#guess that’s why i’m still here! how about you?

[mononijikayu]

you belong with me — nanami kento.

"Hi….I’m Kento."

“Kento, huh.” you said, testing the name again like you were rolling it around in your head, trying to get the feel of it. After a moment, you nodded, satisfied.

“Yeah, that’s my name.”

“That’s a good name.” You declared it with the authority of a five-year-old who had decided someone was officially worth their time.

“Your name’s okay too... I guess,” Kento replied, his tone so nonchalant it was almost teasing.

GENRE: alternate universe - no curses au!;

WARNING/S: afab! reader, childhood friends, best friends to lovers, romance, marriage, nsfw, rated 18 and above, explicit content, kissing, making out, rough sex, fingering, p to v sex, car sex, orgasm, humor, profanity, pet names (my love, etc), possessiveness, jealousy, characters speaking in sexual innuendo, mention of sexual euphemisms, depiction of explicit sexual content, best friend! nanami kento, best friend! reader;

WORD COUNT: 14k words.

NOTE: hello everyone, this is the final fic for 2024!!! wah, there's a lot to say. first and foremost, this fic would not be possible if it wasn't for the lovely person who commissioned it from me awhile back. please give them a lot of love and a lot of thanks.

they were my first ever commission here and still it flutters my heart with joy to have worked them. they were so good to me and continues to do so, with how they want to share this fic with you too.

also, i want to thank you all for sticking with me this 2024. it was a long road and a really painful time. i wrote to escape these painful times and i got through 2024 with you guys, just enjoying stories in my head. so thank you!!! there were a lot and there are still a lot i haven't published here.

i hope we continue to be together in 2025 too. i'll continue to write for both of us, to have solace in hard times. i bow to you in all ways that i can. thank you for being good to me!!! i love you all. this is kayu signing off for 2024. please have a lovely and wonderful new year and i'll see you on january 2025 <33333

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EVEN AS A CHILD, YOU THOUGHT THAT HE BELONGED TO YOU. It was a childish little thing, you knew that much. But the moment you met Nanami Kento at the park when you were five years old, you just knew he was going to be your best friend.

And no one else could claim that from you. It wasn’t something you decided after a long debate in your head. If anything, it was instinctive, instant, like the way a flower turns toward the sun. What surprised you even more was that he didn’t seem to mind it.

That day, Nanami Kento was sitting on the swings, looking unusually serious for a kid. His little legs dangled, barely brushing the ground, and he rocked back and forth so slightly it was as if he wasn’t even moving. It was odd. 

Most kids treated the swings like they were flying machines, pumping their legs wildly, laughing as they soared. But not Kento. He just sat there, his small hands gripping the chains, his gaze fixed on the ground as though it held all the answers to the universe.

It wasn’t sadness—not exactly. He didn’t look miserable or lonely. No, it was more like he was... satisfied. Content in his little bubble of silence, where the noise of the playground seemed to slide right past him.

You, however, were not content with his quiet. What could a kid possibly have to think about so deeply? Why wasn’t he running around, chasing someone, or shouting nonsense with the other kids? How could he stomach sitting there alone for so long?

The questions buzzed in your head, but more than that, you felt a pull. You wanted to know him. You wanted him to talk to you, to share whatever thoughts were hiding behind those serious brown eyes. And if he wouldn’t come to you, well, that was fine. You’d go to him.

You had the kind of confidence that only comes from being five years old and utterly fearless. The kind of confidence that didn’t know rejection or hesitation, only the certainty that the world would say "yes" if you asked it nicely enough.

So, you marched right up to him, your pigtails bouncing with each determined step. You put on your brightest smile, the kind of smile that has always gotten adults to bend down and coo. “Aren’t you just the sweetest?”

"Hi!" you announced, planting yourself firmly in front of him like he had no choice but to acknowledge you. You told him your name, grinning at him. 

He blinked, startled out of his deep, secured thoughts to the sight of you. It took a while, but he  lifted his caramel gaze to meet yours. For a moment, he just looked at you, like he wasn’t sure if you were real. No one has ever approached him before, well not as brazenly as this. Then, finally, he answered you back. 

"Hi….I’m Kento."

“Kento, huh.” you said, testing the name again like you were rolling it around in your head, trying to get the feel of it. After a moment, you nodded, satisfied. 

“Yeah, that’s my name.”

“That’s a good name.” You declared it with the authority of a five-year-old who had decided someone was officially worth their time.

“Your name’s okay too... I guess,” Kento replied, his tone so nonchalant it was almost teasing.

“Huh? It’s pretty!” you retorted, your hands flying to your hips, a slight pout settling on your lips. “My mom thought hard about it, you know!”

“So did mine.” Kento shot back, a flicker of mischief lighting his normally serious face. Then, in a tone that was just a little too smug, he added, “It’s a good name too.”

For a second, you just stared at him, caught off guard by the slyness in his tone. Then, to your own surprise, you burst out laughing. It wasn’t just the words that got to you—it was the way he said them, so calm and deliberate, like he was throwing you a challenge wrapped in politeness.

“You’re funny, you know that?” you decided, grinning widely.

Kento raised an eyebrow at that, his lips twitching into the barest hint of a smile. “I wasn’t trying to be.”

“Well, you are.” you said firmly, as though your opinion was final. “So, Kento, what do you wanna do? We could swing, or climb the jungle gym, or—oh! We could build a sandcastle!”

He blinked, caught off guard by your rapid-fire suggestions. “I don’t know,” he said slowly, like he wasn’t used to making decisions for playtime.

You rolled your eyes and grabbed his hand without a second thought. “Then we’re doing the sandcastle! Come on, you’re gonna love it.”

He let you pull him along, his steps falling into rhythm with yours. “What if I don’t?” he asked, his voice so soft you almost missed the challenge in it.

“You will!” you said confidently, already imagining the crooked towers you’d build together. “Because I said so.”

Nanami Kento didn’t argue. Instead, he let out a quiet laugh, the sound so small you might’ve missed it if you weren’t paying attention. But you were paying attention, because something about this boy made you want to see every little detail he kept hidden in that quiet bubble of his.

From that moment, Kento Nanami became yours.

He knew that just as much as you did, even then.

And he was certain you were just as much his from then.

It wasn’t long into your days of playdates before you started staking your claim. You didn’t mean to—well, maybe you did. That really didn’t matter. What mattered was that you and Kento were having fun. Like the time some other kids approached while you and Kento were hard at work in the sandbox, trying to make your castle less crooked.

"Hey, kid!" one of them called, pointing at the little shovel in Kento’s hands. "Can I borrow that?"

"No way." you said firmly before Kento could even open his mouth. You shot the kid a look that clearly said back off. "We’re using it."

"But—"

"Nope. Sorry. It’s ours to play with." you cut them off, turning back to your castle as if the conversation was over. "Right, Kento?"

Kento hesitated for a second, glancing between you and the other kid, before quietly nodding. "Right."

The other kids' faces were filled with harsh looks at what you said. But you didn’t care. All they could do was huff and puff until they were blue in the face. You would never budge, not even if they wanted you too. 

You were a tough girl. And you always got what you wanted. And you wanted your new friend and his attention only on you. So you didn't care what you did. You’ll keep your friend, no matter what they want. 

Soon enough, they gave in and went to wander off. You can only smile. You didn’t feel the slightest bit bad. If anything, you had wished that they had left much sooner. 

You turned to Kento with a satisfied smile. "Good. They’d just mess it up anyway. It’s better if we play together, only us!"

Kento tilted his head, watching you with that quiet curiosity he always seemed to have. You seemed to be content about playing just by yourself, by his side. Not many kids seem to be content about wanting to do that at all.

"Why don’t you let other kids play with us?" he asked.

You looked at him like the answer should’ve been obvious. "Because you’re my friend. I found you first. That means you’re mine."

For a moment, he just stared at you.

Then, slowly, that tiny, barely-there smile returned.

"Okay." he said simply, like he didn’t mind one bit.

══════════════════

YEARS DRAGGED ON IN A FLASH FOR BOTH OF YOU. From that day forward, Nanami Kento was your shadow. Or maybe you were his—it often depended on who was asking and whose ego needed inflating at the moment.

But that was just how it was between the two of you. And you were content about how that goes. You knew he was just the same. Not because you went around declaring it (okay, maybe you did once or twice), but because your actions left no room for doubt.

The two of you were inseparable, and everyone knew it. In a way, both your parents were both glad and concerned about it. Glad that you both were in each other’s lives, nurturing and caring for each other. That means you both weren’t lonely, and you both were happily playing with each other day in and out of school.

But concerned that you weren’t letting each other find any other people in your lives and explore other friendships. But that hardly mattered to the two of you. Both of you didn’t budge. You didn’t need anyone else. If anything, you only need each other. You were both content with that. 

If there was a school project, Nanami Kento was your partner. No debates, no negotiation. You made sure of it every single time. It got to the point where teachers didn’t even bother asking anymore. By third grade, the class roster might as well have been printed with your name and his own written in bold under "Partners" for every project.

“Do you guys ever work with anyone else?” a classmate once dared to ask.

“Why would we?” you replied, looking genuinely puzzled. “He’s the best at making the physical parts.I don’t need anyone else.”

Kento, standing beside you, simply shrugged. “She’s good at explaining the messy, hard parts.” he said, so matter-of-factly it left no room for argument.

At lunch, it was no different. You always saved him a spot, waving him over like a VIP guest being ushered past the velvet rope. And no one dared sit with the two of you. Not after The Incident.

There was one time where a new kid made the mistake of sliding into the seat next to Nanami Kento before he got there. You didn’t even hesitate to act as quickly as you could. 

“Excuse me, new kid.” you said, your voice sugary sweet, but your eyes narrowing dangerously.

“What?” the kid asked, glancing up at you.

“That’s his seat.” You pointed toward Kento, who was still in the lunch line, entirely oblivious to the showdown brewing at the table.

“Seats are for everyone in the school.” the kid said, with all the defiance of someone who didn’t know better yet. “I can sit wherever I want.”

And that’s when you did it. You reached out and swatted their hand as they tried to open their milk carton. You glared at him, almost as cold as the North Pole. He gulped at your glare. You were terrifying for a middle schooler.

“Go. Somewhere. Else.” you said, every word punctuated with a glare that could have sent a grown man packing. “That’s HIS seat!”

The new kid was terrified and immediately scurried off, muttering something about "territorial weirdos." — that was another thing for the school to whisper about in their past time. But you didn’t care. 

By the time that he got out of the boy’s toilets, Nanami Kento got to the table, his spot was as clear as always, and you were already peeling the wrapper off the sandwich your mom made for him like nothing had happened.

“Thanks.” he said, sitting down without even asking why the kid from earlier was now eating on the other side of the cafeteria. He saw that of course. But he didn’t dare ask. “Thank your mom for me, about the sandwich.”

“You’re welcome.” you replied, sliding his sandwich over to him. You smiled as he opened his own lunch bag and started to pull out chocolate pudding in a tupperware. “Ohhhh, your mom thought of dessert!”

“Hm, I asked her.” Kento retorts back to you, smiling softly at your excitement. “Since you like chocolate pudding.”

“Thank your mama for me, okay?”

“Hm, I will.”

But of course, your protectiveness didn’t stop at lunch seats. If anything, you were protective of him to the point that it was already insane. If anyone so much as thought about teasing him, you were on them like a hawk. It didn’t matter if it was a stupid nickname or a poorly aimed joke. Nanami Kento wasn’t going to deal with any of it, not on your watch.

“Hey, Kento, why are you so quiet all the time?” one boy snickered during recess, his tone dripping with mockery.

Before Kento could even respond, you were already there, hands on your hips and glaring like you were ready to call down the wrath of the heavens. You glared at the kid as though he was meeting to face a thousand suns. 

“Maybe he’s quiet because he doesn’t waste time saying dumb things like you do.” you snapped, tilting your head and raising an eyebrow for maximum effect. “Stop being a weird waste of space and leave him alone, you freak!”

The boy tried to stammer something in response, but you didn’t wait to hear it. You didn’t care for what they said. Only for what Kento says. You rolled your eyes at the kid, as though he bored you and looked away. Soon enough, you turned back to Kento, your expression softening immediately. 

“Come on, Kento.” you said, grabbing his hand. “We’re going to the swings.”

Kento didn’t say much about that. But later, when that same boy made a malicious face at you from across the playground and had made a plan to chase you with a bottle of water to throw, Nanami Kento was the first to sense a threat against you.

He sighed heavily and without even looking up from his picture book muttered just loud enough for you to hear. “She’s faster than you, you know? She would wet your hair and make fun of you for it. So, I wouldn’t try it.”

The boy stayed far away after that.

And you could only giggle at what he said.

Nanami Kento knew you all too well.

But just as much as you were ready to fight Nanami Kento’s battles, he was ready to fight yours. And while you often took on challenges with the energy of a charging bull, Kento’s approach was quieter, deadlier—like a knife slipping between ribs before anyone even noticed it was there. He was just that type of kid, you think.

You first realized just how far Kento was willing to go for you one day when a group of older girls decided to target your ponytails. It wasn’t a big deal to you at first; you were used to the occasional teasing. But this time, something about their tone, or maybe the way they crowded around, everything about it had made your stomach twist.

“Why do you always look like you just rolled out of bed?” one of them sneered, her voice dripping with faux innocence.

Her friends burst into laughter, as if she’d just delivered the punchline of the century. You bristled, the words forming on your tongue to snap back. But before you could speak, Kento appeared, slipping between you and the girls like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Why do you care?” he asked, his tone calm, his hands tucked casually into his pockets.

It was such a simple question, but somehow it silenced the entire group. The girl blinked at him, thrown off by his directness. Kento yawned, as though he was already bored with her. She had never expected anything from him. Kento was quiet and reserved. 

He was also popular and quite a handsome young boy that people had a crush on. Even when he didn’t talk or pay any mind to any of them. You glared at this girl, as though she was the worst of them all. She’s always been trying to take Kento from you.

“Uh, excuse me?” she said, attempting to regain her composure.

“You heard me.” Kento’s gaze was steady, his expression as unreadable as ever, but there was an edge to his voice that made it clear he wasn’t messing around. “Why do you care what she looks like? Or are you just bored?”

The giggling stopped. 

“Well, I—” The girl floundered, her cheeks turning pink. 

“She looks fine to me.” Kento interrupted smoothly, tilting his head slightly as if he were assessing them. “Better than you, anyway. I mean, those pants with that shirt? What are you thinking? Does your mom even love you if she allows you to wear something like that?”

You could’ve heard a pin drop at what he had said. You look at him, blinkingly. Before finding yourself bellowing at laughter at how blunt he had worked everything. The girls gasped, their mouths falling open in perfect synchronization. One of them muttered something about “rude boys” and then, just like that, they were gone, retreating with their tails between their legs.

You stood there, stunned, as Kento turned back to you like nothing had happened. You finally straightened yourself from your laughing form. You wiped your eyes as you turned back at him. You grinned at his words. 

“Better than her?” you repeated later as the two of you walked back to class. You were trying not to laugh, but the corners of your mouth kept twitching upward.

“It’s true. You already know that.” he said simply, not bothering to look up from the book he’d already opened, as if the whole thing hadn’t even fazed him.

“Aw, you think I’m cute, don’t you?” you teased, nudging him with your elbow.

“Don’t push it.” he replied dryly, but the tiny smirk playing at the corner of his lips betrayed him.

══════════════════

BUT OF COURSE, THIS ONLY INTENSIFIED ONCE YOU BOTH GREW OLDER. Entering this new environment, in high school — one could say nothing had ever changed. If anything, it has only grown more concrete that you and Nanami Kento, no one can separate the two of you even if they tried. 

If one were to describe how you both were, it would be like being a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Inseparable. And even when people questioned it, you turned them down just as easily. Little by little, people barely questioned it anymore. 

You had long since reached the point where your friendship was so solid that it seemed like a fact of life. If anyone tried to ask about it, the answer was already clear: You two were a package deal. And while you liked it that way, not everyone seemed to get the memo.

It didn’t take long for the attention to roll in once high school started. You were used to it by now. After all, you and Kento had always been a pair of conspicuously close friends, so naturally, people were curious. 

But this was a different kind of curiosity, the kind that came with stares and whispers behind your backs. Everyone seemed to have suddenly developed a keen interest in your best friend, and you couldn’t decide if it was because of his brooding good looks or that deep, mysterious aura he carried, but maybe, probably both.

It started with the girls, as it usually did. They would hover around Kento in class, a little too eager to engage in conversations about anything—his favorite books, his thoughts on the weather, even the random things he’d written in the margins of his notes. It didn’t matter what they brought up; they were just looking for an excuse to get a reaction out of him. 

They wanted to be the one to crack the mystery that was Nanami Kento. And of course, they expected him to open up, to smile, to laugh, to do something that would confirm they were special enough to make him forget his usual quiet, studious demeanor.

But Kento, being the stoic, no-nonsense guy he was, would respond with quiet politeness, barely even registering their presence. He would tilt his head slightly when they asked questions, look at them through the edge of his glasses, and give just enough of an answer to keep things from getting awkward.

The girls would often stare at him a little longer than necessary, hoping for a second of warmth or acknowledgment. But no matter how many times they tried, all they got was that polite, impersonal smile that didn’t reach his eyes. And it wasn’t that he didn’t care; it was just that he didn’t care about them, not in the way they wanted. 

To Nanami Kento, it was all just noise. So, he’d just keep his focus on what mattered, which was probably the latest algebra problem or his ongoing internal monologue about the best way to prepare his next snack.

Even as an emo guy with that black hoodie, messy blond hair, brooding eyes that screamed ‘don’t talk to me, but if you do, be prepared for my sarcasm’—people still flocked to him. It was almost unfair, you thought. He had this combination of boy-next-door charm and detached, almost tragic mystique that girls couldn’t resist. 

He was a pretty boy, you knew that much. You’d known him long enough to appreciate the way his eyes glinted in the sunlight, how his messy hair always looked effortlessly perfect, how he somehow made a monotone voice sound like the most hypnotic thing in the room.

And it wasn’t just the girls, either. The guys were starting to notice, too. Sure, they didn’t hover the same way, but they’d get a little too chatty when Kento was around, laughing a little too hard at his dry jokes, trying just a bit too hard to be friendly.

Everyone knew he wasn’t the type to just buddy up with anyone, and that mystery only made him more desirable. So when they’d get too close, you’d notice the slight twitch of Kento’s eyebrow, the way he’d lean just a little bit further away to make it clear that he was not interested in their company.

But the one thing you didn’t doubt was this: Kento was really polite. He never outright rejected anyone, and that politeness was a plus. Sure, it drove you a little crazy when they’d swarm him like bees to honey.

But you had to admit that his politeness was a rare commodity in a world where most people had no issue turning someone down rudely or making them feel uncomfortable. Kento didn’t do that. He’d simply nod back at people and get back to whatever it was he was doing, never making a fuss about the attention.

Well, it was better than over half the school, that’s for sure. You’d seen the way people treated each other, cold and snide, brushing off others without so much as a second thought. Kento was a rare gem in that regard. He was a gentleman, even in the face of all the attention he was getting, and that made it all the more frustrating. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t want people to admire him; you just didn’t like the thought of anyone thinking they could replace you. You and Kento had this bond, a strong one, one that didn’t need words to be understood. But here was the thing—everyone else didn’t get it. And that was where the fun (and by fun, you mean sneaky sabotage) began.

After all, who else could say they knew all his little quirks? Who else had shared so many quiet lunches under that same oak tree, or been the one to force him to eat a full meal instead of staring at his book? You were his best friend, and that meant you had a certain, special claim on him, no matter how many girls wanted to make themselves part of his world.

But, like the selfless best friend you were, you’d keep that fact under wraps. No one needed to know you had a stake in him—especially when you were also the one helping him avoid the chaos of all his newfound admirers. Let them keep fighting over who could be the one to crack Kento's cold exterior; you'd be the one to keep it safe.

But that wasn’t enough. No, they wanted more. They wanted to peel back the layers, crack open that cool exterior, and find whatever hidden treasure lay beneath. And that was where you came in. That’s where you always have to come in. He was your best friend, after all.

It wasn’t that you hated the attention Kento was getting, but it was yours, wasn’t it? You didn’t want anyone to think they could just stroll up and waltz into the little bubble you and Kento had created. And you know he agreed. He doesn’t really need anyone else, he’s said that to you numerous times.

So naturally, you and Kento found creative ways to sabotage any admirer who dared to get too close. It wasn’t malicious, exactly. Well, not to you or Kento. it was more like you were just “protecting” him, and, on occasion, he did the same for you.

It started with the simple things. You'd hover near him during lunch, casually tossing your snacks at him in a way that made it obvious you didn’t want him interacting too much with anyone else. It was like a game of cat-and-mouse between the two of you. Both of you pretended you weren’t doing it, but everyone knew exactly what you were up to.

For example, when this girl from the other class named Yuki asked to sit with Kento one day during lunch time, you quickly swooped in, plopping down next to him like you were the most important thing in his world. You grinned at him and he hummed.

“Hey, Kentooooo!” you said, dropping your lunch tray in front of him. “Did you get those history notes I gave you this morning?”

Yuki opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, you continued to talk to him with a brighter grin. You nonchalantly handed your strawberry milk carton to him and he started to open it for you with the same amount of cool. 

“I was thinking of making brownies this weekend. You like chocolate, right? The ones that we used to buy at the mart? It hasn’t changed, right?” You sent her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I know it's probably too sweet, but it’s his favorite.”

Kento nodded back at you as he placed your strawberry milk carton on the side. You thanked him happily as you started to drink with happy sounds. Kento simply looked at Yuki with the politest expression he could muster and muttered back at her. 

“Sorry, I’ve got a study group with her after school. Maybe next time.”

Yuki didn’t even bother trying to argue, just nodding stiffly before retreating. You shot Kento a quick grin, but before you could say anything, he just sighed and went back to his book.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” he muttered under his breath. “Could have handled that myself.”

“But I have to. You know that.” you said with a grin, popping a piece of fruit into your mouth. “You’re my best friend, not hers.”

One day at lunch, as you and Kento sat under the shade of the old oak tree, munching on your usual snacks, a girl named Mia from your history class walked by. She glanced at Kento, then at you, then back at Kento, before finally stopping a few feet away.

"Hey, Kento!" she called, her voice way too sweet for your liking. “Mind if I join you guys?”

You didn’t even have to look up from your crackers. “Sure, but he doesn’t bite.” you said, not even looking at Mia. “I mean, I don’t think so...”

Kento, who had been engrossed in a textbook the size of a brick, glanced up at you before looking back at Mia. "I can sit alone, you know." he said, a little too casually, not even bothering to hide the fact that he didn’t care much for the attention.

Mia, undeterred, tried again. “Are you sure? I heard you like this band, too. Maybe we could—”

But before she could finish her sentence, you leaned forward, dropping a half-eaten cracker dramatically into your lap as if to make your point clear. 

"If you want to talk about music, you’re gonna have to take it up with me right now, okay?" you declared, giving her your best “this is my turf” look. "Kento here’s more into his book right now, not whatever band you think you have in common with him."

Kento blinked slowly, clearly trying to figure out why he was being pulled into this, but didn't argue. He just glanced at you and nodded, an expression you knew meant, I’m not getting involved in this one.

Mia looked between you and Kento, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Okay, fine.” she muttered before turning around and walking off, her face flushed red.

"Good job, hero," Kento muttered under his breath, voice dry.

You smirked at him. "You’re welcome, sunshine."

Of course, it wasn’t like you were the only one who was possessive. Nanami Kento hated that you were constantly getting hit on. It drove him absolutely insane. Apparently, teenage boys had this ridiculous notion that your consistent rejections made you more appealing. The more you turned them down, the more determined they became, like you were some kind of prize to be won.

Nanami Kento of course, naturally, found this logic baffling—and irritating. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust you to handle yourself; he absolutely did. He hated everyone else, maybe most of all the men around him and of course — you. 

But watching those guys swarm around you, trying to impress you with their lame jokes or over-the-top compliments, made his jaw tighten and his grip on his pen just a little too firm. Oh, he hated men even more like that. And, well, Kento was never one to sit back and let something annoy him for too long. Not when it comes to you.

But of course, there are things that come as unexpected too.

Maybe it was because Nanami Kento was too perceptive.

Maybe he was just good at dissecting situations happening.

He doesn’t know how this happened, or how this came to pass.

But today would change his life for good, that was certain.

A week after one particularly bold senior cornered you after class to “ask for your number” Kento decided to return the favor—not with dramatics, of course, but with his usual understated, calm assertiveness.

You were sitting in the library, animatedly telling Kento about your latest sketch. It was a concept you were certain would win the upcoming art contest. He was actually paying attention, nodding slightly as you explained your technique, when suddenly, a guy from the senior class decided to interrupt.

“Hey, you’re the girl who draws, right?” the senior asked, leaning against the edge of the table with a grin that screamed overconfident.

You blinked, caught off guard. “Uh… yeah, that’s me.”

“Well,” he continued, practically oozing smugness, “I was thinking, maybe you’d want to collaborate on some sketches sometime. You know, we could—”

Before he could finish whatever weak line he’d rehearsed, Kento smoothly slid into the seat beside you, his broad shoulders cutting off your view of the guy. He didn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, he turned to you, his voice calm but laced with just enough edge to make his point.

“I’m pretty sure sketching is a solitary activity.” Kento said matter-of-factly. “You know, for concentration… unless, of course, you want a distraction?”

The guy blinked, clearly caught off guard by Kento’s sudden presence. “Uh, no, I—”

Kento didn’t let him finish. “You know….” he continued, still not looking at the guy. “It’s actually better if you’re alone when you’re working. Less… interruptions.” 

He then picked up your sketchbook, flipping through it with the kind of casual indifference that somehow made it clear he wasn’t going anywhere. Your jaw dropped at what he’s done.He’s silly like this sometimes, you think to yourself. 

“Kento!” you half-laughed, half-scolded, reaching for your sketchbook. “That’s my sketchbook!”

“Yeah, I know, I know.” he replied nonchalantly, not even pretending to give it back. His attention wasn’t on your sketches anymore, though. His eyes were fixed on the poor senior, who was now fidgeting uncomfortably under Kento’s unnervingly calm stare. 

“Do you mind?” Kento said coolly. “She’s busy.”

The guy stammered something unintelligible, his confidence evaporating faster than a spilled soda in the sun. “Uh… yeah, maybe another time, I guess.” he mumbled before slinking off, clearly realizing he was no match for Nanami Kento’s level of subtle intimidation.

Once the guy was gone, you turned back to Kento, crossing your arms with a mix of exasperation and amusement. You giggled to yourself for a moment. He sighed, looking at how amused you were. It was always like this with you, getting giddy when he does things like this.

“Nice one, Kento.” you said, smirking. “You do know I could have handled that, right?”

Kento raised an eyebrow, setting your sketchbook back down and leaning back in his chair like nothing had happened. You take it back from him, giving him a small thanks. He couldn’t stop looking at you. But when you looked up again, he'd already looked away.

“Sure.” he said, his lips curling into that faint, almost-smile of his. “But it looked like you were busy… talking to him.”

You rolled your eyes, swatting his arm. “What was that even about? You’re not my bodyguard, you know.”

“I wasn’t being a bodyguard.” he replied, his tone annoyingly calm. “I was just... pointing out how distracting he was being.”

“Right, right.” you said, narrowing your eyes at him. “And that had nothing to do with you hating that he interrupted us?”

Kento didn’t answer right away, but the way his eyes flickered with quiet amusement gave him away. He never likes admitting it out loud, but he feels glad. He feels glad when he makes sure you both are alone. You were all he needed after all.

“Maybe.” he finally admitted, his voice as casual as ever. “Or maybe I just wanted to look at your sketchbook.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “You’re impossible.”

“And you talk too much.” he countered, eyes shining softly against your own.

You giggled back at him, your lips smiling beautifully at him. Beautifully more than ever before. “But you like it that way, don’t you?”

Huh, what was that? He thought to himself.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.

Was that his heart beating like that just now?

For a moment, he stops and looks at you. You were unaware about what happened just now. Instead, you were back on your sketching, humming to some song you were obsessed with right now. Kento swallowed hard, suddenly hyper-aware of how he was looking at you. He cleared his throat. 

“We should get going.” he said finally, his voice a little quieter than usual. “The library closes soon.”

You nodded, falling into step beside him as you always did. But as you walked, Kento couldn’t help sneaking a glance at you out of the corner of his eye. He’d always thought of himself as someone who was good at keeping his emotions in check, but now he wasn’t so sure.

Is this what it feels like? Kento wondered as he watched you walk off in front of him. 

He stops. He takes in the sight of you. You were laughing, hopping on the tiles one by one. The sun glows behind you like a beacon leading him to the direction of life. You nearly fell, making him jump forward. But you held your balance. 

And then you laughed. Laughed so beautifully that he doesn’t know what to do.  He could feel every fiber of him turning warm, warmer and redder than ever before. His heart beating out of rhythm again. 

Ah, shit. Kento once more thinks to himself. I’m screwed.

══════════════════

HE DOESN’T THINK TO SAY ANYTHING. How could he, when he’s scared about the outcome? But as the time flew by as fast as it could, he knew he can’t keep being a coward about it. He had to say something. He should do it soon.

It was going to come out anyway. College was looming on both your shoulders. And with that, a lot of uncertainty came. If he says something, at the very least there would be something certain, concrete as your friendship. 

The two of you sat cross-legged on the floor of Kento’s family home, a single bottle of sake between you. Neither of you had much experience with alcohol, but the thrill of being eighteen and toeing the line of rebellion was too tempting to resist.

Kento poured carefully into the mismatched cups you'd found in his cupboard, his movements precise, even in the low light.

"Cheers, cheers!" you yell with that bright eyed grin, raising your cup to him.

"To...?" he asked, his brow arching slightly, always wanting things to have a purpose.

"To us!" you said simply, eyes sparkling with mischief.

He hesitated, his breath catching in his chest, before clicking his cup against yours. "To us."

The first sip was sharp, burning its way down, but it wasn’t long before the alcohol began to work its magic with swift effectivity. You laughed more freely, leaning closer to him, and your words came faster, your thoughts unfiltered.

"You know, Kentooooo." you said, poking his shoulder with a pout. "You’re, like, ridiculously handsome, right?"

Kento froze mid-sip, his ears instantly turning as pink as your sweater. "W–what?"

"I mean it! You’re so... ugh…." you groaned, tossing your head back dramatically. "How am I supposed to focus when you look at me like that?"

"Like what?" he asked, his voice soft, betraying the nervous flutter in his chest.

"Like you’re trying not to smile, but your eyes are giving you away." you teased, your grin widening as you poked his cheek this time.

Nanami Kento could feel his heart pounding so loud he was sure you could hear it. Every word you spoke chipped away at his usual composure, and he could feel himself unraveling under the weight of your drunken admiration. In just this moment, you wholly outwit him. You make him come undone. Only you can have that effect on him. Only you. 

"You’re unbelievable, you know that?" he muttered, trying to look away, but you caught his chin, turning his face back to yours.

"Admit it already, won’t you?" you said, your voice lower now, but no less playful. "You like me. Maybe even a little too much."

Kento stared at you, the world blurring slightly around the edges, whether from the alcohol or the way you were looking at him, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to do it like this. He didn’t want to put up his hopes that you would be sober enough to know the truth. Or for you to have sober truths pouring out of your sharp grinning lips. 

"I think…" he began, his voice steady but his heart anything but.

“You think?”

"I’m falling for you. More and more. Every second."

You blinked at what had just shifted in the air, your teasing expression softening as you processed his words. Then, to his surprise, you smiled—not mischievously this time, but gently, sweetly. Full with a merry drink, you smiled.

"Good." you whispered, leaning in so close he could smell the faint sweetness of the sake on your breath. "You said really good words.”

Kento barely had time to breathe before you pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, leaving his face on fire and his heart completely, utterly yours. Kento froze, the warmth of your lips lingering on his cheek like a brand. His breath hitched as your words sank into the alcohol-drenched air between you. 

“I think I’m already there.”

He stared at you, his usually composed mind now an unsteady swirl of emotions—exhilaration, disbelief, and a flicker of hesitation. Your gaze was soft, dreamy, and undeniably sincere, but the alcohol in your system clouded everything. He said it out loud. But are you sure? How could you be, with how merry the drink is in your belly?

