#he bought tickets TWO WEEKS BEFORE A NINE DAY TRIP

[castle-calypse]

yall today my bf stood up to his emotionally abusive father. he laid down boundaries and stuck to them and didn’t lose control of his anger when his dad tried to manipulate and gaslight him. he stayed calm and did it. 🥹🥹🥹

yall i am so proud of this man i could cry (i did actually). setting boundaries with a person like that is SO HARD but HE DID IT!!! HE DID IT GUYS!!!!

i just think a big win like this needs to be celebrated I AM SO PROUD OF HIM!!!!! HE DID IT!!!!!!

[nxrthmizu]

love in bubble wraps.

fandom | haikyuu!!

pairing | kuroo tetsurou x reader

genre | fluff

w.c | 1.9k

author's note | based on a real life experience... :)

Love, you think, comes in many forms. Sometimes love is a warm, home-cooked meal that is now cooked at least once a week because you told your mother you liked it. Other times, love is laughing and crying alongside the friends you’ve known since pre-school because everyone passed their highschool finals with flying colours. Throughout our lives, we gradually come to meet the different forms of love, because it comes in all shapes, colours, and sizes.

First, we learn that love is a roof that you can always turn to when a storm blows in. Then, we learn that love is knowing that there are people who will drop everything to help you when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Lastly, we learn to interlock our fingers with the one we wish to walk to the end of time with.

Then again, love varies from person to person— Just like how the goddess of love, Aphrodite, looks different to every soul that sets its sights on her; Beauty truly lies in the eye of the beholder. For some, love comes in the form of a warm body to cuddle next to on a rainy day. For others, love comes in the form of a jewelled ring. For you, love comes in the form of a 6’2 man who still doesn’t know how to tame his bedhead.

Tetsurou is often too busy for his own good, always running around here and there to secure contracts, ensuring that Japan can make a name for itself during the Olympics. He books train tickets to opposite ends of Japan at least once a month, leaving before the sun rises and returning after it sets. The sun never dictates his work day, because while his coworkers work from nine to five, Tetsurou works until he finishes his tasks.

Okay, so your husband is a bit of a workaholic. And maybe not just a bit.

“L/N-san,” Your colleague asks one day out of sheer curiosity. A group of women are gathered around the snack station, sipping on cheap, machine-produced instant coffee as they gossip about their marital lives instead of working. “Now that I think about it… I’ve never met your husband, have I?”

“Ah,” You sweat-drop nervously at this. Wonderful— Your parents are already pressuring you about how Kuroo rarely visits with you— And now your coworkers, too? “He’s quite busy. He works very hard to make sure that we’ll be well-off in the future.” You respond, knowing that your reply is just a thinly-veiled way of saying ‘He’s rarely home,’.

“Oh, that’s awful,” Wherever you go, there’s always a middle-aged lady who has nothing better to do than to prey on the weak spots of your life, “It must feel lonely. You must feel so sad when you see my husband pick me up from work.” A smirk dances up her lips as she waits for you to walk into her trap, smiling as widely as a spider watching its incoming meal.

“Not really,” A practiced smile counters hers as you take a sip of your coffee. “I know Tetsurou loves me— There’s an unbreakable trust between us. He might not be home often, but I know that he’s working hard so that we can have a better tomorrow… And that’s sort of comforting, in a sense. Knowing that Tetsurou wishes for a future where we’re financially stable, where we can just spend a whole day doing nothing in each other’s presence…”

A chorus of ‘awws’ makes you blush. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the middle-aged coworker huff in failure. You mentally fist-pump the air at your victory.

“Anyway, I heard that you got engaged last weekend, Shiho-san,” Changing the topic quickly, you smile when the attention of all the ladies instantly redirects to the said woman, who blushes fiercely as they all coo at her ring. “Congratulations!”

“Oh my! He bought you such a beautiful ring… Ah, Shiho-san, you’re so lucky!”

“My husband also bought me a new bag last week,” The middle-aged woman chips in proudly, cocking her head towards her cubicle, where the leather handbag sits atop a tower of documents. “It’s very expensive.”

“That’s nice of him! It’s been forever since my husband bought me something.” Sighs another lady. Most of the group hums in agreement, sharing sympathetic looks with those that share the same fate.

“At the beginning, when we were still dating, Hayato used to buy me so many things, now…” The coworker that brings homemade cookies every New Years’ party says, looking dejected. “It’s like once we’re married, they don’t have to worry about making us happy anymore…”

“Ah, what about you, L/N-san? Does your husband buy you things often?”

You groan internally when the attention shifts to you once more. Honestly, you’re just there to listen and enjoy your coffee— Must you keep getting dragged into the conversation? “Well, personally I don’t really need my husband to buy me things to keep me happy, but… He does bring back trinkets whenever he travels.” You think about it for a while, then brighten when you remember the latest thing Tetsurou brought back for you.

“What is it?” Your change in expression isn’t missed by your coworkers, who preen with curiosity, excited to know what made you brighten up.

“Ah, it’s nothing… I promise, you’ll be disappointed if I tell you.” You chuckle.

“Come on!” “Be a good sport, L/N-san!” “We’re curious now, you can’t not tell us!”

“Oh, fine.” You sigh, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

[ Three days ago, Saturday ]

You were on the couch, binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy with the Netflix subscription Tetsurou got for you to occupy yourself with while he was out of town. Your cat, Kazume (nicknamed after your husband’s best friend) lazed on your lap, yawning once in a while and swatting at the stray threads from your sweater.

Somewhere in between your fifteenth and seventeenth episode, the front door chirped with the sound of someone inserting a key into the lock. You perked up at the noise, Kazume yelping in protest as he almost slipped off.

“Oh, sorry Kazu.” You said quickly, a smile widening your lips as the front door opened.

“I’m ho—” Before your husband could finish his sentence, you were already at his side. Kazume meowed loudly from the couch, complaining about you abandoning him for another man. Tetsurou’s eyes softened, the edges of his hazel irises worn down by exhaustion. You took his laptop bag from him, as well as the folders he has in hand, balancing them like how you would balance your three grocery bags when Tetsurou wasn’t around to help. “I missed you too, but are you sure you can carry all of my files with one hand?”

“Yes!” You replied confidently, showcasing your balance as you wobbled through the living room with all of your husband’s stuff. Tetsurou’s laugh echoed through the apartment as he followed you, his reflexes coming into play as he dived for a falling file. “Oops.” You giggled, helping him up after he practically hurled himself at the floor.

Tetsurou shook his head, sighing fondly while he hugged you from the back, taking comfort in the familiar smell of your hair shampoo. “I missed you.” He mumbled.

“Me too.” You hummed, reaching back to stroke your hands through his still-untamed bedhead.

“Oh, before I forget,” Tetsurou leapt up suddenly, chucking his backpack onto the ground. “I brought back something for you!”

“I already have like, twenty-five keychains from Hyogo,” You reminded him, “Please tell me it’s not a…” Your voice trailed off when Tetsurou proudly whipped his gift from his backpack, hazel eyes shining for your reaction.

“... So?” Tetsurou grinned widely, like a five-year-old child holding up his drawing for his mother to critique.

“Oh my god, I love you.” You declared in your 80 sq ft kitchen, grabbing the gift from him. “I’ll clean up your stuff, go take a bath and we can have dinner while watching the…'' You pursed your lips as you try to recall the information that kept evading you like an annoying fly. “... 15th? 16th episode of Grey’s.”

“You started that without me? I said I wanted to watch that.” Tetsurou pouted petulantly like a child.

“I finished all the other stuff I wanted to watch,” You told him unapologetically. “And Kazume wanted to watch it too. Now hurry and take a bath or I’m starting without you.”

Twenty minutes later, you were cuddled up to your husband, who did not bother to comb his hair (“It’ll just be messy later anyway,” His reasoning was). Every few seconds, he would scoop some cold mash potato out of the giant bowl (The two of you were too impatient to heat it with the microwave) and feed you. All throughout the episode, there was the constant pop-pop-pop of you working your way through the giant piece of bubble wrap Tetsurou had brought home for you.

“You know, I was thinking,” You hummed as Tetsurou pressed ‘Next Episode’. “If It were any other woman, they might have slapped you for bringing just bubble wrap home after a whole week away.”

“Well, then I’m lucky that you aren’t ‘any other woman’, am I?” Your husband smiled, pressing a gentle kiss onto your lips before picking up the mash potato bowl again. “Are we just going to have mashed potatoes for dinner?”

“I bought spicy instant noodles yesterday, we can have that later if you want.”

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

[ Present, Tuesday ]

“That’s actually so sweet of him!” Your colleague coos as you finish your story. “Wish I had a husband like that…'' Even the middle-aged lady begrudgingly nods in agreement. For a moment, you feel a surge of pride— It was your husband they were talking about— Your sweet, hardworking, dork of a 6’2 bedhead.

“You wouldn’t be able to survive.” Another lady snorts. “That guy is away for weeks at a time.”

You hum. “Well, at least he calls back every night, regardless of how tired he is.” In the corner of your mind, you remember that he makes sure to call his grandmother every weekend, and that he sends his parents (and grandparents) money every month, that he visits your parents the first Sunday after he’s back from his trips— Not to mention that he always brings a gift of wellness products (The most recent one was a box of abalone).

The group of women swoon once more.

“Well, I guess we should get back to work,” You dispose of your paper cup in the trash, brushing your hands off. “See you ladies later.”

The moment you’re back at your desk, you take out your phone to text your husband, who is, no doubt, going to be very, very confused.

[ y/n ] 2.37pm

— we have a problem

[ tetsu <3 ] 2.39pm

— what’s wrong???

[ y/n ] 2.38pm

— i may have accidentally caused 20 women in my office to fall in love with you

[ tetsu <3 ] 2.38pm

— what ???

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

you know it's love when your dad comes home with this giant piece of bubble wrap and your mom literally squeals and snatches it to immediately start popping it on the couch while browsing facebook on her ipad

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

I wrote this the other idea. And then a thought happened.

Enjoy.

Gender Neutral Reader Insert

_____________________

“I’m going to take you out.”

You hum in response, pulling at the last part of the cardboard box. The tape snaps, a soft pfft echoing. You bought new curtains for the kitchen. It was premature given that the curtains would only really go once the backsplash was done and the cabinets repainted. Your delay for both of those was Calum. Though you had painted cabinets before while helping a friend move into their place, Calum insisted that the two of you be the ones that redid the kitchen. Not just you.

The project inevitably got delayed. Calum dragged his feet on nonessential things and with things slowly moving back to normal, he was busier than ever with the band. So you understood--that took priority over cosmetic changes to the house. And you know that you couldn’t nag him into doing anything. So you poked him in a different way, buying the kitchen curtains that would only sort of match with the rest of the kitchen. It wouldn’t bother him at first. It would take a couple of weeks before he sighed, pulled out his old t-shirts and the sandpaper and paint that you had already bought.

Calum hums in your ear. “What do you say? We dressed up fancy too.” He punctuates the end of his sentence with a kiss on your neck.

“Fancy? And go where?”

“Oh, that’s for you to decide.” He rests his chin on your shoulder, but you don’t miss the way his arms snake around your torso.

“When did you want to go? This evening?”

“No,” he says and then drags his lips up your skin. “Right now.”

You chuckle, though the end of it is interrupted by a sigh, the tingles running down your spine. “There’s nowhere fancy to go in the middle of the afternoon. And why fancy?”

“Because you have that outfit in the back of the closet and I think it’s time to break it out.”

You originally bought it for your anniversary with Calum two years ago. But the pandemic through a major wrench into the plan. That one passed and so did another and you weren’t sure when you’d be able to wear it ever. But couldn’t return it because you adored it too much.

His lips are hardly touching your skin, but you feel electric. “You know, we could just make this easy,” you return, pushing your hips back into his. “Besides, you said you were waiting on a call.”

His teeth nip at your skin and the heat of his breathe trails up to your ear. It doesn’t shock you when his tongue teases the shell of your ear, but it does make a warmth spread through your stomach. “I can take the call anywhere.”

“Then take it from the bedroom.”

Calum laughs before pulling away completely. “Oh, I absolutely could. But I want to take you out. Because I know this week I’ve been holed up with writing and you deserve more of my time. And we’re dressing up. And you’re going to think of the place right now.”

Without the pressure of his weight holding you to the counter and the warmth of his kisses, you can think a bit clearer. Somewhere fancy to go in the middle of the afternoon felt insane. You turn, using the completely deconstructed box as a shield. “You’re a dangerous man when you wanna be,” you tease.

He smiles, a bit of a blush taking over his cheeks as he leans into the counter next to you. He makes a show of holding his arms to his chest. “I can behave. When I wanna.”

“When you want is so important. But I don’t feel like I’m getting less time. I know this record’s taking some extra TLC.”

“And my darlin’ deserves some TLC too. So c’mon. It can be anywhere. We’re just getting fancy is all I’m asking.”

“The only thing I can think of is a museum? Contemporary Art?”

Gently taking one of your hands, Calum presses a chaste kiss to the back of it. “I’d be honored. I’ll hang these curtains and then get ready.”

“Thank you. I’ll take Duke out.”

He nods and watches you, eyes taking in the length of you. “And I know the curtains are you trying to get me moving faster about the rest of the kitchen.”

“The only thing about the kitchen I want to hear is if it’s on fire or if you’re planning a day to remodel it.”

Calum shakes his head with a hiccup of laughter coming from him. Of course, you would. Of course. He grabs the stepstool you keep between the fridge. It’s not long before he gets the curtains switched out--thankfully the ones you bought fit on the rod already installed. The scratch of Duke’s paws coming closer to the kitchen alert Calum that you’ve gotten back inside.

“What if we do the cabinets on Saturday?” he asks, hearing the fridge crack open. He shakes out some of the creases in the last curtain.

“I’ll be disturbing you bright and early then.”

“Sounds lovely,” he returns, stretching up just a little to get the first part of the curtain onto the rod. Just as he steps down, a cup settles onto the counter in front of him. Water by the looks of it in the glass and then your feet shuffle down the hardwood floors.

You and Calum manage to get finished at about the same time getting dressed. But it doesn’t get past you that a few buttons on his dress shirt are not all the way done as he moves to pass you to grab shoes from the closet. “Sir, I don’t know what you’re playing, but those few buttons are playing with fire,” you tease getting the last of your outfit into place.

“Look who’s talking,” he laughs but steps back over to you. “Hmm, everyone warned me about you.”

“Warned you about me?” This is the first time you’re earring of anyone having a problem with you.

He nods. “They told me I’d fall in love.” The rapid rate of your heart starts to slow.

“Well, did you?”

“Do you not see me dressed to the nines just to take you out? I am whipped.”

Cupping his jaw, you press several chaste kisses to his lips. “Good. I ordered our tickets--so we don’t have to wait in any line.”

“Ah, I knew I found a good one. Thank you.”

“Uh-huh. You’re welcome.”

With Calum’s shoes on, and the tickets saved on your phone, the two of you head out. The drive to the museum feels much too short--between you belting out the songs on the radio and the laughter--you’re not even thinking about the fact that you’re about to head to an art museum dressed like you’d go to an award show with Calum. You hadn’t been to many of those, opting at the beginning of your relationship to hang back from that world.

“Why do this?” you ask softly right as the songs change. The radio host advertises something, you’re not sure what, but you can hear their voice excited as they talk.

Calum takes a brief second to glance at you. “What do you mean? I thought I answered that.”

“No, no, you did. But I don’t know. I’m just shocked.”

It goes silent for a moment. You hear the soft squeal of the tires and you know Calum should’ve taken his car to the shop a month ago, but again, he dragged his feet on some things. But you don’t think to say anything, not now at least.

“You mentioned it,” Calum starts, turning his gaze away from the red light. “When we first started dating, you mentioned that you wanted to get dressed up one day and just go somewhere--it didn’t matter where. But you wanted to go on a date and get fancy and go to a random place in the middle of the afternoon like it was a movie. And I thought and I thought and I even asked the guys where to take you but none of them knew. And then I had this whole plan for our anniversary to get dressed up and go the park. But I got scared and changed it to dinner because I didn’t want to ruin your fantasy. We have lists of them and we make them up all the time. But this one mattered.”

“They all matter. That’s why we create them, that’s why we write them down.”

“But this one mattered to you. There are plenty that we do together. But this one mattered specifically to you and I knew I couldn’t just give up on it.”

Your mouth hangs open for a second and then the car lurches forward, you fall back into the cushion of the seat just a hair but then regain your balance. “You told me once that you missed when you and your sister would sneak these biscuits after dinner. And your mother always knew you two were doing it. So I bought some and put them on the highest shelf. Because that’s where your stash is and I never wanted you to run out so every couple of weeks I do a second trip to the grocery store to buy them. And I’m not sure when you realized I was buying them because at one point there were two and three packages on that shelf, which I knew meant you didn’t know I was buying them. But now there’s only ever the package that I buy.”

“I’ve known for months now, love. I didn’t say anything but honestly, I liked it. But I will admit I’m shocked you didn’t stop once you realized it.”

“I kept doing it because I wanted to give you a tiny piece of home. It’s crazy I know. But I try.”

“I am home. With you.”

“I know, but like your childhood. The things that no one really knows but you and what you’ve decided to share with me. I want to bring that to you.”

“Baby, I-I don’t need that. I appreciate it. I know you feeding me until I become round is your love language but I am more than satisfied to create new things with you.”

