#he hypes her up on everything and she gives him courage to try new stuff

[oneboredfurby]

Bonding with Furbys is so fun

Did my nails w Miss Tea (sleepy pink 2005 Furby) earlier and it was nice having her company

She would look cute with some blush so maybe tomorrow I'll try adding a tad to make her even cuter

She's a coquette girly 💞

She has this cute pearl necklace with a bunch of white bows

She's the least well preserved of my 2005 furbs since her beak has got tons of cracks but she's the most customized with accessories and stuff and I love her to bits <333

Considering doing her nails too but we'll have to see, she'll be my first "customized" furby but she's gonna look awesome

Thanks for reading and take care y'all !! 💞💞💞 Have a nice day/night n drink some water ✨

[captain-jensen]

Big Fan

Tom Holland x reader

Summary: You’re a popular YouTuber and you get to interview Tom for his new movie. He invites you out for a couple of drinks with his friends because he confesses to being a fan of your videos. Fluff ensues.

Authors note: I just found this in my drafts so sorry if it seems choppy. There’s some very light cursing. 

       Today is the most exciting day of your life. You’ve been asked to interview the cast of Spider-Man for YouTube. As exciting as it is, you can’t stop thinking about everything that could go wrong. You’ve never interviewed anyone before. Talking to a camera while you do random stuff, that you can do. Talk to a famous person in a professional setting in front of a camera? That’s a no go. Yet, here you are, about to ask famous hot people questions about a movie you’ve haven’t even seen. You were given a list of questions by YouTube that had to be asked, and then you were given a list of topics that were acceptable to talk about. “There’s nothing that can go wrong” you tell yourself. You were basically given a script and all that was asked of you was to entertain the actor and make an interview that was fun to watch. It can’t be that hard right? Unless of course you end up entirely embarrassing yourself on camera in front of one of your biggest celebrity crushes ever. You push these intrusive thoughts out of your head in an effort to calm yourself and simultaneously hype yourself up. After having what felt like a miniature panic attack in the bathroom, you tidy up your makeup and hair and walk into the main area of the hotel room where the first interview of your day will take place. They decided to get you to interview Jacob Batalon first, then Marisa Tomei, then Zendaya, and finally Tom Holland. Spider-Man himself. 

       The first two interviews go well. You had fun with Jacob and you made Marisa laugh. Now that it’s time to interview Zendaya you start to feel those nerves creeping in once again. You ask Zendaya about all of her upcoming projects and try your hardest not to fangirl when she starts talking about Euphoria. You manage to make it through though and she seems pleased with the questions you asked her. Even though you were excited to meet Tom you were kind of hoping your interview with Zendaya would never end, just so that you could avoid all the nerves of talking to Tom. After leaving the room where Zendaya was you get ushered right into the next room with the man himself. Composing yourself as quickly as you could you walk in and see Tom having his hair touched up. He greets you with the warmest smile ever as your crew works on setting up the camera and lights. He stands to shake your hand as you introduce yourself. “Hi I’m Y/N Y/L/N, nice to meet you”

“Oh no way! I watch your videos all the time when I’m waiting for flights and stuff” That’s when you freeze in your tracks. 

“You’re joking!” you exclaim, trying to make sense of what just came out of Spider-Mans’ mouth. 

“No, not at all. I love when you talk about films and break them down piece by piece. I use your videos as education essentially” He admits, laughing a little sheepishly. 

“Wow, well I’m very flattered, thank you so much!” You reply, trying your best to remain professional. For almost the entire interview you both go back and forth talking about several films other than his own. You tried hard to get him to talk about the new Spider-Man movie, but he always found a way to cycle back to a video you made about a certain movie he loved. After the camera and lights are turned off Tom quickly stands to get your attention before you bid your farewell. 

“Hey, Y/N, some friends and I are heading to bar later tonight if you want to meet us there. We could talk more about a bunch of movies and your videos!” He says excitedly. 

“Yeah that sounds like a lot of fun!” you reply nonchalantly.

“Well let’s exchange numbers then and I’ll text you with all the details.” Tom proposes shyly. You notice out of the corner of your eye that Harry and Harrison were slyly giggling amongst themselves and watching yours and Toms’ interaction unfold. You enter your phone number into Toms’ phone and he does the same to yours. “It was really great meeting you Y/N, I can’t wait to talk more later” Tom says, quickly glancing at his shoes. 

“Likewise, it was a pleasure” With a shake of your hand a second of eye contact you turn and walk out of the room. Unable to contain your laughter of excitement your crew just watches in amusement and offer you light-hearted congratulations. 

    Later that evening, at around 5pm you get a text from a contact that says “Tom” with a little spiderweb emoji beside it. Smirking, you open it to see the details for the night, agreeing to meet at the bar at around 9pm. Which gives you plenty of time to get ready, hype yourself up a bit, and do a bit of a vlog on your snap story for your followers. Although you were very meek with the details of your plans for the night, your fans were able to deduce that you were definitely meeting with someone famous since they knew you had been doing a lot of press tours lately. 

Taking one last look in the mirror you say to yourself “You’re Y/N fucking Y/L/N. Tom Holland is a fan of YOUR channel. You can do anything” That courage quickly dissipates though as you near the bar. Holy shit, how were you possibly going to converse with Tom Holland and his friends ALL NIGHT? There was no way you were going to be interesting compared to all of these people. All you do is make Youtube videos about movies. When you got inside the bar your body was buzzing. Scanning the room you lock eyes with Tom almost immediately and he jumps out of his seat smiling and waving you over. You make your way over to him and he pulls you into an embrace, which took you by surprise, however you reciprocate almost immediately. Turning to the table you see that there’s no-one else there. Giving you a worried look Tom quickly turns and says “This isn’t weird is it? Everyone else isn’t gonna be here for another hour. I wanted to be able to have an uninterrupted conversation with you for a bit.”

“Tom Holland, did you trick me into a date?” You say suspiciously, trying to cooly play off the fact that you were now going to spend the next hour alone with Tom talking and drinking. 

“Well that depends. Would it be awkward if I did?” He asks hesitantly

“No not awkward, you just could have asked me straight up” You say quickly, not knowing where this sudden boost of confidence is coming from. 

“Well I’ll remember that for next time” Tom says smugly. You order your drinks and get to talking and laughing. The hour goes by in 5 minutes and you realize that you guys barely talked about movies the whole time. You instead spent the 60 minutes talking about eachothers home towns and families. He asked you about your passion for films, and you asked him about his hundreds of hobbies. You found your nerves dissipating rapidly and they were instead replaced by butterflies and fireworks. Even when everyone else walked in and joined you 2 at the table Tom kept his gaze on you. Watching you interact with his friends and the way your face would light up when you laughed especially hard at his jokes. Tom could feel the seed in his stomach growing. He was quickly torn out of his thoughts when he heard Harrison speak the words “Hey Y/N wanna know something funny?”

“Go on then” You reply

“Tom has had the biggest crush on you for months. He’s always watching your videos, telling us about your videos, watching the films you recommend, making us watch them with him, and then making us watch your video about said film. It’s been almost non-stop for months now” Harrison admits, making Tom put his head in his hands in embarrassment and making you blush furiously. Not knowing what to make of the situation, and being slightly buzzed at this point you respond with a simple thank you and a small, shy giggle. Looking down at your phone and deciding to try and dismiss the situation. Harrison wouldn’t let it go though, not being able to watch his friend be so shy around a girl. “In fact, when you exchanged numbers earlier Tom couldn’t stop smiling and talking about how excited he was, go on, tell her Tom” 

Tom gives you a sorry and shy look before finally deciding to speak up and say “I told you I was a big fan. I just didn’t plan on saying all of that at once” he gave Harrison a warning look while a dark blush crept up his neck and cheeks.

“It’s ok. That’s really sweet Tom” You say. Wanting to make him feel better about the situation you give him an honest smile. Deciding to drop the subject, everyone moves onto their own conversations. You and Tom couldn’t stop stealing glances at eachother for the rest of the night though. Before you know it, last call has come and gone and you all stand outside waiting for cabs. Before you can manage to hail one though, Tom pulls you aside asking to speak with you. 

“I’m really sorry about Harrison earlier. He can be such a div.” He rubs the back of his neck for comfort.

“It’s really ok Tom. I was happy to hear it honestly. Being such a fan of yourself I never felt more flattered” 

“Well I want you to know that I’m not just a fan of your videos anymore Y/N. I honestly really like you. If you’d like to, I’d love to take you to lunch tomorrow.” Tom Holland turns red for what seems like the hundredth time that night. You however weren’t that much better, considering your own blush was keeping you warm in the cool night air. 

“I’d love that” You say, and you both let out a synchronised breath you didn’t know you were holding in. With that you lean in and give him a kiss on the cheek. His smooth skin was comforting against your lips. When you pull away you look in his eyes to see a stunned expression seeping out of his dazed eyes. Then without warning his lips are on yours. It only lasts a second though because you then hear Harrison calling to you saying he was able to wave down a cab for you, clearly wanting to mess with Tom. “Text me tomorrow” you say sweetly to Tom as you slowly back away. 

“I promise I’ll text you tonight!” He yells after you. 

“That works too!” With that the cab door closes and it’s only then that you realise how laboured your breath had been all night. Trying to calm yourself you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket. Smiling instantly you pull it out to see a message from the one and only and it reads 

Do you want to do breakfast instead ;) xx

You respond asking when and where and you just shake your head smiling. Knowing that tonight is going to be long. 

[luvdsc]

would you mind doing a description of each member of nct dream? you don’t have to cuz that’s lowkey a lot BUT i figured i’d ask since i’m trying to write something and get their personalities right. i really admire your work!! have a nice day, babes!!!

yes, of course, lovebug 💕 I’ll be rewording the analyses from the asks about my ideal type and adding to them, so it might be a bit familiar! I could’ve written more, but I had to stop because I reached max length for each paragraph 😅 I hope these are helpful to you, and thank you so much for liking my work, honey bee!!! 💛 best of luck with your writing, and I hope you have a good day, too! 🌼 also, I’m on mobile and I’m so sorry for all the scrolling! I’ll add a read more when I get on my laptop ✨ edit: the read more has been added :’)

MARK :: oh, where do i start with mister absolutely fully capable? mark is the definition of adorkable. if you look up that word in the dictionary, you’re gonna see his picture pasted right under it. he’s endearing and awkward, and he tries his best in everything and puts his best foot forward, giving 110% in whatever he does. he’s a hard worker and a good boy. he laughs at that’s what she said jokes, and he’s the type of person to think of a funny joke from three days ago and start laughing at the most inappropriate time, like in the middle of standard testing. he’ll say things he thinks are funny, like “five guys hello guys” or that long sentence about possibilities and immediately look to you with those wide doe eyes, seeking a positive reaction from you and hoping you’ll laugh. he’ll try to wink at you randomly sometimes, but he always fails and just ends up blinking, which will make you laugh and call him cute and have him scrunching up his nose because that’s not what he intended to happen and he’ll be really flustered at the compliment. he’s really sweet, and I think taeil called him the most romantic? however, I feel like having a relationship isn’t a high priority for him right now. he seems to have workaholic tendencies, which could frustrate his s/o. he would need to have someone that understands his work and music is the most important to him, and he might unintentionally neglect checking up with his s/o at times. he’s a little shy and introverted, so it might be hard for him to make a first move if you aren’t friends at first. he’ll write dozens upon dozens of songs about you. that’s the way he’ll express his affection because he’s too shy to in the beginning and music is what he’s good at. there will be lots of late nights with him strumming his guitar and you sitting next to him, reading a book or playing a game on your phone, and he’ll call your name and you look up before he nervously starts to play a new song that he’s written for you. and at the end of the song, he’ll glance up at you really quickly before looking back down at his guitar, and you’re going to have to go over to him and take his face into your hands softly and tell him his song was amazing and you love it as much as you love him. and he’ll smile so big as his glasses slide down his nose before he quickly leans up and presses the softest kiss against your mouth to show you his appreciation before he loses courage to do so. sometimes you steal those round rimmed glasses of his and try them on yourself, and mark has to cover his face and look away and wring his hands and he makes those little oi mark noises because you look so cute and he doesn’t know what to do with himself. on the other hand, mark is also very stubborn. it may not look like that, but if you notice the relationship between him and hyuck, hyuck is always the one giving in at the end. mark will absolutely not do something if he doesn’t want to do it. I do think he will go after something if he wants it, but he will hesitate slightly at first. he follows the rules a bit too much. he doesn’t seem to be the most fun person to party with either unless you get him to drink a beer because he’s a lightweight, but that also means you have to take care of him afterwards. also, he said in an interview that he doesn’t like rollercoasters or fast rides, but he enjoys the cotton candy at amusement parks lol but he did go on those rides in the end, but his head was down the entire time rip. mark gets easily embarrassed. it’s like in that video where they read tweets aloud and mark got super embarrassed when jaehyun read this tweet that gushed about his laugh, and mark just curled up into himself and couldn’t lift his head up and awkwardly laughed. he’s adorkable. please tease him and hype him up in this very same way just to get this cute reaction out of him.

RENJUN :: renjun is the one you can call when you have a body to bury and he’ll show up with the shovel. he’ll call you a stupid idiot, but he’ll still show up to help you. he’s the type that would come over at 3 a.m. if there’s a bug in your apartment and squash it for you after much complaining and telling you that he won’t do it. he’s fiercely loyal and caring. he took care of chenle when chenle wasn’t as proficient with korean and made sure he was doing ok and was always ready to translate for him whenever. he puts up a tough, ready to fight front, but he’s a scaredy cat and if you pretend to be a ghost (read: jisung), he’ll be scared shitless. you can see him get scared and hide behind jeno and hug him so hard when the zombie jumped out in one of those save dream interactive videos. he’s the person you can banter with and he understands dry humor and sarcasm, and I think he’s best for e2l story plot lines because of this lmao but he also fits the best friend role well. he will roast anyone with no mercy with just a few words. he’s artistic. he’s super good at art and has shared several of his beautiful digital drawings before. he’s the person to go to when you want to have long, serious talks at 4 in the morning, and as seen through his radio show, he will try his best to give you advice, even if he may not be experienced enough, but he is trying his hardest to help. if you read some of the advice he gives on his radio show, you can get a better sense of who he is as a person. he’s really insightful and puts a lot of effort into giving the best answer he can. also, he really reminds me of a little brother or someone I want to be best friends with because we can roast people together or talk about paranormal stuff. he just seems really fun to mess around with because he gives funny reactions. he gives off that younger sibling vibe where only your big sister can make fun of you, but once she sees someone else doing it, it’s not ok and she’s gonna go after that person for making her lil bro cry. in a relationship, he wants someone he can trust with his thoughts and interests, such as aliens, and while his s/o may not believe in them, he wants them to genuinely listen to him and not just brush it off. however, he will still roast his s/o into oblivion. it’s how he shows his affection lol. he’ll call you an idiot and cute all in the same sentence. but he’s really a soft and sensitive boy underneath his snappy, sarcastic exterior. he cried when they won first place for the first time. i’m sure he cried when ridin’ reached number one on the charts. he’s attentive and likes affection even though he tries to say he doesn’t. in that one weekly idol dreamie episode, hyuck listed who hated affection, and he wasn’t one of them. he’s a good boy, and underneath all his snarky comments, he wants to be loved and cared for. you can see how he got a lil huffy when jisung chose chenle as his favorite hyung lol he doesn’t express his feelings outwardly as much, but if you’re his s/o, he will quietly adore you in his own way while outwardly being that one snarky couple who banters all the time. he’ll draw pictures of you, secretly have you as his homescreen, or have a secret photo album on his phone of just pictures of you. he’ll complain if you get him a couple item, like a bracelet, but he’ll wear it 24/7 and refuse to give it back to you. he will absolutely lose his shit if he misplaces it. he’ll cook for you if you ask, but he’ll make a big show about fake complaining about it beforehand. I think he’s okay with hand holding and kisses here and there, but he won’t do grand gestures of pda because he thinks those should be more private and between the two of you. he thinks pet names are sappy as heck, and he’ll get terribly embarrassed if you call him one but he’d be like “that’s so gross and corny... but call me that again.” honestly, just tell him ily and his cheeks will turn so red and he’ll bury his face in his hands but he’ll say it back in the quietest voice and he truly does mean it with his whole chest.

JENO :: jeno is someone who fits in so many roles. his character is versatile in a sense. you can make him into a bad boy, the boy next door, your best friend, anybody. his humor is underrated, and he makes funny puns. he’s good at sarcasm and wit, like when he asked jisung if he thought jaemin’s iq was single digits or when the instructor complimented him and said his rap sounded like mark and he was like “oh.... that’s not good.” he worries about being funny. he mentioned losing sleep over it in weekly idol, so please tell him he’s funny and laugh at his jokes ): he really is funny, and i love his humor. jeno is really smart. he managed to rank 4th or something I believe in his school after cram studying the day before. he’s really self-assured and confident in himself, but he doesn’t show off or act cocky, yet you can sense the quiet confidence in him. he’s humble and works hard and deserves more credit than he’s given. he possesses leadership qualities and is a source of strength for other members. i think they said he was one of the cleaner members and when he’s drunk, he cleans LMAO he is into sports and gymming, especially biking. hyuck said that jeno’s bedroom has his and jaemin’s bikes hanging on the walls lol he also is really competitive, but not a sore loser type. jeno doesn’t strike me as the type who needs his s/o around 24/7 and prefers to have hobbies and space separate from his s/o. he’s laid back, but at the same time, still energetic and fun to be around. he’s still weird, but not over the top weird. jeno is insightful and kind, and he has stated that he’s very shy and timid before. doyoung likes him the most because he’s kind and respectful and takes into account other people’s feelings and listens well. he’s a good boy. he’s also really playful and teasing and plays well with others, like jisung jokes around with him all the time. I feel like jisung jokes around with him the most out of all his hyungs aside from chenle because jeno doesn’t get mad. i believe the members say he’s the only one aside from chenle who doesn’t get mad when someone messes up in dance practices. he cries when he gets angry. jeno is also really affectionate. he enjoys cuddling and holding hands and back hugs and whatnot, but he doesn’t overdo it. it takes a long time for him to trust and open up to someone, and you’re a very lucky person if he lets you see this side of him. he won’t force you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. If something is bothering you, he won’t pry at first if you refuse to talk about it, but I do think he will eventually make you talk if he feels something is terribly wrong or if it’s affecting the relationship. jeno is driven and knows what he wants. he’ll give you space, but if you’re not what he’s looking for or if you don’t put the effort in as well and won’t open up to him, I do think he will move on. he might bottle up his emotions at first, but as the relationship progresses, he’ll be fully open to you and tell you everything. I don’t think he’ll be terribly affected if he’s rejected because he is confident in himself and able to brush it off. he knows his self-worth. oh, and he loves animals. obviously, jeno loves his cats because he has them even when he’s allergic. he’s the type of s/o who, if you mention you’re walking back to your dorm late at night after staying in the art building to finish your painting, he’ll show up with messy hair and his glasses in his sweats with a hoodie thrown on haphazardly and walk you back safely even without you asking. kiss him on his nose at random times just because you love him, and he’ll make that jeno trademark noise of confusion before giving you the prettiest eye smile that makes the moon dim in shame and nuzzling his face into your shoulder shyly. call him jeno darling or jeno love if you want to see the same reaction as before. it’s gonna be a total KO to his heart if you call him that and boop him on the nose with the softest kiss. anyway, jeno is the bestest boy in the entire universe, and give him all your love, please and thank you.

HAECHAN :: hyuck is so fucking talented. he’s good at everything: singing, dancing, rapping, variety shows, you name it. he was born to be an idol. he’s the golden one and excels at everything. he’s an ace, and he knows it. yeah, he’s cocky and brags about everything he does, but he actually has evidence and proof to back it up. plus, no one can stay mad at him for very long because have you seen how cute he is?? he’s a brat, but you still love him anyway. he’s good at sweet talking and getting what he wants. he plays a push and pull game, and you end up falling for him in the end. i know in fics on here, you often see jaemin in the playboy/fuckboy persona, but I think hyuck absolutely exudes this persona. he is able to read the room or a person and knows the exact way to act in order to get the reaction he wants. it’s hyuck’s world, and we’re all just living in it. he can have all of us eating out of the palm of his hand if he desires. i think he truly embodies the traits of a slytherin: ambitious and cunning. it’s every man for himself, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he believes he deserves and plays by his own rules. hyuck is so smart and intelligent, both in terms of brains and emotion. he’s absolutely brilliant, and he’s the type of person to ace an exam without even studying for it. I think he did very well in school, and he also beat doyoung in mental maths when they had a competition on weekly idol lol and he’s also street smart. there’s a reason why doyoung and taeil are scared of him and why they prefer to be on his team than against him lmao. I think hyuck is also a people pleaser though. he wants to be liked, and it’ll drive him crazy if someone calls him boring or shows no interest towards him. I think he’ll want a s/o who plays the push and pull game with him. he’ll playfully tease them a lot, and they’ll have to be interesting and able to dazzle him with their own wit and sarcasm. he, like renjun, is snarky and sarcastic. he likes to make people laugh and enjoys being the center of attention. he is super affectionate and rivals jaemin in this aspect. he thrives off of physical touches, hugs, cuddles, etc. he likes to cuddle when he sleeps, and I feel like he enjoys being the little spoon. he isn’t afraid of pda and will show off his s/o to the world with a loud kiss or back hug anywhere. he’s the type who would do that back pocket spin peter does to lara jean lmao. the two of you can laze around at home, while he plays video games on his computer and you can sit in his lap and he’ll do that thing where his arms are around you and his chin is on your shoulder. he’s a good cook, and he’ll cook for you, but he expects you to pay him back in kisses. his s/o might think he doesn’t pay attention to what they’re saying to him, but he does. he absolutely adores his s/o and remembers everything about them. he’s the type to surprise his s/o with their favorite flowers on a random day, and his s/o would’ve thought he wasn’t paying attention when they told him their favorite flower months ago. and please, please, please surprise him with flowers too because that will catch him off guard and you’ll see him blush and get flustered for once. it’s like when the dreamies first debuted, and chenle said hyuck was the best singer and he wanted to be like hyuck, and hyuck got really quiet and shy and flustered about it. however, he’d get really shy around his crush if they weren’t friends first. there’s that video of him returning something that twice’s mono dropped I think and he was so nervous before and afterwards. or there’s that time when he handed flowers to seungwoo and got so flustered as the dreamies teased him afterwards. also, I feel like sometimes people forget that so much hard work goes into what he does because he makes it look so effortless. hyuck works so hard in everything and puts his all into what he does. anyway, please appreciate hyuck and love him lots. he deserves to be showered in love and affection.