"You don’t mean that." he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, as though saying it too loud would shatter the fragile moment.

"I do. I do." you said, your expression serious despite the light flush of intoxication on your cheeks. You reached for his hand, holding it with a gentle firmness that made his heart stumble in its rhythm.

Kento's fingers curled instinctively around yours before he could stop himself, but his grip was careful, steady. "You're drunk. I just…you can’t say that drunk." he pointed out, his voice more tender than reprimanding.

You frowned, tilting your head like you were trying to understand him through the haze. "So? That doesn’t mean it’s not true."

He sighed, looking down at your joined hands. He wanted so desperately to believe you, to let his heart leap completely into your words, but his rational side, his ever-present voice of reason. It held him back.

"It matters. It matters to me." he said softly, his thumb brushing over your knuckles absentmindedly. "If you mean it, I need to hear it when you’re sober. When you’re sure."

"But I am sure, Kento." you insisted, leaning closer, your warmth almost overwhelming him. Your free hand reached up to brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead, and he felt the breath leave his lungs in a rush.

Kento shook his head, his smile faint but aching with restraint. "Not like this." he murmured. "You’ll wake up tomorrow and—"

"And what? Pretend this didn’t happen?" you interrupted, your brows knitting together. "Do you think I’d forget how much I lo—"

His hand shifted, gently pressing a single finger to your lips to quiet you, though it was more for his sake than yours. He wasn’t sure he could take it, hearing those words from you while your judgment was fogged.

"Stop. Please." he said, his voice barely steady. "Don’t say it now. Not tonight."

Your eyes searched hisfrustration flickering in their depths before softening. You saw the way his shoulders tensed, the way he looked at you like he was holding back an ocean of feelings.

"You're such a romantic, aren’t you?" you murmured, a teasing lilt to your voice as a lazy smile spread across your face.

He gave a quiet chuckle, his fingers brushing against your cheek now without realizing it. "Maybe." he admitted, his tone gentler than ever. "But I want this—want us—to start right. I’ll wait until you’re ready to tell me again."

You let out a small sigh but didn’t argue. Instead, you leaned into his touch, your head coming to rest on his shoulder as your eyelids grew heavy. You always liked this, taking in his warmth. You don’t think there was any other place you belonged in but his arms.

If you were being honest, you were afraid. He was right. Your words could mean something, and maybe it wouldn’t be as clear as his own. You were drunk. You were really drunk. And feels hazy in your head. It wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t be fair to your Kento. Not like this.

"Fine." you murmured, your words slurring slightly. "But you’d better be ready for me to say it a hundred times tomorrow. Maybe a thousand."

Kento chuckled again, the sound low and warm in his chest, as he rested his chin lightly on top of your head. "I’ll be ready." he promised, even as his own heart thudded wildly at the thought. “I’m always waiting for you. Always.”

And as you drifted off, still clutching his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world, Kento silently vowed to himself: when the time came, he’d tell you how deeply, how completely he felt for you too. He just needed to be sure you knew what it meant.

The morning after that night, you woke up on Kento's couch, the faint remnants of sake lingering in the air. Your head throbbed lightly, and your memories were fuzzy around the edges. Kento, ever thoughtful, had left a glass of water and some aspirin on the table beside you.

"Rough night?" he asked from the kitchen, his voice steady but carefully neutral as he busied himself making coffee.

You groaned, rubbing your temples. "What did I even say last night? I barely remember anything."

He hesitated, his hand tightening briefly on the handle of the coffee pot. He looked over at you, your half-asleep face free of the weight of your drunken confessions. For a moment, he considered saying something, but the words got caught in his throat.

"Nothing too embarrassing," he said instead, forcing a faint smile.

You laughed, your cheeks reddening slightly. "Good. I’d hate to think I made a fool of myself in front of you."

Kento gave a small nod, but his heart felt heavy. You didn’t remember, and he couldn’t bring himself to remind you. Not like this. So, he lets himself break apart. He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t let you have guilt. Because if he did, how is that loving you?

THINGS DID CHANGE A BIT WHEN YOU WENT TO COLLEGE. Of course, you both got into the same university. But there’s a rough difference between not only being in different departments, but also being in different campuses. It was a rough travel back and forth. But Nanami Kento was determined to go and visit you.

So Nanami Kento buried those words, locking them away where they couldn’t touch the fragile balance between you. He told himself it was better this way. But he hopes, maybe one day — just one day. You’ll see him too. Sober with your love for him.

══════════════════

You often feel a little bad when you look back on those days. Engineering classes were no joke. Too many long hours, grueling projects, and the constant pressure to keep up left you drained most of the time.

You barely had the energy to go out, even when you wanted to. But Kento never minded. He understood in the quiet, steady way that only he could, and instead of waiting for you to have time, he made sure to visit you instead.

It didn’t matter where for him. Whether it was the bustling campus lunch hall, where the two of you would share a plate of something warm while you tried to finish an assignment, or your dorm room, which was always a little messy with textbooks and half-drunk cups of coffee.

What mattered to him wasn’t the place or even what you were doing. What mattered was just being with you.

And that thought? It never fails to make your heart skip a beat. Even now, after everything, it feels just as special as it did back then. You still held dearest to him after all this time. Ever since you were kids, you were his everything. And you were sure, more than ever now, that he was yours too. In all sense of the word.

It’s been a year and a half since that time, since you confessed to Kento. Well, technically, drunk you confessed to him. It was late, and you’d had just enough to drink to make your heart bolder than your brain. You didn’t want to say a word. And you think that Kento was just as much waiting for you to say something.

You were ready to die of embarrassment when you remembered that you had said that. But then you remembered, with just as much horror and embarrassment — he’d confessed too. With that same calm sincerity, he told you he’d felt the same way for a while.

Looking back, it was a little messy, maybe even a lot embarrassing. But it was also sweet, earnest, and so perfect for you two. And honestly? You wouldn’t change a thing. You had said something that clarified things for you.

After all, that drunken confession was the start of something that would make all the challenges of those days worth it, every late-night study session, every coffee-fueled conversation, every stolen moment in between. It wasn’t perfect, but it was yours.

You were falling for Kento more and more every day, and it was starting to feel like a problem. A big problem. How were you supposed to act normal around him when everything he did—from the way he fixed his tie to the way he said your name—made your heart do backflips?

It wasn’t fair, really. How was it possible that the same person who once laughed so hard he choked on a piece of rice during lunch was also the one making you reconsider your entire perception of love? He was your best friend, and now you couldn’t even look at him without overthinking every little thing.

And to make matters worse, he was visiting you today.

You had approximately 15 minutes to get your life together before Kento arrived, which was nowhere near enough time to deal with the tornado that was your dorm room or the emotional hurricane swirling inside you.

“Okay, okay, calm your tits.” you muttered to yourself, grabbing stray socks off the floor. “Just play it cool. It’s just Kento. You know him best. Real well. He’s been here a million times. No big deal. Totally normal.”

You shoved a pile of notebooks into your desk drawer, praying it wouldn’t jam, and quickly rearranged the pillows on your bed. By the time you heard the knock at your door, your dorm was passable, well barely. And you were mostly sure you didn’t look like a total disaster.

When you opened the door, there he was, Nanami Kento in all of his huge handsome stature, standing there with his usual calm demeanor, holding a bag of snacks. You yelped quietly as you looked at him. Your roommates must have let him inside. 

“Thought you might need these.” he said, giving you one of those small, knowing smiles that made your brain short-circuit.

You blinked at him. “Nanami Kento, are you a psychic?”

He raised an eyebrow. “No, but you texted me at 2 AM complaining about running out of your favorite chips, so I figured this might help. You still have some paperwork to do, right? And you won’t eat unless I come by to remind you. So, I got it.”

“Oh.” You tried to laugh, but it came out more like a nervous croak. “Right. Thanks. You’re, uh…you’re a hero.”

He stepped inside, his gaze sweeping over the room. “Did a tornado hit your room? It was clean last time I came by.”

“What? No!” You crossed your arms defensively. “I cleaned! Mostly.”

Kento gave you a skeptical look before setting the bag of snacks on your desk. “If this is what ‘clean’ looks like to you, remind me never to see it messy.”

You threw a pillow at him, and he caught it effortlessly, smirking. “Careful. That’s my best throw pillow. If you damage it, I’ll charge you emotional damages.”

“Noted, little miss engineer.” he replied, setting the pillow down with exaggerated care. “What’s the rate for emotional damages these days?”

“Depends. How many snacks did you bring?”

“Enough to keep you from suing me.” He tells you with a grin. “Still have some in my car, just in case you wanted more.”

The two of you laughed, and for a moment, it felt like old times. A little bit easy, comfortable, effortless. But then, as Kento sat down on the edge of your bed, something in your chest tightened. How had this annoying, perfect, infuriatingly kind man become someone you couldn’t stop thinking about? Someone you don’t think you could live without?

He looked up at you, tilting his head slightly. “What’s with the staring? Do I have something on my face?”

“What? No!” You blinked rapidly, your cheeks heating. “I was just—uh—zoning out. Engineering stuff. Very complicated. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Right, right.” he said, clearly unconvinced. “Because I’m definitely not the one who helped you with that last project.”

“Details, details, Nanami Kento. Don’t get bogged down in the details.”

He chuckled, and the sound was so warm and familiar that you almost forgot why you were freaking out in the first place. Almost. Kento takes a moment. He then looks at you as though examining you with careful abandon. Kento wanted to take in the sight of you, after not seeing you for a while.

“You’re weird today, do you know that?” he said, leaning back slightly. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, totally fine. Super fine.” You waved a hand dismissively. “Just tired, you know? Engineering. It’s a grind.”

Kento studied you for a moment, his expression softening. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”

Your stomach flipped, and you forced a laugh. “Who, me? No way. I’m like…a professional liar. Best in the business.”

“Uh-huh.” He hums back in retort.

He didn’t press further, but the way he looked at you. Everything about his caramel gaze was gentle, understanding, like he already knew what you weren’t saying. Everything about it, everything about him made your heart squeeze.

You sighed internally. How were you supposed to handle this? You couldn’t just blurt out, “Hey, Kento, I think I’m in love with you, and it’s driving me absolutely insane!”

But as he opened the bag of snacks and handed you your favorite, you couldn’t help but think maybe, just maybe, he already knew that you knew. And that maybe he knew that you felt deeply about him. You sighed. Maybe you’re just imagining it.

As the minutes ticked by, Kento made himself right at home in your dorm, sitting cross-legged on your bed and munching on the snacks he’d brought. Meanwhile, you had plopped into your desk chair, scrolling on your phone under the pretense of “taking a break.” 

But in reality, you were desperately trying to distract yourself from the way he looked way too good just casually existing in your space. How could he look that good even as a law major? How can he have time to make your heart feel like this?

As you flicked through your social media feed, you stumbled upon a post that made your stomach twist uncomfortably. It was a picture—Kento, smiling (smiling!) with a group of classmates, apparently from earlier that day. Some of them were girls. Really pretty girls. Those really pretty preppy law girls!

Your first thought was When does Kento even smile like that? He never smiles like that around me!

Your second thought was Who’s the one leaning so close to him? Is she, like, whispering in his ear or something?

You shot a quick, subtle glance at him. He was still on your bed, completely unaware of the emotional spiral you were going through. He crunched on a chip like it was the most normal day in the world.

“Did you have fun today?” you blurted out before you could stop yourself.

Kento raised an eyebrow. “Uh…what?”

“Today. You were with…people from your department.” you said, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

His brow furrowed toward you slightly. “I mean, yeah, I had a class project meeting. It was fine. Why?”

“Oh, no reason.” you said, voice a little too high-pitched. Fuck, you  were too obvious. You looked back at your phone, scrolling furiously to hide your face. “Just…wondering. Looked fun.”

“Wait.” Kento’s tone shifted. Suddenly you felt his gaze on you. “How do you know about that?”

Your heart dropped. “Uh, I saw it. Online. A picture. No big deal!”

There was a beat of silence before he spoke again, amusement clear in his voice. “Are you…jealous?”

“What?!” Your head whipped up so fast you almost gave yourself whiplash. “Me? Jealous? Of what? Why would I be jealous?”

Kento’s lips quivered into a rare, brat–like smirk, and you immediately knew you were in trouble. “No reason at all.” he said smoothly. “Just seems like you’re a little…interested in what I’m doing when I’m not here.”

“Interested? Pfft, no. I was just—just checking to make sure you’re not hanging out with the wrong crowd.” you stammered, flailing for a decent excuse. “You know, bad influences. Peer pressure. That sort of thing.”

“Right, I see.” he said, clearly unconvinced. “Because I’m the type to fall victim to peer pressure.”

“Well, I don’t know that part of your life right now!” you snapped, feeling your face heat up. “Maybe one of those girls was trying to…to make you join a pyramid scheme or something!”

Kento leaned back on your bed, folding his arms behind his head, clearly enjoying this far too much. “You’re terrible at hiding things, you know.”

“I’m not hiding anything!” you shot back, spinning your chair around so you didn’t have to look at him.

There was a rustle of movement, and then suddenly, he was right behind you, his hand resting lightly on the back of your chair. You could feel your ears redden at the feeling of him. You squeaked, loud enough for him to hear.

“You’re really bad at lying, too. How come you haven’t evolved at lying? It’s been years and somehow, you’re still bad at it.” he said softly, his voice just teasing enough to make your heart race.

You spun around to face him, glaring. “Okay, fine! Maybe I was a little jealous. Are you happy now?”

Kento blinked, clearly surprised by your sudden outburst. But then, to your absolute horror, he started laughing—actual, full-on laughing. He hadn’t expected for you to just come out and say it like that. You were a prideful little flower, you always have been. 

“You’re laughing at me?!” you cried, swatting at his arm.

“I’m not laughing at you, you know.” he said, still chuckling. “I just didn’t think you’d actually admit it.”

“Well, I did!” You crossed your arms, trying to look annoyed even as your face burned. “So what are you gonna do about it?”

Kento’s laughter softened into a small, fond smile, and for a moment, the teasing disappeared. He didn’t know how much he missed you until now. Somehow, the world seemed like it was in proper orbit when he’s with you like this.

“Nothing, nothing.” he said, his voice low and sincere. “Because you don’t need to be jealous. If I wanted to spend my time with anyone else, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

You stared at him, your brain short-circuiting as he straightened up and walked back to the bed like he hadn’t just casually wrecked you with one sentence. You looked away, crossing your arms as though to shield yourself from him. But he could still see the redness of your ears.

“Well….” you muttered under your breath, plopping dramatically onto your desk. “Now I’m jealous of myself.”

Kento paused mid-bite of a chip and turned to you with an amused look. “What was that?”

“Nothing!” you said quickly, sitting up straight like you hadn’t just been caught having an existential crisis.

But of course, Kento being Kento, he wasn’t about to let it slide. “No, no, go ahead.” he said, his smirk returning as he leaned back against the headboard. “Explain how you’re jealous of yourself. This, I have to hear.”

You groaned, hiding your face in your hands. “Forget I said anything. It’s dumb.”

“I doubt that at all.” he replied, his tone annoyingly smug. “But fine, I’ll drop it. For now.”

You peeked at him through your fingers, only to find him watching you with a mix of amusement and something softer, something that made your heart flip all over again. You wanted to throw a pillow at him or maybe yourself—just to get rid of the growing warmth in your chest.

Instead, you grabbed the bag of chips from the desk and walked over to him, shoving it into his hands. “Here. Eat some of the snacks and stop psychoanalyzing me.”

“I wasn’t psychoanalyzing you.” he said, popping another chip into his mouth. “But you’re making it very tempting.”

“Unbelievable, Kento.” you muttered, plopping down onto the bed beside him. “This is why I can’t stand you sometimes, you know that?”

“Uh-huh.” He glanced at you, one eyebrow raised. “So much so that you admitted to being jealous of people spending time with me. Makes perfect sense.”

You huffed, grabbing a handful of chips just to give your hands something to do. “Okay, fine, you got me. I was a little jealous. Big deal. You’re my best friend. It’s normal to feel weird about you hanging out with other people, right?”

“Is it?” he asked, his voice teasing but his eyes studying you closely.

“Yes!” you said, refusing to meet his gaze. “Because we’re close. And I don’t like sharing, okay? You’ve known that since we met!”

“Hmm, hmm.” he said thoughtfully, leaning a little closer. “So what you’re saying is, you want me all to yourself?”

You choked on your chip, coughing violently as Kento sat back, looking far too pleased with himself. “You—ugh! Don’t say things like that!”

“Why not? I’m just repeating what you said to me.” he replied innocently.

“That is not what I said!”

“Sounded like it to me.”

You glared at him, your face burning. “You’re the worst.”

“Sure, sure,” he said, smiling slightly. “But I’m your worst.”

And just like that, you were done for. Completely, utterly done for. You threw a pillow at him once again. Because what else could you do to him like that? He wasn’t wrong. Sure enough, he caught it effortlessly, laughing rather softly as he set it down beside him.

“Stop overthinking about it.” he said after a moment, his tone quieter now. “I’m here because I want to be. No one else matters, okay?”

You blinked, caught off guard by the sudden sincerity in his voice. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” he said simply, reaching into the chip bag again like he hadn’t just made your heart implode for the second time that evening.

And you sat there, staring at him like an idiot, thinking that maybe, just maybe, falling for him wasn’t the worst thing in the world after all.

══════════════════

IT WAS ONE OF THE RARE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE YOU HAD A DAY OFF. So of course, you took the time to call Kento and ask him to hang out with you. And as usual, all he had said was that short, sure yes and nothing more.

He’d pick you up in thirty minutes, like usual. And of course, Nanami Kento was never late. If anything, he was always ten minutes early. He couldn’t have you waiting, after all.

The bar was warm and lively, filled with the hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses. You and Kento had decided to spend your day off together, and while the original plan had been something low-key like a café or a bookstore, somehow you’d ended up here, nursing a drink and trying to act normal around him. 

He’d never been here before, but he saw it from across the road and if the cafe or bookstore was closed — an afternoon at a bar wasn’t going to be a bad idea for college kids wanting to have some adventure beyond the campus walls.

Normal. Just normal. Yeah, act like you do. Well, whatever normal looks like to you now.

You could only mentally sigh as your peripheral was only stuck on him more than usual.

As if that was possible when you were utterly, hopelessly in love with the man sitting across from you.

Kento, of course, looked effortlessly composed, like he always did—leaning back in his seat, one hand resting on the table, the other holding his drink. He wasn’t a flashy guy, but there was something about the way he carried himself that made it impossible not to stare. And you were staring. Again.

“You’re staring at me again.” he said, his voice calm but with a hint of amusement.

“I am not!” you shot back, quickly taking a sip of your drink to cover up your flustered state.

“You’ve been doing it all evening.” he continued, raising an eyebrow. “Is there something on my face?”

“No, no.” you muttered, feeling the heat creep up your neck. “I was just…zoning out. Thinking about…stuff.”

“Stuff. You sure….about stuff as an excuse?” he repeated, his tone skeptical.

“Yes, stuff.” you said firmly, glaring at him. “You wouldn’t understand.”

He chuckled softly, and you were both annoyed and utterly charmed by the sound. Why did he have to be so effortlessly perfect? It wasn’t fair. You hated how good he is at being everything you love. As you tried to regain your composure, a voice interrupted your thoughts. 

“Hey there, sweetie–pie.” a man said, sliding up to your table with a confident grin. “Mind if I join you?”

You blinked, caught off guard. “Uh…”

Before you could say anything else, the man pulled up a chair and sat down, clearly not waiting for permission. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on you. You felt disgusted by the way he looked at you. He wasn’t your type at all. And moreover, he’s creepy as hell.

“I couldn’t help but notice you from across the room.” he said smoothly. “You’ve got a great smile.”

“Um, thanks?” you said awkwardly, glancing at Kento.

Kento’s expression didn’t change much, but there was a subtle shift in his posture. He sat up a little straighter, his jaw tightening just slightly. Kento’s eyes were glaring hard enough that you could find those eyes were blades cutting you whole.

“So, what’s your name?” the guy asked, ignoring Kento entirely.

You opened your mouth to answer, but Kento beat you to it. 

“She’s not interested in you.” he said flatly, his voice calm but with an edge that made the guy pause.

The man glanced at Kento, raising an eyebrow. “And you are?”

“Person she’s with.” Kento replied smoothly, though his tone made it clear that he wasn’t just a friend. “Who also happens to know she’s too polite to tell you to leave, so I’ll do it for her. What else are you waiting for? Leave.”

Your heart skipped a beat. Was Kento…jealous?

The man hesitated for a moment, clearly debating whether to push back, but something about Kento’s steady gaze seemed to make him think twice. With a shrug, he stood up. He wasn’t going to get anything out of you. Lest he wants to get bitten by a tiger waiting to eat him. Well, at least he’s smart about that.

“Alright, alright. No need to get territorial.” He winked at you before walking away.

You shuddered at his wink.

Have men always been weird?

You shake it off quickly, drinking your pint.

You turned to Kento, your cheeks burning. “Territorial? Really?”

Kento shrugged, taking a sip of his drink like nothing had happened. “He was bothering you. I handled it.”

“I could’ve handled it myself, you know.” you said, crossing your arms.

“I’m sure you could’ve.” he replied, setting his glass down. “But I didn’t feel like watching you pretend to be polite to someone who clearly couldn’t take a hint.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “You’re impossible.”

“Maybe.” he said, a small smirk playing on his lips. “But at least you don’t have to deal with him anymore.”

You huffed, turning back to your drink. But as you took a sip, you couldn’t help but notice the way Kento’s gaze lingered on you, softer now, like he was trying to gauge your reaction. You drink your pint once again in some somber silence. 

“Was that really necessary?” you asked, trying to keep your voice steady.

“Yes.” he said simply, his tone leaving no room for argument.

You glanced at him, your heart doing that stupid fluttering thing again. “Why?”

Kento held your gaze for a long moment before replying. “Because I don’t like the idea of anyone else thinking they can have what’s mine.”

Your brain short-circuited. “W-what?”

He didn’t elaborate, just leaned back in his chair with that same calm composure, as if he hadn’t just wrecked your entire evening with one casual sentence. You stared at him, utterly flustered and more in love than ever, wondering how on earth you were supposed to survive the rest of the night without completely losing your mind.

For the rest of the night, Kento didn’t let you out of his sight. He was subtle about it at first—the way he leaned in whenever someone walked by, his hand resting casually on the back of your chair. But as the minutes passed, it became glaringly obvious: Kento was on high alert, and every glance from a stranger only made his protective aura grow stronger.

When a group of guys walked by your table and one dared to look at you a second too long, Kento’s hand dropped from the chair to your shoulder, the weight of it warm and grounding. He didn’t even glance at the guy, his focus entirely on you, but the message was clear: Don’t even try it. Back off.

You tried to act normal, but it was impossible. Sitting beside him, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body, you were acutely aware of every little thing about him—the way his sleeves were rolled up just enough to show his forearms, the way his voice dropped into a lower register whenever he spoke to you.

“You’re quiet again.” he said, his voice low as he leaned a fraction closer.

“I’m fine, Kento. Really.” you mumbled, staring into your drink to avoid looking at him.

“Liar.” he murmured, his tone edged with amusement. “You’ve been squirming all night.”

“I have not!” you protested, but the way your voice cracked didn’t help your case.

Kento just smirked, and that was the last straw. You stood abruptly, your chair scraping against the floor. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Not alone, you’re not.” he said immediately, rising from his seat with an ease that made you want to throw something.

“What, are you my bodyguard now?” you snapped, trying to ignore the way your pulse quickened at his possessive tone.

“If that’s what it takes, then yes.” he said simply, his gaze steady and unyielding.

Before you could argue, he took your hand—firm, unrelenting—and led you toward the exit.

“Kento, the bathroom’s that way.” you pointed out, trying to tug your hand free.

“We’re leaving.” he said without looking back.

“Wait, what? Why?”

“Because I’m done watching people think they can look at you like you’re up for grabs.” he said, his voice calm but with an edge that sent a shiver down your spine.

Your protests died in your throat. Nanami Kento rarely raised his voice or lost his composure, but there was something in his tone now. It was something raw and unmistakable. And every bit of it just left you speechless.

The car ride was silent, tension thick in the air. When he pulled into a quiet, empty lot, he turned off the engine and finally looked at you. His gaze was dark, intense, and it sent a jolt of electricity through you.

“Kento, what’s going on?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

“You.” he said, his tone low and rough. “You’re what’s going on. Do you have any idea how hard it is to sit there and pretend I’m okay with watching other people look at you like they have a chance?”

Your breath hitched. “I… I didn’t think you—”

“Didn’t think I’d care?” he interrupted, leaning closer. “Didn’t think I’d notice? God, you drive me insane, you know that?”

“Kento…”

“You’re mine.” he said, his voice leaving no room for argument. “You’ve always been mine. You always have been since we were kids. I just didn’t want to scare you off by saying it out loud again.”

Your heart pounded so loudly you were sure he could hear it. “I— I….I know.” you admitted, your voice trembling. “But I thought you wouldn’t say it again and I just…maybe with time passing… I thought I was the only one now.”

His lips curled into a dark, almost predatory smile. “You’re not. Never. Not when I’ve marked you since we met at that playground when we were kids.”

Before you could process his words, Kento leaned in, capturing your lips with his in a kiss that was anything but gentle. It was animalistic, it was wanton. It was full of possessiveness, claiming, as if he were branding the truth into you.

You matched his intensity, your hands gripping the front of his shirt as you pulled him closer. The kiss deepened, and any hesitation you’d felt earlier melted away, replaced by a burning need that had been building for far too long.

He broke away just long enough to murmur against your lips, “Say it. Say you’re mine.”

“I’m yours.” you whispered, your voice shaky but resolute.

“You belong with me.”

You looked at him with your doe like eyes. “I belong with you.”

“Good.” he growled, pulling you into his lap without hesitation. His hands gripped your waist firmly, his touch both grounding and electrifying. “Because I’m done holding back.”

Your fingers tangled in his hair, and you couldn’t stop the smile that spread across your face as you whispered, “Then don’t.”

And he didn’t.

══════════════════

YOU DIDN’T EXPECT HIM TO BE THIS HUNGRY FOR YOU. But with the way he’s going at it. Kento has been hungry for you for a very long time. Kento’s lips linger, soft and insistent, as if savoring every inch of your skin.

The warmth of his breath trails higher, leaving behind a delicate ache where his mouth was. His hands rest firmly on your thighs, fingers pressing just enough to make your breath hitch.

“You’re trembling.” he murmurs, his voice a rich baritone, teasing but laced with tenderness. He looks up, his gaze heavy with desire, his lips brushing against your inner thigh as he speaks. “Do I make you nervous?”

A shaky laugh escapes your lips, betraying your composure. “Not nervous... just—” Your words cut off as he presses another kiss, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin.

“Just what?” he asks, his tone low and deliberate, his lips curving into a smile against your skin. His hands slide upward, thumbs drawing small circles that make your heart race.

“Kento.” you breathe his name like a plea, your voice catching as he moves closer, the space between you charged with electricity.

The dim glow of the streetlamp filters through the windshield, casting golden lines across his sharp features. The intimacy of the confined space amplifies every touch, every sound between the two of you in these leather seats. The soft rustle of fabric, the quiet hum of his breathing, the slap of flesh against flesh.

“I love when you say my name like that, you know?” he says, voice dark and velvety. His mouth moves with purpose now, leaving faint marks of love on your skin, each one deliberate, each one staking his claim. “I love hearing it like that. Wanton f’r me.”

You gasp, your head falling back against the car seat, fingers threading through his hair, tugging gently. He groans at the sensation, the sound sending heat coursing through you. How has he ever been this good at getting under your skin?

“I want to hear more from you.” he murmurs against your skin, his voice a mix of command and yearning. His lips hover for a moment, teasing you with their proximity. “But only if you’re ready.”

Kento’s lips trail higher, each kiss softer yet more possessive, leaving warmth that lingers long after his mouth moves on. He pauses for a moment, his breath hot against your skin as his hands tighten slightly on your thighs, his thumbs stroking slow, deliberate circles.

“Don’t hold back your noises from me, okay?” he murmurs, his voice a sultry whisper that sends a shiver racing through you. He looks up, his golden-brown eyes locking with yours, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I want to hear you clearly.”

The command in his tone makes your pulse quicken. You bite your lip, but the sound escapes anyway, a soft, breathy whimper that only seems to spur him on. Kento’s touch made you feel as though a thousand flames were burning all at once.

“That’s better, isn’t it?” he says, his voice thick with satisfaction. His teeth graze the sensitive skin of your inner thigh, and he chuckles darkly when your hips shift involuntarily toward him.

“Kento.” you gasp, your voice trembling with both restraint and longing.

“Hm?” he hums against your skin, the vibration sending a jolt straight through you. “I told you—no holding back.” 

His hands glide upward, thumbs pressing into the soft flesh of your thighs, anchoring you in place as his mouth continues its slow, maddening journey lower and lower. You could feel your lips mutter a weak groan against him. 

The dim light of the streetlamp catches the sheen of his messy blond hair, illuminating the faint smile on his lips as he drinks in every reaction you give him. The intimacy of the moment wraps around you both, the world outside the car fading entirely.

“Kento, please.” you whisper, your voice raw with need, your fingers tightening in his hair.

He pauses, his lips hovering just above your skin, his breath ghosting over you. He takes in the sight of you, almost as though a hunter to a prey. Nanami Kento is your hunter, he always has been. And he’s been keeping this inside him for way too long. This desire, for you. Only you.

“That’s what I wanted to hear from you.” he murmurs, his tone dark and full of promise, before pressing another kiss, softer this time, but no less consuming.

Kento’s words hang in the air, thick with authority and desire, as his lips return to your skin with renewed purpose. He’s slow, methodical, as if every kiss, every graze of his teeth is a language only he can speak—and you’re utterly fluent in his meaning.

“Such sweet sounds from you, hm?” he murmurs against your thigh, the deep timbre of his voice reverberating through you. “Don’t hold them back from me. Let me hear what I do to you.”

Your breath hitches, a soft moan slipping past your lips, and the way his lips curl into a grin tells you he’s satisfied—but not done. His hands are firm but gentle as they slide further up your inner thighs, fingers brushing dangerously close to where you want him most. 

His touch sets your skin alight, the heat pooling low in your stomach as your chest rises and falls in uneven rhythm. You could feel his long fingers making their journey to that space, their cool touch melting you whole in a pleasurable moan.

“Kento.” you whisper, barely able to find your voice, your hands trembling as they clutch at the seat beneath you.

He glances up, his caramel eyes catching the faint glow of the streetlight streaming through the windshield, giving him an almost otherworldly allure. His gaze is dark, hungry, but there’s a softness there too. There was that endless reverence in the way he looks at you, as though you’re something precious.

“Yes, my love?” he asks, his voice laced with feigned innocence, though the smirk pulling at his lips betrays him. Your heart drummed at your new nickname from him. It was real. You were lovers. Doing what lovers do. “Tell me what you need. I want to hear it.”

You let out a shaky exhale, your fingers threading into the lower depths of sandy blond undercut for stability as much as desperation. Slowly, it trailed down on his neck, your touch sleuthing through him. Temptingly, almost like a wanting vixen.

“I need you… closer.” you admit, voice breaking, the vulnerability of the words making heat rise to your cheeks.

Kento hums in approval, the sound low and pleased at your words. He leans closer and his fingers echo deeper and deeper into you. Your head throws back hard against the leather’s pristine touch. He playfully moves inside. One moment in a circle. One moment a thrust. Over and over again, rinse and repeat, force and pleasure. And all you could do was surrender.

“Good girl of mine, my love.” he murmurs, his praise sending a wave of warmth coursing through you. 

That had surely made you even more wet inside. His lips press higher against your jaw, his stubble grazing your sensitive skin, drawing a sharp gasp from your lips. He continues on and on. You don’t know where he learned it. How he got so good at knowing how to take you to paradise. BUt you could hardly care. You were focused on how deep his fingers were in you. 

“You’re so beautiful like this, my love.” he continues, his voice velvet against the charged air. His hands grip your thighs tighter, pulling them apart just enough for him to settle more firmly between them. “Completely undone for me.”