“Your trainer cancels out all my attempts. You, sir, will keep your toned abs and biceps for at least another twenty years.”

“Only twenty?”

You laugh, leaning over the console to kiss his cheek. “Once you marry me, baby, you’re getting happy weight and I won’t stop.” The sentiment is punctuated with a pat to his stomach. The only thing Calum can do is laugh.

“I look forward to it.”

“Oh, so you agree, you are going to marry me?”

Calum never thought he’d get here. Not pulling into the parking lot of a museum with the love of his life, dressed in clothes he only really reserved for the stage, a heartbeat away from admitting, “Yes. I am agreeing that I am going to marry you.”

The moment lingers for a beat, then two and Calum’s heart is racing because this isn’t how he had planned on asking. Shit, he thought he’d need another six months before he’d have the guts to even admit it to the boys. But right now, it just feels so right to admit. Your arms are winding around his neck and he’s leaning as far as his still buckled seatbelt will allow him. And you’re kissing him and he’s inhaling your laughter. And somehow the most backward-ass things feel the best.

“You-I need to get you a ring. I was going to do this all differently,” Calum rushes out, holding onto your cheeks. His head shakes, eyes wide. “I swear I was going to do this all differently.”

Your smile is blurry in his vision. But he hears your laughter. “I don’t need it any other way.”

You wipe the tears from his cheeks. “Now, can we please go look at the pretty art with my soon-to-be husband on my arm?”

“Of course.”

The air of the museum is cold and it chills you for a second but it’s coupled with the fact that Calum’s thumb is stroking the back of your hand. The two of you glance at each other, wide grins and giggles falling from your lips. It’s a wonder, as the two of you stroll through the museum. You in front, gravitating towards the brighter works and Calum follows, your pinkies hooked together to keep you two from getting too separated from each other.

All he can do is stare, watch you and your ever-shifting gaze. You float over the floor of the museum as if your feet could never really fully touch the ground. And he’s powerless to it, the following the visible string pulling him to you. At your pause, Calum slides up behind you. His hands settle at your hips first briefly before he catches himself. “Yes, Cal?”

“Nothing.”

You cock your head to the side and then ever so slightly push back against his hips. “Just as I suspected. A lot of something. Approximately several inches in length.”

Calum barely holds the howl of his laughter in before spinning you around. “Do not ever--”

“Or what?” you ask.

“You know I’m not going ever taking you out in public again.”

You take a glance to the left and right, before slipping your hand between your bodies. You palm his length through his dress pants. “Oh what a shame,” you state and then step away to a sculpture.

Calum exhales hard at the action and takes a moment to steel himself before following after you. The teasing continues on back and forth, him passing in front of you and feeling you over the material of your clothes, gently brushing his hands on the back of your neck.

Calum moves to another room and you watch him go for a minute before following behind him. The shivers of his still nibbles on his ears rocked you more than you anticipated. Sliding up behind him, you encase your arms around his torso. “You sir, are just begging for us to get kicked out.”

His small chuckle is interrupted by the buzz of his phone. Calum reaches into his pocket and sees the numbers. He glances around and slides to answer the call. “Calum speaking,” he whispers. You step away and point out a sign pointing to some restrooms. Calum smiles at you, kissing your forehead, and then heads over that way.

You wait in the same area, not wanting to go too far in case the call is quick. You take your time looking at each piece in the room. It feels long but then you can hear the clack of dress shoes on the floor and turn to the sound of it. Calum returns, his face a little pensive.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just--uh.”

“We can go if you need to. Is it work?”

“It’s just bullshit. Something bout a demo needing to be recorded. And I don’t--this is important to you. I don’t want to ruin that.”

“One more room and then we can go back home.”

He takes your hands. “If we do one more room, I won’t have time to take you back home. I’m sorry.”

“Well, our fridge magnet collection needs another one. And I don’t mind if you have to drive to the studio and then I’ll take an Uber or something back home.”

“Or you could stay with me?”

“I’m not about to make life harder. C’mon. We got a fridge magnet to obtain.”

The gift shop is hardly busy. Calum takes a second to text the guys that he’ll be over to the studio soon. It’s not hard for you to pick a magnet. But you look at the postcards, all the colors. “Grab a handful, love. I see you eyeing them.”

You pick up a few and then head to the register. Calum seems to be distracted by something, but you don’t think too much of it as you pay. Especially since he seems to slide up right behind you. At the front of the shop, Calum warns it’ll be a bit of a drive so you scurry to the restroom.

The sun’s brighter than you anticipated and you squint against the sun as you walk back out into the parking lot. As you slide into the truck, you toss the magnet and card onto the back seats, on the blanket Duke lays on. And then another small bag lands on your lap. “What’s this?”

Calum says nothing as he buckles in.

“Oh don’t get all silent on me. Don’t you fucking dare.” You turn the back upside down and a box lands into your lap. Your heart races and then you realize it’s too small to be a ring box though it could be the right size. “Calum,” you sigh and crack it open. A small enamel pin stares back up at you. You laugh.

“You got me good that time.”

“I’ll do one better when it’s an actual ring.”

“I like gold,” you tell him, taking his hand gently and kisses the back of it.

“Trust, I am well aware.”

[heartbeatan]

Devil's Garden (Chapter 3)

Return to Chapter 2.

Return to Table of Contents.

Return to Desperado Series.

Return to Taehyung Fanfictions.

Return to Masterlist.

Chapter 3

“Slow down, Y/N,” Taehyung spoke calmly as he watched you pace manically around the kitchen island. “I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”

You looked back at him, almost stunned. You hadn’t realized how fast you were moving or how little sense you made as you tried to recount what happened.

“Sorry,” you said, sitting promptly down at the island as if you were a child scolded into sitting down for dinner. Taehyung felt himself exhale as you did, his shoulders relaxing as he leaned back against the sink.

“Take a deep breath, then tell me what happened. Start from the beginning.”

You did as he asked, taking a long breath through your nose before you began.

“After I saw you yesterday, I came home. Ezra came home at about nine.”

I know, Taehyung thought to himself. He hadn’t told you yet that he followed Ezra to your home last night. Even though it was his job, something in him didn’t want to tell you. He didn’t want you to know he watched your home and broke into your car while you were probably busy fucking your husband.

“What did you do?” the question slipped from his tongue before he could stop it. Confirmation wasn’t something he was sure he wanted, but Ezra was allegedly missing, so he needed to know.

You shuffled uncomfortably in your chair. “Nothing,” you replied, but it was clear to Taehyung that whatever had transpired last night between you and your husband, you weren’t willing to share with him. “We just… hung out for a bit.”

He bit the inner of his cheek as a bolt of jealousy knotted his stomach. “Was he acting strange at all?”

You thought hard for a moment as you replayed the whole evening over in your mind. Taehyung studied your face and your body language for any sign that something was amiss. “He brought me flowers,” you finally shrugged. “Which isn’t all that abnormal. The only thing that was strange was when he got up to leave.”

“What happened?”

“It was about one… one-thirty in the morning. We were about to go to sleep, and he said we needed milk for coffee in the morning, so he was going to run to the corner store to get some.”

“Does he normally do that?”

“No,” you shook your head. “I mean, not in the middle of the night.”

“Did you ask him to stay?”

“Yes. But he insisted. Said he wasn’t tired and wanted some fresh air. So, he jumped in the car and then he left.”

“The store… around the corner?” Taehyung asked quizzically as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction where he remembered seeing the small convenience store. “He drove there?”

You nodded. “It’s only a minute from here so I figured he was just going to walk. We always walk there. But, he took the car.”

“And you haven’t seen him since?”

You shook your head. “He hasn’t come back.”

“Is there a chance he came back while you were sleeping?”

“No,” you near laughed in both exhaustion and frustration. “I haven’t slept. I went to the store - his car isn’t there. I called his work - they said he never came in. I called the police…”

“What did they say?”

“They asked me to go down to the station and file a missing persons report.”

“Ok,” Taehyung nodded, but the unease he felt was palpable to you.

“Was that a bad decision?” you asked him concernedly.

“No, no. That was the right thing to do. They can check hospitals, impounds, all those things quickly. We should do that first, then go from there.”

 

Thirty minutes later, you were seated in the passengers seat of Taehyung’s old, crickety, gold Buick Century. He had done his best to wipe the seat clean of food crumbs and dirt before you got in, but couldn’t help the sense of anxiety he felt letting you into his car - knowing you’d catch even the tiniest glimpse of what he and his life was really like. He apologized for the air conditioning not working, but at the same time was relieved you’d have to drive with the windows down to flush out any scent the car had which he had become immune to. You didn’t seem to care - or barely notice - your mind was elsewhere, whirling with the possibilities of what had become of your husband.

Zipping down the highway, Taehyung’s dread increased too as the turn for the police station was fast approaching. Even though work had brought him there many times since he left the force, he never got use to the unease he felt walking through those doors and facing his former colleagues. Especially today, with you by his side, all he could hope for was that you two could make it in and out without any awkward conversations with the stations servants.

He looked up at the green sign indicating the next exit, and that’s when a thought hit him. He flicked on his blinker and pulled into the exit lane. You noticed immediately, turning your head from the window to look at him.

“Where are we going?” you inquired.

“I just wanna check something first. It’s on the way.”

“What?”

“The train station.” You didn’t say anything, but Taehyung knew he should explain himself regardless. “Were you and Ezra planning on taking a trip to the coast?”

“What? No,” you furrowed your brows.

“Does he have any friends or family out there?”

“Noo…” you answered slowly as you thought. “What is this about?”

“He bought two train tickets. They were dated for next week, but… I thought maybe you were planning on taking a trip. Or he was going to surprise you with one.”

“You… think he left town?”

“I don’t know, but let’s just see if we can spot his car.”

You went quiet again. Taehyung sat on the edge of your silence, praying that the next time you opened your mouth you wouldn’t ask him how he knew about the tickets. But you never asked. Instead…

“He must’ve taken her” you whispered.

“Huh?”

“He had two tickets you said. Maybe the second one wasn’t for me. Maybe he is seeing someone else. Or he is leaving me.”

The car went quiet. Taehyung thought about how to respond to you - even though he didn’t believe it to be true, it was possible Ezra had left with another lover. But he also knew that giving credence to your suspicion was selfish and self-serving. He would love nothing more than for you to find a reason to hate your husband, free yourself of him, and make Taehyung the focus of your vindictive revenge and rebound. But, on the other hand he knew it would hurt you just the same, and this was one of those rare occasions when he cared enough not to want that. So instead, he kept quiet.

“Okay,” he sighed as he pulled into the station’s parking lot. “See if you can spot the wagon.” He turned right, following the flow of the lot, winding along the rows of vehicles at a turtles pace to be sure you both had time to check each one out.

“There!” you startled him when the car made a turn for a final lap near the back of the lot. Taehyung looked the direction you were pointing. He squinted at the license plate, recognizing the numbers and letters. Luck would have it that there was an open space just a few slots down, but he had barely managed to reach a full stop before you had jumped from the car and taken off in the direction of Ezra’s station wagon.

“Shit!” he heard you snarl as you pulled on the wagon’s door handle. “I didn’t bring the spare keys!”

“It’s okay,” Taehyung called back to you as he reached into the trunk of his Buick and once again pulled out the rod hook. You eyed the tool in his hand as he confidently strode towards you and the car and in a flash jimmied the door open. Taehyung looked back to you, noticing the astonished but impressed expression on your face. “What?” he smirked before he climbed over the seat and popped the glove box. You sauntered over to the passengers side and opened the door to watch him syphon through the contents.

“He has the tickets,” Taehyung deduced after he finished checking through the papers twice.

“What do you think he did with them?”

“Maybe he exchanged them? For a trip today?” he pulled the lever for the trunk and made his way around back. You followed him, holding the broken door open for him while he searched. “Nothing,” he noted when he was done.

“Can we check with the workers inside?” you asked. “See if they recognize him or can tell us where he went?”

He nodded slowly. “It’s a busy day. We don’t know what time he left, who was working at the time or even what CCTVs to check - if they even give us access to them. We might need to file a report and get a warrant first. By then, his trail might go cold…” He continued listing off all the obstacles and difficulties you would face for what seemed like a simple request. He didn’t do it to hurt you, or to snap you into some sort of reality about what the world of private investigating was really like. It was simply his absentmindedness; his mental checklist, just spoken aloud. But part way through he looked back to you to find defeat and disappointment wither at your features with his every word, and he realized that poor bedside manner he had been accused of so many times before had made an appearance. “We’ll do it,” he said as confidently and as reassuring as he could. “Today. It might take the rest of the day, but we’ll do it. I promise. We’ll figure out what is happening.”

Your eyes lifted back to his and you smiled. It was meek - not bright the way you smiled when you first met him. But for some reason, this smile he liked better. There was something behind your eyes this time that didn’t say “It’s nice to meet you.” This time they said “I trust you.” It was enough to make his heart flutter the way it hadn’t before, and enough to pull at the corner of his lip to mirror your smile. But then, with a heavy thud that sounded nothing shy of a clap of thunder in his skull, the world went black.

 

The muffled sounds of… something?… voices?… moving furniture?… sounded distant at first, but with each passing moment became slightly more clear in Taehyung’s ears. He blinked once, which was enough to trigger the pounding headache he felt which originated from somewhere on the back of his head. He winced and let out a heavy sigh through his nose.

“Taehyung!” he thought he heard from beside him. He blinked open his eyes to try to gauge his surroundings, but his vision was fuzzy and skewed. “Taehyung?” he heard again from what sounded like a woman’s voice. Where was he? What happened? Why did his head hurt? He felt like he was waking up from a hangover after night of drinking. Sore, disoriented, tired, and the sound of his one-night stand ready for a morning round he wasn’t sure he’d be able to oblige. Except, he wasn’t in a bed. He was in a chair.

He opened his eyes just wide enough so his vision could start to clear, but to also keep the pounding in his head to a minimum. He was in a room. He couldn’t recognize it. There was a figure standing before him… maybe two… or three?

“Taehyung,” he heard again, and this time it was something he recognize. It was your voice. You were to his right. He turned his head and stared in your direction, waiting as his vision finally cleared and you came into focus. You were in a chair, just a foot away from him. The first thing he noticed was your eyes. They were wide, alert, swirling with both fear and relief. Then he noticed the pattern of dark that had dripped along the side of your face. He squinted at it, unsure of what it was until he suddenly knew… blood. If was dried now but you had clearly been bleeding. That’s when he noticed the zip-ties around your wrists, binding each arm to the armrests of the chair in which you sat. Instinctively he reached for you, wanting to come to your aid, but with a sting around his own wrists and the scraping of the chair legs beneath him, he realized that just like you, his hands too had been bound to his chair.

“Fuck!” he shouted as everything made some sort of nonsensical sense. The memory came flooding back to him. You were together - in the parking lot of the train station. You were searching Ezra’s car, when all of a sudden he woke up here. Someone must have clubbed him - knocked him out cold. Probably clubbed you too, before they brought you both here, and now you were being held captive. “Fuck! Are you alright?” he near shouted this time, well aware of the dire situation you were both in now.

“I’m fine. I’m okay,” you managed to reply, keeping your tone soothing. It made him angry. You weren’t fucking fine. You would be ‘fine’ if you weren’t bleeding from your skull and bound to a chair in whatever Godforsaken place you were in now. But, you were strong and it pissed him off that you had to be.

“Ahem,” someone in the room cleared their throat. Taehyung turned in its direction to find that he was right - there were three other figures in the room. He could see them now. A burly man - clearly there as muscle; a second man, not as big but from the way his skin was weathered and scarred, he clearly had seen some shit; and finally, a woman, middle-aged, decorated in too many gold bangles and too much cheetah print. Her hair an unnatural shade of red, tied up with a matching cheetah print scarf, it was obvious she was the breadwinner and leader in the room. Taehyung glared back at her, but she was unphased. Clearly this wasn’t her first time tying people up. He wanted to swear at her, call her a fucking cunt, demand and explanation then demand that she release them. But he didn’t. He knew that’s what she wanted and he wanted nothing more than to deprive her of that simple pleasure. So instead, he engaged in her staring contest, until finally she bored of the charade and took a seat in front of the both of you.

“Let’s start with who you are,” she said as she crossed her legs and her gaze flickered between the two of you.

“You’re the one who brought us here,” Taehyung replied. “We should be asking you.”

“I’m Mina,” she answered without hesitation.

“Do you make it a habit of abducting strangers, Mina?” he didn’t care to hide his annoyance in his tone.

“Only when necessary.”

“And why are we necessary?”

She stared him back, clicking her long, polished fingernails as she thought about what to say next. “Why were you searching that car?” was what she settled on.

“It’s my husband’s car,” you spoke up for the first time. Taehyung internally winced as you did. The pieces were coming together to him slowly, and he didn’t want you revealing anything that would put you in danger.

“Your husband?” Mina exclaimed. “You’re Ezra Moon’s wife?”

Taehyung could feel your energy shift as Mina spoke your husband’s name. You were unnerved and confused as to why such a person would know him, in any capacity, nonetheless as familiarly as her tone implied.

“Don’t speak to her, speak to me,” he interrupted before you would reveal anything more.

“And who are you exactly?”

“I’m a friend.”

“Well. This is all very interesting, and very… convenient…” she trailed off in thought. Taehyung didn’t like it at all.

“It’s your turn,” he said, breaking her from her thoughts. “Tell us why we’re here.” One of her henchmen glared at him as if his question was insubordinate, but she paid no mind.

