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crimsonblackrose · 6 months ago

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Lia is reading Beowulf

Anthony recommends Animal Farm instead.

Mr. Landry lived next to their elementary school and had chicken coops. They've been in school together since elementary school.

Lia: I miss being friends. Anthony's brain breaking for a moment.

Lia calls Kenny: Strawberry ghost.

Anthony's friend does Tommy's line about how everyone is doing something new.

This actor does a great job of making me hate his character Zack:

All he does is egg Anthony on and put peer pressure on him. Apparently Kenny got like 20 points during gym

Anthony stealing Kenny's clothes is messed up.

Miguel has been stretching since 6 am. 🤣 Tournament's a month away.

Mr. even while drunk never loses his keys somehow misplaces his hachimaki at Carmen's? not buying it.

Don't go where he can't follow. Ooh I forgot he drops a little context. "You know how they make that loaded potato soup."

I think the "i found something in your room I need you to explain" is 1. another invasion of privacy. 2. Anthony why wouldn't you hide a cobra kai hoodie, knowing that they broke into your home and are terrorizing your sister? 3. Why did you even take it home? and 4. I think sadly, the most we've seen Daniel say to Anthony since he was littler and just sort of ignored Daniel or tried to order out his needs.

Anthony you little liar. Well...actually I guess from Anthony's perspective Kenny is giving him a hard time. But it's not on purpose and the way you've been responding to losing at basketball or not having all of Lia's attention is not cool. And you curbing to peer pressure is on you. I'm sorry that your friends suck, but Anthony you managed to go this long making them think you knew karate and couldn't use it because it was a lethal weapon kinda means you should be able to worm your way out of all of this. Kenny's in Cobra Kai because of you.

Messing around and name calling is what your 'friends' are doing to you, not what Kenny is doing to you.

Daniel: Go upstairs, get changed. Anthony: For what? Daniel: Just go upstairs and get changed.

Anthony should've come down in a suit. Because Daniel should've specified working out or something.

Robby listening to Kenny and then figuring out the best way to help him/steer him. "I got kicked out of school and went to juvie, you gotta be smarter than me and your brother" is a very good choice.

I totally see Piper in the background and her friends.

Silver: we all have weaknesses. Tory: Kreese doesn't. Silver: of course he does. Kreese: The hell i do, don't tell them I have any weakness.

each pick a fighter 6 pack of brews to the winner.

Johnny struggling from 'we're hooking up, to not hooking up to sex talk intro....

Johnny nervously just listing off chain restaurants.

Miguel's surprised but not surprised and also judging his mom just a smidge:

Listen sometimes Johnny's got a whole lot of decent balanced stuff in his fridge. It depends on how much self-hatred he's stewing in. When he digs himself out of it he tends to clean up and also his eating habits change.

Miyagi-do does not have wifi

Remember...when Amanda's clue that Kreese was dangerous was that he had weapons on his wall? These weapons? Weapons Daniel also had? And that the kids are now training because the All-Valley included skills competition?

Anthony says the cars, Daniel forgot to put the covers on them, look like a jackson pollock painting (they're covered in bird poop)

I can't believe Daniel's leaving to go to the dealership. Like on the one hand proud of him for finding the balance to do both. Both on the other hand, he's literally leaving a whole bunch of teenagers alone to practice with weapons. Unsupervised by an adult. Daniel, wtf?

Piper flirting with Tory after their sparring. 🤣 Good for her for shooting her shot.

Johnny heard that Silver was giving out dojo merch and sent Devon a eagle fang shirt before her first class.

Random new eagle fang students, we haven't had that in a while. I guess Johnny did manage to scrounge up some new recruits. I do think he should've still taken Moon on she could've done kata for him.

Devon brings up Bloodsport. Johnny is delighted.

omg

Johnny sent her prep work and it was movies and she went above his list:

Devon is a fan of Cynthia Rothrock.

Mitch saw Last Dragon, Johnny is not impressed. 😅 Sorry Mitch.

Devon also drops: best of the best.

Poor Miguel getting side lined again.

Johnny has tied the kids arms to their sides, in case cobra kai pops their shoulder out and they have to fight one handed.

I would like to point out he's talking about cheating and playing dirty and he got this idea because Daniel immobilized his arm with his secret pressure points.

Like I get that Daniel thinks his way is the best way to prep against Silver, but if they'd talked and Daniel had told him of all the Silver moves he knew, Johnny would've built lessons about ways to defend against it. Because he's literally trying to ensure they stay in the game and don't panic if they get injured like he did. Which he's been doing since the beginning by showing pretty much all his students at some point how to get out of a choke-hold.

It also sucks though, now that Johnny has one from Kreese and one from Daniel on that list because Daniel went too far and used the pressure points against him. It's a good lesson but it shouldn't have been inspired the way it was.

Johnny's used literally everything he can think of, ducttape on Mitch, rope on another kid, what looks like bungy cord on another. I dunno I feel like prepping them against cheating is so smart. I think he seran wrapped Bert. 🤣

I would say Johnny being careful with Miguel is probably related to Miguel's injury, but that hair ruffle in front of the class is totally because Johnny's told Miguel he's dating his mom.

One of the kids throws sand in Mitch's eyes. Which ow, and also dangerous. Johnny that could've been accomplished with a blindfold. But use the other senses because you've been blinded, without meaning too defends against one of SIlver's moves, to blind your opponent. For that one Miguel just held a box of sand.

Oh, I don't think having Devon kick all the guys in the balls is the way to go there Johnny. Even if Daniel used a ball-shot move he learned from Mr. Miyagi in TKK2. Miguel you gotta admit, not being in this one is probably for the best.

Johnny should've ensured they were all wearing protective gear first. Which is not...very him. (I'm going to blame netflix here) because while he put the kids in danger and it didn't always seem safe i.e. the junkyard with the dogs. He still ensured they had protective gear when doing stuff like breaking glass.

Like everyone giggling about Silver picking Kenny might make sense, but Silver totally scammed Kreese with his whole double or nothing. He literally knows that Robby's weakness would be his little buddy he's taken under his wing. Which is the whole point of the lesson.

And he proves it when Robby goes woah woah woah are you okay and Kreese has to call pause.

I do like that despite winning Kenny and Robby still do a little fist bump after their fight, like no hard feelings there despite Kenny tricking Robby by feigning injury.

all the ice, at least Johnny got ice for them all.

I dunno Johnny you shouldn't put all the kids but Miguel through the ringer and then say 'champ we've got family dinner'. It's uncool and you should know that it could cause division or seem like you're playing favorites.

Also Johnny just leaves Miguel. Are you seriously leaving Miguel who as far as we know doesn't have his own car or license yet, at an abandoned factory?

The taskrabbit Anthony called is named Artie, whose cat needs hernia surgery so this is his side hustle, and Daniel has tons of Glacier freeze gatorade but no lemon lime.

Daniel I'm surprised you let your credit card or any financial info anywhere near something Anthony has access to after he tried to alexa order something and you struggled to cancel it.

Anthony's response to this is that he knows, which makes me wonder if Daniel and Amanda pay so little attention to him that he feels like he does most things on his own and thus accomplishes everything on his own.

See that works on Sam because she met him but Anthony didn't so he doesn't care.

Mr. Miyagi taught sam the wax on wax off first move. Anthony gets he's a great ma and he taught Daniel karate. And he's heard all the stories and he's sick of it.

Daniel asks if that means he doesn't want to learn how to defend himself or learn skills for life and Anthony responds not if it means cleaning up bird shit to which Daniel rebukes him for language. then essentially says he thought Anthony was mature enough for this and walks away and tells Anthony to just go back to his video games.

Which, Daniel you fucked up here. Anthony never got to meet Mr. Miyagi that he remembered. So he's just hearing the whole family bond about this guy he doesn't know and it's isolating because he's got nothing to draw on to add to it. Anthony knows all the stories, he knows all about Mr. Miyagi, but do you know anything about Anthony beyond video games? Do you even know what video games he likes to play? Because you bought him kitkats from Japan and that's it. You're just not...listening. You're pissed because in your head he disrespected Mr. Miyagi. And didn't listen to the core of it. Which is there is no Miyagi magic for him and instead his whole life he's been living in the shadow of a man he doesn't know and getting teased because he should know the moves.

Also, I think if Johnny was still there, it'd suck because his training is always hard, but that Anthony would enjoy it more.

normally i tend to think whatevers in the middle of the table is the main course, but that's tomato, red onion and avocado and nothing else.

johnny is not good balancing between Miguel and Carmen.

I think what's happening is Johnny is trying so hard to not be Sid that he doesn't know what to do. Carmen literally moves later like she's going to just eat the tomato, onion and avocado as a meal/salad.

The way Anthony immediately starts apologizing for being in the dojo is kinda telling of his not so great relationship with his father. Like he found something that sparked his interest in karate but then immediately panics as soon as Daniel asks what he's doing.

Like Daniel even says he doesn't need to apologize, but Anthony just doesn't seem to know him well enough that he thinks he's doing something wrong.

Is this the pressure point lesson?

Because if it is, what Daniel says related to it is wild.

If it is in fact pressure points then Daniel you've already used it twice, once to save Johnny's life and stop Kreese and once to try and win an argument with Johnny.

I am glad Anthony is talking about how he feels sort of left out because he doesn't have any memories of Mr. Miyagi.

I also feel like this is a long time coming, Daniel needed to have this conversation with Anthony ages ago. A chance to tell him not stories about himself and Mr. Miyagi or Sam and Mr. Miyagi, the stories he knows all about, but you missed telling Anthony about his own story with Mr. Miyagi. "Mr. Miyagi wanted to hold him and as soon as Anthony was in his arms, Anthony kicked him in the face."

Mr. Miyagi apparently just laughed and said Anthony was going to be handful but would also be a protector of the family.

Since when? Also you, not wanting to pressure someone into doing what they don't want to do? Dude. You do that all the time. You tried to pressure all the students into learning just Miyagi-do which broke up the combined dojo.

Junior Prom theme his Hollywood Heights, which feels a bit like phoning it in since they're in LA.

Johnny once again showing up at school. Why if it's decorated for prom is it the middle of the day? Who would put up all those balloons and decorations this early?

Carmen might get pissed that Johnny's taking Miguel out of school to skip history.

Lia has figured out her and Ant's play date: Saturday at a fair at Westwood park and the best part is fried oreos. A bunch of other people including Kenny are going. Lia also has a friend named Jane.

Zach, get a hobby will you?

Kenny using LaPusso against Anthony knowing it's a weakness and luring Anthony and his not friends into a trap in the library. Smart kid. Also I get why he didn't trust the 'let's talk'.

Kenny is doing a great job of taking them all out individually.

One of the kids is named Marcus.

Of course Kenny got caught.

Johnny knows a lot of random facts about Rowdy Roddy Piper (A Canadian wrestler/actor for WWE who it look like wore a kilt)

Johnny says he doesn't know how to do this kind of relationship. And Miguel says that's what happened with robby right, he got scared? And Johnny admits that he got scared.

Johnny felt cheated, everything just made him miss his dad more and he couldn't figure out why everything was happening. His mom did the best she could but well she married sid.

Miguel asks if he ever tried to find him.

Johnny doesn't know what he'd say. But this is something Miguel's relating to.

Johnny also doesn't know where he'd begin looking for him.

Johnny really does have some honesty and reveals a lot about himself when people are willing to listen.

He says he didn't have a male role model until he met Kreese and they both know how that went.

He's trying so hard not to be the people in his life that abandoned him or gave up when he didn't do exactly what they wanted when he knew it was wrong.

He says he can never fix that. 😭

But he doesn't want to make that mistake with Miguel, he just doesn't know what to do or how to do this. he says he clearly doesn't know what the hell he's doing.

omg I'm going to cry, don't you boys start crying. Like damn xolo the tears in your eyes and the shaky laugh.

Some things are going to change, you dating my mom, but there are some things I don't want to change. | Like what?| Like you being my sensei.

I love that Johnny prepared a lesson.

He's going to teach Miguel one of the most badass moves in karate, the flying tornado.

Sam crashing their lesson. 🤣 She skipped school and was like fuck everyone else I do what I want which is sneaking into Eagle Fang.

I do appreciate that Johnny's first question is "Does your dad know you're here". Like he knows Daniel will be pissed and I don't think he'd teach her and lie about it. It's not his style.

The school/principal moved fast. "I've already talked to the other offending students and they will be suspended, so will your son."

He has evidence of Kenny running and being chased by the kids, found the milk tiktok, and evidence of cyberbullying.

Kenny really took care of his bullies.

Terry's reading this book.

Terry's also excited for Kreese's six pack gift to him: Ba Muoi Ba (Vietnamese Beer)

Scovil, from Utah, didn't really bathe, took point and took over leadership when he shouldn't have and stepped on a mindfield and died. Aka Kreese is warning Silver.

Kreese you really brought down the vibes, this guy was the giddiest happiest dude and now he's so sad and quiet and aware something is up.

Terry is right, Kreese you're over-reacting.

It's also uncool for you to pull the cage into this. You're being a dick Kreese, this is mean. Like Kreese you put so much effort into getting Terry to co-sensei with you and then you pull rank, and dredge up the worst memories of Terry's life.

#mumbling about shows #s 4 ep 7 Minefields

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vespersposts · 2 years ago

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Princess

Happy Valentine's Day to all! 💕

✨I wish you all the best with this story about Taiga to celebrate my friend @asunflowerana and her wonderful − 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 event that brought me so much joy. ✨

Guess who my secret admirer was? Taiga himself! 💌

I send you a big hug, Vesper

-> Valentine's Masterlist 💕

-> more knb stories here 🏀

💣PPS: I apologize in advance for any grammatical and/or spelling mistakes, English is not my first language (bear with me!).

➿Genre: fluff, slice of life, one shot.

all images are from the movie 'Une femme mariée ' -> (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964)

Taiga had tried hard not to fall in love with you, had really tried to ignore your gentle ways, your figure soft in all the places he liked best and your eyes, so bright as they intercepted his when he lingered to look at you. He'd even made a list of all the things he found irritating about you, put off by the disappointment of not having you in his arms during those nights that seemed endless.

Too bad he now felt like a zombie, and he probably even looked like one, given your puzzled expression when you had greeted him at the campus cafeteria. He was tired, numb and hungry, three of the worst conditions for doing what he had put off for too long: confessing his feelings to you.

To make things worse, he was afraid that all this tiredness would make his feelings for you even more obvious. When you were around, he never managed to say anything intelligent or meaningful, just grunted half-answers and quickly changed the subject, expecially when the conversation turned to romantic matters. This made him even more insecure, because he didn't even know what your type was; if you had one.

How could a guy like him, who was only good at sports, be your type?

Princess, that's what he would have called you in his private conversations with the boys on the basketball team, if he hadn't been afraid of being teased to death. Too bad you were indeed rare and precious in his eyes, and worthy to rule the law, especially in the realm of his heart.

"How pathetic!" he huffed, drawing your attention away from the phone.

"It is" he heard you nod " But, on the bright side, if we order the Valentine's menu we get free strawberry cake! Looks delicious, doesn’t it?" you asked, showing him your phone screen, where the red and white cake stood out.

You were the one who looked delicious, according to him.

“Whatever, any extra large menu will be fine, go get your damn cake!" he replied, earning a smile and a pat on the head in gratitude.

How could he ignore how much he adores you, when such a simple gesture could quicken his pulse? He sighed and leaned his face into his hand, as he watched your figure walk away towards the order totem pole.

What an absolute loser he must have looked in the eyes of everyone watching you!

Not even the kindness of walking you to get your food, not even a compliment, just his stubborn tough guy pose. He was afraid of being hurt, that was the truth. If things didn't go as planned, he couldn't bear to lose you as a friend, but most of all he couldn't bear to see you happy with someone else. It was not possessiveness on his part, but rather further proof of how much he needed you.

"Taiga, you're being particularly weird today! " you inform him as you sit down next to him, a waft of your good scent reaching his nostrils, making it impossible not to think about how much he'd like to take you in his arms and kiss you.

"Not enough sleep, that's all! " he replies boredly, fiddling with the electronic device, deluding himself that squeezing it might speed up the vibration that alerts you that you lunch’s ready.

"What's bothering you? The winter tournament is over, the summer one is far away, your grades are decent..." he hears you sigh, roll your eyes into his and tighten your lips, as if you had just realised something obvious.

Too bad, the only thing he's sure of is that he didn't understand anything, not even why you suddenly offered to go to the counter and get your lunch in person. Maybe you can't even stand his presence anymore, or maybe the damn cake is more interesting than him.

Lunch passes slowly, unusually quiet.

You finally get to the cake, but even that doesn't seem to put you in a good mood. You barely nibble at it with your fork, bringing a few crumbs to your lips, before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Isn't it good?" the redheaded boy asks you. He sees you shake your head as he takes a generous bite for himself and tastes it, approving its edibility.

"Listen Taiga" your voice catches his attention "I shouldn't tell you because I promised, but I can't see you like this, so listen well : Reiko likes you, stop worrying. Eat your cake and run to her. It's Valentine's Day, nothing can go wrong today!” you state and watch, as he puts another big forkful of cake in his mouth.

What happens next, even Kagami doesn't remember how it happened.

What he does remeber is that the sticky icing on the cake suddenly stops him from breathing, he can't get the cake out of his throat, he can't even cough, he can only feel his lungs beating against his chest in search of air.

Then come your hands on his back, bringing oxygen back to him with quick, rhythmic strokes, taking breath back to him and drawing him close to you. You do not care about his cough, you caress his head and do not lose sight of him until his breathing becomes normal and his cheeks lose colour. What hurts Taiga's heart is to see your shining eyes, your worried face, to feel your hands slowly pull away from his hair.

"Don't do this" his voice pleads, his hands running down your arms, squeezing you so tightly that you are the one who needs air now. You rest your forehead in the hollow of his shoulder and hear him sigh as you confess that you were so scared, that he is still the same old idiot, that you have told him a thousand times that big bites are not only disgusting but dangerous and that you would be lost without him and his ugly face.

Then, you look at him because he calls your name.

"I like you" he says simply, staring at you intensely, "That's why I'm torn, because I like you and I don't know how to tell you!" he finishes, blushing a little.

You blink when you hear these words, thinking you've been dreaming.

Perhaps the lack of oxygen has caused him to suffer a momentary hallucination, perhaps this is a clear sign that you should call for help, or perhaps not, as his large hand caresses your cheek and brings your lips close to his, in a gesture that is at once tender and sensual.