A sound escapes you, part moan, part plea, and his response is immediate. There was a broken groan deep in his chest as he nuzzled against you, the vibrations of his voice making your whole body tremble and shake as  he rushed more and more, in and out, with his masterful fingers.

“That’s it. Go on, my love.” he breathes, his voice dark, dripping with satisfaction. “Just let go for me, honey. No one else is here. Just us. Just me and the way you fall apart under my touch.”

The world outside the car feels impossibly distant now. The soft flicker of the streetlamp, the faint hum of passing cars. It’s all drowned out by the thrum of your heartbeat and the way Kento’s lips, and his fingers worship every part of you they touch, in and out.

“Kento, Kento.” you gasp again, your voice a desperate whisper.

His name on your lips seems to be his motivation, pushing more and more as his fingers tighten inside of you as he shifts closer, his movements becoming more deliberate, more consuming. You could only feel your tears rush in pleasurable waterfalls on your cheek.

“Say it again, my love.” he demands softly, his lips grazing the edge of your hip. “Say my name like that again.”

And when you do, your voice trembling and raw, and broken — he lets out a sound that’s pure need, his control slipping as he loses himself in you entirely. His fingers dug deeper and deeper until they couldn’t anymore. Your slick brushing through his fingers as he repeats it over and over again.

Kento’s name spills from your lips again, breathless and aching, and he growls softly against your skin. There was a sound that sent a ripple of heat straight to your core. You cry out loudly as you come undone on his touch, so hard that you see stars. 

“You’re trembling so much, my love.” he murmurs, his voice molten and rich. “Is it because of me, hm?”

His fingers slowly exit through your crevices, slick and full of you. He looks satisfied with the mess he made of you. It doesn’t matter if you pool your pleasure on his leather seats. The sight was satisfying to look at. Because you’re his. And this was proof.

Your answer is a shaky exhale, your head falling back against the seat as your hazy gaze saw him slowly eat at the slick of your pleasure. You had just come undone from his touch and now you could feel yourself wanting more. You were wanton for more. Only he could make you feel this way.

“Words in full, my love.” he coaxes, his tone teasing but firm. “I want to hear you say it.”

“Yes, Kento.” you admit, voice breaking as you finally surrender to his command. “It’s you—only you.It’s always been you.”

And with that, he kisses you as he finds himself wanting more of you, as much as you wanted more of him. You gave him everything, and he gave you everything. You wanted to be whole, consumed by the existence of the other.

The air thickens with desire as his touch shifts from lingering to deliberate, the rhythm between you growing more urgent.  You brace yourself, your body trembling in anticipation, and then, with a careful, controlled movement, he enters you. 

A sharp inhale catches in your throat, the sensation overwhelming as he fills you completely. You gasp, every inch of him stretching you, pushing you to the edge of something deeper, something more consuming. Your body trembles in the wholeness of him. 

He began to move at a slow pace and then soon enough, with that eager speed. Your legs crossed against his back, and your arms crossed against his shoulders. You could only hold on for dear life as he pushes in and out of you in a pace that took your breath away.

Every inch of him stretches you, each motion slow yet intentional, designed to leave you breathless, wanting more. Kento’s gaze never leaves yours, intense and searching, as though he’s reading the unspoken desires written in the way your body responds. The heat between you builds steadily, a slow burn that makes your pulse quicken, your limbs aching with the need to surrender to him entirely.

Everything felt so good.

He made you feel good.

Only he could do it like this.

"Are you okay?" His voice is low, almost reverent, as he pulls back just enough to meet your gaze. 

There’s a softness in his caramel eyes, a tenderness beneath the storm of desire that mirrors the vulnerability you feel. His breath is heavy, and yet there’s a careful concern in his touch, as if he's trying to read you, to make sure you're ready for what comes next.

You nod, but words fail you, the overwhelming sensations clouding your ability to speak. Every inch of your being is attuned to him now, to the heat of his body against yours, the steady rhythm of his breathing. 

You inhale deeply, trying to steady yourself, yet all that fills your senses is him. The scent of him, the taste of his skin, the press of his chest against yours. Your slick blending against his own. It was all consuming. How you both fit together. How you were made for each other.

"More, Kento." you whisper, the word barely audible but laced with desperation. It’s not just a plea. No, you were saying it as it is. “Faster.”

You needed him. Every bit of him, every part of him. You wanted it all. The craving in your voice is clear, raw, and unfiltered. The desire that had been simmering between you both is now an undeniable force, impossible to resist.

His lips curl into a small, knowing smile, and something in his gaze shifts, darkens. Without breaking eye contact, he presses forward again, moving with an intensity that speaks of his own growing hunger. His movements are deliberate and calculated, even with the speed he was going at. 

It was as if  he was savoring every inch, every moment with you. Each stroke is measured, calculated, and yet there's an undercurrent of urgency, as though he's trying to pull you deeper into him, deeper into this shared space where only the two of you exist.

His gaze is intense, a silent communication passing between you both. It's not just about the way he moves or the way he touches you. Everything about it felt like magic. It's how he reads every subtle shift in your body, every small intake of breath, every whisper of need. 

He’s attuned to you in a way that goes beyond words, understanding the unspoken pleas you can't voice. It’s like he knows you better than you do yourself. It’s like he’s memorized every part of you. He just knew how to love you whole, completely.

You cried out as he hit that pleasure spot, in and out. The car windows were fogging up with the hot breath echoing out of your lips over and over again. You were certain that just as much, people had noticed the car shaking and rearing with activity at the stop. It was too obvious to see.

The heat between you builds steadily, a slow burn that makes your pulse race, that quickens the rhythm of your heart. You feel it in the way your body responds, how the pressure inside you grows with every shift, every stroke, until it feels like the world is narrowing down to just the two of you. You both were lost in this rhythm of connection, of craving, of surrender. This was all that there was, this universe of you, together.

Your body aches with the need to give in completely, to let him take you fully, to become lost in the feeling of him, of the shared moment. He looked at you and leaned forward, letting his lips take yours. His tongue pushes through against your own in a delicious melee of pleasure. You hummed against his lips as his thrusts got deeper, faster. More desperate. 

When he parts from you to gather air in his lungs, he slows for a bit and pulls out, earning a whine. But then in a steady shock, he pushes back in, his hands straying to your back, pulling you closer to him. It was as though he wanted you to melt and blend with his flesh. To become one. He thrusts deeper and deeper, harsher than before. You cry out against his ear. 

"Let go, my love." he murmurs, his voice a low, breathy whisper against your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. "I’ve got you." 

There’s an assurance in his words, a promise that you can surrender, that he’ll be there to catch you, to guide you through whatever comes next. And with those words, everything inside you snaps. The tension, the anticipation, the desire. 

Everything unravels in a wave of release, a deep, consuming surrender. You cry out so loud that you think that you were gasping for air for the first time. Nanami Kento hit on your body with a harsh desire last time and felt his own hot pleasure flow through you with a loud roar.

Your body trembles beneath his touch as you lose yourself in him, the rhythm of his movements pulling you deeper into the moment, into the raw intensity of it all. Your grip on him tightens involuntarily, fingers digging into the hardness of his skin, anchoring yourself to the sensation of him. 

Each breath comes quicker, more erratic, as you struggle to keep up with the waves of pleasure crashing over you. Your eyes flutter closed, and a few tears escape, blurring your vision. But the tears are not from pain. They are from the overwhelming satisfaction, the complete surrender of everything you’d been holding back.

For a moment, you can’t see anything, your body entirely consumed by the sensations coursing through you. It’s like you’ve been plunged into a haze, where nothing exists but the pulse of his touch, the heat of his body against yours. You feel your senses heighten, every movement, every sound reverberating inside you, making your heart race.

And then, slowly, your sight begins to return. Everything is foggy, distorted at first, the edges of the world softened by the force of your pleasure. But as the fog clears, everything sharpens, every detail comes into focus. 

And in that moment, it feels like you’ve stepped into something infinite. The universe itself is laid bare before you, and standing at the center of it all, consumed by the same overwhelming force, is him. Everything felt like enlightenment. Life started here.

Kento’s eyes are locked onto yours, dark and intense, holding you captive with every glance, every word unspoken. His face, usually so composed, is now etched with a mixture of hunger and satisfaction, his own breath coming in ragged pulls. You are drawn to him, to the way he fills every corner of your mind, your heart, your body.

"You're... breathtaking, my love." he murmurs, his voice rough, barely audible as he moves against you, his hands cradling your face gently. "So beautiful, at this moment."

The words make your heart ache, the vulnerability in his tone striking you deeply. Your gaze never wavers from his, even as the pleasure inside you begins to coil again, threatening to pull you under once more. It’s not just his touch, not just the way he moves inside you. It’s the way he sees you, the way he makes you feel like you’re the only one who matters in the world.

"You’re mine. You always will be." you whisper, your voice trembling with the truth of it. The words come from somewhere deep, primal, raw. You don’t even know where they’ve come from, only that they’re true. 

“Am I really?” He snickers, pecking at your jaw with small peppering kisses with exhaustion.

You nodded shyly, smiling at him. "I need you... like this. Always."

Kento smiles at your confession. His grip tightens around you, his lips pressing against your forehead in a soft kiss, almost reverent. For a moment, it was like he’d fallen in love with you again for the very first time again.

"And you have me, my love." he responds, his voice low and full of promise. "All of me. Always."

[snaileer]

I’m a Size Medium, Thanks - 2

Part one: https://www.tumblr.com/snaileer/766471879423885312/im-a-size-medium-thanks

Danny stares into the eyes of what has got to be the grumpiest looking 12-14?10? How tall are children?- year old he’s ever met. And he grew up with Sam!

Danny looks back through the door, hoping to everything that an adult walks through. He is disappointed.

“Well?” The boy snaps, foot tapping.

“Uh, can I help.. you?” Danny says, voice ticking up. That’s what you’re supposed to say at a job right? Or maybe the kid wasn’t supposed to be here, “Do you need to call someone…?” He hopes not, he doesn’t know how or if the shop has a phone, and his… well his is wired through a realm of the dead so enough said there.

“My name is Damian Wayne.” He says primly. And expectantly.

Danny looks outside again, past the neon sign he specifically hadn’t turned on, then back at the Damian kid, blinking. There’s no way this was that ‘Mr.Wayne.’

The kid rolls his eyes impressively well then drops his glare back onto Danny, “Has this absurd incense burned away whatever meager sense you were born with? I am here to have a so-called ���reading’ with a medium.”

If Danny hadn’t seen this Damian kid walk in with three whisps of shades wrapped around his arms, Danny would have questioned why, but he did, so he doesn’t.

He does, however, say: “Aren’t you a little young… to be like.. talking about death or something?” Though honestly, the incense is a real concern, Danny hadn’t even lit any today, Claire had just left it burning and the whole room was saturated.

“Will you fulfill your job description or not, you peasant?” The kid grits out.

Danny would really rather not. Like really rather not. But nOoo, here he was, waiting for a portal that could show up at any time, pretending he was a medium for a 7 year old just because he could talk to ghosts.

Danny sighs and drags himself around the counter to go into Claire’s weird little seance room. Maybe the fumes will kill him before the embarrassment does.

The kid follows.

Danny drops himself into Claire’s chair with weirdly plush armrests for still being so uncomfortable.

“Alright then, let’s get this over with. I’m Danny, the -ugh- medium. Whatdya wanna know?” Danny says as he kicks his leg out to hit a shade getting agitated and grabby by Damian’s feet. They got way too much of a spiritual boost from this room for Danny to be comfortable with it.

Damian watches him with a raised eyebrow, still not sitting down, “Aren’t you meant to lead the seance?”

Danny’s lip curls in distaste, he huffs a sigh and lets his shoulders drop, opening his mouth to tell this 9-year old something easy about one of his shades and be done-

He spots a sticky note stuck on the crystal ball.

-Danny, don’t forget, the showmanship is important! I trust you know how to meet expectations! Happy first day!

- Claire <3

Danny feels his face go deadpan. He was going to have this woman committed. That’s what he was going to do. She could be studied for the degenerative cognitive effects of being freaking bazonkers.

Danny plucks the note off the crystal ball and crumples it, letting the trash drop to the abyss that is Claire’s plush carpet.

He sighs, looking back up at Damian. The kid snaps his head towards him from where he’d been poking around the curtained walls- weirdo- but Danny beats him to the snappy comment.

“You got any spiritually charged items? Or like… something?” Danny says, taking a guess, he can make the thingy glow, say some nonsense, get paid, and close.

Damian narrows his eyes at him, but slowly moves to sit in the other chair, perched on the edge of the seat. He pulls something from his pocket and sets it on the table.

Pearls.

It’s a clump of shiny white pearls.

Absolutely dripping in ectoplasmic blood stains. So lovely.

Does Claire have biohazard gloves because oh gosh-

Danny hesitantly reaches for the pearls, lifting the strand between two fingers as he looks between it and the 12 year old. “You sure this is what you want to ask about?”

The kid’s glare turns challenging, mocking, “What? Admitting you are nothing but a charlatan?”

Danny grimaces, “Not quite. I mean…” He looks at the pearls again, then at the shade trying to hack away at the kids neck, “There’s definitely someone or something attached to this it’s just… not .. yours.”

“Tt,” the boy clicks his tongue at him, “and how exactly would you know that, charlatan?” Damian levels a mocking look up and down at him.

Danny’s eye twitches as he grimaces a smile, “Part of the job-“ brat. Danny doesn’t say that. Danny can’t say that. Danny has to deal with death obsessed TODDLERS who want to talk about some rando’s gruesome murder just so he can eat tonight. Or find somewhere to sleep. He doubts this will be enough for both.

Maybe if he’s dramatic enough.

Alright get to it then, Danny.

He sighs, dimming the light with Claire’s little remote- he is not so far gone as to turn them green like she had- and actually focusing his energy on the pearl necklace.

“What are you-“

Danny holds up a finger at Damian to silence him, which surprisingly works. He closes his eyes and starts trying to absorb the ectoplasmic remains as slowly as he can.

Feelings of course come with it and- well what’d ya know, he can definitely feel this attached to a ghost somewhere in this city.

“It’s a woman’s… younger than she should have been when she…”

He can hear Damian scoff, “Obviously, anyone could tell me that.”

Danny rolls his eyes under his eyelids, debating the merits of opening one to glare at him when his eyes are definitely glowing.

“She’s still here but-“ Danny says instead, trying to pull on the connection wandering out into the streets, “She can’t come here here.”

“What do you mean?” The boy snaps.

Danny tries to focus harder on it himself, he’s never done this before, tried to find or community with a ghost from an object… it was like Pointdexter and his mirror.

“She’s stuck somewhere… somewhere more important.. it’s dark and narrow and Danny mentally rears back as images flash into his mind. Accompanied of course by a woman’s scream.

An alley. A gun. A man stepping in front of her to protect her- no not her- a kid- Damian- not Damian- looks like-

Danny opens his eyes and drops the necklace. There’s barely any ectoplasm left on it.

Fine with him, he never wants to touch it again.

“Well?” An impatient voice asks and- oh yeah that’s right, the rude ass kid.

Danny pushes the pearls across the table with a finger and looks up at him, “Woman in an alley, that familiar to you?”

Damian’s eyes narrow, “Anyone who knows who I am could tell me the same.”

Danny snaps, “I don’t-!“ This is a child Danny, a child, “Well she was scared for the kid, and now is… proud of him? There’s a lot of concern there, but she still watches him I guess, so that’s all I got for ya.”

Damian scrutinizes him for a minute, silent. Darn, weren’t mediums supposed to be vague as heck so that anything could apply and the person would find their own meaning? But did it count if he was just translating the vibes off a shade half a city away?

“This is…. acceptable.”

Danny nearly sags in relief and moves to stand, “Cool, then-“

“Wait.” The kid holds up a hand, “You said something regarding a disparity in the proposed ownership of the apparition you believed to be related to this jewelry.”

Danny blinks at him dumbly.

Damian scoffs again, “That the apparition attached to this necklace was ‘not mine,’ as you said??” He snarks, putting air quotes up.

Danny slowly sinks back down into the chair. “… Well yeah I mean..” does he tell this 8 year old about the slightly murderous shades he’s got around him? “You have… you have a couple… apparations… yourself. Not related to the pearls that is.” Danny says hesitantly, eyes skipping over said shades.

Damian jerks his head to follow his eyes and Danny shirks back, eyes back on the kid.

“Who are they? Tell me now,” Damian demands, standing to loom over the table.

Danny puts his hands up in surrender, “Whoa, I don’t know about that, they don’t really seem too happy with you-“ Another one tries to slice his hand through Damian’s neck, “I think you did something to them or made them angry at some point. I don’t really think you should try to contact them-“ Danny winces, that could end very badly. Thank goodness for limited ectoplasm access.

Meanwhile, his answer seems to have only made Damian more upset, his eyes wide as he stares down at Danny.

Suddenly the kid turns and stamps towards the door, leaving Danny to hurriedly push the chair out and chase after him to the main room.

Except-

When he gets there Damian is already shooting hushed insults at a man standing amongst the crystals.

The man looks vaguely like Damian, black hair, blue eyes, lithe build, and oh also- surrounded by shades of course.

These ones seem less vicious at least.

Please don’t be here for him. Please don’t be here for him.

Danny really doesn’t want to try and fake his way through another hour or however long it’s been of that.

“Hey there! I’m Dick, Damian’s brother!” The man says suddenly, pushing Damian aside and coming forward with a cheery grin, “Thanks for humoring him!”

Danny tilts his head to see Damian’s scowling face behind the man. Right.

“Uh huh… I’m Danny.” He says, trying not to be distracted by what he’s pretty sure is a baby elephant’s ghost behind him.

“You’re the medium right? We were just so interested to see if that old family heirloom would have anything or not. We-“

“We?” Damian cuts him off with a scoff, “I will meet you in the vehicle Richard. I will not spend another minute in this house of charlatans.”

They both watch as the kid turns and stomps out the door, uncrossing his arms only to open the door and stomp out. The stupid bell rings merrily.

This time it’s not Danny who sighs.

“I wish he wouldn’t say things like that,” Dick says wearily, “I grew up in places like this.” There’s a note of nostalgia to his voice. Danny just eyes the bowl of ‘fertility’ crystals warily.

Dick must see him do it because he huffs a laugh, “I’m Roma, Romani that is. I grew up in a circus originally,” he explains, “So psychic places always just kinda remind me of my auntie’s tents.”

Danny glances at the elephant shaped ghost again, “Wow that makes so much sense actually.”

The guy raises a confused eyebrow at him.

Danny coughs awkwardly, waving it away, “So, money?” He claps, “I’m guessing you’re paying since Damian is…” Danny trails off, opting not to make a final guess on age and embarrass himself.

Dick laughs again and they go over to the counter, “Yep, here-“ He pulls out his wallet, rifling through cash before pulling some out, “Cash only yeah? This should be enough.”

Danny stares at the stack of slightly rumpled bills, “But- huh?…” that was… that was so much…

“Oh I added extra since I’m sure he probably said some things he shouldn’t have, don’t worry about it.”

Dick is already halfway out the door when Danny reloads and jerks upwards, “Wai-“

Could Danny really stop him? Should he? He needed this money but… he stops to count it. $20..40..60..80..100..120….140……160….180……….$200.

Danny blanches. He lurches for the door, no way he can take this much money just for basically acting as a glorified ecto-translator.

Danny stops in his tracks as he steps outside the shop and spots Dick and Damian speaking to a third, much older person, over the hood of a sleek black car.

This person, of course, also has several, several, shades around them.

What the hell was wrong with this family?

Damian turns and glares his way.

Oh ancients what if they were part of the mob or something.

Danny spins around on his heel-

And smacks straight into the glass door of the shop.

…

Ow.

Danny rubs his nose as he fumbles around for the door handle, acutely aware the death covered family was probably staring at him.

He grabs the handle and pulls-

Danny freezes, hand on his sore face stopping. He opens his eyes as he yanks again. Nothing.

Oh heck, he just locked himself out didn’t he?

No please no, they were so definitely still staring, no way they weren’t. Danny pulls again and it finally-

He looks at the door handle in his hand.

Then at the door still closed in front of him.

Then back at the door handle.

Just the door handle.

Crap.

Danny nearly weeps, clumsily fitting the door handle back on and still adamantly refusing to look and see if Damian and his absurdly rich family has left yet. Other people on the street are also starting to stare. The same reason he can’t just use his powers.

He finally gets the handle back on and gingerly lets go of it.

Ok. Deep breath.

Claire warned you about this. With a sticky note, but all the same. Extra key is taped on the bottom of the fire hydrant right outside the shop. You’ve got this.

Danny turns, kneels, and frantically begins trying to find the key on the absurdly dirty fire hydrant.

His hands come away black with grime, but thankfully he has the key.

He puts it in the lock and turns it, hearing what may very well be the newest sound of his nightmares: a snap.

Most specifically the sound of the key snapping in Danny’s very hands.

Danny stared at the half of the key still held between his fingers.

Did he do something to this city? Was this his fault? Could he not just sit in a closet and wait for the portal to open and go home?

Danny sags against the door, and resigns himself to his fate. Maybe he can go get food… with the money he left on the counter. Great.

Danny peeks his eyes sideways and catches the guy, Dick, finally getting into their car.

Okay, just a tiny bit just a bit. Danny holds the key again, focuses on the lock in the door jam and….. intangible!

He yanks the door open and jumps inside, door closing against the flutters of quickly fading shades on the street.

And more than one scream at them but hey that’s not his problem.

Mostly.

Danny revels in the cool lighting of the shop, glaring at the stupid broken key in his grimy hands. He drops the useless bit of metal on the counter, pockets the cash and wipes his hands on the backside of one of Claire’s million wall curtains.

It leaves a black stain that basically disappears when Danny folds the fabric over it.

Oh well.

Technically the shop was still open.

And technically, Danny didn’t know if the lock did or didn’t work right now.

He went to find whatever storage closet Claire used to store her absurd number of crystals.

He finds it- finally- and using the keys he left in the store to begin with, he is able to unlock the perfect place to sleep tonight amongst several packages of…. Some kind of incense powder… or something. He doesn’t really care because that plan of hiding in a closet till the portal opens? Yeah, Danny’s putting that into action right the frick now.

He bends down to start to lay out his sweatshirt over the cardboard bed-to-be.

A bell rings in the distance.

Danny is going to destroy that bell on the door, he swears it.

[joelslastofus]

[SUMMARY: Joel and you have broken up towards the end of your pregnancy until Sarah convinces you to come to Tommy’s annual Christmas party.]

A Christmas baby

“I’m not arguing with you like this god dammit, I ain’t trynna upset you��

Fluff jealousy childbirth angst

“Please come tonight, I really want to see you” Sarah spoke on the other end of the phone. You sighed brushing your hand over your nine month belly, the last thing you wanted to do was attend Tommy’s annual Christmas party.

You knew how much Sarah cared for you and how much she wanted you to be there but after having broken up with Joel just two months prior, it felt strange.

“My dad misses you” she spoke softly.

“I don’t know Sarah, there’s a lot-“

“Please just think about it, it’s Christmas. Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

How were you suppose to resist? Besides Tommy inviting most of the neighbors and having nosey eyes on you, it couldn’t be that bad…right?

Since breaking up with Joel, you had seen him twice. You remembered coming out of your OB appointment and Joel sitting at the bottom step outside waiting for you. You hadn’t expected to see him there, especially being that he never made it to any appointments, constantly over booking himself at work. You remembered the arguments the two of you would have, sometimes you felt he overbooked himself on purpose to not deal with anything that had to do with the baby.

Maybe he had cold feet you thought, whatever it was it didn’t go well mixed with your hormones, your sensitivity at an all time high.

When you moved in with your sister Abby, Joel constantly called her to make sure you were ok. Every night you’d hear your sister on the phone repeating the same things over and over.

“She’s ok”

“I swear I’ll call you if anything”

“No shes not lifting anything heavy, Joel”

Sometimes you couldn’t help but crack a smile, Joel was always invested in making sure you had everything you needed but what you wanted more was his time.

Pulling up in front Joel’s house you could see the guests from the front window. A part of you second guessing what you were doing there, almost tempted to turn back. Then there it was again, a slow pain that kept coming and going from your lower back. This must be what Braxton hicks contraction’s were as the doctor had explained a week piror.

“You made it!” You suddenly heard from outside your car. One of the neighbors, Tilly spotted you just as she was about to go inside with her older brother Jim. Jim was a good friend of Tommy’s, Joel never seemed to be a fan of his, you never knew why.

“Guess I can’t escape now” you whispered to yourself before opening your car door.

“Here, let me give you a hand” Jim gave you his arm as you stepped out the car.

“You look amazing” Jim uttered low as you grabbed onto him. Not expecting his compliment you smiled.

“Thanks”

“That red dress looks great on you” Tilly exclaimed.

“Joel’s gonna be so happy to see you” she chuckled.

Anxiously walking to the front door, you stopped at the steps to adjust your dress.

“Don’t worry Jim won’t let you fall” Tilly whispered, excitement in her voice for her favorite day of the year. Just as you began to walk up the steps the front door opened, to your surprise Joel stepped out. Caught off guard he stopped in his tracks at the sight of you, not expecting you to show up, much less holding onto Jim. You watched his eyes immediately turn to him, a stern look he couldn’t hide until Tilly’s high pitched voice distracted him.

“Joel! So good to see you!” He looked to her and gave her a nod, you could still see the disapproval he felt.

“Tommy’s makin’ drinks, ya got here just in time”

“Shit, you don’t have to tell me twice” Jim made his way up the stairs with you before you thanked him and held your hands together awkwardly. Taking a quick glance at Joel you noticed him looking at you but you didn’t say a word, neither did he, until you were alone.

“I’ve been callin’ you” he stood against the door, cheers and laughter could be heard in the background.

“Abby told me” you spoke softly. His tongue sliding against his inner cheek, there was so much more he wanted to say, you could see it.

“How have you been feelin’?

His question making you finally look up directly at him. He wore a red and black flannel shirt, the one he knew you loved.

“Um-it’s getting harder to walk in certain shoes now” you chuckled showing off that you wore flip flops with your dress. Joel smiled, something he hadn’t done much of since you left.

“Oh my gosh you came!” Sarah’s voice made you both turn her way.

“Hey Sarah,” you smiled.

“Oh my- that red dress is so cute on your baby bump” she grinned with excitement.

“Thank you” you smiled brushing your hand over your bump making Joel’s eyes soften as he looked at you.

“Oh uh- I’m sorry for interrupting dad. I just-“

“Don’t worry, honey. I’m glad to see you excited” he assured her.

“Well, if you guys don’t mind I really need to use the restroom. I’m going every ten minutes now” you laughed before quickly and awkwardly excusing yourself to the back.

Coming out of the bathroom you gave Sarah your sweater and purse as you looked around the room to all the guests there, you honestly didn’t know where to put yourself.

“Look at you, I’m glad you showed up!” Tommy approached you with a Santa hat and beer in hand.

“How are you feelin’?” Tommy asked as Joel appeared beside him.

“Well my ankles are killing me, my back feels on fire, she’s constantly kicking me“ you chuckled.

“but other than that I’m fine” you sighed.

“Aw she’s just excited to meet her uncle” Tommy laughed as he leaned towards your belly.

“Ain’t that right lil’ niece?”

“Tommy” Joel uttered giving him a side eye.

“What? Just a few more weeks till we meet, I’m excited” he took a sip from his beer before being pulled away to dance. Joel and you stood beside each other, his arms crossed as he laughed at his brother before looking over at you.

“How about we get you a seat,”

“Um, it’s fine, I’d rather stay here plus all the seats are taken”

“So, I’ll get somebody up” Joel looked back at the full room quickly eyeing who he’d get the seat from.

“No, no it’s fine” as much as your ankles hurt, you’d rather have stayed away from everyone asking you dozens of questions.

“You wanna lay down in our room for a bit?” His question catching you off guard.

Our room.

“Thanks, Joel. I’ll be fine. I’ll just take some water though, I am thirsty”

He nodded, his eyes remained on you longer than he meant to, drifting down to your dress laying perfectly over your baby bump.

“You look beautiful by the way”

Your heart skipping a beat from his words, you looked over at him.

“Thank you” you whispered before he walked into the kitchen.

Soon you noticed Mary and Lisa heading your way, two of the most nosiest neighbors you had dying to ask questions the moment you walked in. Those two women never seemed to know when to stop talking. Quickly turning towards the kitchen you walked off doing your best to avoid them when you heard a woman laughing in the kitchen. Silently stopping at the doorway you saw Maria with Joel, she was known for many things with men around the area, especially married men. Her hand on Joel’s shoulder as he held your glass of water in hand, you felt a jealousy you had never felt before.

“If it wasn’t for you driving me home that night, who knows where I would’ve ended up” she laughed as your heart sunk. It couldn’t be, Joel spent a night with Maria? Although you and Joel weren’t together, it was crushing to hear.

“Maybe you can drive me home tonight again…?” She spoke with a flirtatious voice as her hand creeped to back of his neck when you accidentally knocked something down beside you. Both of them quickly looking up, Joel realized you had heard everything but before he could say a word you quickly walked out rushing to grab your belongings from down the hall. Joel quickly put the glass down and pushed past Maria following you out as your heart raced with disbelief and hurt.

“Sarah where’s my stuff?” Your voice cracked as she looked up at you confused.

“In the room, are you okay?” You couldn’t respond rushing toward the bedroom as Joel quickly followed behind calling your name.

“It ain’t what you think-“ Joel appeared at the doorway slightly out of breath as you grabbed your sweater.

“Hey, hey-listen to me, baby” he rushed towards you trying to get you to understand him, desperation in his eyes, his hand attempted to grab your face.

“Don’t!” You screamed, tears building up in your eyes.

“The neighborhood whore huh?”

“No, dammit, listen to me!”

“No, you would-“ you suddenly stopped speaking as a sharp cramping like sensation took over you. Leaning forward you winced grabbing your belly, Joels expression instantly changing.

“What? What’s wrong?” He whispered, his hand reaching for your belly just as the wave of pain passed.

“Don’t” you shoved his hand away and took a deep breath. Getting yourself together you put your sweater on and grabbed your purse. Trying to walk past him he blocked your way, a look of concern he couldn’t hide if he tried.

“I’m not lettin’ you leave like this”

“Like hell you’re not!” You screamed, the music and the guests so loud nobody could hear you arguing.

“You can go continue your fun-“

“I’m not arguing with you like this god dammit, I ain’t trynna upset you”

“Too late for that” you aggressively put on your sweater.

“I didn’t do nothin’ with her! She was with Tommy, he passed out drunk in the car I was the only sober one so I drove. She got out the car went home and that was it, nothin’ happened between me and her”

“I don’t believe you” you shook your head as a tear fell from your eyes. You attempted to push past him but he wouldn’t budge.

“I ain’t lettin’ you drive like this-“

“What the hell do you care?! Go talk with Maria since obviously you have time for her but not our baby-“

“You know damn well that’s not true” he grabbed your wrists stopping you from pushing him aside.

“Let go of me!” You pulled your arms back just as another wave of pain took over. Quickly turning away you leaned against the wall.

“Ow-“ you cried out. The pain more intense than you had been feeling earlier.

Joel quickly coming behind you making sure you were okay, his hands on your waist.

“Come sit down”

“No, no…it’ll go away like it did earlier” you whispered in between breaths.

“What do you mean earlier?”

You stood silent as you slowly turned to him.

“What do you mean earlier?” He repeated himself sternly.

“It’s Braxton hicks, I had felt them last week and the doctor told me it was normal. I’m not dilated-“

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“There was nothing to tell!” You winced again from yet another wave of pain.

“I don’t think these are Braxton hicks, you’re getting them to close together, you’re having contractions“

“No I am not. Just leave me alone” you squeezed your eyes shut unable to speak.

“Stop being so damn stubborn, we’re gettin’ you to a hospital”

“No!” You whispered with a gasp just as Sarah ran in.

“Oh my god-“

“Sarah, tell uncle Tommy we’re goin’ to the hospital” he called out to her.

“Is she-“

“Yes” his voice somehow calm as he had you hold onto him.