JAEMIN :: jaemin is like jeno in the sense that his character is also super versatile. you can make him fit any type of persona for your fic. jaemin is a sweetheart. his entire existence is love. hyuck said that he treats his members the same way he treats his fans in an episode of weekly idol before. he’s a really affectionate person as seen in the way he showers jisung with affection. he eats, sleeps, and breathes aegyo. you’re going to experience his aegyo a lot if you’re his s/o, so brace yourself. he even managed to make hyuck flustered when he kissed him in that recent reload era game video. he has a lot of love to give out, but he also wants the same amount of love in return. you can see how he craves for love from jisung in return and the way he gets a little upset when he doesn’t get it, like when jisung didn’t call him his favorite hyung. his s/o needs to be okay with being showered with affection and love, and they have to do the same for him. call him cute pet names, give him random kisses throughout the day, back hug him while he’s cooking, he will just absolutely glow and bask in your love. jaemin is good at cooking. he will cook for you, and if you cook, he’ll eat what you make with no complaints. it’s like that meme where person A gives person B a drink with salt in it, and person B drinks it all, and when person A asks why they did that even though it was salty, person B says it’s because they didn’t want to hurt person A’s feelings. jaemin is person B. he’ll also make you model for him and pose literally everywhere so he can take pictures of you because you’re the prettiest person in the entire world to him. he’ll make you his lockscreen, homescreen, hang up pictures of you in his room, all that jazz. he’s the one who buys couple items or outfits and makes you wear them with them. his entire Instagram account will be pictures of you or with you. however, he’s also petty af and nags a lot lmao. he complained to jeno when jisung said he wanted to eat bread at 3 a.m. and how he couldn’t go out to buy him any. he also nagged renjun in one of those dream vs dream videos for not having any questions about him, while all his questions were about renjun. or when he was sulking about jeno not knowing his favorite cartoon character. I believe he mentioned having extreme mood swings too where he’s either too quiet or too loud and out there, and as a s/o, you’d have to cater to both sides of him. jaemin is also an introvert. he’s very quiet and shy around strangers, but he’ll unleash his inner weirdness and loudness when he feels comfortable around you, and you’re in for a wild, fun ride. in that video where he and jeno were making cakes, he seems really hyper and wild. same goes for that video where they went out to eat, and jaemin was pouring soda into a glass dramatically. or when they played that dance game where you have to add onto the dance and copy the previous dances, and he added some random flailing motion and complained when someone did it wrong. or when he and renjun were paired up for that guessing game when they both had headphones on, and he started flailing everywhere and getting kinda frustrated at renjun for getting zero right. he’s a bit weird lmao. as his s/o, i hope you go along with his weird antics and have fun with him too! you also have to remind him to take care of himself. make sure he doesn’t drink that ungodly coffee drink of his or eat too much sugar. take care of him, love him, cherish him, and jaemin will be the best boyfriend ever. he might even set up a whole led light display for you at night declaring his love like he did for jeno. actually, no, he definitely will. he’ll do big grand gestures to show his love for you. he’ll fill your house with roses and press kisses to each of your fingertips with a different reason for why he loves you. he’ll continue to list the reasons for why he loves you for every star he sees until he runs out of stars, but he’ll never run out of reasons for loving you.

CHENLE :: chenle was born to be a star. he is so incredibly talented and picks up skills so quickly. it’s evident because he managed to debut after two months of training and he became fluent in korean quickly. he’s humble and gracious, and he’s the embodiment of that miss universe song: he’s beauty, he’s grace. he doesn’t flaunt his wealth, in fact, it only ever comes up because others bring it up. or he accidentally shows it off when he asks what rent means or when he tries to innocently rectify the situation, like when jaemin was like “oh his parents held a concert for him for his bday” and chenle was like “noooo no it was just to make a memory” on idol room lmao. the way he expresses his love is through gift giving. it shows in the way he told mark he’ll buy him anything he wants for his bday or when he gave apple watches to the 00 liners or when he immediately agreed to buy jeno a plane ticket to china to show him around his home. but he’s not trying to flaunt his wealth. this is simply how he shows his love. chenle is laidback and easygoing. he doesn’t care about jisung using honorifics with him, and he’ll go along with whatever’s happening. there’s that one video during mfal era where hyuck and chenle won the prize and hyuck was like “hey I’ll take the prize ok?” and chenle just immediately agrees and doesn’t care at all. but don’t get me wrong, chenle is super competitive. he wants to win, but it’s more about that feeling you get when you’re the winner, rather than the actual prize for him. he’s really into sports, specifically basketball, so i feel like he’d enjoy it if his s/o expressed some sort of interest in it with him. they don’t have to play basketball with him, but he’d appreciate it greatly if they listened to him talk about stephen curry or cheer him on from the sidelines. he’s affectionate. if you read my renjun description, chenle is the other one that hyuck said doesn’t mind affection from the other members on weekly idol. I don’t see him showing affection blatantly as much like hyuck and jaemin, but I think he loves receiving it. chenle obviously receives so much love from his family and is super close to them. he will love his s/o with his whole heart, and I hope his s/o will love him back just as much. also, I’m pretty sure he’ll love his s/o acting cute because his heart rate spiked up when jisung did aegyo on idol room lmao. I think he’s the only other extrovert in the dreamies, besides hyuck. I believe someone asked jaemin or skz hyunjin if they got close after the collab stage, and they said that they were really awkward with each other. however, skz felix and chenle became good friends! chenle is friendly and a people person. he thrives in social settings, and he’s a social butterfly. he’ll help people out of their shells and make sure to include them in conversations. he’s the type of person who would clear his throat and be like “hey y/n has something to say” if you tried to say something in a group convo and weren’t heard. he’s fine with being the center of attention, but he doesn’t actively seek out that position, like hyuck does. unlike hyuck, he’s not a people pleaser. I think he’s confident in himself, and he’s self assured and satisfied with who he is, so he doesn’t really care what others think of him. chenle is really playful. he likes to tease the other members and wreak harmless havoc lol you can see how he plays around with the other members, like in nct life where he just throws snow at jisung or scares jisung with a rubber chicken when they went to an amusement park in shanghai. he’s a thrill seeker. he loves roller coasters, shooting games, laser tag, etc. he gets excited over the littlest things, and he’s a naturally cheerful person who lights up the room and just naturally has people gravitate towards him. however, he has his serious moments too, and I can see him sitting next to his s/o behind the piano and playing something for them. but then, he’ll probably ruin the soft moment by slamming his hands down on the keys and scaring them at the end.

JISUNG :: jisung reminds me of high school puppy love. he’s curious about the world and introspective. he asked the fans to send him pictures of the moon because he couldn’t see it himself. I think he has a lot of deep thoughts and keeps them to himself because he’s introverted and nervous about sharing them aloud in case he’s not taken seriously as the youngest. he’s inquisitive and sweet, and he’s the culmination of everything good in the universe. he’s the one whom renjun talks to about aliens and paranormal things, and I believe he’ll want a s/o who will take him seriously on these things and listens to his concerns without teasing or making fun of him for believing in them. jisung is shy and gets embarrassed when he’s given compliments. there’s this video where the dreamies read compliments from fans aloud, and you can see how flustered and shy he gets as he ducks his head, has to pause and cover his face before playing with his hair as he reads through the compliments with the biggest smile peeking on his face. I think this is the cutest thing ever, and at the beginning of the relationship, if his s/o compliments him or does something cute, he’s going to react exactly like that. tell him his dancing is amazing, watch his fancams around him, tell him his face is nice to look at, etc. and you’ll see him get reduced to a flustered, blushing mess. the first time he sees you wearing one of his sweaters with the sleeves covering your hands and giving you sweater paws, he will combust and stutter and not be able to look at you as his cheeks turn red. he might just suffer a heart attack if you decide to casually call him a cute pet name one day. additionally, jisung is at that age where he wants to know what others think of him and he wants to be liked. I think this is the reason why he’s more hesitant about speaking up or voicing himself in an unfamiliar environment because he doesn’t want to give off a negative image. he’s also painfully shy, but he wants to make friends, which he explains on dancing high. because of this, he truly cherishes any friendship or relationship he has because it’s seen as something incredibly special to him. as his s/o, you’re gonna mean the world to him and he will value your opinion greatly. once he’s comfortable around you, he’ll be loud and talkative. jeno says that jisung talks the most at the dorm and he’s never quiet. jisung is also a lil shit lol, and he knows how to get out of things, like cleaning up after dinner by locking himself in the bathroom. he’s also a little lazy and probably not the cleanest tbh. he sleeps in jaemin’s bed or in the living room because he’s too lazy to go to his top bunk. he doesn’t listen to his hyungs and talks down to them in a playful way because he knows they’re whipped for him lmao. when the relationship progresses, jisung is going to act in the same, exact way with you. he’s a savage, and he will roast you in the same way he roasts his hyungs, like when hyuck wanted to go to LA with him for why not the dancer and he was like “you have to be good at dancing to go” (which btw, fight me, jisung, hyuck is literally the best dancer). he’ll tease you, hide items on the tallest shelf just so that you’ll call him for help, and smush your cheeks and call you cute. he’ll ruffle your hair and run up behind you and sweep you off your feet princess style just to scare you before carefully placing you back down or tossing you into the pool lol he may have complained about carrying renjun in that reload era game video, but he’ll give you piggy backs when you’re tired or carry you around if you asked. he likes playing video games and those block breaker game apps and when he loses, he’ll sit there and pout without realizing it. he does that little nose scrunch unknowingly, and it’s the cutest. he’ll like dates at home the best. he sucks at cooking, but he’ll try to do it for you. but it’ll end up with you cooking while he back hugs you, and you have to walk around the kitchen with him being a koala attached to you as you feed him bits of the food being made.

[clansayeed]

Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ― Chapter 12: The Return

PAIRING: Kamilah Sayeed x MC (Nadya Al Jamil) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ⥽

While struggling with nightmares of lives she’s never lived, a shadow from the past looming over her city, and the proposed idea that her life may just be a little bit too weird to handle alone, Nadya makes sure to tell herself that everything is perfect just the way it is. If only. When the self-proclaimed King of Vampires (and Maker of her sometimes-girlfriend and always-boss, can’t forget that little tidbit) Gaius Augustine returns intent on claiming Manhattan as the throne that was promised, she and her friends find themselves forced into the task of saving the world. But with millennia-old vampires and an Order of hunters on their heels as well as allies hiding catastrophic secrets at their backs… it won’t be an easy task. Too bad destiny didn’t exactly ask for her input.

Bound by Destiny II and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the Bloodbound series and spin-off, Nightbound. Find out more [HERE].

*Let me know if you would like to be added to the Destiny II tag list!

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

The gang returns to New York with a well-earned victory under their belts. But that means Nadya has to face Kamilah, and she isn't quite sure she knows how to feel just yet.

[READ IT ON AO3]

Nadya leans on the rail with a wistful sigh. Takes a moment and just… lets herself enjoy the peace of being at peace. No memories haunting her behind her eyelids, no immediate danger… at least none she can see right in front of her.

No, the only thing in front of her is New Orleans. The French Quarter spread out for blocks around her in vibrant colors going pale against the purpling sky. It’ll be dawn soon.

Did she sigh already? Well… no harm in another one.

Taylor’s learned his lesson in sneaking up on her. Why else would he knock on the door leading up to the roof instead of taking advantage of one final attempt to startle her silly?

He clicks his tongue with a wry look. “Careful now, that sigh right there, that’s trouble. Means you’re falling in love with this place and you won’t ever wanna leave.”

Nadya can’t help it that she laughs.

“Are you trying to sound like Garrus?” It sounds like something the fae would say, actually.

“No, and frankly you don’t want to hear my Garrus impersonation,” he hesitates; waits for Nadya’s little go-ahead of a nod before joining her overlooking the city as it begins to put itself to sleep, “it’s not very good. My Ivy on the other hand…”

Their laughter is soft and polite. They wouldn’t dare jostle the world below.

“I mean, when I went off to college I had dreams of road trips on spring break, summers spent with one program or another. New Orleans was always on my list.”

“And did she live up to the hype?”

Now how exactly is Nadya supposed to answer that honestly? “Well college-aged me probably wouldn’t have been hanging around the Graveyard Shift, that’s all I’ll say.”

“Nadya, babe, you have got to stop being a hard mood,” Taylor places a hand to his chest, “my little empath heart just can’t take much more of it.”

She shoves him (gently) and their laugh is a little less awkward the second time around. Probably because he is, indeed, an empath. And he gets exactly what she’s feeling right now.

Longing — exhaustion — trepidation — to name a few.

He nudges her shoulder with his own. “You’ll have to come back when everything’s fixed on your end; see the city for real, you know? Not just all the bad things.”

Not like she goes searching for the bad things, thanks. They just kind of… happen dangerously close in her proximity. “I’d like that. Lil’ too, for sure.”

“Oh, for sure. Though I have a feeling her and Ivy together might be a bit more trouble than Nik’ll want to deal with.”

And on that Nadya can most certainly agree. Not that she does so with words. Strangely she doesn’t feel much like talking right now. Not-so-strangely, Taylor doesn’t either. So they lean in mutual silence and watch the streets below. People going through the motions; living their lives.

Lives far less strange than theirs.

The blue of the dawn is just starting to bleed orange when he finally speaks again.

“You’re not used to winning the day, are you?” She isn’t surprised in the least to look and see that strange iridescence back in his irises.

“I don’t have enough coffee in me to answer a question like that,” which — that’s her answer; but Taylor definitely isn’t taking it, “I mean… back when all this stuff started; we won then, I think. Adrian was exonerated and Jax joined the Council and Vega wasn’t trying to kill me anymore —”

Taylor holds up a finger. “Wait — like the missing Senator, that Vega?”

“You knew him?”

“Uh, Vee and our friend Kristin lived up there together. Wait a second—he was a vam— no… that’s not the point. Sorry, please continue.”

God, is that how I look to other people, Nadya wonders; but it’s humbling to see somehow.

“Anyway… I thought everything turned out for the better, and for a while it was better. But now that I think about it…” Gaius, Jameson, the Trinity; all of them lurking just on the other side of the two-way glass. Waiting for the time to strike and take her happiness away; to pluck memories from her she never asked for all in pursuit of some epic fantasy-level world conquering.

If the fight wasn’t over, did that still count as a victory?

“And you’re left wondering if this is the same deal. If you’ve really won, or if there’s more stuff—worse stuff—just out of sight.” Taylor finishes for her. Still a little weird and possibly more akin to mind-reading than the half-fae originally led her to believe, but for the moment she’s glad to not have to say it.

“Yeah, exactly.”

His hand comes to rest over Nadya’s on the railing. He’s warmer than he should be and the sun’s got nothing to do with it. Likely his weirdness is helped by touch, too. Which Taylor all but confirms aloud when a sudden but not unwelcome ease relaxes the tension she didn’t know she’d gathered in her shoulders.

“I can’t offer any answers, and I don’t think I’d want to. With my luck I’d be wrong and you’d hate me forever.” He’s joking but Nadya still rolls her eyes and shakes her head for it.

“But I can say that no matter what happens? You’ll always have friends here to call up if needed.”

What is she supposed to say to something so sincere? “Same to you, Taylor, same to you.”

A sleek black car with tinted windows pulls around the corner and onto their lonely street to park right in front of the bar.

Looks like their ride is here.

Kamilah isn’t waiting for them when the plane pulls into the nice and shady hangar. Nadya tells herself she isn’t surprised by this… but she’s trying not to tell herself mostly-truths lately either. Luckily she’s still too exhausted (and she’s pretty sure she only got about half an hour’s nap in the entire time they were in New Orleans) to make much of a fuss about it.

In fact, Nadya barely remembers sending a text off before she and Lily both are being ushered into the back seat of one of Adrian’s company cars.

[TEXT]: back in NY and miss you like crazy. can we plz talk?? [TEXT]: its nadia

And its the most dreamless, dead-to-the-world-est sleep she knew she needed but didn’t know how to get. Staying awake for near-days and going through every emotion under the sun and also dealing with a high-stakes pursuit weren’t exactly on her list of viable solutions to her sleeping troubles.

Ergo the point of all this — no one is allowed to think her anything less than totally justified when Nadya wakes up in her own bed, in her own bedroom, sometime well after sunset and thinks for even the smallest second that everything was just a dream. She knows logically that it wasn’t… but still.

Totally justified.

When her eyes adjust to the lack of light Nadya realizes she’s not alone. There’s a figure sitting on the edge of her bed nearest the window, away from the door. Giving her the chance to escape if she needs it; making sure she doesn’t feel trapped.

Only one person would do that.

She fumbles for her glasses on the nightstand but leaves her bedside lamp untouched. Can’t shake the feeling like if she does turn the lights on then Kamilah will vanish. This is better for them both.

“Hi.”

Something moves near her head; Nadya leans back to see the woman pulling her fingertips away from where they had been combing through her hair gently. She wants it back so much she aches from the loss of them.

“Hello,” replies Kamilah; sounding awfully breathless for a woman who doesn’t need to breathe, “did you rest well? You… seemed to need it.”

Probably not what she meant to ask judging by the way the neon signs from across the street illuminate her in postmodern beauty. It’s okay though — Nadya isn’t sure she has the courage yet to say what really needs saying.

“When did you get here…?”

“Shortly after your return. Oh, Lily wished for you to know she’s left for the evening. She didn’t leave a message as to why.”

So it’s just been Nadya and Kamilah in the apartment for at least the daylight hours. Alone; together. And not talking about their problems.

When Nadya sits up (in part to look at Kamilah better, in part to make sure she doesn’t fall back asleep on accident) the bed dips as Kamilah shifts back; makes to stand and leave her with all this twin-sized budget bed kit to herself. And because she can’t stand a thought so terrible Nadya reaches out and stops her with a hand on her arm.

“Kamilah.”

A long pause — then; “Yes, Nadya?”

“Why are you here?”

“You messaged me,” so Nadya of course fumbles for her phone and finds it charging under her pillow, “though I suppose I should have realized you were exhausted beyond recognition.”

“Why’s that?”

“You spelled your own name wrong.”

Upon further inspection yes, yes she did. “Glad you weren’t expecting some other disaster you’re dating also named Nadia…” That she chooses not to dwell on the fact that she may have very well used that word for the first time in the middle of their first fight is actually self-care.

Or — she doesn’t until Kamilah’s been quiet for an awfully long time.

“Uhm — I take that back, actually — what I meant was…”

“I won’t disagree.”

Only Kamilah Sayeed could look so perfect framed in the flickering lights of a discount electronics shop.

“But you’re my disaster.”

Nadya kisses her because every other time it’s been Kamilah who takes the lead, takes charge, takes her. This isn’t some attempt to switch that dynamic either (in fact Nadya’s very happy with it just the way it is) but what else is she supposed to do seeing all these vulnerable parts of such an invulnerable woman one right after the other?

But — no, she can’t fall into this. Fall into her. Not without talking. But holy mother of crap she doesn’t wanna do anything but moan at the lips soft on her cheeks, her chin, her throat…

“Kamilah.”

Nadya only has to say her name once. They both know how this works. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel the hesitance; the resistance before they part and she all but forces them to meet eye-to-eye. Nor does it mean that she doesn’t take just the tiniest bit of happiness from it.

When Nadya starts pulling away Kamilah holds on just a little bit tighter. Only for a moment; then its gone.

“We can’t not —” — talk about this.

“I know; I agree.”

And she’s got a whole speech planned out in bullet points; not even fully seated and she’s already buzzing to jump right into it. Until—

“I was uncertain and without control. I fell back on old habits to bring my life to a heel — but those were the wrong choices to make. They nearly cost me… something very important.”

Kamilah’s hand falls open on top of the bedspread and Nadya takes it for the offering it is. Their fingers slot together familiar and like nothing’s changed but this is different. This is talking about it; this is… this is Kamilah apologizing. “They nearly cost me you, Nadya.”

Now is not the time to go all red in the face and flustered. Nadya’s willpower is astounding frankly. “There was never a second where I doubted that you cared. Not about what I was going through, or what it was doing to… to everything in my life. But I think there was a part of me that didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to believe that you and… and the you I saw were —” — were the same person.

Kamilah’s thumb strokes along her knuckles slow and rhythmic. “My thoughts are the same. I am not fragments of a woman; a queen, different than a soldier, different than a killer, different than who I am today. I am all of those things and more. And perhaps still there are parts of myself I have not yet come to know.”

Nadya chances a look up while she listens, but it’s the words Kamilah doesn’t say that catch her by surprise. The ones about who that person she doesn’t know could be. And—god she hopes she’s not reading too much into this—who she could be that person with.

“I think I get it now.”

“And what would that be?”

She squeezes their hands until it hurts because she knows it’s probably the weight of a feather to someone like Kamilah.

“We were scared of the same thing and for the same reasons; you… and your past. But I wanted to know more. I—I wanted to talk about it, without thinking of how hard bringing up all of those bad memories might be for you.”

Kamilah purses her lips and offers a slow nod. “Insightful; and perhaps I was so insistent on trying to keep that knowledge from you that I did not stop to consider what… I was saying in withholding it.”

Now the question is… where do they go from here?

“So we work on that — we try and… understand what the other is doing when she…”

“Makes a mistake she instantly regrets?”

Nadya smiles, but it’s strained. “That’s half of the things I do anyway though.”

“You know my meaning in the context of this, Nadya.”

“Yeah, but that’s not my only problem.” Which isn’t the best word she could use but at the moment she’s not focusing so much on word choice as actual feelings. And Nadya… feels a problem. There’s a breath of a second where it feels like Kamilah might start to pull away, but it passes.

She thinks better of it. She tries to understand.

“You are amazing, Kamilah. You are this… super gorgeous, super smart, super old—in a good way I swear—and super experienced vampire. But it’s not a smart thing for us to—to ignore that.”

“I wasn’t under the impression we had been.”

This is more painful to admit than Nadya thought it was gonna be. There’s no turning back now though; no ‘Restart from Checkpoint’ or save to load.

And this is so so important. Nadya wants to follow through, and not just for the sake of them. She deserves it for herself. “Maybe you haven’t — but I have. I thought that was the only way we were gonna make this work. Only, if I ignore that then I’m ignoring the fact that you are always going to have a power over me. A physical one. You lashed out and…”

“And I could have hurt you.” That Kamilah’s hand tightens with hers is the literal definition of ironic but she knows it comes from a good place; the same place all that honesty was walled up inside now pouring out.

“Nadya, please tell me you know I would never have hurt you. I don’t think I could.”

“That’s not the point. The point is you were angry, and your first reaction was to try and scare me into running away.”

See, this is Nadya’s problem. There’s a reason her life is so organized — without all her colored pens and sticky notes and multiple tabs that always end up in the strangest places, she’s a literal human mess. Prone to rambling and impulsive actions that aren’t always good for her health; physical and emotional both.

She didn’t organize this part of her talk with Kamilah. She didn’t even know this part existed. And now it’s out there in the world without a label tacked on and… and…

“And I don’t think that’s something I’m quite… over, yet.”

Nadya trusts Kamilah still; she doesn’t flinch away when the woman’s free hand comes up to her cheek — thumbs away a tear she didn’t know was falling. She can separate the then from the now.