"I want to kiss you, spend my days with you, wake up with you, sleep with you. I want to call you princess, I want everyone to know that you are my princess. Mine and mine alone. Just tell me you want it too" he explains.

“Of course I do, I've always wanted you but I always thought that you… ” you stutter, making him smile.

"Enough talk, come here princess" his deep voice urges you.

His fingers cradle your face, his eyes light up when he sees you nod, his lips welcome yours without hesitation and he gives you the first of a long series of kisses: the same ones that, from that day on, he rewards you with to put up with that cheesy nickname.

#knb x reader #knb oneshot #kagami taiga #knb taiga #kagami x reader #kagamixyou #knb #knb scenarios #knbsliceoflife #knboneshot #kagami fluff #kagamioneshot #taiga kagami #taiga kagami x reader #kagami scenarios #kagami #kagami slice of life

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pixeldistractions · 9 months ago

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After his climbing for the day, Jordan went to his favorite spot to take a rest. It wasn’t the first time he’d sat here so quiet and still beneath this tree that people didn’t even notice him. It was especially awkward when couples started making out in the nearby hot springs, and he just had to sit through it because it would be even more awkward to get up and leave.

But Jordan didn’t hold that against them. Everybody had to live a little.

This time, it was just Jack. “Wow, what a view. Oh, hey, Jordan! Can I join?”

“Sure,” Jordan said.

Jack seemed like a decent guy, so it wasn’t fair to hold his talents against him. It only just occurred to Jordan that a healthier choice might be to ditch the jealousy altogether and ask for some pointers.

The two of them had quite a lot in common. Jack had two boys and a little girl. He loved being in nature and he was the leader for his kids’ scouting group. He played basketball in high school. He was decent at it, but definitely not good enough to go pro. He’d tried plenty of sports in his life, but he never guessed that this one would be his true calling. Rock climbing? Who would have thought?

“Man, you gotta tell me how you climb like that,” Jordan said.

“Oh. Well, my dad, I guess,” Jack said. “He was a climber. Or, he wanted to be. He had all these books and he was always watching videos about it. I’ll bring the books in next time, you can borrow them. It was all he ever talked about. He climbed some in gyms, but he never got to do this.”

“Sorry for your loss,” Jordan said. “Uh, your wife told me. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to know.”

Jack nodded, not surprised. “It’s okay. Everyone knew him around here, everyone knows. It’s why I’m here, really. One of the last things he said to me was, ‘Do what really matters. Do it now, not later. You never know when your time will run out.’ Not that I’m dying or anything. But I guess that’s the point. You never know.”

“That sounds wise. I can’t remember the last thing my dad said to me,” Jordan said. It had been years, almost a decade now, but sometimes, in the most random of moments, the loss hit him fresh. “Sorry, that was too heavy.”

“No, it’s alright,” Jack said. “How long ago?”

“Almost seven years.”

“Damn, you were just a kid. That’s too soon.”

Put that way, it hit harder. Jordan hadn’t thought of himself as a kid when it happened, but all these years later, he could see how fresh and hopeless he had been then. Still was, maybe. He sure wasn’t done with his dad when he passed. He needed so much more.

“But it’s never long enough,” Jack added. “I’m lucky I had my dad for as long as I did, but it’s never long enough. You can borrow my dad’s wisdom if you want.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind,” Jordan said. “So you’re probably going to summit in January?”

“Ha, that would be fun. But no. Nessa said no.”

“She did? Why?”

“She doesn’t trust it. She thinks it’s beginner’s luck, better safe than sorry. Fair enough, I don’t need to rush and leave my wife a widow and my kids without a dad. Right?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Jordan agreed.

“I’ll summit next year with you.”

“Cool.”

“But I’m still going on the trip this winter, to support the team. I’m bringing the family, taking the kids sledding in Japan. Are you coming?”

“My kids would love that, but that’s a little rich for me right now. I need to put my deposit towards the spring training session. Next year for sure. I’ll start saving now, take my kids sledding in Japan. Sounds wild.”

Colette wouldn’t even let the boys come to Nevada; what were the chances she’d ever let him take them to Japan? It seemed so far out of reach. But maybe. He wanted to believe.

“Who’s got the meat?!” Tyler whooped from the picnic area, so loud the whole park probably heard it. The air smelled of chargrilled burger and sounded like community.

“Better go grab those burgers before they’re gone,” Jack said, so the two of them got up and rejoined their team.

— from “boxes and squares #4.3: then fall in love” (2/5)

Next ->

#ts4 #sims 4 #simblr #sims story #sim stories #jack #jordan

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leewonkyeom · 1 year ago

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well, if it's only the end goal that matters, it doesn't really matter how you get there... right?? RIGHT??? idk y'all would've bickered as much no matter how you became friends in the first place😭

hannie is pretty good at basketball now though?? i never would've guessed😭😭 AND WDYM YOU DRAGGED JENO INTO THIS? WERE YOU IN ON IT????? JOLENE ISTG😭😭 i mean he got better eventually, and he is decent now. but i thought that was because I TAUGHT him not some random ass guy from our rival school😭 istg i considered joined their team so many times, but i loved my other teammates (and dk ig😔😔). no cause👀👀 i know i was the one who said it, but i would've been so distracted if he was a cheerleader😭 i remember everytime i ran past hoshi and dk during a match i would try my best to look as good as possible😭 one time i even stumbled and fell, but it all worked out cause dk ran out and took care of me🫶🫶 i'm just imagining that x100 if he was a cheerleader😭 cause he is LOUD as well

and that makes no sense to me😭 like i literally remember tryouts our sophomore year... i think double the amount of girls tried out and you're saying this has something to do with hoshi and not ??? us ?? being good?? or both?? i refuse to believe it😭

lmao ask him not me😭 dk can't manage shit though, so i suppose he thought it would be easier and that he'd be asked to just run around and pick up balls idk

ohhhh right😭😭 now i remember why i never actually went through with the plan... it wouldn't work for shit cause y'all needed to sit down with your feelings and talk😭 that is so much more difficult than just making y'all make out. i'm glad you figured it out by now, but i still get so mad at hannie when i think about it😭

awee a part of me always wished you'd end up with jaehyun, bc i imagined you and hannie could never work out after your rocky start😭 but look at you now!! no one's more perfect for each other🫶

but lmao that reminds me of when i tried to date ten and on the first day he just went "ida, look, you're so in love with this other guy, i'm not even going to try to get inbetween that" 😭😭😭 made me cry fr, but he was right. and i never tried dating anyone but dk since😭

you know what? crazy is my middle name😌😌 besides, i was already infatuated with dk, what was i supposed to do😭😭 and wonwoo and hao kept me sane fr + you were literally my bsf from day 1. i was stuck with y'all. i'm starting to think he might've pretended to be bad at soccer but ??? why would he do that😭 so i would teach him (i did)? wouldn't it be better to look cool😭

the way all their secrets are literally just one of the boys making a joke, which seems like a bad and untrue inside joke so i never thought much about it until it's revealed to be true?? like i distinctly remember soonyoung bringing up that dk joined the team for my sake, but i was like "soonyoung is not funny at all🙄🙄"

like the way i am extremely afraid of birds (like no. 1 fear), but i can deal with pigeons now and i think part of the reason why is dokyeom and his stupid impression😭😭😭 made me realize they're not all that scary

#⭐️mutuals #🐱jolene

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numbknee · 2 years ago

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QUICK TELL ME UR HCS FOR CARTMAN AND/OR KYLE

UHHHH OK!

i've made some other hc posts before (here, here, and here) and also a post arguing why I think cartman's not a dom here lol. but here's a few more I guess??

kyle is slightly shorter than cartman throughout their childhood, maybe like an inch or inch and a half. when they get to middle school cartman hits puberty first and ends up taller than the other main 4 boys for like 2 months and he teases the FUCK out of all of them, calling them midgets or munchkins and being obnoxious as hell about it. but then one by one they all shoot up like bamboo and cartman ends up being the shortest out of all of them and it makes him VERY pissed off lmao

in fact he gets pissed enough for him to pull some scheme where he tries to surreptitiously wear stilts to school under his pants (which actually works for a while but then fails miserably cuz he isn't able to keep balance, falls over like an idiot, and exposes himself) or even trying to get that surgery where your legs get broken in several places and lengthened a few inches with metal screws (yes this is a real thing here's an article about it lol). ultimately I'd say as a full grown adult cartman ends up being like 5'7" or 5'8". he still tries to wear shoes with height inserts tho

kyle is the tallest out of the boys, like maybe hitting 6'1" or 6'2" by the end of high school, because I hc he's at least tall enough to dunk a basketball and that's around how tall you have to be to do that (at least according to google I don't play basketball myself)

speaking of puberty related stuff kyle ends up being a pretty hairy dude. like he can easily grow a full beard by the time he's 19 and has to shave pretty frequently to keep the stubble away. he tries to maintain the clean-shaven look for a while but halfway through college he gives up cuz it's too much work and he lets it grow out thinking he'll hate it but is too tired to care. but then he finds he actually likes how it looks on him and gets complimented on it a lot so he ends up keeping the beard pretty much the rest of his life. he also has a decent amount of chest hair, like maybe not quite as much as his dad but he's still got his genes lol

cartman on the other hand has pretty patchy facial hair so he can never really manage to grow a full beard, like maybe some stubble at best. (although I guess this isn't really a hc if you look at their post-covid designs? lol but i digress)

I think I stole this hc from someone but kyle's parents initially had some fertility issues when they were trying to have kids (like sheila had undiagnosed PCOS or something similar) so when sheila got pregnant with kyle they were both surprised and relieved. after kyle was born though they didn't want to go through the hoops and costs of fertility treatment again which is why they decided to adopt for their second kid

i wrote this in the tags somewhere on a previous post but cartman has a surprisingly nice singing voice esp as he gets older, at least when he's not trying to be obnoxious. he's a tenor with a kind of raspy, gruff quality to his voice. think like tom waits with a slightly higher range. he's got good vocal control and hella pipes so he can belt out crazy high notes that blow your panties clean off lmao. he sings for kyle at their wedding and kyle is genuinely touched and impressed. down the line he often asks cartman to be the one who sings lullabies for their kids cuz he likes listening to him too. of course cartman uses his powers for evil as well and often sings loud and obnoxious when he's cooking or in the car while driving just to piss kyle off when he's trying to concentrate on something. when their kids get old enough they join in too and kyle is LIVID

cartman's always gonna be a chunky dude but kyle does convince him to work out occasionally after they start dating. of course cartman doesn't go for the classic "it's good for you" schtick because he's heard it before a million times and doesn't give two shits. but what finally gets him to do it is that kyle casually mentions "y'know if you exercise and build up some muscle and stamina, you'll get a lot less tired during sex and be able to go for longer. also we can go together and you can ogle me in public as much as you want". needless to say cartman immediately goes out and buys a gym membership lol. also cartman finds out he really likes those fuckin jazzercise/zoomba classes cuz he can dance around like an idiot with no judgment. and he enjoys causing unnecessary drama by talking shit with the gym moms behind each others' backs

i'm sure I have more floating around in my brain but oh god this post is getting long so imma stop ahahaha 😅

#ask #blehbiez #my post

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pluckyredhead · 3 years ago

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Al/Toni 😉

Anon, you are so good to me.

who hogs the duvet

Toni. Please picture a tiny woman bundled up in several blankets and her enormous boyfriend next to her like "...Welp."

who texts/rings to check how their day is going

Toni. Knowing Toni in any fashion is subjecting yourself to 200 texts a day.

who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts

Al. Toni just spends a lot of money.

who gets up first in the morning

There is absolutely no way Al isn't a relentlessly cheery morning person, and Toni is just like "...Why."

who suggests new things in bed

Judging by the way Al turns into a blushing, stammering mess whenever he's even gently flirted with in canon...Toni. (God, I love him so much.)

who cries at movies

Toni has a stack of "I feel like crying" movies and she's extremely valid. (Al will admit that Beaches got him when they watched it together.)

who gives unprompted massages

Hmm, neither of them, I don't think?

who fusses over the other when they’re sick

AL. He WILL buy every kind of cold medicine at the pharmacy and make ten gallons of his mom's matzoh ball soup and fret to the point that it's annoying.

who gets jealous easiest

Well. Considering that Al proposed to the girl he'd had a crush on since childhood, was rejected, and cheerfully served as best man at her wedding to the guy she actually wanted, like, the next day, I'm gonna go with Toni, here. But Toni is extremely possessive, so...balance?

who has the most embarrassing taste in music

I don't know if it's exactly embarrassing, but Al canonically is just not super into music. (He prefers books. Bless his heart.) Toni, meanwhile, only listens to songs that you might hear at Soul Cycle. SHE'S VALID.

who collects something unusual

Al had a whole perfectly preserved house belonging to his dead godfather, at least until he and Grant smashed it, so Al, I guess.

who takes the longest to get ready

Lolllll Toni.

who is the most tidy and organised

Al, who grew up as the try-hard son of a single mom who needed help around the house. Toni is used to people picking up after her and lots of space for her massive amounts of stuff.

who gets most excited about the holidays

Both of them, albeit largely different holidays. It's an interfaith relationship but they're making it work!

who is the big spoon/little spoon

Come on. Look at them.

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports

Toni, which is funny considering that Al is a jock who nearly went pro in basketball. But he was only doing it to please his godfather, whereas Toni is vicious.

who starts the most arguments

Toni. She is very opinionated and Al is a pushover.

who suggests that they buy a pet

Al wants a dog so so bad. They are still debating breed.

what couple traditions they have

I never know what to answer for this one? They are both verrrrry big on their anniversary because Toni loves excuses to dress up and have a fancy dinner somewhere and Al is an enormous sap.

what tv shows they watch together

Toni got Al into The Real Housewives of Gotham and now they watch it religiously.

what other couple they hang out with

Grant and Tommy, Hank and Todd, maybe Rick and Jesse if Rick can stop whining about how Al tried to hit him when they were on opposite sides of a war. (Rick cannot.)

how they spend time together as a couple

It's a lot of compromises, since they have very few shared interests, but Al doesn't really mind going shopping and Toni doesn't really mind going to sporting events. And she really doesn't mind blatantly ogling Al while he's working in the garage, which baffles and embarrasses him (in a good way).

who made the first move

Toni. Al has never made a move in his life, except one (1) disastrous proposal. Bless his big dumb heart.

who brings flowers home

Al, frequently.

who is the best cook

Toni can't cook to save her life, Al has a handful of decent bachelor recipes. There's a lot of eating out and takeout in their lives.

#meme #al rothstein #atom smasher #toni monetti #argent

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ramblingsekai · 3 years ago

Text

I’ve always kinda wondered, but how much exercise do you think each group gets? Assuming the 3DMVs are canon, I tried guessing how fit each group is. I could also be wrong since little details about their lives fly by quick sometimes too lol. And this is also totally 100% my opinion, and not anything serious.

So I think I can safely say the least physically active group is 25ji. The healthiest person in the group is Mafuyu since she probably eats healthy to maintain her good girl image as well as being the only person in the group who is in a sports club (it’s archery but that’s still a workout, esp compared to the others). Ena is an artist and while she does maintain her image bc of her not-Instagram following, I doubt she is that physically fit since she is more focused on her art and doesn’t seem to be in clubs. Mizuki is probably in the same boat. There’s no mention of sports as hobbies and no club mentions as well so they probably don’t exercise that much.(Update: I reread the Secret Distance event and apparently Mizuki mentions that they’re decent at sports so Mizuki is probably more fit than Ena. Though Mizuki could also be lying so who knows, but thought I’d at least add this.) And Kanade. Well we all know that Kanade does not exercise at all. Honestly it’s probably not that surprising that 25ji are the least fit since they don’t do live performances or shows and don’t meet IRL daily or anything like with other groups. So yeah, even though in 3DMVs they do dance, they are the least fit. Like I just have this image of them dancing with Miku or the other Vocaloids in their Sekai and then immediately collapsing bc that was their workout for the week while Mafuyu is just staring down at them like You all should go out and exercise more.

The next group who’s probably not as active physically would be Leo/need in my opinion. During their 3DMVs, they don’t really move around much or dance since they have to play their instruments. Now that is definitely strenuous and would provide some exercise for them, but they are also standing still. They also practice often too. Though I think Saki is the only person who is actually in a sports club (tennis which involves a decent amount of movement), but Saki is also still liable to relapses in her health since she did get sick in that one event. I’m not saying they aren’t physically active, just when you compare to the other groups Leo/need isn’t moving around as much. (I also could be wrong about this since I’ve never played an instrument before).

So 2nd place for most physically active is sort of going to be shared btwn 2 groups. Vivid Bad Squad and WxS. Now hear me out. With WxS, they have to sing, dance, and act on the stage which is definitely not easy to do (from an outsider’s POV, no stage or singing/dancing experience so I could be wrong again). Their 3DMVs involves lots of movement, running around, and exaggerated motions while they’re singing which means they all have to have some stamina. Plus I think they do like multiple shows a day (maybe not everyday but still that’s hard). Emu and Tsukasa are definitely the more active half of WxS and while Rui seems to be average, I think Nene still needs to build endurance (if I remember from the picnic event right or something). Still, overall WxS rank higher for me on the physical fitness scale than Leo/need with all of their activity. With VBS, they actually danced way more than I initially thought they would. But yeah their dances are actually pretty complicated and constantly moving, plus sometimes they jump in their dances. VBS practices a lot (together and individually) and actively participate in multiple live competitions/performances. An and Akito also seem to fill in for the basketball and soccer teams for their school sometimes so they are definitely on the more active side. Toya is on the library committee though so I doubt he exercises outside of practice and he also was forced to practice the violin as a kid so he probably didn’t do a lot of running around and playing. Kohane helps out with the animal committee which also doesn’t seem to be that physically active as well, but she also practices a lot by herself outside of the group practices. . So yeah, this is also assuming the 3DMVs are canon.

So I think the most physically active/fit group is actually More More Jump. They seem to practice dancing and singing on the roof quite often. Haruka seems to have health as a top priority for herself since she controls what she eats and she also seems to run in the mornings, even outside of group practice. Airi has been known to do physical stunts and jumping around a lot during her time on variety shows and is still able to do them so she’s definitely active. Shizuku is in archery club and probably has to take care of herself too since the agents from her last group probably enforced a healthy lifestyle onto her. Minori is average I think. She doesn’t diet but she also practices dancing and singing often, even before meeting the other MMJ members. It also seems like a decent number of their streams are also of them practicing their dancing too.