“Oh my g- it’s getting worse” you whimpered.

“I know, honey. We’re gonna get in the truck now” he caressed your face.

“Is this actually happening right now” you whispered to yourself.

“I think so, baby”

Tommy ran to the truck with his Santa hat still on, opening the doors for you and Joel as the guests all watched on in shock.

“I don’t have my bag! My bag, Joel!”

“I’ll tell your sister to bring it” he buckled your seatbelt and closed the door rushing to the other side. Everyone watched as Joel sped off, each contraction becoming more intense you screamed in agony as Joel kept beeping the horn. If you weren’t so distracted with the pain you felt you would’ve seen how desperate Joel became with each sound you made.

“We’re here, baby. We’re here” the tires screeched as he made a hard turn into the lot.

Everything happened so fast, next thing you knew you were on the hospital bed being instructed to push. Joel holding your leg up, you cried feeling as if you couldn’t get through this.

“I can’t-“ you shook your head as Joel stood beside you, gently turning your head to face him.

“Look at me, yes you can. I’m right here and I ain’t goin’ no where, count with me” Joel began to instruct you with breathing and counting as the doctor prepped for the arrival of your baby.

After all the pain and chaos that occurred, it was all worth it. After the end of it all, you had fallen asleep and awoke to Joel humming Silent Night. Still feeling weak, you turned to see him looking out the window as it snowed. You smiled just as he turned and caught your eyes on him.

“I think she likes this song” he whispered making you laugh.

“You read the book” you spoke softly as he looked at you confused.

“The book I gave you about dads during birth”

He smiled with a nod.

“How else would I had known how to help you breathe through all that pushin’” turns out he listened much more than you thought he did.

“Mhm” your eyes began to uncontrollably close, you were exhausted.

“Get your rest, baby. I got her” without a word you quickly fell back to sleep as Joel looked down at his daughter with tearful eyes.

“The best Christmas gift I’ve ever been given” he kissed her forehead and continued humming the song..

Tags

@moonpascal @katmoonz @picketniffler @stcrrjoon @itsamandi @starry-eyes-love @theoraekenslover @psychoenergy @joeldjarin @bambisweethearts @baronessvonglitter @guelyury @mynameistokyo @harriedandharassed @locaparapedrito @untamedheart81 @rosaliedepp @illyanam1011 @hopefulatrocity @tikikiki @thewritermj @l0veang3l @manuymesut @katiemarieeee @unknownomgg @secretcheesecakenacho @missladym1981 @xmaykeca @dendulinka6 @wintersquirrel @malfoycassimalfoy @scorpio-echo @orcasoul @mysteryhexgirl @locaparapedrito @alloftheimagines @mystickittytaco

@ashleyfilm @justajoelsreader @ashleyfilm

[kyri45]

✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 30/12✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

@pandorainabox ha chiesto: Hope this isn't a dumb question,but do you plan to/already are posting the bio parents ah anywhere where it can be viewed all in one piece? With the between posts in tumblr,it gets confusing and I still don't quite know how to navigate it so I was curious if I could binge read it anywhere all in one clean read? (I constantly want to re-read it lmao,it brings me so much joy,its so damn cute!!) Anyway apologies for the random question!! I love your work,you're doing so good and I hope you have an absolutely wonderful rest of your day/night! Thank you so much for taking your time to read and respond if you do so!! 💚💚🌙

i mean… I THINK the masterpost is the easiest way to read it for now (and once you read one chapter you press “NEXT” at the end of it.)

if I would put it, let’s say, on Webtoon (which I can’t) it kind of would be the same thing. A list if chapters, when you click on one it opens the chapter with the 10-20 panels and then you click the “next” to go to the next one.

i don’t think putting all chapters from one part would be nice since it would be a super duper long list of panels (and the page would take a lot to load with so many medias) and one Part of the comic contains multiple arcs.

i’m open to suggestions though!

@robinpika ha chiesto: I was just wondering why is wukong kaiju form unstable? What inspired you to go that route

it was an headcanon of my of why we never see it in the show, even though it is present in JTTW AND war forms are… well normal in LMK, so I figured he must have a reason why he didn’t use it, considering it could have spare them a lot of trouble giving its power.

@imafluffycupcakey ha chiesto: I can't find the option to ask anonymously oof— Enyway this is Tumblr and that's what I'm here for. Ever made a design for a Red son and MK kid? From your AU I mean (ignoring every nature law for a second). Also, where did you got that name for MK from? Is something from Jurney to the west? Mainly thanks to your AU I am going to try and read that book (has more them a 1000 pages :') )

we all subconsciously agreed that the spicynoodle lovechild is Kai from lego ninjago and MK real name is his name in the chinese dub.

@avencaeheng ha chiesto: Can you reccomend any websites to watch lmk? 🙏

You can find MOST of the episodes on youtube. BUT you need also the specials to understand the story. If I link you a site in 2 weeks it will be down. The best is that you join the Lego Monkie Kid Fanspace discord. They have links to see the show and they update them every once in a while.

@astro-lmk-enjoyer ha chiesto: Another silly headcanon <3 Since MK unlocked he’s monkey form he started teething like a baby monkey but… adult. I don’t know how baby monkey teethe but when dogs teethe they get a lot more bite-y and the bites hurt a lot more than before teething. I can imagineMK getting a lot more bitey with things, like chewing food longer then needed be and maybe when he’s play fighting with the baby monkeys he bites one and it chirps and Wukong is like: ! One of my children is in need! And he discovers MK is teething and does something idk yet. After having given my evidence… Do you think this would happen? Does MK have fangs in his human form like how some people draw him?

hi! I guess he did have a period in which he had a little teething.

no, his human form doesn’t have fangs, because his human form is just a kind of glamour/shapeshift. In the AU the monkey form became his normal form (since it always has been his original form to begin with)

toomanylegos ha chiesto: Hey, I just want to say I absolutely adore your ShadowPeach comic and the beautiful art with it. I went through nasal surgery on the 19th, and seeing an update from you really helped soothe my nerves about it, so thank you! I can't wait to see more updates throughout my recovery :D burry-penguin ha chiesto: As a spicynoodle shipper I love your work sm and what ur doing for this community KEEPING US FEED FOR DAYSSS!! 🔥🍜 🔥🍜 You’re so amazing and keep doing what you’re doing because you’re a damn good story teller and artist. You’ll go so far someday! You’ve helped put a smile on my face on my best and worst days just from seeing each new update and going absolutely fuckin feral over it and I thank you for that 🫶 imafluffycupcakey ha chiesto: Not really a ask. I would just like to say I inhaled your AU comic like a vacum cleaner in less them a day, also big fan of the art style. Anonimo ha chiesto: I'm recovering from a toxic relationship and the shadowpeach bio parents au is helping me think through everything ,, The love these monkies show me how relationships are supposed to make you feel good... thank u

turtlewearingclothes ha chiesto: Howdy! I just wanted to say thank you for making your amazing comic, and being the reason I got into Lego Monkie Kid. I've heard of the show, but I never watched it. Then I came across your comic like, 2-3 weeks ago? And after binging it, I decided to watch the show, and now I'm obsessed lol. Thank you!

AWWWW THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE LOVE!!!♥️♥️♥️

@selfdestructivecat ha chiesto: Hey so I recently binged your LMK comic because I absolutely fell in love with your ISAT x COTL comic and knew anything you made would be amazing. I’ve never seen LMK though so I’m sure I lost some of the context (it was still so good though, I’m really rooting for everything to work out for the characters!) But I decided to give the actual series a try because of the comic! And here was where I planned on writing you a message after a few episodes to thank you for getting me into a new series, but… I’m on episode one. I only watched the intro. Dude. IM ABSOLUTELY HOOKED. THE ANIMATION! THE STYLE! THE CHARACTERS! I’m so so excited to watch more (which I’m gonna do now!) but thank you so much for bringing this series to my attention!!!

ahaha welcome to the club!, now you can enjoy both comics!

@therivergirl ha chiesto: I remember back in the beggining of eclipse arc you mentioned that Mac feels insecure about his body being part of the reason he's hesitant to take of his clothes even in front of Wukong and it being part of the reason (aside from basic decency) that Wukong looked away. And now in this part Mac appears butt-naked to help Wukong out, adding yet another layer of vulnerability...gah! (Maybe I should finally watch LMK because I feel I would be doubly obsessed with this comic then...)

For Mac being exposed was the last of his issues considering that what he was seeing was Wukong at his lowest and most naked. Now excuse me while I cry.

@astro-lmk-enjoyer ha chiesto: You probably know Chang’E’s story from LMK, but did you know there is a second version of her story that I like better? In the second version Chang’E and her husband(I forgot his name), are getting used to living as mortals after being kicked out of heaven. But someone hears of the immortal elixir they have and try to steel it while Chang’E’s husband is out hunting. After getting beat up a bit she decides to drink the elixir so the robber couldn’t get it. But she instead went to the moon so she could be closer to her lover. Her husband dies because he’s still mortal, and Chang’E is left be herself. I have silly little headcanon the day MK and the others went to the moon was her and her husband’s anniversary 🙃 Bye <3

AH. OK.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Do you think that wukong and macaque act like cats?

as in they would purr? I moslty think Wukong wants to cuddle and stroke his head on Mac neck like a cat, while Mac is that one cat that sometime is annoyed when people touch him but eventually let them do it.

Anonimo ha chiesto: ✨Hear me out :3✨ MK can hear the past. He heard the fight of of prentice and held his eye like he was getting hurt by Wukong and not Macaque. So now picture this: MK has a vision again, his this time it is about how the monk used the circlet on him :3

AHAH. NOW HE CAN’T SEE TANG THE SAME WAY AGAIN. FUCK.

Anonimo ha chiesto: When I first found your comic in your TikTok account, I thought it was something very silly... How very VERY wrong I was.(As I get shot 57 times.) I hope you are taking very good care of yourself because when I downloaded Tumblr to keep myself updated to your comics(which was somewhere around 13-16 December probably) there are a LOT of panels. I enjoyed the newest and most recent parts of the shadowpeach bio parent au and can't wait for the next!!! Don't work yourself to the bone too much! Remember to take mental and physical breaks.

AGHDMHSMFYS THANK YOU!!!

Anonimo ha chiesto: Are there others who flirt with MK ? He looks good, is very powerful and has a sunshine personality. I bet there are others who are interested in him

I guess there haven’t been any for NOW.

Anonimo ha chiesto: After reading the post about swk's circlet, I srsly want him to look at mk and say "oh, hey we're matching!" ... "OH SHIT WHY ARE WE'RE MATCHING?!"

NOOOOOO!!

@delightfulcupquakequeen ha chiesto: Hey there!!! Been awhile sincenI've written an ask, just wanted to send love and being greatful that you are doig this amazing AU!!!! Appreciating ever pannel you make and gosh dammit hitting me right in the korokoro!!!! Keep being your fabulous self!!! Until next time!

THANK YOUUUUU

@l1br4rycrypt1d ha chiesto: Feel free to ignore this if it's spoilers for the comic, but are we gonna get to see the Gold Star of Venus? Just curious, since you reblogged the meme post that mentioned him during the takeover

There will be a small space for them as well, yes.

@kaothedemon ha chiesto: Fun fact, while I doubt Pigsy has all of Zhu Bajie's powers, his ancestor did have a kaiju form, which he could use if he ate a fuckton I'm sure it's not gonna appear in the story, but the idea of Heaven having to deal with 3 Kaiju dads (+ theoretically a sworn uncle) is extremely funny to me (picture courtesy of OSP's latest JTTW episode cause even when I read the book there weren't any illustrations of this)

I SAW THAT!! Man now they must add it to the show. Yeah I don't think he has ALL of Zhu Bajie's powers (I don't think he would ever want to have them) but it would be interesting if it was a high stake situation

@roseltelle ha chiesto: I think Macaque would actually enjoy working/ volunteering at the playhouse specifically doing shadow plays. But he does regular plays as well. His favorite days are when classes of children come in for field trips. Wukong often paints the backdrops, scenery, and other items for plays. They both enjoy their hobbies.

Awwwww yeah I think Macaque would totally love that.

@lmk4ever ha chiesto: Can you imagine Wukong just being out of it after he distracted the celestials for too long in his war form?

I think that as soon as he sees Macaque again he immediately switch back and become behaved again.

@peach-fury ha chiesto: I think I know the answer but theoretically... Who's war form/kajiu is stronger Wukongs or Macaque's and how would it go? I don't know it started as a thought. Now I can't stop laughing.

Wukong's is stronger.

blbllblblblll ha chiesto: do you know the pronunciation of xiaotian? ive been stuck on how to say his name for so long 😭

I know that the "Qi" is pronunced "Chi" and I think "xiao" is pronunced the same as you would read it, while I THINK the "t" in "tian" is more of a mix between a t and a c/k? I aint chinese and the way I pronounce things or read them is probably different from u cause I'm italian.

eerieqloss ha chiesto: Okay question, is Wukong's war form bigger/taller than MK's?

it's taller.

@elliboom ha chiesto: I was wondering, will Erlang Shen ever appear in the Shadowpeach parent series? (And questa domanda la scrivo in italiano giusto per levarmi un’altra curiosità in futuro, preferisci che le domande vengono scritte solo in inglese o vanno bene anche in italiano? So che non ci sono molti italiani ad essere fan di LMK e JTTW, posso capire la scelta di scriverli solo in inglese per rispetto e far capire ai altri fan, e generalmente per scrivere le domande uso google translate, perché faccio pena con la grammatica inglese, mi scuso se in futuro farò domande con qualche errore 🥲🥲)

Si apparirà. Manda pure in italiano shalla ahah.

[themostlesbianever]

College AU Sevika x reader

A/N: I am genuinely so sorry for having y'all wait for so long😔 I was busy with Christmas prep and then Christmas.

I will be trying to post more frequently but im not promising anything.

Thanks for all the support so far🙏🙏 Enjoy!

(This is semi-proofread, its nearly 3 am and im tired, but i wanted to give you the next chapter)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks have passed and you’re settling into the college routine nicely, struggling here and there but still, nicely. You and Sevika have been getting closer as well, you would even go so far as to call her a friend. You don’t see her all the time because she’s busy with schoolwork, friends and extracurriculars. Just like you. After a day or 2 you had found out she plays rugby which was understandable with the way she was built. She also frequents the campus gym, lifting impressive amounts of weight while making it look easy.

You’re sitting on your bed reviewing some sheet music, you had always been a bit of a band kid, trying out a bunch of instruments before finally settling on the trumpet. You signed up for band at college and managed to get in. Together with, obviously, Ekko, who plays the drums. Sevika is also sitting on her bed but she’s on her phone. You glance over at her, it looks like she's texting someone.

Then the corner of her mouth lifts up slightly. “What are you smiling at?” you ask, the sudden noise makes her smile drop and her gaze move over to you. “Nothing” she replies, clearly lying. You raise one brow at her and tilt your head slightly, making her rethink her answer.

“Okay fine, so there's this girl an-”. She stops talking when she sees your facial expression change from interested to surprised. “You like women?” you question, and now it's her turn to look surprised. “Was that” she pauses for a second. “Was that not obvious?” she asks, a hint of confusion in her voice.

You simply blink at her and shrug your shoulders. You tell her to continue and she lets out a small chuckle before doing just that. “Well this girl, Rose, slid into my dm’s complimenting one of my photo dumps and we started talking. And now we're kind of flirting, I guess.” A small smile starts to creep onto her lips as she speaks.

“And she’s like, SO pretty oh my god” she continues. “Does she go here?” you ask and she nods. “Anyways” she mumbles, trying to shift the attention off of herself and onto you. You’ve noticed she does that a lot, she doesn’t like talking about herself and is quite closed off. She has been opening up a tiny bit to you as you’ve gotten to know each other. A little fun fact here, a random memory there. It’s been nice.

“What have you been staring at for the past like, hour?” she asks and you sigh before speaking. “It’s the new music we got for band. It's incredibly annoying to play and I have to memorize it.” She furrows her brows a bit. "Wait." She pauses and looks at you, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “You’re a band kid?” You can’t help but be slightly offended.

“Why do you say that like it's a bad thing? I’ll have you know, I'm very cool” You say while pointing your index finger at her. “Oh I believe that, don’t worry.” She chuckles. “What instrument do you play?” You proudly tell her you play the trumpet which she admits is quite impressive.

She then gets up from her bed, walking over to you and grabbing the music sheets from your hand. Her eyes scan the paper, the more she reads the more her brows furrow, after about a full minute of her looking at the sheets in silence, she looks up at you and speaks. “what the fuck.” You laugh at that.

“Exactly what I’m thinking” you say. “How do you read that shit, seriously?” She asks and gives the pieces of paper back to you. “Oh I've been playing for years, I started with lessons. At first I was actually learning, I learned all the grips and notes, how to hold it correctly, bla bla bla. But then it became learning and memorizing random songs I didn’t care about. So I quit. Just the lessons tho, I never stopped playing.” You explain.

She listens intently, nodding along as you ramble on about your many teachers, performances, friends you had made along your musical journey and how you had begged your mum for your very own trumpet. Quitting lessons also meant having to give back the trumpet they had given to you. Well, not really given, your mum had to pay a monthly fee for lessons and said trumpet.

After a little while you realise you’ve been rambling and apologise. “Oh I’m sorry, I talk a lot” you say quietly. The room suddenly feels very warm, your face heating up in embarrassment. “You’re fine dude” Sevika says. “It’s very entertaining, so don’t worry. You can talk however much you like.” She offers you a soft smile. You smile back and thank her.

Somewhere during your ramble she sat back down on her own bed and leaned back against the wall. She still sits there unmoving, just looking at you in silence, it’s a comfortable silence that the both of you sit in for a bit before you remember you should really be studying this music and look back down at the sheets.

After a while of reviewing your sheets, practicing changing the grips by pretending you’re playing and counting how long you have to be silent for before you have to start playing again, you have had enough. You inhale deeply and breathe it out in the form of a sigh. Sevika looks up at you, a questioning look in her eyes. You hold the sheets up and she chuckles.

You hop off your bed and pull out a binder from one of the bed drawers, placing the music sheets neatly where they belong before closing it and putting it back inside the drawer. Then Sevika speaks. “You said you own a trumpet, did you take it with you for band? Or do you get one from the school”. You turn back around and rest your hips against the wooden frame of your bed, facing Sevika who is still sitting on hers.

“I think there's an option to rent an instrument from the school but I took my own with me, I just prefer it over a random trumpet. Not that they’d be super different from each other but you know. Plus it was possible they wouldn’t even have one for me.” You answered. She simply nods before asking to see your trumpet.

You agree and walk over to your closet, where you store your trumpet, and take it out. You put the storage case on your bed and unclasp it, opening the lid and stepping aside so Sevika can see. She gets off her bed and steps over to the open case. She reaches one of her hands out, glancing over at you as if to ask for permission to touch it. You nod and she runs her fingers over the cold instrument.

“It’s quite pretty” she says and you let out a small huff of air that could be considered a laugh. “It’s really not Sevika. It’s old and it's not as clean as it used to be” you admit and she shrugs. “I think it's pretty.” You’re about to tell her your old trumpet really isn’t that special when you hear a knock at the door.

Sevika walks over and opens the door slightly to see who’s knocking, she opens it all the way when she sees its Ekko. He steps inside. “Dude, do you ever read your texts?” he questions. You shoot him a confused look, he sighs. “Sorry dude, I was reviewing the new music. You are aware we’re supposed to start memorizing it. right?” you ask him, genuinely wondering if he had listened to the given instructions.

“Of course I’m aware” he says while rolling his eyes at you. “Anyway I wanted to ask if you wanted to get lunch. But you weren’t replying so I decided to come over before our possible lunch plans turned into dinner plans” he says, then he looks at you with a disappointed look on his face. “I thought of that amazing joke and I don’t even get a smile? Rude”

“It really wasn’t that funny” you tell him and he rolls his eyes again. Then he looks at Sevika, a hopeful look in his eyes. “Don’t bring me into this.” She says and throws her hands up in the air.

“Fine, but do you wanna get lunch or not?” He asks, looking back at you again. You nod before turning to Sevika. “You wanna come with us” you ask. “Sure why not,” she shrugs. You close the trumpet case and put it back in your closet. “Lets go then.”

____________________________________________

please feel free to comment your thoughts🙏

Tag list: @0eatmysoulll0-blog @misswynters @vikaswife @ladycupa0-0 @d3adbrainer @vintage-karma @gravegoer

[skzimagines]

“You’re worth every lost breathe.” - Minho x Reader.

The first time you saw him was on a typical Tuesday, a slow one at that. You worked at a little coffee shop in your small town, that was usually only filled with regular customers.

He was sat at the table across from the counter, drinking the Carmel Macchiato you made him, scrolling through his phone.

"He's been here for over an hour." Your coworker says, taking a sip of the coffee she made for herself. You continue your work, sweeping behind the counter. "He keeps looking at you."

"He would have no interest in me." You say with a chuckle. Sweeping the dirt into the dustpan. "Whatever you say." She says, going back to restocking the pastries.

You put away the broom and grab one of the sanitizing rags before heading out to the floor to wipe off the tables. As you're wiping them, your alarm goes off on your phone, telling you it's almost closing time.

You look up to find any customers, to tell them you close in ten minutes, but your eyes only come in contact with the man from before.

“Excuse me, umm.. we close in ten minutes.” You say, casually making your way to his table.

He gives you a small smile before giving a small nod. “I was just heading out, thank you for the coffee Y/N.” He smiles.

A confused look hits your face, wondering how he knows your name.

“Name tag.” He points out, with a chuckle.

“Oh… right.” You chuckle back.

He grabs his coffee from the table, and pushes in his chair.

“Have a good night.” You say.

“You too.”

~

The next day was like the last, working another night shift, except you’re working this one yourself.

You make your way inside the café, saying a quick hello and goodbye to the morning shift person as they gather their things and let you know what happened during their day.

“A guy came in here asking about you.” She says.

Your mind instantly went to the gorgeous guy that’s been showing up every other day. “Really?” You ask.

“Yeah, he was asking what time you worked today, I didn’t tell him though, cause of company policy, ya know?” She chuckles.

A slight feeling of disappointment washed over you. “Right.”

“I’m sure he’ll be back in tonight.”

~

It was 7pm, one hour until closing. It’s been a slow day, only a few regulars have stopped in. You sometimes wondered how the place stayed open with such few customers daily. Your coworkers and yourself have made a dedicated notebook to just drawings for days like these.

You stood at the counter, drawing another funny picture for your coworkers to come in the next day and see.

“SpongeBob?” You hear a voice above you.

You look up from your paper and your heart sinks at the sight of him.

He must’ve notice the sudden look on your face. “Your drawing… it’s really good.” He says with a chuckle.

“Oh. Right. It’s okay.” You say, wondering how you’re out of breathe, you hadn’t done anything but stand here for an hour.

“We uh, draw pictures for each other, something to make the day go by faster, I guess.” You say.

“Yeah, I’ve come to notice this is a quiet place.” He replies.

“That’s why I like it..”

“That’s why I like it..”

You both say, at the same exact time.

Another huge pump of blood goes through your heart.

The warmest smile spreads across his face. ‘How can he get even prettier’ you wonder.

“So umm. Did you want to order?” You ask, closing the notebook and setting it aside.

“Oh, yeah. Just the normal.” He says with a smile.

You quickly ring his order in and give him his change before heading over to the counter to make his coffee.

What you don’t notice though is, his eyes following your every move. The way you so effortlessly know how to make so many coffees amazes him. He wouldn’t lie to himself either, he may have snuck a Quick Look at your legs and ass before you turned around with a smile.

“Here ya go.” You say, handing him his coffee.

“Thanks.” He says. Even after he has his coffee, he still stands there.

There’s a long pause of silence before you speak up again. “Is there.. anything else I can get you?” You ask politely.

“I’m sorry… umm, you just… make me nervous.” He chuckles shyly.

“Nervous about?” You ask with a small chuckle. His words have caused your stomach to roll over a hundred times.

“Umm. I’ve been wanting to ask you out for the longest time and I haven’t had the courage to even talk to you and when you came up to me yesterday and just talked to me like it was nothing, I realized I needed to grow a pair and tell you how I felt.”

His words came out so quickly you barely understood a word he said.

You let out a small laugh be fore replying. “I only told you we were closing.”

“Yeah, but it was like the best 4 minutes of my life.” He says, letting out a well needed breath.

“You want to go out?” You ask, a huge smile plastered on your face.

“I’d love to.”

~

You guys had made arrangements that night, swapping phone numbers as well. He also left a huge tip in your jar, to which you told him he didn’t need to do, but he insisted. You hade tucked the tip away in your wallet before leaving that night.

You’re at home, finishing up getting ready as your phone goes off. It’s a text from him.

Minho.~ Hey, so… something came up at work, I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it. But, I promise I’ll make it up to you!

Disappointment hit you like a brick.

Y/n.~ that’s okay!

You weren’t sure how else to reply.

Figuring you had nothing else to do for the night and you’ve done your makeup and everything. You figured you’d pick up an extra shift at work.

~

Again, it’s another slow night.

7:30pm ‘only thirty more minutes!’ You think to yourself.

You were currently going through the notebook, looking through the pictures your coworkers have left, when the bell rung above the entry door.

You look up from the book and see him, making his way to the counter.

“I called you and texted you, you didn’t answer.” He said. More like breathed out, he was out of breath like he’d been running here.

“I can’t be on my phone at work.” I say. “Are you okay?”

He leans against one of the tables and takes a big breath in. I let him catch his breath instead of asking more questions.

“I uhh.. I ran to your house, because the place I was going to take you, is only a couple blocks down from you and I thought it would be more romantic to walk together and.” He takes another breath before continuing. “I noticed you weren’t home… so I ran here, as fast as I could, because I know you close at 8. I didn’t want to miss you.” He says. Sounding like he’s finally catching his breath.

“You ran here from my house!?” You say in complete shock. “Minho, that’s like 4 miles from here!”

He finally makes it up to the counter.

“You’re worth every breathe lost”

To be continued…

[1d1195]

The Lottery IV

Read The Lottery here | ~6.2k words

From me: we're getting close to the end I think

Warnings: angsty/fluffy/pining nonsense. Slow burning love

Summary: Harry loves to help her. She loves to help him. The whole town knows he loves her. They wish he would admit it.

Just like Christmas, she was out and about in the middle of the summer solstice festival. She helped organize a wiffle ball tournament for the younger kids and convinced Harry to make hot dogs and hamburgers to hand out in the middle of the field. She was at the diner bright and early making her way behind the counter and grabbing pitchers that Harry used for water to make batches of lemonade.

Why he didn’t say no, baffled her. But to Harry it was obvious.

They were sipping lemonade on the curb outside his diner. They were watching people eat and chat. There was music and dancing. It was warm and the air smelled like barbeque and bug spray. The sun was setting, and she looked so pretty. Tanned, hair pulled back through a baseball hat, and her legs stretched into the road. Harry wasn’t going to sit outside and deal with the festival at all, but she was there, so he had little choice in the matter. But as happy as he felt (inwardly—God forbid Harry smile) he wondered why she didn’t have a happier look on her face. “What?”

She hesitated for only the briefest moment. “Do you... know anything about fireworks?” She asked.

He stared at her. He was already ahead of her and knew exactly where her questioning was going to lead next, but he was a glutton for punishment. Or just really wanted to see her smile because she was happy. “Not particularly,” he mumbled.

She pouted. Her fingers went to the little moon charm around her neck, and she rubbed her thumb over it, like a nervous habit. Or a worry stone. “I guess the person who dropped the fireworks off didn’t get the memo he was supposed to stay to help set them off.”

Maybe if she was touching anything other than the necklace that Harry got her, he would have said no. (Although probably not.) It was like it was a comfort to her and it made him a little too happy knowing she was using it as a coping motion whether she realized it or not. In fact, if it was subconscious, it made Harry like it more—even almost a little possessive in nature. With a deep sigh, Harry pushed off the curb and headed toward where he knew the fireworks were being set off. “You don’t have to help,” she called from behind him.

“Are y’gonna set them off, Peach?” He questioned; his eye roll could be heard without having her look back at him to see it. “You’ll blow y’hand off.”

She smiled sweetly to herself, smoothing her finger over the moon charm once more. “Did you see the moon today?” She asked and pointed toward the crescent that wasn’t much different than the one around her neck.

He looked at it briefly. “S’nice,” he answered sincerely as he could because he was focused on the fireworks and how he would get her away because he would lose his ever-loving mind if she got injured. People called out to her, and she waved like she was the mayor. She was one of the nicest people Harry had ever met so it wasn’t surprising that people adored her, but it was pretty crazy that she chose one of the grumpiest people to befriend. She looked fondly at the moon as they walked, nearly not paying attention to her footpath, so Harry grabbed her wrist before she tripped and fell over another curb.

“Sorry,” she shook her head and focused on their walk and glanced briefly at it once more before. Longingly, like she wouldn’t see it again.

“Do y’know what the outline around the moon is?” He asked, wondering if he could distract her so she would still be able to talk about the moon but not nearly break an ankle on the ground. “I’ve always wondered.”

She nodded. “It’s called earthshine. Basically, the light from the sun bounces off the earth and reflects on the moon that’s not illuminated by the sun.”

“Cool,” he said simply.

She smiled. “I’m a little weird about the moon, hmm?”

“Why do you think that?”

The smile on her pretty face disappeared and she shook her head. “No reason, just... I think I can be a lot sometimes.”

Harry wished they weren’t about to set off fireworks and they were in the privacy of his diner or her house or something. But really what would he have actually said if they were alone? It’s not like he would confess his feelings for her. The anger he felt toward whoever made her feel like a lot made his chest ache. The shyness on her face made him feel sick. She wasn’t a lot. Or if she was, she should have been a lot, proudly.

But they weren’t alone, and Harry wasn’t going to tell her how he felt anyway. “Well, there’s worse thing t’be a lot ‘bout than the moon,” he shrugged.

“Not the pancakes though,” she grinned sweetly, the brief look of sadness in her eyes replaced by her usual playfulness.

The smirk on his lips didn’t match the smile he felt on the inside. “I thought we were talking ‘bout y’being a lot. Not high maintenance.”

“Harry Styles!”

He shrugged, uncaring at his backhanded comment. He continued on trying not to think about how pretty she looked when she talked about things she loved. Tried not to think about the retroactive heart ache in his chest. Or maybe it was predicting the future because someone as pretty and lovely as her could only break his fragile heart.

But he also noticed that the tiniest bit of hope was blooming inside his ribcage because she was so pretty and lovely. It would be worth the heartache. Right? She would be worth it.

So, Harry kept quiet and focused on the fireworks. Hundreds of exploding colorful things and not a single one of them had anything to do with the ones that illuminated the sky a little while later.

*

Harry’s phone rang mid-evening. He was reading a book and had the football game on from the morning. It was the perfect kind of night. But of course, when he saw that Peach was calling, he didn’t have a choice. She never called. She texted and texted. Sent him pictures of the moon on her grainy camera and the cute little dogs that she saw in the city some days. Sometimes she sent him links to recipes she thought he should try for breakfast and honestly, he was a shitty friend because he typically ignored most of them. Sending only a thumbs up emoji or an okay if she asked for help.

So, Harry assumed she was dying in that moment.

“Hello?” He answered quickly fear starting in his chest before he could stop it.

“I don’t know what’s happening! My washing machine is freaking out and it’s overflowing, and I don’t know what to do!”

Harry was relieved and also halfway out the door the moment he said hello. “M’on m’way.”

There was a knock on the front door about five minutes after she called Harry. “It’s open!” She knew she was going to get a lecture about leaving it unlocked again. But Harry came right in. She was busy with every towel she owned creating a barrier around the floor of the laundry room (a small little space, hardly bigger than a closet) and kept the water from creeping into the hall.

Harry didn’t even come near her he headed straight for her basement. Within moments the water stopped dripping, and she sighed with relief. “I turned y’water off.”

“Fuck, why didn’t I think of that,” she frowned. “Sorry you came all the way over,” she pushed the towels into the closet sopping up the mess as best she could.

“D’you have a wet vac?”

“A what?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

Ten minutes later, Harry returned, knocking and walking in. “You don’t have to knock, Harry.”