“Well, Taehyung, that answer is simple. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But, turns out that’s a good thing for me. You see, Ezra was supposed to show up this morning for a job, but he never did. And this job was of particular importance for us, and for him… and for you…” Mina turned her head to face you. Taehyung could feel his face begin to heat. His eyes darted between the two of you and he watched as your aura shuffled uncomfortably between confusion and fear. You didn’t know what Mina was referring to, but to Taehyung it was clear that whatever job Ezra was involved in had nothing to do with his day job of installing glass.

“I don’t understand. I’ve never met you before,” you replied.

Mina stared at you for a moment, but soon a wicked smile began to split her face. “That’s right…” she said, her tone salacious and taunting. “You’re that woman. That’s why he never told you…”

“Cut the shit,” Taehyung interrupted again. “We don’t want to be here all day. Tell us what the fuck is going on and what the fuck you want.”

Smack, came the sound of a fist across Taehyung’s jaw. The henchmen had enough and decided a good punch was what Taehyung needed to stay in line. He heard you gasped beside him. This wasn’t Taehyung's first time to be clocked, but the pain was just the same. Still, he didn’t want to give the henchmen the satisfaction of knowing, nor did he want to worry you. He flexed his jaw, ensuring it was still in place as it should be, then raked his teeth with his tongue for any taste of copper. Mina once again seemed indifferent, but the henchmen looked to her anyways for a sign that he could deliver another blow.

“Don’t!” you cried out as the burly man raised his fist once more. “Please! We don’t want any trouble! Please, just tell us what you want!” Taehyung braced himself for the next hit, but lucky for him your plea seemed enough for Mina to shrug him away.

“I’ll cut to the chase then,” she said as she shifted in her chair. “Your husband works for me. He has for years - long before you met.”

“You own Stintsons?” you asked slowly, confused since you thought you knew better.

Shit, Taehyung’s mind suddenly screamed as he remembered why he knew that name. Stintsons… they’re the construction company for… Ezra is a mobster.

 

[robron1609]

Robron Week 2021 - Day 1

Meet-Ugly + "That's not an explanation."

New Beginnings

(ao3 link)

Aaron’s eyelids fluttered like a candle in the wind, the hustle and bustle of the city pecking away at his head with a sledgehammer. The bitter taste of ale, the fruity taste of wine and all the combined spices of every spirit known to man were stagnant on his tongue as he peeled his damp limbs off the leather sofa beneath him.

He let out a dry cough and it felt like someone had shot him in the brain during his sleep. But other than that, he was as right as rain.

It took him longer than he would care to admit to remember that he did, in fact, not own a single item of furniture that had even an inch of leather on it, and he lived in the in the middle of bloody nowhere where the only thing (apart from his mother) that made him shake a leg in the morning was the bellows of Moira’s cows when their troughs were being topped up.

So, there’s that.

His brain caught up and he bolted upright, his whole face moulding into a sculpture of what, where, when, how and why. He took in his brand-spanking-new surroundings; a lavish penthouse overlooking London’s skyline, decked out from head to toe in a fusion of ultra modern and industrial pieces. Not really his style, to put it nicely. It looked like something straight off the front page of one of those overpriced interior design magazines on the top shelf of David’s shop that no one ever bought.

Aaron could only hope that whoever lived here was some bloke he’d pulled in the haze of last night, if it wasn’t then… what the actual fuck was he doing here?

When the room had stopped spinning on all its axis and Aaron was eighty-nine percent sure that he would be able to hold his vomit in if necessary, he braved the hallways in search of other life. He detoured to stand in front of a back-lit mirror that had beckoned him over, and he was introduced to his reflection. It gawked right back at him, dressed in nothing but a pair of neon yellow boxers and a Scottish flag that he was wearing as a cape. The flag was fastened loosely around his neck with a frayed shoelace and there was a big tear down the centre of it.

Jesus fucking shit. Absurd didn’t even begin to cover it.

Sweat dripped down his top lip when he heard a deep voice through the wall. He teetered around the corner until he was close enough to pick up most of the words.

“I won’t be in today.” There was a pause. “Does it fucking matter?” Nice manners, then. “Look, unless you want me hurling all over the new contact, I suggest you grow a pair and attend the meeting without me.”

Aaron gripped the glossed door frame, his clammy hands squeaking on the wood as he snuck a look at who the voice was coming from. The man was stunning. He was all sun-kissed skin, choppy blond hair, and a gorgeous mouth that dipped dramatically in the corner.

“Shit!” With a jolt, the blond dropped his phone and it landed on his face with a mocking smack.

“Sorry-”

“Why are you in my house?!”

“I’m Aaron.” No shit, Aaron.

“That’s not an explanation!”

“Sorry.”

Aaron cringed. All of a sudden he was big on apologies, apparently. Blondie was now sitting up, scratching the fluff on the nape of his neck as he shuffled out of bed and adjusted his duvet accordingly whenever it slipped below his waistline. He just glared at Aaron, waiting to hear something that made sense.

“I was kinda hoping you could tell me,” Aaron said, using all of his self-control to stop his eyes from drifting downwards. “My head’s mashed. I remember being on the train with Adam and Vic, and then-”

“Vic as in my sister Vic?”

Aaron just stood there, catching flies. “I- I dunno, I think so. Sugden?”

“Uh-huh.”

Ohhhh, Robert Sugden. Aaron finally put a name to the face and felt like giving himself a pat on the back.

…..

“Here you go. Extra strong.”

"Ta."

Aaron warmly accepted the cup of coffee, the steam flying off it and dissolving in his pores. He used the piping hot liquid to swamp down some paracetamol before tightening the strap on the dressing gown that Robert had lent him a little earlier with a side-eye and a grumbled, “Make sure you give it back.”

With the current cycle rumbling the machine into the ground, Aaron glanced at the digital timer displayed on the appliance. Just forty-eight minutes until he could grab his screwed up clothes, slap them on, and leg it to the underground with his tail between his legs. The longest forty-eight minutes of his life, no doubt.

Hoping to make a crack in the ice, Robert led Aaron to the scene of last night’s crime. Through the sliding doors, across the patio and up the spiral stairs, secluded in the corner and illuminated by the steady flicker of the firepit. Robert was surprised that it hadn’t burnt out in the early morning under the April showers.

The rooftop terrace was what sold this place for Robert. It was his haven, complete with everything that made his superficial heart weep. This morning, however, it looked how he felt.

He absorbed the aftershocks of his party (shards of glass littering the outdoor table, remains of finger foods welded to the deck, and a pair of nude stilettos abandoned on the bar) and sagged. Turning thirty was dismal enough without having to clean up after his colleagues. Or, as he liked to call them, a bunch of wound up, hoity-toity pen pushers who didn’t even know his middle name—just a sniff of free booze and they were squeezing into a Ralph Laurent polo that still had the label on, and patting him on back with a bout of boisterous laughter as if they were best mates.

Wow, he was in dire need of some proper friends.

Aaron propped himself up on the bar. “Bet you don’t get tired of this,” he said, looking out at the sparkling city.

“It’s a great hangover cure,” Robert said, nursing his Americano and watching the ripples dance over the surface as he lightly blew it. “It can be lonely, though,” he admitted, unsure as to why. This handsome and hungover stranger was just waiting for his ticket out of here, he didn’t want or need to become Robert’s agony uncle to fill the time, that was for sure.

“Why’s that?”

Oh. Perhaps Aaron, for one reason or another, cared. Or he’s got nowhere else he needs to be and Robert’s left him with no choice but to sit and listen because it's the polite thing to do. Aaron looked at Robert all doe-eyed and Robert wanted to stay here until he’d told Aaron every single intricate detail of his life up until this point. But that seemed a little crass.

“Don’t know, really. I just… don’t like to be alone with my thoughts, I suppose. And being up here, well, it’s a whole lot of that.”

“I know what you mean,” Aaron said. “How long have you lived here?”

"Nearly two years on the whole." Robert calculated, Aaron giving him an amicable nod in response. Robert licked the coffee froth off his lips, clearing his throat. "I've lived in London a while, though. Since I left the village, pretty much."

"And you never thought about going back?"

"I couldn't." That would mean looking back. And after the trail of destruction he'd left in his wake, that was never going to happen. They were better off without him. Or at least his Dad and Andy were. Vic and Dianne never stopped reaching out, however, offering their support through texts and unanswered voicemails.

Aaron changed the topic, sensing that Robert's internal trip down memory lane wasn't a smooth ride. "You heard anything from Vic and Adam?"

"They were both flat out in the spare room last time I checked," Robert answered. He'd been less than pleased to find them entwined together on top of the duvet, dead to the world as Adam slobbered away on the satin pillowcase like an excited dog, and Vic let out a mishmash of unconscious sounds from sniffles to whistles, her makeup crusty and her outfit dishevelled by a night's sleep in it.

"Vic had a whole itinerary planned. Some museum, Leicester Square, and then this ridiculous hipster coffee shop near the station," Aaron said with a dreary eye roll. "Even though our train leaves just after two."

"She's just excited. She doesn't come here often."

"'Suppose not."

"Anyway, I recommended that coffee shop so you better not miss it," Robert said. Aaron snorted because of course he did. "Come on."

Robert rose, perking up a bit as he stretched his arms until they clicked with satisfaction. Aaron followed in his footsteps, literally, but they stopped in their tracks, coming face to face with a rumbled Victoria.

She looked dead and alive all at the same time as she swung her phone about. "There they are, the newly engaged couple."

Robert choked on air and Aaron gave him a splash of side-eye before snatching Vic’s phone. "What are you on about?" And Aaron had to check that the digital date displayed in the top left corner of the screen wasn't April the 1st. Nope, it was indeed the 23rd. And under that was a Facebook post on his profile; a blurry, backlit photo of him and Robert flashing the camera with two rings that didn’t even match, accompanied by a slurred caption.

yayy ENGAAAAAGED! whoop whoop!! hears to many many many many many year <3

Aaron groaned, throwing his head back in sheer embarrassment when Vic grabbed a hold of his and Robert’s left hands. Sure enough, the rings were still there. “Oh my God,” she cackled, her voice like a siren in the middle of the night. “This is brilliant. A few more of those cocktails and you’d be halfway to vegas, ey?”

Robert massaged his temples, kneading roughly at his dry skin. “Whatever’s in them is lethal,” he grumbled, peering over Aaron’s shoulder as he watched him scroll through the comments and squeeze his eyes shut in disbelief at each one.

“It’s your bar, mate. You should know what it’s serving,” Aaron said. He had a point. “Let’s just pray we left it at cheap rings.”

(Aaron couldn’t even begin to fathom at what point during the party he and Robert had fled the penthouse and ended up at a jewellers of all places. Who’d thought a proposal was the perfect end to a not-so-perfect night? Who’d taken that photo? And who in their right mind was selling giant fabric flags in the early hours of the morning? It would be a miracle if he becomes sober enough to answer at least one of those questions.)

Robert pouted. “That’s a shame. I’ll cancel the tickets to Vegas, then,” he teased.

“I dunno, I could do with a holiday just to get over the shame.” Robert grinned at the younger man’s flirty tone.

“Cheers,” Robert scoffed. Aaron handed the phone back to Vic who watched the pair with a knowing glint in her eye, her head bouncing back and forth between them.

“Only joking,” Aaron said. “Could be worse.”

Vic pocketed her mobile with a yawn and tightened her ponytail. “Right, I’m gonna drag my lump of a boyfriend out of bed and start gathering our stuff. I’ll leave you two to plan the wedding of the century, shall I?”

Vic left the rooftop, her flats scuffing all the way down the metal staircase. Robert gulped down the remains of his coffee and turned to Aaron with a smirk.

“So, fiancé,”–Aaron shot Robert a fiery glare which, if Robert didn’t know any better, would leave a bruise on his ego–“I know a great place where we can get some brunch. Why don’t we ditch Vic and Adam and I’ll drop you off at King’s Cross after.”

Aaron pulled a face. “ Brunch? I’m not paying £8.99 for a plain scone.”

“My treat.” Robert offered, hoping that would seal the deal.

“Like a date?”

“If you want it to be.” Aaron paused for a beat, not that there was ever much to contemplate.

“Fine.” Robert didn’t miss the bashful smile taking over Aaron’s face. Robert bit the inside of his cheek when Aaron began to descend the stairs. He crammed his hands in his pockets, his heart going into overdrive as he kicked his feet into gear.

[diorsho]

secret kisses

bingo slot: secretly wealthy

words: 2k

paring: shoji x reader

warnings: none ?

Y/n sat alone in her room, it was quiet other than the sound of the small hum from the air conditioning. Her dorm room was cold and quiet and she covered her body with the blanket Shoji had gotten her. It was the morning of her own birthday and she hadn’t received any texts or been awoken by anyone in the dorms. Her own boyfriend hadn’t even texted her the minute it hit midnight. Y/n’a parents had already texted her to have a great day on her birthday along with a quick love you, but that was it. She sighed and grabbed her phone, turning the screen off right after being welcomed by nothing and she groaned. The blankets covering the girl kept the cold air out but she was starting to grow hungry and she’d rather be cold than hungry.

She closed the door behind her as quietly as she could in order to not wake anyone in her hall and walked towards the kitchen. She left the elevator and thought at least Momo would be up and maybe even Koda, but it was quiet everywhere. She saw the kitchen light off, and it was then she knew something was up. Aizawa always turned the lights on before any of the kids caught got up. She looked around and could suddenly hear slight whispering coming from somewhere within the common room, after a long minute, she was surprised by the sudden scene of all her classmates in the main room with confetti poppers going off and lots of screaming. Y/n broke into a big smile and started laughing when Sero and Kaminari threw the confetti at each other. She greeted everyone there including Bakugou and Aizawa, and thanked them all, the smile never leaving her face. Her boyfriend was holding a box in one set of his arms and Y/n found herself just excited to see Shoji. She made eye contact with him and smiled softly. The box laid in his hands and she was eager to open it. Her classmates seemed to spread out as it was still early and some even went back to bed.

She waved as half of them left and thanked the others who stayed once again. She walked to where Shoji stood and both of their closest friends circled around her and her boyfriend. She heard Jirou tell her to hurry up and Tokoyami even agreed with her. They started growing impatient because she was just standing there with her hands on the box and not actually opening it. Some of their friends had intimated the sound of drums and then the birthday girl finally opened the box. An even bigger smile broke out onto Y/n’s face and she laughed at what was in the box. The girl was delighted to see snacks from her home country fill the box. She reached for the top of the box to close it but one of Shoji’s hands stopped her from doing so.

“There’s more.” Shoji answered with a small smile. Y/n stared at him with confusion written on her face and another arm came to caress the side of her face. The box looked like it was full of snacks, snacks from her home country. Shoji couldn't imagine how hard it was living away from home and he applauded her every chance he could. Y/n reopened the box and grabbed the box from his arms. The little crowd was led to the kitchen countertop away from the main room and she looked through the box while taking stuff out to see better. She finally got to the bottom of the box and he picked up the papers that laid on the cardboard. No one seemed to know what was inside and Mina was quick to tell her to hurry cause she wanted to see. Her friends were watching this all unfold and she felt a bit embarrassed, but still a soft smile adorned her face. Y/n turned the papers over and her eyes scanned the text.

Round trip plane tickets.

Round trip plane tickets specifically to her home. The birthday girl read over the paper again as her girl friends squealed behind her. The dates were spread through a week meaning she got to go home for a week during the summer before her third year at U.A. Y/n flipped the paper and saw yet another ticket, she felt her eyes gloss over and she looked up to Shoji. Y/n was ecstatic but she was also worried that she might cry in front of everyone.

“I’m going home?” Y/n asked and saw Aizawa leaning against the wall watching the group. He chuckled and moved to stand beside Shoji, he let a small smile take over as he spoke quietly.

“I actually think your boyfriend who bought the tickets would like to go with you.” Y/n let her eyes travel back to the silver-haired male and wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him. She placed the papers on the counter and walked the small distance to her boyfriend. All his arms opened and she giggled before throwing herself into his embrace. He engulfed her body entirely and she relaxed in his arms. She pushed her head in his shoulder and he squeezed her tight. The rest of the kids around them were smiling and they soon joined in on hugging the couple. Y/n felt herself being squeezed by everyone and started laughing. The room erupted in laughter as it spread from person to person. As their classmates slowly let go of one another, Y/n let go of Shoji. She looked at him once over before giving her a soft kiss on the cheek though the mask. She let out a giggle and let her hands rest on Shoji’s waist. The birthday girl let his main arms rest around hers once again.

“Who wants cake?!” Momo questioned while Todoroki went to grab utensils and plates for the sweet desert, or breakfast in their case. The group of kids went to the table and started cutting cake, Y/n and Shoji stayed behind. She watched their friends gather around the cake and laugh with one another, he waited for her to look back at him. He admired the way her hair was still a mess from bed and the way her eyes crinkled when she looked at her friends from smiling so much. Y/n felt a pinch at her side and looked at her boyfriend, she held a smile that mirrored his.

“I brought up the plan to Aizawa and he wanted to make sure that we got to go for some reason. He talked to Nezu about having the week off so we won’t miss anything, especially summer training.” He started rubbing her sides and let his hands lock around her back so he could hold her. She loved the way his arms felt when they were around her.

“You bought the tickets and everything?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about anything angel. I have everything covered.” He sent her a smile and Y/n swore she would do anything for this boy. He was her everything and she was his.