So this is all my opinion and me just wondering how much endurance each group has. I think this whole idea occurred to me while watching some of 25ji’s 3DMVs and wondering how much endurance they have since 3/4 are either shut-ins or close to being shut-ins. Like idk if the 3DMVs are even canon in universe, but if they are then idk if 25ji would even practice dancing at all since they wouldn’t post a video of it since they probably want to remain anonymous. So yeah it would probably just be for Miku and the other Vocaloids then. I guess maybe the other 25ji members just force Kanade to do it since they doubt she’d get any exercise at all if they left her alone.

But uh yeah. Totally 100% my opinion and just goofing around. Let me know if I got anything wrong and thanks for reading.

#project sekai #project sekai rambles #leo/need #more more jump #vivid bad squad #wonderland x showtime #25 ji night code de #nightcord at 25:00 #basically if we all forced the groups to run a marathon i wanted to see who would drop first and who would keep going

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binniedeactivated · 4 years ago

Note

so reading your last beomgyu fic made me think about something... 😳 do you think you can write a college au smut where the reader is an exchange student and beomgyu is assigned to introduce her to uni rules (and stuff like that) but things go.. wrong?👀 shiiit, i've got a lot of beomgyu in my mind wth 🤣

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 | 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢 𝐛𝐞𝐨𝐦𝐠𝐲𝐮 𝐱 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤!𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄 | 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐮!𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭 𝐖/𝐂 | 2.7k 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 | 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐥𝐚𝐩 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤, 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐲𝐦·𝐩𝐡𝐨·𝐦𝐚·𝐧𝐢·𝐚𝐜 / 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞.

a/n: hope you enjoy this! ily </3

“babe they just assigned me a new student, I already told you that”. beomgyu spoke while throwing a hoodie over his head. he was on facetime with his long time girlfriend lana.

“i know and that pisses me off. we were supposed to meet up and I have another class in an hour or two. ugh can I just come to your dorm room after you’re done?“.

“yeah that’s fine I guess. It shouldn’t take that long”.

she scrunched up her nose. “you guess? so that means you don’t want me to come then?”.

beomgyu rolls his eyes. he hated how she always caught an attitude for no reason. “that is not what I’m saying”.

“if you don’t want to see me beomgyu just say that then”.

“and why would I say that?”

“because. you’ve been avoiding me lately anyways. what is it? are you with someone else?”.

he shoves his feet in his sneakers. “I haven’t been avoiding you I have basketball practice. don’t you have my schedule? do you ever look at it?”.

she sucks her teeth. “whatever. I’ll be by your dorm in a few. I’ll text you when I’m there”.

sneaking a look in the mirror beomgyu flattens the small hairs that were sticking up from his head. it was getting late in the evening and of course he didn’t look as neat as he did this morning but he thought he looked pretty decent for now. he closes his room door and checks the messages sent to him from the floor’s RA.

room 325. he looks at the array of doors in front of him and realizes the room he was looking for should be around the corner. he turns down a few hallways and once arrived he knocks softly before shoving his hands in his pockets. this arrangement was pretty frequent for him so he wasn’t nervous at all to recite the floor rules. it often went smoothly if the student didn’t have any extra follow up questions.

but once the door swung open beomgyu’s eyes widened. standing just beneath his nose her skin was the beautiful color of milk chocolate. her curly, black middle parted hair stopped just at her shoulders. her pudgy lips were glazed in lip gloss and her dark brown almond shaped eyes and curly eyelashes were nearly way too beautiful for beomgyu to even look into. he fidgeted nervously.

“um-hi hello I’m choi beomgyu i’m uh..this floor’s assistant RA”. he introduced, hoping she didn’t think he was a total dork for his stuttering. yet she gave him a small smile anyway. the whiteness of her teeth was blinding, might he add.

“hey I’m jasmin. Is there anything you need?”. she leans in closer while leaning on the doorway and beomgyu felt his heart throb. he discreetly backed up a bit to keep himself from being so nervous. she was just so beautiful and he never thought a girl like her would even want to transfer to a university in south korea.

“um-- I just have to lay down the floor rules. it’s a procedure done with every transfer student. uhh do you have a minute?”.

she nods before chuckling softly. “yeah but--are you okay? you seem a little..off”.

beomgyu shakes his head trying to laugh it off. “ah no no it’s just.. um- I’m a little worn out from practice today so I’m tired and my mind isn’t fully here”.

“Ah I understand”. she nods. And she did. playing a couple of sports back in america herself, she knew the feeling of a long day’s worth of practice. The both of them take awkward glances into the opposite directions avoiding each other’s gaze.

“so? do you want to come in?”. she invites after a couple a seconds of silence.

“yeah um-- sure this won’t take long”. he accepts. he hoped he wouldn’t do anything stupid while he was in there. after closing the door behind him she kicks a small box further in her closet. it would be off-putting for beomgyu to see her sex toys firsthand. because jasmin was a nymphomaniac. she wasn’t afraid to admit that sex was her livelihood and she needed it every night and day. it was a good thing beomgyu wasn’t paying attention to her at all though, more so on the way she decorated her dorm.

“wow it’s pretty nice in here. you decorated this all on your own?”.

“yeah. needed a chair to get to the high places but I tried. would you like a snack or anything?”.

“no no i’m fine. thank you though. so yeah- welcome to sejong dorm hall. you’ll love it here. it’s the most diverse out of all the dorm halls on campus. our rules are pretty simple. if you return late keep quiet, no outside guests allowed in the dorm hall, don’t damage any of the building’s furniture or belongings, no drugs or any intoxicating liquor and my favorite rule of them all, no sex of any sort”.

she laughs. “no sex huh?”.

“yeah. I’m sorry that’s the dumbest rule ever. the university really values study time and giving students a peaceful place to study even if it’s in their rooms. and of course if someone’s having sex in the room above, things aren’t as peaceful”.

she shrugs her shoulders. “eh I don’t know. I think I’ll still be able to calculate an equation or two with a bed rumbling above me“. she jokes, with her and beomgyu sharing a laugh soon after.

“but um- I do have a small request”. she says meekly.

“what is it?“.

“I have this kind of condition... and i was wondering if it can be excused“. she says lowly and beomgyu wondered why she was fidgeting all of a sudden. but she had to ask him, otherwise she’d be getting kicked out pretty soon.

“um yeah I can make some arrangements with the RA...what’s the condition?”.

she draws herself closer to him. beomgyu immediately grew nervous, backing himself into the nearby desk.

“I’m um--”. she semi-whispered. she places her arm on his shoulder, her lips were just inches from his own. “I’m kind of a nymphomaniac. if I don’t get what I want my condition will get worse. can i be an exception to the rule?”.

the way her pretty eyes stares at his lips in need. beomgyu didn’t know what to do with himself. he felt caged in. and he hated the fact that he was being turned on just by the seductive tone in her voice. he swallows the lump in his throat.

“I um---I don’t know if the university will allow th--”.

with no warning she pushes her pillow-like lips against beomgyu’s gently kissing him over and over before slipping her tongue in between his lips. she promised herself she would stop kissing him if he didn’t kiss back.

but he did.

she wraps her arms around his neck and allows the kiss to gradually grow rough and sloppier. beomgyu wanted to stop, he swear he did. but her lips were something he couldn’t get enough of. the way she kissed him with desire and passion like it would be the last kiss she ever had in her life. she clutches his wrists and slides his hands down to her ass.

“jasmin--”. beomgyu spoke in between the fluttering kisses. “jasmin I don’t think we should do-- this we’re going to get expelled”. yet the more he kissed her he didn’t know if he was trying to convince her or himself. what made things even worse about this affair was the sheer fact that he knew no one would ever approve of it. because jasmin was black. especially his girlfriend who would practically murder beomgyu if he ever found out he cheated on her with a black girl. but beomgyu disregarded skin color. he always did. he was never racist like his peers. his phone buzzed in his pocket. he fishes it out and glances at lana’s caller ID. jasmin pulls away with the same seductive glance before she hangs up.

“how about we make a deal beomgyu?”. she offers while pushing him backwards until he was sitting on the desk. she crawls on his lap and holds the nape of his neck sucking hickies into it. beomgyu’s eyes closed and a sigh of relief spills from his lips. her lips were different than the small pecks he was used to from lana. her lips were so hypnotizing, soft and perfect he couldn’t even bring himself to speak.

“if you keep fucking me and covering for me,”. she starts prior to leaving hickies in a few other spots. “I won’t tell your little girlfriend about this”. she finishes before moving upwards to kiss his bottom lip. she tongue kisses him once more. “deal?”. she smirks knowing she already had beomgyu wrapped around her finger. she reaches underneath her skirt and sluggishly slid her lacy panties down her thighs. beomgyu didn’t know how much his lips were parted due to pure shock and arousal. she tossed them to the side.

“deal?”.

he nods his head desperately and she clashes their lips rougher this time around. the more she grinds her hips against him the tighter his pants felt. it isn’t like he had to do all the work either. once she felt him get hard she unzips his jeans and pulls it out herself. she bit her lips and inches herself down on it until beomgyu was fully seated inside of her. she was satisfied, finally filled and wanted nothing but bliss to take her mind away.

“does it feel good baby?”. she asks softly.

and beomgyu, god beomgyu looked as if he could just melt. his eyes were lidded and hazy while he looked at her. she hadn’t even moved a muscle yet and the hairs on the back of his neck were already raising at how wet and tight she was. his mind boggled at how everything about her was so hypnotizing.

he clutches her waist and nods diligently. “p-please ride me”. he begs. she follows his plead and does as she were told, sinking down his dick slower than she reared up. beomgyu’s head drops back between his shoulders with an erotic groan.

“you have to be quiet gyu. remember the rules?”. she breathes loving the sight of the blonde-haired boy becoming undone.

“you feel so fucking good”.

she grins and continues with the rotation with of her hips trying to keep the meek moans that awaited in her throat at a minimum. he brings his head up and lets his hands bracket her moving hips. he thought he finally had himself under control through his weighty breathing. but jasmin does a thrust particularly hard that unraveled him all over again.

“s-shitt”.

she grins once more. “potty mouth”.

“i c-can’t control myself”.

and he couldn’t, especially with the room filled with nothing but their discreet moans, the squelchy sounds of jasmin riding his lap and the desk clashing against the bed in front of it. she quickens her pace, being just as stubborn as the orgasm that ached within them both.

“fuckk this feels way better right?”.

by now beomgyu’s head was clouded. he wanted to groan as loud as he want it was painful that he had to keep quiet. he resorted to low whimpers while gripping her waist tighter.

“don’t ask stupid questions. look whose the potty mouth now?”.

she wanted to say something slick back but she couldn’t. she was also trapped in her own clouds with her hands splayed on gyu’s chest. “oh my god”. she hisses, almost dreamy.

beomgyu gazes at her, “come down here”.

“w-why?”.

“because if you keep riding me like this I don’t know if i’m going to be able to control myself much longer”.

bouncing atop of beomgyu she leans her head lower to flatten his lips, the both of them drinking in each other’s moans to keep them from going directly through the walls. he reaches his hands down to cup her ass while her thighs trembled.

“fuckk--fuck keep doing that”. beomgyu groaned in between the pauses of their hot feuding tongues. she ruts her hips down harder with each thrust with curse words of her own disappearing into the cavern of beomgyu’s mouth. without warning and in perfect sync the both of them reached their highs, jasmin still riding him diligently even with his cum dripping down her thighs. his hips bucked up into her still cumming, he decides to hold her up to refrain her from riding him no longer to keep from the overstimulation. she smirks while watching him finish. she kisses his sticky bottom lip yet again.

“fuck-- did I just cum inside of you?”.

she chuckles and kisses him one last time before climbing back down off of his lap pulling her skirt down. beomgyu sat up and straightened himself up again.

“don’t worry, I take pills beomgyu”.

he breathed in relief, zipping his pants back up. “good”. he stood up with his legs kind of limp and him kind of feeling tired. he didn’t know what he was going to tell lana when he got back to his room. he couldn’t believe what he was about to ask jasmin but he shoved down his pride. he couldn’t get enough.

“maybe, maybe I can get your number for whenever we do this again?”.

#choi beomgyu #beomgyu #beomgyu smut #txt smut #beomgyu x black!reader

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the-midnight-feline · 4 years ago

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¤¸¸.•´¯`•¸¸.•..>> So this piece is actually part of the Piliin mo ang Pilipinas Collab event hosted by @lumpiang-toge, you guys should seriously check this out since the works posted there are such good reads ❤️️<<..•.¸¸•´¯`•.¸¸¤

this is the first time i've joined a collab, (ngl i thought i was waaay in over my head lol) i'd like to thank a friend of mine, Dylan, (won't tag his blog just cause, loves you for reading it !) thanks so much for the encouraging words ❤️ and of course Mama Rae (@hq-girl-next-door) for the advice on the banner**❤️

**For the banner I did, I took the image from pinterest, if you guys know who the artist is, please let me know so I could properly give credit to them :)

Tags/TW: Mutual pinning-ish, friends to lovers, fluff to angst, Cheating, swearing (I think theres one or two in there)

(A/N: Please don't get too confused /-\, the italic parts is you recollecting the past, it comes and goes (。♡‿♡。))

WC: 3.8k ;-; didn't know it get that long

Pairings: Tendou Satori x fem!Reader

Summary: It all started with a simple crush, you wouldn't have guessed that it'll be more than that, It was a dream come true to loved and be loved by the person you loved, but not all dreams end good, some end as a nightmare.

“You like the Guess Monster, like THE Guess Monster?!?!” your friends shouted in unison, looking at them frantically as you’re in the gym watching the guys warm up for a practice match and the way they shouted had the sounds of balls hitting the floor just below where your group sat, you willed yourself to look at the who were the people below you guys trying repress the blush you feel creeping on your cheeks, swallowing that lump on your throat as you peaked just a little over the ledge and saw his red hair. Internally cussing out your so-called friends, you tired to act like you calm and collected as he was looking up at the bleachers, maybe trying to guess which one in your group, who was also looking over at whoever heard them, liked him, shaking his head, chuckling toward Ushijima and Semi who was already making their way to the court to get this warm up started.

A single tear began rolling down your cheek as you remembered how it all began, your friends’ sudden outburst in the gym gave you the opportunity to talk to the guy you’ve been crushing on when you first saw him in the opening ceremony just something about him drew you to him and you were adamant on getting to, at the least, know him. Sitting on the floor of your shared bedroom, opening the memory box you and your husband made a few months after you started dating.

Semi knew your friend, he actually liked her and from that outburst of theirs at the gym, he 89immediately thought of a way to hit two birds with one stone. “hey, y/f/n, I heard you guys at the bleachers, sooo” scratching he neck out of shyness “which of your friends like our Tendou? Maybe we could setup a date or something?" He really liked your friend and would honestly do anything to get her on a date, she pointed to you, the quiet in of the group, usually the source of rationality and guidance, the one that acts like the mediator of the group. You really always kept to yourself, didn’t really want to attract attention towards yourself. Semi was skeptical at first, you the quiet, shy girl of the class liked that loud ass friend of his? Maybe y/f/n was pulling his leg, she can’t be serious.

A bitter laugh escapes your lips as the memory of your first date comes crashing on you as see the pressed flower from the little hole in the wall café near the school, Semi was the one that found that café and planned every detail of the date.

As you and your friend were walking towards the café Semi told her about, you were itching to just keep hitting your friends back “why the hell did you fucking agree to this?!!” you hissed at your friend, you were practically shooting daggers at her for saying yes on your behalf and you didn’t even know what she agreed to but she told you to get dolled up, silly you, thinking that it’ll be just a girls day out, but peering over her shoulder as your guys walk out of the dorm, you see her texting Semi, thinking maybe it was him asking for notes since they were in the same class. She led you to this small café and you guys sat at a corner booth, making you sit inside by the wall, you really thought nothing of it, until you saw that distinctive red hair bounding towards your booth. Your palms got a tad sweaty, nerves getting the best of you, a million thoughts racing in your mind that you didn’t notice that the Tendou Satori was there taking the seat opposite of you in the booth, the ever infectious smile directed towards you and you alone. Seeing as you and Satori were basically having a silent conversation with just your smiles, Semi and your friend made a discreet exit and left you two be. Little did you know, he often saw you around, he knows you like shounen jump as much as he does since he sees you go to the store he usually goes to, he knows what snacks you liked since he usually goes out at the middle of the night to get some snacks of his own at the convenience store around the corner. He sees you in the library with your nose buried in some book when he follows Semi there just to annoy him. Tendou didn’t tell anybody about the girl he liked from afar, he knew he’d scare you off, no one wanted to date a Monster, or that’s what he thought.

Looking back, that impromptu date was what started the relationship with Satori, a soft sob escapes your lips as tears gently fall on the first picture you have together, he suddenly rang you up and asked you to go to the mall with him. In the picture, he had his arm wrapped around your shoulder while you were hugging his waist tightly, seemingly scared that being with him was a dream you don’t want to wake up from.

Getting out of the shower, you hear your phone ring from under your pillow, confused as to who might that be since it was an unknown number calling you, curious you answered it. “hey y/n! I know it’s kinda out of the blue but, you wanna go to the mall with me?” shock was evident in your body, it was Tendou! Your thoughts was scrambling, you know you didn’t get a chance to give him your number before you guys parted ways on your first meeting since Coach Washijo made Ushijima contact both guys for a weekend practice. You knew the coach was a hot head and would make anymore run 50 laps if they were late and that was a few weeks ago, a worried Tendou called out to you again “uh…y/n? If you have other plans I totally under-“ blinking back to the present “I’d love to go! Lemme get ready and I’ll meet you down” you cut him off midsentence hearing a small chuckle at the other line “don’t make me wait too long ok?” he said in a teasing tone which made you giggle on the line “yes, yes Satori, I’ll hang up so I could get ready ok? See you!” it took every ounce of self-control to not shriek the whole conversation, once he hung up you were practically jumping on your bed out of pure joy, but then you remembered that he’ll be waiting, you quickly snapped out of it and looked through your dresser for a decent outfit for going out with Tendou, you quickly settled with a simple get up of a long sleeved shirt and pants with some sneakers on, you excitedly exited your room, to meet up with Tendou, hoping you haven’t made him wait too long, turning the last corner you see him outside your dorm, almost wearing the same thing as you, even the color of your shoes match, biting your lip to stop a stupid smile from taking over you walk up behind him, gently poking his side, his sudden jump made you giggle as he took in all of you, a smile makes its way on his lips and eyes as he himself lets out a chuckle. “y/n? Are you copying me?” shaking your head, letting a small laugh out “Satori, please you’re the one copying me here” he just shook his out of amusement when he saw the glint of teasing in your eyes before he offended his arm to you like a gentleman would, the small action made you faint blush.