“S’polite,” he muttered. “Move,” he pushed her gently out of the way, plugged in the vacuum, and sucked up the water. She rubbed her temples as he turned it off and twirled the cord back up into a neat circle.

“I can’t even wash these,” she grumbled. “Oh my God, I used every towel,” she groaned.

“I’ll take ‘em,” Harry shrugged. “Wash ‘em for you,” he offered.

“Harry, I can’t have you do my laundry.”

“S’not like m’washing your underwear, Peach. S’jus’ towels.” She tried not to think about Harry touching her underwear. But it was very difficult. Fortunately, Harry was focused on the task at hand, grabbing a trash bag to put her sopping wet towels in for transport. “Are y’doing some home improvements?” He asked looking at the few boxes of soft close drawer slides.

“I think I put too much stuff in one drawer in the kitchen. It kinda broke. So, I figured I could revamp all of them and that it would make me sift through stuff I no longer need or want. The bathroom drawer was sticking anyway, so it made sense to fix them all.”

“Do y’need help?” He asked. She bit the inside of her lip. It felt like she had been waiting to ask Harry if she could borrow his drill. But that seemed so rude to just outright ask him. He was a busy guy, and she was more than willing to do it herself, but she knew he would insist on helping.

Plus, there was the whole Ronan side of things.

“Peach?”

How long had she been silent while Harry kindly packed up her towels? Why did she feel guilty about dating someone else around him? Was Harry getting hotter by the second or was that a trick of the light?

“We’re... friends right?”

Harry blinked. “I don’t think a stranger could get me t’dress as Santa,” he rolled his eyes and stared at her. “S’matter? I can pop these in for y’in a minute,” he nodded toward the boxes again.

“Well, thank you. But I would really like to do it,” she admitted. “I don’t want to take advantage of your help, and I like to believe I’m independent.”

“Peach, y’own a whole business and house. S’not like y’jus’ wait around for me t’do stuff for you. M’still miffed y’cleaned your own gutters after I said I would do it.”

“Yeah, but it’s gross,” she reminded him. “You had your own gutters to do and everyone under the sun would ask you.”

He rolled his eyes again ignoring her rationale. “We’re friends, of course.”

Her heart skipped a beat. It almost bothered her that they were friends. Only friends. She looked at her feet. “I’m kind of seeing someone. Hasn’t been long. Only four or so dates. Only dinner and movies. But I didn’t tell you because... I don’t know. I didn’t tell anyone to be fair. Just Bailey, actually. I don’t know the protocol for dating around here because it feels like I need the whole town to approve of him like it’s my business venture all over again. And I don’t know, I know that I’m friendly and stuff and everyone likes me, but I think you’re my only real friend here and I don’t think I need anyone else’s approval except yours and I think that makes me a shitty friend.”

It was so quiet she thought that maybe Harry just left while she rambled. She knew why she needed Harry’s approval. It would mean that he didn’t like her in that way. That the way she liked him wasn’t reciprocated and it was a good thing that she was dating. Her pining would be quiet and hidden. The way it had been since she moved to town and made him make her pancakes even though he didn’t want to. Even though she was a pain in the butt and made him dress like Santa and made him set off fireworks when he didn’t really want anything to do with town events.

Finally, she peered up from her feet and looked at Harry and his confused expression. His eyebrows pinched together. His eyes searching her curiously. “Why d’you need my approval t’date someone? S’your love life,” he shrugged. “If he’s nice t’you, I won’t have a problem with him,” she wondered if he knew how much that meant to her. Apparently, she was hoping for his approval more than she truly realized. She nearly choked on the breath she was holding as she released it. “M’gonna put this in m’truck. D’you have a drill or do y’need mine?” He asked hauling the wet towels toward the front door.

“Yours,” she croaked.

*

Harry shouldn’t have been surprised that she was dating. She was so lovely. Inside and out. There was no other way to describe it. Sure, she was beautiful outwardly, but it only reflected a fraction of how stunning her personality was. Even the annoying parts. It made his chest pinch with jealousy every time he thought of the stupid (that was Harry’s code word for lucky) man that held her affection.

Fortunately for Harry, Ronan didn’t last much longer. “It just didn’t click,” she shrugged over her white chocolate chip and peach pancakes one morning when Harry asked her why she looked upset.

“M’sorry, Peach,” Harry frowned. “S’on me today,” he assured her.

“You can’t give me free food every time I have a breakup. I suspect you’ll lose money at that rate,” she said with a tone of self-deprecation that Harry couldn’t truly believe was coming from her voice. “I think I’m destined to be alone,” she sighed. He snorted before he could stop it. Reached across the counter and squeezed her forearm.

“I simply don’t believe that,” he said reassuringly. She blinked at Harry’s willingness to touch her arm unprompted and before she knew it, he was gone, back to the grill to make more food.

What she couldn’t see was the absolutely delighted smile on his lips—completely on display in private—at the thought of her breakup.

*

She dated a few guys over the years. But Harry’s confidence in her ability to find someone seemed unfounded. Each one ended in a breakup. Only one in particular made her heart ache for longer than the others. Even Harry treated her differently for that month of moping in her own way. She didn’t banter as much. It made Harry ache with want for her attitude, quips, and annoyingness.

Each time Harry comped her pancakes and reassured his friend that she was destined for love whether she believed it or not.

Small town life wasn’t for the guys she brought to the little place with so many traditions and parties. They didn’t earn the approval of everyone in town but the only approval she needed was that of her best friend.

"When’s Louis coming back?” She asked.

Harry hated when Louis came back now. He used to love seeing his friend and getting to be himself around someone that didn’t treat him differently just because he was heartbroken and damaged the way the rest of the town did.

“Never,” he rolled his eyes.

She frowned and immediately reached for the moon charm on her pretty throat. “I miss him.”

“Well, I don’t like when y’two are together. S’trouble. Y’both are mean.”

“Are you saying that because we make fun of your grumpiness together?” He glared at her over his shoulder and headed to the back to get the pitcher of coffee he made for her the day before as he always did. Despite the fact that she was a pain in the butt and made fun of him with his (supposed) best friend. “You’re different when he’s around,” she said when he returned pouring the coffee into a reusable cup because she would be on the go soon enough. Although, the way she settled in with her laptop, notebook, and everything else spread across the seat next to her and her own spot, Harry wasn’t sure when her reading hour began today. It looked like she was staying for the morning, which would have delighted him.

There was hardly any room for the breakfast he was going to bring out though—fortunately it was a muffin day so she wouldn’t need much room. Today she wore a Dr. Suess hat—like the one the Cat in the Hat wore. She had drawn whiskers on her cheeks and a cute red triangular nose too. She was so fucking cute it was unbearable for Harry sometimes (almost always).

“Different,” he repeated trying to stop the swelling of his heart as he looked at her. He smacked her hand as she reached for the cream and sugar behind the counter, loosening the swell and reminding him not to drool.

“You smile more. Same when Gemma visits. I think you are hiding some nice memories in there,” she poured cream into the liquid and tapped the side of her head with her freehand. “I’ve heard rumors since I’ve moved here that you got some bad ones too,” she shrugged casually as if those bad memories weren’t the reason he was a sour person. “I like when they’re around. I like when other people get to see the real Harry, not the one that’s been hiding behind your grumpy face.”

“How do y’know m’not the real Harry?” As far as he could tell his grumpy persona was the only one that he had left to show.

She shrugged again. “Real grumpy people don’t dress up as Santa or supply lemonade for the whole town. Nor do they do things for their annoying friend and comp her breakfast when she gets broken up with.”

She grabbed the muffin, turned and headed for the exit. “Peach? Your stuff?”

“Oh, I’ll be back. I just have reading hour,” she grinned over her shoulder, truly as chaotic as the Cat in the Hat was.

“You’re not serious,” he followed after her as she crossed the street toward her shop stopping in the middle of the road but it wasn’t like there were enough cars to worry about getting run over. “Y’can’t leave your stuff on the counter!”

“It’s only an hour, Harry. I’ll be right back!”

“M’not watching it! If it gets stolen, m’not responsible!”

“If someone in this town wants to steal my stuff, they can have it!” She shouted without turning around and entered her shop.

But she knew Harry was going to watch it anyway.

*

“Miss Peach, are you any good at trigonometry?”

She was behind the check out counter, reading from her book monitoring the study group. People were reading and a couple were stacking books in their arms. “Hmm,” she pursed her lips. “It’s been a long while since I thought about trigonometry, Lea,” she headed to the reference section to see if she could find a textbook to help them. She pulled a chair up beside the pair of girls who were working.

Harry was outside, fixing the Christmas lights to the front of her window. “Harry is in love with you,” Lea whispered.

She blushed. “He’s just my friend,” she said and flipped through the pages looking for something useful that would help them solve their problem.

“I wish I had a friend like Harry,” Maryam muttered.

She snorted and then smiled. “He’s a good one.”

“Do you like him?” Lea asked.

“Do I like one of my very best friends? Yes. Of course I do.”

“Miss Peach,” Maryam rolled her eyes.

“Harry’s so easy to read,” Lea whispered. There was a pair of boys at the other end of the big square table. They were “studying” watching highlight reels from yesterday’s game. “You’re much more difficult. Plus, you do the whole dating thing,” she explained.

“It absolutely tortures Harry,” Maryam agreed.

“Hey Peach, d’you have another string of lights?” He asked from the doorway. “This one y’gave me is half out.”

She frowned. “I’ll have to go buy another string later.”

“I’ll go,” he shrugged and headed out just as quickly.

“Smitten,” Maryam sighed.

“Completely,” Lea agreed.

“This looks like the diagram you’re working with,” she diverted back to the textbook and focused on the numbers and letters of her homework problem and not the bit of hope that filled her lungs at the thought of Harry liking her in that way. If there was a chance of having him all to herself,she never would date another man the rest of her life.

*

Harry helped stock books when a new shipment came in, which was great because he was much more focused than she was. She had to read the back cover of any new book, and it took her twice as long to unpack them all. “What do you like to read?”

He shrugged. “Bit of everything.”

“Do you have something to recommend to me?” She asked putting only one lone book on the shelf when Harry had set up at least two whole sections of shelves in that time. She stocked essentially one or two of each book that arrived at her store. It wasn’t a massive bookstore, so space was of course limited. But if someone wanted to buy it she would order more.

Harry watched her reading the back cover of the next book, her fingers around the moon charm once more sliding it gently back and forth along the chain. She looked so at home surrounded by books and so relaxed. She dropped the charm and reached for her coffee to sip it. Harry wanted to take a picture of her because this was completely her element; it needed to be preserved for all of time. “Uh...”

“It doesn’t have to be anything personal. I get wanting to hoard a book that means a lot to you. It’s kind of like asking someone to watch your baby for the first time. You don’t want anything to happen to it,” she offered. “I just thought I’d ask. I don’t really know what kind of books you like,” she smiled. “I would love to stock stuff for you.”

“Uh...” he shook his head struggling to come up with a title. He cleared his throat. “I read sort of depressing books,” he focused on stocking the next shelf.

She frowned, her fingers immediately finding the charm around her neck again. “Well, that’s okay. I prefer the term cathartic, perhaps? Books are meant to make you feel but I don’t think they’re meant to make you feel depressed,” she shrugged. “I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz and that is by far one of the saddest books I’ve ever read but it might be one of my favorites.”

She watched Harry carefully place the books on the shelves. He was taking great care not to bend any covers. He was gentle. This was important to her and ergo it seemed important to him. “I don’t think I have any titles t’share,” he shrugged.

She nodded. “That’s fine, I just wanted to ask.”

“Do y’have The Tattooist of Auschwitz?” He asked quietly. She smiled, nodded excitedly and scampered to behind the checkout counter. There was a pile of books beneath the cabinets—her own personal collection of favorites that she liked to keep there as backups if she wasn’t in the mood to dive into something new. Or if a student at the high school needed a book for a project and she happened to have it and it wasn’t going to be ordered in time.

Or if Harry needed a copy of one of her favorites.

“It’s a pretty quick read, but God does it make you feel.” He turned it over in his hands. Like he was holding her baby in his hands as she had said. This book meant something important to her and she was passing it off to him. “I hope you’ll like it, but I won’t be offended if you don’t.”

Harry couldn’t imagine a scenario in which he wouldn’t like her baby. “How much?”

“Oh, that’s my copy,” she said. “I can order you one, if you want your own. But you can have that one for now.”

He tucked it carefully beneath his jacket on the back of a nearby chair. The box of books in front of him needed organizing. They went back to their quietness of Harry stocking books, her reading the back of one for every row of books Harry completed, and her fingers danced along the chain around her neck.

*

Like everyone else, she noticed the diner had been closed for three days. It didn’t even have the opening late sign that every once in a blue moon appeared merely because he had an appointment or was sleeping late (because he deserved it! She told everyone who complained) or the delivery was coming in later than expected and it didn’t make sense to open without food or dealing with it partway through the breakfast rush.

But three days with no communication from him of any kind and no sight of him, made her a bit anxious. Harry was often in her house without warning before she arrived home—fixing something for her that she didn’t even know needed fixing. Or because she had mentioned something in passing that wasn’t working up to snuff. Any time she bought a lightbulb, it seemed Harry knew, and he was in her house testing all light switches and lamps to find the culprit.

All of that meant she felt entering his diner without asking seemed like it was only fair (and legal as far as their friendship went.) The silence in the usually bustling little place didn’t feel right though. She missed her friend (and the pancakes). But mostly arguing with her friend and the smack on the back of her hand when she reached for the cream and sugar that dare she say she missed for the last three days.

“Harry,” she sang making her way back toward the apartment behind his shop. “Honey, I’m home!” She cooed. She hadn’t been back here before but found the little hallway that led behind the back of the diner and to the door to what had to be his living space.

She knocked and opened it without waiting for a response.

One look and it hardly looked like he was home. She frowned, feeling bad that she was intruding but then she heard a cough.

“Harry?” She asked.

Slowly his tall body appeared. It was obvious he didn’t feel well. He covered his mouth with the crook of his elbow, his hair in disarray. His eyes shiny with sleep and the exertion of coughing so hard it made his eyes water. He looked exhausted.

“Oh my,” she murmured. “Are you alright?”

“How did y’get in?” It felt like knives scraping against every inch of the inside of his throat to speak. He winced as she pushed past him.

“Jesus. No talking. Come sit down,” but she was already pulling him to his couch. Like she had been here a thousand times even though it was the first time she set foot back here in all the years she had known him. She fluffed the pillows around him and tossed a blanket over him. Harry hadn’t had someone care for him while he was sick since he was young—since his mom and Gem tended to his stomach bugs and during his yearly cold and flu season. “You are so obvious and hide the key under the mat. Thought you were slick painting it black to match but I’ve seen you use it before. Everyone has been worried sick about you—me included. You could’ve let me know if you were sick; I would have been over a lot sooner,” he noticed how disappointed she sounded in him, and he felt sorry that he made her worry. But he didn’t want her help. If she were to get sick, he would feel so guilty. He didn’t want her to feel shitty like he did.

It took a lot more energy to get out of bed than he thought it would when he heard her sweet voice calling for him beyond the quiet space between sleeping and dreaming. He opened his mouth to speak but she shushed him before a syllable could leave his lips. “Uh-buh-uh. No talking. I’m serious. Text it,” she offered handing her phone to him.

This is the first day I’ve been able to get out of bed in three days. My voice has been gone for three days.

She read it and nodded. “Doctor?”

He shrugged. I’ve had it before. She nodded again.

“Alright. Well...soup it is,” she said standing. Harry grabbed her arm before she was out of reach. The exertion did feel like a lot.

He shook his head. You don’t have to do that. I don’t want you to get sick.

She rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t want you to be sick. No one has made me breakfast in three days,” she reminded him. He smiled despite himself. “Do you have medicine?” She asked. He looked at her phone ready to type out that he didn’t, but he knew that it would just make her madder. She sighed, distaste evident in her soundless tone and breath. “Alright, I’m going to go get food for soup and medicine. Don’t move, yeah? Drink some water.”

If it wasn’t obvious, Harry had no choice but to obey her.

“Where’s your phone?” He couldn’t remember at all, there was a strong possibility it was dead. “I’ll call it,” she said, and she walked around his house listening for the sound of it. “A-ha!” She sounded triumphant. “You only have a peach for my contact?” She giggled. “You know the emoji is slang for a butt, right?” He rolled his eyes, but the motion hurt his head. He winced again at the pain. “Alright, I’ll lay off the annoyingness,” she smiled sadly. She reached for a charger. “I like this table,” she mumbled as there was a plug built into the top of it, so it was easy for her to plug his phone in. “I’ll be right back, but text me if you need something.”

His voice was gone. He looked exhausted from lack of sleep because he couldn’t stop coughing. She made herself at home in his place. She made him homemade soup and he realized he had never had any of her cooking beyond anything she chose to bake and share with the town.

Within an hour he was eating hot soup it felt like heaven on his throat. She sat at one end of the sofa slurping broth and scrolling through her phone and Harry couldn’t help but feel like she belonged in his personal space. It felt so right. He sets his soup aside for a moment. Feeling a little more aware and awake with food in his system.

Not to mention it was fucking delicious.

This is really good, thank you. I didn’t know you could cook...Why don’t you make your own breakfast?

“I wouldn’t get to bug you every day,” she smiled so sweetly and fluttered her lashes at him. He rolled his eyes, and it didn’t hurt this time. “Do you want me to make my own breakfast?”

He answered too quickly. No. That’s not what I mean.

“So, you would miss me?”

He sighed and even though he was sick, she could feel his exasperation as he stared at her with an irritated expression. But it’s one that she loved. She loved his grumpy face because no matter how grumpy he appeared; she could see the smile hiding in his eyes. Every single time. And she’d look into those green eyes for the rest of her life and see those hidden smiles if it meant she could be friends with Harry for forever.

No. I would miss... he paused while trying to finish the sentence before holding his phone out to her to read. annoying someone.

She smiled brightly. “Yeah? That so?”

He nodded.

“Well, you don’t annoy me. So maybe I will make my own breakfast from now on.”

He frowned. The expression on his face changed. It was a bit forlorn. His eyes don’t have the same smile as she could spot a mile away. He knew she was kidding but was he... hurt? By her teasing? He really would miss her?

He didn’t think he would have to say it, but...seeing her every day since she moved to town five years ago...and then...not seeing her? It would hurt. Don’t be like that. I’m sick.

Her laughter filled his little apartment, and he never felt so much adoration for someone. “Don’t worry. I don’t own a coffee maker—you won’t get rid of me that easily.”

Something occurred to him in that moment, and he didn’t want to ask, but he would feel bad if he didn’t. Travis... doesn’t mind you’re here?

She smiled sadly. “Travis didn’t last long. I’m all yours, Harry,” she gave his knee a squeeze and headed to the kitchen to continue being an angel or something more for him.

He smiled and rather enjoyed having someone take care of him for a change.

Or maybe it was just because it was Peach taking care of him.

*

The following morning, Harry felt a lot better. His throat still ached but it wasn’t as bad as the previous days.

Then Harry realized very quickly that there was noise coming from the diner. A lot of noise. The kind of noise that only the early morning rush could muster. And laughter.

So much laughter that Harry honest to God felt happy, nostalgic, and like laughing for the first time in a really long time. He imagined waking up and hearing the very same kind of happiness and laughter from the other room before he bolted to find his mum and the entire town existing and enjoying the morning breakfast routine.

But then he figured maybe Peach had knocked the sign off when she came in with arms full of food and medicine yesterday and people were waiting for breakfast thinking that he was up and at ‘em again. He put on clothes as quickly as he could with his head feeling like a balloon still. He hurried to see what the commotion was because it seemed weird that everyone would be in the diner when he distinctly had it closed, and he wasn’t there.

When he entered, everyone stared at him. “How are you feeling Harry?” Alice asked.

He blinked in surprise at everyone eating and chatting as if it were normal to be there without Harry. “How did—”

“Hi Harry!”

Ah.

She appeared from the kitchen carrying plates of food and settling them on the tables as she passed. She marched right up to Harry after and pressed her hand to his forehead. If he wasn’t already flushed from being ill, his cheeks would have turned red as everyone witnessed her touching him. No one ever touched Harry. No hugs, no high fives, nothing.

But of course, she was different. Perhaps everyone knew that. They kept their smiles to themselves, and she grinned. “I hope you don’t mind. I told everyone I can make bacon, eggs, home fries, and toast without setting the place on fire. But everyone was missing you and the diner.”

There wasn’t a chance in hell these nice, sweet people missed his grumpy self. They were here for her. Someone who didn’t grow up here but acted like she did. “Can I make you something? I’ll make you tea!” She decided and pulled him toward the counter seat, her counter seat. She hurried behind the counter and busied herself with a mug and hot water. “How do you feel?” She asked.

“Good,” he cleared his throat and winced at the feeling.

She pouted. “Maybe you should go back to bed.”

And miss the delightful show she was putting on? Running his diner as if she did this every day? No way. Was everyone as floored about this as he was? Probably not. They probably knew that Harry loved her in such a way that he never loved anyone else in this town.

Harry reached for the sugar and cream behind the counter, and she smacked his hand away and winked, placing the little plate in front of him. “I can make you eggs,” she offered her fingers touching the moon on her neck. “Are you okay?” She asked.

He nodded and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze before heading off toward the grill.

“Miss Peach any chance you could make those blueberry muffins of yours?”

“Oh! That’s an excellent idea, Ed! Let me get Harry some breakfast and I’ll get right on it!” She called from behind the kitchen.

Harry decided that he might love being sick.

But really, he knew it was just that he was in love.

--

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[babyboy555777]

3 and then some~ Rafe and Barry

Summary~ you make a proposal to Rafe and Barry. Telling them one of your wishes one late night at a kook party held at Rafe's house.

CW~ Threesome, light name calling, mxm kissing, eating out, unprotected sex, rough rafe, soft barry. (Should be all)

~rafe! x barry! x female reader!~

You, Rafe, and Barry had always been somewhat close. Well, whenever Rafe and Barry actually got on decent terms again. It was always the three of you hanging out at Rafe’s house. Them doing drugs and you sitting back watching them snort lines off the table. Barry always came to Rafe’s party as 1. A supplier of course. 2. As a friend of yours and his. And 3. Well simply because he filled the empty air in the parties and made it all the more fun.

You and Rafe, like any other day before a party, drove to Barry’s to talk with him about what drugs he should bring. You laid on Barry’s couch legs propped up onto the back scrolling on your phone as they talked. “Some pot of course. Mostly sell it outside because last time people started smoking that shit in the house.” Rafe leaned back into the chair spreading his legs covering his mouth with his hand.

“I don’t know how much though I guess leave it up to you.” Rafe spoke up again. “As for the powder. Just for us to carry around. Sell it at the table and watch them do it like always. We don’t need people doing dumb shit with it.” Barry nodded his head at Rafe’s words. “I got it man don’t worry. We do this every time I don’t see why you still drive over here man.” Barry huffed and shook his head.

You looked from your phone looking at them both. “Both of you stress each other the hell out. It’s so unbelievable” you chuckled at your own words and shook your head going back to your phone. “Oh, now princess pipes up. Didn’t even talk the whole 20 minutes you’ve been here.” Barry rolls his eyes, and you do the same.

“Oh, bite me I’m just bored. Plus, Rafe told me not to chime in this time.” Rafe nodded his head with a slight smirk appearing on his lips. “Yeah, well that I did. I don’t need to be clouding my head with that blabber mouth running.”

“Oh, you can bite me too Cameron.” You rolled your eyes getting back onto the phone. He let out a sigh standing up from his seat walking over to you. “Come on don’t be that way.” He looked down at you. “Anyway, get up we got to go shopping.” He patted your thigh turning his head back to Barry.

“Call me if you need anything before tomorrow.” Barry nodded his head dabbing up Rafe. You got off the couch walking over to Barry giving him a hug from the side. “See you tomorrow night. Let us know when you’re on the way over.” He nodded his head once again and with that you and Rafe left to go shopping for tomorrow night's events.

You sat in Rafe's room curling your hair on his floor. The party is supposed to start at 8 p.m. you opened your phone checking the time. 7:15. You had enough time to finish your hair and get dressed up. You didn't want to overdo it, but you always wore a somewhat "casual" dress. Although Rafe and Barry always had a word or two to say to each other about what you were wearing.

As quickly as you could you finished up your makeup, since you got sidetracked by your phone, and started to undress and change into your black dress. It reached just below the mid of your thighs. Hugging your curves ever so tightly.

Once last look into the mirror you quickly grabbed your phone slipping it into your bra after checking the time 8:27 and heading downstairs. The house was already filled with many people taking shots, eating some of the snacks, and walking outside to smoke. You saw Rafe hanging in the living room with Topper and Kelce.

You placed yourself on the arm of the couch beside Rafe resting your arm behind his head. He placed his arm on your thigh continuing his conversation with Topper. You looked around the house as more people filled the area one by one.

It was all starting and you were ready. Each shot you poured down your throat the more you loosened up. Each one feeling more and more inviting as the burning liquid slid it's way down your throat.

Your phone buzzed in your bra. You pulled it out looking down at the text from Barry saying that he was finally here. You took your seltzer and made your way outside seeing his small black car parked on the curb. "Hey." You said excitedly making your way over to him.

He chuckled as he shoved his keys into his pocket walking closer to you as well. "Looks like little miss princess is already getting started." You chuckled pulling Barry into a hug. One of his arms wrapped around your waist pulling you closer to him. He took a long drag of the smell of your hair and soon released you.

Soon you, Rafe, and Barry all sat in the living room talking with anyone who had sat down. They did their sells, Barry occasionally walking outside to sell some one the pot he had brought with him, and Rafe stayed in the living room with you as he watched person after person snort a line.

Growing bored you made your way upstairs to Rafe's room having an idea of a lifetime. You pulled your phone out of your bra once again and opened up the group chat with the three of you. "You guys come upstairs to Rafe's room when you have the chance." you hit send and sat down on the chair at the desk waiting for them both.

Rafe and Barry both saw the text looking at each other from across the room. A slight nod from both of them and they made their way up. Rafe opened the door slowly with Barry walking behind him. You smiled at them gesturing them take a seat on the bed.

They sat side by side knees touching each other, both looking at you. "I want to propose something. And neither of you have to agree right now or agree at all really. We don't have to do it."

They both looked at you confused knowing you there was no telling what words would fall out of your mouth next. Barry nodded his head letting you go on. "I want to..." You tried to find the words and also tried to think if you should just straight up say it or lead into it. "I want to have a threesome with you two."

Both of their eyes widened a little bit. Rafe soon chuckled. "I'm sorry run that back." He pressed his lips together and furrowed his brows. "I want to have a threesome. With you guys. I've literally thought about it for so long and I don't know I just can't keep it in."

You sighed. "I can't even stop thinking about it. Every time the three of us are together, I want nothing more than this." Barry shook his head, and a chuckled snort left him. "Barry I'm being serious."

You sighed once more. "It's not even drunk thoughts, okay? I truly want this and like I said neither of you have to do it." Rafe and Barry paused looking at you. Rafe looked you up and down biting his lower lip. Barry stared at you simply shocked. "Yeah, I'll do it why not?"

Barry turned to Rafe. "Really?" He cocked his head. "We've all been friends long enough and I mean who are we if we both lie saying we haven't wanted her for so long. Come on Barry."

A slight blush appeared on your face and Rafe's words slipped his mouth. Barry nodded his head. "Okay yeah. I'll do it." He looked back at you and so did Rafe. their stares felt like hungry predators ready to pounce. Their eyes had delighted, and both of them started to breath heavily.

"Tonight?" You said standing up. "I mean it's late and not like it really matters right?" Barry and Rafe nodded their heads saying they'd do it now. Their stares sent a cold shiver down your spine making you want to crawl out of your skin. You turned to Barry moving your hair out of the way. "Unzip me please."

He brought his hands up slowly sliding the black zipper down your back watching as the tight dress now lost it's shape. You slipped the straps off your shoulders slowly letting the dress fall to the floor exposing your back to the both of them. Your black lingerie with lace laid still on your body.

You walked away from the dress standing between them. They both moved making room for you to sit in the middle of them on the bed. You sat down placing a hand on each of their thighs.

You turned to Rafe, then Barry, then back to Rafe. You slowly leaned in connecting your lips with his. In an instant he grabbed the bottom of your neck pulling you deeper into the kiss.

Barry watched as you and Rafe made out. You slipped your hand up and down Barry's leg soon making your way over to his now showing budge. Your hands slowly rubbed through the fabric of his shorts making him throw his head back letting out a small groan.

You pulled back from Rafe giving him one last peck before turning to Barry. He pulled you in the same as Rafe did kissing you ever so softly. You rubbed Rafe's leg up and down earning a sigh from him.

Rafe moved closer to you planting small kisses on your shoulders. He moved your bra strap down off your collarbone soon moving in closer to your neck leaving small love bites below your ear.

You groaned into Barrys mouth making you move your head back releasing the kiss from him. Barry did the same as Rafe making his way to your neck leaving the same but also different bites. You bit your lip holding back a moan as the two fought at war over your neck.

You grabbed them both removing them both from you. Rafe's hands roamed your waist. As Barry looked his now formed bites on your neck. You scooted back onto the bed and both of them looked back at you.

"You two." Barry and Rafe looked at each other confused. "Kiss." They looked shocked and could barely form words. "Come on like you guys don't already think about it." You chuckled.

They looked at each other a moment and nodded their heads scooting closer to each other. Neither of them had done this before, and truly they were nervous. Both of them leaned in grabbing each other's face with one hand. Barry slowly closed the kiss making their lips connect.

At first, they were both hesitant to even go but soon enough they started. Their lips moving at a slow pace. Rafe pulled Barry in even more making them deepen the kiss. You truly bit your lip at the sight of them.

You leaned back taking in the sight of them. Each of them hungrily fighting for the next move. You moved closer pulling them apart to take off their shirts as swiftly as possible. "Eager are we princess." Barry chuckled.

"Shut it." you huffed out. You pulled them further onto the bed sitting on your knees between the two of them not sure of what to do. Rafe and Barry smirked at each other as they started to roam your body with their hands.

Rafe pulled your back closer to his chest. He quickly unclasped your bra letting it fall of your shoulders just like the dress did moments ago. “You don’t need this.” He whispered in your ear.

Barry moved your legs straight helping you slide off your underwear. “Or these.” Suddenly you had felt so exposed in front of the two men. Heat rose up your body to your face. “Come on darling don’t get so nervous now. Isn’t this what you always dreamed about?” Rafe said as his hands moved up and down your arms.

It all did feel like a dream. The absolute best dream you could ever have. You truly prayed this was real. You shut your eyes tight as Barry ran his hands up and down your legs. “Looks like she’s already falling weak.” Barry said with a smirk planted on his lips.

Drew chuckled lightly in your ear. His hands finally made their way to your breast slowly massaging them in his hands. “God who knew you wanted us so bad. And here we thought we’d never have you like such a mess.” Rafe said before planting small kisses on the back of your neck.

Barry bent down leaning closer to your cunt. His breath hitting your entrance caused you to shift. Barry held your legs open looking up at you and your now opened eyes. “Fuck.” You said quietly biting your lip at the sight of him. He planted kisses all over your thighs as he held your legs open.

“God and to think we’d be so lucky to have her all for us right country club.” Rafe chuckled at the words that left Barry’s mouth but agreed. “Can’t believe she didn’t give us this idea sooner. And who would have thought she’d be so wet at the sight of us making out.”

Barry chuckled back leaning further toward your cunt. He placed a small kiss on your clit making you shutter and buckle your hips. You were at a loss for words. The image of Barry between your legs and Rafe gripping your chest leaving kissing all over your shoulders and neck. It was all so much.

“Fuck.” Barry groaned before flicking his tongue all around. Your head fell back into Rafe’s shoulder taking in a gasp of air. Rafe turned your face to him slowly making out with you as Barry’s tongue worked like magic. You moaned lightly in Rafe’s mouth.

Barry’s mouth moved at such a heavenly speed. Sucking on your clit and moving his tongue up and down and in circles. He pulled away making you pull back from Rafe’s now plumped lips.

Barry then soon slid two fingers in you moving in and out making you throw your head back again. Rafe took this as an opportunity to massage your clit. Moving his fingers in circles. listening to your moans in his ears made his dick rise even more. You could feel his boner poking you in the back making you want so much more than was being offered. You felt so needy and greedy with these men. God you just wanted so much more.