“Did you know, you’re my favorite person. I would do anything for you babe.” Y/n was tempted to kiss him right then and there but didn’t want their friends to tease them or for him to be uncomfortable. He could tell she was thinking and he nudged her closer to him. Y/n tapped her own lips and Shoji lazily rolled her eyes, one of his arms coming up to pull the mask under his chin. She smiled brightly and reached for his face. Y/n pulled him to her and connected their lips. He let out a small laugh and let the kiss happen. He was happy and didn’t care anymore about the loud noises from his friends in the background. When Shoji kissed her she felt like she was on cloud nine, his lips felt like heaven. Their lips slotted together perfectly and Y/n wished Shoji wouldn’t wear the mask as often as he did so she could kiss him more. She knew he was insecure about it because of his past but she didn’t care what he looked like as long as he was hers. They parted from one another, Shoji’s lips tinted slightly pink from his girlfriend's chapstick.

“I’m excited to see your home with you Y/n. I could even meet your family, if you wanted?” The two walked hand in hand towards the common room where the rest of the group migrated too, but Y/n stopped him by pulling her hand back,

“Wait, you’d wanna meet my family?” The innocence in the girls eyes made her seem even smaller than she already was. Shoji adored how cute she was and couldn’t deny how much he truly loved the girl in front of him. “You know they're crazy and even louder than the dorms.” Her face held a pout and Shoji couldn’t help himself from pressing another kiss to her lips.

“Of course I do. Happy Birthday sweetheart.” Y/n felt her cheeks heat up from the word sweetheart, and literally any nickname that he called her. She was infatuated with him and was always a blushing mess around the boy. He pulled her again to rest against his body and gave her a big kiss right on the forehead . A surprised sound left her but she smiled into his chest. Every kiss with Shoji felt like home to her, she couldn’t exactly describe it, but she never wanted to be without them.

He reached around her and pulled his mask over his face again. Midoriya called for his friends from the other room and the two laughed at each other while walking with their pinky fingers connected, and sitting right next to each other to enjoy the rest of the birthday girl's day. Mina and Sero eyed the couple and as Y/n talked to Tokoyami, Shoji held her hand.

“How could you afford two round trip plane tickets??” Mina whined towards him and he only scoffed at her question. This caught Y/n’s attention and she let a laugh escape her before whispering into the pink girl's ear. “HE’S RICH?! SHOJI IS LOADED?” The room grew silent as Mina screamed in her face and Y/n shushed her as the words left Mina’s mouth. Y/n clasped her hand around Mina’s head and Shoji stared at the two with wide eyes.

“Wait what?” Momo and Iida seemed to question at the same time. The outburst caught the attention of Todoroki and Sato who were munching on cake in the kitchen. Midoriya stared at the couple and seemed to be in disbelief.

“Yo, Shoji, you mean to tell us that this entire time of us attending the same school, that you’re loaded? Two and half years of living with one another, and you just now tell us you’re rich. Not cool dude.” Kaminari sat on the couch defeated by the new information coming up in the dorms. Shoji pulled his girlfriend back to sit beside him and she huffed, grabbing his hand and nodding slowly towards him. He sighed and squeezed her hand reassuring her that it’d be okay.

“None of you ever asked if I was. Sorry?” He shrugged and watched as Sero rolled his eyes. “I just don’t like or feel the need to show off my money like some kids in our class,” he paused before looking at two kids. “No offense Yaoyuruzu and Iida.” The two of them brushed him off with smiles and Shoji smiled back under his mask.

“It’s okay but jeez you could’ve told us buddy.” Sero patted Shoji’s shoulder and got up to walk in the kitchen after.

“Did L/n know the whole time?” Kirishima asked, Shoji nodded quickly.

“As soon as I realized that we were really close I told her.” She nodded back at Kirishima and he smiled back at the couple.

“I can’t believe you’re rich. I could’ve asked you for money instead of Iida.” Kaminari explained and laughs could be heard around the room. Y/n rubbed her thumb along Shoji’s palm and he looked at her to see her already smiling.