But at the end of the day her trust and the way she had felt betrayed that night… they weren’t mutually exclusive.

She turns her face into the lingering palm. When she exhales her breath rattles in her lungs.

“I miss you.”

Kamilah’s hand betrays her composed silence; the barest tremor. “I’m here, Nadya.”

Nadya who doesn’t want to pull back, never wanted to pull back… but what is she saying to herself if she doesn’t?

“I miss you,” she repeats, “and I still care about you — I don’t really see that changing any time soon. And I’ll forgive you, really—I will. I just need some time.”

I know there are no promises you’ll be there when I’m ready, or if you won’t have moved on, or if you can’t forgive me for not forgiving you, or for not understanding you, or for making you feel this way. But I feel this way too.

And in all the things she wants to say but doesn’t, Nadya’s left still and heartbroken. Completely by her own design.

The bed dips and Nadya lets her eyes flutter closed as Kamilah’s lips press to her forehead. Not so much a kiss as a touch; something sincere and solid and so so sad.

Kamilah commits the warmth and life of her to memory. Nadya dares to hope that some day they’ll have all of this again.

She has to. If anything deserves hope right now it’s them.

Finally — too soon, too damned soon — a whisper tickles at her hairline.

“I’ll be here.”

When she opens her eyes Nadya is alone.

Jax has a really good point; if the heat from Adrian’s industrial-grade blowtorch hadn’t been enough to melt the gold, then they probably didn’t need to worry about his sword scratching the stupid thing up in any way that didn’t lend to opening it.

Everyone still backs up a few paces for good measure. They’ve all seen him in action — and the man needs a wide berth.

Nadya closes her eyes and braces herself but she still isn’t prepared for the hollow screeching clang every time the sharpened steel collides with the surface of the Amulet. One—two—three.

He stops after three. Judging by the enraged determination in his eye though he’d keep going given the opportunity.

Lily throws her hands up before crossing out ‘ASSAULT BY KATANA’ on the transparent eraser board. “I’m calling it. This thing is a horcrux.”

“A what?” asks Adrian, but Nadya just gives him the now familiar “I’ll explain it later” wave-off. Because unless pop culture references were the secret puzzle to opening the Amulet of Nero they weren’t that important in the moment.

She pushes her glasses up and unsuccessfully stifles a yawn with the back of her hand. Brings her focus back to their list of attempts to crack open (literally) the case… all of which have failed miserably.

‘METALWORKING HAMMER’ ‘REGULAR HAMMER’ ‘BLOWTORCH’ ‘ASKING IT NICELY’ (Nadya’s idea) ‘OPEN SESAME’ (Maricruz’s idea) ‘ASSAULT BY KATANA’

Off to the left Lily’s circled ‘MISSING KEY??’ over and over in the corner and while they had all agreed to try and hold out on just not having found the right amount of physical force they might as well face it.

They’re running out of options.

Adrian clears his throat and stares hard enough at Nadya that the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “Ahem, Nadya, could you…?”

“Oh — yes — sorry guys, my bad.”

When she pulls the cover back over the Amulet the difference is immediate. The tension leaves her friends’ shoulders; they sit a little less restless and their eyes are a little less bordering-vampish.

Nadya wasn’t the only one who had been content to write off the strange aura that had come over the vampires in Isadora de la Rosa’s booth as nothing more than trepidation for the inevitable. Now, however, they have to face the facts.

There’s something in the Amulet that draws vampires to it. Cadence had said so himself — when he talked about generations of vampire influence. It’s not enough to incite a war (about which Nadya was admittedly worried, and with good reason given their track record) but covering it was a noticeable benefit to rational thinking.

They only have one thing going for them right now; if they can’t open it then no one else can, either. Hopefully that includes the Trinity. Maybe it even includes Gaius. Who knows? They certainly don’t.

There are too many unknowns — and they’re starting to take a toll on everyone in one form or another.

Adrian begins to gather up the dozens of data graphs spread out in front of him. “With that, I think we’ve come to a natural stopping point for the evening.” And nobody disagrees.

While Nadya carefully wraps the Amulet back up to return it to the R&D vault, Lily leans on her elbows and watches.

“I take it we still haven’t heard from Cadence? What about calling up Izzy?”

If only she had good news to give. “Nope; and I already did. She definitely remembers feeling that weird magnetism to it before it was repossessed by Persephone but nothing beyond that that she knew of. Actually,” she throws a look over to Adrian, “she suggested one thing; witch-fire? Something like that.”

He seems hesitant to mull the idea over. But they were desperate enough to let Jax hit it repeatedly, so…

“I’ll look into a few contacts. That kind of magic should only be used sparingly and in dire cases.”

“Would this count?”

A beat. “Probably. We would have to run it by the Council, though.” Which kind of nulls even the idea. Since everyone had agreed not to tell the rest of the Council yet. Not only because of the Amulet’s potential.

Lester, Priya, the Baron — Nadya likes to try and see the best in people as much as possible but they don’t make it easy on her. None of them are certain who would, if it came down to it, side against Gaius for a second time.

Nothing is unlikely anymore.

Wow, their shortest-lived idea yet.

Nadya nods towards the vault for Lily to follow. “As for the other thing — Kathy’s starting to get worried. I guess he left town a day after we did.” Which the Nighthunter had admitted wasn’t off-brand for Cadence. But the museum had let slip (which Nadya knows means ‘been bullied into admitting’) that he had been granted a leave of absence; very off-brand.

“The one thing he’s always had is that damn museum. No identity, no Izzy, and we both know I’m a recent development. He was a manic mess the first time that kind of dissociation happened.” The Nighthunter had kept her cool better than Nadya would have in her situation. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried ill.

“What if it’s worse this time,” even through the phone she couldn’t hide her concern; her fear, “what if he hurts himself? What if he hurts someone else?”

Hopefully they find him soon. But she’s met that strange group of people; the regulars at the Graveyard Shift. If anyone has the ability (and sheer force of stubborn will, to be honest) to find Cadence it’s them.

“I mean, if I went Jekyll and Hyde around a chick as crazy as that Trinity woman, I’d probably want to get away for my own health too.”

Lily’s comment doesn’t sit well with her; luckily at her admonishing look she at least looks apologetic. “You know what I mean.”

“I also know a little bit of what he’s going through.”

There’s an “ahem” behind them as Nadya spins the wheel on the vault. Adrian definitely has the look of someone who knows he shouldn’t have been eavesdropping but was anyway.

“Speaking of.”

Only… she’d rather not speak of it until it becomes a problem. “It’s fine,” she replies, and waves it off. That was what they’d agreed on for the time being, right? And there haven’t been any problems.

Turns out feeling the weight of relationship-burdened depression the moment you walk through your front door lends to a pretty heavy sleeping pattern. Like Nadya’s body doesn’t want her to do anything but try to get through the next day, and the next, and maybe… just maybe the one after that.

Adrian doesn’t seem immediately convinced. “Promise?”

“Pinky promise.” Which — he still doesn’t really get the concept but the verbal agreement is enough.

Once the lab is fully shut down they manage to pile together into the elevator. Jax thumbs at his phone, blows the hair out of his eyes just a little too close to Nadya’s ear for her liking. She swats him away because personal bubble.

“What’s the matter?”

“Eh, Espinoza wants —” But he catches himself with a look in Lily’s direction. “— something. She wants something. And I gotta… go get it.”

Nadya and Adrian just shake their heads and laugh at him while Lily pretends with absolutely no tact whatsoever not to know what he’s talking about. She even sticks her fingers in her ears like that’ll somehow stop her super vampire hearing.

Jax, somehow with even less tact, like negative tact, takes it as permission to lean and murmur on Nadya’s free side. “Apparently Lula got into the cake. So…”

“Weren’t there three?” Adrian hisses, surprised.

“You’ll get it when you meet her.”

Nadya reaches around and pats Jax’s chest awkwardly. “Good luck with that. Maybe try putting them in the passenger seat this time.”

“Shut up.”

“Just saying… third time’s the charm you know.”

When she gives Lily a nod in ‘all clear’ everyone knows she heard everything. But she’s just excited to know Maricruz is going as all-out as she possibly can, so who would be so heartless as to spoil the whole thing by just admitting the obvious?

Adrian lets them all off on the ground level and offers Nadya one last chance to go home early. “What do you pay her for if you keep giving her chances to not work?” And Jax raises a good point — too good of a point. She maybe shoves him in front of her with all her might, and he maybe stumbles. The world may never know. “Just saying — let me know next time there’s an opening.”

“I’ll be up in a sec. I just have to stake him first.”

She and Lily wave until the doors close. Yes, they live together and see each other every day. Yes, they recently defied death in New Orleans together. But its rare now that Nadya and Lily get a chance to unwind like they used to. So whenever it comes along they’re both there to indulge greedy and giggling.

“Mari’s really going all out with this party, huh?”

It’s a valiant effort but Lily doesn’t look so much humbly embarrassed as expectantly excited. “I think I’m in love, Nadi’,” she jumps the next few steps like hopscotch, “she was fully ready to get a bouncy castle.”

“How are they going to fit a bouncy castle in the Shadow Den?”

“Oh I didn’t say I let her. But she was planning on it, and isn’t that what true love is all about?”

Nadya tries not to falter. Key word being tries. And around anyone else she might do everything in her power not to draw attention to it but this is Lily. Who found her huddled up in bed hours after Kamilah’s farewell and called to cancel her own date to stay with her; to be there for her and give her all the hugs she desperately needed but didn’t know how to ask for.

She doesn’t need to pretend around that kind of love and friendship.

But before Nadya can apologize Lily starts up an air drum solo in front of her while they walk. “And winner for Most Insensitive Best Friend Ever is — drum roll…”

“You’re fine, Lil’.”

“I’m gushing about my life while you’re… not so hot.”

Nope, Nadya won’t have it. “You’re gonna gush because you have every right to gush, okay? You’ve been a vampire for a whole year. That’s super important. You survived Turning, became the digital fanged crusader, and it’s ten times more cool because you did it all without a brand. Jax and Adrian can’t say that. Heck… even Kamilah can’t.

“So if you want a Turning party, you’re gonna get a Turning party. I’m not the only one who thinks you’re worth celebrating.” They lace their fingers and Nadya squeezes. “Plus if Jax shows up with the third set of cakes to a canceled party I think he might flip his lid.”

Lily gives a dramatic little sniffle — pretends to wipe a nonexistent tear from her eye. “Please tell me you just memorized all that.”

“Why?”

“Because it’ll be the speech to end all speeches.”

Together they play-shove all the way through the Raines Building atrium. Right before the revolving door Lily spins her around, takes both of their hands together and swings them gently.

“Do you want me to uninvite her? She probably doesn’t even care.”

“No — and even if we broke up, like, badly I wouldn’t want that. I’m just not that kind of person.”

“True, you’d probably invite them to Christmas dinner or something.”

She rolls her eyes at that and ignores it for her own sanity. “And for the record — as someone with experience in decoding Kamilah-isms, I think you surprised her. She admires strength, and Lily… you’re the strongest person I know.”

When they hug, like always, their glasses get jostled in the middle and the following laughter lightens both of their hearts. Lily makes her promise to add that last line to her speech (which inadvertently is a promise to write a speech, she’s guessing) and only when she’s out the doors and around the corner of the block does Nadya head back up to the office.

Adrian is leaning in his open doorway when she exits the elevator — Nadya slows her steps for a hesitant second before coming to realize he’s just having another one of his pensive moods. He’s been having them a lot lately. More and more since they returned from New Orleans.

This one looks different though. He’s not staring into space — he’s staring at her.

“What?” She finally yields, glancing at her boss over her shoulder while the computer boots up slow as a snail. “What’s that face for?”

Nadya nearly convinces herself he isn’t going to answer.

“It’s good to see you smiling, that’s all.” He leans out and squeezes her shoulder; something soft and friendly and so sweet her teeth ache from it. Before Adrian can pull away Nadya makes sure to return the gesture.

“It’s good to smile,” which is far more bleak than she would like, “you know something?”

Adrian pauses mid-step. “Hm?”

“It’s even better to mean it.”

[meowxyoong]

Friend Request 1 | MYG

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Angst, Some type of fluff?, Yoongi is awkward af but also adorable

Word Count: 1347

Warnings: mentions of abuse, anxiety, low self esteem

PART 2

A/N: Abdjshx i had this idea for a while and finally got over my fear of rejection and started writing lmao 🤧 my plan is to turn this into a drabble series but since it’s my first time writing and i have no idea what i’m doing i will probably see how it goes🥴 Constructive criticism is heavily appreciated!! I’m here to learn and there's always room for improvement lol so please let me know what you think!! ok asdkbga please enjoy this mess

»»————-　♡　————-««

Three years. It has been three years since you last saw the person who changed it all.

You have been good. Life is comfortable. Hanging out with friends is not a burden anymore. Going out is actually fun again. Your job is… well, it’s not your dream position, but at least you manage to get through your shift like any working person would. Of course, there are days where you struggle to get going, to get out of bed and start your day, but those days are less frequent now and you couldn't be more grateful. It took a long time to get to this point.

Though there is one thing that's not as important now as it was before.

Dating.

Why did you ever think you needed to date someone in order to be okay? Three years alone have taught you a lot and the most important lesson was that you are just fine being alone. But… That doesn't mean your friends think the same. “I have told you a million times Lia. I don’t want to go out with anyone. My life is fine right now and I don't want to change anything about it,” you sigh as you stir your coffee. “I know, I know,” Lia says as she throws up her hands in defense, “I just think that your life should not be just fine! It should be fun and exciting and…” you cut her off right there. “I am happy without all of those things. You know I am.” your voice is firm and when Lia looks at you she can tell it’s time to drop the subject.

There was a time where you were all that. Fun, exciting, spontaneous. But now you can't afford any of that. It’s too risky. It took too long to get to this point and safe is better than anything.

Sensing the stiff atmosphere, Momo clears her throat. “Anyway, Yuna’s birthday is this weekend. She's just doing a small get together at her house. You guys are still coming right?” You and Lia both nod your heads as you drink a sip of your coffee, Lia looking like her head is about to fall off from how hard she's nodding. “You’re still picking me up, right?” she asks you while she starts collecting her things. “Yes! Is 8:30 still ok? Sorry to bother you with this” you tell her and she starts shaking her head. “Y/n, I told you I don't mind. I know that arriving alone to places is still a bit...annoying.” Lia takes your hand in hers and squeezes it reassuringly.

“Yes and please don't ever feel like you can't ask us to help you” Momo adds. You thank them both again and get up. “Really guys, you're the best. I really need to get to work though, so talk to you later?” you ask them while throwing your bag over your shoulder. Momo gives you a thumbs up and Lia starts nodding like crazy again. You smile as you make your way to the restaurant you work at. Maybe you're not the best at talking about your feelings and needs but you're sure your friends always have your back despite that.

Your week goes by relatively fast considering how many customers you had. Being a waitress wasn't your dream job, but you forced yourself to take the position in order to get out of your shell more and be forced to talk to people. Amazingly it worked for you and it had helped you a lot, but now that your anxiety has calmed down in that aspect, working is boring most of the time. You think about looking into something else soon as you’re laying on your couch and scrolling on your phone after an exhausting Friday. You have to start getting ready for Yuna’s party soon so you make to check social media one last time before getting in the shower and just as you’re about to close Facebook, a new notification pops up.

Min Yoongi sent you a friend request.

Huh, weird. You don't know anyone named Min Yoongi. You click on his profile and look at his picture. He doesn't even look familiar. Checking out the mutual friends you notice you have quite a few of them, your best friends Momo, Lia and Yuna being in that list too. You don't know why but you accept the request. Maybe you had been introduced and forgot? You open the Facebook event to Yunas party and see that he’s also attending. Well he’s definitely in your circle. Not thinking more of it you close the app and head over to your bathroom. After your shower you hear your phone vibrate. Min Yoongi has sent you a message. You open the messaging app and start laughing.

Min Yoongi [7:32pm]: Hey! So, uuuhm… I was looking at your profile and sent that friend request by accident and you accepted before I could cancel the request so I’m so sorry for requesting to be your friend out of the blue and if you want to delete me that's fine, no hard feelings!

Cute. That's the first thing that comes to mind. You quickly type back.

You [7:34pm]: Hey! Honestly, I accepted because I saw our mutual friends and thought maybe we met at some point and I forgot lol

The message is marked as read immediately and you raise your eyebrows. Was he waiting on you to reply? After a few seconds he starts typing and you get his reply soon after.

Min Yoongi [7:36pm]: Oh! No, I don't think we’ve met before but yeah I saw your name on the list of Yuna’s birthday event and that's where I accidentally sent the request haha are you going to the party?

You read his message and start feeling a tiny bit anxious. You don't really like talking to strangers and having confirmed that you haven't actually met before makes you feel uneasy. Telling him that you're going doesn't feel right. Your defense instincts are kicking in. You read his message again and start thinking. Technically, he isn't a complete stranger because you know he has the same friends as you. At least he’s close enough to Yuna to get invited to her party after she specifically stated it’s for close friends only. But then again, you have never heard of him and he IS still a stranger to you. You start overthinking and try to stop yourself. Lias words start ringing in your head. Life should be fun and exciting. You look at his picture. He looks nice and he’s in your circle of friends. He’s not a complete stranger. Maybe he’s safe. Biting the bullet you type a message and hit send before you can start regretting it.

You [7:43pm]: yeah i’m going! See you there?

You lock your phone, throw it back on the couch and go to your bedroom in three seconds. Sending that message took a lot of courage and getting ready will distract you from overthinking it. You have to leave in half an hour anyway so you need to get dressed fast to put at least some makeup on. You manage to do everything just in time to leave to pick up Lia. As you're walking to the door you grab your phone from the couch and as you're checking the time you see the notification for new messages from Min Yoongi. After a second of hesitation you open it.

Min Yoongi [7:45pm]: yes! See you there! I promise to introduce myself properly :) I also promise I’m not some creep lol

Min Yoongi [7:50]: ok that's definitely what a creep would say

Min Yoongi [7:51]: if you decide to ignore me later I understand

Min Yoongi [7:51]: ok i’ll stop now

You can't help but smile. He really is cute. You sigh. Yeah, maybe he's not some creep, but the anxiousness in your stomach is still there. Perhaps meeting him will calm you down. You stuff your phone in your bag and make your way over to Lia’s.

A/N2: wow you finished it ahgajsgj thank you so much for reading. My ask box is always open and thanks again!!

Thank you so much to @megahwn for the encouragement, THANK YOU TO @hobisgorgeousass for the proof reading and feedback, thank you @softyoongiionly for being an angel as always and A HUGE THANK YOU to @seokjiniescheeks for hyping me up T__T I truly don’t deserve so much love😭😭😭

[give-me-back-my-rhodey]

College Pepperony

Title: College Pepperony

Author: Purple_ducky00

Rating: General Audiences

Warning: n/a

Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark

Read on AO3

Summary: Before Virginia Potts met Tony Stark, everyone warned her to be wary of his playboy ways. Little do they know she will be the one to make the first move.

“Ginny. You won’t believe what my roommate did today.” Jimmy Rhodes flops down on Virginia's bed.

She smiles indulgently. Jimmy has been complaining to her since day one of the first semester about his roommate. They are now in semester number two, and she still has not met said roomie. “What did he do?”

“He blew up our toaster! And he knows I eat Poptarts for breakfast every day!” Jimmy cries, and Ginny laughs.

 “Oh, poor Jim. Did you say something to him?”

 Jim's eyes soften. “I didn’t have to. He immediately apologized and went out and bought me a new one. He’s a good guy, but he just has the sense of a moth. And he doesn’t even realize when he gets burned.”

 “So when do I meet him?”

 Jim sits up. “Are you sure you want to? He is almost definitely going to try to flirt with you. He thinks he’s a ladies man or something.” Jimmy muses, “I guess whatever he does works because more often than not, he’s got someone in his room.”

 “I think I can take care of myself.” Virginia waves. “He’s definitely not the first fuckboi who's tried to get in my pants.”

 “Your funeral.” Jimmy rolls his eyes. “Want to grab some takeout and head back to my room?”

 “Panda Express?”

 “You know it. Let me call Tones to see if he wants some.” Jim pulls out his cell. His roommate answers before the first ring is over. “Hey Tony. You want some Panda Express? Yes… No… Listen… My friend an… Tony.” Jim sighs then raises his voice. “Tony listen. I’ll be home in like twenty minutes. My friend and I are getting Panda Express. What do you want? Mmhmm… ok… ok… anything else? Ok. All right. We'll be there asap.”

 Virginia raises an eyebrow when Jim hangs up. He shrugs. “I don’t know. He’s hungry. Probably hasn’t eaten since breakfast yesterday.”

 Twenty minutes later, Virginia and Jim walk into his dorm. “Tony! Dinner!”

 Virginia walks in to see a man about her age, sitting on the floor with toaster parts spread out around him. He’s wearing a red muscle shirt that’s not too tight, and his hair is sticking out in all directions. He doesn’t realize they are there until Jim claps his hands beside his head. Immediately he goes to a fighting position. Seeing Jim, he relaxes. “Oh it’s you, Rhodey. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

 Jim shrugs when Virginia mouths Rhodey? “Tones, you need to be more aware. Or turn JARVIS on or something. Come on, we got you food.”

 “Who’s we?” Tony snarks, then turns and sees Virginia. “Oh.”  He stares at her with wide eyes, mouth gaping like a fish. “I, uh, um, hi?”

 “Wow. You really made him speechless. That’s never happened,” Jim chuckles. “Tony, this is my friend Virginia Potts. Ginny, this is Tony Stark, my friend and roommate.”

 Tony recovers quickly. “Aww, thanks for the friendship badge, honeybear. Hello, Ginny. Oh no, I don’t like that name. I’m going to have to come up with another name for you.”

 “What’s wrong with my name?” Virginia shoots back.

 “Virginia just sounds like the state, which ew. Ginny makes me think of a powdery old lady. And Potts? I can’t even make a good nickname out of that. You’re going to need a whole new name. Oh, you know what? How do you like ‘Pepper'? Pepper Potts. Hey J?” Tony calls out.

 “Hello Sir,” a male British voice comes out of the speaker. “Remember this lady as Pepper Potts.”

 “Welcome Miss Potts,” the voice says.

 “You just defeated my purpose JARVIS,” Tony says good-naturedly.  “That’s JARVIS, my AI. He’s still learning.”

 Virginia is amazed that he was able to create even a functioning AI.

 ++++++

As the three hang out more, Virginia realizes the effect Tony has on people. For one, everyone on campus refers to her as “Pepper”.  Tony’s a weird fellow because he has this reputation and all, and he does sleep around, but he’s not the jerk that he lets everyone believe he is. Other than the big persona he slips into at parties, he’s really a lowkey kind of guy.

