking when suddenly someone knocked on the door of your apartment.

“Who is it?” you asked

“It’s us!! Open up!!”

Wait a minute...that’s Daniel’s voice! But he's supposed to be at the studio...how did he -?

Your thoughts were interrupted by another knock on the door

“Come on y/n!! These snacks and pizzas are heavy y’know?!” Zach whined

‘Is the whole band here??’ you wondered

You decided to find answers of your own and immediately opened the door to find that not 1, not 2 but all 5 members of the boy band outside your door with each member bringing a type of snack, boxes of pizza and... CDs?

“What are you all doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the studio???” you asked surprised and a bit confused, to be honest

“Well...I- I mean we kinda lied” Daniel chuckled with the usual mischievous glint in his bright blue eyes

You immediately blushed and smiled shyly. It was amazing how with just a glance, this man can turn you into a blushing mess.

“Look, I’m glad that you guys are having a moment and everything but can we come in? Because I wasn't kidding when I said that these snacks and pizza boxes were heavy” Zach whined. Both Daniel’s and I face turned crimson red to that.

“O-oh yeah! Sorry guys, please come in!!” I stuttered as the boys started to scatter around the apartment

“So the five of you still haven't answered my question, what are you doing here??” I questioned

“We heard you weren’t feeling well, that's why we decided to come and check up on you” Jonah spoke up

“It’s okay guys, I can handle it. I’m used to handling this on my own, it will pass. Trust me.” I reassured

“We know, but nobody should be dealing with these types of things alone. We all understand how you feel so trust me when I say for all of us, that we’re here for you. You’re not going through this alone, you have us.” Daniel reassured while looking at me with his soft eyes that radiated a blue so bright that it could give the sea a run for its money.

If you were being honest, you weren't always like this. Usually, you could hold it all in but with your grandfather’s death anniversary coming up and all of your schoolwork increasing, you felt like you were gonna burst. Also, the fact that the boys were all here wasn't making the entire ‘holding it in’ plan promising.

After hearing Daniel's reassurance, you decided to just let it all out and that's how you became a sobbing mess in his arms.

“I-i just couldn't deal with everything you know? With grandpa’s anniversary coming up it's making it a hell lot difficult to be okay. Usually, I could hold it in but I just miss him so much” you sobbed into his hoodie

“Hey there, it's okay. You don't have to hold it in anymore. You have us, remember? We’ll always be here for you” Jack cooed

At this point, you don't even know if it was even possible to die from their purity and love for you.

“Y-you guys are the best. I love you guys so so much” you mumbled while reaching out to form a group hug

“We love you too y/n,” they said

“Yeah, some more than others” Corbyn mumbled which was immediately met with 4 other glares

“What?”

“Uh, nothing!! Nothing at all!” he replied nervously

You just shrugged it off thinking it was some sort of an inside joke between them

“So, what else did you all decided to grace me with? Besides your presence of course,” you asked teasingly

“Well, we knew how much you loved it when I did a cover of Everybody Talks on my Instagram live. So we decided to do the full cover of it, right here just for you” Daniel explained

Excited couldn't even begin to fully explain how you felt during this exact moment. Just to summarise it, your feelings were all over the place. Touched; because you didn't think he listened to your random rants especially the ones about him. Excited; who wouldn't be? You're about to hear your favourite boy band do a full cover of one of your favourite songs!! Then there were other feelings that you didn't think there would be enough words in the English language to describe it.

“Zach! Would you kindly do the honours?” Jonah asked

“It would be my pleasure” Zach jokingly said in a fake posh voice

He then went to your stereo and inserted the Everybody Talks cd. The minute the music started to play, you sat excitedly on the couch as the boys started to sing

Jonah

Hey baby, won't you look my way?

I can be your new addiction

Hey baby, what you gotta say?

All you're giving me is fiction

I’m a sorry sucker and this happens all the time

I found out that everybody talks,

Everybody talks, everybody talks

You were honestly surprised because the minute Jonah started to sing, he pulled you up from the couch to dance with him to match the energetic beat of the song.

Daniel

It started with a whisper

And that was when I kissed her

And then she made my lips hurt

I could hear the chit chat

Take me to your love shack

Mama’s always gotta backtrack

When everybody talks back

Then, you were suddenly whisked into Daniel’s arms which in all honesty you didn’t mind one bit. As he sang the chorus, he looked into your eyes with his signature smile. Even though there were 4 other people in the room, it felt like both of you were the only two people there.