“It’s always the quiet ones who hide things.” Aoyama muttered while snacking on cheese and Uraraka threw a pillow in his direction, he quickly held his hands up in defense. The day was filled with many happy things with your classmates as you all spent the day together, including getting more of Shoji’s kisses.

~~~

taglist: | @bnhabookclub |

masterlist | bingo mlist | kofi

[emmy-writes-sometimes]

Strep

You go to visit your brother, Tom, in the states, but you get sick and beg him not to tell your parents.

-

          “Are you sure you feel well enough to go?” Your dad asked you as you shakily made your way over to where your bags were sitting. You were about go visit your oldest brother, Tom, for the whole of summer break, but the past day you hadn’t been feeling well. You were sure it was the bad Indian food you’d had the night before, but you weren’t letting anything stop you. It had been four months since you’d seen him and he’d surprised you with a ticket without even asking your parents first. There was no way you were going to give it up.

           “Yes, Dad, I’ll be fine,” you said, “it’s probably just the food from last night.” He sighed.

           “Alright, then, load the car up.” You loaded your suitcases, bags, and backpack into the car for your dad to take you to the airport, only for a second barging into your only younger brother’s room to make him tell you goodbye. The others were gone on some weekend trip, so you’d said goodbye to them two days before and they’d tried to convince you that your plane was going to crash over the ocean, so it was better that you didn’t see them again.

           You said goodbye to your mom and your dad started driving you, letting you out at the closest terminal to yours. It wasn’t the first time you’d flown, you were basically an expert at it, even though it was the first time you’d actually been alone. Usually you had one of the boys with you if not your parents, so you were watching things a little more than usual. But you printed your boarding pass, checked your luggage in, went through security, got some food, and FaceTimed Tom.

           “Are you almost on?” He asked when he saw you’d already downed most of the tea you’d gotten.

           “Yeah, we board in a few minutes. It says I get in at nine tonight.”

           “Alright. I’ll be there, then, I’ll park and meet you at the baggage. Fly safe. I love you.”

           “I love you too.” His face disappeared when you shut your phone off. You didn’t hate flying, but you hated taking off, and turned your music up as loud as it would go. Thankfully your flight got in so late that it was pretty empty and you could pick a seat of your own. You made sure not to look at the map, since it only freaked you out that you were going over the ocean for such a long time, and you bought WiFi to watch a few movies.

           You started to feel sick again, but you were going through a storm and you were getting tossed all over the place, so that was probably it. You just opened the blanket you brought, noticing how cold the air on the plane had gotten, and reclined your seat as much as you could to sleep a little. And you were out for most of the rest of the flight – you let yourself look at the map when you felt the plane going down and realized you were about to land in Atlanta.

           “There she is!” You heard Tom’s familiar voice and tugged out your headphones, walking over to him and hugging him tightly. “How’s my favorite sister?”

           “Tired,” you responded honestly. He laughed.

           “Well, we’ll get your bags, I want to take you to get food, and then you can get settled in.” You nodded, looking at the screen that told you your flight was next for baggage. It would still be a few minutes, though, so you let yourself catch up with Tom and throw away all of your trash. You finally got your bags and he led you out to where he’d made Harrison keep the car waiting.

           “It’s about time!” Harrison called out, getting out of the car to help with your bags. He attacked you with a hug first and then playfully pushed you back away. “Hungry?”

           “Please,” you responded with a laugh as you got in the back seat. Tom shut the trunk of the car and let it settle before getting back in the front. “I missed you guys. I missed American soil.” Tom laughed as Harrison tried to pull away from the curb before the airport police would get pissed off at him.

           “How was flying by yourself?” Tom asked, looking behind you. You heard the GPS say something about a restaurant.

           “Not bad. Definitely easier than with Paddy and the twins.” He grinned.

           “Anything is better than flying with them. They have to go to the bathroom every ten minutes, all three of them.” Tom adjusted the hat on his head and turned back, letting you watch as Harrison drove through downtown. There wasn’t any traffic and they pulled into some drive-thru, ordering a shit ton of food, and passed it back for you to hold.

           “How much food do you get here?”

           “Are you surprised?” Tom asked as he handed you the third Styrofoam box. You rolled your eyes and tried not to gag. You didn’t know why, because the food smelled good, and you were starving because all you’d had was half a bag of goldfish you got from the airport so they were stale.

           You ate with the boys, more than you thought you would, showered off the airport smell, and went to bed. Tom didn’t have to go film for another three weeks, so you had some quality time with him for a few days. You’d decided to go to Six Flags the next day since it wouldn’t be as crowded on a weekday, so you woke up only a few hours after going to sleep. You felt drained, but a cup of coffee fixed it. You’d never had issues adjusting to new time zones, but this one had thrown you for a bit of a loop.

           “You good?” Tom asked you as you plopped down on the bar stool, head on your elbow.

           “Yeah, just tired,” you responded. He looked you up and down, sighing.

           “Are you sure you want to go?”

           “Dad asked me the same thing. I’m fine, Tommy.” Your nickname for him always made him smile and now was no different. He gave you some of his breakfast and the two of you ate while you waited for Harrison, and then you all headed out to go to the park.

           “It’s so hot,” you complained later as the Atlanta sun beat down on you. Tom could tell you were a little overheated, but he took the bag you were wearing from you and exchanged it with the giant water he got. Your throat was sore, it had been since you woke up, but you didn’t think much of it. You never did. Your body could just hate the fact that you were halfway around the world. You tried not to think about it as you and the boys wandered around the park for most of the day, but it got progressively worse until you could feel a clicking in your throat whenever you swallowed. But you were probably fine, so you ignored it.

           “I’m taking a nap!” Harrison called that night as you finally got back to the car. All three of you were sunburned and exhausted, especially because you’d consumed so many sugary snacks that by the time you got back to the car all of the sugar had left you crashing. You tried not to fall asleep, and Tom made sure to hit a curb on your side to wake you up.

           “Come on,” he said, shoving you after he pulled into the driveway to the house he was renting. You woke up and got out of the car, taking off your makeup and going to bed as soon as you could.

           You woke up the next morning feeling ten times worse than the night before. Your throat felt like it was on fire, but you could barely fucking swallow when you tried to drink some water. You looked over at Tom, who was still asleep. The house only had two bedrooms and Tom wasn’t about to make you sleep on the couch but he wasn’t going to either, so unless he decided to bring a real girl over you were sleeping in his bed as far away from him as you could. Your entire body ached and the last thing you wanted to do was go back to sleep, so you did.

           “Wake up!” About two hours later, at ten AM, you felt Tom pushing you back onto your side of the bed.

           “What?” You asked in a hoarse voice.

           “You sound like a smoker,” he responded.

           “I feel awful.”

           “Come on, I’ll make you something to drink,” he encouraged, pulling the covers off the both of you. You followed him anyway, and as soon as you started walking to the kitchen your head started throbbing. But you sat down at the kitchen counter and he started to make you some of your favorite tea. You wondered why he kept it around if you weren’t there – he always said he hated sweet teas, but your favorite was peach.

           “Thanks,” you said a few minutes later as he was handing it to you in a Spider-Man mug. He’d made sure not to make the water too hot so you wouldn’t die drinking it. It felt good coating your throat, but as soon as it left, you felt awful again.

           “I don’t have a thermometer,” he said as he walked over to you, putting his palm to your forehead. “You’re burning up.”

           “I feel like shit,” you complained. “I need a shower.”

           “Go take one. We can just relax today, okay?” You nodded and went to go take another shower. Your clothes were sticking to your skin from sweating, and you felt so bad that you changed the sheets on the bed. You came back out and Tom had ordered food, but the idea made you sick to your stomach.

           “Come get a waffle before I destroy them all,” a tired Harrison said as he was about to pour syrup all over the box full of waffles.

           “I’m good,” you said, taking a spot in the corner of the couch between the boys. You drank a second round of tea, but it wasn’t helping much. You could see your mom’s contact name on Tom’s phone and snatched it away from him.

           “I’m just going to call her and tell her you’re sick!”

           “And then she’ll come here or she’ll make me come home! I’m fine, Tommy, please?” You didn’t give him his phone back until he agreed not to tell your mom, and when he said he wouldn’t say anything you gave it back to him.

           “Your germs are all over it!” He said, wiping it off on his t-shirt. “If you’re not better by this afternoon, I’m taking you to an urgent care.”

           “Fine,” you agreed, “just don’t tell Mom. I’m fine.”

           “You’re lying, but okay.” He let it go, though, and even though Harrison went to run some errands the two of you stayed on the couch. You laid on opposite ends of the couch, your feet touching, like you were known to do at home. Even though you were right in the middle, you were Tom’s favorite and it was no secret. You and Paddy were roped into being together most of the time, so when you got to spend time with Tom you were always excited because he was Spider-Man, he was the coolest older brother ever, and you were always so excited to see what he was doing and hang out with him.

           “Feeling any better?” He asked you, poking your leg that was wedged between his and the couch a few hours later. You shook your head. He’d all but babied you for most of the day, and for the last few hours you’d been sleeping through episodes of New Girl.

           “No,” you replied. Tom sighed and sat up, so you did the same. You knew what he was going to say and you didn’t want to hear it.

           “Then I’m gonna call some place to take you, okay?”

           “No,” you begged him. “I’ll be fine.”

           “You’re sick and I don’t know how to help you. We’re taking you as soon as Harrison gets back. Go get some clothes on.” You did as he told you to do, not wanting to take the chance of your parents finding out, and pulled on some clothes. Harrison was back soon and handed the car keys off to Tom, who called an urgent care.

           You found out an hour later after about a million swab tests that you had strep. You groaned, looking over at Tom, and he just rubbed your back as they told you they were giving you some steroids. The nurse left you and you just looked at Tom. You were never sick, ever, and you had never even had to get tested for anything.

           “You’re fine,” Tom said with a sigh. “And you’re expensive. You do realize I don’t have insurance in this country?”

           “I’m sorry.” He just laughed at you.

           “I’m kidding. I don’t, but… It’s fine. I’m just glad I can take care of you. I’ll be outside.” You nodded and he pat your back again before taking his wallet out. The nurse gave you some steroids and let you go, but not before warning you that you were still contagious for a full day.

           “I’ll get you some ice cream if you’ll sit here for a few minutes,” Tom offered as he pulled into the Target parking lot. You nodded and he handed you a phone charger, leaving the car on for you while he went inside. He was back in a few minutes with your favorite ice cream, Americone Dream, and some other snacks that wouldn’t irritate your throat too much.

           You got back and got some of the ice cream out – you’d told Tom you would sleep on the couch, it was fine, and he’d tried to make it as comfortable for you as he could. He even bought you another expansion pack for the Sims without you even asking. It somehow got out in the family group chat, the one without your parents, that you were sick. Paddy and Harry were absolutely awful to you about it, but Sam, ever the sweet one, sent you a few private messages and carried on a few games of 8 Ball in iMessage because he felt bad for you.

           “I am officially not contagious anymore!” You said the next afternoon after the boys came in from where they’d been out by the pool. “So you can come within six feet of me.”

           “As if!” Harrison said, laughing a little bit. You loved him, but man he was mean sometimes.

           “Oh, fuck off!” Tom said, pushing him up the stairs to the bedrooms. Tom came back a little bit later to make some snacks and actually sat down beside you. “You look a lot better.”

           “I don’t feel a lot better,” you admitted. “I can’t sleep and my throat hurts and all I can keep down is tea and ice cream.” He sighed and threw an arm around you.

           “Come here.” He hugged you tightly and you hugged him back. You didn’t know how long you were there for, but you were almost asleep by the time that your parents called.

           “Oh, no,” you groaned.

           “Just stay quiet, I got it,” he responded. You leaned your face into his arm, shutting your eyes. “Hey, Dad!” Tom said loudly.

           “Hey, how are the two of you? Do anything fun yet?”

           “We’re good!” You said. Your throat felt scratchy and you hoped he couldn’t hear it, and Tom sighed before going on.

           “We went to Six Flags yesterday and it was super cool, today we just stayed inside mostly. Y/n got me on some new ice cream and it’s really nice,” he said. Usually he liked to walk around when he was on the phone, but now he was just staying with you.

           “That’s lovely,” your mother said. “The boys miss you, Y/n.”

           “Oh, no they don’t,” you replied, rolling your eyes. Even though all of you got along, you still had to pretend you didn’t. Just for street credit. Tom put his finger to his lips, shaking his head at you to shut up. So you did.

           “We’re actually about to go out, there’s a bar here that does quizzes and we were gonna go to the Disney one. So we’ll talk to you later?” All of you said goodbye and he hung up, putting the phone down on the coffee table.

           “Are you leaving?” You asked him. He laughed.

           “Don’t look so concerned. I’m not leaving you just because you have strep throat,” he promised. He put his arm back around you and kept playing his video game, letting you sleep a little bit before making fun of you some more for sleeping on him.

           A/N: I hope this was fluffy enough for you! As much as I love Tom and would love to cuff him for myself, I feel like he’s a great brother too! 

Taglist (if you’d like to be on it send me a message/ask!): @an-adventureland, @firstangeldragonranch, @ssebstann, @winterreader-nowwriter

[nikolai-novak]

Nikolai’s Travel Timeline

Nikolai graduated from high school in 2018, shortly before his 18th birthday in August. Given his family circumstances at the time, he really needed to get away so he took advantage of the fact that he had a full drivers licence and more than enough money to fund his travels.

June 2018 - December 2018

Nikolai was inspired by a photographer that he really liked -- Brian DeFrees -- when it came to mapping out his road trip around the state. In 2011, Brian travelled through 30-odd states in 53 days to see all the major landmarks. Nikolai followed a similar pathway by catching a flight to Virginia, bought a Kombi van, and started the road trip. Nikolai, however, took a full six months to complete the trip. Nikolai visited the following states and explored significantly in each:

Virginia

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Louisiana 

Texas

New Mexico 

Arizona

Nevada (in which he caught up with old friends from high school)

California (in which he briefly stopped in and visited his parents to ease their nagging)

Oregon 

Washington (in which he met August Bright for the first time and his intended short stay in Washington was extended considerably. This is a major contributing reason as to why a trip that could have been completed in two months ended up blowing out to six months in duration. (@augustbright)

Idaho 

Montana 

Wyoming

Utah

Colorado 

Nebraska 

South Dakota 

North Dakota 

Minnesota 

Wisconsin 

Iowa

Illinois 

Ohio 

New York 

Nikolai then sold his Kombi van in New York and booked the cheapest round the world ticket that he could find. The ticket included flights from New York --> London --> Bangkok --> Singapore --> Sydney. 

December 2018 - September 2019 

After booking his flight to London, Nikolai spent the next nine and a half months backpacking around Europe. Now this was genuine backpacking, with Nikolai relying on various forms of transport -- including trains, buses, and even hitchhiking at times. His adventures were as follows: 

Great Britain leg -  England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland 

Central Europe, primarily via train - Netherlands, Germany, Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, France

Balkans leg - Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo 

Iberian leg - Spain and Portugal 

Transylvanian leg - Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania 

Baltics leg - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Russia 

Scandinavia leg - Denmark, Sweden, Norway 

South Caucasus leg - Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan 

Greek Islands leg 

Note: It was in London that he first met Hannah Callaghan. The two met in a bar, hit it off, and fell into bed together. Nikolai didn’t stay in London for long, however he and Hannah have remained in sporadic contact ever since and will always hook-up again when they’re in the same place at the same time. @hannahcallaghanmu

October 2019 - November 2019

After finishing in Europe, Nikolai booked the next flight on his round the world trip and headed to Bangkok. He spent the next two months backpacking around Thailand, both north and south: 

Thailand - Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin, Ko Tao, Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Samui, Khao Sok National Park, Krabi, Rai Leh, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta

December 2019

After finishing his travels in Thailand, Nikolai used the next part of his round the world the world ticket to head to Singapore. 

Singapore - exhausted from all the backpacking, Nikolai just spent a week in a resort in Singapore. Whilst he did explore the city, he was mainly focused on relaxing and recuperating in a 5-star hotel after primarily sleeping in vans, backpacker hostels, and even tents in some places since first beginning his travels.

December 2019 - July 2020

After Singapore, Nikolai booked the last leg of his round the world ticket and headed to Australia. After landing in Sydney, Nikolai scoured local car dealerships and bought himself another second hand Kombi van and commenced a backpacking trip around Australia. Starting from Sydney, Nikolai’s journey was as follows:

New South Wales - The Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, Port Stephens, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Yamba, Byron Bay

Queensland - Gold Coast, Brisbane, Noosa, Fraser Island, Hervey Bay, Agnes Water, Lady Musgrave Island, Lady Elliot Island, Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island, Townsville, Magnetic Island, Mission Beach, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef

He sold the Kombi van after finishing in Cairns so that he could fly over to Western Australia. After spending about a week on Rottnest Island, he managed to buy a second hand van that the owners had renovated for their own past long distance road trips. From there, the adventure continued: 

Western Australia - Margaret River, Denmark, Albany, Esperance, Perth, Kalbarri, Monkey Mia, Coral Bay, Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef, Karijini National Park, Broome, the Kimberley

Northern Territory - Darwin, Litchfield, Kakadu, Katherine, Alice Springs, Uluru, The Red Centre

South Australia - Adelaide, Grampians National Park, then the Great Ocean Road into Victoria 

Victoria - Melbourne, Carlton, St Kilda, Brighton, Collingwood, Fitzroy

Nikolai then sold the van, took a flight over to Tasmania, and rented a vehicle as he knew that he would only be there for a few weeks: 

Tasmania - Hobart, Wild West Coast, Cradle Mountain, Launceston, Bay of Fires, Wineglass Bay, Port Arthur

Nikolai then took a flight to Australian Capital Territory, where he spent a few last days in Australia before having to fly back to start at MU:

Australian Capital Territory - Canberra, Jervis Bay

July 2020

After finishing his mammoth Australian adventure, Nikolai received the ultimatum from his parents: either come back to California and get a university degree or they would be cutting off his access to his trust fund. Nikolai requested a couple of weeks to think about it and immediately booked a flight to Bali, Indonesia. Nikolai spent the two weeks in Bali thinking about the offer, before reluctantly booking a flight back to California. 

August 2020 - December 2020 

It was during this period that Nikolai was a student at Monarch University, having enrolled to study Exercise Science and Physiology. Nikolai really didn’t want to be at university and certainly wasn’t passionate about his chosen major. Struggling to adjust to life at MU, Nikolai crunched the numbers and he realised he could continue funding his travel expenses through his travel and photography blog. With that realisation, he called his parents bluff and left campus. His parents didn’t fully cut off his access to the trust fund but did restrict it (meaning that he was able to withdraw less money than usual each month) but between that and his blog, he was able to make it work. 

January 2021 - April 2021

After leaving MU, Nikolai impulsively booked a flight to Florida. He intended to just stay for a couple of weeks to party and blow off steam but ended up meeting Este Castillo (@estecastillo) in Miami. The couple of weeks turned into a few months whilst the two of them casually dated -- which is the most commitment that Nikolai has given to anyone since the whole mess with Lily. Whilst in Florida, his blog really started to take off. Despite the fact that he wasn’t travelling as extensively as he had in the past, people really loved his photos of Florida; and he had plenty of unseen pictures and stories from his previous adventures that he finally had the time to fully share. Este and Nikolai eventually had an amicable breakup as Nikolai was itching to hop on a flight. 

May 2021 - June 2021

Hopping on a flight led Nikolai to another backpacking adventure, this time in Brazil. Nikolai really hit a sweet spot with his photography and travel blog -- when he had first started the account after finishing high school, he had posted a photo a day; which really was only the briefest snapshot of his adventures as he would take countless photos each and every day. Each photo was accompanied with a brief caption to explain where said photo was taken. Having had some time to fully fleshed things out in Florida, Nikolai started posting more and more of the photos that he had taken over the last few years and accompanied them with detailed stories. The combination of his photography and genuine passion for travel was a recipe for success and this only continued as he backpacked through Brazil for two months.

July 2021 - current

Nikolai is back at MU and studying Business and Photography because he wants to figure out a way to make his blog into a sustainable career. Nikolai still has thousands of photos in his back catalogue that he can share, along with countless stories. Still, he’s making sure to supplement the blog by fully exploring everything that California has to offer; and whenever he can, he will take short weekend trips away or make the most of semester breaks to ensure that people get a good combination of both old and new content. 