 Everyone who knew Tony warned her that he might try to bed and then abandon her, but in the two semesters that they have hung out, he never hit on her, not even once. She is a little disappointed, though, because she has an itty, bitty crush on him.

 She’ll never tell anyone, but there was one time she stopped past Rhodey and his dorm to drop something off. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. Assuming that no one heard because the music was so loud, she tried the knob. It was unlocked. When she walked in, he was in the living room with one of his bots. There was an ACDC song on the radio, and he was headbanging and using a wrench as a microphone. The bot was moving its claw with the beat of the song. Pepper quietly snuck past and laid the bag on their table. She was going to sneak out when the song ended. Tony turned and screamed when he saw her, then sank to the floor.

 “Are you ok?” She raced over to him, concerned.

 Tony was wheezing for breath. “You scared me. I thought I was here alone.”

 “You should really learn to lock your door.” She had told him, laughing. “By the way, I love your moves.”

 There was a moment where Tony had looked up at her with wide eyes, then he smirked and said. “Who doesn’t?”

 Now, Pepper is eating lunch with Rhodey at a little café near the campus when she asks, “Why were you so concerned that Tony would hit on me?”

“Honestly, I didn’t take into consideration how much he likes you.” Rhodey takes a sip of his Pepsi.

 “Why wouldn’t he like me? Are you saying I’m not likeable?” Pepper demands. “That I would be just a call girl to him?”

 Rhodey shakes his head. “I used the incorrect wording there. I knew he’d like you well enough. I hadn’t accounted for the amount he’d actually love you.”

 “Love me?” Pepper snorts. “He treats me like he likes you.”

 “But he doesn’t flirt with you like he does me. He thinks you're unattainable, and he doesn’t want to do anything to drive you away.” Rhodey explains.

 Pepper gives him a look. “Did he tell you this himself?”

 “No, but I know Tones.” He sits back in his chair. “And I know how he looks at you.”

 Pepper doesn’t know if Rhodey’s just hyping her up or not, but she figures it won’t hurt to ask Tony out. She figures that she can move past it quickly if he rejects her, so their friendship shouldn’t be hurt. The next day, she texts Tony. Wanna grab some lunch?

 Sure. What are you thinking? He texts back quickly. Do I need to shower?

 Yes. She grins. What about the coffeeshop near my dorm?

 He texts back his affirmation, and Pepper squeals. Today she is going to see what he thinks about her and, well, the two of them. Her roommate grins. “Sounds like you have a hot date.”

 “Nope. Just getting lunch with one of my best friends.”

 “That you have a crush on.” Bethany across from her. “Which one is it, Rhodey or Tony?”

Pepper brushes her off. “Rhodey’s dating Carol.”

 “So Tony. Be careful. He’s got the love-em-and-leave-em reputation.” Bethany shrugs. “Don’t really know the dude, so I can’t say one way or the other. You do, so I trust your judgment.”

 “Thanks. Most people would tell me I’m out of my mind, but he’s really sweet. He never once hit on me, you know that? Rhodey told me it’s because he likes me and doesn’t want to lose me, but I’m not so sure about that.”

 Bethany pats her shoulder. “He’d be an idiot to reject you, Pep.”

 Tony meets her at the coffeeshop for lunch, and conversation goes on like normal. They tell each other about their days, and there’s some good-natured ribbing. Finally, Pepper works up her courage and asks. “Are you dating anybody?”

 “Umm… no?” Tony is frozen like a deer in the headlights.

 “Want to go out on a date?”

 Tony shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “Are you sure? Like, I’d love to, but I’m not the best person to date. I forget things, like a lot. I get so caught up in my inventions that I don’t even realize anyone else is there. I forget to shower sometimes. My brain-to-mouth filter is basically non-existent. I’m a mess and a failure. Also, people are going to say a lot of stuff about you. Stuff that’s not true and could be really hurtful. My life is in the spotlight the moment I go out in public. Like, are you sure? You’re going to want to break up with me very shortly.”

 “Did people actually say these things to you?” Pepper asks angrily. “Give me their names so I can murder them.”

Tony sags. “You’re right. Let’s date. Just let me know when you’ve had enough.”

 Tony won’t look at her until she takes his hand. When he finally does raise his head, she is amazed to see the vulnerability in his eyes. She knows that is one thing he hates – seeming vulnerable to others.

“Tony,” She says softly, “I really like you. If you want to date me, and I want to date you, why should anyone else get a say? Shouldn’t we decide what we should have?”

 +++++++

Five Years Later

Pepper will laugh when she looks back to that day. Five years later, and they’re still together. They’ve had their ups and downs, but together they worked everything out.

 Lying in bed with Tony curled around her side, she looks down at him sleeping peacefully. She loves this man, and he loves her, too.

[hetaces]

@whatsnew-lgbtq​‘s 31 days of pride day 9!! i know I haven’t been doing ‘em all but that’s okay.

day 9: books

so books are my area of expertise honestly so I picked a few favorites to talk about a lil bit here (I’ll put it under a cut).

And feel free to ask me about more books because I’m Like That.

These are all ownvoices in at least one way. Ownvoices rep will be italicized in the list.

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley When you hear what this book is about, it sounds really bad. Like “Girl decides to ‘fix’ agoraphobic gay boy and her boyfriend gets ~close~ with him” is essentially what the synopsis says. It sets it up for every bad trope. And then uses none of them. It’s so good, has great portrayal of good accommodations, healthy friendship, and a bunch of Star Trek references. Representation: Sol is gay and agoraphobic

Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston Don’t look up the synopsis yourself, go right to goodreads (i’d link but you know how tumblr is with links), some of the synopses that come up automatically start with a “it’s like [story] in space” and it’s a spoiler. I’ll put the first part of it here bc it’s hard to get the words. Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him. Representation: Ana is written as acespec (not Super clear but it was the intent) Captain Siege is a lesbian. Telle is a lesbian. Robb is gay. Jax is gay.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee So, there’s a lot of hype around Gentleman’s Guide and I was sort of expecting to be let down, but it more than lived up to it. Henry "Monty" Montague is going on his Tour of the continent (travel around Europe and have fun one last time, is the idea). Chaotic disaster bisexual Monty causes trouble, of course. So then on the way to dropping his sister off at finishing school before returning home early, they get attacked. Because Monty is a dumbass (it’s actually his fault). Cue rich kids travelling with no money & trying to avoid a growing number of people. Mackenzi Lee has hit the nail on the head with growth. Not only does she get that sometimes, growth does happen because of one moment of learning, she also writes it well, which is a really difficult thing to write. There’s a lot of heavy stuff in it, but none of it was thrown in for no reason, it’s actually important to the books and to the characters. Representation: Monty is bi, has PTSD, and (at the end of the first book, so spoilers) deaf on one side Percy is mixed, mlm, and (you find out part way through so if you’re picky about it it could be spoilers), epileptic. Felicity is aroace. Many other characters who aren’t white and a wlw character in the second book.

I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver After Ben comes out to their parents, things don’t exactly go well. They get kicked out, and have to go live with their sister who they haven’t seen in 10 years. They start over at a new school, only out to their sister, her husband, and their therapist (because hey, look how well coming out went last time). This book is so damn cute. And a book with a nonbinary main character! Representation: Ben is nonbinary Nathan is bisexual and black

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire Think Narnia, but with more worlds and less religion and you've got the concept of the doorways. Children have always been disappearing - going through a door that's appeared to them. But magic worlds rarely have use for used up miracle children. So they're sent back. But they don't come back the same. The children at Elanor West's Home for Wayward Children have all tumbled once. And they all want to get back. But with Nancy's arrival, things start going wrong. Representation: Nancy is asexual Jack is pan and has OCD Kade is a trans guy Sumi is bi (Seanan McGuire is a queer cis woman)

You Asked for Perfect by Laura Silverman Ariel Stone is a perfect student: he’s a community volunteer, first chair violin, and is on track to be valedictorian. And then he fails a calc test. When he finds he can’t fix it himself, he reluctantly gets a tutor. And he may not like calc, but he might like Amir. I started recommending this book to people when I was 5 pages into it. Ariel is so explicitly Jewish that Laura Silverman put her grandmother’s matzo ball soup recipe in the back because it’s not fair to rave about it so much and not provide a recipe. He’s explicitly bisexual by page 8. Amir and Sook’s eyes are both described as “warm” and I honestly think it’s the first time I’ve seen characters of color’s eyes described as anything but “dark”. Representation: Ariel is bisexual and Jewish Amir is a gay Pakistani Muslim Sook is a chubby Korean lesbian

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson Shaun is back with more “so... the world might be ending?” and I absolutely love it. Dino’s ex-best-friend July died suddenly 4 days ago, and his family runs the funeral home. Dino is touching up July’s makeup (he knows how she wore it and everyone was doing it wrong), and she wakes up. But she’s not exactly... alive. She’s just not-dead. And then... other people just stop dying. So they have to figure out what’s happening. How July came back - or at least how to re-kill her when nobody can die. So not only is it a super interesting book, it’s also like... Shaun goes in on topics like “gay people making gay jokes and straight people making gay jokes are different” and “a cis guy might (might) not mind if you call him a girl, but do not call a trans guy a girl” Also I recommend anything by Shaun David Hutchinson. Representation: Dino is gay Rafi is trans, mlm, and mixed (white/Pakistani) Multiple LGBTQ+ minor characters

On The Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis It’s an end-of-the-world type book (via comet strike). Due to strange circumstances, Denise and her mother end up not at their government assigned shelter, but on a generation ship. And Denise has just a few days to find her sister and prove that her skills are worth 3 spots on a ship with limited resources. Representation: Denise is mixed (Surinamese/white) and autistic Iris is mixed (Surinamese/white) and a bi trans woman. Els is wlw. Leyla is wlw. Samira and Nordin are Muslim Some minor characters.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman I’m just gonna give y’all the actual synopsis this time

You probably think that Aled Last and I are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and I am a girl. I just wanted to say—we don’t. Frances Janvier spends most of her time studying. When she’s not studying, she’s up in her room making fan art for her favorite podcast, Universe City. Everyone knows Aled Last as that quiet boy who gets straight As. But no one knows he’s the creator of Universe City, who goes by the name Radio Silence. When Frances gets a message from Radio Silence asking if she’ll collaborate with him, everything changes. Frances and Aled spend an entire summer working together and becoming best friends. They get each other when no one else does. But when Aled’s identity as Radio Silence is revealed, Frances fears that the future of Universe City—and their friendship—is at risk. Aled helped her find her voice. Without him, will she have the courage to show the world who she really is? Or will she be met with radio silence?

This book is so good but fair warning, it gets really heavy. 

Representation: Aled is demisexual (Alice is queer/aroace) Frances is bi and mixed (white/Ethiopian) Daniel is gay and Korean Carys is a lesbian Raine is pan, Indian, and Hindu

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis Otherbound is set in two worlds - Nolan’s (ours) and Amara’s (the Dunelands, where magic is real). Amara is on the run with the former princess, Cilla, whose family was overthrown by the ministers. Cilla has been cursed and is being hunted, and Amara’s particular type of healing magic is, basically, convenient for redirecting Cilla’s curse. Since they were children, Nolan has been experiencing Amara’s world through her every time he closes his eyes. He sees through her eyes, feels what she feels, smells what she smells. But he’s just a silent observer. She doesn’t even know he’s there. Until now. Representation: Nolan is Mexica and disabled Amara is not white, mute (due to mutilation), and bi Cilla is not white, fat, and a lesbian The majority of other characters are also not white.

[hanculs-blog]

Hello everyone!! This is Lyhra bringing you my baby, your sweetest nightmare, Park Haneul. I’m very hyped with this rp even if it took me a bit by surprise, but i’m very eager to plot with all of you. Anyway, you can check her profile for her general stats and her plots for some connection ideas i’ve listed there. And if anything catches your attention, please send me a DM or like this post (i also have Discord!).

Under the cut, an overlook about her background and personality.

TW: Death (car crash), Murder (mention), Domestic abuse / negligence (mention).

——  is  that  a  bird  or  a  plane  ?  nah  ,  it’s  just  PARK  HANEUL  .  word  on  the  street  is  that  the  TWENTY-TWO year  old  ,  CISFEMALE  ,  looks  an  awful  lot  like  KIM CHUNG HA  ,  but  i  just  don’t  see  it  .  strangers  believe  them  to  be  MOODY  and  RESENTFUL  ,  but  their  friends  will  tell  you  they’re  CHARISMATIC  and  BRAVE  .  they  associate  themselves  with  leather  clothes  ,  striking  dance  moves  ,  and  sweet  words  on  a  dangerous  smile  .

Background

born in a poor broken home, in Daegu, as the youngest of two children with her brother, Hanjun, being 6 years older.

let’s just say things weren’t precisely nice and happy at home, with her parents almost always arguing or yelling at each other. her father was an a**hole and her mother quite unstable. 

luckily, her father left them when she was six.

even with that, the situation wasn’t much better, with her mother busier with her work or  trying to find comfort on a new lover than paying attention to her children.

yet Hanjun and Haneul were as close as bone and flesh, he cared for her and she adored him. they had each other at least.

so she basically grew up on the streets. her brother always trying and somewhat failing to keep her sheltered and protected from the dangers that surrounded their neighborhood, even if he was part of them. 

with these environment, it’s easy to have a kid with no purpose in life, luckily Haneul found her passion quite early: she loved dancing. the feeling, the beauty, the attention.

because if there’s one thing she has always starved is attention. or more correctly: love. Haneul desperately wants to be loved but doesn’t know how that works, so she keeps searching for it at the wrong places and with the wrong people.

so when Hanjun was old enough to start working, he brought her to a small dance school he paid by himself (he was an angel, i’m telling you).

yet.. it didn’t keep her away of the streets at all, because she joined a street dance crew and they performed all around Daegu and outside too.

at 18, she started working on a club as a dancer. not the job of her dreams but she wanted to stop being dependent of everyone, she wanted to be able to come and go as she pleased, and she wanted to pay back everything her brother had been giving to her all that time.

there have been very little things the siblings argued about. they could bicker about silly stuff, like motorcycles vs cars or cats vs dogs, but never truly fight. there was one thing that caused real disagreements: the nasty stuff Hanjun sometimes had to be part of to pay the bills.

sadly it all ended in a crash, almost two years ago. Haneul was busy at work when she got a call: her brother’s body had been found with visible signs of having been hit by a car. the driver? banished.

it destroyed her.

the pain became easier to hold when she got the tip. it had been no accident, she was told, a rival gang wanting to make a statement or perhaps an enemy wanting to take away competition. it made sense.

now Haneul wants to find that person, and make them pay.

of course, meanwhile, she continues going on with her life. which basically can be summed into: partying, working, dancing, messing around, falling in love, falling out of love, copying with her brother’s death and causing some trouble.

tldr: had a brother, loved said brother, brother died, she thinks he killed, now she revenge. troubled girl just wants to be loved and have some fun.

Personality

Charismatic: She has a natural allure around her and catches people’s attention with ease. If it’s not due to the way she says something it’s because of how she moves or the look in her eyes.

Brave: There aren’t many things that can make her back off or shrink, when she encounters any of her fears she faces them with courage, and is capable of going against everything for those she cares about.

Honest: She says things as they are and will never be a fake, she doesn’t lie to get what she wants nor makes promises she won’t deliver later on. What you see is what you get.

Moody: Her affections change with the wind and her temperament can be triggered quite easily, her life can be sometimes like a roller coaster.

Resentful: She may forgive, but for sure she won’t forget. Ever.

Obstinate: It’s very difficult to change her thought or take her out of something she’s feeling resolute about. When she has something on her mind, she’s determined and passionate, but also stubborn.

[dragonotaku-justineverything]

On the Fence (Dragonslayer Fanfic)

This is my entry for @perfilles-studio ’s Dragonslayer (Yang x Jaune) fanfic contest on Tumblr. This Fanfic is based on his drawing (see below, it’s great!). I’ve never posted much of what I’ve written anywhere, so I’m kinda (very) nervous. Honestly, I love the dragonslayer ship in RWBY, so I hope I can do it justice. Please give me some feedback, how else could I get better! Anyway, enough ramblings, let’s get started!

Mistral was a beautiful kingdom. It had large, architecturally outstanding buildings, wonderful food, and lush gardens and parks that people can walk through. So it seems odd that at an inn in the clear evening on a Friday night, that there were two blonde teens that were just sitting around doing nothing.

“This place so boooring” groaned out Yang as she leaned back in her chair. Jaune only sighed in agreement, sitting in an armchair adjacent to Yang.

Ruby and Weiss were off restocking on everyone's munitions and dust for the upcoming trip to Atlas. Blake was at a meeting with Sun, Ilia, Ghira, and Kali to discuss what to do with all the Faunus troops they brought to fight as well as spending some more time with her parents before she’d have to leave again. Nora and Ren were on their actual first date, and Ozpin/Oscar was passed out sleeping with Qrow watching over him. That left only Yang and Jaune at the in inn’s lobby...alone...together.

Jaune awkwardly rubbed the back of his head “Yeah, it is. Although after everything that happened yesterday, not much can compare to that amount of excitement.”

“I guess. Still, would have been nice if someone invited us along on one of their outings.”

“Would you really have wanted to tag along on Ren and Nora’s first date?”

“Heheh, you got a point. Okay, anyone but those two. They definitely deserve some quality alone time.”

Jaune let out a soft chuckle. “Without a doubt. You’re right though, it’s pretty boring here. Wish we went with Weiss and Rubes. At least we would be doing something.”

“Hmmmm,” was hummed from Yang, showing her agreement. A few beats later she jumped up and startled backward and knocking over his chair. “Why don’t we just go out then!?”

Standing back up and picking up his toppled armchair, Jaune was blushing at what he just heard. “W-what do you mean Yang! What’s with all the sudden excitement?”

Yang was only getting more hyped and her smile was growing brighter. “I just realized I’ve never been to Mistral before! I’ve never seen this place in person or been to any of its shops, restaurants, or anything! So let’s go!” before she was done she had already started moving towards the door.

Sighing in relief, he started to follow her before he realized what he was doing. “Wait you want me to come with you?”

Stopping at the door she turned around, bright smile still on her face. “Yeah! Unless you’d rather stay here by yourself?”

“Well, okay then, if you want to. I’ll try not to cramp your style.”

“Please, like you could! I got more than enough “style” for both of us.”

Walking through the door, he turned around and started walking backward slowly to face her. “Good to know. So Yang, where do you want to go?”

Yang jogged up right next to him. “No idea Jaune. Like I said, I’ve never been to Mistral before. So let's just go out there and wing it! We’ll definitely find something that’ll make this night rock!” Yang finished her sentence with a fist into the air, sure that the night would be filled with awesome!

—————————————————————

“‘Let’s just go out there’ you said.”

“Shut up.”

“‘Let’s wing it’ you said.”

“Shut up Jaune.”

“‘We’ll definitely find something to make th-”

“Shut up! Okay, I get it, it wasn’t a good idea after all! I was wrong! Now, will you please stop patronizing me!?”

Jaune still had the courage to give a light smile. “What? After all the teasing you’ve done to me? I am not passing this small chance up. When will I ever get a chance to tease you for a change?”

As it turns out going into a brand new city doesn’t yield great results. They basically walked around half of Mistral for a few hours. It only took a half hour to realize they really did have no idea where to go. They tried to find a bar or club to go to, requested by Yang, but they were denied entry either because they were too young, being only 17 each, or because they were already packed and had a waiting line several hours long.

When that failed they decided to try to find shops or places to go eat but ended up walking into quite a large residential area...which they got lost in. Yup, not a proud moment for the teens asking an elderly couple how to get back to the main city.

After they got back they just wandered some more, but the two started having a good conversation, all night they’d just been saying a few sentences every now and then and then walked in silence. They talked about, goals, hobbies, and stories about the pasts. Yang told Jaune about her first trip to a club and Jaune told her about his family going to the nearby lake for family days every week.

They actually stopped paying attention to where they were walking. They ended up in one of Mistrals greatest parks. It had a web of trails to hike through a large forested section of Mistral, the best spot was the trail that was along a small cliff, overlooking most of Mistral.  The only thing separating the cliff edge and the people on the trail was an eight foot, chain link fence. This was also the place the two blondes ended up.

“Well, aren’t you mister confidence right now.” Yang bitterly grumbled.

Jaune flinched at her tone. It was a rare sight to see Yang Xiao-Long down in the dumps. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you so much.”

Yang sighed heavily before looking at Jaune. “It’s not that Jaune. I just wanted this night to be great, fun, or hell, even just okay and peaceful. We’re off to Atlas in a few days. Who knows what will happen there.” Yang walk over to the fence that separates the trail from the cliff. “It’s probably only going to get worse right? I mean, we are pretty much at war with Salem. We’ve already had to fight for our lives just a few days ago. We’ll probably have to it again.”

Jaune stared at Yang in shock. He would have never thought Yang was thinking stuff like this. “Yang, why are you thinking like that? We have to stay positive. If we don’t then they’ll already have won.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk. Didn’t you say ‘They’re the ones that matter’ to Cinder?”

“I was angry!”

“And so am I.”

Jaune stared at Yang, baffled. Yang never doubted herself before, why now? What was different?! The answer came when Yang put her hand on the fence in front of her. Her right hand. The one she lost.

Jaune swallowed, knowing he had to be blunt. “It’s because if your arm isn’t it?”

Yang spun to face him, glare already set. Red eyes and all. “What was that?” The danger layered in her question was also blunt.

He pushed through though“ The reason you’re scared now, the reason you’re questioning yourself and us. It was because of you losing your arm at Beacon.”

Yang’s right hand clenched. Then she released it and a sigh. “Since when are you so smart VB?”

Jaune chuckled. “I guess about the time as you. So, what’s wrong?”

Yang turned back around, hand going back to the fence. “I always thought I was unkillable. Sure, I’d get hurt in a fight or spar, but I never thought I’d be hurt to the point. Then The Fall happened. Adam happened.” The creak from the fence being crushed under Yang’s hand made Jaune flinched. “Everything went to hell. I guess it’s just all the reality hit me down hard. I’m still trying to stand back up.”

A hand on her shoulder got her to turn around. Jaune was their, with a pitying look in his eyes. No, not pity, sympathy. “Will you let me try to help you up?”

Yang threw a questioning look his way. It was answered by Jaune walking past her and the up the fence.

“Jaune!? What are you doing?!”

“Well, you’ll see if you follow me!”

Yang looked around, and seeing only a hand full of people farther down the trail, she started climbing up. When she got the top, Jaune was sitting down on the top bar, legs dangling his legs off facing the cliff and Mistral. Yang decided to mirror his position. “Sooooo what now?” She drawled out.

Jaune only said one word “Look” before pointing. Yang followed his finger to see a breathtaking sunset over the kingdom of Mistral. “I wanted to remind you that the sun's still shining and that the world is still beautiful. We all went through The Fall. It was a dark time for all of us. We can’t live in that darkness though, otherwise, they’ll have won before we even start fighting.”