“She’s falling apart.” Rafe chuckled as he looked at you. Not a single word left your lips. Moan after moan erupted through the air making them both turned on so much more. “Let me get a taste hmmm.” Rafe slowly moved you off his chest replacing himself with Barry.

He leaned down just as Barry did and immediately got to work moving his tongue as best as he could. The newfound pleasure made it hard for you to even be reasonable at this moment. Your vision blurred and your mind was fuzzy. You grabbed Barry’s face pulling him into a deep kiss.

“Fuck me.” You groaned out against his lips. You could feel Rafe smirk against your folds as the words left your mouth. Soon he stopped his movements getting off the bed. He nodded at Barry to do the same. Both of them stripping down to nothing. They had you in awe.

Both of them side by side rocked your world. They fit so well together, and they couldn’t help but torment you. They both climbed back on the bed looking at just each other. They moved in close like they had did previously slowly leaning into yet another kiss. All you could do was watch as each one fought for dominance.

Their heads turning every so often not moving from each other. Lips now swollen and hungry for more. Barry was the first to pull away and Rafe patted Barry’s face as a way to say good job.

Both of them smirked before crawling on each side of you. "All fours now." Rafe said behind you. you obeyed throwing your ass in the air and your forearms resting in front of Barry's knees. Both of them stoked themselves at the sight of you.

"Fuck." Rafe grunted out. He moved his hands over your hips slightly gripping them. You took a hold of Barry's dick swirling your tongue around the tip making. He grabbed all of your hair bunching it up into a makeshift ponytail.

Rafe soon aligned his rock-hard cock to your folds. Swiping his tip up and down your folds making you moan on Barry's cock as you bobbed your head up and down.

Without warning Rafe slammed into you filling you up with cock make you let out a loud yelp. "Fuck." you huffed out. Barry grabbed your chin making you look up at him. He slowly slid his cock in and out of your mouth. Rafe continued his movements in the back.

Thrusting faster and harder than Barry was on the other side. "So fucking tight. Shit Barry you have to feel her." Rafe grunted as he gripped your hips harder leaving marks. Barry removed his cock from your mouth letting you sit up more in the bed.

With a few more hard trust and loud moans escaping your lips he pulled out switching places with Barry. Rafe planted his hips in front of you. With your shaky hands you reached for his cock sliding it in your mouth and stroking the rest with what couldn't fit.

Barry was gentler with you. He held your hips just as Rafe did but his stokes where slow at first not trying to hurt you. You hummed against Rafe making him bite his lip and throw his head back. "Fuck good girl." He smirked looking down at you.

"Faster Barry." You looked behind you as Barry thrusted in and out of you. He gave a slight nod adjusting himself before pushing further into you at a faster pace almost reaching Rafe's.

Everyone in the room panted and moaned. The room feeling steamy and almost suffocating in a good way. Soon you could feel your high reaching its peak. Barry felt your walls clench around his cock making his shut his eyes muttering words to himself.

You let out a gospel like moan as Barry slammed into you once more making all your walls crumble. He pulled out quickly and Rafe moved himself from your mouth both moving off the bed. Quickly you followed getting on your knees in front of them.

You grabbed both their cocks stroking them at a fast pace. Both of them a moaning and grunting mess as they too were reaching their high. "Fuck, come on baby." Rafe moaned out grabbing your hair.

Barry continued to shut his eyes tightly as he felt himself building up. Soon both of them shot their hot liquid onto your chest. Both of them grunting and breathing heavily looking down at you.

Rafe grabbed the back of your neck pulling you into a sloppy kiss against his swollen pink lips. After he pulled away Barry did the same. He pushed the hair from your face and quickly grabbed his shirt off the ground wiping you off. Rafe grabbed his shirt handing it over to you to slip on.

Both of them slipped their shorts back on as you sat down on the edge of the bed. "Fuck who would have known country club?" Barry chuckled at Rafe. "Who knew this be the best night of my fucking life. Fuck the party were staying up here the rest of the night."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

hehe I had so much fun writing this hope you enjoyed

[razorblade180]

Streamer AU 8

Part 7

Weiss:*concentrating*

Blake:Yooo. Another night, another stream. Where’s she at?

Jaune:Alice in Wonderland. She’s still getting used to the controls.

Blake: Chat should keep count of deaths.

Weiss:Chat, you’ll get timed out. Don’t listen to her.

Blake:Are you at least having fun?

Weiss:Oh definitely! I actually was in a play about Wonderland when I was little. Feels nostalgic.

Sunny Day: “We’re you Tweedle Dee or Dumb?”

Blake:Haha haaaa!

Weiss:Sun stop trying be funny now that Blake is here.

Sunny Day: “I’m always funny.”

Weiss:Wrong.

Ruby:*joins call* How’s our little gamer doing?

Weiss:I wish enemies have health bars.

Ruby:Oh, oh so you don’t know?

Weiss:…What?

Jaune:Remember how you chose a weapon and it affects your stats?

Weiss:Did I cheat myself out of a health bar!?

Ruby:You’ll get it, but you would have it already if you picked the sword. Chat, nobody tell her what level she needs.

Weiss:WHAT!?

xxxxxx

Yang:Sorry I’m late to the-

“DEEP FREEZE!”

Yang watches the Weiss run around enemies blasting blizzard and clearing areas rather proficiently.

Yang:Someone is gaming.

Weiss:Everything changed with this spell.

Yang:I am not surprised.

“Goooo!”

“The spamming begins”

“Literally in her element”

“How she fights in real life”

Jaune:Pfft, Weiss, can you actually shoot ice like this in a fight?

Weiss:Ummm, I don’t see why not.

Ruby:By the end of this game, Weiss is gonna change her entire fight style to be like Sora.

Yang:Honestly that would be a really cool IRL stream! Just a list of abilities that Weiss has to try to do! Weiss! How much money!?

Weiss:*shrugs* I gotta beat the game first.

Ruby:I’m starting a poll in chat.

Blake:For what?

“Who do you think is most worthy of a keyblade?”

Blake:No, don’t do that! I won’t win!

Weiss:This means a lot to you I guess.

Blake:Some people have their dreams of going to Hogwarts; I wanted a keyblade.

Jaune:I wanted to go to Hogwarts.

Lotus Chef: “Just sneak in 👍”

Jaune:Ren!!!!

Yang:Listen, he beat me to it.

Weiss:Ba- *clears throat* Hey how long is every world?

Jaune:Maybe an hour so? Generally speaking.

Weiss:Cool. Maybe we can get two done.

Ruby:Or get stuck on the worst boss in the game.

Weiss:…*looks at Jaune*

Jaune:It’s not the worst boss.

Weiss:*squints*

Jaune:It’s true!!!!

Combat Ready made a prediction poll. Will Weiss beat the boss in 10 or less tries?

Ruby:Oh yeah, betting time! Penny your brain is beautiful!

Weiss:My chat and call are full of enemies.

Sunny Day: “I’m here for you.”

Weiss:Fuck off, Tweedle Dumb.

Blake:Is Neptune Tweedle Dee?

Neptune: *joins call* Neptune has been minding his own business. Sunny Day is acting on his own. *leaves*

Ruby:Leaving your leader like that is crazy work.

Yang:I respect it.

Ruby:Hehe whaaat?

Weiss finally makes it back to the table in the game, spawning Trickmaster.

Weiss:Oh…

Ruby:God, it’s so ugly now. It used to red and black.

Blake:90% voted you’d lose by the way.

Weiss:And just like real life, 10% of people are gonna eat like kings.

xxxxx

5 attempts later, Weiss is staring at the game over screen deeply.

Jaune:…Need a break?

Weiss:I’m just processing.

“You’ll get it in the 11th try”

“Please, I need the points!”

“This is a fucked up boss to have in the beginning.”

“Cheat and use Jaune.”

Weiss:Guys I’m not even mad yet. Also he’s for hints and guiding, not cheating. I beat FFX alone! I can handle this!

Ruby:You’re only level 10, on proud mode. Kinda have to remember that.

Weiss:Yeah…is it cheating if I grind? *hits continue*

Everyone:It’s a JRPG

Weiss:Fair enough. I’ll get a few levels.

Jaune:No more than lvl 14.

Weiss:Oh trust me, I do not plan on being here forever. You guys might have to entertain chat a little bit while I zone out some.

xxxxxxx

Blake:You never did answer who you played as in Wonderland.

Weiss:Cheshire Cat.

Blake:Really!?

Weiss:I was the only one okay with wearing the ears.

Yang:Damn….

Ruby:Are you trying to tell me little kid Weiss was somehow the least racist in her class?

Weiss:Little kid Weiss wasn’t racist.

Cross Hare: “As supposed to grow up Weiss!?”

Weiss:No! I’m not- Velvet we had lunch together today! Look, all I’m going to say is young adolescent Weiss saw a lot of White Fang member incidents and formed opinions…

Blake:That’s fair.

“Sounds suspicious to me.”

Blake:Guys, my parents love Weiss. That might actually be the only approval that matters.

Jaune:Didn’t Weiss amaze all of Menagerie.

Blake:Uuuugghh, why’d you remind meeeeeee.

Weiss:Tell the story.

Blake:Chat? Chat, I love Weiss, but I fucking hate this woman. Historically speaking, she’s a bad cook.

Weiss:“Historically” is insane.

Yang:Blake invited us to Menagerie to meet her parents and take part in what’s essentially an island cookout feast.

Cross Hare: “I REMEMBER THIS DAY!”

Blake:Without telling anyone, Weiss decided she was going to practice cooking this seafood gumbo that’s well known m the island to try and make a good impression.

Ruby:In hindsight, you did invite a Schnee into essentially enemy territory.

Blake:All she had to do was be polite and wave! Instead she asks my own mother if she could use the kitchen and make a traditional cuisine! I was stressed for the first half hour until suddenly…a scent is in the air. Spices. The correct spices. Now there’s an entire community looking around as this petite woman in an apron is swaying to our music and cooking our food.

Yang:I’m going to fucking honest, it’s so easy to forget Weiss is musically trained. Meanwhile Blake has two left feet.

Blake:I could live with that. What I couldn’t live with was when the food- *breathes in mic* When the gumbo was ready, it tasted better than any I ever made. My own mother told me this, and I couldn’t disagree.

Ruby:It was sooooo good!

Blake: Weiss “I had a cake butler” Schnee, showed up to my home island, cooked a dish with my, and danced with my people better than me. She out Faunesed a Faunus and I have sworn I can never let this happen again!!

Weiss:Everyone said bye to me! They were so nice.

Ruby:Weiss I’m letting you know right now if I ever take you back home and I discover you practiced wrangling horses, we are fighting in the dirt.

Yang:You get one time to bake an apple pie for my dad and if it’s better, hands. You don’t see me learning opera.

Weiss:I am an over achiever.

Jaune:Keep in mind, she’s still weak with most dishes.

Weiss:Cooking is hard!

Obtained Ripple Drive

Weiss:Oh, new stuff. *opens menu*

Jaune: *looks*… Weiss? Why isn’t dodge roll equipped?

Weiss:….*covers face*

“Weiss….”

“Girl…..”

“How have you been living?”

“You are throwing!!!!”

Yang:*wheezing* It could be worse. You could’ve beaten the boss first.

Weiss:Alright everyone, back to the boss!

xxxxxx

Attempt number six was practically a joke. She beat the boss in four minutes flat.

Weiss:Are you kidding me!?

Ruby:Shake it off. Now you know to double check. Penny, please pay out the believers.

Ruby:That was half my channel points…

Weiss:YOU BET AGAINST ME!?

Ruby:I hate this boss! I thought it would cause trouble.

Jaune:Imagine if Weiss is better at this game than you?

Ruby:I’d cry.

[fictional-reylin]

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ Hawks // Takami Keigo with an underground hero

Warnings: Reader having intrusive thoughts about violence, Reader being horny for Keigo, nothing explicit, mention of blood

Word Count: 3.500

Author’s notes: Didn't know if I wanted Reader to be flustered by Hawks attitude or annoyed since the original post didn’t have a specific reaction, so I did both. I may have made the reader a bit too aggressive, I'm sorry. Also, was inspired by this post. I noticed that there was like a whole "saga" following it but I already had the idea for my ending so I just added bits and pieces where I could.

You are welcome to send requests, don't forget to check this post: ಇ.┊[requests] .ᐟ

It was late in the evening, maybe like three hours after school hours have finished. You were walking back from your way to work to finally catch a break when you noticed your old teacher from UA. You and Aizawa have kept in contact after you had graduated, but never really had the time to speak casually until today. So now you were sitting on a bench in some random park waiting for Aizawa to return with some coffee to catch up. Only for him to sit and complain with you about his current students now that you were an adult and could understand why he found kids annoying.

“I swear, these stupid kids are going to kill me one of these days…”

You took a sip of your coffee that he ordered for you, scrunching up your nose in disgust before swiftly pouring the rest of the drink in the nearby bushes. “Well you said the same thing about my class yet here you are, still alive” you said casually, remembering how annoyed he used to be with your class and antics that you all pulled off. You turned to look at him only to find him throwing you an annoyed glare, but you just laughed at that.

“Remind me why I even bother keeping contact with you ?”

“Cause I’m your favourite old student ?”

Before Aizawa had the time to object to that, you heard your work phone buzzing in your pocket and took it out, thinking that it was some kind of emergency if they called you after your shift. Reading the email that was sent to you, your eyes widened slightly, and the older man raised an eyebrow at that.

“What is it ?”

You re-read it a second time, making sure that you weren’t imagining it, before you read it out loud to him. “They’re inviting me to… some hero event ? Isn’t this defeating the purpose of me being an underground hero ?” You turned to him dumbfounded, and he just shrugged, sitting back and continuing to drink his coffee.

“They sometimes do that. They see an underground pro with a “Bigger Potential” as they say and try to get them to be more public. It makes them more money, and people consider this as a bit of an ego boost.”

You scoffed, you didn’t know if you should be flattered that they noticed you enough to invite you or insulted that they thought you were the type of person to easily chase after fame. Either way, you shoved your phone back into your pocket and crossed your arms over your chest. Aizawa noticed this and decided that for once he would be openly comforting. “You shouldn’t this an insult, you’re a great hero [Name]. And maybe you should consider going.”

You gave him a deadpan look, thinking that maybe from the last time you two spoke he developed some sense of humour. But by the serious look on his face, you guessed that it wasn’t a poor attempt at a joke.

“Are you kidding me ? You hate the paparazzi”

“But you don’t.” He interjected, “At least not as much as me. And you can always just be present there, talk to so some interviewers see how it all works and then go back to working as an underground hero. It’s not like you’re going to stand out much when the top ten, even twenty heroes are going to be present.”

In hindsight, he was right. Amongst the sea of popular heroes whose interviews people were dying to watch, you wouldn’t stand out like a sore thumb, you would be more like a needle in a haystack in this situation. And to be frank, you were always curious about this sort of events since you didn’t know any public heroes, at least not personally. “Well, I would like to experiment with that but… I would feel out of place. Plus, what am I supposed to do when I’m not talking to interviewers ? Look at a random wall ?”

Aizawa was almost regretting encouraging you into actually going, seeing how nervous you were getting solely at the thought of it, but he sighed and calmed himself down for your sake. “If you really nervous about going alone, I can ask Hizashi to accompany you there since he’s going anyway, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind catching up with an old student while there.”

You were so happy about him taking the extra step to make you confident in accepting the invitation that you almost hugged him, but quickly stopped yourself and simply bowed before you could embarrass yourself, “Thank you, Mr. Aizawa !”

Getting ready for that hero event was more torturous than you had expected at the start, because it felt like a dumb family reunion from your teenage years all over again. You wanted to dress casual because in the invitation there wasn’t even a specific theme that they were going for the event, so you were expected to just show up. But according to your friends that previously watched it on TV from a year ago, this was totally unacceptable, and you had to put extra effort into your appearance. Apparently, the fact that heroes were tired every single day from fighting and keeping Japan safe wasn’t enough of an excuse to be casual for one day, and they had to dress up for a bunch of strangers that they were never going to meet again for the rest of their lives.

So here you were, standing in a dress that you deemed was fancy enough for you to not get judgmental looks from the other guests and some light makeup to hopefully hide your tired face. Even though your friends cheered you on when you showed them your outfit, you still felt something was going to go wrong this night. But you decided to brush it off, blaming it on your nerves. You figured that since you weren’t important for the media anyway, nobody was going to pay you the slightest attention. Taking your bag, you locked the door of your flat behind you and quickly made your way outside, waiting for your ride to arrive.

So here you were, riding along with your two old teachers, Present Mic and Midnight. It felt weird given that unlike Aizawa, you didn’t keep in contact with the two of them after your graduation, yet these two were treating you so casually. You figured it was a way for them to show you that they respected you as a fellow hero or something, but it felt too odd coming from your previous teachers, especially Kayama who kept bugging you about your love life and such, to which you could only respond with fidgeting and a nervous smile. Thankfully you didn’t have to listen to any more of her questions since the three of you finally arrived. The first thing you noticed is the extreme number of paparazzi inside and outside the building, the bright camera flashes almost making it impossible to see properly.

You got out of the car, following suit after the blond man to not get lost and end up alone in the big crowd of unknown people. Last thing you needed was to get stuck chatting with heroes that you had no interest in talking to and having to explain your quirk like ten times in a row to different people. Kayama being herself obviously went off to flirt with someone while Yamada stayed close to you and decided to spend time catching up with you, you guessed it was because Aizawa never actually talked about you or never specifically brought you up.

“So, how’s the hero life treating ya, kid ? Everything you expected from when you graduated, or you’re ready to quit ?”

“Isn’t every job that exists making you feel like you’re ready to quit at some point ?”

You did some more catching up with him, talks about hero work and just life in general after graduating from UA, before eventually it was your tun to be interviewed, and surprisingly you enjoyed it. It wasn’t something that you would want to do every single time, you chose to be an underground hero for a reason after all, but it still felt nice to get some sort of attention. Like people saw you and acknowledge you for what you did because it was right, not because you looked cool while doing it. Even if it didn’t last very long and the interviewer immediately turned his attention to Present Mic and talked about how he was so awesome and in return the hero kept shouting compliments and anecdotes, but you were too busy covering your eras to not become deaf to hear anything he yelled, which was too loud for you even if he didn’t use his quirk.

The next day after the event, you sat on your couch and decided that since it was your day off, you could spend some time watching the interview that you did just for some fun. Everything was how you remembered, you took some time to admire your outfit, before you noticed something that made you a bit flustered: Hawks, the number two hero Hawks, passing by you and staring at you, like full on eye fucking you. You sat there for a couple of seconds before telling yourself that he was probably staring at someone else. He couldn’t possibly be staring at you, what kind of reputation he would have if he would just stare at random pro heroes that were only invited on a whim.

Then out of curiosity, you decided to watch his interviews. Everything was normal, some questions about his work, fans, etc… Until you pass somewhere behind him, the camera focusing on him barely catching your silhouette as he turns to yet again stare at you, less openly this time. Then he’s turning back to the camera, and you swear to God you can pass out from his words. “Damn, who is that ?” The way he’s saying it, plus how you can clearly see his face turning slightly red, has your brain short-circuiting and making you hide our face in a pillow like a teenager who got a confession from their crush.

But after some thinking about it, you sit up and now, you’re actually feeling annoyed. If you had just been interviewed, then people would probably forget about you in a week or so. But this is the № 2 hero we’re talking about, people will be gossiping about it for months, maybe even call out to you on the streets, with paparazzi spreading any sort of gossip to make money out of it. And the crazy fangirls, you weren’t ready to wake up to death threats by fanatics that somehow found your private account and thought that Hawks was their boyfriend.

Before you could get angrier about the situation, you heard your personal phone ring and quickly put it on speaker. On the other line, you heard your friend yelling out your name like it was the end of the world or something, which honestly, it felt really fitting to you.

“Did you watch Hawk’s interview from last night ? Dude, he is so into you !”

You could only let out a groan in response to that, sliding from your couch on the floor and hiding your face in your hands. “My life as an underground hero is ruined. Why did I ever decide to go there…”

“Aren’t you a little proud that Hawks of all people thought you are hot ? I mean that’s kind of an accomplishment.”

“I already knew that. I didn’t need someone to say it on national TV” You could only hear a bark of laughter from the other line “Well anyway, I’m sure that something else will pop up and people will quickly forget about Hawks crush, or whatever the media will call it.”

They, in fact, did not forget about Hawks crush on you. And yes, that’s how they called it. For the past week, you had been bombarded with paparazzi, and people from talk shows. They kept inviting you to talk about the situation and your feelings towards the № 2 flirty remarks and questioning about your relationship with him, as if you had any to begin with. His fans who theorized online if the two of you were secretly dating and were just putting on a show for everyone, as if. And just as you had expected, his fangirls were going crazy over this, threatening you to stay away from him. You almost wanted to fake a confession just to see who was willing to find you and murder you in your own home so that Hawks would feel guilty about his comments. But you decided that your intrusive thoughts were best kept inside your brain.

Even villains begin to recognize you, and it especially felt humiliating when you were about to arrest them and all they cared about is if the rumours were true, followed by your teammates' laughter. Hell, even Hawks was pouring salt on the wound. Of all the things that he could have answered when talking in another interview when they brought up the clip of him looking at you and what was your relationship, he responded “If I’m lucky, my future spouse”. The only thing that filled your thoughts at that moment is how you wanted to rip off his swings so that he would finally stop smiling. And again, you decided to keep your intrusive thoughts to yourself.

This had been exhausting to say the least, to the point where you were asked to take a break by every single one of your friends because of how… not mentally okay you looked. It’s not like they were wrong; you kept beating yourself up from every single failed mission because instead of stealthy defeating a villain, your hero name was screamed and shouted at you, making you lose your concentration. It left you wondering how others put on a show when fighting. Lucky for you, you didn’t have to wonder more because some big scandal about Mountain Lady got out, and you were quickly forgotten and were able to come back to that quiet life. Even if some articles about the subject would pop up, people mostly just ignored it and shrugged it off as Hawks being his usual flirt. Which, all things considered, was kind of true, so you didn’t have to worry about him remembering you either if someday your unluckiness forced you to meet him.

…

“I jinxed it, didn't I…?”

It was a couple of days after the scandal with Mountain Lady. You were leaning on the side of a building, munching on whatever dessert you had ordered, the fancy name that it was given already forgotten. When suddenly, you noticed a pair of red wings out of the corner of your eye. That alone was enough for you to start feeling a mix of annoyance and anxiety slowly building up, and that only worsened when he spoke.:

“Heeeey, you’re that sexy underground pro I saw last time. How you doing hot stuff ?”

Currently, your mind was torn between wanting to leave multiple stab wounds over his whole body or making him leave multiple love bites over yours. You knew the guy was handsome, but dammit, seeing him in real life and to top it off in casual clothing was doing something to your body and mind. “So that’s why people say that cameras don’t do him justice. Noted…”

“You birdbrain had managed to ruin my entire image in just two interviews, which by the way I don’t know if you care enough, was not supposed to exist at all. You know how many people called out to me while I was on a mission, and even more had asked me if we were a thing ! And what the hell were you thinking by basically telling people that you wanted to marry me someday ?!” You whisper yelled at him, but apparently your anger towards the man in front of you was doing nothing but amuse him in response.

“Well, what were you thinking when you decided to go there ? That’s a public event sweetheart; people were bound to notice you. Plus…” He leaned closer to you, hands casually resting inside his pockets as he looked down at you with a smug grin. “By the way your cheeks are burning up, I have a good guess that it’s not because you’re angry. So I feel like you enjoy my attention.”

You could’ve answered with a snarky comment; you could’ve acted aggressive towards like you did all this time when you thought about confronting him, you could’ve just glared at him to not give him any satisfaction of being right about your feelings. Instead, your face got even more red than it already was, and you just sprinted off before he could another embarrassing comment about your state. And Hawks couldn’t do anything but stare in amusement as you got further away from him. He had expected you to react like this, but he was not ready to how much he would enjoy this “cute…” He thought to himself, before entering the coffee shop like he initially planned.

After that incident, you thought that you wouldn’t have to see the winged hero again, since you basically stalked all of his accounts to know where not to go when you weren’t on hero duty. But fate had yet again decided to go against your wishes, since not even two days after that, you bumped into each other again, in a less-than-ideal moment at that.

Hawks was busy chasing a mutant type of villain that no one could catch because he kept liquefying his body, when he got into a building. He chased after him, settling for a run since his wings didn’t have enough room to spread properly and let him fly. But before Hawks could do anything, the villain grabbed a civilian that was passing by, pressing a knife against their throat so that Hawks would have no other choice but to let him go. The civilian in question was you, just coming back from grocery shopping with now facing the winged hero as he thought about a solution to not get you killed in the process of arresting this guy.

To put it simply, the situation annoyed you. You were exhausted from hero work, and the only thing you wanted to do right now was go back home to satisfy your hunger with the meal that you had just bought. And you were not going to wait for that birdbrain to come up with a plan while you were at the brink of death only because he was useless at the moment. So, you grabbed hold of the knife along with the shoulder of the villain and threw him over you with full force. You looked down on him, an unimpressed look on your face. “Before taking a hostage make sure they’re not a hero, or don’t do martial arts” You glanced at your now bleeding hand that was holding the knife, sighing at the fact that you would have to clean the floor afterwards to not scare your neighbours.

Hawks didn’t waste any time to cuff the villain, and immediately after checking on you, “I’m so sorry for this. Let me help you clean your-” You cut him off by showing your now completely healed hand, as if the incident had never happened, minus the little scare that would also disappear with time. “Fast healing. Don’t worry about it” He stared dumbfounded at your hand, before eventually regaining his composure and going back to his cheerful persona, a satisfied grin on his face.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay… And I really am sorry.”

You raised an eyebrow, shoving your hands into your pockets. “For making me almost die or the interview ?”

“Whatever you choose, songbird”

You scoffed, watching as he descended the stairs to finally leave. You leaned against the railings, looking down at him as he made his way down before shouting “If you feel sorry for the latter, you can always invite me to dinner !”

He looked up, a smirk on his face as he considered your offer before replying in a very enthusiastic manner, “Be ready tomorrow at ten. Casual.”

And with that, he finally left. You pushed yourself up, walking towards your door as you picked up your groceries, humming to yourself. “Should have invited him inside maybe…? Nah, then the poor villain would be stuck listening.”

ಇ.┊[bnha masterlist] .ᐟ ಇ.┊[AO3 version] .ᐟ ಇ.┊[navigation] .ᐟ

@moodyvoid

[valuentumbrian]

How Does 37% Sound?

Image: The Schwab U.S. Large Cap Growth ETF (SCHG) is up more than 37% so far in 2024.

By Brian Nelson, CFA

How does 37% sound? That was the price-only performance of the Schwab U.S. Large Cap Growth ETF (SCHG) thus far in 2024. Over the preceding 5-year period, the SCHG is up over 140%.

For years, I have pounded the table on the theory that there are not value or growth stocks, but rather undervalued, fairly valued, or overvalued stocks. It’s why many growth stocks can be undervalued. It’s the Theory of Universal Valuation found in Value Trap that ties myriad areas of finance to the well-known discounted cash-flow [DCF] model. Growth is a component of value. Hook, line, and sinker.

For years, I have been pounding the table on large cap growth as my favorite area for idea generation (given its Valuentum stock tendencies), and I have put my money where my mouth is, too, with a meaningful portion of my net worth in SCHG. You’ll find that a lot of the top holdings in SCHG are top considerations in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, too, so there’s some good overlap between what I consider Valuentum stocks and where I’m putting my money.

But why don’t I actually own all the stocks I like? It’s the question I have been asked for more than a decade. Here’s what I wrote back in September 2023. I’m an old school analyst that cut my teeth in this business following the Global Analyst Settlement, meaning I believe that writers should generally not be taking stakes in the individual stocks they write about. Writers with positions in the stocks they write about can lead to biased research, or worse, terrible outcomes.

So what’s the playbook for 2025? You can probably guess that I think large cap growth and big cap tech will continue to lead the markets to new heights. 2024 was a boring year, if a 37% return can be considered boring for large cap growth. Frankly, with the market focusing on macro data and the Fed during 2024, there wasn’t much material to write about. We all already know the story: Inflation is under control, the job market remains healthy, the Fed is cutting, and artificial intelligence will be the name of the game this decade.

I think it’s worth clarifying some of our offerings every now and then, as each one focuses on a unique vertical. For those seeking capital appreciation, the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio may be of interest. For those seeking dividend growth, the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio includes our favorite ideas, while for those seeking high yield, the High Yield Dividend Newsletter may be your cup of tea. Dividend growth focuses on dividend growth potential; high yield focuses on current high yield, and so on and so forth.

The Exclusive publication is one of my favorite publications, where we highlight an income idea, a capital appreciation idea and a short idea consideration each month. You can read more about the Exclusive publication here. As of the date of the release of the December edition of the Exclusive publication, success rates for Capital Appreciation Ideas were 90.1%, while success rates for Short Idea Considerations were 88.1%. If you haven’t yet tried out the Exclusive, please do so.

Okay – so what about dividends? Unfortunately, I think we’re in for another difficult year for dividend growth investing. The SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) is only up 6% year-to-date, trailing both the equal-weight and market-cap weighted S&P 500 indices by sizable margins. With the 10-year Treasury yield at 4.6% and certificate-of-deposit rates still elevated, dividend-only-focused investors will likely continue to trail the broader markets. Remember: dividends are capital appreciation that otherwise would have been achieved, so don’t let the dividend tail wag the total return dog.

What about Bitcoin? I really don’t know. It’s definitely a greater fool asset like gold, but I have totally underestimated the number of fools there are these days. Haha. Just kidding, but seriously, with the regulatory environment easing with respect to crypto and with President-elect Donald Trump supporting crypto assets, who really knows how high Bitcoin can get or just how volatile the asset may become as institutional money ebbs and flows.

So what about small cap value? Well, year-to-date, the iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN) is up a meager 6%, and it is up just 28% over the past 5 years, trailing large cap growth considerably. With a near 30% weighting in financials and 10% weighting in real estate in the IWN, for me, it’s a no-brainer to avoid. The only way I believe the gap between large cap growth and small cap value narrows is if large cap growth falls on difficult times, which can never be ruled out. But that said, there’s no reason to believe in the IWN, no matter what the statisticians say about quantitative value. I tackle the issue of the pitfalls of falling in love with historical data in Value Trap, too.

All things considered, 2024 was an absolutely amazing year for our core research exposure (i.e. large cap growth). Do I think the SCHG will repeat its dazzling performance in 2025? Probably not to the same extent, but it’s hard to bet against some of the strongest net-cash-rich, free-cash-flow generating powerhouses on the market today. Give me Apple (AAPL), Nvidia (NVDA), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOG) any day of the week, especially over any financials-heavy index. Enjoy the rest of 2024 folks!

Leave a comment >>

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The High Yield Dividend Newsletter, Best Ideas Newsletter, Dividend Growth Newsletter, Valuentum Exclusive publication, ESG Newsletter, and any reports, data and content found on this website are for information purposes only and should not be considered a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Valuentum is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for results obtained from the use of its newsletters, reports, commentary, data or publications and accepts no liability for how readers may choose to utilize the content. Valuentum is not a money manager, is not a registered investment advisor, and does not offer brokerage or investment banking services. The sources of the data used on this website and reports are believed by Valuentum to be reliable, but the data’s accuracy, completeness or interpretation cannot be guaranteed. Valuentum, its employees, and independent contractors may have long, short or derivative positions in the securities mentioned on this website. The High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio, ESG Newsletter portfolio, Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio are not real money portfolios. Performance, including that in the Valuentum Exclusive publication and additional options commentary feature, is hypothetical and does not represent actual trading. Actual results may differ from simulated information, results, or performance being presented. For more information about Valuentum and the products and services it offers, please contact us at info@valuentum.com.

[rottenfyre]

“Damian Wayne is 14! You can’t write him like that!”