[thegreatallie]

My week has been, shall we say, pretty wild.

I was in a good mood going into the beginning of the week, given that I’d won my first blue ribbon at a county fair after about 8 years of never getting higher than second premium. But man, did cruddy things just kind of keep happening, such as the whole bookcase incident and my trip to the water park (season pass visit) that I took to cheer me up made me want to pull out my hair.

But then Thursday. Oh, man, Thursday.

So let me set the scene: Every year that I can, I like to sing in the fair’s talent show. I couldn’t last year due to covid, or 2019 due to cancer, or 2018 due to living in Florida, or 2017 due to it being cancelled for reasons I never found out. But in years past I’ve performed an English translation of Rondo of the Sunflower House from Ponyo, performed Part of Your World on ocarina, played a guitar solo, and also sang Stronger Than You, although that year a bug flew into my mouth near the end and I couldn’t even finish the song.

This year, I wanted to perform Drift Away from Steven Universe: The Movie. I’d been practicing it before for something else, and since I wasn’t actually expecting a talent show this year, I pulled it out and decided to use it. But in the weeks leading up to the fair, I didn’t practice as much as I should have. So I was thinking I was just not going to go after all. It was a pretty rough week and the last thing I needed was to risk adding to it by undertaking something big.

Still, I had a few ride tickets that I had bought on Saturday and not gotten to use, due to running out of stamina. It hadn’t bothered me because I’d planned on going back on Thursday. And while I was there I had meant to pick up a piece of pyrite from one of the vendors. And I’d like to try to win one of those Steven Universe dolls I’d seen at the dart throwing board. After thinking about it, I ended up going.

Well. First, I couldn’t find where to register. That worried me because in the past they’ve had upwards of 30 acts in the show and I wanted to sign up early enough so they’d call me before 9:00 PM, given that I had to get home, take my meds, and be up the next morning at 8:15 (they affect how I sleep.) But I found out that they weren’t even taking sign-ups yet even though it was less than two hours to showtime. It was confusing, but it worked out, and then I had a nice grilled cheese for dinner. So far so good.

Then I went to the dart booth. I’d tried to win a Pearl doll on Saturday and failed so spectacularly that it was embarrassing. At home I just looked up how much it would cost to buy a Pearl doll, but the ones like the one at the fair were upwards of fifty bucks. So then I looked up how to throw darts and sort of practiced the motion with my wrist, trying hard to feel throwing straight. I was confident enough to slap down another $5, but the problem is you need all three of them to hit their mark.

The lady running the booth was nice and friendly. I told her I was gonna try to win the Pearl, and when I lifted up my bag to get out my wallet she recognized it was a Steven Universe bag. I’d purchased it at the Cartoon Network Hotel last September, and it was black with all four of the diamonds on it. She complimented it, and then said, “Let’s win you that Pearl doll.” She even picked out a cluster of balloons that would be the easiest to hit.

The first dart was not so good. It actually missed the balloons entirely, sailed low, and hit the eye of a Mordecai from Regular Show doll. Oof. She gently took the dart out of his eye and put it back on the counter. “Try again,” she said, and it was super kindly.

So I tried again. I took a deep breath, positioned my hand, and threw. And I popped one. Then a second one. I had to take another breath because I was so excited, but I threw the third one, and popped the third balloon. And that was it. I won the Pearl doll.

Things were looking up. I took Pearl on the silly baby roller coaster they had, which is about the wildest ride I can enjoy, and then went to get my pyrite. Next to the rock seller’s booth was a booth for a local diner I like. I chatted with the representatives for a bit and they showed me they were running a contest where you get a free lollipop, and if the lollipop has a dot on the bottom of the stick you win a mystery prize. And if you don’t win the prize, you still get a free lollipop. I did take the free lollipop, and to my surprise I actually got a blue dot! They let me pick a bag, and the bag had a tie-dye kit inside. Sweet.

I was tired, so I went to sit down until the show started. Before that happened, though, I went to talk to the tech guy to see if the accompaniment I’d brought would work, but he was busy with a tech problem. See, apparently someone else performing had the music on their phone, but they didn’t have the right adapter for him to play it. I didn’t want to butt in, but someone spoke up for me. I held up my phone, with it’s USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack, and asked if this would work for my music.

He pointed at it and said, “That’s the adapter I need.”

I took it out and let him use it, and thus the show was able to go on. I felt really fuzzy inside after that happened, and I was so excited to see the show.

The bad news was, only seven people signed up in total: three in the Under-15 section and four in the 15-and-over section. The good news was, even though I ended up coming in last place, I still won fourth premium. And the amazing news is, fourth premium comes with a cash prize. I had to go to the office for them to cut a check, though, and it took forever for the judges to get the judging sheet up to them and for the office to print the checks. The whole time I was thinking, “Man, I hope the prize is worth it. I mean, I’d hate to sit here for twenty minutes for a ten dollar prize that they can’t give me cash for because of regulations and accounting and whatnot.”

Well, It was. It was fifty bucks. Fifty American dollars for singing a Steven Universe song slightly off-key, because not enough people signed up. And that asshole juggler that wins first prize every year wasn’t even there.

So, yeah. I had a pretty amazing night. I was on cloud nine all night and had a hard time relaxing enough to go to sleep. All day Friday I was still on, like, cloud seven or eight at least.

[muckrakerhq]

PRESENTING … FONDUE FOR TWO, HOSTED BY JOEY HUMMEL-ANDERSON.

featuring… this week’s guests, @giannastone & @angel-alexanderr

fondue for two is a weekly internet talk show hosted by joey hummel-anderson. fondue for two, joey, and the muckraker team strive to get all the steaming gossip while he interviews guests of his choice over a steaming pot of cheese.

[JOEY'S ROOM, SAME SET AS BEFORE]

JOEY: Hello everyone and welcome back to Fondue for Two! We're doing a Glee Club edition this month, which means that I will invite the captains of each glee club that actually matter around here... Today we have the captain of the Warblers, also known as my boyfriend, Xan Puckerman! And we have a very good friend of mine, Gigi Stone! She's not captain of the Canaries, but after the so called slushie incident, Aubrey won't talk to me... Either way, are you guys excited to be here?

XAN : Always excited to be in your bedroom, Joseph.

GIGI: Can we keep the flirting to a minimum today, boys? But yeah, I’m excited to be here. You clearly made the best decision by inviting the most talented Canary.

JOEY: Don't worry Gigi, we'll try. Okay, first question is for Xan... Is it true that everyone at Dalton is gay? Or is that a rumor that was created many years ago?

XAN : While I personally believe that everyone is at least a little gay. The number of out and proud homosexuals at Dalton Academy is lower than you might think. So yeah...definitely a rumor. Possibly a little bit of a problematic one while we're at it.(edited)

JOEY: Well... That's interesting to know. But I'm pretty sure that most people will still think that. Gigi, next question is for you! Do you have a date for Candyland? And if you do, who is it?

GIGI: Duh. Of course I do. I’m going with your brother, actually. Trace asked me the other day.

XAN : Love that for you two.

GIGI: He’s so cute, right? I’m excited.

JOEY:  He didn't tell me that! That's cute... Why did you say yes? You know what, that's not important... Since we're talking about Valentine's Day, the next question is for you two: if we weren't all going to Breadstix, what would your perfect Valentine's Day be like? JOEY: Let's stop talking about my brother...

XAN : honestly? i'm not a big holiday person. being born on a holiday kinda ruined all holidays for me i think. but for sake of not looking like an asshole on the internet, i'll say i would be doing something cute with my boyfriend

GIGI: That’s... cute. In a sad sort of way. My perfect Valentine’s Day is being pampered from start to finish. Flowers, jewelry, chocolate. The whole nine yards. GIGI: Trace, if you’re watching this.. Play your cards right and you might be promoted from bench warmer to MVP.

JOEY: 4th of July is a holiday? I thought people just liked to throw fireworks on that day because it's fun, I don't know... But all of those are good answers. Okay, next question, what is the hottest piece of gossip going on at your schools right now? And this is an important one.

XAN : i'm simply not a messy bitch so i have no clue.

JOEY: C'mon, there's gotta be something going on at Dalton!

GIGI: Margot’s dad like literally paid off our coach so she could have a solo at Regionals. Embarrassing, right? Couldn’t be me.

XAN: i will not tolerate Margot slander in my presence. XAN: she's my favorite canary.

JOEY: Wait, did she really do that? Who told you that? I need to know if this is real. Sorry Xanny!

GIGI: It’s literally all anyone can talk about at Crawford? Which is annoying because there’s a lot more interesting things to talk about, but regardless, let’s just say it’s not the first time it’s happened.

JOEY: You heard it here first, people! It won't be a problem though, since you guys lost either way... So sorry about that. But at least the Warblers won! Moving on, who do you guys think will win at Nationals?

XAN : i might be biased. but this is the most competitive warblers year of recent years. i think we could go all the way.

GIGI: Obviously Vocal Adrenaline. No offense to either of you. GIGI: Well, I guess that’ll only happen if they finally kick Giardi off the team.

XAN : i will say...i've heard some rumors about vocal adrenaline's regionals set and i'm a little....terrified for lack of a better word.

GIGI: Say more.

JOEY: Say more right now!

XAN : not to incriminate myself, but i produce rap tracks for this freshman in the warblers. In exchange, he keeps tabs on some of the other show choirs in ohio. let's just say....vocal adrenaline is tributing one of the best vocalists of all time. XAN : expect to cry if you have tickets this weekend.

JOEY: Dua Lipa?

XAN: Not Dua Lipa babes.

GIGI: Interesting. Thanks for the tip, Puckerman.

JOEY: Well, that's kind of scary then... But to answer my own question, I'm sure that the New Directions have a chance too, but we'll see... JOEY: Next question, while we're talking about the show choir world, am I the only one who thinks there's some sexual tension between Julien and Gooby?

XAN : who the hell is gooby?

JOEY: Davis!

XAN: I don't know. That guy gives off heavy asexual vibes to me. Like the definition of soulless automaton. I should know I shared a room with him on the ski trip.

GIGI: (laughs) Davis is the farthest thing from asexual. Soulless? You might be onto something there.

XAN: have you copulated with the enemy???

JOEY: Yeah, have you Gigi? Because that's kind of weird and I can only imagine having sex with Gooby is like sleeping next to a loud breather...

XAN: Or a very unsexy android

JOEY: Or even an emotionless Henry Cavill!

GIGI: Do you two seriously live under a rock? Davis and I have been on and off for the past year and a half or so.

XAN: i don't really pay attention to heterosexual mating patterns...

JOEY: Wait... I thought people from Vocal Adrenaline weren't supposed to sleep with people from other schools... Isn't that why Ivy broke up with Julien?

XAN: i thought Ivy broke up with Julien because he's a cabbage patch kid in a high schooler's body

GIGI: I don’t know why Ivy broke up with Julien, and quite frankly, I don’t care. And to answer your question, they can’t date people from opposing teams during competition season.

JOEY: (chuckles at Xan's comment) Xan, don't be mean! JOEY: Well, yeah, but... Haven't you guys been hooking up for the past year? How does that work?

GIGI: Next question. I didn’t come on here to talk about Davis.

XAN: You heard the lady, stinky.

JOEY: Fine... Who do you think is going to be the most shocking couple at Candyland?

GIGI: Some of these losers actually landing dates is shocking in itself, but I, for one, am interested to see who shows up with the belle of the ball.

XAN: i don’t know about shocking, but I watched Chad texting Bri while we were eating at breastix....and if those two end up back together it would be the LEAST shocking thing in recent history. XAN: actually no...the canaries losing with an all country set would be the least shocking thing in recent history

GIGI: Interesting jab from someone who sang songs from a children’s movie. All I have to say on that front is that the Canaries will never be singing another country song again. You can bet on it.

JOEY: Chad and Bri dated? I had no idea about that... JOEY: But I have to agree with Xan, it was kind of lame... And Trolls isn't a kids' movie! It's a movie for all ages! I love that movie... I'm kind of curious to see who Leo McCarthy is going with, I feel like I haven't seen him in a long time. JOEY: What do you mean about the Canaries though? I thought Aubrey was captain still...

GIGI: And I thought Ivy would never let Julien out of her clutches, but here we are.

XAN: (laughs) not clutches!

JOEY: Okay... Well, that's all the time we have! Before you go, you have to say one nice thing about Gil the Fish... I feel like we haven't been giving him enough attention lately. [points at his fish bowl]

GIGI: I think it’s SO sweet that you bought a fish that looks like Kenna Giardi.

XAN: gil don't listen to her she didn't mean that. you're much sexier than kenna giardi!

JOEY: And that's it! Thank you for being here and for everyone else, don't forget to tune in for Fondue for Two some other time! Bye!

[ THE END ]

[aethelar]

For a comment on this piece asking if Graves and Newt ever argue, in which Graves tags along on Newt’s adventures and parts of it go, um, less than optimally:

I wanna see Newt convincing Graves to go with him. I doubt he'd just drop everything and go.

Nope. Not in the slightest. It went like this:

Newt lasted all of, what eight months in New York? Nine months? He'd somehow ended up working for MACUSA as a consultant to help them fix the outdated beast laws, which basically meant that he spent five days a week bothering Graves at work and the remaining two days a week bothering Graves at home. As far as desk jobs went it wasn't bad, per se, it was just... a desk job. At a desk. Four walls - sometimes more, some of the meeting rooms were hexagonal for some unknown reason - ceilings, windows that looked out at other sky scrapers instead of the sky. Even when he was outside he wasn't really outside, New York too built up and closed in to feel like anything except a cage.

Magizoologists don't do well in cages.

But Graves did, and for Graves, Newt tried. He honestly did. Plus, fixing the beast laws was good, and if was going to be done then Newt would rather it was done right. So, eight months, maybe nine, he did his best.

Then there was the MACUSA annual party. It was horrific. Horrendous. Horrible. How many other words starting horr and meaning stupendously undesirable are there, because the annual party was all of them. They'd hired a motivational speaker. People were talking about ten year plans. Even the buffet had been carefully designed to promote productivity and networking opportunities. Newt stared down the barrel of an endless monotony of working lunches and complaining about management at the water cooler, and on the way home from the party he stopped by the harbour and bought himself a one way ticket to Rio de Janeiro.

(The fact that it was half past midnight and none of the ticket offices were open is not something you should be focusing on)

"Graves," he said when he got home, staring at it in somewhat confused bafflement, "I'm going to Brazil on Saturday. Do you want to come?"

"What, on a business trip?" Graves asked, wrinkling his nose and measuring out a hangover cure with the careful precision of the truly tipsy. (He didn't like office parties any more than Newt did, he just had slightly less extravagant coping mechanisms). "I didn't think we did business trips. Why are you going on a business trip?"

"I'm not," Newt answered.

"Oh," Graves said. "That's ok then."

"So are you coming?"

He held up his novelty wampus mug and squinted at the purple liquid inside. "Yeah. Sure. Does this look exactly four sevenths full to you?"

And that was that, until approximately eleven thirty the following morning when Tina stopped by his office and asked, with the somewhat despairing resignation of someone who's too old for this shit and too young to have this many stress lines, who he was going to leave in charge when he'd gone.

"What."

"Not that I think it's not a great idea, and if I'm honest it'll be a relief to get some things done without Newt constantly underfoot - I love him but he's awful when he's cooped up for too long - but couldn't you have given us a bit more than a week's notice before you went to find yourself on a beach in Bahia?"

"Before I what to what myself on what."

She squinted. "In a jungle then." And, when he just stared blankly at her, she sighed and toed the door closed behind her. "Graves, it'll be good for you," she said with more seriousness than she usually showed. "I know you've been doing your best since Grin - since everything, we all know. And we appreciate it. But I'm glad to see you putting yourself first as well, you know? We'll be fine. You'll get your time away to sort everything out, and in the future... who knows." She smiled reassuringly, and that more than anything threw Graves for a loop. "We'll still be here," she promised. "I'll sort everything out this end. You just... focus on you."

And with that disturbingly cryptic last line, she slipped out his office, presumably to sort everything out while Graves focused on Graves.

"What," he repeated in bewilderment. His empty office failed to provide clarification, and he went back to sorting paperwork with the vague unease of someone who suspects they're missing something but doesn't know what.

The feeling followed him throughout the day as various coworkers stop to express their well wishes, tell him they support his choices, and insist that they'll keep his coffee machine alive for him even though it's an arcane demon that spits black tar at anyone who comes near.

"I think," he said to Newt that evening when they were halfway through chopping onions (Graves) and stripped blood-root bark (Newt, but thankfully that was for the griphorns to eat and not for them), "I think I've been fired."

"Out of what?" Newt asked.

"Fired. Let go. My employment has been terminated. Delgado gave me his abuela's address in Mexico and made me promise to go to her if I needed anything, so there may also have been an order put out for my arrest."

Newt blinked and tipped his head in confusion. "That seems a bit of an extreme reaction," he said. "Everyone I talked to was really supportive of our trip. Maybe I misread them."

At this point Graves' auror instincts, the ones that had kept him alive and - mostly - sane for the last twenty years and that had been carefully honed through countless hours of training and a gut feeling that could blare like a klaxon when it needed to, those auror instincts, they informed him that something was Up and Newt was Part Of It.

He put the knife down on the chopping board. "Newt," he said with as much calm as he could muster. "What did you do."

And Newt, with his magizoologist instincts that told him when a creature was playing and when a creature was genuinely about to rip his arm off, froze. "Ah," he said, gripping the blood-root bark. "Ah?"

"Newt."

"I, um. I got you... a present?"

And as Graves listened with mounting horror and trepidation, he realised that he'd been so successfully outmanoeuvred and outplayed - by accident, the shame of it - that he had no other choice. He couldn't walk into work in the morning and tell everyone there'd been a misunderstanding. Not after even Picquery had been Understanding and Supportive and holy fuck, Abernathy gave him an awkward hug, is Brazil going to be far enough? Graves may need to go further. He may need Australia.

"So," Newt finished, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "That's the plan. You don't have to come if you don't want to, but, I got you a ticket today so if you do...?"

Graves resumed chopping his onion. The steady thunk thunk of the knife was a soothing background rhythm, and the way it made Newt twitch was objectively hilarious.

"If I come with you," he said, because just because he knew he'd already capitulated didn't mean that he could let it look like he'd agreed so easily, "Then you have to come with me afterwards."

"Ok," Newt said hesitantly. "Um, come with you where?"

"Anywhere. Haven't decided yet. But I get to lead for... the rest of our lives."

"Until we're eighty."

"Ninety."

"Eighty nine."

"Deal. And we're not staying in the suitcase."

"What? Why not, I've got a whole cabin set up down there. The suitcase is perfect for staying in."

"The suitcase is a death trap with insufficient wards or protection. What if someone picks it up while you're inside?"

"We could put a label on it asking them not to?"

"Newt."

"We could get Addie to guard it?"

"Newt."

[justsomeoneunordinary]

Le cirque des mirages

T, 3.7k, IronHawk, Fluff & Angst, Underage Drinking, Druge Use, Implied Child Abuse & Self-Harm, H/C - it’s all not that intense, there’s fluff too | AO3

―

The first time Tony fell in love he was eight years old.

His father was abroad for a week on a business trip and his mother and Jarvis took the opportunity to watch with him a circus performance. From the very second the director entered the arena Tony was completely entranced.

With awe in his eyes he watched the trainer tame a real lion, which almost took his breath away throughout the whole show. The horse spectacle put a smile on his face bright enough to reach from one ear to the other. Even the clowns made him laugh, although it took him only seconds to see through their tricks.

But his personal highlight were the acrobats; Those men and women bending the laws of physics according to their own visions through sheer muscle strength and concentration with grace and beauty. How they performed stunts in breathtaking elegance and finesse Tony never even could have dreamed of.

Throughout the whole show his mother failed to make him sit still ― because Tony, Tony felt like he was flying.

Even months later, his eyes still reflected the sparkle of the cheery-colorful costumes. He told everyone who wanted to hear ― and those who didn’t ― about his mathematical calculations, which he puzzled over for days. At what angle someone had to hold their pose in order to balance on a rope in the middle of the air, despite the high air resistance. How much strength it needed in the arms to swing from ring to ring without falling on the floor with a loud thump. Or how strong one had to push their legs so that another person could position themselves onto the feet.

Years passed and Tony never wished for anything other than watching a circus performance for his birthday. In every second that he didn’t convulsively try making his father proud, he dreamed of big tents, the interior filled with multicolored lights, and the feeling of warmth in his chest.

His illusions stopped all of a sudden when he was fourteen years old and his much older classmates all thought of him as boring. Instead, he began to devote himself to the art of seduction and became friendly with the taste of whiskey on his tongue.

But buried deep inside, the circus always remained his personal sanctuary.

―

The second time Tony fell in love he was seventeen years old.

Dead drunk and with no memory of the last three hours, he found himself right in front of a circus tent, the loud shouts from the inside announcing the beginning of a show. He didn’t know how his feet carried him to somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but instead of ordering a cab back to the MIT campus, he bought a ticket and before he knew it, he was in the middle of that turmoil that only tormented his drunken head even more.