Yang looked over at him to see a serious expression, but it was also hopeful and warm. It honestly made her heart skip.

“W-wow Vomit Boy, I didn’t know you could be so romantic. If I had, we might be dating right now.”

Jaune blushed like she knew he would. What he said next surprised her though. “Could you honestly see yourself dating me?”

Yang thought about it for a few seconds, then something came to mind. “I dunno...you could say I’m…” the smug grin on her face was the only warning Jaune had before Yang let loose “on the fence!” Eh, eh?”

The only response Yang received was a groan from the knight, but there was a laugh mixed in with it! The only one to ever laugh at here puns were her dad and Ruby when she was little. “There’s the good old Yang we know and love! Glad to see you’re feeling better.”

Yang was feeling better! It’s been so long since she’s made a good pun and for someone to actually laugh at it too?! “Hahaha, thanks Jaune.” Yang flipped around her seating on the fence. “Maybe we should get going though. The sunset is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it also means it’s almost dark. Everyone is probably going to be back now.”

She was about to hop down, but something stopped her. Jaune grabbed her hand and squeezed it. A feeling of warmth and security rushed to her chest, it’s origin the hand Jaune currently had in his grasp. “As long as you promise to have hope. For everything.”

Yang closed her eyes, she liked the feeling of his hand holding hers. “Sure Jaune. I promise.” She pulled his hand free and punched Jaune in the shoulder.

“WOAH!” Although the punch was apparently harder than she meant to because Jaune was knocked off the fence, luckily not off the cliff though. Jaune landed on the dirt trail with a thud.

Yang was down next to him a second later, leaning down to help pick him up. “Jaune! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?!”

Jaune groaned. “I don’t know. I guess I feel kinda, down in the dirt? How’s that?”

Yang paused, before “Hahahahahahaha!” laughing so hard she nearly fell over. “That was great Jaune! I didn’t know you had it in you!” She calmed down and offered a hand to him. An offer Jaune took, being pulled up and dusting himself off.

“You sure you okay Jaune?”

Jaune rolled his shoulders a few times. “Yeah, I’m fine. I can easily take more than that little fall.”

“Good. So you think we should head back to the inn? The gangs probably waiting for us.”

“Sure Yang.”

“Well, I guess we should get walking.”

With that the blonde duo started walking back down the trail they came on. As they walked, Yang looked down at Jaune’s hand, recalling the feeling of him holding hers with it. Before she knew it, she had grabbed it, holding it with hers. It was Jaune that alerted her to what she did. “Yang? Why are you holding my hand?”

Yang didn’t know herself, but that wasn’t going to make her let go. It made her feel warm. “Just go with it Vomit Boy.”

Jaune sighed in annoyance. “Are you ever going to drop that nickname?”

Yang let out a mocking hum. “Hmmmmm. Nope!”

Jaune just sighed again, getting Yang to laugh. Jaune decided to do as Yang said and just went with it, wasn’t like he was really complaining. It did feel nice. That’s how they continued to walk, holding hands, into an unsure, but definitely brighter, future.

“Hey Yang, how do we get back to the inn from here?”

His question was met with silence from both parties until they spoke together.

“Crap.”

[kareem-salia]

★ ━ ( kofi siriboe, cismale, he/him ) ━ ★ the other day i ran into KAREEM SALIA. it’s funny because i was just thinking about how the TWENTY-TWO YEAR OLD’s birthday was on 01/29 and how the last time i saw him, KAREEM was DRIVEN, CALM & COURAGEOUS, but could also be IRRESPONSIBLE, IMPULSIVE, & CRITICAL. anyway, he has been living in THE NORTHWEST DISTRICT for FOUR YEARS & currently works as a SENIOR/BASKETBALL PLAYER AT PORTLAND STATE. ━ ( ooc: ari, 24, est, they/them )

So Kareem’s original intro post was hella short and im trying to get this muse back so here’s a more fleshed out thing for him if ur interested <33

About Kareem:

Born and raised in Newark, NJ. The youngest of two siblings. He has an older brother who’s currently in the Marines. 

Raised by a single father. His mother left them when they were young. So it was just the three boysss all his life. But his dad is the best and so is his brother so he got lucky. He spent most of his summer in Portland with his cousin @cliolucas and her parents. She and her mother really have been the closest Kareem has come to having mothers and to know him is to know he’d do anything and everything for the Lucas women. 

He’s spent most of his life being known for his basketball skills, having led his high school to four consecutive championships and the highest scorer in the state of New Jersey. 

He set his sights on Portland after high school because it had easily become his second home and he wanted to be near all the people he spent every summer with.

He ended up getting a full ride to Portland State and in his four years has led the team to one of it’s best records in their history. He’s been noticed by tons of sports reporters and magazines, all that good stuff. His dreams of going pro have never been more real than they are at the moment. 

But Kareem has always been about trying to be more than just a guy who was exceptional at basketball. He works hard in school and is part of as many organizations on campus as he can be. Last year he helped Portland State’s Black Student Union throw a huge fundraiser and currently sits as their events chair on their executive board. 

Even though his tuition is paid for, he still needs some money for his pockets so he babysits when he has time and also drive for Uber and Lyft so if you have him as a driver please tip kindly lol. 

He’s an Africana Studies and History double major. He loves to read and have long af convos but the boy does love to party. He’s usually the guy who stands by the DJ booth to hype everyone up and then is running around pouring to tequila into everyone’s mouth. 

He wants to be a role model for all the kids from Newark and wants to use his platform as much as possible to give back to others. The first thing he wants to do with his check from the NBA is buy his father a new house. 

Him getting drafted is the biggest stressor for him right now because 1) he’s still not 100% sure he’ll get drafted even though the prospects are good and 2) he’s not sure if he’ll get drafted to the Portland Blazers or have to leave the state to go be on another team. 

He’s trying to get better at being more open emotionally, something his undefined relationship w/ @angelicaalvares is helping him with even more. he’s used to brushing most things off, preferring to be the peacekeeper as opposed to dragging things out longer than they need to be. 

One thing he won’t ever talk about is his mother or why/how she left or the fact that she recently reached out to him for the first time in almost 20 years when she saw him on the cover of the recent issue of Sports Illustrated. More to come on that! 

[the-idea-master]

Theyna Circus/ Greatest Showman AU

Thalia starting the whole circus thing because she’s bored and thinks it’ll be interesting. Plus it reminds her of the times she used to tell Jason stories about people with amazing abilities.

Strikes up the project with just her brother and his girlfriend Piper who both have a small show as an acrobatic duo.

Jason mentions a few friends he’s picked up on his travels and Thalia is somewhat hesitant but agreed to meet with them.

Percy is dubbed the Aquatic Anomally for his ability to hold his breath for amazing amounts of time, escape containers blind folded, and seemingly communicate with sea creatures.

Hazel is sort of cursed as the local witch but Thalia finds out she’s just really good at slight of hand and recruits her in an instant among with her brother who acts as a channel for the dead.

Next is Annabeth who ends up becoming Thalia’s business partner in charge of organizing everything and managing finances.

Leo is the town’s Elf Boy and Frank is the Beast.

Leo looks like and elf and had the size and comedy for it, he’s an easy recruit to help energize the crowd...if there is one.

Frank can train almost any animal and people speculate that he has a mental connection with them.

The whole squad gets together and preps for the opening of the show.

New additions have joined for instance an amazing archer who can shoot doing anything. Thalia insists that Zoë rides a horse while doing it because it’s cool and Zoë isn’t a fan of it.

There’s the Wolf Girl who has an entire pack of wolves ages trained to respect her as the alpha. The wolves themselves are a test seeing as how no ones seen them since they live in such an urban and industrialized area.

The show goes off without a hitch and everyone loves it, the people and performers are both stoked and pumped with adrenaline.

Percy was a crowd favorite with his casual game of cards with himself in a tank with piranhas.

Leo was very happy to energize the crowd.

Jason and Piper did death defying stunts together that left the crowd gasping.

Nico and Hazel set the room alight with all sorts of freak accidents which were both mesmerizing and scary.

Frank performed with monkeys that could dance, flip, and even ride a bike. The crowd thinks it’s the funniest thing ever.

People are amazed by the wolves and the archer and Thalia’s ring master skills are superb.

She gets a rush from the attention as it’s actually positive for once and can’t help but get a little crazy with her announcements.

When bad reviews start piling in by negative Nelly’s Thalia gives them a big middle finger by having everyone perform in the middle of the town square.

A crowd gathers and is completely amazed until authorities arrive and bad stuff happens.

Percy gets a bucket of sewage water thrown on him which pisses Annabeth off.

Jason tries to hold her back but he gets a whacking from a baton. A lot of shouting and profanity occurs.

Frank tries to ease the tension but ends up picking up tiny Hazel and shielding her from the angry mobs. Nico gets ground into a pulp with Leo, both of them being too small to do much back.

Piper tries to sooth the horses but they freak out and scatter everywhere. Zoë gets thrown and doesn’t get up.

Artemis is the feistiest and ends up biting an officer. In her defense they’d kicked one of her wolves.

Thalia panics and tries to get everyone away and to safety. In the end she’s by herself and her hat gets stolen. The center is punched out and it’s pulled down over her eyes.

She gets knocked over and her flashy show uniform gets ruined as she gets a firm kicking.

Overall it’s chaos and hell.

Everything quiets for a bit but she’s too sore to get up and just kind of lays there even with the hat over her eyes.

There’s lots of sad whispering and she can hear people leaving.

“Are you okay?” At first Thalia thinks no one is talking to her. Then the hat is carefully pulled off of her eyes and she’s surprised to see to girls that look almost exactly the same.

“Uh yeah! All part of the show! The uh...adrenaline is important in performing.” She gives a grin but it looks more like a wince.

The older girl pulls her to her feet, “You’re pretty stupid doing that to know.”

“Stupidity is intelligence my friend. No one can think like a stupid person.” The younger girl is oddly quiet and seems kind of mesmerized by the ring leader.

Thalia politely excuses herself and thanks them before limping off.

The next day everyone returns and crowds into their old performance space.

Thalia asks how everyone’s doing.

Leo and Nico are both in the hospital. Jason has a bum shoulder so he can’t do any acrobatics for some time. Percy is quiet and clearly upset along with Annabeth. Others haven’t bothered to show up, Hazel and Frank, and Zoë.

“Where’s everyone else?” Thalia asks.

“They quit.” Annabeth replies bluntly.

“What?!”

“After today...so am I.” Jason mumbles and a few of the others nod in agreement.

“I..well I understand I suppose.” Thalia can’t really make them stay but she’s crushed.

The circus disbands.

Thalia wallows in self pity on the steps of the building until a familiar voice piped up.

“No show today?” It’s the younger sister.

“No. No more shows. It’s too dangerous.” Thalia gives a bitter laugh as the other girl sits next to her.

“Bummer. I’ve been to every one of them.” This info surprises Thalia.

“Why?”

“You never know what you’re going to get. Besides your flare and costume are very...impressive.” The girl gives a hesitant smile.

“Well the papers say I’m a jester in a kings court so...I’m nothing special. I’ve always tried to be but some of us don’t get lucky breaks.” Thalia turns over her ruined hat from the previous day in her hands. “What are you here for?”

“Well I was wondering if you’d give the show another try.”

“How?”

“My mother has some sway with the authorities. They’d be more than happy to help our Grace”.

“How do you know my name?” Thalia friend wearily.

“Middle school.” Is all the other girl says before leaving.

Thalia has a flashback to her reign of terror on the old playground where she’d come up with shows and stories. There was always the same girl who listened to them. She remembers that her name is Reyna. “Holy shit. She’s a lot different than I remember.”

With a lot of encouragement the others come back after nursing wounds and the show goes on.

I’d go on but I’ll leave some up to the imagination.

On a side note the soundtrack:

Thalia singing A Million Dreams to/with Jason when they’re little

Never Enough being sung by Luke who is the creator of a love triangle between Theyna even though Thalia doesn’t like him more than a friend

This Is Me with everyone is such a wonderful thing to imagine.

Annabeth singing Tightrope and thinking about Percy as she slowly realizes she actually likes one of the side show acts

Hazel leading the song This Is Me

From Now On with everyone super hyped and energized as they all find new courage and inspiration

The Other Side with Theyna as Thalia tries to convince Reyna to actually join the show but Reyna’s scared due to her family name and not wanting it to be ruined.

Rewrite the Stars with Theyna because Reyna ends up joining the acrobatics show Piper and Jason have

I love this more than words guys!!!!

Feel free to add on!

[flowerboymoongirl]

What are the Odds? 3.

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: Tom Holland accidentally adds you to his friends list, and when you hit him up about about it you think that’s gonna be the end of that. Simple. But Tom does the complete opposite. Let the social media flirting begin.

Warnings: Cursing, sub-par flirting,drinking.

Word count: 3214

A/N: Im thinking about adding some of the song inspos for each chapter that comes out along at the top of the fics since I get a good amount of inspiration from music, or I visualize a particular song during a scene or interaction. The chapters seem to get easier to write and longer, but harder to edit into something that flows with how I want, so bare with me!

When you messaged Tom to let him know about the mixup on his Instagram, you assumed that it would be the end of it all. But currently, he still had you on his close friends list. And now you felt weird watching some of his stuff, because now he would sort of recognize your profile picture. He still posted pretty often but you contained yourself to only watch maybe once a day, and not all of his posts. Normal people don’t watch all the stories someone posts when you don’t know them, unless they liked giving out an obsessed stalker vibe.

It had been a week since the interaction and you were currently at the bar your friend/roommate Theo worked at. He was quickly organizing his station and putting away clean glasses to prepare for the rush of people who would soon be hounding him for a drink, both of you waiting for your other two roommates to walk into the bar so the night could officially start.

“Wanna do a tequila shot with me? I’ll give you the top shelf stuff?” Theo asked while he cleaned off the bar top and pulled out the shot glasses. Theo had perks being the lead bartender at one of the trendier bars in downtown and that was getting you guys top shelf alcohol drunk at a Kirkland liquor price.

“Let’s do a double?” You had the night off and were looking to have a night with your friends, and to be honest you hadn’t had a wild night in a while, so it seemed fitting for it to be tonight.

Theo smiles as he pours the expensive liquor into the shot glasses to the rim, he already knows the look in your eyes means you’re ready to cause a little mischief and he’s all for it. That was the thing with Theo, if you were ever looking to cause a little mischief, he would standing there right along with you at the scene of the crime with a smile on his face. When you two were together people who knew the both of you started to call you double trouble, especially if alcohol was in the vicinity. You both loved it. You picked up your shot glass and Theo did the same.

“Cheers to double trouble, thanks for keeping me company tonight.” He said, raising his glass.

“WAIT! I wanna boomerang it, before we get too wrecked.” Laughing, you pull out our phone and open the app to take the shot. You hit record just as you and Theo clinked your glasses together, your phone focused on Theo shooting his double shot down while you tried to drink yours in one hand and hold your phone still at the same time. You both hissed at the feeling of the liquor traveling down to your stomachs and you looked at your phone to see how the boomerang came out. 

The video showed Theo clinking his glass to yours, all smiles and then shooting it quickly. He looked great infront of the liquor wall, totally posing and flexing the arm he was holding the shot glass with as he shot down the tequila. You had caption it.

Cheers. #doubletrouble 🥃

with Theos handle attached to it and put it on your story.

“So you’re drinking without us already?”

You turned quickly to see Zoë and Kevin making their way through the crowd to you.

“Just the start, I was promised high quality tequila, I couldn’t resist.” You said as you hugged your roommates.

“Damn, the bartender is SOOO CUTE right?” Kevin yelled to you while playfully checking out Theo.

“Don’t tempt me, I’ll take you home Kev.”

The group laughs together, while Theo pulls out four clean shot glasses.

“Since the drinks are on me tonight I’m choosing the first group shot of the night. Well, second for us.” He says with a smirk directed to you. He quickly pulls Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, and Johnnie Walker off of the liquor wall. He’s making three wise men.

“Do we look like three wise men after sitting here at this bar with you?” Zoë asks Theo. You all laugh.

“It just seemed fitting, even though there’s four of us.” He says. “I mean, when any of us have a problem we go to the other three to solve it. Hence, three wise men.”

Kevin awhs at the sweet remark and Theo finishes making the shots for the group. You pull out your phone once more to record because hey, you have this need for people to see you have a social life and also, drunk videos the next day are worth their weight in gold. You press record while you all grab a shot glass, hyping eachother up to take the shot.

“To my three wise men, I salute you, I thank you for your service.” Theo says while the three of you clink the glasses together, cheering and laughing at how absurd you guys are. You end the video when you all shoot the shot and Zoë says with a groan “I’m so fucked.”

The group bursts in laugher, you and Kevin holding eachother while laughing. Theo starts taking drink orders for other customers, trying to look like he’s getting some type of work done. You save the video and post it to your story after you caption the post

Four wise men 👸🏽🤴🏻👸🏾🤴🏾

and attach the groups handles to the post. After you post it to your Snapchat as well, you look back at your previous story on Instagram to see who’s watched it. You scroll down the list of people, some you know some you don’t, and you spot one that really catches your eye. Tom watched your story. He’s actually watched your story 3 times this week, including this one but who’s counting? He also doesn’t follow you so for him to be looking at your page he has to be going out of his way. He could be looking at your past message conversation and then watching your stories from there, or he sees you watching his story from earlier and clicks over to your profile. It makes your heart jump, from being nervous and excited that you’ve caught his attention a few times. There’s no chance in hell but still, what a confidence boost, you think.

While you’re going through just a tad bit of anxiety over the situation, you have remind yourself that you’re here to be with your friends. This is a besties night, one that’s been long overdue and very much deserving of your attention. 

Zoë goes on about how her ex-girlfriend has been trying to meetup with her for “closure” which is making things awkward between the current situation she has with the new guy she met a couple months back. Theo and Kevin don’t think it’s the best choice to entertain her ex with a meetup and you’re trying to be the more “supportive of whatever you wanna do” friend in this situation. The boys are already teasing Zoë about it and you’re throwing in some teasing remarks yourself to her whole ordeal. Only Zoë would have too many people liking her at the same time.

“What an issue, we really feel for you Zo.” you tell your roommates and they roll their eyes and dramatically agree. While the teasing continues you start to think to yourself about how this is what you needed, just a chill night with all your friends, talking about anything and everything. Enjoying being in this moment and being this age and being together. The bar is starting to liven up and they start to play much better music, your roommates sing and dance along with eachother near the bar, Theo jumping in when he can and isn’t being hounded by customers. You’re just about to finish your drink and Kevin’s already ordering another round, when you get a snapchat alert.

The username, thllnd96 has followed you!

thllnd96, huh? The username seems familiar to you, and the more familiar it seems, the more it confuses you.

“If this is who I think it is.” You mutter.

thllnd96 has sent a snapchat!

What....the fuck? What the fuck is going on right now? You’re contemplating opening the snap now or waiting till you feel the alcohol working it’s way through your system for courage to find out who this new follower is when Zoë looks down at your phone too.

“You good girl?”

“Yeah, just a snapchat I’m sitting on opening. Don’t wanna look too eager” you say while you sit your phone on the table. She nods as Theo walks by, dancing and pointing at the group while he sings. Kevin has passed you the rum and cokes he’s ordered you all and he’s taking generous sips of his while he stands and does a little dance at his chair back to your roommate. You take a large gulp and stand quickly.

“Gonna go pee, be back.”

You quickly walk to the bathroom, phone in hand. You’re silently stressing inside. It’s not him. It’s not. You’re gonna check your phone real quick, see it’s some random and then carry on with your night. He would have had to go out of his way and figure out that you use the same handle on all your social media, which would be a lot of thinking just to interact with you. Also, remember when you thought making your username the same on every social media account you had was a good idea? Because it currently seemed very dumb and so self centered. Who are you, Beyoncé? 

You close the stall and sit down on the seat after reminding yourself that you are not Beyoncé and maybe you’ve made yourself too easily recognizable on the internet. A little late for the self realization but we digress. It’s just a snapchat, relax. You click the red button next to the name.

It’s a cutoff selfie, just a corner of the left side of his face, you can spot a little smirk coming from his mouth. It’s Tom, there’s no denying it, that wild eyebrow of his alone has confirmed that for you. He has the time stamp posted above his head. It’s 2:41am where he is. He’s written underneath the selfie

Not sure you’re such a wise man if you’re mixing tequila with whiskey love 😂😜

You immediately snap a selfie of the top of your forehead and eyes, with your eyebrows scrunched together, worry prominent on your face.

The vodka and rum I just drank would have to agree with that statement of yours 🥴😬

You write and you put a filter on the image. You walk out of the stall and wash your hands as you head back to the group. Just got snapped by Tom. No big deal.

thllnd96 is typing...

your phone alerts you on notifications. He’s writing back. NO BIG DEAL. You take another big gulp of your drink when you sit down and try to look as though you’re paying attention to Kevin and Zoë’s conversation. Something about Kevin’s English major and his issues with his creative writing class. Zoë is going on with how Kevin needs to be more focused on schooling and you can tell Kevin didn’t mean for Zoë to go into mother mode but its too late. This will distract the both of them, while I deal with my inner turmoil, you think. You get another alert telling you he’s sent the message. You finish your drink and decide to entertain this idea of carrying on another conversation together.

Oh you’re just making all the right choices tonight aren’t you? 🤪

Out celebrating something?

I’ve been known to make some controversial choices, but that’s something hungover me can deal with in the morning. 😂 Just a night out with the roomies.

You’re up late.

Yeah, couldn’t really sleep so just mindlessly looking through the apps. Didn’t think you’d mind me adding you on here since you did snoop my private Instagram. 😶

HEY that was your brothers doing not mine alright?! I’m an innocent in all this and that’s the story I’m sticking with.

And I gave you a courtesy heads up.

After you posted some shirtless selfies. 🙂😅👀

😂😂alright, I’ll let it slide this time love, but only if you have a fireball shot in my honor tonight.

THATS your drink of choice?! Are you a frat boy?!

No, just want to see an American drink fireball because it’s such an American thing. You drink it for breakfast, don’t you? 😏🇺🇸

Yeah, when I was 18, now I have ptsd just smelling it at 25. 🥴🤢

“Let’s get four fireballs Theo.” You yell over to him so he can hear you over the crowd of people and music. Zoë and Kevin groan in disgust just at the thought of fireball.

“Oh we’re looking to DIE tonight, all right then y/n! I like your style.” Theo grabs the bottle of fireball and pours heavy on the shot glass while you all grimace.

 You’re not sure why you’re actually doing this shot for Tom, maybe it’s the liquid courage in you that’s making you feel confident about sending him a snap of his silly request. You turn the camera to selfie mode and grab the shot glass while Kevin and Zoë squeeze closer to you to get into the snapchat you’re about to take. You hold down the button and you all cheer the glasses once more together while Kevin’s making retching sounds. You clink your shot glass right into to the camera on your phone and shoot it down, immediately shaking your head with an unamused look on your face that matches your roommates.