You two spent the day just walking around the mall, just browsing from store to store, having just a blast at all the random comments he makes, the last stop you guys make was the arcade, you guys played all sorts of games, air hockey, tried your luck at a pachinko machine and Tendou even tried the basketball game, which he surprisingly good at that he won a lot of tickets getting you a small rubiks cube, but near the back of the arcade something caught your eye, a purikura, Tendou saw where your eyes went and with a small smile he took your hand and walked towards the machine, and ushered you in the booth, he felt at comfortable around you, he would’ve never guessed that you were a crack head like, random outbursts of ideas and thoughts spouted from you made him laugh as you spent time together. He quickly wrapped an arm around your shoulder, pulling you close to him, a flash went off, that was the first shot, with the blush creeping on your cheeks you hid your face under your hair and hugged him another flash went off, that was the second shot, he tipped you head up, making you look at him, his infectious smile directed at you as another flash went off, and the last shot was of him kissing your forehead. You were left speechless after that whole scenario, seemingly in a dazed as he guided you out and grab the prints of the photos. That’s how you guys ended the date, he held your hand in his all the way back to the dorms, placing a chaste kiss on your cheek as you parted ways.

Rummaging further through the memory box, you see all the mementos you both kept from your dates, a few fallen leaves, a couple of pretty rocks, stickers, napkins, flowers, pictures, the cork from the bottle of champagne you drank at your wedding. More tears fell from your eyes as you dug through all the stuff in the box, who knew you both collected a lot of things in just a couple of years. What made you sob so hard was the acceptance letters you both got when you were selected as the few students for the incoming year.

A few months before graduation, you both got accepted into a culinary school in Tokyo, you were ecstatic as this means you and Tendou could get a place together since your parents already gave you two a small amount to get a place near the school so you two could still practice and create new dishes together, it was really no surprise to your friends or the whole volleyball team that you two would get into culinary school, you’ve always had a thing for cooking, you’d often come their practices with some bento boxes for all of the guys so they don’t have to go out and spend for food, on the weekends, the kitchen was his domain he’d let you watch him bake and oftentimes let you help him out. It’s often that the whole group get together during the weekends, you cooking for them while Tendou makes that dessert. For some reason, they got jealous of how your relationship started, it was as if all the pieces just fell into place at the right time, you two together just seemed right like you two were always suppose to be with each other. There’s always been a carefree air around him, it calmed you down so much that it helped you be more open or that’s how you saw it. You were the opposite of him always worrying, always, over thinking, being overly critical of your actions and how you overwhelmed with everything so you turned to anything that’ll help you divert your mind but once he was in your life it just got easier. He voice would immediately calm the voices spewing negative thoughts I had your head.

Looking around your room, you see pictures of you together, your graduation picture, the picture of you guys on the front of the school, the picture of your guys graduating culinary school, a photo of you two at the restaurant where you two both apprenticed and next to that was the candid shot of his proposal there, a mix of joy and hurt shoot through you as you the memory come rushing back to you.

The way he sheepishly confessed that he asked the manager if he could do his proposal there and invite your family and friends for that surprise. “Hey y/n, come with me, a customer just complained about the sauce you made being too salty, I’m not taking blame for that!” an angry chef came shouting at you, shocked and anxiousness dunning through you, you timidly follow behind him, thinking how you could screw up a simple sauce like that, your thoughts were everywhere, but once you stepped outside the kitchen you noted that the dining area was dimmer then usual, but maybe that’s because you’re used to the bright lights of the kitchen, you hear a soft melody playing, it’s one of your favourite songs ‘I Choose' you’ve always related that song to your relationship. On the far wall you see photos of you together, looking around you see familiar faces, his and your parents, your friends, the Shiratorizawa boys were there even the coach came!

The euphoria you felt from having everyone who had been part of your relationship through the ups and downs just had you in tears, your head was fuzzy with the mix of a dozen emotions swirling in you, through a blur of tears you see him kneeling in front of you, he let out a huff of breath to calm his nerves before asking you the question “y/n, my love, my baby, my better half, my paradise. You’ve stuck by my side through my highs and lows, loved me unconditionally, took care of me whenever I got sick, urged me to follow my dreams, guided me into being a better guy, especially with my chocolate making you supported my dreams like no other can, you, you made my world complete, you made me feel things I haven’t felt in a long time, you gave me your heart to cherish and protect. You made my life whole” the words flowed out of his mouth so freely, every word making more tears come out of you, every word so heartfelt, with shakey hands we presented you a pear cut yellow emerald ring “My Paradise, would you do me the honor of being my paradise for eternity?” no words could express how happy you were nodding your head, trying to stop happy tears from falling a hushed ‘yes’ slips past you lips as he stands to slip the ring on your left hand, pulling you in for a tight hug, whispering endless I love you’s and thank you in your ears as the people around you cheered for the newly engaged couple.

Biting back another sob, you feel fresh tears streaming down your cheeks as your eyes land on your wedding photo above the bed, he loved you enough to marry you, he was yours and you were his, you can’t help but stare at the framed photo, he had that infectious smile of his that made you fall from him the day you saw him. He has you up in his arms as your arms were wrapped around his neck, pecking a sweet kiss on his cheek. You asked him many times if he’d like to blowup another photo from your wedding, he simply shook his head and wrapped you up in his arms “you’re perfect in any picture of us, but in that one you look like the most perfect human being in existence and I’m just lucky to have you in my life” you basked in his love and affection on those simple words pulling him closer and burying you face on his chest, inhaling his sweet scent “I’m lucky to have you Tori, lucky to be called your wife” placing a chaste kiss on his chest as you look up to him with love-struck eyes. This was it you guys moved countries after your wedding to France since Tendou was offered a job at a famous pâtisserie there, all you wanted was your husband happy, wherever you guys may be.

You never really cared where you two were, as long as you were together, you could get lessons on the French cuisine as Tendou works, that was the plan before you guys flew out. You worked hard to learn the basics, you’d often have Tendou taste test all your creations and you’ll you the same for him since he likes to experiment with different flavor combinations, things were great the first few months of moving cross countries, you enrolled in a cooking classes there to build up your repertoire and after a few weeks of learning a few new techniques you've decided to look around for places you could work at just to keep your body busy again. You've decorated the apartment the way you liked it and how you think Tendou would like it, just adding different odds and ends giving it a familiar vibe. This place was your starting ground.

When you got a job at the nearby bistro, Tendou didn’t really mind it, since he’d often come home a bit later then usual saying something along the lines of making things in the experiment lab with the other chocolatiers at the shop to have something new for the upcoming season, in turn you thought nothing of it since you do work nights after getting a gig in a restaurant in town as well, it also means you could still have time to make his dinner and keep it warm for when he gets home. You two actually got into an argument when you got that gig since Tendou was adamant about keeping you in the apartment after the morning shift at the bistro so you don’t work yourself too hard, he wanted to start thinking about getting a kitten to keep you company when he’s out working but you argued back that you didn’t wanna feel like mooching off of him even though he said it was fine, he loved coming home to a warm meal that you made with love and gets more time to spend with you, but he did cave in after a few bats of your eyelashes.

It was perfect, you both were doing what you were passionate about, you two scheduled your offs near each other’s so one could take care of each other after a long day. But there was this weird feeling creeping in you but you simply don’t know why it was there, you and Tendou always kept communication open since you two do work different shifts and that itself puts a strain in the relationship but you two made it work. You loved him. So you would really sacrifice anything for him, he had have a rough childhood, he was bullied cause he looked different, acted different, but he wasn’t like that for you, he never was, even though he had a wicked sense for things which really surprised you, you can’t even hide a gift from him cause he knew what you’d get him or more likely sense what you’ll give him.

You don’t tell him that you swapped shifts with someone so you technically have a day off so you decided to drop by the pâtisserie where Tendou worked with some home made Pan Bagnat since it was nearing lunch, as you were close to the shop you saw his figure near the window placing new confections on display, but something made you stop, another person, a female chocolatier, was hugging him from behind and not in a friendly way, there was familiarity to it, it looked as if she’s been hugging him for so long, like she’s always hugged him, you didn’t notice that you’ve dropped the basket you were holding on the sidewalk, the glass bottle shattering on impact, the sangria spilling on the pavement, the sandwich you made, making a mess, the fruits you packed rolling in every direction. People around gasped at the scene, some tried to help in picking up the fruits that escaped, your mind in thought again, maybe you just interpreted it wrongly they’re just so so close, like a brother and sister kinda way, since they both work in the shop, you simply jumped to conclusions too fast, those thought completely vanished as the next sight you saw.

She kissed him. SHE KISSED HIM!! Your mind played that in your head like it was a song played on a loop. That was what made your heart break, that was the tipping point, he didn’t push her away, it was the opposite, he pulled her closer, the way he held her mirrored how he would hold you when he came home from work, people around you were asking you things trying to snap you out of your trance but you paid no mind to them, your legs moving on their own.

It was as if you were on autopilot, you got home, your mind racing with so many thoughts, how long had that been going on? Is she why he’d come home later than usual, is she the reason he had woken up earlier to get to work everyday? Did he spend his days off with her when you suddenly get shifts? Walking into your apartment, you didn’t know what to think, how to feel, how to make sense of things more questions come into your mind. Does he bring her here? Did they do anything sexual in the place you called home? What places were safe? Did she please him better than I did? You walked into your bedroom where the memory box laid in the middle of bed. It was your first wedding anniversary, did he really forget? Your anniversary was engraved on your wedding rings with your initials on it.

A scream of agony escaped your lips as everywhere you looked at it was all you and him the very place you thought was the safest of all was not. It's tainted with infidelity, your heart broke even more as you took the box from the bed with shaking hands contemplating on whether to open the box or not, he loved you with every part of him didn’t he? You were enough weren’t you? You made sure he was satisfied right? You gave him all the love you could and even more right? Didn’t he promise you that he’d protect your heart? You're still his paradise right? He loves you right?

Maybe opening the box, and finding something that you both placed in there would make him rethink his choices right? With broken sobs and uneven breathing, your fingers shaking as you pulled the pretty red ribbon that held the lid shut, looking at all the things that you both collected that reminded you both that you loved each other you broke even more. Every one of them held the promise of love, of fidelity, of trust. But now, a part of you is doubting every word that passed his lips, every kiss that landed on your skin made you feel dirty, every I love you's he uttered seems like a lie. You didn’t want to feel that way, you love him with every part of your being, you’re THE Mrs. Satori Tendou, no one else but you had that title, just you, it was only you right? You were his paradise for eternity right? Right?

★──────────★───────────────★─────────★

I hope you guys liked this, I actually really liked working on this one(played my brokenhearts plays it nonstop for it) , but I do have another one coming so...yeah!

Song inspiration :Anong Nangyari Sa Ating Dalawa by Aiza Seguerra

Song used in the proposal I Choose by Alessia Cara

62 notes · View notes

urijihoons-blog · 4 years ago

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Bokuto: Clarity

/ Kōtarō Bokuto x reader /

genre: angst ish to questionable fluff

wc: 2604

summary: You end up somewhere familiar, but not with someone familiar. One things for sure, the truth will come out soon enough.

warnings: mentions of anxiety

a/n: You guys!!!!!!!! I’m so glad you all love this fic 🥺 your comments and likes and reblogs encourage me so much!! Thank you so much for your love!!!! 💗💗💗

pt3

///

You wake up in a daze. No, you wake up... in a hotel room? The suite looked just like Bokuto’s, is that where you are? You hoped so.

You picked up your head, peered around the room looking for his things to confirm your suspicions, and lifted your upper body to lean on the headboard of the bed. Suddenly, there are footsteps coming from the bathroom area. “Bokuto?” You inquire, anxious to see his face while you could blame it on the alcohol. A laugh comes from the hallway, and it isn’t his. Oh, oh no.

Atsumu comes around the corner, shirtless and basketball shorts, with a cup of water. He laughs when he sees the horror on your face, thinking it’s a joke. You check your clothing frantically, everything is still buttoned, zipped, and tied. You look up at him, still terrified of the blank space of time from the bar until now, “We didn’t... did we?” Atsumu laughs even harder but then notices the look of panic in your eyes. He straightens up, coughing while handing you Tylenol and the cup of water. “No, of course not. You’re Bo’s girl.”

Those words stung. “Not anymore.” Those words, they really stung. You hadn’t actually had the thought of it being completely over until now. It’s hitting you, wave after wave. Everything went wrong, and now you, you’re suffocating-

“Y/N,” Atsumu’s at the edge of the bed, looking you in the eyes with fear, “please breathe. Take a second and breathe.” You try to hold it in, and take deeper breaths but your heart is pounding so hard in your chest, it feels as though it’s going to burst. The next thing you know, you’re on the ground hugging your knees into your chest as tightly as you can. Your eardrums cut out all other sounds, they were just echoing your heartbeat. With your face turned into the carpet, you’re sobbing breathlessly. Atsumu jumps up and grabs his phone, eyes scared to no end. “I’m calling Kuto, now.”

“N-no, please d-don’t.” You say as strongly as you can. You lift your head and force your breaths to become decently even. “Please give me more time.”

“You know,” he looked down at you with a concerned look, “you need to talk to him soon.”

Your eyes furrowed in distress before saying, “Why should I? It’s quite obvious what went on between them, why should I do anything for him?” You wiped some spare tears still leaving your eyes from your panic attack. “I don’t want to see him-“

“Your first thought when you woke up here,” he motioned around the room, “was that you were with him.” Atsumu stated bluntly, he lifted an eyebrow, “You think I didn’t hear the hope in your voice when you called for him?” You blinked, completely stunned at how he read you so easily. “Also, from what I’ve gathered these past couple of weeks, Tamra isn’t very trustworthy when it comes to telling the truth.”

“She didn’t have to tell me anything,” you sighed heavily, hugging your knees again. “I saw it, ‘Tsumu.” You tried to blink away the tears yet again. “And it wasn’t just a ‘She was close to him and he was close to her’ type deal. It was a ‘She was only wearing a towel and he was shirtless in the hotel suite by themselves, ready to get their room service’ type deal.”

Atsumu looked honestly shocked. He started talking with his hands, “Well, that doesn’t make much sense.” He slightly raised his voice, and you realized he was talking more to himself than to you.

“What do you mean?”

“Kuto, is a simple, oblivious man. When Tamra started talking to him after some of our practice games, they only talked volleyball. I honestly just thought they became friends.” Atsumu pulled his hand to his chin in thought. “They never hung out outside of the courts, unless we all went out to the bar down the street, but even then it was always in a big group.”

“So what are you trying to say to me?”

“What I’m trying to say is that Kuto has texted in our team groupchat about looking for you in the city. He’s given us your complete physical description and told us to call him if any of us see you. We’re told to take you to him as soon as possible.” Atsumu tries to hold in a giggle at the whole situation. “He seems like he’s going out of his mind right now.”

Your face froze. “So, why haven’t you taken me to him? Or even told him that I’m here?”

His smile diminished slightly, “Because of how you were talking about him at the bar.” His face became serious. “You were,” he paused, taking a deep breathe, “ are, so hurt, Y/N. And as much as I don’t truly think he did this to you, there is the smallest of possibilities. And if he did, which God forbid if he did, I don’t think he should have the satisfaction of being able to see you at your lowest. I wanted to sober you up, talk to you first, and then figure it out from there.” Atsumu talked with such kindness, your respect for him instantly grew. “So, what do you think you want to do?”

You sat there for a couple of minutes in silence, ‘Tsumu waiting for your response. You finally looked up, certain, “Call him, and tell him to come here.”

“She hasn’t come back to the bar.”

“She hasn’t come by the airport.”

“Her suitcase was left in the hotel, so maybe she’ll come back here?”

No one knew where you were, which Bokuto didn’t expect them to. He just wished for a different way. Wished that he could’ve explained it when he had the chance, wished he wasn’t in such a damning situation in the first place. Bokuto should’ve never trusted Tamra, he should’ve listened to his friends, and now he pays for it.

It was the third day of training camp, and Bokuto was completely focused. His practice matches were getting tougher, ralleys taking longer. After a while, he was becoming tired.

“Hey, Bokuto right?” A small voice perked up.

Bokuto turned to face a short, young woman, petite, with a kind smile. She wore a track suit, but not for his team, must’ve been another team’s manager. “Yes?”

“You’re doing great out there! I’ve heard of you before but I didn’t expect this.” She laughed, clutching her clipboard.

Bokuto laughed, scratching the back of his neck. “Thanks!”

He walked back towards his teammates, who were taking a water break, when he heard one of the guys say, “Kuto, I wouldn’t get too close to her, she’s bad news.” Bokuto furrowed his brow in confusion, waiting for the rest of the reason.

“Yeah,” another piped up, “I heard she tried to break up Ushijima and his wife, uh, Kate.”

“Guys, she probably just doesn’t have any friends! She seems nice enough, and you know I would never do anything to hurt, Y/N.” Bokuto’s expression was playful, but his words were dead serious. He truly believed what he said. “Plus, Toshi gets a big head sometimes, I bet that girl said two words to him and he got flustered.” Bokuto laughed, his team looked around for a second and they laughed too, trusting him.

So for the next week and a half, Tamra would speak to Bokuto every once in a while. Always something nice, always something about volleyball. Sometimes about his own experience, other times about how he helps lead the team. Never once did he actually think there was anything going on, because he trusted himself to recognize the signs. He didn’t want anyone other than you, so he didn’t worry about anyone other than you. A couple days later and Tamra has started going to the bar with the whole team. Everyone cutting up, acting like old friends. Everything seemed fine, but then it all went to hell.

Tamra:

‘Kuto, can I come use your shower? The hotel staff says that mine won’t be fixed for a couple of hours and I feel gross.’

Bokuto:

‘Yeah, that’s fine. I’m in room 428.’

Tamra showed up shortly after, and he had just gotten out of the shower. She knocked, and he answered, allowing her to step in. “Thank you so much, I just feel gross.”