Though the majority of the performance flew past him in a shimmer of colors and roars, he grasped enough to see that this was not a conventional circus. The acrobats sometimes lacked some limbs, knife throwers threw at each other and not at targets, fire-eaters jumped simultaneously on trampolines, clowns juggled with swords… if Tony hadn’t been so sure that he hadn’t touched a single joint that day, he would have been convinced he was high.

Just when he thought the performance was over and he was ready to go back―

“And now a big round of applause for the star of our show, The World’s Greatest Marksman! Or as you know him: Hawkeye!”

―the wind was taken out of his sails.

A boy, not possibly older than fifteen, entered the arena in a purple suit, bow in one hand and arrow case in the other over his shoulder swinging. His blond hair looked like he had just gotten out of bed, a scar ran across his right cheek and a devil-may-care grin graced his lips.

Tony was immediately captivated in its spell. As if hypnotized, he watched this boy shoot his arrows at the moving targets in a matter of seconds without looking at them once, and each time hitting bull’s eye. Watched the muscles of the upper arms illuminated by the spotlight move as the bow was pulled. Watched him roll in midair as he was light as a feather.

Tony couldn’t help but return the next day. And the day after that. And as often as possible until more than a month had passed and his fascination with Hawkeye still didn’t find an end at all. He no longer even looked the other attractions anymore, but only had eyes for the mysterious and mesmerizing archer.

Then, the circus did what all circuses do ― they moved.

And Tony followed.

But Tony was first and foremost an MIT student, and there was only so much he could do. If he hadn’t been a billionaire’s son with unlimited access to his fortune since hacking into Howard’s bank account years ago, he would never have been able to follow them across the states whenever he had a day off.

Before he knew it, two years had passed and Tony had graduated from the university with two doctorates. The circus had once again temporarily taken root in New York, where he also planned to complete his third doctorate.

Since his third visit, he could’ve sworn that Hawkeye winked at him at the end of each of his shows ― this assumption was confirmed when, once again, he was the last one left in the tent, sweetly dazed from the marijuana mixed with the bitter taste of the whiskey, before carefully stumbling outside.

“Y’know,” greeted him a chirpy-cheerful voice to his left, “they call me Hawkeye because I observe a lot and see things better from a distance. Not just see, but see, know what I mean?”

“Ah, and here I thought it’s because you’ve got a bat’s sense of hearing,” Tony couldn’t help but say. At least this earned him an amused snort.

“Nah, ‘m hard of hearing and if I weren’t so good at lip reading, I wouldn’t have understood a word of what you just babbled,” came the witty answer Tony admittedly hadn’t expected. “I must’ve left quite an impression that you watch my shows regularly over two years, huh?”

Oh, haughty. Tony liked that a lot. “Who says I’m here for you? Maybe I’m just here because of the incredible Swordsman, ever thought about that, huh?”

Another snort. “Two words: Hawk. Eye.”

Technically, this was still just one word, but okay, he won that round, Tony didn’t know how to counter that.

Then, with a jerk, he pushed himself off the pole he had been leaning against and came so close to Tony that they breathed the same air. “Name’s Clint,” he introduced himself with a mischievous grin on his face.

Which Tony already knew. Clinton Barton, seventeen, joined together with his older brother Barney the circus when he was only nine years old. Tony did not stalk him; those are the only information he had dug up ― he just really had wanted to know who that amazing archer was.

“Tony Carbonell”, he said, like the professional liar that he was, and grinned right back.

Clint nodded once, licked his lips and asked uninhibited, “Wanna fuck?”

Hell yes, he almost shouted, if… if he hadn’t seen something in Clint’s sky-blue eyes that he couldn’t quite identify. A mixture of insecurity, fear and caution ― once bitten, twice shy, he thought. Tony understood that there depended more from his answer than just its semblance.

“Thanks, but not today. Perhaps some other time, if the offer still stands then.”

As if on command, Clint’s whole posture visibly relaxed, as if an invisible weight had fallen from his shoulders. Jackpot.

“Do you want to share a joint with me instead?” Tony seamlessly changed the subject, like he had learned from child on as the center of the media to let a conversation dance according to his pipe.

Clint shrugged. “Sure, why not?” Which is how minutes later Tony learned that Clint had never smoked a joint before. He also learned that Clint was a terrific storyteller. In particular, however, he learned that Clint’s laugh could even lighten a cathedral.

In less than two hours, the two of them became best friends. And less than three weeks of those regular meetings, they became lovers.

When one night under the starry sky Clint kissed him on the mouth without even a warning ― in the middle of the sentence ― it was as if the world had stood still. Chaotic and moisty and interrupted by their drunken laughter, it was the worst and best kiss of his life.

Two days later, Tony rented a shabby little flat in Manhattan that was about to collapse. Strictly speaking, he bought the whole building, but he twisted the truth there a little bit. That was the only way how he could bring Clint home without Howard knowing about it and without Clint getting wind of his wealth.

“I like your place. Nice view,” mocked Clint. After that there was not much left to say, because Tony wanted to inaugurate this apartment. Years ago, Tony had already lost all interest in virgins, but Clint’s inexperience was a delight that surprised even him. Every single touch left his skin tingling and made his heart flutter in an irregular rhythm. Clint tasted like honey and smoke, like nutmeg and vodka, like strawberries and chili ― he tasted like love.

Even in the dim light of the apartment, Tony took every opportunity to trace the contours of Clint’s muscles crafted by his archery training, and to memorize Clint’s facial expression forever at his climax. Not even Michelangelo could have captured the subtleties of such beauty.

Being in a relationship with Clint was nothing Tony had ever experienced before. But not everything thereof was positive. There were hardly any days when Clint wasn’t covered in bandages and plasters or grazes. Most of them Tony knew that they were the result of Clint’s clumsiness, who stumbled over his own feet even on flat ground and then broke his nose masterfully. But some of them were too deep, too clean, too precise. Tony knew what it looked like trying to make a wound look like an accident.

Once, Tony didn’t have enough whiskey left, so he brushed his teeth with gin and tonic. When he tried to kiss Clint afterwards, he was pushed so strongly that his butt landed on the floor. Clint threw up in the toilet and collapsed there, trembling and bathing in sweat.

Howard may have been an absent father who never showed a shred of interest in Tony, but at least he’d never raised his hand against his own family. Tony swore to never even look from the canthus at a gin again.

Ultimately, however, the shady sides were covered by the sunny ones. Because that was how it felt like to be with Clint ― like a warm sunny day, the rays of which finding their way into his deepest parts.

After the circus moved again, Tony continued to visit as often as he could. They then spent the nights in Clint’s bed, where Barney could catch them at any moment. It was absolutely worth the risk. And Tony didn’t have the slightest clue how, but Clint managed to convince the circus director to stay in New York more often and longer. For completely selfless reasons, he claimed.

Often it was impossible for Tony to hide his true intellect, simply because he didn’t want to. Only two months into their relationship, he learned to use ASL fluently. If Clint had had more TV access or at least a little interest in magazines, he would have quickly known who Tony really was.

“You are really good with those computers, aren’t you?”

An understatement for Tony, especially considering that Clint had already met DUM-E. But he just hummed simply while he continued to work on his next AI and enjoyed Clint’s feather-light kisses on his neck.

“Can you also hack and stuff?”

Here he had to laugh softly. “Three years ago, Rhodey bet with me that I could never ever hack the Pentagon. Guess who won.”

“Cool.” There was a grin on the back of his neck Tony could literally feel.

Which was the only explanation for how it happened that Tony hacked into NASA’s server an hour later and, while he was already there, corrected a few of their mathematical equations. It wasn’t even in the top ten of the most dangerous things he had done with Clint. Their relationship might’ve been a lot of things, but sure as hell never boring.

Two years later Howard was driving drunk, killing not only himself but also Tony’s mother. From then on, everything went down the drain.

Tony almost drank himself into nirvana and when he suddenly woke up in the bed of his apartment with a pounding headache, he found Clint snuggled up next to him. Tears adorned his eyes, which were darker than usual and reminded him of blueberries ― Tony’s new favorite fruit, as he decided at exact that moment.

Clint said nothing, he didn’t need to. In the end, Howard Stark and Harold Barton were more alike than Tony had first thought. He tried not to think about having no excuse anymore to take over his legacy and that Uncle Obie would soon find him. Instead, he hugged Clint closely and placed a tender kiss on his temple while he could still do so. The steady heartbeat of Clint’s and his hand stroking trough his hair was the only reason he stayed sane.

Love, Tony thought, must be the power of the gods.

Twelve days later, he received a call from the hospital where Clint was taken to the ER. He had had to be resuscitated during the operation and was now lying unconscious in bed tied up on various machines.

It was only after 37 hours that he finally woke up.

Jacques, the Swordsman, had stolen money from the circus and when Clint tried to tell the director, he was downright beaten to death. Barney had just turned his head and left him on the floor. Tony didn’t show his anger even for a second while those incidents were being recited. He waited for Clint to fall asleep again and then contacted his lawyers ― after hitting the wall with his fist until it was red with blood as the rage boiling through his veins like hot lava.

Tony accepted that it was probably time to tell Clint about the things he had been hiding. It wasn’t that he had deliberately wanted to lie for two years, he was only afraid that Clint would turn away from him as soon as he knew who Tony really was. His pejorative attitude towards the rich clearly spoke for it.

But Tony had the means to help Clint, so he would take the risk. He decided to address this as soon as they were home. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in the hospital.

“Yesterday,” Clint began to say out of the blue on the fourth day of his hospital stay, “one of those suit wearers came to visit me. Coulson or something’s his name. Miracle he could sit down with the giant stick in the ass.”

He interrupted himself because of a fit of giggling. The painkillers had a strong effect on Clint. “Anyway,” he continued after a few minutes, “he offered me a job. Said they could use someone with my particular skillset.”

After a long break Tony asked, “And?”

“And… I think I want to take a look at that offer.”

Tony scratched his chin where he had started to grow a goatee. He wasn’t sure what to do with this information. It sounded to him as if he’d never see Clint again, as irrational as the thought was.

“Will you… will you come back?” he just had to ask, while carefully taking Clint’s hand in his and slowly following the early rough lines crafted from archery. He would never tire of the feeling of Clint’s hand in his.

This earned him a smile, so bright that his eyes shone even more beautiful than the stars in the sky. “Of course. I will always come back to you, Tony.”

But in the end, their relationship had been nothing more than a circus of illusions. A world where Tony could just be himself. Not Tony Stark, child prodigy, son of the so-called ‘Icon of America’s Strength’, heir to a multibillion-dollar company ― just Tony. A world in which he was loved not for his money or fame, but for his heart.

A world in which Clint wasn’t the victim of child abuse. In which he wasn’t betrayed by his only brother and left behind to die. In which he didn’t hurt himself just to see if he could still feel. In which he hadn’t run away from anything all his life and wouldn’t do it again. Simply a world in which he was happy.

Because that was where they both gave in to the illusion. They had been so busy with being happy that they both forgot one important thing: Life always caught up with you.

Twenty years and almost the end of the world had to pass for their paths to finally cross again.

 ―

The third time Tony fell in love he was forty-two years old.

Rubble and ashes had made themselves comfortable in his new home. A huge crater graced the floor of his living room and the Avengers stood awkwardly in the middle, as if ordered and not picked up.

This was the first time the circus had found him, instead of the other way around.

Clint leaned against the back of the sofa and was inspecting his bow. His face was decorated with shiners and blood, though this time Tony at least knew where they came from. His posture screamed nonchalance, but his frown whispered unease.

Without thinking about it, he stood next to him, their shoulders almost touching, and continued to look at him out of the corner of his eye. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t have stayed away ― Clint has always had a magnetic attraction on him.

“So, you’d come back, huh?”

Clint didn’t seem fazed at all. But the days Tony was able to read him like an open book were over a long time ago. He wondered if Clint even realized that he built the Stark Tower on exact the same spot their apartment used to be, before he had the building torn down.

“So, Tony Carbonell, huh?” came the snarky reply.  

Okay, fair enough. “My mother’s maiden name was Carbonell, so I didn’t lie technically.”

“Well, I came back now, so technically I didn’t lie either.” And then Clint had the utter gall to grin at him. Tony almost punched him.

He thought of all those days he had been waiting in the apartment for Clint to return. Thought of all those hours he stared at the telephone in case of a call. Thought of all those times he anxiously went to hospitals and police stations, hoping to find Clint somewhere there.

After six months of unsuccessful searching, he had resigned himself to the fact that Clint no longer wanted him. That he had found out who Tony really was and that he’d just left him to twist in the wind.

Whiskey had found its way through his blood system more than ever. Cocaine had blurred his reality until he ended up in the ER which is why he stopped with it immediately. Men and women had warmed his bed, imitating what he and Clint had had. His nights have never been the same again.

Even after Tony moved to California ― trying to chase the sun’s rays, which Clint had always made shine for him ― he never quit their apartment lease. Just in case. Instead, he installed a camera there that J.A.R.V.I.S. could access. Just in case. Throughout all those years, he had looked at the death notices every day with trembling nostrils. Just in case.

It suddenly dawned on Tony why the alarm bells always rang when he saw Coulson. The new job. Special Agent Clint Barton ― codename: Hawkeye. From the circus’ star attraction to a high ranked spy. Now an Avenger. Tony had always known that Clint’s life had been nowhere near normal ever.

He took a deep breath before turning his gaze back to Clint. Tony chose his next words very carefully. “In the past twenty years I’ve done some stupid things that I can’t even begin to list. Many of them were created under the influence of alcohol,” here he looked him straight in the eye without a hint of hesitation, “but not once have I even touched a gin again.”

When Clint finally dropped his mask ― his own illusion of indifference ― Tony was able to pinpoint it the exact moment it happened. His light blue eyes, previously disinterested and dull, shone in a new light, encased by insecurity and adoration, shame and mischief, pleading for forgiveness and radiating warmth all at the same time. A mess of feelings, each of which Tony was allowed to identify and classify.

“I like your new place. Nice view,” Clint just replied. The meaning of his words made his heart skip a beat. Warmth filled him from within that Tony couldn’t help but give him a shy smile, full of trust and hope.

When suddenly Clint put his arm around Tony’s shoulders, it was as if they were both just two stupid teenagers again, bathing in each other’s attention and the weight on their shoulders not yet so heavy that it dragged them down. The bare spot on his neck, which wasn’t covered by the Iron Man armor, tingled with the touch. Blood roared in his ears and a wave of emotions hit him so hard it almost took his breath away.

Tony threatened to lose the ground under his feet. In order not to panic and kiss Clint directly on the mouth here and now, he blurted out the only thing he could do to deliberately hide the upcoming tears in his eyes: “So, shawarma?”

Clint’s loud laugh echoed through the room like a bird’s song in a cave.

And Tony fell in love again.

[justanalto]

i was tagged by the wonderfully sweet @besidemethewholedamntime -- thank you so much!! <3 <3 <3

1. What is the color of your hairbrush?

I have a wet brush that’s bright blue, but I also have a hairbrush that’s red!

2. Name a food you never eat

uhhhh...olives, but only when they’re on their own. 

3. Are you typical too warm or too cold?

I’m always too cold. always, always, always. my fingers are currently freezing and so are my toes. I think it’s because there’s a loose draft in my room here somewhere, TBH. 

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?

roses are red // 45 minutes ago // i was writing poetry // and answering all my asks in a row

i’ve been sending people asks in poetry form and they’ve been responding, LOL -- so there’s been a lot of poetry brain going on!

5. What’s your favorite candy bar?

either a nice dark chocolate bar or a green tea kit kat bar!

6. Have you ever been to professional sports event?

I’ve been to a few professional baseball games! gotta get out there and have some mass sports pride. one of these days, my american football team will be good again and I will get those tickets. 

7. What is the last thing you said out loud?

some half-hearted mumble-harmonizing to pentatonix’s be my eyes, so something along those lyrics!

8. What is your favorite ice cream?

either black raspberry (s/o to campus!!) or mint chocolate chip :) 

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?

a couple of sips of water, hehe

10. Do you like your wallet?

I do! It’s the first “grown-up” wallet I feel like I’ve ever had -- I bought it from camden market last year when I was in london, and it’s a nice pine shade of green and made of cork. unfortunately, because i bought it in london, it also means that it doesn’t hold american currency quite as well, but it’s okay, i make do, LOL! 

11. What is the last thing you ate?

my dad made spaghetti bolognese and I ate that with a hecking ton of bread. it was fantastic :) 

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend?

unfortunately, no :( i can’t remember the last time I bought new clothes. maybe january? february? before the pandemic started. 

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched?

I think...I know it was definitely a pats game, and I’m pretty sure we lost, so it’s somewhere along the lines of pats v. ravens, I think

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?

extra buttery, even though it would probably murder me :’)

15. Who is the last person you send text message to?

@aleksandrachaev, and it was two thumbs-up emojis, LOL. 

16. Ever been camping?

I have! I went a long time ago, like nine years ago long ago, I think somewhere out west? I slept on an air mattress, went to an outdoor bathroom, all that fun jazz! and the bug bites, LOL. 

17. Do you take vitamins?

my mom: so you’ve got the probiotic, the vitamin c and the biotin...

18. Do you regularly attend a place of workship?

I don’t -- my dad used to go to church regularly, but other than that, I’ve never been to church and we’ve never been as a family. 

19. Do you have a tan?

i don’t know how this happened but I literally still have shorts tan from like, august. it is the middle of november, someone tell me how I got here. a couple of years ago, I burnt so badly on a trip to LA I was still seeing the tan months later, LOL. and most of the time, I have some fair flip-flop tan!

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza?

chinese, because pizza has the ability to murder me

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw?

it it’s a takeout cup, then odds are good i’m drinking it through a straw, but other than that nope :) 

22. What color socks you usually wear?

white or grey, I think? i have some funky colored ones but i’m trying to change that

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit?

i’m having flashbacks to a conversation I had with a friend who laughed at me for going five miles above the speed limit -- yes, I do, but only the allowed five miles above the speed limit and none more

24. What terrifies you?

oh, no, you don’t want to ask me that, we’d be here all day...being abandoned, I guess? being left by the people I care about, becoming too attached to people because they can leave and hurt me, spiders, heights, the pandemic, being hated, being alone...my own emotions, sometimes. 

25. Look to your left, what do you see?

my tubby nugget! he smiles at me, and I feel a lil better :)

26. What chore do you hate the most?

i literally could not tell you how much I hate cleaning the grout in our bathroom tile. it is a CHORE. 

27. What do you think when you hear Australian accent?

the hemsworth brothers, but also someone I met abroad who was from perth and had the same name as me, LOL

28. Whats your favorite soda?

ginger ale! 

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit drive through?

depends on where I’m hitting, tbh -- if i’m in a hurry, we’re going straight through the drive-thru. but if it’s an event, then we’ll go in! have a fun time. sit for a while and talk. 

30. What’s your favorite number?

i don’t think I have one, actually?

31. Who’s the last person you talked to?

my dad, I’m pretty sure -- we talked about pandemic unemployment assistance :)

32. Favorite meal?

sushi, or whenever my mom makes steamed chicken. (i’m realizing it’s been so long since I’ve had that chicken and now I’m sad) 

33. Last song you listed to?

for real by lana condor

34. Last book you read?

confucius jane by katie lynch, just to see if the lesbians stood up to the pedestal i’d put them on -- and hell yeah, they did! 

35. Favorite day of the week?

right now, thursdays, because thursday is grey’s day! 

36. Can you say alphabet backwards?

probably, if you gave me enough time to think about it

37. How do you like your coffee?

like i like my men -- from afar, some of them are pretty, but do I actually like them? no

38. Favorite pair of shoes?

either my gray ankle boots I got a couple of years ago or my ‘gay lesbian snow boots’ that I use when it’s snowing something awful out, LOL!

39. Time you normally get up?

i’m supposed to be up at 8 am, but I’m usually up anywhere between 9 and 10am. I...need to change that, LOL. 

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunset?

i love both! but I like sunset because I’ve never specifically woken up to see the sunrise, i’ve only seen it out of coincidence because I pulled an all nighter to do work

41. How many blankets on your bed?

three, at the moment -- a costco blanket, my college blanket and a five-below blanket

42. Describe your kitchen plates.

white with a floral border

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment.

it’s lived-in -- we have a side table that’s always at the risk of a collapsing, a power strip that runs a kettle, microwave and toaster oven (you can never run two of them at once otherwise the strip shuts off), kitchen mats that will never get rid of their crumbs and a healthy, healthy pantry!

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink?

either pink moscato wine or a rekorderlig cider! 

45. Do you play cards?