First of all, have you even read comics? Do you even know what a comic timeline looks like? In the world of comics, time doesn’t matter. Death doesn’t matter. Hell, logic doesn’t matter half the time. A character can be 10 years old in one issue, 30 in another, and dead in the next—but guess what? That’s comics for you, baby. Damian has grown into an adult multiple times. We’ve seen it in several storylines, and we’ve seen it done well.

Damian has been aged up more times than I can count, and honestly, the adult versions of him are so chef's kiss it’s like the writers knew what the fans wanted. Let’s run through a few receipts, shall we?

1. Batman #666 Damian: My man literally takes over as Batman, and it’s not some “aww baby Batman” nonsense. He’s a full-grown adult, rocking the cape with some major I’m here to wreck your shit energy. The guy’s a menace, but like, in a hot, brooding way. That issue screams, “Don’t mess with me unless you wanna end up worshiping me.”

2. DCeased: Damian steps up to the plate, becomes Batman after Bruce kicks it (RIP, but not really), and is serving mature, tortured hottie realness. This isn’t 15-year-old Damian anymore, Karen. This is “I’ve been through hell, and now I’m the DaddyBat.”

3. Batman Beyond Damian: Look at him living his best adult life, doing League of Assassins stuff, brooding sexily in the mountains or wherever, and still managing to be hot AF while Terry McGinnis runs around being the understudy.

So yeah, adult Damian exists plenty. Crying about people writing adult content with him is just peak ignorance of how comics work. Like, have y’all even read them? Do you know how many times these characters have been aged up, rebooted, or thrown into alternate timelines? Because if not, why are you even here?

So let me be clear: if people wanna write smut, angst, or whatever about Damian when he’s clearly an adult in multiple storylines, let them! No one’s sitting here fantasizing about the 14-year-old version, so let’s all unclench, yeah?

And while we’re here—can we talk about the sheer audacity of people ignoring context? If you’re writing adult Damian, you’re writing adult Damian. Full stop. It’s not that hard to understand. This isn’t some weird gray area where you’re stretching the timeline; it’s literally canon that he grows up in different universes and storylines. Look at those panels—look at that face, that hair, that jawline. That is not a boy; that is a man.

[sapphiresaphics]

I am trying to understand in good faith why there’s this backlash against Arcane season 2, because I genuinely don’t understand it. So thank you in advance for taking the time to respond to me.

I guess my question is… how did you think the show was going to end? Because if you’re coming at it from the perspective of “the class divide is the driving force of the show” then what’s the endgame look like to you? How would this show have ended satisfactorily for you?

Because so far the only way I could see that being satisfactorily at all is if the class divide was destroyed. And frankly I don’t think Arcane even back in season 1 was ever going to do that. Arcane isn’t here to “fix classism” for us.

I’m also not sure I would call classism as set dressing to be tactless either. I mean… classism itself as a concept in the real world still exists. If I were to set a movie and focus heavily on how classism affects my characters, that wouldn’t be seen as tactless if I don’t end up solving classism by the end of the film, right? Like a film set during WWII isn’t tactless if it is only focusing on the soldiers in the trenches and not on horrors of the concentration camps, right? You can have concepts like classism be the backdrop for your characters stories, and the more interesting aspect is how your characters confront and deal with that classism, isn’t it?

I guess thats’s my main issue with this seemingly pervasive idea that season 2 abandoned the “central themes” of season 1 because I don’t agree that season 1’s central theme is actually about classism. I think the central theme of the series in general is the one that they repeatedly call back to over and over again: “the cycle of violence.”

Because if you’re right, and classism IS the central theme of the show… what’s the ending of season 1 mean to you? Season 1 ends with the Piltover oppressors agreeing to stop oppressing the undercity… but Jinx blows it all up. What’s Jinx blowing up the only opportunity they’ve had to fix the problems between the two cities say about classism? I gotta be honest, I can’t really see much value or a point in ending a show about classism by making the classism worse.

But when you look at that ending through the lens of the cycle of violence… it becomes a lot more apparent. Because the violence the undercity and Jinx in particular has suffered through because of Piltover is the reason why she blows up the Piltover counselors. And the fact that they were just on the verge of reaching peace, having that all be undone by Jinx’s terrorist attack is inherently tragic and sad. They were about to have peace, but the cycle of violence interrupted it and this whole dance begins all over again.

I hope you’re not mad or angry or anything, I’m just trying to understand where this idea of classism is the central theme came from because I don’t see it that way and I never saw it that way. Classism has always only ever been the backdrop for the main story to unfold against to me.

Do not create a literal upper caste lower caste class divide in your show if you are incapable of presenting the nuances of such a divide it makes you look lazy

[i2rizz]

Let me make it right

Fandom: Blue Lock!

Characters: Kunigami x reader

_______________________________________

Kunigami never took days off. Or rather, he never allowed himself to. But something about your insistence that he take a break on the rare occasion when he wasn’t training pushed him over the edge.

It wasn’t like he hated being around you. Quite the opposite, actually. The calm, almost reckless way you existed, unaffected by the constant pressure of Blue Lock, was something he never realized he craved until you came along.

Today, you found yourself tucked into the corner of a quiet café, sipping your coffee while Kunigami fidgeted with his mug. His usual intensity was softened, his sharp gaze studying you like you were a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you chuckled, looking up from your phone.

Kunigami blinked and cleared his throat, his hand running through his hair. “I wasn’t—sorry, guess I’m just not used to... this,” he muttered, his voice low and rough.

The lack of his usual bravado felt strangely endearing. You raised an eyebrow, unable to resist the temptation to tease him. “Not used to a break? Or not used to... seeing me like this?”

Kunigami’s lips curled into a grin, but there was a vulnerability behind his eyes that he couldn’t hide. “Both,” he admitted, voice quieter now. “I don’t know how to be... just here.”

You smiled softly, setting your cup down. “Then let’s take it slow. No rush, no expectations, just—” you paused, your eyes locking with his, “us.”

Kunigami swallowed, the weight of the moment not lost on him. There was a flicker of uncertainty in his gaze, a side of him you rarely saw—the part of him that never stopped working, never allowed himself to feel.

“I’ve never been good at taking it slow,” he said, almost sheepishly.

You leaned in a little, your voice dropping to a whisper. “Then maybe we should both learn how.”

Kunigami’s chest tightened at the softness in your voice, a warmth spreading through him that was rare and unexpected. He had always been driven by his goals, but right now, his only focus was on you. He wasn’t sure what had changed—maybe it was the way your words seemed to ground him, or how your presence made him feel like he didn’t have to prove himself for once.

The air between you two shifted. His hand, still holding his mug, was close enough that you could almost feel the heat of his skin. He hesitated for a moment before sliding his fingers gently over your hand, the simple contact sending a rush of warmth through you. His thumb traced the back of your hand as if he were memorizing the feel of it.

For a long moment, neither of you spoke. The café hummed with the usual noise of quiet conversations and the clinking of cups, but for Kunigami, it felt like everything else had faded into the background.

“I like this,” he finally muttered, voice thick with something you couldn’t quite name. “I like being here with you.”

You couldn’t help the smile that tugged at your lips. “Me too,” you whispered, meeting his eyes once more. “It’s... nice, isn’t it?”

Kunigami didn’t respond right away. Instead, he leaned in, his breath warm against your ear as he spoke, “Can we make this moment last a little longer? Just... us?”

And as the world moved around you, you nodded, knowing that, for once, you didn’t need to rush. There would be time for everything else later. For now, you’d savor this—whatever this was.

_______________________________________

My friend and the other 3 kunigami fans cheered

[emperordinozenmon]

Apex of Ferocity

Y'all lucked out Dinozen was gonna scrap this idea but its soo good. you can thank @leafostuff for helping Dinozen solidify the idea and concepts, and thank you to @faebled-stories for Tsuki fic sparking the idea. expect a smutty sequel from me later.

I walked into the IBPA (Investigative Bureau of Paranormal Activity) to a surprisingly calm and relaxed morning. Usually, the IBPA office was a hive of chaos—agents scrambling to respond to a new supernatural threat, researchers shouting over each other in the labs, or some unfortunate soul rushing a monster to containment. For the office to be this quiet was a rare and almost unsettling occurrence.

I headed straight to dispatch and saw my good friend Douglas working behind the counter. His usual bored expression shifted into a grin the moment he spotted me.

“Well, Agent Dino, it’s good to see you,” he said, far too pleasantly for my liking.

My eyes narrowed. Douglas was never this kind unless he wanted something. “Nope. Not happening,” I said preemptively, shaking my head. “I’m not taking on another case. I’m cashing in my vacation time before I lose it.”

Douglas sighed dramatically and leaned on the counter. “But you’re already heading in the direction, and it would be easy for you to hunt—”

I raised a hand to cut him off. “Not listening.”

He chuckled and changed tactics. “Okay, fine. Why are you here then?”

“Meeting with Retsu. She’s prepping me for the final Witch Hunter trial,” I explained.

His eyes lit up with amusement. “Oh, that’s today? Don’t you have to beat her in combat to pass?”

“Unfortunately,” I muttered, and his laughter burst out immediately.

“Dude, she’s what, 9 feet tall? She’s beaten you how many times again?”

“776,” I replied flatly.

Douglas wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. “Good luck. You’ll need it.”

With a thumbs-up, I walked off to the section of the building reserved for Witch Hunters. It was tucked away in a quiet wing, separate from the bustling main office. The long walk left me feeling slightly winded, but I eventually reached the familiar doors.

Retsu greeted me with a warm smile, towering over me as usual. She placed a massive hand on my head, giving it a gentle pat, which made me feel about five years old.

“Dinovaldo,” she said warmly. “On time for once.”

“Gotta keep you guessing,” I replied with a faint grin.

She chuckled, leading me into the training chamber. Her long black hair was braided neatly down her back, the sharpness of her features softened by her ever-present smile. Retsu had been my mentor since I joined the Witch Hunters, and even though we weren’t related, her presence felt maternal. She was fierce in combat and relentless in training, but she’d always been there for me when I needed guidance—or, more often, a reality check.

“You ready?” she asked, glancing down at me as we entered the arena.

“Not really,” I admitted.

Her laugh was deep and full of affection. “You’ve said that the last 776 times, too. I’m still proud of you, though.”

“Proud of what? Losing?” I asked wryly.

“Of getting back up,” she said simply, her voice gentle. “That’s the part that matters.”

Her words hit me harder than I’d like to admit, but I just nodded, not wanting to dwell on it. As we took our places in the arena, I summoned my weapon, Incursio: Tyrannolegend, its form shifting into a sleek, polished gun.

Retsu unsheathed her own weapon, Muramasa, the blood-red blade glinting ominously in the light. As always, she performed her ritual, slicing her palm along the edge of the sword. I winced as the blood dripped down the blade, activating its ominous aura.

“Are you ready, Dinovaldo?” she asked again, her smile still disarmingly calm.

I nodded and fired off a few shots to test the waters. She dodged with ease, her speed as overwhelming as ever. We fell into a familiar rhythm—me scrambling to keep my distance, her closing the gap faster than I could counter. This time, though, I had a trick up my sleeve.

When her blade came down toward me, I switched Tyrannolegend into its sword form and blocked the attack. Retsu blinked in surprise, the briefest flicker of pride crossing her face.

“Since when could you do that?” she asked.

“Defeat 215,” I replied. “Been saving it.”

“Oh, so you’ve been holding out on me in our sparring sessions?” she teased. “Guess I’ll have to beat the rest of your tricks out of you.”

I switched Tyrannolegend into massive Cestus with T-rex visages and slammed one toward her. She dodged, but the force created enough space for me to reposition.

“You’ve been holding out,” she said with a mock sigh.

“This is an actual test,” I shot back.

Her smile widened. “Fair point. A witch won’t hold back in a real fight. Neither will I.”

I saw her shift into a stance I knew all too well. Before she could execute her move, I transformed Tyrannolegend into a spear and hurled it at her. The weapon lit with energy as it flew, and her eyes widened slightly as it pierced her shoulder, pinning her to the wall.

I approached cautiously, trying not to let my guard down. “Do you yield?” I asked.

She nodded, clapping as I released her. “Well done, Dinovaldo. You’ve earned this.”

The relief hit me all at once, and I gave her a shaky thumbs-up before my legs buckled.

I woke up two hours later in the medbay, bandaged but alive. A note sat beside me in Retsu’s sharp handwriting:

“Have fun on the trip! Also, I finished Tyrannolegend’s Incursio ritual. You are now a Master Witch Hunter.”

The words brought a grin to my face despite the aches in my body. Retsu always had a way of showing she cared, even if she’d never admit it out loud.

The flight to Seoul was exciting but stressful. The home I’d be “renting” for the next three months was a bit out of the way and not in a high English-speaking neighborhood, but I made it despite my worries. Entering the apartment building felt strange. There was a pleasant aura that enveloped the place, something almost like magic but faint, subtle, like a lingering memory. It put me a little on edge, but I told myself to let it go. Not wanting to think about work, I climbed the stairs to the cozy one-bedroom apartment, collapsed onto the bed, and let sleep claim me for several hours.

The next morning—or midday, I guess, since jet lag still had me in a headlock—I ventured out to find food. A nearby café seemed like a good spot, so I made my way there.

Stepping in, I instinctively scanned the room. I didn’t mean to, but old habits die hard. Back home, walking into a place as a “darker-skinned foreigner” usually came with stares, awkward curiosity, or worse. But here, no one batted an eye. It was almost disorienting how normal it felt. My guard loosened, just a little.

That was when I saw her.

By the window, sitting in the corner by herself, was Tsuki—the Tsuki, from Billlie. I nearly froze in place. Out of all the faces in the café, hers seemed to glow like a beacon. Without thinking, I found my feet moving toward her.

“Excuse me,” I said as I reached her table. “Is this seat taken?”

She glanced up, startled, her eyes darting to the other open seats around the café. Her wary gaze lingered on me for a moment, sizing me up. For a brief second, I wondered if I’d made a mistake.

“No,” she said finally, her voice quiet but steady.

Taking her answer as permission, I ordered a breakfast platter and settled into the chair across from her. She was surprisingly quiet, her focus shifting back to the notebook in front of her. The silence between us felt thick, almost charged. I could tell she was aware of me, but she seemed content to let it sit there, unbroken.

Clearing my throat, I decided to take a chance. “Sorry about the abrupt circumstances,” I began. “My name’s Dinovaldo. Most people just call me Dino.”

She looked up from her notebook, her expression guarded but curious. “Are you American?” she asked.

I nodded, and she smiled faintly before laughing—a soft, musical sound that eased some of the tension between us.

“I can tell,” she said, teasingly. “You have the accent.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? And what does an ‘American accent’ sound like to you?” I challenged, my tone light but playfully defensive.

She grinned, leaning forward slightly. In charmingly accented English, she said, “Don’t worry. I like it, though.”

The unexpected compliment caught me off guard. For a moment, I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. It wasn’t often that someone disarmed me like that, but she had.

Her gaze shifted to my shirt, and her eyebrows raised in recognition. “Oh, you like Love Before World Domination?” she asked, closing her notebook.

I glanced down, realizing the logo on my shirt was a dead giveaway. “Yeah,” I said with a small laugh. “Hopeless toku fan right here.”

She tilted her head, her smile turning sly. “Oh, so the big scary man likes henshin heroes? Cute.”

Her teasing tone had a sharpness to it, but the glimmer in her eyes softened the words. I chuckled, scratching the back of my neck. “What can I say? They’re timeless.”

She studied me for a moment, her smile lingering. There was something feline about the way she carried herself—subtle, graceful, with an air of mischief. It wasn’t the bubbly energy she projected on stage. No, this was different. Her gaze was keen, appraising, like she was trying to figure out what made me tick.

At first, I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

“You’re not like I expected,” she said suddenly, breaking the silence. Her voice had a slight edge to it, almost like she was testing the waters. “Most people who come up to me either want something or act like they’re trying to win a prize.”

I blinked at her, caught off guard by her bluntness. “And what do you think I want?” I asked, keeping my tone even.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and I felt the weight of her scrutiny again. But before I could overthink it, her expression softened. “I’m still figuring that out,” she admitted with a small shrug.

“Well,” I said, leaning back in my chair, “for what it’s worth, I’m just here for breakfast. Everything else is a bonus.”

That earned me a surprised laugh. It wasn’t the kind of polished, public laugh you’d expect from an idol—it was real, unfiltered. “You’re a weird one,” she said, shaking her head. “But… I guess that’s not a bad thing.”

I smiled, my guard dropping a little more. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Her shoulders relaxed as she sat back, her wariness fading. I could see the shift in her now—the cautious cheetah turning into something more playful, almost trusting.

Here’s an expanded version of the scene, adding more lighthearted banter, subtle flirting, and cute dynamics between Dino and Tsuki:

“Alright, Dino,” she said, her tone lighter now, her smile growing playful. “Tell me—what’s your favorite henshin hero?”

Without hesitation, I replied, “Kamen Rider Fourze.”

Tsuki’s lips curled into a sly, almost mischievous smile. She laughed, the sound warm but carrying a teasing edge. “Oh, that explains the friendliness,” she said, leaning forward slightly, her body language shifting. It wasn’t a retreat, though—it was more like she’d decided to test the waters, and suddenly I felt like the one being assessed.

Her gaze sharpened, turning predatory in the most disarming way possible. It wasn’t threatening; it was more like I’d unknowingly stepped into her game, and now she was setting the rules. For the first time in a while, I felt something strange welling up in my chest—a mixture of excitement and unease, like I was bracing for something I wasn’t sure I wanted to dodge. It was fleeting but enough to throw me off balance for just a moment.

“By the way, I’m Tsuki,” she said, as if her identity needed any introduction.

“I kind of knew that,” I replied with a small grin, trying to sound casual.

Her eyes narrowed as her smile turned sharper. “Oh, a bit of a fanboy, huh?” she teased, tilting her head.

I hesitated, unsure if denying it would make me seem disingenuous. Before I could respond, she reached over without warning and plucked a bite from my plate, popping it into her mouth with an air of triumph. “Thanks,” she said smugly, her gaze daring me to object.

“Hey!” I protested, laughing despite myself.

“What?” she asked innocently, her expression anything but. She chewed slowly, savoring the food like it tasted better just because it was mine. Then, with a glimmer in her eye, she asked, “So, who’s your bias?”

Her question caught me off guard, but I saw the trap for what it was. She expected me to name someone, probably her, and then she’d have the upper hand. I decided to flip the script.

Raising my hands in mock surrender, I shrugged dramatically. “Honestly? I don’t have one.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, the confident mask slipping for just a second. “Oh,” she said, blinking. “Well… fair, I guess.” She quickly recovered, whipping her hair back as if to reclaim the upper hand. “Still, not even a favorite member?”

“Nope,” I said, leaning back in my chair, trying not to smirk. “I think the whole group is great.”

Her smile twitched, a mix of amusement and challenge lighting up her expression. “Huh. Nice save,” she said, arching an eyebrow. “But you can’t fool me. I bet you secretly have a favorite. You’re just too chicken to say it.”

“Or maybe,” I said, leaning forward slightly, “I just appreciate talent where I see it.”

Her eyes narrowed again, but this time, there was no wariness left—just intrigue. She was about to retort when I decided to go for broke.

“You know,” I said softly, “you’re much prettier in real life.”

For a moment, her teasing confidence faltered, her cheeks tinged with the faintest hint of pink. She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a mock-sweet tone. “Aww, you’re so sweet,” she cooed, fluttering her lashes exaggeratedly.

I laughed, shaking my head. “Okay, okay, I walked into that one.”

Tsuki leaned back, a triumphant smile on her face. “You did,” she said, crossing her arms smugly. “But I’ll give you points for trying. Flattery works about half the time.”

“Oh, yeah?” I asked, crossing my arms in return. “What about the other half?”

“Hmm,” she said thoughtfully, her gaze drifting over me. “That depends on how good the food is. Which reminds me…” She reached for another bite from my plate, this time without asking.

I grabbed my fork just in time, blocking her. “Nope. Not again.”

She pouted, her lower lip sticking out in a way that was probably illegal in several countries. “Aw, come on! Sharing is caring, Dino.”

“Yeah, but this is breakfast, and breakfast is sacred,” I countered, holding firm.

She tilted her head, pretending to consider this. “Okay, fine,” she said, leaning back with a mock-sigh of defeat. “But only because you called me pretty earlier.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Glad to know it’s not entirely wasted effort.”

She grinned, her eyes sparkling with something between mischief and genuine warmth. For all her teasing, there was a softness to her now, like she’d let me peek behind the curtain just a little.

“Alright, Dino,” she said after a pause, resting her chin on her hand. “You’ve got my attention. Let’s see if you can keep it.”

And just like that, I realized I was in deeper than I thought—and I didn’t mind one bit.

“Alright, Dino,” she said, her chin resting on her hand as she grinned. “You’ve got my attention. Let’s see if you can keep it.”

Before I could respond, she glanced at the time on her phone and let out a small gasp. “Ah, shoot,” she muttered, more to herself than me. “I’ve got schedules.”

She started gathering her things, her notebook sliding into her bag with practiced ease. I felt a pang of disappointment—our conversation was far too short for my liking, and her leaving left an unexpected void.

“So,” I said, leaning back in my chair, feigning nonchalance, “you’re just gonna leave after stealing my food and winning all the banter?”

Tsuki paused, her gaze flicking back to me, and for a moment, her smile widened like she had just remembered one last play to make. “Stealing?” she said, stepping closer to the table. “You make it sound so dramatic.”

Then, without hesitation, she swooped in and snagged another bite off my plate, the fork disappearing into her mouth before I could react. She chewed slowly, her expression making it seem like this was the best meal she’d had all week. “Mmm,” she hummed, her voice playful. “Good taste, Dino. Very… refined.”

I shook my head, laughing. “You’re shameless.”

“Absolutely,” she said unapologetically, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “It’s part of my charm.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

As she turned to leave, she paused by my chair, pulling out her phone. She tapped the screen a few times before handing it to me. “Here,” she said, holding it out. “Put your number in.”

Surprised, I looked up at her. “Oh, so now you want my number? What for, stealing more of my breakfast?”

“Maybe,” she teased, her grin turning sly. “Or maybe I’ll just text you to remind you how cute you looked, trying to keep up with me.”

I chuckled, shaking my head as I punched in my number and handed her phone back. “You’re something else, you know that?”

She winked, slipping the phone into her bag. “I’ve been told.”

As she started toward the door, she glanced over her shoulder one last time. “Don’t forget to save my number. And, Dino?”

“Yeah?” I called after her.

“Next time, order extra food. You’ll need it,” she said, her voice full of teasing warmth. Then, with a final flash of that mischievous smile, she was gone, leaving me sitting there with an empty plate and a number saved in my phone.

I stared at the door long after she left, a grin creeping across my face. Yeah, she was definitely something else.

After Tsuki left, the haze in my head finally cleared, and the world seemed to snap back into regular time. It was like my body had been frozen in her presence, every movement slowed and deliberate, and now everything moved forward again, albeit with a lingering buzz of warmth from her smile. I shook my head, chuckling softly to myself as I finished the last bite of breakfast—what was left of it after Tsuki’s little theft, anyway—and headed back “home” for the day, determined to rest up and shake off the remnants of jet lag.

The next morning, my phone buzzed, pulling me from a half-dream where I was flying through space like Kamen Rider Fourze. I rubbed my eyes, grabbed my phone, and blinked at the screen: a message from Tsuki.

Hey, so what are you doing today?

A small smile crept onto my face as I quickly typed back, Um, get groceries, then probably going to the N Seoul Tower.

There was a pause, the kind that made me second-guess my decision to respond so quickly. Then, I saw the little “…” appear as she typed, and I could almost hear her thinking on the other end. Finally, her reply popped up.

That sounds fun. I have a bunch of dance training and recording for our new comeback. Make sure to take pictures for me, babe.

I stared at the last line, my eyes widening. Babe? Did she just call me babe? Was it intentional? A typo? Some kind of casual thing I was overthinking? My mind raced as I re-read the message a dozen times, trying to decipher the meaning. For a split second, I wondered if I was still dreaming. But I took a deep breath and grounded myself, the weight of my phone in my hand reminding me this was very real.

“Alright,” I muttered to myself, “let’s just take it slow.”

I went about my morning, showering and making plans to hit the local market before heading to N Seoul Tower. I was halfway through scribbling a shopping list when my phone rang. The name “Douglas” flashed on the screen, and I groaned. Douglas never called without a reason, and it was rarely a good one.

Reluctantly, I picked up. “Hey, man. What’s up?”

“Dino!” Douglas’ voice came through, loud and enthusiastic. “How’s Korea? You settling in alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s good. Just enjoying the vacation. Taking it easy,” I replied, leaning back on the couch.

“Well,” he started, his tone shifting into the familiar, persuasive pitch he used when he wanted something, “how would you feel about shaking things up a bit? There’s a new witch popping up, and it’s close enough that—”

“Nope,” I cut him off.

“C’mon, man, hear me out—”

“Nope.”

“Look, I know you’re technically on vacation,” Douglas said, his voice heavy with exaggerated patience, “but this is a perfect opportunity. Fresh witch, untrained, probably not even a real challenge for you. In and out. Easy.”

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Douglas, I’m on vacation. You know what that word means, right? No witch hunting. No chasing down supernatural drama. Just me, some sightseeing, and…” My mind flicked briefly to Tsuki’s text, and I hesitated before adding, “…meeting people.”

Douglas snorted. “Meeting people, huh? Sounds like there’s a story there.”

“There’s not,” I said quickly, too quickly.

“Oh, there definitely is,” he shot back, amused. “Fine, fine. Have your little break, but don’t come crying to me when this witch gets out of control and you’re stuck dealing with the fallout. Just saying.”

“Thanks for the concern,” I said dryly. “I’ll keep that in mind while I’m not chasing witches halfway across the globe. Talk later.” I hung up before he could argue further and tossed my phone onto the couch with a groan.

Why couldn’t Douglas just leave it alone? I wasn’t even sure I wanted to keep hunting witches at all anymore, but that was a conversation for another time. Right now, I had a day to enjoy.

A ping from my phone pulled my attention, and I glanced at the screen. Another message from Tsuki:

Don’t forget those pictures, okay?

A small laugh escaped me as I grabbed my shopping list and headed out the door. Whatever was going on with her—and with me—was a whole lot more interesting than chasing witches.

After picking up my groceries, I make my way back home. Just as I round the corner to the stairwell, I nearly bump straight into Tsuki. She startles slightly, her wide eyes locking with mine for a brief moment before her expression shifts. Slowly, her lips curve into that signature predatory smile that had already burned itself into my memory.

“You just couldn’t stay away, huh?” she teases, her voice a silken drawl as her fingers trail a slow line down my chest, brushing lightly between the bags of groceries I’m carrying.

I blink at her, caught off guard by the sudden closeness, and then stammer, “Uh, I think this is just a coincidence. I’m renting an apartment on the fifth floor.”

For a second, Tsuki looks genuinely surprised. Her brow lifts, her mouth parts slightly, and then her smile returns—only this time it’s sharper, almost mischievous. She tilts her head, her gaze narrowing as if she’s sizing me up all over again. “Oh, so you’re right under us,” she says, her voice laced with playful implication.

Before I can respond, another voice cuts through the charged air between us.

“Come on, lovebirds,” Moon Sua, Tsuki’s group mate and leader, calls out, her tone half-teasing, half-impatient. “I want to take a shower and nap before we all turn into pumpkins.”

Tsuki doesn’t pull back immediately, though. Instead, she lingers close, her eyes flicking from Sua back to me, her earlier boldness softening just slightly. “Guess I’ll see you around, neighbor,” she says, her tone still flirtatious but no longer as biting.

I lead the way up the stairs, Tsuki and Sua following closely behind. When I pause in front of my door to unlock it, they stop as well. Tsuki leans casually against the railing, her gaze roaming the hallway like she’s trying to memorize it.

“You really live here, huh?” she says, her voice quieter now, almost contemplative.

“I didn’t plan any of this,” I blurt out, gesturing vaguely between us, the groceries, and the building as if I need to defend myself.

Sua laughs softly, crossing her arms. “We believe you,” she says, though there’s a teasing edge in her voice. “But don’t think this means we’ll go easy on you if you cause trouble.”

Tsuki doesn’t join in on the teasing this time. Instead, she just looks at me. Her predatory edge has dulled entirely, replaced by something gentler. Her eyes are softer now, searching mine as if she’s trying to read me. Then, with a small smile, she turns and follows Sua upstairs without another word.

As I watch them disappear, two distinct feelings settle over me. The first is that odd, almost magical sensation I’d felt when I first arrived at the apartment. The second is a warmth in my chest, one that lingers even after I close the door behind me.

Later, after I’ve unpacked my groceries and am about to settle in, there’s a knock at my door.

When I open it, Tsuki is standing there, dressed down in grey sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. The shift in her demeanor is immediate and striking—gone is the teasing vixen from earlier. Now she looks almost shy, her hands tucked into the front pocket of her hoodie as she glances up at me.

“Hey,” she says softly, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. Before I can ask why she’s here, she leans in and wraps her arms around me in a loose but warm hug. The gesture is so unexpected, so different from the confident, sharp-edged girl I met yesterday, that I freeze for a moment.

Her voice is muffled slightly against my shoulder as she says, “I know you wanted to see the N Seoul Tower today… but can we just hang out for a bit instead?”

I pull back enough to look at her, and the vulnerability in her expression catches me off guard. This isn’t the same Tsuki who teased me relentlessly or appraised me with that piercing gaze. This is someone softer, someone who—at least for now—seems content to just be.

“Sure,” I say, a small smile tugging at my lips.

She lights up at my response, her earlier hesitation melting away into something more familiar, though still calmer. “Great! I brought snacks, but… oh, wait—did you already eat? Or can I just steal some of your food again?” she asks, her voice light and teasing as she peeks toward my kitchen.

I chuckle and shake my head. “You might as well, since you’re here.”

We settle onto the couch, and before long, we’re watching Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Tsuki leans against me, her head resting lightly on my shoulder as we laugh at the antics of the characters on screen. There’s a warmth to her presence now, something that feels less like a game and more like genuine comfort.

For the first time since I arrived in Seoul, I don’t feel like a stranger in a new place. And as Tsuki’s soft laughter fills the room, I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Later that evening, as we’re halfway through an episode of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, I notice Tsuki’s gaze drifting. At first, I think she’s losing interest in the show, but then I realize her eyes are locked on my arm.

“What’s this?” she asks softly, her fingers brushing over the faint, jagged scar that runs along my forearm. Her touch is light but curious, and she looks up at me with wide eyes, waiting for an explanation.

I glance at the scar, then at her, hesitating for a moment. “It’s… kind of a long story,” I say, my voice careful.

Tsuki smiles, her expression warm and encouraging. “I’ve got time,” she says, settling in closer to me. “Besides, I’m great at listening—and judging, if needed.”

I chuckle at that, shaking my head. “Okay, okay,” I start, leaning back against the couch. “So, a while back, I was volunteering on a paleontology dig. It was this remote site where they’d found some pretty rare dinosaur fossils. I was mostly there to help with grunt work—hauling dirt, reinforcing trenches, stuff like that—but I’ve always loved dinosaurs, so it felt like a dream come true.”

Tsuki perks up at the mention of dinosaurs, her eyes sparkling with interest. “Wait, wait—you’re a dinosaur nerd?” she asks, cutting in. “That’s… honestly adorable.”

“Hey, I’m telling a story here!” I protest, though I can’t help but smile.

“Fine, fine,” she says, biting her lip to stifle a grin. “Go on, dino boy.”

I roll my eyes but continue. “Anyway, one day, we were working in this trench, and it was pretty deep—like ten or twelve feet. The lead paleontologist, Dr. Patel, was down there with me, and we were trying to excavate this massive femur. But then… the walls started to collapse. There wasn’t much time to react. I saw Dr. Patel freeze, and without thinking, I pushed her out of the way. She made it, but I… didn’t exactly get out unscathed.”

Tsuki gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my god,” she says, her voice hushed.

I nod. “Yeah. The trench caved in on me, and a lot of my bones were either crushed or fractured. It was bad. They got me out pretty quickly, but when I woke up in the hospital, the doctors were saying things like ‘limited mobility’ and ‘permanent damage.’ Dr. Patel, though—she was different. She was this genius paleontologist and a bit of a mad scientist on the side. She didn’t want to lose me or see me stuck like that after I saved her.”