“No problem, I understand the feeling.” Bo laughed sheepishly, looking through his drawers for a shirt. He heard her stomach growl, and laughed a booming laugh. “Someone’s hungry?” He looked over at her, and she nodded, giggling. “I haven’t eaten dinner either, I’ll order room service.” She bowed her head slightly in thanks. “What do you want?” He asked, standing to grab the menu from beside the dresser.

“I want.. a burger, and fries, and..” she paused, staring at him trivially. She took a couple of steps forward. She was a breath away from him. “You.” Faster than he could stop her, Tamra kissed Bokuto, hard. Her hands grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him into her unwillingly.

He grabbed her arms and wrenched them off of him. “No.” He breathed hard, using the back of his wrist to wipe his mouth. His eyes darkened slightly with anger. “No, do not do that again.”

“But, I thought-“

“No, you thought wrong. I have a fiancé, remember?” He looked at her confused, as if she hadn’t heard him talk about you for the last 2 weeks at all. Her eyes looked desperate. “How-“

“I’m so sorry!” Tamra blurted, holding a hand to her chest. She looked as if she had been wounded as she turned her face away. “I am so so sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I guess, I just wasnt thinking. Please forgive me, I don’t want this to be held against me.” As fast as the anger came, it also left. Bokuto felt bad for her, and she looked ashamed of herself enough.

“Okay. Just do not do it again. I am only a friend.” He said, and walked towards the hotel phone. “Once you’re out of the shower, the food will be here, but I would rather you go to your own room to eat.”

“Okay, I can do that.” She said in a small voice.

Bokuto watched her stalk towards the bathroom, and went about ordering room service. What he didn’t see was the sly smile on Tamra’s face, or her calculating moves up until this point. She had made herself look innocent, but in reality, she had a plan. She wanted the scandal, and the chaos that came with it.

‘And she got it.’ Bokuto thought to himself. ‘She definitely got it.’ A sudden buzz took him out of his head, saved him from his thoughts. He lifted the phone to his ear, not even bothering to look at the caller. “Y/N?”

“No, but I do need to talk to you about her. Come to my room, ASAP.” Atsumu said calmly.

Bokuto looked at his phone, not believing that Atsumu really wanted to help. “I’m confused, you weren’t at the bar tonight, what do you know exactly?”

“Come to room 317, this is important.” Atsumu seemed very serious about this.

“I’m on my way.”

///

The hotel room was cold, so you had to cover yourself in the bed’s blankets to keep from shivering. Everything felt too foggy. You were sobering up quick, the thought of having to look him in the face making you shiver on its own. A knock came from the door and you glanced over at Atsumu, the mix of emotions becoming too much. He was already looking at you, waiting for the okay. You steadied yourself, giving him a nod. He moved swiftly to the entryway of the suite, and opened the door. You couldn’t see him, but you could hear his voice. “What do you know?” Bokuto rasped, walking in. He followed Atsumu’s gaze and finally found you, his golden eyes softening.

You froze under his intense stare. His eyes taking the sight of you in. You hadn’t even thought to have taken a look at yourself, you probably looked how you felt, like a train wreck. He took a step toward you, and you made sure to stay still, knowing, with the look on his face, he was hurting too.

“Y/N?” He took another step forward, lifting his hand as if he was holding it out for you.

Atsumu, grabbing his car keys, sighed. “Well, I’ll let you two talk this out.”

Bokuto turned toward him, his face flashing with anger, making him stop in his tracks, “We will have our own talk later.” Atsumu opened the door quickly, leaving in a flash.

“Don’t be too upset at him.” You whispered softly. Bokuto turned his complete attention to you, sitting on his knees by your bedside. “He only did what he did to help me, and you.”

A silence fell between you two as you stared at each other. Bokuto looked disheveled, his hair down, his clothes were wrinkled, and his face. Oh, his face, so sad. And his eyes were not as bright. He looked tired. “Y/N,” he muttered softly, “please let me explain.”

He waited for your permission, but you sat there silently. “Will it make everything better, or worse?” He looked down, his mind, no doubt, moving hundreds of miles a second. You spoke up, and he looked back up at you. “Because tonight, I was broken. I felt as though I was forgotten, that I wasn’t needed in the same way that I need you. I felt as though I had been replaced.” You breathed shakily, tears already forming in your eyes. His expression dropped immediately, tears streaking down his face. “Will what you say make me forget these things? Will what you say to me make me see you clearly?” You looked down at your hands, holding them together, as if they were holding you together. The flesh around your ring turned white, along with your knuckles, because of how tightly you pressed them.

Bokuto’s left hand covered your own, and you noticed a small glint of something shiny. There, on his ring finger, was his wedding ring you had chosen. Your breath hitched as you stared at his hand, at his finger, at the ring. “Y/N,” he started, but you already unclasped your hands and was holding his.

“You,” looking him in the eye, “you put it on.”

“Of course I did.” He smiled sadly, wiping a tear from his cheek. His eyes suddenly shot up and looked at his hand frantically, bringing his hand back. His fingers grazed his ring, “If you don’t want me to wear it anymore I can take it off, I would understand-“

“No!” You said hastily, his eyes getting wide. “No, it’s okay.” Your eyes softened, and you gently grabbed his hand and brought it back down to your lap. “Do you like it?”

He chuckled slightly, putting his other hand on yours. “I absolutely love it.” You smiled at him and he smiled back, but then his eyes glazed over. His face fell, and you knew what was going to happen next. “As much as I don’t want to, we have to talk about this, so we can move on.” He spoke timidly. “So we can be happy again.” You sat there, unmoving. He waited for your permission to continue. You nodded firmly.

Will you have the clarity you want- you need? You hope so.

///

Part 4 will be the last chapter and should be up in a couple of days :))

Update: heres part 4 :)

#bokuto angst #bokuto x fem!reader #bokuto koutarou x reader #bokuto x y/n #bokuto koutarou #bokuto x reader #bokuto #haikyuu angst #haikyuu hcs #haikyū!!#haikyu x reader #haikyuu!!#haikyuu #little owl boy #fukurodani

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miracleonice87 · 4 years ago

Text

’tis the damn season

an Auston Matthews song fic

a/n: based on the absolute masterpiece that is ’tis the damn season by Taylor Swift from evermore. This one was not on my WIP list but came over me as soon as I heard the song when the album dropped. also have no idea how it became my longest piece yet, by far (as in 12k+ whoops). obviously, I do not own any of the music/lyrics to this song nor any other I write about.

summary: Auston Matthews and his ex-girlfriend are reunited in their hometown years after their difficult breakup.

warnings: swearing, alcohol, allusions to sex, a delicate balance of angst and fluff. a bit of a slow burn, if you want to call it that.

_____

You might have been one of the few people on the planet who disagreed with the phrase, “There’s no place like home for the holidays.” At least, for the last few years, that hadn’t exactly been your sentiment.

But, you were home anyway, after a few weeks of your mother’s guilt tripping and your father’s repeated phone calls. And, admittedly, you were enjoying your quiet time at home with your parents.

After helping your mom bake a few dozen cookies for the Christmas Eve party they were throwing tomorrow night, you wandered upstairs to your childhood bedroom to change out of your flour-covered attire and maybe squeeze in a nap. An undeniable perk of staying with your parents during the holidays — so many opportunities to sleep. As you pulled on a well-worn, long-sleeved ASU t-shirt you found hanging in your closet, your phone rang.

You groaned and swore to yourself that if it was your editor again, you were quitting. She’d already interrupted your time off at least once throughout each of your three days at home thus far — your first week of vacation in the two and a half years you’d been with the fashion magazine. You rolled your eyes and reached for the sounding device on your bed, then recoiled when you saw the contact name — or rather, initials — on the screen.

Oh, god.

Even worse, the years-old contact photo popped up behind the name — a picture of the two of you lying together on the shore on your vacation four years ago, right after the draft, when you both still held onto the naive belief that nothing that had just happened in his world would change things between the two of you.

“Shit,” you whispered, covering your mouth while anxiety coursed through your veins.

You couldn’t just not answer. Right? The two of you were on decent terms, though you couldn’t quite remember the last time you’d spoken — probably seven, eight months ago. You had no good reason to ignore his call.

And after all... you were the one who had ended things.

You cleared your throat and, trying to coach yourself into mustering up some semblance of courage, quickly repeated, “Okay, okay, okay, okay.” Then, like ripping off a bandaid, you hurriedly tapped the green button and pressed the phone to your ear.

“Matthews,” you greeted curtly — tentatively.

“Kels. Come over,” Auston said abruptly, though you could hear the smile in his voice. “I know you’re home.”

You squinted and glanced around your room, racking your brain as you tried to figure out how exactly your ex-boyfriend knew your current whereabouts.

“What?” you asked, puzzled, not to mention slightly shocked that he was even interested in seeing you in person — though some part of you was, indeed, grateful for that. “How did you even know I was in Scottsdale?”

“Uh, your Instagram story, my dear,” he said, obviously amused. “You posted this morning from that new coffee shop between the Methodist church and our old school building. Remember?”

You rubbed a hand over your face, suddenly regretting adding him to your close friends list on Instagram six weeks ago after a few glasses of wine with your girlfriends.

“Fuck,” you muttered under your breath, eliciting a chuckle from Auston.

“Yeah, don’t flatter yourself thinking I sit around and stalk you, sweetheart,” he teased. “I thought about replying but I didn’t wanna slide into your DMs and look like a fuckboy.” He paused, and you opened your mouth to make a halfhearted wisecrack that you didn’t truly mean, but before you could speak, he added, “Plus you probably get so many DMs, I’m sure mine would just get lost in the shuffle.”

Again, you rolled your eyes. “Matthews,” you repeated, whinier now.

“C’mon, Kels. Just come over,” he whined back. “I just got in last night. I’m staying at my parents’ house. My sisters nearly busted down my door when they saw you were back in town, plus I know my mom and dad would love to see you.”

Suddenly, two decades’ worth of memories that you had long ago pushed to the back of your mind flooded all at once to the forefront of your consciousness. Sleepovers watching Disney Channel movies and eating peach rings with Alex and Brey. Brian scooping you up in his arms after a nasty tumble off your bike on their street, propping you on the kitchen counter as he bandaged the scrapes on your knees, Auston never leaving your side nor letting go of your hand. Road trips with Ema to watch Auston play in countless tournaments, with you doing homework in the front seat while Ema sang along to the radio. Matthews family dinners eating Ema’s famous chicken tortilla soup. Vacations and carpool and pickup basketball games and shopping for prom dresses and just the mundane, everyday routine you had been part of for so many years.

And those were just the memories that involved his sisters, his parents. You didn’t dare let your mind uncover the buried memories of him, and him alone.

You missed them. Sometimes you missed them all so much that it made your heart physically ache and your stomach drop and your mouth go dry.

So, you drew a long, deep breath, and against your better judgment, eventually said, “Okay. Fine. But you have to send me your parents’ address. I haven’t been to the new Matthews McMansion.”

Auston huffed on the other end. “So mean to me.”

_____

It was certainly a far cry from the modest old ranch-style house where Auston had spent his childhood.

As you pulled up to the sprawling estate in the bougie part of town and cut your engine, you whispered, “What the fuck am I doing here...”

And still, after a quick check of your makeup in your rearview mirror, you got out of the car, closed your door and pushed your sunglasses to the top of your head, sighing as you took in the four vehicles parked in front of yours in the roundabout driveway, none of which you had ever seen before. Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche. Well, you could guess which one was Auston’s.

You walked up the stone sidewalk and slipped your aviators into your purse — it was only then that you noticed that your hands were trembling.

You cleared your throat and exhaled sharply, willing your nerves to subside, as you arrived at the door and pressed the button on its frame, sounding an elaborate chime inside.

“I got it,” you immediately heard a familiar voice call, and you took a startled step backward as you saw his figure approaching through the decorative glass panes outlining the doorway. As he pulled open the door, the flutter you’d tried your hardest to avoid feeling for three years took flight once more in your belly.

“Matthews,” you greeted again, arms crossed in front of you in hopes of hiding your shaking hands.

“Why’d ya bother to ring the doorbell, you nutjob?” Auston asked with a broad smile.

Before you could throw a snide remark back at him, he pulled you into himself, one arm snaking around your mid-back and the other hand cradling your head to his chest. Inadvertently, you exhaled contentedly, and you swore you felt Auston tighten his grip on you then. Your eyes fluttered closed, and you let yourself relax into him for longer than you had intended. He just felt so… familiar. Broad. Strong. Comforting.

He was just… Auston. A thousand things had changed for the two of you, but the way you felt in his presence hadn’t changed since you were a little girl.

You inhaled his cologne, and you noticed that he was doing just the same — breathing in your long-worn Chanel No. 5 perfume, the same kind he used to save up all year to buy you each Christmas.

At that memory, you snapped back to reality and extricated yourself from his embrace, leaving him looking slightly disappointed, though still pleased with your greeting.

“Hi,” you spoke simply as you stared up at him, then chuckled at how stupid that sounded.

“Hi,” he mimicked, head bobbling and eyes widening, causing you both to fall into a giddy fit of nervous laughter over nothing at all.

Just then, you saw Ema’s head pop out from beneath an arched opening toward the back of the house — probably leading to the kitchen, you assumed. Ema was always in the kitchen.

“I thought I heard your laugh,” she sang. You couldn’t help but beam, and Auston smiled and moved out of your way so that you had a direct pathway to his mother. Taking advantage of that, you made a beeline for the petite woman you considered your second mom, already feeling emotion bubbling up in your throat as tears blurred your vision.

“Oh, mija,” Ema said, her voice tight as she met you in the middle of the grand entryway and gathered you into her arms. “Te extrañamos,” (we miss you) she said sincerely.

Auston cupped the back of his neck and quickly looked away then, fearful that he may just shed tears of his own.

You sniffled and murmured, “Los extrañé a todos mucho,” (I missed you all so much) into Ema’s shoulder as she smoothed her hand lovingly over the back of your head.

When you finally parted, moving past the brief sadness of the reunion, Ema still held tightly to your hands, extending her arms so that she could see you better.

“You look more beautiful than ever!” she exclaimed, and you dropped your head bashfully at her compliment. “California is treating you well.”

You nodded. “For the most part,” you remarked with a sigh. Ema glanced quickly from your face to her son’s and back again, deciding not to dwell for too long on that loaded response.

“Well,” she pivoted with a click of her tongue. “You look great. Now come, come! I know Auston’s going to want to steal you away from me, not that I blame him, but I just put on some tea, so let’s sit and have some first.”

“Ma…” Auston protested lightheartedly. Ema wagged her finger at him. “Shh! Mijo! My long lost daughter has returned. Give me ten minutes for a cup of tea with her.”

Auston’s lips parted at her use of the word “daughter,” not that he should have been surprised by it, and you tossed him an animated shrug as Ema pulled you down the hallway back from whence she came. You were right — it was the kitchen, and it was a spectacular one at that.

“Holy…” you trailed off as Ema patted one of the leather barstools at the enormous island in the center of the room. You took a seat, pulling your cross body bag from your shoulder and placing it on the island, and commented, “This kitchen is incredible, Ema. I’m sure you love spending time here.”

Ema nodded and excitedly launched into stories of using all the appliances and gadgets she had never owned before, walking back to the teakettle on the stove as Auston sat down on the nearest barstool, feeling as though he could simply be dreaming, hallucinating, that you were here, sitting with him in his parents’ kitchen. But when you noticed him taking the seat next to yours, you tossed him a classic Kelsey smile and nudged his shoulder with your own, and he felt just slightly more confident that this was reality. Unable to resist your magnetism, which hadn’t faded with time but seemed instead to have only grown stronger, he squeezed your knee beneath the countertop, just as Ema approached with a cup of tea in hand for you.

Choosing to react instead to Ema rather than her son, you grinned and thanked her, feeling Auston’s eyes on you as you lifted the mug to your lips and took small sips, Ema still prattling on happily from the other side of the kitchen. You eventually cast a sidelong glance Auston’s way, accompanied by an amused smirk, the combination of which left him beaming as he looked away from you and back toward his mother, who now approached with two more cups of tea.

“Thanks, Ma,” he said as he wrapped his hands around the mug she offered him.

“You’re welcome, mijo,” Ema replied. “Now Kelsey, honey, how long are you in town?”

“Uh, just until the day after Christmas,” you replied, swirling a finger along the ceramic rim of your mug. “This is the most time I’ve taken off since I started at the magazine,” you admitted with a hint of embarrassment.

Ema nodded. “Your mother said you haven’t made it home for a while. I know they keep you pretty busy there. Is that why you don’t visit so much?” she asked unassumingly.

Auston dropped his head and shuffled his feet awkwardly against the tile floor, and your eyes flickered to him as you racked your brain for an answer that wasn’t a complete lie but also didn’t unmask the whole truth — which was that being in a town that held so much history with your ex was simply too suffocating to bear, even for a quick visit with your parents. So, you typically just stayed in California where you could throw yourself into your work as a fashion writer at a well-known publication and operate under the illusion that you had moved on. From Scottsdale, from Auston, from your life before Los Angeles.

And especially from Toronto.

But the problem was, when the night fell and the lights all faded and you were left to face the truth, you knew in your heart that that’s really all it was — an illusion.

And from 2,500 miles away, Auston knew it, too. He knew it because he was living the same lie.

“Uh, yeah,” you replied sheepishly. “That’s the gist of it. Just, uh, just hard to get away sometimes. My parents usually come out to visit me instead since their schedules are, uh, a little more flexible.”

“Right,” Ema said skeptically as you took a long pull from your mug, despite the hot liquid singing your tongue and making your eyes water. “Well, either way, it’s so good to finally see you here,” she added warmly.

“It’s good to see you too,” you breathed, honesty dripping from that answer.

Auston finally looked at you again, giving you an understanding smile. Even that smallest of gestures made you dizzy.

“So,” you said as you moved away from the topic, sitting up a bit straighter. “Where are the girls? Where’s Brian?”

“Golfing,” Auston answered. “Like always,” he added with a chuckle.

“Why am I not surprised?” you teased, making both Ema and Auston laugh.

“They begged Auston to come with them, but he turned them down,” Ema informed you. “And now we know why.” She lifted her eyebrows and took another sip of her tea as Auston shook his head.

“Dunno what you’re talking about,” he joked. “But no, they’ll be back soon. They can’t wait to see you.”