“...just as bad as I remember.” You rasp out, ending the snap and saving it to your memories. You put a time stamp of 8:57pm and the location on the snap and send it to Tom. Zoë turns toward you with a look of annoyance.

“That’s it! Theo literally can’t have any more he’s gonna be too smashed to work and it’s barely 9!” She tells you. You throw your hands up in surrender and decide to agree, it’s only been a little over an hour and you’re drinking like its already last call. Toms opened your story and he’s writing you back, and now you can really start to feel the alcohol since the fireballs settling in your stomach with the rest of your prior poor choices of liquor.

😂 a woman that can handle her drinks. My type of girl 🥰🤪 well, I better try to get some sleep. don’t have too much fun without me. x

You save the message and decide to just wish him goodnight and turn to your friends, all of whom are definitely feeling the alcohol now as well.

“What does it mean when a guy searches your username from Instagram on Snapchat to find you and follows you?” You ask them.

“He’s tryna fuck.” Kevin answers. Zoë has her hands up in an ‘idk’ fashion.

“Or, that he’s interested in you. Who takes the time to look you up like that?” She questions.

“Which means he wants to fuck but like, he also maybe likes your personality.” You roll your eyes at Kevin and decide to mull this over when you’re sober.

“Who’s the guy?” Zoë asks.

“Hmm, no one to seriously consider, just took me by surprise is all.”

“Well, then to surprises!” Kevin says while he raises his drink to you. You clink yours back and you smile at each other.

To surprises, sure.

It’s not much of a surprise when you wake up with a throb on your left side of your temple. The alcohol is taking its revenge on you this morning with a massive hangover. You groan in bed and grab the water bottle and Motrin sitting on your bedside table. Drunk you was smart enough last night to set you up for a little success this morning, but drunk you also drank until 2am last night so she can’t be fully trusted. You drink the water bottle in one go and rub your eyes tiredly and you try to decide whether you should try to sleep a bit longer or head out for some sustenance. Eating could make you feel better but the thought of getting up and walking to the kitchen is making your stomach churn a bit. It’s best at the moment to lay here for a bit longer until the pain meds kick in, you decide. You pick up your phone and see that Zoe’s texted you.

You’re an awful person for making us do a fireball shot last night just FYI.

“I couldn’t agree more.” You admit, scrolling through your posts from last night.

It’s mostly just you with the group, drinking and laughing together. There is a post around 1:15am of you all walking home, final drinks of the night in hand and Theo trying to let you have a bite of his Carne asada burrito from the 24 hour Mexican shop around the corner from your place. Zoe and Kevin are in tears laughing over the interaction between you two and Theo is scolding you for taking such a big bite.

“If you wanted that much you should have told me so I could have gotten two burritos.”

“FUCK OFF THEO!”

More cackling from your roommates while Theo huffs. You remind yourself that you did want to get a little wild, so last night was a success in the books if you’re honest with yourself. Looking through other notifications you see another alert on Snapchat from thllnd96 from a couple hours ago. Alright then. He’s found you on Snapchat, started the conversation TWICE in less than 24 hours and he’s been watching your stories on Instagram and Snapchat. Either he’s lonelier than you thought or he actually has some sort of interest in you. At this point you’re thinking it could be a bit of both, which is something you can relate to in both fields at times. Yeah, you have the roomates and some other friends you hang with regularly but lately you have been feeling like everyone had someone but you. In no way was Tom yours, but this possible future friendship between you two could be in a way. He’s obviously going out of his way to talk to you and he seems to be like a cool guy. Maybe the universe wanted you to be accidentally added to Toms Instagram group for a reason, as corny as that sounds. And honestly, who are you to deny this man your friendship?

You open his Snapchat message while curled up in a ball in your sheets, hoping for the nausea from all your mistakes from last night fade away.

so how’s that hangover treating you this morning? 😜 x

You smile at the message and decide that if he’s gonna write to you, then. You’re gonna respond back. If Tom wants to be friends, then who are you to stop him?

[imaginebeinghamiltrash]

If It’s Meant To Be

***PLEASE NOTE: This is a series. You can find all parts linked below.***

Pairing: Daveed x Reader

Summary: It’s been 6 years since you left Daveed to better yourself. Things have been pretty good but it was only a matter of time until your past caught up with you.

Words: 8.1k+ (I AM SO SORRY)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

A/N: THE BIG FINALE! This is my first finished series and I am so proud of it! I really hope yall like this chapter! It took a lot out of me but I am so excited to release this! Shout out to Ale for being the best beta ever!

Tags: @serkewen12 , @nervous-crossbow , @fanficsj , @hamilbroke , @videogamedriver , @dysfunctionalfangirl @butlinislin, @daveeddiggsit , @nadialinett14 , @librarychild , @spidey-boii , @me-hoy-me-trash , @daveedish , @linmanuclmiranda , @autistic-alien , @runnerriley, @hamilsquad-writings , @thegirlonhamilton

Daveed landed at noon, his legs cramped and nerves at an all time high. He grabbed his suitcase and took a taxi to a Marriott near your restaurant.

“Okay, what did I bring to wear?” He mumbled to himself, opening the suitcase and laying out his options on the bed.

“I should’ve paid more attention to what I threw in here.” He shook his head, not too happy with what he had but he could pull something together.

He held up a button down along with some nice jeans then he glanced at his feet and frowned. He couldn’t wear sneakers to see Y/N, he had to look his absolute best. Daveed tossed down the clothes and picked up his phone, heading outside. This was NYC, there were clothing stores everywhere, especially in this touristy area. He let himself wander for a bit, looking at all the stores but not seeing anything that called out to him. Then he saw them, a beautiful pair of dress shoes in a shop window.

“Yo…” Daveed trailed off, a smile spreading on his face.

He entered the store, looking at the different suits that surrounded him as he approached the counter.

“Excuse me? Would you happen to have those shoes in the front in an 11?”

The old man behind the counter turned and nodded, giving a smile as he pointed to the seating area.

“I should! Just sit there and I’ll be back!” He said as he shuffled into a back room.

Daveed pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to Rafa to let him know he landed safely. When he slid his phone back into his pocket, the man was back with a box under his arm.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Daveed smiled, taking the box and opening it up.

He ran his fingers over the smooth material, these shoes were something special.

“Those shoes are really expensive, they must be for an important occasion.” The man smiled, watching Daveed try them on.

Daveed looked up at the old man, for some reason he gave off a comforting vibe. One that made you feel like you could trust him.

“I’m trying to win back the woman I love.” Daveed admitted, looking away as he realized what he just said.

He always tried to avoid thinking about it but truth be told, even after six years he was still in love with you. Seeing your updated photos on Google was enough to dig up those buried feelings from years ago. The older man whistled, sitting down next to Daveed.

“That is an important occasion. A hard one as well.”

“You’re telling me.” Daveed muttered under his breath, looking in the mirror at the shoes.

“But one that’s worth it if you’re here. I think I have the perfect thing for you.” The man slowly stood up and made his way to the back again.

Daveed waited patiently, checking the time and realizing he had a lot of time to kill before going to dinner. The man emerged from the back with a suit that took Daveed’s breath away. It looked like somebody took three different colored suits and patched them together to make one dope suit. Some parts were black, some were dark gray and some were light gray. It was unique, it was original, it was definitely his taste.

“You like it?”

“I love it. Where did you get this from?” Daveed slowly took the suit away from him, looking at it up close.

“I made it myself.” The man said, pride evident in his voice.

“I couldn’t take this from you.” Daveed held the suit out back to him but the man stepped back, shaking his head no.

“I made it to sell, was just waiting for the right person.” The man turned around, walking back to the front as another person walked in. Daveed looked at the suit once more, admiring the flawless stitching and beautiful pattern. He walked to the fitting room, secretly hoping it would fit. He shut the door behind him, quickly disrobing and slipping into the suit. Daveed isn’t superficial but he looked damn good in this suit and he knew it. He was sold, it was the perfect outfit. He changed back into his street clothes and walked to the register.

“Everything fit?”

“Like a glove.” Daveed handed over the shoes and suit then his credit card.

“I could give you a discount, this stuff isn’t cheap and you seem like a good guy.” The old man held the card in his hand, waiting for an answer.

“No, it’s fine.” Daveed smiled reassuringly, not even glancing at the total that popped up on the register.

He signed the receipt and took his credit card back.

“I never got your name.” Daveed said as he took the bag off the counter.

“My name’s Russell.”

“I’m Daveed, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh, I know.” Russell chuckled, leaning on the counter.

Daveed furrowed his brows, he knew he wasn’t a nobody but he didn’t perceive himself as someone recognizable.

“I see you on my TV all the time these days. It makes me proud to see a brother excel, gives an old man like me hope. I was around when schools were still segregated and now we have brothers and sisters all over TV. It’s not perfect but it’s something. You’re part of a movement.”

Daveed was speechless, no one had ever said anything like this to him before. He kept opening and closing his mouth, searching for a reply.

“Just keep the movement going, my son looks up to you. You have the same hair.” Russell glanced at Daveed’s wild curls.

“Thank you for telling me that. It makes me feel...I can’t even describe it but, you made my day.” Daveed grinned, opening up his wallet and putting two hundred dollar bills on the counter.

“What else do you want?” Russell asked, looking at the watch display under him.

“Nothing at all.” Daveed said, stuffing the money into the tip jar next to him.

“Have a good one, Russell. It was a pleasure meeting you.” Daveed picked up a business card as he walked to the door, “I’ll see you later!”

“Good luck with your lady! She’d be a fool to not get back with you.” Russell called out after him.

“Let’s hope she feels the same.” Daveed sighed, exiting the shop and going down the block.

Daveed glanced back, contemplating going back to the shop and talking with Russell for a while. However, his stomach rumbled and he decided against it. Pizza sounded good right about now but, he had to eat lightly. He had a dinner later. 

It took Daveed two minutes of hyping himself up to get the courage to enter the restaurant. He was instantly surrounded by a warm ambiance and dim lighting. He took everything in slowly, bumping into a couple since his eyes were on the ceiling.

“I am so sorry.” He backed away, clearly embarrassed.

The woman ensured him that it was alright while her partner glared at him. Daveed turned away, clearing his throat as he walked to the hostess. She looked up and her eyes widened.

“Hello.” Daveed smiled politely, hoping his nervousness wasn’t too obvious in his appearance.

The girl snapped back from her initial shock and proceeded with the usual greeting.

“Hello! Welcome! How many will I be seating?”

“Just me. How long is the wait?”

Daveed glanced around the waiting area, it was pretty packed but he would wait as long as it took.

“No wait at all for you Mr. Diggs, please follow Irene, she’ll take you to your seat.” The hostess gestured to the girl next to her.

They exchanged a few whispers before Irene nodded and turned to Daveed with a smile.

“This way, Mr. Diggs.”

Daveed heard some annoyed huffs behind him and part of him felt bad but, he can’t help that his social status got him special treatment sometimes. He looked around as Irene lead him through the dining room, many couples and families were dressed up and chatting amongst themselves. Daveed felt weird being alone but coming here with someone was not an option.

“Would you like any wine or champagne?” Irene asked as she set the menu down on the table.

“Yes, red wine please.”

“Dry or Sweet?”

“Medium. Thank you.” Daveed sat down, looking at the menu below him as Irene nodded and walked away.

The cover was a deep red, with gold lettering. He opened it and slowly flipped through the pages.

“Jesus.” He muttered under his breath, his eyes jumping from Appetizers to Steaks to Seafood to Pasta.

There were so many options. He jumped slightly as the sound of a cork popping, he glanced up to see Irene pouring wine in his glass. She offered a kind smile as she placed the bottle into the ice bucket she brought to the table.

“Would you like a few more minutes to look over the menu?”

“Yes please, thank you.” Daveed picked up the glass, sipping from it.

“Raise your hand when you’re ready and I’ll come over.” Irene said before turning and walking off. Daveed picked up the bottle slowly and read the label.

“Merlot.” His eyebrows raised, “Fancy.” He set it back in the ice bucket.

He shouldn’t have expected any less from you, you were always a ‘go big or go home’ type of girl. He still couldn’t believe he was here. In a restaurant that you owned, about to eat food you were cooking, seeing you for the first time in years. His mouth went dry at that last thought but he sipped his wine, hoping to swallow some of his nerves with each mouthful. He brought his focus back to the menu, looking over each selection closely before closing it and slowly lifting his hand. Irene was by his side in less than 2 seconds.

“What would you like?”

“I”ll take the New York Strip. Medium-rare.” Daveed said as he handed over the menu

“Your two sides? We have mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, french fries, broccoli-”

“Baked potato and broccoli is good.” Daveed cut her off with a small smile. “Will that be all?” Irene asked as wrote down on her pad.

“Yes.”

“I’ll be back with your order soon.” She smiled at him once more before walking off to the kitchen.

Daveed sat back in his chair, pulling out his phone to occupy him while he waited. Irene walked into the kitchen, a huge smile on her face.

“We have a star order!”

You looked up from your cutting board as soon as those words left her mouth.

“I wonder who it is this time! Remember when Viola Davis came here and we just about died?” Erica, your sous chef, giggled as she took the ticket.

“You won’t believe it. It’s Daveed Diggs!” Irene bounced on her toes excitedly, “And girl. He looks so damn good.”

Your hands instantly stilled, knife frozen in the air. You slowly set it down, stepping back and walking over to Irene.

“I’m sorry, who is here?” You asked.

You must have misheard her.

“Daveed Diggs! The actor, rapper, hunk of a man that is built like a demigod.” Irene fanned herself with the menu in her hand.

“Calm down, I can see your rock hard nipples from here.” Erica teased, laughing as Irene rolled her eyes.

No one knew about your history with Daveed, they were all oblivious to the fact that he was your ex.

“Boss, you alright? You look like you’re about to pass out. Don’t tell me you got the hots for Mr. Diggs too.” Erica chuckled, turning back to the stove and sautéing her vegetables.

“I’m fine. Let’s just get back to work.” You shook your head, reading the ticket and going to grab the steak.

Thankfully you had cooked enough to do it on autopilot because your head was racing with thoughts. How did he found you? What was he doing here? Why would he come here? Did you want him here? You ignored that last thought as you grabbed a plate and began putting Daveed’s food on it. This was going to Daveed. You found yourself taking extra care to cook his steak perfectly and to put the butter for the baked potato on the side, Daveed liked to put it on himself. You paused your movements for a second, why do you still know that? Once again disregarding the thought, you put the plate onto the serving station.

“Star order up!” You yelled, moving on to the next ticket.

Irene took the plate and left the kitchen. Though you physically moved on to cooking other orders, your stomach was in knots thinking about Daveed’s order. Would he like it? Why should you care if he did or not?

“I’m taking a short break. Erica, take over.” You sighed, walking through the kitchen and out the back door for some fresh air.

You took a deep breath, leaning on the wall and sighing. Of course you thought you and Daveed could maybe bump into each other again but this was so sudden.

“Get it together, Y/N. You’re stronger than this!” You groaned, straightening your posture and returning to work as if nothing happened.

“Here you go Mr. Diggs.” Irene said as she set down the plate, “Enjoy!”

“Thank you.” Daveed said, tucking his phone away and picking up the knife.

He immediately noticed the side of butter and smiled to himself.

“She remembers…” He mumbled, picking up the small container and scraping out some butter.

This little gesture shouldn’t have filled him with more confidence but it did. He spread some steak sauce on the steak and dug in. He hummed in content as the first mouthful hit his taste buds. Sure there were more ingredients and flare in the food but it still tasted like yours. It reminded him of home, of the many meals you and him shared. It was comforting. He got through his food quicker than he meant to but he was still satisfied. He refilled his wine glass and sipped slowly. He didn’t wanna be smashed when he saw you.

“Would you like to see the dessert menu?” Irene asked, picking up the empty plate.

“No thank you, would you please give my compliments to the chef?”

“Of course! I’ll be back with your bill.”

Irene walked off and back into the kitchen, putting the dish in the sink.

“Mr. Diggs said to give compliments to the chef.” Irene singsonged, returning to the chef station.

“Oh did he now? He likes our food Y/N.” Erica bumped your hip playfully and you gave a small smile hoping to pass off as thankful instead of shocked. A part of you was exhilarated by the compliment, the other part of you felt conflicted. You were having an internal battle of joy and frustration.

“Tell him thank you. Let’s get back to work.”

Irene and Erica shared a look before going back to doing their respective jobs. Irene returned with Daveed’s bill. Daveed already had his card ready so he handed it over.

“Chef Y/N appreciates the compliments, Mr. Diggs.” Irene said before turning and walking away.

Daveed bit the inside of his cheek to dim the smile on his face. She didn’t ignore it at least.

Daveed stayed seated, watching people leave slowly until he was the only person left.

“Mr. Diggs? We’re starting to close up.” Irene approached him, confused as to why he hadn’t left after she returned his card to him.

“Oh, sorry. I wanted to speak personally with the chef, I’m an old friend.” He stood up, adjusting his blazer.

“Oh? Well you could wait on the bench in the front. I would let you wait here but we have to wipe down and put the chairs up.” Irene gestured towards the front.

Daveed nodded and walked off to the front, sitting on the bench. Irene smirked to herself as she clocked out, deciding to not notify her boss of Daveed’s intentions to see her. Daveed awkwardly said goodbye to every employee that passed on the way out, ignoring the questioning glances.

You packed away your chef’s uniform, changing into your street clothes once you were sure the kitchen was clean. You locked the back door and exited the kitchen after you turned off the lights. You put your bag on your back as you walked towards the front, turning off the lights in the dining room. Daveed could hear another pair of footsteps and he hoped it was you. He fidgeted with his fingers, holding his breath as you rounded the corner. You froze, locking eyes with Daveed as he slowly stood. You took in his appearance, feeling like the air got knocked out of you by his beauty. His curls were perfect, his suit framed him perfectly. After all these years, Daveed never disappointed or looked less than perfect. You felt underdressed in your jeans and t-shirt but you couldn’t wear a chef uniform while traveling home. However, Daveed thought you looked beautiful anyway, you were always beautiful whether you wore sweatpants or an elegant gown. You both stared at each other for a while, simply trying to grasp the fact you were in the same room for the first time in six years.

“Hi.” Daveed said softly, his signature shy smile appearing on his face.

You cursed your heart for its sudden change in tempo, it felt like it was trying to beat out of your chest.

“Hi, Daveed.” You replied, looking at the floor.

Hearing you say his name again was music to his ears. Hearing you speak was music to his ears. Even after all these years, you were his favorite thing and seeing you tonight confirmed that.

“I told you you would do amazing. This…” Daveed gestured to the room around you, “is amazing. Truly.”

Heat quickly spread from your neck to your cheeks as he continued.

“I didn’t think your food could taste any better but you blew me away tonight.”

“It’s amazing what some extra herbs can do to your food.”

You smiled as Daveed chuckled. You missed that sound more than you liked to admit.

“Yeah...so…” Daveed trailed off, eyes returning to you.

“So…?” You repeated, daring to move closer to him.

When Daveed didn’t say anything, you decided to take over the conversation.

“How did you find this place?”

“Lin.” Daveed replied, smiling as a smile spread across your face.

“Of course, I should’ve known loudmouth Lin would say something.”

“Are you mad that he did?” Daveed asked, the look in his eyes making the butterflies in your stomach go haywire.

“No. I’m not.” You shook your head, fidgeting with your fingers. That only made Daveed’s smile widen more.

“I...I missed you…” Daveed whispered softly, stepping closer to you.

Your heart skipped a beat as Daveed moved closer, his chest almost touching yours.

“I..missed you too.” You admitted, voice even softer than his.

Daveed’s eyes looked all over your features; your eyes, your nose, especially your lips. He yearned for them ever since you left, they were one of his favorite things about you. He was so zoned in on them that he didn’t realize he was leaning in towards you.

“D-Daveed?”

He blinked rapidly, jumping back as he realized what he was doing.

“Shit! Shit I’m so sorry I...I wasn’t trying to…” He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

He was a nervous wreck and you could sense it, you were thankful he felt the same as you did.

“No, it’s fine! You just zoned out. It’s okay!” You reassured him.

Daveed smiled sheepishly, deciding it would be better to keep his distance from here on out.

“Where are you staying?” You asked, starting to head for the door.

“Marriott a few blocks down.” Daveed followed you out, he stood to the side as you locked the doors.

The streets were still alive with people who were rushing to join the nightlife.

“That’s a pretty one, I catered an event there before.”

You started walking down the block, Daveed fell into step with you.

“You must have catered a lot of events. Which was your favorite?” Daveed asked, not taking his eyes off of you.

He almost tripped off the curb but he was trying his best to take in every new little feature about you. The small mark on your cheek that looked like a scar, the new necklace that hung around your neck, the new piercing on your ear.

“Easy. I catered a reunion for my culinary school. I met a lot of top name people there and got invited out to Italy to “expand my knowledge”. I went to Venice, I rode in a Gondola, I had authentic pizza. I learned more about Italian food then you could ever imagine. I almost cried when I had to leave.” You chuckled, looking both ways before crossing the street.

“Sounds amazing, I would love to go to Italy.”

“Enough about me, what have you been up to?”

“Well, clipping. is working on another album. We went on tour in Europe and the energy there is wild. Me and Cash are working on another album and I’m doing a bunch of acting. There’s actually this HBO special coming out that I’m in. It’s a huge satire, and I had so much fun filming it.” Daveed looked up at the sky, scanning for the moon.

“That’s amazing! I’ll look into it.”

“You could attend a screening with me instead.” was what Daveed wanted to say. Instead he said,

“It’s right up your alley.”

He looked back over at you and you already had your eyes on him. It would’ve been smarter to keep your eyes forward but you both couldn’t look away from each other for more than a few moments. You stopped as you reached Daveed’s hotel.

“Do you live around here?” Daveed asked, putting his hands in his pocket.

“Few train stops away, my train is actually around the corner.”

“I could get you a ride home? Trains are a pain in the ass at night, you would know that better than me.” Daveed offered.

You checked the time. Midnight. The trains were gonna be on their weird schedule and though you were in a good mood, the train ride was something you were dreading.

“You sure? You don’t have to. I don’t want you to waste money.”

“It’s being spent on you. That would never be a waste.”

You looked away, blushing lightly with a small smile.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me. Thank you, D.”

“Of course.”

Daveed handed his phone over to you so you could put in your information. In a few minutes you ordered the car, handing the phone back to Daveed as a driver accepted your ride.

“Oh, he’s right around the corner.”

“Most of them sit around here because all the drunk people order cars to get home. They get most their money from drunk college kids and adults.” You pointed out, watching a car come down the street and pull up in front of you.

“Yep, that’s it.” Daveed said after checking the license plate.

You nodded, walking to the car door and opening it.

“Oh,” you turned around to face Daveed, waving at him, “Bye, thanks for the car again.”