Tsuki leans in closer, completely captivated. “What did she do?”

“Well,” I say, letting the suspense hang for a moment, “she had this idea. A crazy one. Some of the fossils we’d found were in pristine condition, and apparently, some of the material had regenerative properties when bonded with human bone. So, she asked if I’d let her… experiment.”

Tsuki’s jaw drops, and she smacks my arm. “Wait—you’re telling me you’ve got dinosaur bones in you?!”

“Pretty much,” I admit with a sheepish smile. “She grafted parts of the fossils to my damaged bones, and it actually worked. My body healed. I’m not saying I’m part dinosaur or anything—”

“But you are part dinosaur,” Tsuki cuts in, her grin wide. “Oh my god, you’re like some kind of dino cyborg!”

“Okay, now you’re just making it weird,” I say, laughing despite myself.

“No, no, this is amazing,” Tsuki says, her excitement bubbling over. She sits up, crossing her legs and turning to face me fully. “So, what—you’ve got, like, super strength or dino instincts now? Do you randomly crave raw meat?”

I groan. “It’s not like that. I’m still just a guy. The only real difference is that my bones are a little stronger, and sometimes they ache when the weather changes.”

Tsuki pouts, clearly disappointed. “You’re telling me you don’t even roar or anything? What’s the point?”

“You’re impossible,” I say, shaking my head.

She giggles, leaning back into me, her earlier teasing softening into something more affectionate. “Seriously, though, that’s incredible. And… kind of heroic, saving Dr. Patel like that. I mean, you sacrificed yourself for her.”

I shrug, trying to play it off. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“It was, though,” she insists, her voice quieter now. “And it just makes me like you even more.”

The way she says it—so simple, so earnest—makes my chest tighten. Before I can respond, though, she’s back to teasing.

“So, tell me,” she says, her grin returning. “Was this whole dinosaur thing fate, or were you just born to love dinos? Like, did baby Dino collect T-Rex toys?”

I laugh, running a hand through my hair. “Maybe a little bit of both. I mean, I did go through a phase where I tried to convince my parents I was a velociraptor.”

Tsuki gasps dramatically. “Oh my god, that’s adorable. You’re like a walking dino encyclopedia, aren’t you?”

“Guilty,” I admit, grinning.

She sighs happily, leaning her head on my shoulder again. “Well, dino boy,” she says softly, her voice tinged with affection, “you’re officially the coolest guy I’ve ever met. Literally.”

For the rest of the night, we don’t watch much of the show. Instead, she peppers me with questions about dinosaurs and the dig, her fascination turning what could have been an embarrassing story into something that feels… special.

It was late, and the quiet hum of the city filtered in through my open window. Tsuki had just left after another evening of teasing, laughter, and watching anime. I was tidying up when my phone buzzed.

“Forgot something. Coming back down,” her text read.

A knock came moments later. When I opened the door, Tsuki stood there with an apologetic smile, her hand tucked behind her back. “I left my bracelet,” she said, brushing past me and scanning the room.

“Uh, I don’t remember seeing one,” I said, following her.

She made a beeline for the couch, crouching down and checking underneath. “Ah, found it,” she said, holding up a delicate silver chain with a small charm—a crescent moon.

“I’m pretty sure that wasn’t there five minutes ago,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

Tsuki shrugged, but there was a flicker of something mischievous in her expression. “You must’ve missed it,” she said lightly, slipping the bracelet onto her wrist.

I wasn’t convinced, but before I could press further, the light above us flickered. Once, then twice, before going out completely.

“Great,” I muttered, fumbling for my phone flashlight.

“Wait,” Tsuki said quickly, her voice unusually firm. “Don’t.”

I paused, looking over at her in the dim light. Her expression was… different. Serious. Focused.

“What are you—”

She raised her hand, palm up, and for a split second, I thought I saw a faint glow—a soft, silvery light that danced along her fingertips. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, and before I could even process it, the overhead light flickered back to life, steady and bright.

Tsuki straightened, her usual playful smile sliding back into place as if nothing had happened. “See? Problem solved,” she said, brushing her hands together.

I blinked at her. “What… was that?”

“What was what?” she asked innocently, tilting her head.

“The lights,” I said, gesturing vaguely at the ceiling. “They just… fixed themselves?”

“Maybe the wiring just needed a second to chill,” she said, casually brushing past me toward the door. “Anyway, thanks for letting me grab my bracelet. I’ll see you tomorrow, dino boy.”

Before I could respond, she slipped out, leaving me standing there, more confused than ever. I glanced at the couch where she’d “found” her bracelet, then at the door she’d just closed.

For a moment, I thought back to the way the air had seemed to shift when the lights went out—heavy, electric, and charged with something I couldn’t quite name.

I shook my head. “Must be the jet lag,” I muttered to myself, turning off the lights and heading to bed.

Still, as I lay there, I couldn’t shake the image of her hand, glowing faintly in the darkness.

After that I finished unpacking my groceries.After unpacking the groceries and settling onto the couch, I let out a long sigh. My phone buzzed on the table, lighting up with Retsu’s name. I debated letting it ring, but guilt pushed me to pick up.

“Hey, Retsu,” I said, trying to keep my tone casual.

“Dino,” she said softly, her voice immediately grounding me like it always did. “I’ve been worried about you. How are you holding up?”

I leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. “I’m fine. Just… tired, I guess.”

Her sigh on the other end was subtle but heavy with understanding. “It’s no surprise. You’ve been running yourself ragged these past few years. You’ve never really let yourself rest.”

“Yeah, well, that’s kind of the job, isn’t it?” I said, trying to downplay the weight in my chest.

“Maybe,” she admitted, her voice warm and gentle, “but you’re not a machine, Dino. You’re still human, even with everything you’ve been through. You deserve a break.”

Her kindness made my throat tighten. Retsu had always been like a second mother to me—always looking out for me, even when I didn’t think I needed it.

“I’m trying to take one now,” I said, my voice quieter.

“I know, and I’m glad you are,” she said, her tone softening even more. “But I wouldn’t be calling if I didn’t think it was important. There’s something stirring in Seoul, Dino. Something we haven’t seen before. I wouldn’t ask you to get involved unless I thought you could handle it. But… I also won’t push you. If you’re not ready, I understand.”

Her words caught me off guard. I had been expecting her usual insistence, but instead, she sounded… careful. Like she was trying not to hurt me.

“I don’t know, Retsu,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair. “I came here to clear my head. I don’t even know if this is who I am anymore.”

“You don’t have to decide that today,” she said gently. “Take your time. But promise me something?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t shut yourself off from the world. Let yourself feel things, experience things. If you let your heart lead you, I think you’ll find your way.”

I closed my eyes, the weight of her words settling over me. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask,” she said, her voice warm with approval. “And Dino?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve always been stronger than you give yourself credit for. Whatever path you choose, I’ll always be here for you. Don’t forget that, okay?”

A lump formed in my throat, and I had to swallow hard before responding. “Thanks, Retsu.”

“You’re welcome, my boy,” she said, a faint smile in her voice. “Take care of yourself. And… be careful out there.”

Before I could hang up, her voice softened even further. “Wait, Dino. One more thing. You’ve seemed… different lately. Lighter, almost. Is there something—someone—making you smile?”

I froze for a moment, caught off guard. Then, without thinking, I said, “There’s this girl.”

Retsu chuckled on the other end, a sound full of warmth and encouragement. “Oh? Tell me about her.”

I hesitated, a smile creeping onto my face despite myself. “Her name’s Tsuki. She’s… different. Confident, funny, kind of overwhelming at first, but in a good way. And she’s so full of life, like she’s daring the world to keep up with her.”

Retsu hummed thoughtfully, her tone teasing. “Sounds like she’s made quite the impression on you.”

“She has,” I admitted, my voice softening. “She’s not just… some random person. There’s something about her. When I’m with her, I feel like… I don’t know. Like I can just be myself, without everything else hanging over me.”

Retsu was quiet for a moment before speaking again, her voice full of tenderness. “It sounds like she’s good for you, Dino. And I can tell she means a lot to you already.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “She does. But… I’m worried, too.”

“Why?”

“Because of who I am. What I’ve done. What if she finds out and…” I trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

“Dino,” Retsu said firmly but gently, “you deserve happiness, just like anyone else. If this girl is as special as you say she is, then give her the chance to see the real you. You might be surprised at how strong she is.”

Her words settled in my chest, warm and reassuring. “Thanks, Retsu.”

“Always,” she said softly. “Now, go on and enjoy your time with her. The rest will figure itself out.”

I was running late, the result of spending far too much time debating whether my outfit was too casual or trying too hard. When I finally arrived at the park, Tsuki was already there, perched on a bench under the shade of a cherry blossom tree. She wore a simple sundress, white with small floral patterns, and her hair was loose, flowing like a soft curtain around her shoulders.

She didn’t notice me at first, her focus on the sky above. For a moment, I just stood there, watching her. She looked peaceful, almost otherworldly, like she belonged to this quiet corner of the world more than anyone else.

“Are you just going to stare, or are you going to join me?” she called, turning her head with a smirk.

I laughed, walking up to her. “How’d you know I was here?”

She tapped her temple. “Intuition. I’m good at sensing things.”

We started walking along the park trail, the sunlight filtering through the leaves above. She was full of energy, asking me questions about my time in Korea so far, teasing me whenever I gave a hesitant answer. But as we reached a quieter part of the trail, her demeanor shifted slightly, becoming softer, more introspective.

“You know,” she said, brushing her hand against the petals of a low-hanging branch, “this spot is one of my favorites. It feels… alive. Like it has its own rhythm.”

“I can see that,” I said, glancing around. The air did feel different here—lighter, warmer.

She stopped and turned to face me, her eyes searching mine. “Do you ever feel like there’s more to the world than what we see?”

It was an odd question, but there was something in the way she asked it that made me pause. “I guess so,” I said carefully. “Like… there’s stuff out there we can’t explain?”

Tsuki smiled faintly, her fingers trailing along the bark of a nearby tree. “Exactly. Sometimes I think people get too caught up in what’s ‘normal.’ They don’t notice the small, magical things happening all around them.”

She looked at me then, her gaze intense but kind. “You seem different, though. Like you might actually notice.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I just shrugged. “I guess I’ve always been a little curious about things. Or maybe just weird.”

She laughed, the sound light and musical. “Weird is good. Weird is… charming.”

We kept walking, eventually settling on a grassy hill overlooking a pond. We sat close together, and I noticed her playing with her bracelet—the same crescent moon charm I’d seen before.

“Is that special to you?” I asked, nodding toward it.

She hesitated, her fingers pausing. “Yeah. It was a gift.”

“From someone important?”

Tsuki tilted her head, her expression unreadable. “You could say that. It’s kind of like… a reminder. Of who I am. Or maybe who I’m supposed to be.”

Before I could ask more, a sudden gust of wind blew through the park, scattering petals into the air. They swirled around us, catching the light in a way that felt almost deliberate, like the wind had chosen that moment just for us.

“Wow,” I said, watching the petals dance. “That’s… beautiful.”

Tsuki smiled, her eyes following the petals. “It is, isn’t it?”

There was something in her tone, like she knew more about what was happening than she let on. She reached out, catching a petal in her hand and holding it out to me. “Here. A little souvenir.”

I took it, my fingers brushing against hers. The touch lingered longer than it should have, but neither of us pulled away.

“You’re full of surprises,” I said, looking at her.

“You have no idea,” she replied, her smile playful but her eyes holding a depth that made my chest feel tight.

As we walked back toward the entrance of the park, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something extraordinary about her—something just out of reach. And yet, I didn’t care. Whatever it was, I wanted to know her more.

Over the next few days, Tsuki and I bonded over music, anime, and video games. She had this infectious enthusiasm that pulled me into her world effortlessly. When we weren’t geeking out over the latest Demon Slayer episode or arguing over who had the better K-pop playlists, we were out exploring Seoul—Hongdae, Gwangjang Market, Myeongdong. Every street seemed brighter with her beside me.

By the end of my first week, something shifted between us. Tsuki… well, she kinda asked me out. Let me explain: as we spent more time together, her emotional state changed. The flirtatious, dizzying vixen I first met gave way to someone softer, clingier, and—dare I say—sweeter. She became an affectionate, lovesick bunny, and I finally understood how she’d earned that nickname.

If we could be together, we were. Always. She was constantly reaching out, whether it was grabbing my hand, looping her arm through mine, or wrapping me in spontaneous hugs. She craved physical affection in a way that made it impossible not to reciprocate. Her energy, which was already high when we met, seemed to triple whenever I was around. We were always doing something—or on our way to do something else—whenever she “borrowed me,” as she put it.

Part of me loved it. Part of me found it exhausting. It was like being swept up in a whirlwind I didn’t know I’d stepped into.

By the time my third week in Seoul ended, I realized I’d done nearly everything I’d planned for this trip—except visit the N Seoul Tower. The one thing I’d wanted to do solo had slipped through the cracks, buried under a mountain of late-night game marathons, impromptu karaoke sessions, and hours spent wandering the city with Tsuki.

We were sitting in a cozy corner booth at her favorite café that day, the soft hum of chatter and clinking mugs offering a much-needed reprieve from the chaos of the streets. Tsuki, of course, was the opposite of calm.

“You’re so wrong about that!” she exclaimed, waving a forkful of cheesecake at me. “How can you think the opening to Attack on Titan is better than Demon Slayer? Like, no contest!”

“It’s objectively better,” I said, trying to keep a straight face. “The vocals? The composition? It’s iconic.”

She groaned dramatically, collapsing against the booth. “You’re hopeless, Dinovaldo. Completely hopeless.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “And yet here you are, stuck with me.”

“Stuck? Please,” she said, sitting upright again with a teasing grin. “I chose this. You’re like my favorite toy. I don’t just toss you aside.”

The comment caught me off guard, but before I could respond, she reached across the table to steal a bite of my sandwich.

“Hey!” I protested, though I didn’t really care.

She grinned, chewing triumphantly. “You shouldn’t leave it unattended. Rookie mistake.”

I rolled my eyes, leaning back in my seat. Watching her bask in her small victory, I felt that warm, confusing pull in my chest again. She had this way of making me feel like I was the only person in the world, even when she was teasing me to no end.

“Hey,” she said suddenly, her tone softening as she looked at me. “You’re quiet. What’s up?”

“Just… thinking,” I said, glancing out the window. “I’ve been here almost a month now. Time’s flying by.”

Her face fell slightly, and for the first time in days, she seemed to sit still. “Oh. Right. You’re leaving soon.”

There was a pause, the kind that made my chest tighten uncomfortably.

“You know,” she began, her voice quieter now, “I’ve really liked having you around. You make everything feel… I don’t know. Better?”

Her honesty caught me off guard. I wasn’t used to hearing her so vulnerable, and it made me feel guilty for ever thinking she was too much.

“I’ve liked being around you too,” I admitted, scratching the back of my neck. “It’s been… different, in a good way.”

She smiled, a softer one than her usual cheeky grin, and it made my chest tighten all over again.

“Then let’s keep making memories while we can,” she said, suddenly back to her high-energy self. “Starting with me absolutely crushing you in Mario Kart later.”

I laughed, the tension easing. “You’re on, bunny.”

Later, as we strolled back to my apartment, she suddenly stopped in front of a street vendor selling handmade bracelets.

“Wait, wait!” she said, tugging my sleeve. “Look at these!”

Before I could respond, she was already chatting with the vendor, her eyes sparkling as she held up a delicate bracelet with tiny charms shaped like stars and moons.

“This one’s cute,” she said, holding it up to me. “What do you think?”

“It’s nice,” I said, smiling at her enthusiasm.

She handed it to the vendor, along with another bracelet—this one with little dinosaur charms.

“For you,” she said, slipping it onto my wrist before I could protest. “Now you can’t forget me, even when you go back home.”

I looked at the bracelet, then at her, feeling that now-familiar warmth in my chest. “Thanks, Tsuki.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said, looping her arm through mine as we walked.

And for the first time, I realized I didn’t want this whirlwind to end.

“So, what are you planning to do today?” Tsuki asked, practically bouncing in her seat, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand as she stared at me with that eager look she always had. “You better be planning something fun! I mean, you’re in the city, you can’t just sit around!”

I laughed, trying to keep up with her rapid-fire thoughts. “I was thinking of seeing some of the sights, maybe going to the N Seoul Tower.”

Her eyes widened with excitement, and before I could say anything else, she nearly hopped out of her seat. “Oh my god, yes! That sounds amazing! We should totally go together, I’ve always wanted to check it out with someone fun!” She leaned across the table, suddenly much closer than I expected, her grin wide and full of energy.

I blinked in surprise, not quite prepared for how enthusiastic she was. “Uh, sure, if you want,” I said, unsure whether it was just the coffee or Tsuki’s presence making my heart race a little faster.

“Of course I want! I want to see everything! I love exploring, and I’m gonna make sure you have the best time ever!” Tsuki’s energy was contagious, and for a moment, I found myself caught up in it. She reached over, ruffling my hair playfully. “You’re just too cute, you know that?”

I laughed, trying to play it cool, though I was clearly flustered. “Thanks, I guess? You really know how to make someone feel… special.”

“Of course I do!” Tsuki’s grin grew wider, and she leaned even closer, her face inches from mine now. “You’re one of my favorite people already. It’s like we’ve known each other forever!” She placed her hand on mine, squeezing it tightly. “I’m serious, Dino. I’ve got this feeling, and I know it’s gonna be amazing. You’re gonna love spending time with me!”

Her words were filled with such affection, and her smile was practically glowing. It was hard not to feel the warmth of her presence, as if her energy was completely infectious.

“Well, if you’re that excited about it, how can I say no?” I replied, half-laughing, half-lost in her enthusiasm.

Tsuki leaned back slightly, eyes twinkling. “Exactly! You’ll thank me later, I promise.” She suddenly looked at me with a playful smirk. “But first, are you gonna finish that pastry or do I need to help you out?”

I blinked at her, confused for a moment, but before I could answer, she grabbed the last piece of my pastry and took a big bite, all while laughing like it was the funniest thing ever. “Mmm, you really have good taste, Dino,” she teased, licking her lips.

I shook my head, trying to hide my smile. “That’s… that’s my food, Tsuki.”

She just shrugged with a grin. “I know. But I’m your friend, right? Friends share everything!” She leaned in closer, eyes sparkling mischievously. “And I’m totally gonna make sure you’re happy on this little adventure of ours. I just know you’re gonna fall for this city once we’re done.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, shaking my head at how carefree and affectionate she was. It was almost as if she couldn’t help herself, her excitement and energy just spilling over. But the thing was—there was something about it that felt… nice. Warm. Comfortable. Like a constant, reassuring presence.

She rested her head on my shoulder for a moment, still holding my hand, completely unbothered by the affectionate gesture. “I’m serious, though,” she said, her voice much softer now, “I’m really glad we’re hanging out. I like being around you, Dino.” Her tone had shifted from playful to something sweeter, more genuine. “You’re one of the easiest people to talk to, and I can’t wait to make more memories with you.”

I felt a strange warmth spread through my chest, her words wrapping around me in a way that made me feel like I was part of something bigger than just a random meeting.

Before I could respond, Tsuki was already back to her high-energy self, her eyes wide with excitement again. “So, are we going to the tower now or what?”

I smiled, completely charmed by her infectious energy. “Yeah, let’s go.”

She grinned ear to ear, squeezing my hand once more before practically dragging me out of my seat. “Yesss! I knew you’d be the best! This is gonna be SO much fun!”

The date started with the golden hues of twilight painting the sky as Tsuki grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the base of N Seoul Tower. She was practically vibrating with excitement, her energy spilling over into hurried footsteps and constant chatter.

“Finally, the tower!” she exclaimed, bouncing slightly as we reached the cable car station. “Can you believe we almost didn’t do this? I mean, this is like the iconic Seoul date spot. You’re lucky to have me planning things.”

“Planning?” I teased, raising an eyebrow. “Didn’t I bring this up like three weeks ago?”

Tsuki stopped mid-step, turning to pout at me. “Okay, fine, maybe it was your idea. But who actually made it happen?” She jabbed a finger into my chest, her eyes narrowing in mock accusation.

“Point taken,” I said, chuckling. “You’re definitely the brains of this operation.”

“And don’t forget it,” she said, her pout melting into a triumphant grin as she pulled me into the cable car.

The ride up was breathtaking. The city stretched out below us in an endless sea of lights, twinkling like stars on Earth. But even with that view, I couldn’t take my eyes off Tsuki. Her face was pressed against the glass, her eyes wide with wonder, and her excitement was contagious.

“Look at that!” she said, pointing at the illuminated tower as we approached. “Isn’t it magical?”

“It’s pretty amazing,” I admitted, though I wasn’t sure if I was talking about the view or her.

When we finally reached the top, Tsuki immediately dragged me to the observation deck. She was practically bouncing on her toes as we walked around, taking in the panoramic view of Seoul.

“This is it,” she said, stopping at the railing and leaning over slightly. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

I nodded, standing beside her. “Yeah, it is.”

She glanced at me, her usual energy dimming for a moment as a shy smile crept across her face. “Thanks for coming here with me, Dino. This… this means a lot.”

Before I could respond, she tugged on my arm. “Come on, let’s do the locks!”

She pulled me over to the section of the deck filled with colorful padlocks, each one a promise of love left by couples from all over the world. Tsuki rummaged in her bag and pulled out a small, heart-shaped lock and a marker.

“I got this earlier,” she said, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “I thought it’d be fun, you know?”

I watched as she scribbled her name on one half of the lock, then handed the marker to me. My heart pounded in my chest as I wrote my name beside hers.

“Perfect,” she said, grinning as she clipped the lock onto the railing. “Now we’re officially part of the tower’s history.”

There was a pause, the kind that felt charged with something unspoken. Tsuki turned to face me, her usual high energy replaced with something softer, more vulnerable.

“You know,” she began, her voice quieter now, “I’ve been thinking a lot about… us.”

I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. “Yeah?”

She nodded, biting her lip. “You make me feel… different. Like I’m more myself when I’m with you. I know I’m all over the place and maybe too much sometimes, but—”

“Tsuki,” I interrupted, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. “You’re not too much. You’re perfect the way you are.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and for once, she seemed at a loss for words. Then, as if some invisible wall had broken, she stepped closer, her hands reaching for mine.

“I really like you, Dinovaldo,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I really like you too,” I replied, the words coming out before I could even think.

Her smile lit up the night, and in that moment, it felt like the entire city disappeared. But as we stood there, something strange happened.

The air around her seemed to shimmer faintly, like heat waves rising from the pavement on a summer day. It was subtle at first, but then I felt it—a warmth spreading through my chest, a gentle, all-encompassing comfort that felt like a hug for my soul.

I blinked, looking at her in confusion. “Tsuki… what is that?”

She froze, her eyes widening as if she’d been caught. “What’s what?”

“That… feeling,” I said, struggling to put it into words. “It’s like… warmth. But not physical. It’s coming from you.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she stepped back slightly, breaking eye contact. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Tsuki,” I said, my voice firm but gentle. “I felt it. Don’t lie to me.”

She hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. Finally, she sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Okay, fine. But… can we talk about it later? Tonight’s supposed to be special.”

I wanted to press her, to demand answers, but the look in her eyes stopped me. Instead, I nodded. “Okay. Later.”

Her smile returned, though it was a little shaky. She reached out, intertwining her fingers with mine. “Thank you, Dino. For everything.”

As we stood there, gazing out at the city lights, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this moment was the start of something much bigger than either of us could have imagined. Something magical.

The subtle shimmer around Tsuki intensified as we stood on the observation deck. The warmth I’d felt earlier was no longer faint—it wrapped around me like a cocoon, seeping into every corner of my being. The feeling wasn’t just comforting; it was electric, powerful, and alive.

And it was coming from Tsuki.

I stared at her, my breath catching in my throat. Her usual high-energy glow had transformed into something otherworldly. The air around her seemed to ripple, faint tendrils of soft pink light swirling around her like an aurora. It was mesmerizing, but also terrifying.

“Tsuki…” My voice came out as a whisper, barely audible over the hum of the city below. “What’s happening?”

She froze, her fingers still entwined with mine. Her wide eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw fear flicker across her face. “Dino,” she said softly, her voice trembling, “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

“Find out what?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.

Tsuki took a deep breath, her hands clutching mine as if grounding herself. The swirling light around her grew stronger, more defined, taking on the shape of tiny hearts that floated upward before dissolving into the night. “I… I’m a witch, Dino. A love witch.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. A witch. She was a witch.

I’d spent years hunting her kind, carrying out the mission that Retsu had entrusted to me. Witches were dangerous, deceitful, and destructive. They weren’t supposed to be… Tsuki.

My mind raced, piecing together all the moments that hadn’t made sense—the way I felt so inexplicably drawn to her, the way her presence could shift my emotions, the warmth that seemed to radiate from her. It was all her magic.

“You’re a witch,” I said, more to myself than to her. My head screamed at me to pull away, to remember my training, to see her as the enemy. But my heart refused to let go.

“Yes,” she admitted, her voice barely audible. “But I’m still me, Dino. I’m still the same girl who loves anime, video games, and exploring Seoul with you. I didn’t want to use my magic on you, but sometimes… sometimes it’s hard to control.”

Her confession was raw, vulnerable, and it shattered something inside me. Despite everything I knew—or thought I knew—I couldn’t bring myself to see her as a threat. She wasn’t dangerous. She wasn’t deceitful. She was just Tsuki.

As I stood there, torn between my duty and my feelings, she stepped closer, her gaze searching mine. “Dino, I understand if you hate me now,” she said, her voice trembling. “But please believe me when I say I didn’t mean to make you feel anything you didn’t already feel.”

I stared at her, my mind spinning. Did I feel this way because of her magic? Or was it real? The questions swirled in my head, but one thing was clear: whatever this was, it wasn’t something I could fight.

“I don’t hate you,” I said finally, my voice hoarse.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, the shimmering light around her stilled. “You don’t?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel, but I know I can’t hate you. You’re… you’re too important to me.”

Her lips parted, and the light around her flared again, brighter this time. It pulsed, synchronizing with the pounding of my heart. “Dino,” she whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

Before I could think, before I could second-guess myself, I leaned in. Her breath hitched, and then our lips met.

The moment we kissed, the magic surged, enveloping us in a burst of energy. I felt it wrap around us, binding us together in a way that went beyond the physical. It wasn’t just warmth anymore—it was a blazing fire, a connection so deep and overwhelming that it left me breathless.

Images flashed through my mind, memories of every moment we’d shared: her laughter, her touch, the way she looked at me like I was the only person in the world. And then there were glimpses of her—a younger Tsuki, alone and scared, her magic blooming for the first time, the joy and pain that had shaped her into the woman she was now.

When we finally broke apart, I was trembling. She was too, her hands clutching my arms as if afraid to let go. “Dino,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, “our souls… they’re connected now.”

I didn’t fully understand what she meant, but I could feel it—this invisible thread that tied us together, stronger than anything I’d ever known. It wasn’t just her magic. It was us.

“I don’t know what this means,” I admitted, my voice shaky. “But I know I don’t want to lose you.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she smiled—a smile so radiant it outshone the city lights. “You won’t,” she said softly. “I promise.”

As we stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, I realized that everything had changed. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew one thing for certain: I couldn’t imagine it without her.

[rocknrollsalad]

rating: gen cw: nothing i can think of tags: steddie as dads, sometime in the future, happily married, bickering as a sign of love, steve harrington needs to argue with someone, family game night, fluff, sweet stuff, word count: 993

written for @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt "fairy tales"

-

“Remember that one promise I made you when we got married?” Eddie asked, walking into the kitchen Steve was cleaning.

“I remember them all. You mow the lawn a lot less than you said you would.”

“That’s because you’re so particular!”

“Don’t you dare. It’s because you don’t want to rake up the clippings, dude. You know that, I know that, but it’s so necessary.”

“It’s not,” Eddie glared at Steve’s back, steam coming out of his ears as he tried to get himself back on track. “That’s not the one I mean, either.”

“Can you…be more specific then? I feel like me guessing is just asking for a fight.”

“Maybe that’s what I’m going for.”

Steve turned around, bubbles up to his elbows and eyes bright enough to light the darkest caves. “Are you? Because I’ve been pissed off about that fucking grocery store bullshit all day and I could-I could just really, I mean. Oh my god, it would be so nice to yell and fight.”

“You already yelled at them,” Eddie threw his hands in the air, they were never going to make it to the point here but now he was feeling a bit guilty for getting Steve’s hopes up like that.

“I don’t feel any better,” Steve said plainly, shrugging his shoulders and looking at Eddie like he should understand.

Rather than respond, Eddie stayed quiet long enough that Steve knew he wasn’t getting the needed fight. He turned back to the dishes and took his frustration out on the spaghetti sauce-soaked plates.

Eddie knew he had to tread carefully. Steve was ready to go and it wasn’t going to take much now that Eddie had dangled the carrot.

“Okay, so I mean the part where I said I’d never ask you to fill in during dnd…again.”

“We learned that lesson in the worst way.”

“The closest I ever came to thinking we’d break up was after that,” Eddie nodded. They both paused for the flashback of that argument.

“I sense a ‘but’ coming though.”

“Well, not a ‘but’ so much as a technicality? We agreed you’d never fill in but nothing was said about just joining a campaign. From the beginning.”

“Do you think that’d go any better?”

“I do!” Eddie said, leaping across the kitchen to get into Steve’s space. “Because it wouldn’t be any campaign. I wouldn’t even invite the guys.”

“Just me and you? I don’t want to play pretend sitting around with you. That’s why you still have the Hellfire Club. Go play with them.”

Eddie sucked in a breath but held his words there for a second. “What about the kids?”

Again, it stopped Steve’s dishwashing and he looked at Eddie. It wasn’t a no but it was an invitation to say more. Eddie had to play this very carefully. This was closer than he expected to get.

Their kids were old enough, in Eddie’s opinion, to try their hands at Dungeons and Dragons. At nine and five, it wouldn’t be the full by-the-book campaign. An introduction to the core concepts though, an easy campaign with a focus around things they love, and the safety of their dads.

Eddie just had to get Steve on board.

“Okay, so I’ve spent the past month or so writing down what I could remember of those fairy tales you used to make up as bedtime stories. You’re actually really good at storytelling and you know how much they both loved them.”

Steve sighed, rinsing his hands off and giving Eddie his undivided attention. Reluctantly but Steve didn’t do much enthusiastically. Eddie knew how to read this and how to move forward.

“Well, they’re an amazing basis for a campaign. We could just putt around in our own little fairy tale world and learn the rules, fight a troll, and work together. It’d be chill, I promise. More about learning than anything else.”

“So why do you need me? Can't you just play with the kids?”

“I could. I will if you really don’t want to, though I might bring in Will and Gareth for numbers if that’s the case. But I want you there. They’re your stories and I think it’d be fun to finally play with you after all this time. We’ve got a short window where the kids are learning before they either get too good or don’t want to play.”

“You have…really thought about this,” Steve laughed.

“Actually, yeah, but it’s all sincere. It’s the perfect time to bring you into this with a perfect exit. It doesn’t need you so if you don’t want to, it’s fine, but I’d love to do this as a family. Something, something practicing safe dice rolls at home first,” Eddie tried to laugh, knowing the joke wouldn’t land and that it was barely formed.

Steve folded and unfolded the towel he’d dried his hands with, thinking this over. “For the kids,” he finally said.

Eddie’s mouth dropped open, the statement ping-ponging around his brain as he tried to process if it was, in fact, a statement and not a question. Then he said “No fucking way,” with several different inflections.

Before Eddie could vibrate out of the room, Steve put a hand on his shoulder. “I have a no-questions-asked exit though. If it gets anywhere close to what happened last time, I leave the game, you write me out, and we never, ever, ever try again, okay?”

“Yeah! Of course! I mean, I’d expect nothing less!! So, alright, you always told stories about this prince, did you see him as a fighter or what?”

Before the question finished, Eddie darted out of the kitchen to grab a notebook. He had pages of questions for Steve. This would take a lot of working out between them before bringing in the kids but Eddie was willing to do the work and Steve could keep doing chores. It was perfect. This was all going to be so perfect.