You brightened at that, not having seen the Matthews girls in nearly as long as it had been since you’d seen Auston himself, finding it easier to breathe when they weren’t nearby, reminding you of him with their every mannerism. And yet, you’d found that starving yourself of their friendship and their company ached nearly just as much.

“I can’t wait either,” you said through a distant smile.

“And Dad will probably cry more than Mom did when he sees you,” Auston predicted, lifting his mug. Ema swatted at his arm.

“Don’t start with me!” she warned. “I happened to see you choking up out there, too.”

You turned to Auston and raised an accusing brow at him. He simply chuckled into his tea and looked away, and the three of you sat in silence for a beat.

“Come on,” he finally said as he rested his mug on the island, nodding his head in the direction of the sliding glass door at the back of the house. “Lemme show you the patio.”

You nodded, knowing full well that showing off the backyard was not the real reason he was inviting you outside. Despite that knowledge, you hopped off the barstool, put your mug in the sink, and kissed Ema on the cheek as you passed her.

“Thanks for the tea, mamacita,” you said with a smile, squeezing her shoulders. “Anytime, mi amor,” she replied, sending a wink your way as you turned to follow Auston.

He slid open the door and motioned for you to step through it first. When he saw his mother watching you through the kitchen window, he gave her a knowing smirk, and she put her hands up in innocence. But as she watched you two walk out onto the patio through the glass, she breathed a silent prayer to any higher power who would listen that maybe, just maybe, you would finally come home.

Not to Scottsdale, no. Home to Auston.

Meanwhile, you were trailing your hand along the hammock near the pool, taking in the scene and trying to remember to breathe. When you heard him close the door, you turned back to Auston, your eyes floating around the backyard.

“Nice setup they’ve got back here,” you grinned, Auston chuckling with his hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts.

“Yeah, it’s even nicer in the summer,” he commented. You nodded, stepping closer to the pool and lowering yourself to sit on the edge, patting the space next to you as an invitation for Auston to do the same.

“We have chairs, ya know,” he grumbled as he took a seat. “Not all of us like to sit on the floor all day doing yoga.”

You sneered at him. “Oh, yeah, that’s what I do all day long,” you said sarcastically.

“Well, you used to, anyway,” he mumbled.

You gulped as visions of him watching you do precarious yoga poses on the living room floor of his apartment flickered in your mind’s eye, and then, once again, you moved right along.

“So… how’s it going, Matthews? How’s life?” you prompted, not even sure if you truly wanted to hear the answer to your inquiry.

He stretched out his long legs so that his feet were dangling above the water as he wondered where to even begin.

“It’s… it’s good,” he said. “Overall. It’s nice to be home for a few days. Needed that. I missed it. Missed my family. Missed…” he stopped himself, “…other things,” he added under his breath.

You chewed the inside of your cheek and decided to avoid the path he was taking this down. “How’s hockey?” you asked instead.

Auston shifted noticeably at the mention of his career, still painfully aware that, despite the successes it had brought him, it had ultimately caused the demise of your relationship.

“Hockey is… hockey,” he said. “Honestly it’s good on the whole. But the team’s not having the greatest year so far, which is rough.” You nodded, knowing better than most that the Toronto media operated at a different level of intensity and scrutiny than that of nearly all other markets, especially when the Leafs were losing, and especially when new blood was added into the equation, like Auston’s had been when they drafted him.

Like yours had been when you moved there with him.

The spotlight they shone on you — and the subsequent attention you received from so-called fans who took to the internet to question your intentions and integrity — had been far more than you bargained for.

Just as you were about to ask about how the guys on the team were faring, Auston spoke again.

“I think about calling you every time we come to LA, Kels,” he said, fixing his eyes on the neighbor’s house in the distance because he was simply unable to look at you while he admitted it. With a sniff, he added, “I’m not gonna lie about that.”

“Why don’t you?” you asked after a beat, maybe unfairly, studying his familiar profile. His features were the same, of course, but he looked… more mature. Older. Wiser. All that jazz. Auston shrugged, still not capable of looking at you.

“Just didn’t think you’d want me to,” he answered dejectedly. Your heart sank into your stomach. Given the things you’d said when you left him nearly three years ago, you could hardly blame him for that one.

“Well,” you started with a sigh. “I guess we could call it even then, because I think about coming to see you play every time you come to LA. Or Anaheim. Or even Vegas. And obviously Phoenix.”

“Well why didn’t you just call me asking for free tickets then,” he said in a tone that he tried to disguise as facetious, but you heard the hurt seeping into his words. “Everybody else I know in any NHL city does.”

You felt a fierce sense of protectiveness then, clenching your jaw as you tried to calm your irate thoughts. You watched him pick at the sleeve of his black Raiders crewneck and felt deeply for him — this man you’d loved since he was a little boy.

“Do they really? Still?” you asked in monotone.

Auston nodded, squinting in the sunlight. “Yup,” he answered, popping the ‘p.’ “Every game.”

“Jesus Christ,” you muttered, covering your eyes with your hand and pushing into your temples. You blew out a long breath. “Fuck. I’m really sorry about that. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I… it just sucks.”

Auston shrugged. “It’s not your fault,” he stated. “Sometimes I do it, sometimes I don’t. Kinda depends on whether the person’s actually talked to me lately.”

You nodded as he chuckled sadly, and you felt your chest tighten. “Well,” you began, clearing your throat. “I guess I wouldn’t qualify then because we haven’t talked much.”

Auston looked at you with intensity surging in his deep brown eyes, and you wanted to look away but found that you couldn’t.

“You always qualify,” he said seriously. “You’re one of the only people that qualifies.”

You bit down, hard, on your bottom lip and grappled internally with the weight of his comment. Then he said sarcastically, “Besides, I know you’re only after my money. I mean, you forced me to buy you that Louis bag the week after I got drafted.”

Your jaw dropped at his joke, and you scoffed indignantly. “Oh, yeah, the one you finally had to hide in my closet after I kept sneaking it back into your car because I wanted you to return it?” you corrected. “Yeah, ya caught me. You know me, Aus. Such a gold digger.”

Auston had started laughing halfway through your quip, but stopped suddenly. You gave him a questioning look, and he paused before answering.

“You called me Aus,” he stated with a smile he tried and failed to hide. “You went back to calling me Matthews after we broke up. But you… you just called me Aus again.”

“Yeah, well...” you grumbled, “Don’t get too excited.” You tossed him a smirk and he mirrored it, basking in the comfort of the moment.

“So whaddya think of the place? Not bad, right?” he finally asked, glancing around the property, back at the house, then settling his focus back on you.

You shrugged. “A little gaudy for my taste, but...” you began, and Auston shook his head bemusedly, knowing he set himself up for that one.

“No, it’s great. I can see how much your mom loves it. In all seriousness, I think it’s amazing, everything you’ve done for your family. Your parents. It’s pretty incredible,” you said earnestly. “I don’t think I said it enough when we were together, but, I’m really proud of you, Aus. And I don’t just mean about the hockey.”

Auston nodded soberly, turning his head to look you in the eye.

“I know you don’t,” he said quietly. “Thanks, Kels. It means a lot coming from you. More, uh… more than you know.”

And then, before you could think twice about doing so, you reached out your hand to rest atop his, feeling its familiar warmth as your fingertips grazed the raised veins there. Auston swallowed hard, blinking at where your hands now met, and slowly wrapped your fingers in his, giving them a squeeze. You exchanged long stares before you eventually slammed on the brakes in your brain and carried on.

“So, you just casually hang out with Justin Bieber now?” you asked, reaching your palms behind you and leaning back. “And the wildest shit is that I saw it first when he posted it, not you.”

Auston chuckled, looking down at his slides and — ironically — Drew socks combo. In his signature way, he halted his laughter on a dime and his face turned somber as he said dryly, “Yeah, I’m like really famous now, yanno?”

You sighed in annoyance, rolling your eyes as you looked skyward, feeling Auston’s gaze turn to you. You let it go for a few moments before shifting only your eyes toward his.

“What?” you asked accusingly. You could tell by the faraway smirk on his face that he was lost in a memory.

“Remember you had posters of him hung up all over your room in like middle school? From Tiger Beat magazine and shit? And now I play video games and mini sticks with the guy,” Auston said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, and if you ever tell him about that, I’ll end your life,” you threatened, shoving at his arm and attempting to ignore how much his biceps had grown since you last touched them. And then you were slamming the door shut on a rush of memories of having him beneath your touch — some innocent, but most intimate.

Auston saw it in your eyes — the place you went for a moment — as you dropped your hand back to the concrete beneath you. He knew where you went because, so often, he went there, too.

He held your gaze and promised, “Your secret’s safe with me. You know that.”

Only a hint of a smile graced your lips for a fleeting moment as you ran your fingers through your hair. Suddenly, you felt the heaviness of the history between the two of you closing in — smothering you, like it always did. Auston watched helplessly, wishing it didn’t have to be this hard.

And then, in a flash, like he so often did to save you from your swirling thoughts, he casually changed the topic as he commented, “Your hair’s shorter. You look like your mom. In a good way.”

Blushing, you breathed a laugh through your nose. “Thanks,” you said softly. “I think it’s the highlights, too.”

“It is,” Auston confirmed, and then — damn him — he reached out and looped a lock from the front of your face between his thumb and forefinger, the way he had done a thousand times before, usually mid-conversation, always absentmindedly. This time, you knew, as you forced your eyes to meet his, it was a bit more calculated. “I really like it,” he told you.

You nodded, searching his eyes to try and determine whether he had any idea what this — this moment, this visit, this day — really was.

“If you’re gonna ask me what we’re doing,” Auston spoke, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth for a second, “then I have to tell you I have no idea.”

Again, damn him. After all this time, it was like he still lived inside your brain and had read your every thought like the morning paper before you even had the chance to convey it. Which used to save you in a lot of ways. Now it felt kind of… intrusive. But somehow you didn’t mind.

“I had no idea what I was even gonna say when I called you. All I know,” he continued, still flipping the strand of hair around his fingers, “is that I really wanted to see you, and that I was really happy when you came, and that I’m really enjoying this time with you.”

You nodded, and as he pulled his hand from your face, his thumb brushed your jawline just slightly, and that touch alone sent a bolt of lightning through you. Auston smiled softly as he said barely above a whisper, “Okay, now it’s your turn to say something.”

You heaved a sigh, tipping your head back with eyes closed and soaking in the sunshine. “I don’t expect you to know, Aus,” you finally spoke. “I was just so... so shocked, I guess, that you wanted to see me. It’s been so long, I just... I didn’t know when I would see you again.”

“We’ve talked though,” Auston pointed out with a sigh to match yours, pulling a knee to his chest and wrapping his arms around his bent leg. “FaceTimed. Texted.”

You rolled your head toward him. “It’s not the same,” you reasoned softly, hesitantly reaching out your hand to tuck some of his black hair behind his ear. He licked his lips swiftly and placed a peck to your thumb before you slowly withdrew your hand.

“You’re right,” Auston conceded. “Definitely not the same.”

“Uh, sorry to interrupt...”

You were snapped out of your private moment by one person’s voice and another person’s squeal behind you.

“Oh, my god!” you yelled as you shot up from the side of the pool, Alexandria and Breyana already scampering toward you from the back door.

“It’s about goddamn time you came back to us!” Alex shrieked, wrapping her arms around you tightly. “I missed you, little sister,” she cooed, rubbing her hands across your back, and you hummed in agreement.

“I missed you, Al,” you replied, kissing her temple as you stepped back to greet the youngest of the Matthews clan.

“And you. My baby!” you exclaimed, pulling Breyana into your arms. “The true star athlete of the family,” you teased as she squeezed your waist.

“Damn straight,” Breyana giggled. “I missed you, Kels. I can’t believe you’re here!”

You pulled away, glancing behind you as you saw Auston slowly approaching out of the corner of your eye. “Me either,” you admitted, eyes widening dramatically as the girls snickered at you. “How was golf?”

“Brey smoked us, no surprise,” Alex replied. “But shut up about the golf. Tell us what’s going on with you two.”

“Alex!” Auston warned, shooting her a glare. “Please don’t.”

Alex gave him her best older sister roll of the eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as Breyana looked between the two of you.

“Nope,” Alex refused. “Not until you tell me what’s up. C’mon, spill.”

“We’re just...” you began, swiveling to look Auston’s way as he smirked down at you, happy to let you flounder in this one all on your own. “Visiting,” you finished, nodding once at Alex, pleased with your choice of verbiage.

“Honestly, you guys…” Breyana lamented.

“Visiting, huh?” Alex echoed, growing even more suspicious. “Yeah, okay. Sure. Wear protection. Anyways, uh—“

“Alex!” Auston repeated, this time through clenched teeth. “I swear to god...”

“Anyways, like I was saying,” Alex continued. “Your parents invited us all to their house tomorrow night for the Christmas party. I didn’t think you were gonna be there — does this mean you will?”

You nodded, causing Alex to clap excitedly. “I’ll be there with bells on,” you confirmed. “I already made my shortbread cookies.” All three siblings moaned in delight at the mention of your famous treats.

“Hell yeah! Plus that means we won’t be the only ones escaping to the balcony to drink,” Breyana commented.

“Brey, you’re like twelve,” Auston taunted, earning him a sharp elbow to the ribs from his younger sister. “You don’t get to drink with us.”

“Whatever,” she retorted. “Like you guys weren’t sneaking Mom and Dad’s liquor when you were younger than me.”

“Anyways,” Alex said yet again, clearing her throat. “We’re gonna go back inside now and shower, and just, uh, leave you guys to whatever it is you were doing beside the pool there. ‘Kay? ‘Kay. See ya,” she sang, spinning Breyana by the shoulders and guiding her inside, both girls whispering and giggling all the while. “Kels, I’ll call you tonight — you can tell me all about it!” Alex called over her shoulder, sliding the door closed.

You turned to see a pink tinge to Auston’s cheeks as he muttered, “Sorry,” with a dry laugh. You shook your head.

“No, don’t be,” you insisted, waving him off as you took a seat at the glass picnic table beside you, Auston following your lead. “It wouldn’t be a visit to the Matthews house without Alex torturing the both of us,” you teased.

Auston nodded. “Very true,” he said, and you knew he didn’t want to stop there, but he couldn’t seem to find what he did want to say next.

Instead, you ventured, “So what are your—”

At the very same time, he started, “Kels, would you maybe—”

You both chuckled at yourselves, locking eyes. This certainly wasn’t the first time this had happened in conversations — far from it. And usually, you were about to say the very same thing.

So, you motioned for him to speak first.

He toyed with the band of his watch as he said nervously, “I was just gonna say, uh, would you maybe wanna go to dinner with me? Tonight?”

You sat back in your chair, smirking, fully aware that you were teetering on a damn fine line.

“I was hoping you might say that.”

_____

An hour later, after reuniting with Brian (Auston was right — he cried more than the rest of his family combined when he hugged you), you headed home to change for dinner. As you pulled away from the Matthews house, you were thankful that Auston had offered to follow you in his own vehicle so that he could drive you to dinner, which in turn gave each of you a few minutes to breathe.

Surprisingly, your mother didn’t seem at all shocked to see the guest you had brought back with you. You had told her that you were going to visit the Matthews’, not specifying which member of the family had invited you, though she could venture a guess. When she watched two vehicles pull into the driveway side by side, she inhaled an excited gasp, a smile overwhelming her features as she came to meet you at the front door, just as you laughed at a lame joke Auston cracked about your driving.

Your mother nearly tackled him in a hug, which he warmly returned. He shared a similar bond with your mom to the one you shared with his, which was yet another piece that fit perfectly into the puzzle that was your relationship. So many pieces fit, and so few didn’t, but that still didn’t make things whole.

But, you ignored that thought — and so many others — as you left the two to chat, bounding up the stairs to change, now grateful that you’d brought more than one nice option to wear to the Christmas party tomorrow, considering the rest of your suitcase was filled with comfy loungewear.

How could you have ever planned for this?

After touching up your hair and makeup and putting on the more understated of the dressy outfits you’d brought, you returned to the kitchen where your mom and Auston stood huddled at the counter, near empty glasses of red wine in front of them both.

“Already boozin’, huh?” you teased as you folded your arms in front of you. They chuckled, and Auston glanced at you over his shoulder with a smile. When he laid eyes on you, though, he stood straight up and turned to face you, making no attempt to hide his stare, even in front of your mother. Without taking his gaze off of you, he threw back his final sip of wine and blew out a flustered breath. You knew you were blushing, so you walked past him to your mother, pressing your cheek to hers for an air kiss so as not to mess up your lipstick.

“Sorry to take your favorite boy away from you, but we should head out,” you announced as you looked back at Auston. He cleared his throat, walking to the other side of the countertop to hug your mom again, thanking her for the wine and something else that you didn’t quite catch.

He followed you down the hall, his hand ghosting along the small of your back as you reached for your purse on the coat rack. You looked back and blew a final kiss to your mom, who waved as she watched Auston open the passenger door of his car and help you in — both of you giggling as you crouched into the low-riding vehicle in your skirt and high heels. Like a mom of a young teen, she stood at the window and watched the two of you drive down the block and out of sight, hands clasped together wistfully as she turned back to finish placing the final decorative touches in the living room ahead of tomorrow.

Just a minute later, your dad came through the door from the grocery store, calling for her, sounding nearly breathless.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, smoothing the silk ribbon wrapped around the banister.

“Marie… did I just see Auston driving Kelsey down the road in a Porsche?” he gaped, his brow furrowed, thumb pointed over his shoulder.

She laughed, looking downward as she nodded.

“Yes, you did,” she confirmed, then looked at him as she felt tears welling. “Jack... I can’t say for sure, but I think maybe the girl is finally coming to her senses.”

A smile spread slowly across your father’s face and he came toward your mother, wrapping her in a hug.

“Well…” he began, kissing her temple. “Then maybe we’ll get our Christmas wish after all.”

“And what’s that?” your mom asked.

“For her to be happy again.”

_____

“You look amazing, Kels,” Auston said seriously from the driver’s seat. “Gorgeous.”

You gave him a coy smile and briefly inspected the outfit he’d chosen before leaving his own parents’ house.

“Thanks,” you said softly. “You don’t look half bad yourself.”

Auston grinned and decided he would take that.