i used to a lot, when I was younger! when I got older I stopped finding people to be able to play them with, unfortunately. 

46. What color is your car?

silver! (even though I share it with my sister)

47. Can you change a tire?

no, but I’d definitely like to learn :)

48. Your favorite state or province?

new york or california, honestly. probably california. it’s the place I’ve felt the most free :) 

49. Favorite job you’ve had?

i’ve had a lot of internships but not a lot of jobs, but I’d probably have to say it was the one I had at dunks -- so many funny things and stories came out of it, and now I have enough barista experience to power my coffee shop fics for a lifetime! 

tagging: @agentmmayy @nazezdha321 @sadtunes @a-biochemist-not-a-bird @browneyedgenius @daisylincs @aleksandrachaev @missinglittlebritishfriend @hannahxowen @genderfluid-and-confuzled and anyone else that I missed -- you’re it!! (i’m truly sorry if I forgot you, I haven’t slept a lot in the last couple of nights fhdskjfhs) 

[cyncity2000]

73 questions tag! tysm @goodlesson , can’t say i’ve ever had anything like this before but hey it’s not like I have anything better to do rn 😅 

answers under the cut! i tag @rene-royale @teenager-confused-tired @sawafilmtoday @onedoesnotsimplystormthebastille if you feel like it, but no pressure bc this is a LOT and took me a couple days to finish lol

on a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about life right now? um. could be worse, could be better?? so 5. 

describe yourself in a hashtag? no. twitter and all its shitty hashtags can go to hell.

if you could do a love scene with anyone, who would it be? weird question. nobody?? i wouldn’t want to??

if your life was a musical, what would the marquee say? not to be all dan smith on main but like...’come to this please’

what’s one thing people don’t know about you? uhhhh idk. i’m very open about most aspects of my personality i’d say

what’s your wake up ritual? stay in bed as long as possible and then YEET at maximum speed so i don’t waste the day

what’s your go to bed ritual? tell myself i should go to bed. pick up my phone instead. regret it in the morning.

what’s your favorite time of day? 2pm or 9-10pm 

your go to for having a good laugh? macdoesit or drawfee videos on youtube. truly the best.

dream country to visit? i wanna go back to england and france, also i’d love to visit literally anywhere i could

what’s the biggest surprise you’ve ever had? falling in love with my college roommate probably,, didn’t see THAT coming

heels or flats/sneakers? bitch i’m 5′10″ with size 12.5 feet. converse.

vintage or new? vintage looks cool. i am not cool. so new.

who do you want to write your obituary? idk man i don’t wanna think about that now???

style icon? if you knew me irl you’d know style is not a word in my vocabulary

what are three things you cannot live without? my cat, my friends/gf, and my cd collection 

what’s one ingredient you put in everything? i do not bake or cook, the real world is going to kill me immediately

what 3 people living or dead would you want to make dinner for? i’d be too stressed to make food for people but i’d love to like. go OUT for dinner with...dodie, dallon weekes, and pj liguori. they’re all just cool people i follow and i wanna know what they’re LIKE. 

what’s your biggest fear in life? failure due to lack of confidence, motivation and direction in life :)))

window or aisle seat? i’d say window but i am long boi so aisle is usually nicer unless i trip someone by accident

what’s your current tv obsession? still supernatural, also brooklyn 99

favorite app? tumblr :D

secret talent? despite my crippling procrastination issues i’ve almost always been a straight-A student 🤷‍♀️

most adventurous thing you’ve ever done in your life? drove myself two hours to a concert in february, or maybe the time i did a really hard ropes course or went to the badlands?

how would you define yourself in three words? introverted, distracted, nerdy

favorite piece of clothing you own? maybe my waterparks sweatshirt bc i had a dream last night that i donated it and then went back to the store to buy it back lmao so subconsciously i must really like it

a must have clothing item that everyone should have? you gotta have that one pair of black jeans that goes with anything imo

a superpower you would want? flying. it’s the only recurring dream i’ve ever had and it’s my only answer ever

what’s inspiring you in life right now? all the people doing big or little things to help. the ones doing instagram lives or sending money or supplies to people in need or just giving me more faith in humanity

best piece of advice you’ve received? can’t remember any. why doesn’t anyone give me good advice

best advice you’d give your teenage self? do your laundry on time. don’t wear...whatever that was to school. just wash ur fuckin clothes. also don’t let it bother you that you’re single the whole time. you’ll get there.

a book everyone should read? they both die at the end by adam silvera. you WILL cry. but you will love it. 

what would you like to be remembered for? i have no idea. being a non-shitty person at least.

how do you define beauty? happiness.

what do you love most about your body? idk being tall is kinda nice

best way to take a rest/decompress? get a blanket. comfy clothes. my cat. put headphones on. put some music on or watch youtube.

favorite place to view art? on tumblr and instagram! i follow soo many wonderful artists it’s great

if your life was a song, what would the title be? Oh No (What Is She Doing Now?)

if you could master one instrument, what would it be? piano or guitar. i suck at both and if i could be good at ONE i’d be happy

if you had a tattoo, where would it be? been thinking about this tbh. somewhere on my arm definitely but idk where D:

dolphins or koalas? dolphins!!

what’s your spirit animal? a cat?

best gift you’ve ever received? for christmas my sister bought me a cute lil box meant for displaying concert tickets and it was the most thoughtful thing ever. also the AMAZING studio headphones i’m currently using that my mom got me like three years ago for christmas

best gift you’ve given? probably when i bought me and my best friend tickets to see the Sherlock S4 finale in a movie theater 

what’s your favorite board game? cards against humanity, one night ultimate werewolf/alien, settlers of catan

what’s your favorite color? porpleee 💜

least favorite color? hmm they’re all valid except for like. puke green.

diamond or pearls? neither lol

drugstore makeup or designer? neither 😜

blow-dry or air-dry? blow-dry but i never do bc it takes y e a r s

pilates or yoga? yoga!

coffee or tea? both but only hot tea or frozen coffee 

what’s the weirdest word in the english language? thanks to tumblr the word ‘defenestrate’ has entered my vocabulary and I do not regret it

dark chocolate or milk chocolate? either. chocolate is chocolate 🍫

stairs or elevators? tbh stairs, i’m just a lazy bitch

summer or winter? winter. cold > hot

you are stuck on an island, you can pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat? i’d still get tired of it :( i need that variety!!

a dessert you don’t like? none. dessert is dessert and it is all valid if i can eat it

a skill you’re working on mastering? writing, working from home, playing the guitar

best thing to happen to you today? currently watching mike gross play old brobecks tunes :’) he also just saw my comment yay

worst thing to happen to you today? i had cheesecake for lunch. sounds good but it’s the only thing i’ve had today besides a piece of chocolate and my body is Not Happy

best compliment you’ve ever received? someone on fanfiction dot net once left me a comment saying they’d almost cried at my story and called me “a true writer” and it’s honestly one of the only thing that keeps me writing...i’m still mad they weren’t signed in so I’ll never be able to thank them for it.

favorite smell? lemon, cookies, fresh-cut grass

hugs or kisses? hugs!!

if you made a documentary, would it be about? somethin gay probably

last piece of content you consumed that made you cry? honestly...probably “who the fuck is keith” fjadskljfd

lipstick or lipgloss? like peyton said chapstick is the only valid answer

sweet or savory? depends how i’m feelin, love both

girl crush? besides the obvious one (my girlfriend), honestly not many? there’s this one girl i follow on insta who’s big in the panic! fandom and jESUS SHE’S SO PRETTY. also the girl who plays kaia in supernatural is CUUUTE

how do you know you’re in love? has only happened to me once but for me...i already loved her platonically for months and then suddenly one day i was like oh. why am i getting the urge to kiss you rn. oh no.

a song you can listen to on repeat? anything by idkhow or bastille. never gets old.

if you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be? not to copy peyton but i would love to know what goes on inside my cat’s head

what are you most excited for about this time in your life? next semester of college!! i got into a super-competitive dorm and i’m gonna have my own room and live with nine other people and gahh i’m just so excited to be chaotic with all my friends again and meet new people :’)

[smoothdogsgirl]

Finding Peace

Title: Finding Peace

Characters: Steve McGarrett, Grace Williams, Catherine Rollins

Words: 1,520

Summary: Series Finale Fix Steve tries to find peace and gets some perspective from an unexpected source.

Happy Birthday @wereleopard58

This story is not beta'd any mistakes are mine.

These characters don't belong to me, I'm playing in someone else's sandbox. No money is being made from this.

DO NOT POST ON OTHER SITES.

I will cross-post this to my ff.net and AO3 accounts.

Steve continued to hold Catherine’s hand as the plane taxied from the terminal and then takes off into the sky. When the flight reaches cruising altitude he lets go of her hand and looks out the window, watching the island of Oahu and his home for the last ten years disappear in the clouds. Steve zones out watching the clouds until a flight attendant approaches offering complimentary beverages. He accepts a small bottle of water and nods his head in thanks.

He looks over and notes that Catherine has on a pair of headphones and is diligently working on her laptop. After a couple of minutes, she stops typing and glances up at Steve with a smile on her face pulling off her headphones. 

“So I was thinking when we land at LAX we could grab a bite to eat and discuss where we go from here,” Catherine states still smiling.

Steve frowns, “Cath I’m not going with you. I appreciate all of your help…” He sighs running a hand down his tired and weary face, “but it was never my intention to join you. I’m physically and emotionally tired, I need to find myself again. Running ops with you won’t accomplish that.”

Catherine stares at him for a moment, “I was under the impression this was what you wanted.”

A look of confusion crosses his face, “until an hour ago I hadn’t seen or spoken with you in months. What would give you that idea?”

She swallows hard, “it was something that Cole said when he called me.”

“What?”

“Cole said you told him I was the one that got away,” Catherines says in a tone asking him to contradict her statement.

Steve groaned, “I did say that to Cole...but I also left a lot unsaid.” he takes a deep breath and releases it slowly, “there was a point in my life where I would have done just about anything to be with you. However, you left me and I had to move on. It took some time and I’ve done that now. I can’t and won’t go back.”

Catherine swallowed hard and wiped away an errant tear,  “...Ok, if going our separate ways is what you want. We part at LAX.”

“Cath, I’m not trying to hurt you but that is how it needs to be,” Steve advised. 

She nods her head in understanding and puts her headphones back on refocusing on her laptop. 

The remainder of their flight to LAX is spent in awkward silence. When the plane parks at the terminal both grab their gear and disembark into the terminal. On the concourse, they say a brief good-bye before Catherine turns and disappears in a sea of travelers. 

Steve is unsure of what to do next, he had made no plans beyond leaving Hawaii. Picking up his duffel bag he swings it over his shoulder and makes his way over to the same-day ticket counter in the main terminal. Once there he looks at the available flights leaving LAX that day, after looking at what flights are leaving for several minutes he makes a snap decision and walks to the counter purchasing a ticket. Take it in hand he makes his way back over to security passing through he then proceeds to the gate where he waits for his flight to be called.

Six long hours later he lands at his destination. He catches a cab into the city and gets dropped off at a Hyatt. He gets a room, showers and falls into an exhausted sleep. 

The next morning Steve started exploring the city visiting some local landmarks and trying the local delicacies. One day roughly a week after arriving he made his way to one of the local college campuses, having heard it had a nice walking trail. He spent the day walking the trail enjoying the sunshine and nature.  

As he nears the campus, he hears a young voice calling for him. “Uncle Steve...Uncle Steve!”

Turning around and only has seconds to brace himself as Grace runs up to him and flinging herself into his arms. He spins her around for a moment before setting her back on the ground. He steps back to get a good look at her, “you look good Gracie, Rutgers seems to agree with you.”

Still grinning she moves a loose strand of hair behind her ear, “thanks uncle Steve. Are you here by yourself? Danno didn’t mention that you were coming.”

“That’s because it wasn’t a planned trip. I was at LAX looking for a flight and saw that one was departing for Newark and just bought a ticket…” with a chuckle he adds, “it’s kinda Danno’s fault. When we were talking a few weeks ago, he said I should come to Jersey for a vacation.”

Grace rolls her eyes, “you live on a Hawaiian island and come to Jersey for a vacation?” She shakes her head in dismay, “you got it all wrong uncle, Steve.”

“Are you done with classes for the day?” 

“Yeah, I was going to go for a run on the trail, but…” she pauses for dramatic effect. “Since you’re here you can take this poor college student for dinner at a local diner.”

----------------------------------------------------------

“So uncle Steve what’s going on?” Grace asks after they’ve placed their order with the waitress.

“What do you mean?” Steve asks trying to avoid her question.

“I talk with Adam a couple of times a week ever since he and Kono split up. He’s told me what’s been going on recently. Not to mention I spoke with Danno the day after you left and he stated you’ve been weary and were looking to find some inner peace.”

Steves shoulders slump and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard. After a few seconds, he raises his head and looks Grace in the eye, “you seem pretty well informed already.”

Grace reaches across the table and squeezes his forearm, however, before she can say anything the waitress returns placing two burgers, fries, and milkshakes on the table. For a few minutes, they each enjoy their food.

Grace dips a fry into her chocolate shake before and then stuffs it in her mouth with a small moan of appreciation, “so good.”

Steve smiles shaking his head at her antics.

“So talk to me uncle Steve, why did you really leave the island?”

“I’ll tell you what I told Danno when I got to the island ten years ago I hit the ground running and I never stopped. That a long time. I’m tired and I want to find some inner peace.”

“So has being in Newark New Jersey of all places helped you find even a little bit of that peace you’re searching for?”

“Honestly until today, no” he sighs. 

Grace dunks a few more fries into her shake, “so what changed today?”

Steve smiles at her, “running into you.”

She chuckles and shakes her head, “so we’ve established I’m the only good thing to come of you coming to Jersey...now based on that. What are the odds if you travel elsewhere that you’d have better results?”

Steve just looks at her unsure of how to respond to her question.

“...That’s what I thought” Grace responds. “I’m glad that seeing me has helped you. But why me?”

“I love you Gracie and I’ve missed you… you also remind me of Danno.” Steve tells her truthfully.

“I’ve missed you too uncle Steve...if you miss Danno why haven’t you gone back?”

“It’s not that simple,” Steve replied rubbing the back of his neck.

“Can I say what I think without you getting mad at me?” She asks pushing her empty plate aside.”

“Sure Gracie”

“Having watched you and Danno together for a good number of years, I think you love my dad.”

“Of course I love Danno…”

Grace cuts Steve off, “NO! That’s not what I mean. I think you’re in love with my dad.”

Steve sits back in his chair dumbstruck, not sure how to respond.

“I also know you haven’t said anything to him. Now, I think you should tell him because I’m ninety-nine percent sure he feels the same.” She told him honestly.

“You really think Danno feels the same?” Steve asked wringing his hands.

“YES!” Grace exclaims.

Steve shakes his head at her exuberance, he then pulls out his wallet and places money on the table to cover their meal and a tip.

As they get up to leave he turns to Grace, “are you coming to the island for Spring Break?”

“Uncle Steve, is this your way of asking me to go back home with you, hold your hand while you tell Danno how you feel?” Grace asking him in a teasing tone.

As they step out of the diner Steve throws his arm over her shoulder pulling her in close and kissing her on the forehead, “yeah Gracie it is.”

Staying in his embrace she tilts her head up, “as long as you buy the ticket...cause ya know poor college student and all. Yeah, I’ll fly home with you.”

“Thanks, Gracie.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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@wereleopard58​ 

@marvelismylifffe​

@chelsea072498​

@esoltis280​ 

[jvmp3]

felix sat alone in his room, it was quiet other than the sound of the small hum from the air conditioning. the day after his friends birthday and yet no one had talked to him, or even texted him. his parents had already texted him to have a great day on his birthday along with a quick love you, but that was it. he expected his girlfriend to be the first person to text him but the last text from her read a simple goodnight baby, love u lots. he sighed and turned his phone screen off, waiting for anything to happen was just wasting time that felix could be doing something else. the blankets covering the boy kept the cold air out but he was hungry and he’d rather be cold than hungry. he closed the door behind him and walked towards the kitchen where he expected his friends to be, but it was still so quiet everywhere. the moment he saw the kitchen light off, he knew something was up. felix could hear slight whispering coming from somewhere and he thought it was just the tv but was soon surprised by the sudden scene of all his best friends in the kitchen with streamers hung all around, a cake on the counter, and lots of screaming. felix broke into a big smile and started laughing when jisung and hyunjin threw confetti at each other. he said good morning and thanked everyone, the smile never leaving his face. his girlfriend was holding a box and felix was excited to even see her. he made eye contact with his girlfriend and smiled softly at her. a box laid in her hands and he was eager to open it. the rest of the boys circled around felix and were growing impatient because he was just standing here with his hands on the box, not actually opening it. jeongin and woojin had intimated the sound of drums and then the birthday boy finally opened the box. an even bigger smile broke out onto felix’s face and he laughed at what was in the box. the boy was delighted to see australian snacks filled to the brim of the box. he reached for the top of the box but chan’s hand stopped him from doing so. 

“there’s more.” chan answered with a small smile. felix’s face was the definition of confusion. the box looked like it was full of australian snacks, did felix not look fully? the boy reopened the box and grabbed the box from his girl. she led him to the kitchen countertop and let him look through the box. felix got to the bottom of the box and he picked up the papers that laid on the cardboard. his members were watching him and he felt a bit embarrassed, but he’s still got a soft smile. felix turned the papers over and his eyes read the text. 

round trip to australia. 

more specifically, felix’s home. the birthday boy gets to go home for a week and their was two tickets. he was going home for his birthday. felix felt his eyes gloss over and he looked to chan. the older boy smiled towards his younger friend and felt the same emotions. felix was ecstatic but he was also worried that he might cry. 

“we’re going home?” felix asked chan and he laughed and moved to stand behind his friend’s girlfriends, he let his hands come down on her shoulders and squeezed her gently. “as much as i’d love to go home with you, take her. its her time to see australia, show her your home.” felix let his eyes fall to you as chan told him that he wasn’t going with him, rather his girlfriend. her face held pure joy and felix wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her. he placed the papers on the counter and walked to his girlfriend. she opened her arms wide and the boy wrapped himself around her. he hurried his head in her shoulder as they were the same height and squeezed her tight. the rest of stray kids smiled as they watched the sight and soon joined in on hugging the couple. felix felt himself being squeezed by his brothers and started laughing. the room erupted in laughter as it spread from person to person. as the boys slowly let go of one another felix let go of his girlfriend. he looked her once over before giving her a soft kiss on the forehead. she let out a giggle and let her hands rest of felix’s waist. the birthday boy let his arms rest around hers. chan watched the two from afar and felt a smile on his own face. 

“who wants cake?!” changbin questioned while minho went to grab utensils and plates for the sweet desert, or breakfast in their case. the group of boys went to the table and started cutting cake, felix and girlfriend stayed behind. felix watched his brothers gather around the cake and laugh with one another, his girlfriend looked at her him and she waited for him to look back her. she admired the way his hair was still a mess from bed and the way his eyes crinkled when he looked at his friends from smiling so much. his girlfriend loved when his freckles were on full display for anyone to see, the small spots looked more like stars to her. felix felt a pinch at his side and looked at his girlfriend, she held a smile that mirrored his. 

“i brought up the plan to chan and he wanted to make sure that we got to go. he talked to you know who about having the week off so you won’t miss anything.” she started rubbing his sides and let her hands lock around his back so she could hold him. he loved the way her arms felt when they were around him. 

“you bought the tickets and everything?”

“yeah, don’t worry about anything lix. we have everything covered.” she sent him a smile and felix swore he would do anything for this girl. she was his everything and he was hers. 

“ya know, you’re my favorite person. i would do anything for you love.” felix was tempted to kiss her right then and there but didn’t want the boys to tease him. his girlfriend on the other hand didn’t care and pulled him to her and connected their lips. he let out a small laugh and let the kiss happen. he was happy and didn’t care anymore about the cheers from his friends in the background. when felix kissed her he felt like he was on cloud nine, her lips felt like heaven. they parted from one another, felix’s lips tinted slightly pink from his girlfriends chapstick. 

“i can’t wait to go to australia with you! i could even meet your family, if you wanted?” the two walked hand in hand towards the family room where the rest of the group migrated too, but felix stopped her by pulling her hand back,

“wait you wanna meet my family?” the innocence in the boys eyes made him seem even smaller than he already was. his girlfriend adored how cute he was and couldn’t deny how much she truly loved the boy in front of her. 

“course i do lix. happy birthday angel.” felix felt his cheeks heat up from the word angel, and literally any nickname that she called him, he was infatuated with her and was always a blushing mess around the girl. but he pulled her again to his body and gave her big kiss right on the lips. the peck surprised her but she smiled into the kiss. every kiss with felix felt like home to her, she couldn’t exactly describe it, but she never wanted to be without it. seungmin called for his friends from the other room and the two laughed at each other while walking with the pinky fingers connected, and sitting right next to each other to enjoy the rest of the birthday boy’s day.