Corbyn

Hey honey, you could be my drug

You could be my new prescription

Too much could be an overdose

All this trash talk make me itchin’

Oh my, my shit

Everybody talks, everybody talks

Everybody talks, too much

When it was Corbyn’s turn, him being Corbyn, he danced goofily around you which made you giggled and you decided to join him and be goofy too.

Daniel

It started with a whisper

And that was when I kissed her

And then she made my lips hurt

I could hear the chit chat

Take me to your love shack

Mama’s always gotta backtrack

When everybody talks back

You didn’t know whether it was your feelings for him or the fact that he was also your best friend, but you couldn't take your eyes off him. It was as if he was an angel that God sent you, he was just so perfect. But watching him dedicating the lyrics to you right now, you knew that whatever hell you go through, at the end of the day he’ll always be there to save you.

Jack

Never thought I’d live

To see the day

When everybody’s words got in the way

Hey

You knew that when it reached Jack’s part, he would back hug you and he did. It was something you two always did as you both were always affectionate with each other.

When the guitar riff started playing, the six of you started to dance like crazy. It was the exact thing you needed, just having fun with your 5 best friends.

Zach

Hey sugar, show me all your love

All you’re giving me is friction

Hey sugar, what you gotta say?

You knew exactly what to do when it was Zach’s turn. The minute he started singing, you climbed on his back which made him stumbled a little. He danced and spun with you on him which made you laugh like crazy.

Daniel

It started with a whisper

And that was when I kissed her

And then she made my lips hurt

I could hear the chit chat

Take me to your love shack

Mama's always gotta backtrack

When everybody talks back

The minute it was Daniel's turn again, he whisked you in his arms and started to twirl you which you didn't even know he could do. That boy’s always full of surprises.

All of you

Everybody talks

Everybody talks

Everybody talks

Everybody talks

Everybody talks

Everybody talks, back

Seeing you dance like that was something Daniel hadn't seen in a while. He was glad that you were smiling because of something he and the boys planned. He would give the world just to make sure you’d never lose your smile. It was 2 years into your friendship when he realised he was hopelessly in love with you. He knew he can't do anything that will risk the friendship that you two have. But seeing you having fun with his 4 best friends made him threw every doubt he had out the window.

‘Oh fuck it’ he thought

Corbyn

It started with a whisper

And that was when I kissed her

Just as Corbyn sang the second line, Daniel went up to you and planted his lips on yours. You? You were surprised. How could you not? The boy of your dreams is kissing you right now!! It took a few seconds but you gladly returned the kiss which made him smiled into the kiss.

After a few more seconds, the both of you pulled apart with huge smiles on your faces.

“I’ve been wanting to do that” Daniel mumbled

“Me too” you grinned

“Nailed it!!” the rest of the boys shouted which made the two of you laughed.

Who knew that dancing to your favourite song could lead you and your best friend to confess your feelings to each other?

[lazyneonrabbitt]

Paintings & Picture frames. [Pt.7]

Daryl Dixon x Reader [Pt.1] [Pt.2] [Pt.3] [Pt.4] [Pt.5] [Pt.6]

A/N: We’re nearing the end of intro week! I’m thinking of ways to keep them interacting after this, I don’t wanna end this story yet but I also don’t wanna make them date immediately just so I have a reason to make them spend time together. Updates after the next chapter may be a little slower because of this! Please enjoy this chapter!

Daryl loved watching you work, with everything you did there was this softness and it all looked so carefully thought out from his point of view. Not like his work that was all rough, and his mechanic work may have intricate parts but it was no way to be considered art. The two of you kept working for a while longer, constantly finding small things to edit or fix. After the umpteenth tiny edit, wondering what color would suit better with the photos used on your cover and eventually setting on one you realised it had started to get late already and your stomachs were grumbling for some food. Hearing your body make all the hungry noises you immediately felt embarrassed and felt a blush creep up your cheeks. Daryl noticed your shifting and let out a soft laugh. "