“Bye, Y/N. I’ll see you around?” Daveed asked, hoping he wasn’t coming off too eager.

“I’ll see you around.” You agreed, smiling at him.

Daveed smiled back at you, relief flooding through him. You turned around to get in the car when he called out to you.

“Wait!”

You looked back at him, “Yeah?”

“Maybe we should exchange numbers? Just so I know you got home safe and all that, you know.” Daveed suggested, doing his best to hide the hope in his voice.

“Yeah, that would be smart.” You stepped away from the car to give him your phone.

He gave you his and you put in your number and name. Once you were both finished, you switched phones.

“I’ll text you.” You said, looking at the new contact.

“Perfect.”

You both stood there in silence for a second, not knowing how to say goodbye. You wrapped your arms around Daveed, pulling him into a hug. Daveed froze in surprise before he hugged you tightly. You pulled away first, giving him a small smile before you got into the car. Daveed watched the car until it turned the corner. He looked up at the sky.

“Thank you for making this work.” Daveed mumbled before walking inside the hotel.

As he made his way to his room and into the shower, he was thinking about the events of today. This trip wasn’t coordinated what so ever but it ended better than he could ever imagine. He was putting on his pajama pants when his phone vibrated. He tossed his towel on a chair before checking his notifications.

You:

Made it home safely! Thanks again for the ride :)

Daveed smiled to himself, sending his reply as he got into his bed.

Daveed:

Anytime! I got back safely too in case you’re wondering

You laughed at the text, putting down your phone to place your bag on the floor and turn on the lights.

“Smartass as always.” You mumbled to yourself, picking up the phone and writing back.

You:

I mean if you somehow got hurt on the 2 minute walk to your room, I’d have to question your intelligence.

Daveed:

Ouch, that hurts.

You:

Poor baby :((((

Daveed settled into bed, rolling his eyes at your text.

Daveed:

So caring. Thanks.

You:

You know me, always caring for the greater good! How long are you in town for?

Daveed:

I’m actually flying back tomorrow afternoon. I didn’t exactly have high hopes for this reunion and I also have to get back in the studio with Cash. I canceled on him to come out here.

You frowned lightly, part of you wanted to see him again. The other part was thankful he wouldn’t be here anymore. You were conflicted as to what you wanted to happen now that Daveed was here. It would be a lie to say you didn’t feel anything for him but it was too soon to make any calls on your relationship. Take things easy and slow. That’s exactly what you did for the next two and a half months. Daveed flew back home and you two texted on a daily basis. You even reconnected with Rafael. It started with Daveed being lazy and making a group chat to send a meme but then it became an extremely active, waking-up-to-60-text-messages type of group chat. You and Rafa would typically stick to the group chat so when you texted him separately one day, he knew something was up.

You:

Hey Rafa!

Rafa:

Hey Y/N, whats up?

You:

I need a favor.

Rafa:

I assumed as much. This is your first time texting me separately so you probably don’t want Diggs to know?

You:

That would be ideal.

Rafa: I’m already liking this. What do you need?

You:

I want to surprise Daveed at the clipping. concert coming up in a few days.

Rafa raised a brow, glancing at Daveed who was in the booth recording his verse.

Rafa:

You’re coming to California?

You:

I may have just bought a plane ticket on a whim.

Rafa:

What is it with you two and impulse buying?

You:

I just had this urge to see him and then I bought the ticket, I really didn’t think this through. Forget it, I’ll just cancel, this is dumb.

Rafa:

You should come. He would probably be super happy to see you and I would help you sneak in. I’ll even pick you up from the airport.

You bit your lip, staring at the confirmation screen on your laptop. It had started with you looking at old photos of you and Daveed you forgot were on your computer. Then you started thinking about your run in with Daveed almost 3 months ago, the rush that you felt as you walked him to his hotel, the giddy feeling in your stomach as you two texted for the first time in six years. You wanted to see him, you needed to see him. He came to you last time so it was only fair you went to him this time, right?

You:

You sure?

Rafa:

Hella sure. Send me your flight info and I’ll be there.

You were really going to do this.

“Go big or go home.” You whispered to yourself, shutting your laptop and starting to plan what you were gonna pack.

 “Y/N! Over here!”

You turned around and saw Rafa waving from his car. You rushed over, tossing the suitcase into the already open trunk.

“I am so sorry I’m late. The flight got delayed and then the baggage claim took forever to fucking start and God I hope we don’t miss everything.” You babbled, buckling up.

“It’ll cut close but I think we can make it there as they come out for encore.” Rafa pulled off, driving a bit faster than you thought was safe but you didn’t say anything.

“I’ll get you in, take you to the green room and you can wait there for him to get offstage.”

“How did you even sneak off without him saying anything?” You asked, looking over at Rafa.

“I told him yesterday that after ‘Shooter’ I had to run an errand but I’d be back before the end of the show.”

You nodded, looking out the window at the city.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been here. I missed it.” You said, leaning your head against the window.

“The Bay missed you too, Y/N.” Rafa took a quick glance at you before looking at the road again.

You rode in comfortable silence until you got to the venue. You hopped out of the car, following Rafael as he flashed his pass and was let back in. Body & Blood was blaring through the speakers when you entered, the room was insanely hot and the smell of sweat and alcohol was in the air. You ducked your head and spedwalk with Rafa to the backstage door. You both slipped in and took a deep breath as he slowed his speed walk to a casual pace.

“You think he noticed me?” You asked, breathing slightly heavy as Rafael entered a room.

“Not a chance. He was too busy amping up the crowd. We should be good.” Rafa reassured you, sitting on the couch.

“Alcoholic gummy bears?” He offered, holding out the bowl.

“Nah, I’m good.” You shook your head, sitting next to him.

“There’s about 2 songs left before they finish the set.” Rafa informed you, stuffing some of the gummy bears into his mouth.

“I’m actually a bit nervous if I’m gonna be honest.” You admitted, looking over your outfit.

You wore a simple graphic tee with black shorts.

“Maybe I should’ve dressed up more?”

“Gonna pop out to a concert in a clubbing dress or something?” Rafa asked, smiling as you started to laugh.

“No! Not a clubbing dress but maybe...I don’t know.” You shrugged.

“He’s gonna be excited to see you no matter what you wear.”

You knew Rafa was right but you were still a bit nervous.

A couple minutes passed and you heard the crowd cheering loudly.

“I think they just finished. You ready?”

“No.”

“Too bad.”

You giggled and nudged Rafael playfully.

“Jerk.”

You turned your head to the door as it opened, your stomach dropping as Jonathan entered the room. Bill was close behind him and then Daveed walked in. He was wiping his face with the shirt he had removed while on stage.

“Why does sweat burn when it gets in your eyes?” Daveed groaned, stumbling in the general direction of the couch.

Bill and Jon chuckled, nodding as Rafael held a finger to his lips.

Daveed blinked rapidly once he moved the shirt away from his face, trying to focus his vision. Once he could see clearly he looked around, finally noticing your presence.

“Hey.” You waved, nervously awaiting his reaction.

Daveed turned to his groupmates who shook their heads.

“We had nothing to do with this!” Bill said, picking up his bag.

Daveed turned back to you and Rafa, glaring at his best friend.

“Surprise!” Rafa yelled, smiling brightly.

Daveed looked at you again, a wide grin on his face.

“I want to hug you but I am so damn sweaty right now it would be gross. I can’t believe you flew out here!” Daveed sat next to you.

“It’s only fair since you came to me last time. I wanted to see you.”

Your eyes flickered to his torso which was still glistening with sweat.

“I’m really glad you’re here.”

You locked gazes with him, willing your heart to slow down but he was looking at you as if you were the only thing that mattered at this moment.

“Yeah..me too.”

Rafa signaled to Bill and Jon, he nodded towards the door and they understood. Quietly they packed up their stuff and slipped out while you and Daveed were talking to each other.

“I’m gonna go meet fans but I’ll be back as quickly as possible. Promise.” Daveed jumped up, still pumped from the show.

You watched him put on a different shirt before jogging out of the room. You played on your phone until Daveed returned, calmer but still smiling brightly.

“Ready?” He asked, grabbing the few things he had scattered around.

“After you.”

Daveed lead the way out of the venue and to his car. He waved to some fans who were lingering around the venue before getting in.

“Do you mind if we hang back at my place? I really need to hop in the shower.” Daveed tossed his show shirt into the backseat before putting his key in the ignition.

“Fine with me, I wouldn’t mind just chilling. That plane ride has me exhausted anyway.”

“You hungry? We could get food on the way home?”

You smiled to yourself at the familiarity of this scene. Daveed driving, you in the passenger seat, talking about dinner. This was how things used to be all those years ago.

“Y/N?” Daveed called your name, bringing back into the moment.

“Oh, sorry. I spaced out a bit. Let’s order takeout when we get to your place.”

Daveed glanced over at a red light, giving you a small smile. What you didn’t know was he felt the same way. Part of him wanted to reach out and hold your hand like he used to. Instead, he kept his hands either on the wheel or on his lap. Eventually you pulled up to Daveed’s apartment building. You followed behind as he entered and called the elevator.

“This is nice.” You commented as he pushed the “4” button.

“Our old house felt too big once you left, I needed something smaller and different. Rafa found this place online and we both agreed quickly it was for us.” Daveed explained as he exited the elevator and lead you to a door marked 410.

You felt a pang of guilt in your stomach as you thought of your old house. It was really yours, you designed all the rooms with little input from Daveed. You wondered who could be living there now.

“I’m gonna shower. Go ahead and get comfy.” Daveed walked down the hall, leaving you alone in the living room.

You decided to check out the rooms while Daveed was cleaning up. You looked around the living room and kitchen. You knew there wouldn’t be much design since Rafa and Daveed were never into decorating. You walked down the hall, the sound of water getting louder as you passed a door.

“Bathroom.” You muttered to yourself, thinking about the many times you’d seen Daveed get in and out of the shower.

The many times you shared showers together.

Not the right time Y/N.

You pushed those thoughts to the back of your head as you continued down the hall to another room. You peeked in and knew straight away it was Daveed’s room. The papers strewn about the room was a dead giveaway. You would always yell at him to try and keep the room clean back when you two shared a room but when Daveed got an idea, he was everywhere and so were his papers. You giggled to yourself and closed the door, continuing down the hall. You peeked in another room and assumed this had to be Rafael’s room. It was more put together than Daveed’s, his laptop sitting on his desk and a backpack on his bed. You closed the door and started walking back to the living room, the only other thing you could peek in was hallway closets. You slowed down as you near Daveed’s door. Part of you wanted to explore his room but the other part felt it was going too far. You had only seen each other twice in the past 6 years. You turned to the bathroom and listened closely, the water was still running. Good.

You entered Daveed’s room, shutting it behind you. You slowly walked deeper into the room, taking in everything around you. You eyed his unmade bed, debating if making it was too much.

“I’m already in here.” You reasoned, walking over and clearing his bed before making it. Once the bed was to your satisfaction, you placed his computer back on it. You picked up his notebook and the papers on the floor with the intention of putting them on his desk. You set down each paper one by one, scanning over the words before putting it on top of his notebook. It’s been a long time since you’ve gotten to read Daveed’s work, he was still as brilliant as ever. You got to the last paper and the title caught your eye.

“‘Six Years’.” You mumbled to yourself, sitting on the desk.

The paper had a lot of scratched out words and erase marks, nevertheless, you read it anyway.

“Y/N?”

You yelped and threw the paper down on the desk, making eye contact with a wet and almost naked Daveed.

“Woah! Shit! Sorry! Sorry I, shit, fuck, oh my god.” You covered your eyes, embarrassment burning in your cheeks.

“I was just looking around and I came in here without thinking and I am so sorry I shouldn’t have come in here.” You rambled, eyes screwed shut though you were already covering your face. 

When Daveed didn’t say anything, you slowly lowered your hands and opened your eyes. He looked amused.

“Don’t laugh at me!”

“Me? Noooo, never! I’m not laughing.” Daveed replied, biting back laughter.

Your eyes wandered down his chest to his towel that left very little to the imagination.

“Are you looking at my dick print?”

Your eyes snapped back up to his face, your blush deepening.

“No! I think my phone’s ringing I’m gonna just go.” You blurted, running out the room and into the living room.

“Why did I go in there?” You scolded yourself, hitting yourself lightly on the forehead as you sat on the couch.

You were here a total of 15 minutes and already had embarrassed yourself beyond belief. You wanted to run, you wanted to turn back time and start over. Instead, you waited patiently on the couch for Daveed to come out. You turned to the hallway when you heard a door open. Daveed came into your line of sight, wearing a tank top and sweatpants.

“Hey, do you want a pair of sweatpants?” He asked, sitting next to you on the couch.

“N-no, it’s fine. I’m fine.”

“You’ve seen me naked a lot of times, you know.” Daveed pointed out, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.

“Well yeah, but I was just caught off guard.”

“So you look at my dick.”

“Daveed for the love of God.” You whined, covering your face again as he laughed.

“I’m just saying it’s nothing new, it’s chill. No need to be embarrassed.” He smiled reassuringly.

You dropped your hands and looked at him. He was right, you weren’t strangers. You’ve been friends for months now and knew each other for most of your lives.

“You’re right. I guess getting back into the swing of things is still a process.” You replied, picking up your phone.

“Chinese?”

“Chinese.” Daveed agreed, clicking through channels, “The usual for me. Oh wait, you probably don’t rem-”

“I do.” You cut him off, dialing the number and clicking call, “Spare rib tips with pork fried rice. Right?”

Daveed looked over at you, nodding with a grin on his face.

“I’m shocked you remember.”

You opened your mouth to answer when an employee picked up the phone. You gave them your order and let Daveed tell them the address.

“Should be here in 30.” You said, hanging up the phone.

Daveed’s arm rested behind you on the couch. You leaned back, instinctively swinging a leg on his lap. You went to move it when Daveed rested his hand on your knee.

“It’s fine, I did say get comfortable.” He reminded you, giving you a small smile.

“Yeah. Comfortable.” You repeated, putting your other leg in his lap.

You turned to the TV, trying to ignore the chill that ran through you as Daveed traced patterns on your knee absentmindedly. You fidgeted with the bottom of your shorts, trying to focus on the movie Daveed chose to put on. Then he started to twirl the ends of your hair. You relaxed even more, sinking closer until your head was resting on his shoulder. Daveed rested his head on top of yours, smiling to himself. You closed your eyes, the movie long forgotten as Daveed’s scent surrounded you.

You started thinking about old times, you seemed to be doing that a lot lately. You would be getting ready for work and you’d think back to the mornings Daveed would try and keep you in bed when you had errands to run. You would bake yourself cookies as a treat and think about how you used to chase Daveed out of the kitchen so he wouldn’t eat all the cookie dough. You would hear a certain song and think about the rare Sunday mornings when Daveed would help you clean as you sang along to the radio loudly. You would see an advertisement with Daveed in it and think back to when you would mock his poses and make jabs at him. Some days you didn’t need something to trigger a memory, you would just think of him.

Daveed.

You pulled back so you could look at him, Daveed noticed your movements and looked down at you. There it was again, that look in his eyes that always made you melt. You softly placed your hand on his cheek, softly stroking the scruff on his face. He smiled lightly, keeping his eyes on you. Then your gaze moved to his lips and the only thing on your mind was how they felt against yours. You could barely remember and that needed to change. You softly pressed your lips to Daveed’s, your hand moving from his cheek to fist his shirt. You pulled away slowly when he didn’t react, ready to apologize and run out. Before you could get a word out Daveed surged forward, crashing his lips to yours. You instantly kissed back, pulling hard on his shirt until you were laying on the couch and he was hovering over you. The shift was awkward but eventually you had your legs wrapped around Daveed, arms around his neck and hands in his hair. You rolled your hips against him, tugging on his bottom lip. Daveed grunted softly, one of his hands gripping your hip as he rutted against you.

Then you felt Daveed rip himself away from you and off the couch. You blinked slowly, stunned by the sudden loss of contact. Daveed was across the room, breathing heavily and looking at you.

“Sorry. I’m sorry I…” Daveed sighed, running his hand over his face.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you without asking. I wasn’t thinking and I just went for it. I pushed you too far-”

“I wanted it. I wanted it so fucking bad. I loved it. I love you. I miss you. Fuck.” Daveed rambled, pacing back and forth.

It was more like he was fighting with himself than talking to you.

“Then why did you stop?” You asked, sitting up straight.

That question made Daveed stop pacing. He stared ahead at the wall, chewing his lip in deep thought. You watched him, waiting for a reply but he never spoke. Instead he turned away from you.

“Daveed? Talk to me… did I do something wrong?” You stood up slowly, walking over to him but still keeping your distance.

Daveed shook his head, chuckling humorlessly.

“I don’t know how to answer that.”

You frowned, taking a step back from him.

“I’m sorry…”

You didn’t know what you were apologizing for but you felt the need to say it.

“I ruined everything again, didn’t I?” You asked, voice trembling as you fought back tears.

You came here with hopes of things being better but just like six years ago, you were throwing it all away. This time it was unintentional and every attempt to salvage anything only screwed you further.

“No, you didn’t. You didn’t, it’s me.” Daveed reassured you, facing you once again.

“I…” Daveed trailed off, taking a deep breath.

“I’m scared. What if you just run off again? I don’t want to get so deeply invested in you again just to get fucked over. I understand why you chose to leave and I know it was for the best but that doesn’t mean it didn’t mess me up when you left.”

Your heart shattered, for the first time you saw how deeply your decision affected Daveed. You could see the damage you left behind when you walked out of that door. You delicately took Daveed’s hand, squeezing it.

“I know it’s hard to trust my word but it’s all I got Daveed. The moment I saw you at my restaurant I knew I was still in love with you. I never tried to get over you and part of me didn’t want to get over you.”

Your free hand reached up to Daveed’s chin, tilting his head so he was looking into your eyes.

“I love you too. I want to try again and I’m not going anywhere. I know only time will prove my words but I mean it.” You said in a soft voice, lacing your fingers together.

Daveed squeezed your hand before kissing the back of it.

“I believe in second chances.” He responded, smiling widely.

You mirrored his smile before tackling him with a hug. Daveed stumbled backward a bit before regaining his footing and hugging you back.

The doorbell rang, causing you two to break apart.

“Perfect timing, I’m starving.” You kissed Daveed’s cheek before going to answer the door. You paid for the food and sat down next to Daveed on the couch.

“Fortune cookies first!” You smiled, handing Daveed one.

“Okay okay.” He chuckled, cracking his open.

“‘People are naturally attracted to you.’ Eh, this one is kinda bullshit.” Daveed shrugged.

“I think it’s a cute one! Mine says, ‘The man or woman you desire feels the same about you.’ Oh my god, does that mean Bruno Mars actually wants me!” You turned to Daveed with a faux surprised face.

Daveed rolled his eyes, picking up his takeout container.

“Why don’t you go find out?” He grumbled, eating some of his rice.

“Awwwww, is someone jealousssss?” You teased, poking his side before picking up your container and opening it.

“Nope.”

“Yes you areeeee.”

“Y/N, leave me alone.” Daveed deadpanned but you could tell by his facial expression he was trying not to smile.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“You’re cute in general.”

You rolled your eyes, smiling as you cuddled up to his side again.

“You’re corny.”

“You love it.”

“I love you.” You retorted, giggling as Daveed looked over at you.

“Oh but I’m the corny one?”

“I’m cute corny, you’re just wack.”

“Getting real close to bending you over my knee.” Daveed jested, sipping from his water bottle.

“That’s my favorite place to be.” You purred, kissing his jaw.

You smirked when Daveed choked on his water and started coughing. This was how it was meant to be.

[childofthesmoke]

I was tagged by @afewhandshakesaway (thank you so much, by the way! :) ) ages ago in a quisetions thing, and it was still in my drafts when I checked a few minutes ago, so I supose I never actually did it?

I got some new followers recently since I started posting my drawings more and also it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything with information about me, so I thought it might be interesting for someone, who might have kind of forgotten me or for anyone who has followed me recently? idk

Rules: Answer the following questions then tag 20 people (I’m not gonna tag anyone, because I don’t know who to tag and the people that come to mind have most likely done this already...) 