Ten minutes later, he was pulling up to the restaurant you had already known he’d had in mind when he asked you to dinner, without even needing to discuss it. The same Italian restaurant where you’d celebrated infinite birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Days, and other milestones. You fell into easy conversation during drinks and appetizers before Auston told a comical story about his teammates which led to an in that he knew he needed to take.

“They miss you, you know,” Auston stated cautiously between bites of his shrimp scampi. “Mo. Mitchy. Especially Steph.”

You folded and unfolded the seams of the cloth napkin in your lap, considering your response.

“I miss them, too,” you eventually murmured. “So be real with me. You really like it there now?” you leveled with him.

His demeanor shifted — in a good way — as he replied. “It’s honestly great. I mean, you’d love it there now, Kels. I swear,” Auston said, shaking his head in wonder. “’M not just saying that. I mean, the hype is still there, yes, but it’s not at the level it was when I first started. Mitchy and Mo and Willy and I, all us guys who kinda started out together, we’ve all sort of found our groove with the media and stuff, and for the most part, it’s great. I have a feeling it’ll just keep getting better, too.”

You watched his eyes light up as he spoke about Toronto, relief and happiness washing over you. It didn’t seem so long ago that Auston was curled up on the couch, near tears, head in your lap, feeling incapable of living up to the expectations set for him — almost buckling under the immense pressure, the likes of which he had never felt before.

You let out a teary chuckle, swiping at a teardrop on your cheek that had fallen as he answered, taking you by surprise.

“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that, Aus,” you told him, holding your hand over your heart as it soared within you.

Auston nodded slightly, and his lips twitched into a sad smile. “There’s still something that doesn’t feel right though,” he confessed, though it didn’t feel much like a secret. “Still something missing.”

“And what’s that?” you asked timidly as you lifted your wine glass, excited for and fearful of his answer at all once.

“You.”

Forcing yourself to swallow your merlot so you didn’t spray it across the table, you put your fist to your mouth, holding it there while you attempted to process his latest, and most brazen, admission.

“I mean… look, there have been a few others,” Auston continued with a mindless shrug. “But never anything serious, and never anyone that I’m not constantly comparing to you in every possible way,” he told you, rolling his fingertips on the table and focusing on his hand as he spoke. “Feel kinda bad actually, because I know they all thought it was something more than it really was, and then I was always the one to break things off. I didn’t purposely lead them on, I just... once I got into it, I realized my feelings just weren’t in it.”

You opened your mouth to speak, hands limp in your lap, and then closed your lips in a tight line as you mulled over his words. You inhaled a shuddering breath and looked down, feeling the same shame that had overcome you countless times before come back again.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered without lifting your eyes.

“Kelsey…” Auston spoke firmly. “Look at me. Please.”

You did as he asked, lips pursed, and were met with his adoring, enchanting gaze, always too forgiving of your faults and mistakes.

“It’s okay,” he promised sincerely. “I understand. Trust me on that. I’ve always understood where you were coming from, but it seemed like there was just… just nothing I could do about it. Nothing I could do to make you stay, or to bring you back. That’s what made it so hard. That’s what still makes it so hard.”

You nodded. “Well — what you’re doing right now — whatever this is… it’s working,” you divulged, knowing this was a dangerous game and no longer caring.

“Is it?” Auston asked, a full-blown smile appearing now on his lips. Those lips you missed so damn much.

“Yeah,” you giggled, both of you grinning. “God, I missed your smile, Aus.”

“My smile?” he asked incredulously, then scoffed. “Your smile fucking breaks my heart, Kelsey,” he told you in his deepest tone, biting at the inside of his cheek as if he was trying not to lean across the table and kiss you full on the mouth right then and there.

And now, as you saw that look in his eye that you knew so well, you knew two things.

One, you were fucked. And two, you were in desperate need of a minute.

“I, uh, I gotta run to the ladies’ room,” you told him, standing, feeling unsteady as you pushed in your chair. Auston nodded knowingly and said, “Take all the time you need.”

You brushed a hand over his shoulder, the other holding tightly to your crossbody bag, as you attempted to walk in a straight line toward the restrooms across the restaurant floor. You were only one glass of wine deep, yet this night was making your head feel as fuzzy as if you’d just done a row of shots. Once safely inside the bathroom, you tossed your purse on the counter and held tightly to the sink to try and settle yourself, taking deep breaths in an attempt to control your racing pulse.

Just then, you heard a toilet flush, and your sense of solitude was quickly shattered when you saw a familiar blonde figure step out of the bathroom and lean closer upon recognizing you.

“Kelsey!” she exclaimed, moving toward the sink.

“Holly! Oh, my god,” you laughed as you squeezed her upper arm.

“Here, let me wash my hands and then I’ll give you a real hug,” she promised as you both giggled.

You had been a cheerleader throughout high school, and Holly, a year your senior, had been captain the year before you took on the title. Though you two weren’t particularly close, you had always looked up to her, and you’d kept in touch for a couple of years after you graduated before mostly falling off, save for the occasional hype comment or story reply on social media.

“How are you, girl? You look gorgeous!” she said as she threw her arms around you.

“So do you! I’m doing well, thanks. Home for the holidays,” you offered as she stepped back and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s great! Me, too,” she replied, then smiled mischievously at you. “To be totally honest, uh… I saw you when you were being seated. I didn’t wanna be weird or like, intrude, or anything but… I saw you come in with Auston. Are you guys like… back together?”

“Huh? Oh, no, no,” you laughed nervously, feeling yourself blush under her questioning. “We’re not back together. Just, uh, just two old friends, uh, catching up, ya know?” you reasoned nonchalantly as you reached for your bag.

“Oh. Right. Well... ‘tis the damn season, am I right?” Holly said with a chuckle, her own cheeks slightly flushed as she feared maybe she had made you uncomfortable by addressing the elephant in the room.

“Right,” you nodded cordially, then took a step toward her and patted her hand, wanting to make sure she didn’t think you were upset by her comment. “It’s so good to see you, Hol. I’m gonna head back out there—“

“Kelsey, wait,” Holly said urgently, grasping your arm before you could turn away from her. You blinked at her several times, glancing between her grip and her face as you waited to hear what had gotten into her.

“I just have to tell you... for what it’s worth, you guys still look so happy together,” Holly said. “Even if that’s not what this is. I just... I wanted to tell you that. As someone who has known you both for a long time, Auston never smiles as much as he smiles when he’s with you. It’s just nice to see.”

You gaped at your old friend, speechless, and she scrunched her nose at you. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cross the line, I just...” she trailed off.

You shook your head, forcing yourself to act casual. “No, no. Not at all. It’s okay. Thank you, for telling me. I just, I gotta run,” you said, leaning in to hug her again. “Bye, Hol. Have a merry Christmas.”

“You too, Kels. See you around,” She smiled as you moved toward the bathroom door. With one last polite nod at her, you exited and escaped to your seat.

As you reached the table, you had to physically restrain yourself from reaching out and running your hand along the back of Auston’s neck and affectionately trailing your fingertips over the short hair there, as you had done for so many years when approaching him and sidling up to him. Instead, you smoothed your hand over your dress and sighed as Auston turned his head to look at you, grinning as he watched you sit.

“You get lost?” he teased. You chuckled, throwing your hair behind your shoulders.

“Something like that,” you muttered, immediately reaching for your glass of wine, which you could tell had been refilled in your absence. Auston hummed in acknowledgement as you took a long sip, watching you all the while.

“One more glass and then we get outta here?” Auston suggested as you set the glass down. You only nodded.

_____

“Remember when you had that old truck, with the tires that were always muddy, and we used to just ride around Scottsdale all night long?” you asked Auston, both of you reminiscing about days gone by after leaving the restaurant.

Auston nodded, running his pointer finger across his upper lip, the other hand on the wheel, as he watched the memory projecting in his mind.

“‘Course I do,” he told you, and you didn’t miss the way his tone changed when he did, making you smirk.

“So, where to next?” you prodded. “Back to Casa de Matthews?”

He shrugged ambiguously, but secretly, he knew just what he wanted to do. “We could just ride around. Like we used to. If you want. I mean, there’s no real reason for us to rush back to our parents’ houses, right?” he said with a snicker.

This could get messy as the mud on the truck tires, you thought, but your response was already tumbling from your lips.

“Okay,” you said, smiling at him. “I’d say let’s go drive through the rich neighborhoods and look at Christmas lights like we used to, but that’s where you and your parents live now, so...” You clicked your tongue and Auston rolled his jaw, acting completely offended to hide how much he had missed you chirping him. The way it melted him.

“We’re still going,” he insisted, turning the wheel at the next intersection and pulling a U-turn. “We’ll just, uh, we’re just gonna maybe skip a couple neighborhoods, that’s all.”

You laughed — a real Kelsey belly laugh — and Auston watched as you lit up his world yet again. He didn’t even need to see any Christmas lights this year. He had all the light he needed right next to him.

Minutes later, he passed the usual first turn on your holiday lights tour and you furrowed your brow.

“Aus, where are you going? I wanted to see Ranchero Nuevo first. We always start there,” you reminded him.

“No, what’s the actual first thing we do when we go see Christmas lights?” Auston asked, pulling instead toward the strip mall at the next light. When you saw the green glow of the Starbucks sign up ahead, you smiled as it dawned on you.

“Get hot chocolate,” you said fondly. Instead of answering, Auston simply sent a soft smile your way. “You’re the greatest,” you lauded, igniting a pride that burned bright in Auston’s chest.

“Anything for you, babe,” he said before he could even realize what he’d just done. He snapped his head your way and saw that you were trying your damnedest not to smile.

He was completely taken aback as you quipped, “You can call me babe for the weekend.”

Auston did a double-take and then nodded once at your phone in your hands, which had just lit up with two missed calls and a particularly accusatory text from one Alex Matthews that you decided you would have to tend to later.

“Write this down,” Auston instructed curtly.

“What do you mean?” you laughed, holding your phone up curiously.

“I want proof that you just said that to me,” he deadpanned, jutting his chin toward your glowing screen and sending you into a fit of laughter.

After you’d both recovered, Auston picked up your drink — large peppermint hot chocolate, like always — and a coffee for himself, and you set off to wind your way through the same neighborhoods you had driven through countless times, admiring most of the decorations and poking fun at the gaudiness of some, laughing all the while, without a care.

As he pulled into a neighborhood you knew to be just a stone’s throw away from where he had recently purchased a house, Auston took a deep breath, fingers gripping the steering wheel rigidly, and decided to take the leap and say what had been circling through his brain since you’d stepped foot in the vehicle after dinner but had only just now worked up the nerve to say.

“What if we didn’t go back to our parents’ places tonight?” he asked abruptly, the words sounding much more jumbled and rushed than they had in his head.

You chuckled anxiously, staring straight ahead. “What do you mean?”

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and pressed on. “Hear me out. What if we just went to my place for the night instead? I don’t mean to like… to hook up, or anything,” he assured. “Just to be together. I just… I really fucking missed you.”

Uh, whoops. He hadn’t exactly meant to slip that last part in there, but it was too late to turn back now.

There was a lengthy pause and the car was frighteningly silent as you weighed your options.

“Well...” you eventually said, nibbling on your bottom lip. “If it’s okay with you, then it’s okay with me.”

“Yeah?” Auston asked immediately, searching your face for confirmation that he had just heard you correctly. He couldn’t believe that this — any of this— was really happening.

You nodded.

“Yeah. And… Aus?” you spoke.

“Yes, Kelsey?” he asked softly, joy radiating from his whole being and seeping into his words.

You leaned your head back against the seat and reached to wrap your hand around his on the center console.

“I really fucking missed you, too,” you told him.

_____

“Why did you agree to come with me tonight anyway, Kelsey?”

You and Auston were each almost a full bottle of wine deep by the time he asked this, inhibitions now lowered. He’d barely finished giving you the tour before you were both so palpably overwhelmed by the reality of being alone together in his house, with so many feelings buzzing about frenetically, that you took the liberty of pulling a bottle of red from the wine fridge and asking for glasses and a corkscrew. Auston forked them over without question, and now you were deeply entrenched in the process of examining old battle wounds that had never quite healed.

“Because I missed you,” you answered truthfully. “And also because I owed it to you to accept your invitation when you took a chance by reaching out.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Kels,” he claimed, taking a swig.

You picked up your glass and passed by him as you began to pace the tile floor, unable to just be still during this exchange — this conversation that had been a long time coming.

“I do, though,” you argued. “You gave me everything. Everything. And I still left.”

Auston squeezed the stem of his wine glass so hard he feared he may just shatter it.

“I don’t want you blaming yourself for the things I put you through because of my career choice,” he said firmly, a hand splayed against his chest as he accepted the responsibility, just like he always did.

“But you didn’t choose to have the media posted up outside our apartment every day. You didn’t choose to have strangers stalking me and my family online. You didn’t choose to have them calling me a distraction and a leech and a gold digger and a wh—“

“Don’t say it,” he warned as he lifted a finger, referencing the specific instance of the smearing of your character that had left you broken enough to start packing your bags.

“Okay,” you conceded quietly, knowing just how sick that one word had made him. “But listen. Yes, you chose to play hockey. But you didn’t choose all that shit that came along with it. You didn’t know! Hell, you didn’t even get to choose where you played. But even so… honestly, I used to blame you for everything. Because back then, it was just easier for me to deal with it that way.”

Auston’s head hung between his shoulder blades as he leaned his palms against the bar, reliving the very same pain that had eaten away at him for the past three years, especially the acute ache that had come in the weeks immediately after you left.

“I know you did — blame me, that is,” he said softly. “And I understand why.”

You took slow and deliberate steps back to where he stood and rubbed your hand soothingly across his broad back, feeling the way his muscles relaxed under your touch.

“Hey… look at me, huh?” you asked, gently guiding his face toward yours with your fingers. “I don’t blame you, Aus. I don’t,” you assured, your eyes piercing into his. “Not anymore. I’ve grown. I know I did this. I know it’s my fault that we’re like this. I mean, fuck, I broke my own heart, and I know I hurt you. I just... at the time, I didn’t see a way forward on the road we were on.”

Auston’s mind was firing on all cylinders as he tried desperately to compute what he’d just heard, convinced he was gathering more from your words than you meant for him to.

“And now?” he ventured.

He watched as your pained expression turned to one of, dare he even think it, hope.

“I still see it, Aus,” you said. “I still see us ending up together. I know it’s out of the blue, but…”

“It’s not though,” he said, cocking his head a bit to punctuate his point. “I know it doesn’t make much sense, any of this, but… to me, it’s not out of the blue. I’ve wanted this for so long,” he told you. “And I just need you to know that. Regardless of what happens next.”

“Auston, you and me together… that’s the only thing that makes sense. That’s all that’s ever made sense to me,” you said, clarity washing over you. “But I just, I wasn’t ready. And I got so scared that I wouldn’t be able to handle your life that I… I just ran.”

“You can run, Kelsey,” Auston said softly as he, yet again, twirled a strand of your hair around his finger. “But only so far.”

“Yeah…” you whispered. Then, without hesitation, you grasped his chin between your forefinger and thumb, turning his face to yours and studying his brown eyes just for a heartbeat before pressing your lips to his.

And for now, that was all that needed to be said.

_____

You hadn’t slept together. But you had slept together.

Too much crying and laughing and kissing and rehashing and wondering aloud had left you both emotionally drained and physically exhausted, and after dragging yourself into the master bathroom to throw on a crewneck and a pair of Auston’s sweats, you’d promptly fallen asleep in his arms, a smile on his features even in sleep.

The next morning it occurred to you, with your cheek pressed against his bare chest and your legs entangled with his, that Auston’s bed — whether here, or in the house where he grew up, or in Toronto — was the warmest one you’d ever known. Though you could tell by the sunlight flooding the room that it was late in the morning, you couldn’t bear to move away from him.

Soon, he, too, began to stir. As he squinted in the daylight and peered down at you, he closed his eyes once more, a peaceful grin on his lips.

“Oh, thank god that wasn’t just a dream,” he whispered. You chuckled, your fingertips lazily drawing shapes on his pecs as you nuzzled your head further into his neck.

“Nope,” you established. “This is very, very real.”

You lay in quiet thought for a moment before adding softly, “But what happens now?”

At that, Auston’s eyes opened wider this time, a slight panic visible in his face.

“Well,” he began, smoothing his hand over your head and kissing your hair. “What happens now is that we get some coffee.”

You sighed at his attempt to make light of the situation and pushed yourself to sit straight up in bed, cross-legged in front of where he lay on his side.

“You know that’s not what I mean,” you spoke, your fingers pulling anxiously at the bedsheet below. “Yesterday was like a fever dream and now... now we have to face reality.”

Slowly, Auston sat up, too, and pulled you into his lap, allowing you to rest your back against his torso as he gathered your hair at the nape of your neck in a makeshift ponytail.

“Everything that happened yesterday was reality, baby,” he insisted, kissing the crown of your head.

“Our feelings, yes,” you allowed. “But not the rest of it. I mean, fuck, we’re both leaving town in —“ you glanced at the bedside clock and were shocked by the 11:27 that stared back at you, realizing you’d practically slept in half the day — “48 hours. And then what? I go back to LA and you go back to Toronto and we just wonder about—“

“Baby, stop,” Auston begged as he turned you to face him, bringing your forehead to his lips. “Take a breath,” he said, stroking your jaw with his thumbs as he looked down at you, concern etched into his features. “We don’t have to figure all this out right this minute. In fact, we’re not going to. For right now, let’s just let this be what it is. And you have to try and stop spinning your wheels so fast. You’re gonna burn a hole in my floor,” he joked, kissing your nose.

You chuckled sadly, holding his wrists. “You’re right,” you eventually told him. “We’ll figure it out, somehow. I know we will,” you sighed, frowning. “First things first though, I have to get home and help my mom get ready for the party tonight.”

Before you could get out of bed to start gathering your things, Auston circled his arms around your hips and kept you in his lap. “Wait, gimme a smile first,” he requested.

You looked up at him and offered a tight-lipped smile, still distracted by the future of your relationship teetering precariously in the balance.

Auston shook his head. “That’s a fake Kelsey smile,” he accused, accurately. “Don’t even try me.”

With another deep sigh, you muttered, “You’re the only soul who can tell.”

“Who can tell what?” he asked, hugging you tighter.

You looked up at him for a moment, feeling more seen than you had in years. “Which smiles I’m faking,” you said quietly.

A pleased smile twitched at the corners of Auston’s lips before he pressed his mouth to yours.