Ya wanna eat? I can head home if we're done." He offered. He wasn't sure how much longer he was welcome now that you had finished your schoolwork. You didn't want him to leave yet, it was nice to have someone over for a while, even if it was just for school. He was nice to be around and in a new town that was amazing already. "We can order something, I got paid this week so I got some extra cash to spend." You offered to buy dinner for the two of you and Daryl wanted to say no and go home, but he really didn't want to go back home again. He'd see you at school tomorrow but what was gonna happen after the project week was done and you both went your own ways? He wasn't ready to have that happen just yet so he reluctantly agreed on having dinner with you. "Yeah, sounds good. What're ya thinkin' of?" He asked and you opened up your local delivery service website. After going through multiple suggestions that were turned down by you being a picky eater or Daryl not being in the mood for that kind of food you ended on pizza. The one topic you immediately agreed on, a share size barbeque chicken pizza with extra bacon. After you ordered the pizza you went over to your desk to set up your printer to get your project on paper and all nice in a folder. Making sure all the pages were in the right order, adding the cover in the page sleeve on the front and putting the original artworks you made behind the last pages as well as some extra printed photos you made during Daryl's classes. All got some kind of description written on the back by the person who made the picture or painting.

Not long after you had it all put together your pizza arrived at the front door of your building, telling the guy you were gonna come and pick it up there and leaving Daryl alone in your apartment. He looked around at everything, observing and taking in every little detail from your matching dark furniture to your weird amount of small statues of animals and video game stuff. The dinner table was littered with art supplies that wouldn't fit on your desk anymore, which was full of digital artist items and sketchpads. Without really thinking of it at all he got up and walked towards your desk. It was full of half filled pieces of paper with small sketches on them. It mostly was all in one theme and while some were crossed out or had some negative texts written next to them, others had certain parts circled in colored marker with details written next to them that probably all made sense when put together. He of course had no idea what that put together something would be, but he was sure it would be really cool. On the table behind him were all kinds of paints and large papers filled with colors and mixes, something like what he learned in your class last week, but then huge and way more detailed than the small thing you two made in a two-hour class that was mostly the teacher explaining stuff instead of actually working. He mostly just followed your lead that day and still had no clue what he did but you seemed to be proud of what he did and that was all that mattered. It was weird how just looking at some colors on paper made him think about memories with you that made his heart flutter inside his chest. There was no way he was gonna tell you that, though. Not until he was sure you felt the same way, not that you ever would feel the same about a guy like him.

Back in the hallway you walked towards your apartment, taking deep breaths and trying to calm your mind. Having dinner with Daryl was just a normal classmates thing to do after finishing a project, nothing to be worried about. Except maybe accidentally spilling your drink. Or eating weird. Choking on a crumb or maybe just air. Would he be grossed out if you talked with your mouth full? What the hell, all those thoughts were so stupid you didn't even know how your head came up with them. You were just normally gonna eat your takeout pizza like you always do and everything would be fine. You made it back to your door in one piece and balanced the pizza in one hand while you fiddled with your keys in the other, opening the door and walking in. Daryl had been so intrigued by your artwork that he hadn't noticed you come in and set the pizza on the coffee table. "Food's here." You stated, watching Daryl snap out of his gaze. "Aight, cool." He stuttered on his way back to tho couch. To say he felt embarrassed being caught staring at your personal work was an understatement. He felt like he had accidentally invaded your privacy and had no idea how to tell you. But then again you didn't seem angry or anything so was it really as bad as he thought. You noticed him not really paying attention to the food first thing after sitting down and wondered what went on in his head. Maybe you weren't the only one nervous about having dinner together? While you already did have coffee at the diner while you worked earlier this week, so this wasn't even that new. Of course you were still nervous because that was just who you were.

The thoughts quickly left when you were both eating and enjoying the food a lot. "What place was this? Gotta get this at work sometime." Daryl commented after grabbing a second piece while putting the last bits of his first slice in his mouth. You told him the name of the place and where it was located. Daryl knew the street it was located on but never really paid much attention to the shops that occupied it. He did pass the place multiple times a week on his way to work and he was sure to pay more attention to it from now on. The two of you ate mostly in silence beside the occasional comment about pizzas or the suggestion of a drink refill. Only when there were only two slices left that were now in the both of yours hands, you started talking more. The conversations went from favorite foods to your hobbies outside of your study, tv shows you liked to watch or places you'd ever want to visit. Before the two of you had realised it, it had gotten dark outside already. You only realised when Daryl wanted to go outside for another cigarette. That one cigarette quickly turned into a Shit it's this late already?! goodbye smoke in front of your apartment building, with a promise to see each other again in the morning on Daryl's usual parking spot at school before your last day of the introduction week.