•How tall are you? 
I haven’t checked this in a long time, but about 160cm. Maybe a cm or two shorter? or 1cm taller? probably like 159cm. idk :D Relatively short. :) •What color and style is your hair? It is dark brown, curly (I’ve even given her a name - Flyufie, which comes from ‘fluffy’ of course) and it’s a little below shoulder length, but shorter than elbow length. I’m trying to grow it as long a possible currently, though. It grows very slowly, so there isn’t much of a danger of it getting too long anytime soon :D •What color are your eyes? 
very dark brown as well. •Do you wear glasses? 
no •Do you wear braces? No and I never have. •What is your fashion sense? Hmmm. Well for pants I usually wear things that are more form fitting than baggy (I don’t like very baggy pants), I like dresses and skirts, though I only have a few and actually don’t wear them as much now that I think about it... Most of my clothes are either one colour or have just a bit of “decoration”, which is either in the form of a plaid shirt, a pattern of black birds in flight on this one gray sweater/blouse I have or this one rose filled skull on a red sweater/blouse I have (which interestingly I didn’t like at first and thought was waaaay out of my style but it’s one of my favourite clothes now. The nice red colour also has a lot to do with it though). Uuuumm. Idk how to explain my style. It’s nothing too flashy and it’s not especially girly I guess. To me it’s kind of cute, regular urban style. Most of my clothes are  blue, white, red, black or pink I’ve noticed.  •Do you have any siblings? Yes. I have an older sister, who is 5 years older than me. And I also have a half sister, who is over 10 years older than me and we’ve barely ever seen each other ever. So I usually don’t really count her much to be honest... •What kind of student are/were you? Currently, in universiy, my tuition is quite high, so I’m trying to get scholaships and that has a role in me trying very hard to have the best grades possible. so I’m not very ‘free’ to be the kind of student I feel like being... So for thins I will try to explain high school me.  I was a good student. Mostly had very good grades, though occasionally had some not as good times. I tried to take part in the classes I was interested in and most of what I learned, I learned it in class. I didn’t to my homework very strictly, but I still tried to mostly do it. When I was bored in class I would usually doodle and in the cases where I could get away with it - listen to music. Radiohead only, lol (Not even kidding. The only variety was either AMOK or The Eraser). I tried to be quiet if I was talking to my friend and if I wasn’t paying attention I made it so as not to bother anyone with my boredom. I really hated the people who would talk loudly and make it everyone’s business that they were bored. And who would act rude to the teachers. That’s not to say I didn’t have a couple of times when I wasn’t as quiet... Speaking of teachers, most seemed to like me and say I’m a good kid. My friend who had worse grades than me used to tell me I was smart and good at subjects, when actually most of the time I didn’t put too much effort into studying. So in my eyes I thought I was an average/good student, who tried to be on a good level, but since most of the people around me didn’t bother much, I ended up being one of the best in the class. And in a few subjects especially. English was one of the subjects I was best at, actually. And tumblr was one of my main ways to practice. Not that I set it as goal or anything, but it just ended up being this way, so I thought I should credit it :D •What are your favorite subjects? If I had to choose from the ones I had in high school, I would say english, biology and sometimes literature and physics. I got into art on my own. School didn’t do anything to make me interested in it. But I remember that this one time in music class the teacher played something on the piano, and that had an impact on me wanting to try it out myself. •What are your favorite tv shows? If you’re asking about shows I watch regularly, than the anwer is that I moslty watch anime. It had a big part in me deciding to pursue animation (and with that, art... though I wanted to draw since I was little. I just didn’t have anyone to teach me and I thought it was all “talent”), so yeah... But there are shows, which I would watch if I catch them on tv or something. I remember binge watching Doctor Who a few years ago and I liked it a lot, though I barely remember anything from it at this point. W.i.t.c.h. is an all time favourite of mine. Naruto is my anime bae, due to being the only thing I’ve watched for like 5-10 years and growing up with it (and also it’s just good. Despite the counltess fillers and some little flaws). I’m enjoying Boruto, too. Ummm... Avatar was also quite great. (both the series with Aang and with Korra). Mmmmyeah, I guess these will do. •Favorite books? 
I don’t know. I don’t remember tittles and authors and I haven’t read that much anyway... But the last one I read was Hotel by... aaahhh, it was this famous author, I’m sure google search would do the work, but this exactly what I meant by not remembering authors. But yeah, it was a good read. •Favorite pastimes? Walking around when the weather is good, drawing, watching anime or stuff on youtube. And if I’m at my boyfriend’s place, cuddling and talking about stuff. And laughing. Laughing is always great. •Any regrets? Not really. I like the person I am and I’ve gone through periods in which I’ve changed and gotten to know myself better and it all feels logical and right. For the longest time I used to regret not gathering up the courage to tell my first big crush (5 years. from 3rd grade to 7th. And a few years after, getting over him) that I liked him and asking him if he ever felt anything for me. I would regret not saying ‘fuck it’ and not care what people think of me, like myself more and not try to fit in so hard and just face him. But regretting that is pointles, and also it would be me blaming past me for not doing something she just wasn’t able to do. I had to go through all the stuff I’ve gone through to get to where I am, so I don’t think I regret anything. I guess I wish some things hadn’t happened, but oh well. I’m still curous what would have happened ‘if’, but I guess I’ll never know. •What is your dream job? Working for the animation studio of the people, whose course I’m currently taking. They are so nice and such cool people and I get hyped about animation when I’m there and they explain well and they’re still a very young studio (also the people there all seem to be quite young!) and they have this project for an animated series, which just looks SO. COOL. and I want it to be successful and I want the studio to be successful and just be part of it all and help and have some part in that success. And yeah. I still don’t know which position to aim for, but I know that’s the place I want to be at and those are the people I want to work with. And it actually seems like it could happen, so that’s really great. •Do you want to get married?
 Yes. Some day. In the future. Just thinking about it gives me anxiety, though. Mostly because of having to organize everything and having it be a super special day, that I’m scared there might be something to make it not as perfect... And other reasons. But yeah, in theory, yes. I like it as an idea I think. Though it still feels a bit weird. I guess I just feel too young for that. •Do you want to have kids and how many? Yes, two. •How many countries have you visited?
  I don’t know. Not countring my home country (Bulgaria) that would be Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Italy, France, Serbia... And a few more, but mostly just the Balkans. The furthest I’ve gone is France and I’ve only been in Paris for 6 days, so I don’t feel like I’ve seen much of the country at all. •What’s the scariest dream you’ve had?
 Hmmm... Well there was this one time I had a dream that I was in a cave and I was going out through a hole when suddenly the cave formed around me and I was stuck and couldn’t move at all, the rock was sooo hard. That was pretty scary, especially since I have claustrophobia. But also any dreams with snakes are hella scary for me. I’ve had a few where there were snakes everywhere and I had to try not to step on any but they were all over the place. That’s always really horryfying for me. •Do you have any enemies? 
I don’t think I do. I usually try to be nice to everyone and if someone doesn’t like me, I doubt they have a reason to hate me enough to be my enemy. •Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Yes. <3

[hq-cuties-pls]

Playing Pretend has finally come to a close... I feel like it’s been forever, but I finally got the courage to finish this. Thank you to everyone who has loved and supported and stuck with this story. I really couldn’t have done it without you!! As always, thanks to my eternal hype squad--Admins Ellie and Alyx and my best girl, Hanna. You ladies are the best! Reminder, this is from Daichi’s POV and is under a cut for length. ~Admin Emma

Playing Pretend Epilogue {Part 1}{Part 2}{Part 3}{Part 4}{Part 5}{Part 6}{Part 7}{Part 8}{Part 9}{Part 10}{Kuroo Special}{Kuroo Special 2}{Asahi Special}

Two Years Later

“Does it hurt?”

“No worse than usual, Dr. Sawamura.”

“On a scale of one to ten?”

“Mmm… about a six.”

“I see… how about now?”

“Better.”

I didn’t know how my life had gotten to this point. I didn’t know how I’d come to rediscover my interest in sports therapy; I didn’t know how I came to be an apprentice for one of the top physiotherapists in Japan, working regularly with the National Teams. I most certainly didn’t know how Ushijima Wakatoshi became a regular patient of mine when he sustained a minor shoulder injury. At this point, it was mostly maintenance work, but he still grimaced every time we did reverse flies; I tucked that information away for safekeeping. I would have continued to work with him, but his hour was up, and his young son was getting restless.

“I think that’s enough for today,” I said, setting his chart off to the side. “All in all, I think you’re doing well. You should have 100% range of motion back with a few more sessions, but don’t quote me on that. Dr. Haruko is the only one who can officially make that call.”

“I trust you, Sawamura,” Ushijima said mildly, pulling his t-shirt back on. “You’ve worked with me more than Dr. Haruko has, and I value your opinion.”

I grinned, unable to stop myself from preening a bit at his praise; “Well, I appreciate it. But you’re all set. Keep taking care of that shoulder--do your stretches, keep icing it, and wear your brace during practices and games. I’ll see you for your normal session next week.”

“Aww, I wanted Dai-chan to come visit again this weekend!” Yuuji--Ushijima’s five-year-old son, which would have been hard to believe, except he was his father’s spitting image--exclaimed. “I wanted to show ____ my Legos!”

“She bought you those Legos,” Ushijima countered gently, kneeling to zip up Yuuji’s coat. “She’s seen them.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same,” Yuuji pouted.

I smiled, reaching into one of the many drawers, and pulled out one of the stickers I kept stocked; “Sorry, squirt. Next time, I promise. If your mom says it’s ok.”

“You know Noriko loves having you,” Ushijima said evenly, gently patting Yuuji’s hair. “You and ____ both.”

“Never hurts to check,” I riposted, sticking the sticker to Yuuji’s coat. It was simple--a cartoon bundle of grapes with the caption “I’m Grape!!!” Something about it had spoken to me in the store. “I would this weekend, but Asahi’s wedding…”

“Asahi?” Ushijima tilted his head in askance. “Ah, Azumane. Yes, I remember him.”

“You remember a volleyball game from high school?” I raised my eyebrows incredulously--Ushijima had barely mentioned our early volleyball days, but he’d never once mentioned he knew an old teammate of mine. To tell the truth, I couldn’t think of any other situation where they would know each other.

“No,” Ushijima answered. “Well, yes, I remember that game, but I remember Azumane from a shoot he headed about four years ago for the Japanese national team. I also remember the girl with him. She was quite sweet--he’s marrying her?”

“Yeah. The first in our group; he’s grown up so fast,” I teased, though the jibe went over Ushijima’s head, apparently.

“Ah, I was not aware. Please wish him congratulations on my behalf,” Ushijima said.

Yuuji interjected when he pointed excitedly at his sticker; “Dad! Dad, it says I’m Grape!”

“That you are,” Ushijima said with a fond smile, scooping his son into his arms. “Come on, I bet your mom misses us.”

“Noriko usually joins you,” I pointed out, shuffling his papers into their proper files. “Is she alright?”

“Mama’s cooking a new baby, so she needs naps,” Yuuji said with comical solemnity. “That’s what Dad told me.”

I stifled my snort of laughter; “Ah. I didn’t realize. I suppose congratulations are in order?”

“Thank you,” Ushijima replied with a fond smile at his son. “Yuuji, would you tell Dr. Sawamura if you’re getting a brother or a sister? I seem to have forgotten.”

“Dad,” Yuuji giggled, bouncing excitedly in his father’s arms. “I told you already--Mommy is giving me a sister!”

“Oh, right,” Ushijima responded, his face still flat and serious. “My mistake.”

“Congratulations,” I repeated. “A little girl… that’s exciting.”

“I’m terrified,” Ushijima said, his arms tightening around Yuuji. “I haven’t the first idea how to raise a little girl. Yuuji is a handful, but we understand each other just fine.”

“Because you’re my dad,” Yuuji interjected, like it explained everything.

“Right,” Ushijima responded with a short nod. “But your dad has never had a sister before.”

“Girls aren’t much different than boys,” I interrupted. “At least, from what I understand...aside from the obvious, anyway.”

“Dad, what’s the obvious?” Yuuji asked. “Is it that boys have a penis and girls have a vagina?”

Ushijima huffed an embarrassed laugh, hiding it in his son’s coat, while I proceeded to near double over in laughter; “I see you taught him the basics.”

“I don’t know where he got it, but he won’t stop saying it,” Ushijima chuckled, trying to stifle it with his fist. “Noriko says if we stop laughing at it, he’ll stop saying it, but it’s just--”

“It’s hilarious.”

~~~

Ushijima was my last appointment of the day, and even though I was exhausted, we had a long way to go. I pulled up to the elementary school where ____ was teaching, hoping her club activities were almost ready to get out. It was a gorgeous day, and her team of fifth-grade boys were doing spiking practice, but the looks of it. I couldn’t help but admire the running tights she wore under her shorts, or the fine sheen of sweat on her face. I couldn’t help but be taken by how happy she seemed, playing volleyball with her students and passing on her passion and knowledge. I would never admit it aloud, but I was baffled by the fact she thought she would be bad at teaching. She was marvelous.

Once again, I thought to the ring I had hidden in my sock drawer, tucked safely away. This weekend wouldn’t be the right time--what kind of asshole proposes at someone else’s wedding--but I could feel it. The right time.

It didn't take long for her to wrap up practice and send the boys on their way, but it still put us behind schedule, especially because I knew she would want to shower before we left. I didn’t really mind when she gave me an exuberant kiss when she got in the car.

“Hey, handsome,” she murmured against my lips. “How was work?”

“The usual,” I replied. “Yuuji’s adorable, as always. He loves his Legos.”

“Oh, good! How’s Noriko?”

“Pregnant, apparently,” I replied.

“Wow, that’s… sort of hard to believe. Noriko is our age!”

“I find it hard to believe that Super Volleyball Idiot Ushijima Wakatoshi has a child… who adores him. Let alone two, if I’m being totally honest.”

“Are you jealous?” ____ poked me in the side playfully.

I swatted back at her, trying to pull off to our street; “Maybe a little. I’ve always wanted kids; you know that.”

“Aww, Daichi,” she cooed, gathering her bags from her feet. “That’s adorable.”

“Don’t most guys want to be husbands and dads?”

“Most guys our age don’t admit it,” she replied flippantly. “I’m going to shower; the bags are packed and then we can hit the road.”

“I still can’t believe I’m on my way to Azumane Asahi’s wedding,” I groaned, running my hands through my hair. “It’s weird how some things work out.”

“Yuki is my baby sister,” ____ shouted from the bathroom. “How do you think I feel?”

“Yuki says she’s five minutes younger than you!”

“Semantics,” she said. I could practically hear her dismissive hand wave. “I’m still the oldest!”

Gathering our things and prepping for the long weekend was easy. ____ was nothing if not a fastidious planner (my guess was I had her years as Bokuto’s friend and study buddy to thank) so I was left with too much time to myself to think while I waited for her to finish. I’d pulled the little box more than twenty or thirty times since I’d bought it. It was simple--a solitary, round-cut sapphire in a white-gold band. I’d seen it and… I’d just known. I’d hesitated, and I didn’t want to propose at the wedding, but I was just…

I was so in love. I spent so much time making myself miserable, from that first kiss all the way until I’d finally told her I’d loved her, because I hesitated. I didn’t want to hesitate anymore.

“Daichi, what is that?”

I hadn’t heard her come in, and it took all my self control not to snap the box closed and stuff it under my pillow or something. Instead, I scratched the back of my neck nervously, turning it so she could see. Her hands flew to her mouth when she saw the ring.

“It’s your engagement ring,” I said bluntly. “Hopefully. If you… if you want it, that is. I want it to be, anyway.”

“Daichi…”

“Listen, I had something planned, alright? But then that plan was awful and I came up with a new plan, and just… I think I’ve come up with about thirty different plans for how to do this, and every single one of them has sucked, and I just… I just want to ask, so I don’t accidentally blurt it out at the wedding and ruin everything. Do you… would you marry me?”

Silence. Dead, crippling, stifling silence. I never thought it could be so frightening to hear absolutely nothing, but there it was. Just when I was ready to write it off as a joke, or take it back before the inevitable rejection, there was a small hiccup. I looked up, and there she was, a giant, toothy smile on her face, tears rolling freely.

“I will,” she said softly.

“You… you will?”

“Yes, Daichi,” she replied with a laugh. Without warning, she launched herself into my arms, squeezing tight.

A bubble of happiness formed in my chest that threatened to burst any moment; I couldn’t stop grinning as I held her tight; “I’m glad I asked.”

“You big dork, of course I want to marry you,” she half-laughed-half-cried. “I love you so much, Daichi. You have no idea.”

I took her face into my hands, gently cupping those gorgeous cheeks. She leaned into my touch, smiling at me in a way that always made my heart skip, no matter what. She was so beautiful… and nothing compared to the fond look in her eyes. It really made me feel like something special… like I was someone worth crying over.

And then we kissed… we’d kissed nearly every day for the past two years, and it had gone from exhilirating and new to something comforting and warm in that time. But this kiss was different. It said things--that we would work things out; that she understood she couldn’t wear the ring to the wedding; that Bokuto would 100% want to be involved, and that it was OK… it told me everything was real. She was real, and so was what we had. No matter the shaky foundation we’d lain, what we had was… if not perfect, then as close as it could get.

[3one3]

Okay Sunday update tyme. 

There may or may not have been a mini war over making my coffee this morning. I'm not really sure. All I know is the one I got was made by the Babysitter and not very good. 

Then there was a baby. This nice couple that comes in often arrived with their maybe 16 mo son, who the Babysitter always holds and stuff. He lets him play with the touch-screen. Some people just really love babies. They see a baby and they get heart eyes and are like oo a baby how ~cute~ lemme go see it! I’m not one of them. I’m mostly afraid of and/or grossed out by babies. The Pacifier definitely got the baby gene. He was DELIGHTED by the baby. Instant, yuge smile. He went over to see him, and tickled his tummy and stuff, and I was like wow, he’s more interested in touching a baby than me, that hurts. Way to cut me deep. It was still really cute to see him be delighted by the baby tho. I def got THAT gene. The “guys being cute with kids directly affects ovaries” gene. 

Then the piña colada party started. They're not on the menu. I guess someone bought a big bottle of Cooco Real, the coconut cream stuff that makes piña coladas delicious at 900 calories per sip, but not really because it’s not as good as the thick stuff that comes in a can. They also don't have anything else blended on the menu but they do have a blender. Out comes this blender. The Pacifier and the Brother are practically giddy about this, and are verifying with the Babysitter what to put in it. He takes over anyway. Pacifier suggests using Malibu coconut rum and Babysitter is like no you use the regular clear rum rawr. They're actually both wrong. You should use a good quality white rum, yeah, but you should also use a really good dark rum. But that's if you have good quality coconut cream, which they didn't. It should have coconut milk too, and some lime, but I didn’t want to lecture the bartenders on how to bartend, ya know? Just cause I’ve been a piña colada enthusiast since age 6 doesn’t mean I’m an authority.  

Babysitter makes the first batch and tries to pour some in this little coupe glass which is all wrong for that. How do you put a full size straw in a coupe glass? You don't. Anyway. It also won't pour. It's too solid. Like sorbet. I was like "it's supposed to be a liquid, not a dessert". Pacifier chuckles at this and I'm like oooo score. Pacifier goes and gets a cherry for it and everything and they taste some and give it to me to taste, and they both said it's not sweet enough, and I said IT NEEDS MALIBU, and the Pacifier is like IT NEEDS MALIBU, and it becomes clear at this point that the Babysitter has never had Malibu and doesn't know its awesomeness. Side note: my favorite whatever drink is Malibu and pineapple juice. I didn't even know they had Malibu at this bar until last week because no one uses it for anything but the Pacifier and I happened to see him grab it from below the bar and pour some. I always wondered why there is none on the shelf with everything else. Anyway. Moving on. 

A second batch is made, with Malibu, and offered around to everyone to try. It's much better. Babysitter still can't pour it tho and Pacifier and I are watching him try and I look at him and shake my head and he starts cracking up and I melt inside. Making someone you want to be friends with laugh with you like a normal reason rather than awkwardly laugh for no apparent reason every time you talk to him is just the best. They decide it can go on the menu for the day. I told the Babysitter not to serve it in that stupid glass but he insisted. He said hey could use the cocktail straws. I was like wtf how can you sip an already too thick piña colada through a fucking cocktail straw??? And he just laughed. Another guy decided the solution was to just cut the regular straws in half 🤷🏼‍♀️

I still had the whole first example to drink myself, plus some of the new and improved one. I really don't drink anymore, so that was enough to count as liquid courage I guess. It brightened by whole day. I was in a good mood. I decided it was to be a day of progress on the communication front. But then naturally the place got crazy busy and the Pacifier was running around at Mach V doing his job. I seriously can’t bring myself to bother him when he’s busy.

I waited until things calmed down considerably and did my standard I'm-about-to-be-annoying-but-at-least-I'm-sweet-about-it way of saying his name (this has gotten males of all age and association to do things for me forever) as he was walking behind me, and he leaned in beside me and said "yes? ma'am" and I wanted to end myself right then and there. You can't ask a girl to hang out one weekend and then call her ma'am the next. It's bloody criminal. I decided it wasn't serious tho. He called the Babysitter sir earlier. I call my officemate ma'am all the time, non-seriously, like when she brings my trash can in from the hallway and I say thank you, ma’am. But anyway it ruined the whole plan it took me an hour to decide on. I was going to summon him and then be like "you know what I want *wink wink*" bc obvi I wanted a coffee and he would know that. Ma'am threw me off tho. And then he didn't give me a chance to ask a question anyway. He asked me if I wanted another one and I was like yesssss pleaaaaase. It was delicious and I was thankful. I wanted to tell him that he’s my favorite person on the planet on saturdays and sundays and that when I work those mornings the only reason I get out of bed is that I know I get to have that cappuccino after. He’s too quick. Or I’m too slow. Or something.

Now here's where shit gets cray. One of my clients and I have been looking at this horse for a while. We checked him out years ago when he had a different owner, and liked him but not for the price. Now his current owners put him up for private auction over the weekend and we were like, well if we can get him for X then it’s a no brainer and if we can get him for Y it would probably be worth it, but no more, and I did the homework on the other people I knew might be interested  and so I thought it was possible that we could get him for that. But we weren't fully sold on him. I usually feel strongly one way or another on whether to get a horse, particularly at a certain price point. I was like, we could do this, and it would be great, or we could not do it, and I probably won't  kick myself over it tomorrow. 

With 90 mins left on the sale clock, and an "it's up to you" order from the client, which I had been waiting for for most of the day, I decide that the best way to decide is to let the Pacifier choose 😂 I had a good reason though! The horse's name is one letter off being Cappuccino! It's a sign! I'll show him the video of the horse on my phone and ask him what I should do. It’s genius. I summon the Pacifier, who had to be wondering just how much cappuccino I can drink in one day, since that's all I ever summon him for. I immediately panic that the friend I was texting literally *about him* and practically nothing else and who hadn't answered me in over an hour would decide that was the right time to reply, and that she'd say something totally incriminating exactly as he was looking at my phone. It was too late to tell her to shh tho bc he was already incoming, and I couldn't do airplane mode bc I needed wifi to show him the Video. It went like this. 

"Are you superstitious?" (I'm thinking, what if he doesn't know what that means?)

~message from friend about how the babysitter is definitely cockblocking drops down from top of screen along with two others BECAUSE OF FUCKING COURSE and I desperately will her to stfu~

"No. " 

"Well I'm very superstitious and I need your help. There's this horse. See the video of  the nice horse?" I held the phone so he could barely see it, just in case. "I have an hour and a half to decide if I should get it for a client and I don't know what to do. I'm fine either way. I’m totally 50/50 on it. I could flip a coin. But the horse's name is Cappuccino (it would have been too hard to explain the one letter difference and I talk really fast when I'm nervous and it gets hard for people to understand and meh whatever) and you're my cappuccino guy so I need you to tell me what to do."

"Then you should go for it!" He says, laughing. It was sort of like a comfortable laugh too, not the awkward one. 

"You think so?"

"Yeah! Go for it!" At this point I'm just loving the carefree gung ho attitude here. 

I told him okay I'm gonna do it, and I warned him that I'm blaming him if the horse ends up being terrible. He was just smiley and laughing and stuff. 

And that's how i bought a $400,000 horse on the cappuccino guy's say so. Did I mention I forgot to mention to him how much the horse costs? 🙊 He might be one of those people who thinks even competition horses are peanuts. He probably has no idea. He might not have even understood what I was saying. He could have thought I was talking about betting on the horse or something. I have no idea. He was just all for it. 

I get really high when I do big deals. Like so pumped. I called the client and said to do it. And I was like shaking and grinning and stupid. Hopefully it was the horse and not just the interaction 🤦🏼‍♀️

I left a little while after that. On the way out when he was saying bye to me I reminded him that he's in big trouble if the horse is crap, and he was all smiles. 

I find out for sure tomorrow morning if our bid was definitely accepted, but I saw no others come in after so it prob was. Lawd help me if this doesn't work out well 🙈🙈🙈

Then I went running and got sunburn bc it was earlier than I wanted to go but I was too hyped to sit still, then I saw one of the guys from the restaurant on the way to where I run, and he was on a bike share bike outside mcdonalds in work clothes but not the ones he was in earlier and I was like wtf and also please don't notice me in my terrible running outfit. 

Then I got some really upsetting texts from bf about all this 😕

Then I had some food and prepped some stuff for my lunches and then I worked out bc the high hadn't gone away yet and ya gotta use it while it's there. Haven't managed to figure out how to use it to fix the bf thing tho. 

But, consider yourself updated.