_____

Auston walked into your parents’ house that night with his understated charm and a devastating ensemble of a maroon suit, white shirt with the top few buttons undone, and black loafers, looking every bit the GQ model he was once upon a time. With two bouquets of red roses and a bottle of champagne in hand, he knocked on the glass and your dad met him enthusiastically at the door.

“What’s the occasion?” your dad then chuckled, a bit puzzled. Auston glanced to where you stood near the staircase, waiting to greet him, and smiled.

“These are for your daughter,” Auston said as he grasped one bouquet. “And these are for your wife,” he said as he gestured toward the other. Your dad raised his eyebrows, looking between the two of you pensively, and let out a loud laugh. “Well, how thoughtful! And the champagne?” your dad asked as Auston stepped toward you and tucked one bunch of roses into your hold. He kissed your cheek chastely and turned back to your dad.

“Well, you never know when you’re gonna have something to celebrate,” Auston said with a smirk. You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth and your dad clapped Auston’s back appreciatively before leaving the two of you to your moment.

“Thank you, for the flowers,” you said softly, staring up at him. “They’re beautiful.”

“You’re welcome,” he said with a nod before your aunt and uncle suddenly appeared in the doorway, loudly greeting you and pushing their way toward you for hugs as Auston gave them their space and waited for you to become available again.

His patience lasted all of five minutes as he made vague pleasantries with the handful of guests who had already arrived, before he was approaching you again, eager to do what he really came here to do and unable to wait a moment longer. As you turned away from a brief conversation with a longtime next-door neighbor, Auston gently grasped your wrist as he said hastily, “Can I see you outside for a second?”

You didn’t have much of a choice as he led you hurriedly through the formal living room and out the French doors to the balcony, closing them behind you and backing you into a corner, hidden from view.

“Aus, what are you—“

He pressed his body into yours, nudging you back against the rail as he took your face in his hands and kissed you hungrily.

“Doing,” you whispered when he let up, completing your earlier thought as you pressed your fingertips against your swollen lips and looked up at him, your cheeks reddening.

“That,” he answered simply with a small smile. “And I wanted to give you something...”

He patted his pockets to determine where the object was, and your eyes widened.

“Auston, no!” you exclaimed, squeezing his elbows in an attempt to stop his search. “You can’t. I didn’t get you anything. I —”

“Kelsey, are you crazy? Yes, you did,” he said firmly. “Time with you. You gave me time with you. That’s all I’ve wanted for the last three years. That’s more than I could have ever asked for.”

There was nothing you could say then, nothing that sounded worthy enough to hold any significance in such an already meaningful vignette of the two of you. Auston took your silence as his opportunity to pull a mid-sized, square, red leather box from the pocket of his suit jacket, the name “Cartier” imprinted in gold script on the lid.

“Auston, stop,” you warned in a whisper, knowing what was inside and knowing that you would be rendered completely incapable of walking away from him once he offered this gift to you, knowing what it signified for both of you. He shook his head, knowing that your request was an empty one. He propped open the box and placed it on the small wrought iron table in front of you on the balcony. You couldn’t peel your eyes from it as your mind raced with questions.

“How... where... we slept until noon, Aus,” you stuttered. “All the stores were closed. Where did you even buy this?”

He pursed his lips and nodded once, then put his hands into his pockets and admitted, “I’ve had it for almost three years, Kels.”

You blinked again and again, not processing what he’d just revealed.

“I’m sorry... what?”

“I bought this for you for Valentine’s Day three years ago,” he continued. “I bought it and I hid it in my closet and I was gonna give it to you but we broke up on —“

“January 30th...” you whispered. Auston’s brows knit together in agony, and his throat constricted.

“You remember too,” he stated quietly.

“Yeah. Yeah, I remember a little too well,” you said, sniffling as you glanced down at the box again.

Suddenly, your mind drifted back not to that fateful day in his apartment in Toronto, but instead to lying on your stomach as a kid in your family room, flipping through the pages of your favorite issue of your mom’s old Vogue magazines, as Auston used a yardstick and a Nerf ball as makeshift hockey equipment, taking shots at your couch again and again while you soaked in the photos of beautiful models, trendy clothing, and expensive jewelry, as visions of working at a fashion magazine someday twirled through your daydreams.

“Whatcha readin’?” a ten-year-old Auston inquired as he dropped next to you to take a break from his game.

“Vogue,” you answered, turning another page. “Like usual.”

Auston nodded, spotting a pretty woman in a tight black dress and commented, “Cool,” with a laugh. “If you could have anything in that book, what would you pick?”

Ever the master of sass, you rolled your eyes.

“It’s a magazine, Aus,” you corrected with venom in your voice as Auston rolled his own eyes. “But, if I had to pick... I know just what I want,” you informed him, leafing through the issue to get back to an ad in the front. When you finally found what you were seeking, you plopped the magazine down again, smacking your hand onto its glossy pages.

“That,” you said, pointing to the gold bangle. “It’s called the Love Bracelet. It says that it gets bought by somebody you love and then they have to use a screwdriver to put it on you.”

“A screwdriver?!” Auston asked incredulously. “Wouldn’t that hurt?”

You giggled. “No, silly,” you drawled. “It doesn’t hurt. But then the person who loves you is the only one who can put it on you or take it off you. You can’t do it by yourself.”

Auston nodded. “Cool,” he repeated, more seriously this time. You sighed wistfully as you gazed down at the bracelet.

“Yeah, but it’s a whole bunch of money, and my dad said he isn’t buying it. He said maybe my husband will get me one someday,” you said sadly. Auston watched your face drop, then, he got an idea.

“How about this,” he offered, nudging you with his elbow. “If I get famous for playing baseball, or hockey I guess, and I make a boatload of money, then I’ll buy you that bracelet. ‘Kay?”

You blushed, hunching your shoulders as you were slightly embarrassed by your best friend’s offer. Still, you loved Auston, and you knew he loved you. He was the only person you wanted to get that bracelet from, except for like, your mom or dad.

“Okay,” you agreed. “You promise?”

Auston dragged his index finger over the left side of his chest. “Cross my heart,” he confirmed.

This time, it was your turn to say, “Cool.”

“I asked my mom to hold onto it,” you heard him telling you now. Now that you’d become the people you’d said you’d be. Now that you both had grown into the farfetched dreams you’d shared as children. Now that you’d come back home — back to one another. Now that he was here, in front of you, again. “I just couldn’t bear to take it back, even though I honestly never thought I’d get the chance to give it to you.”

You were shaking your head endlessly, attempting to stop tears from streaking your face. “I can’t believe this...” you said, awestruck.

“I don’t have to put this on you right now,” Auston said, swallowing his own tears he felt creeping up on him. “I just want you to have it. It’s yours. You should keep it.”

With a few swipes at your undereyes, you rubbed away the wetness on your hands and then extended your left wrist to Auston. A smile flashed briefly across his lips before he set them in a straight line once more.

“Are you sure?” he asked, caution in his voice.

You pulled him in by his waist, beaming, before you answered.

“I’ve played this out basically every night since I left,” you told him. “Even when I was with somebody. I just followed the path my mind was taking me all the way to the very end, until there was no place left to go. And it always leads to you. It always leads me home.”

Auston pulled you into a searing kiss, both of you smiling into it, before he squeezed your hand and reached for the box, carefully disassembling the bracelet so that he could put it on you at last.

“All day I’ve been thinking about what I said earlier. About running,” you spoke as Auston worked on securing the bracelet. “I started running and running and it’s been such a mess since then. Nothing about the past three years made any sense to me. And then I saw you, and… it all made sense again. You and I were the only thing that ever made sense to me,” you told him, your voice wavering as he twisted the final screw into place, lifting the inside of your wrist to his lips and placing a warm, reverent kiss to the skin there, his eyes never leaving yours as he did. “So I’m done. I’m done running, Auston. I can’t run anymore.”

“You have no fucking clue how long I’ve waited to hear you say that,” Auston admitted, touching his forehead to yours before leaning back. “So, to your earlier point... what the hell are we supposed to do now?”

You ran a frazzled hand through your long hair and bit at the inside of your cheek as you formulated your response. “I mean, I have to go back, Aus. I’m working on a really big project...”

Your words put him into a tailspin of his own this time, watching the dreams he had let resurface over the last two days come crashing down in front of him all over again. You were eluding him. Again.

His ears were buzzing so loudly that he barely heard your next words.

“But maybe after that... I could come and spend some time in Toronto?”

Auston pulled his tongue away from the roof of his dry mouth and pleaded, in a voice barely above a whisper, “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?”

“Don’t say that unless you really mean it,” he said, desperation in his tone.

“I mean, really, I don’t have a choice,” you pointed out with a breathy laugh, your fingers tracing the cold metal of the bangle around your other wrist. “I don’t see any other way that this ends. Not after this. This perfect fucking weekend. I mean... do you?”

“No,” he quickly retorted. “No, I don’t. I was just scared that you... that this was going to be it for you. That we would have this incredible time together and then it would just be another chapter in the Auston and Kelsey history book.”

You smoothed your hands over his lapels, allowing your body to fully relax into his.

“Auston, this... this is different,” you said somberly. “Before, it all just felt like too much. I got scared. We were so young, Aus. I mean, we’re still young, but we were babies. And now... I’ve realized that dealing with the press and the social media and the fans... it’s worth it to me. I’ll never like it. But I love you. And that’s enough. That will always be more than enough for me — being with you. And I’m so sorry that it’s taken me this long, that it took me finally coming back home, to realize that.”

“Don’t be sorry, Kels, please,” Auston whispered, one hand clutching at your hip, the other tangled in the hair at the back of your head as he held onto you with everything he had, knowing he was ready to do so for as long as you would let him. “Just... just say it again, baby. Please?”

“I love you, Aus,” you whispered, tears falling freely down your cheeks as he pressed his forehead to yours. “I’m never gonna stop.”

“Don’t stop,” Auston pleaded, nuzzling his nose against yours before pressing his lips to your mouth. “Don’t ever stop. Promise?” he asked, his voice gravelly.

“Cross my heart,” you whispered, drawing a pretend line across your chest before cupping his cheek and kissing him tenderly.

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shoichee · 4 years ago

Text

Oblivious!reader as Aomine’s Crush

May I request for an HC or Fic, you can choose, of like…Aomine’s crush is like the MOST OBLIVIOUS person and at least the same year as sakurai. Daiki teases them to be flirty but they think he hates them so they go to basketball practice crying looking for ryo because aomine “hates” them but daiki just butts in and tells them in frustraition? If only you’re okay with it though hahahaha

@thirsthourdemon hi!! sorry it took so long woooo thank you for stopping by this blog and sorry it took so long D:

Oblivious!reader x Aomine Daiki

[Headcanons]

Note: as much as my head is FILLED with the urge to write a fic, my uni classes said “hell no.”

so you can be a bit dense and while Aomine finds it really really cute at first…

endearing and cute… only for the first few weeks he’s tried to make a somewhat attempt to hit on you ever since he saw you smiling at your class president in the hallways

but after that,,,, well,,,,,,,,

you were very close friends with Sakurai, his mild, but responsible personality meshing perfectly well with your slightly airheaded personality

what does that mean? well, you would sit on the benches to watch Sakurai practice while you were either A.) doing your homework and being absolutely oblivious to the curious (or less than decent) stares or B.) eating Sakurai’s extra bentos he would sometimes pack that day because you would sometimes forget your own

this doesn’t bode well for Aomine, especially since he ditches practice 24/7 and every time he tries to look for you after school, he could never find you for some reason

until he showed up to practice that one time to steal an octo-dog from Sakurai’s bento when he saw you talking with the coach, trying to earnestly learn more about the sport

ohohohoho, his smirk grew and he’s having the wildest ideas in trying to get your attention

*proceeds to rip off the entire backboard and glances to your figure to see you wide-eyed*

*also waits outside the gym with a confused Momoi until everyone except you and Sakurai leave*

Aomine also tells Momoi to scram, also subtly glares at Sakurai

both leave but both give each other the look before they both hide behind the bushes to eavesdrop

there was no way in hell Sakurai would leave you alone to Aomine, even if he was someone who wasn’t confrontational

Momoi, on the other hand, even if she was pissed he name-called her, didn’t trust him to be on his own devices, especially with someone as sweet as you

“So you’re the one Wakamatsu has been ranting about,” you said tilting your head up as you took in Aomine’s appearances for the first time

“Huh? Yeah I guess,” he flippantly grumbled, scratching the back of his head as he averted his gaze away

you gasped, bringing Aomine’s (and the eavesdroppers’) attention back to you

“Wha…? Where’s Ryo?”

“…” - everyone right now

as you cluelessly look around your surroundings, Aomine steps forward to clasp your wrist and slightly tug you towards him to get your attention back on him

“Tch, forget about him for a second.” Aomine makes a harsh frown before remembering that he was supposed to make a good impression

your eyes curiously dropped to his hand on your wrist

“Aomine-san… Is there something wrong with my wrist?”

“Huh?? No, obviously not you idi—(y/n)—” he coughs out in an attempt to cover up his mishap but you don’t seem to notice

“Wahhhh, I have to look for Ryo!” you said, your brows furrowing. “He’s probably waiting for me right now! Ah, I’ll see you later, Aomine-san!”

and you dash from Aomine, breaking free from his loose clutch on you

Aomine just stands there dumbly, watching you until you leave his sight before he kicks the dirt in irritation

meanwhile, Sakurai leaves the bushes to chase after you and Momoi huffs as she stomps to him, pushing Aomine from behind

“Ow—what the hell?”

“Mou—I can’t believe it! You can’t just treat everyone like that!”

“Hah? You never nagged me about this before. Besides, don’t you people like that kinda stuff?”

“Ugh, Aho-mine! You lack delicacy! You have to be romantic and sweet if you like the person—!”

“Who says I like (y/n)?”

“It was as clear as day, stupid!”

meanwhile…

Sakurai is gently scolding you for getting yourself into a “possibly scary” situation although you don’t really get it

“What’s scary about Aomine?”

“E-e-eh?? Lots, (f/n)!! Did you not see him beat up Wakamatsu-san and rip off the hoop??”

“Well, I dunno, Ryo…” you started. “He seems out there, but I think he’s a nice guy.”

“That’s what you say to every person you meet.”

“Hmpf! Not everyone,” you pouted

“Just… just be careful, okay?… I worry for you…”

…

for the two weeks, it was a pattern of Aomine waiting for you outside the gym after every practice, while Momoi and Sakurai begrudgingly hiding to eavesdrop, ready to intervene if needed

that said, both are inwardly cringing at Aomine’s attempts at “flirting” while everything just seems to fly over your head as you blink and politely smile

“You’re not half-bad looking, y’know?”

“So who’s the other ‘half-bad’?”

“What?”

You would tilt your head innocently at a flustered but frustrated Aomine

if you listen hard enough, you could hear a loud worried sigh and an “Ahomine!” from a distance

or another day:

“So there’s a movie at 5 tomorrow, and I got an extra ticket. Wanna go?”

“Don’t you have Momoi?”

“She has practice.”

“Don’t you have practice, too?”

“….”

or another day:

he decided to take Momoi’s advice in being more “forward” but showing enough romantic gestures to get the point across… but the only thing he could settle on without getting too sappy was the kabedon

“A-Aomine-san! What’s wrong? Can you stand properly? Do you need to go to the—”

“Shut up already, (y/n),” he drawled, before he tried to lean in closer to your face…

but then you slapped your hand to his forehead and leaned even closer to his face to try to feel his temperature

oh, but your lips—too close—too close—help—

“Oh no! You are burning up!”

Aomine was ready to faint right there and then

…

“You need to tell her and be honest, Dai-chan!”

“Shut up, Satsuki. Non’ya business.”

“It is, Aho-mine!” she huffed. “(y/n)-chan is my friend too!”

he groans as he sits up from his napping position at the rooftop before he stretches his limbs and walks to the gym

…

“Aomine-san! You’re coming to practice today?” you turned to the blue-haired ace at the doorway in surprise

“Nope, I’m sleeping.”

“Huh?”

he languidly walks to your side to steal your onigiri

“Wha—?”

“Thanks for the food, shortie.”

“Ah?”

and he gives your head a few firm taps before he leaves the gym before a Momoi unceremoniously bursts into the room, wheezing

“Is Dai-chan here?…”

you shake your head “no” in response, still in a stupor at processing what just happened, and Momoi just dashes back outside to track him down

…

“A-Aomine-san!” your fingers barely grazed the pencil as he held it up way above his own head. “Could you please… give that back?”

“You can get it back if you manage to get it,” he said, with a mischievous smirk on his face

“Wh-why meee?” you whined, as your breath shortens out of exertion

“You’re the only one who could cure my boredom.”

“Aho-mine! Give it back to (y/n)-chan!”

“Tch, fine…”

…

yeah, he’s just been calling you various names, stealing things and taunting you to get it back by running FULL SPEED IN THE HALLWAYS, knowing FULL WELL YOU COULD NEVER CATCH UP

“Dai-chan, can you stop messing with (y/n)-chan? You’re so childish, sheesh!”

“Didn’t you say to be honest? They’re short, right? And I’m just playing with (y/n). You know that.”

Momoi wants to kill him right there and then

“Ugh! I swear, you’re so dumb! We might know you don’t mean these things, but does (y/n)-chan know? Besides, you’re not being honest with your feelings to them at all! Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

…

“Ryo,” you sniffled to him one day. “Do you think Aomine hates me?”

“W-well, as much as I stay away from him… If he hated anyone he would make sure they know it…”

“I knew it! Was it something I said?” you gasped. “Maybe I’m the reason why he never went to practice. Maybe my presence annoys him—”

and you’re ready to break down in the middle of the hallways at the possibility of having someone hate you because of your obliviousness to your own insensitivity

“N-no! (f/n)-san, it’s not that!” Sakurai uncharacteristically firmly says. “Why don’t you talk to him to sort it out?… I’ll walk you to him but…”

despite your reluctance, you figured it was the best course of action, and you were determined to at least apologize to him

well, you were until you turned around and walked smack dab into the touou ace

as you rub your nose to ease the pain and look up to the person, ready to apologize, you freeze

uh oh, did he hear the entire thing?

you mad dashed to the opposite direction but he immediately chases after you, leaving a concerned Sakurai in the dust

of course, you were no match for his long legs his agility and you were soon tackled by him when you were both outside the classroom buildings

as he tackled you, he cradled you into his arms as he twisted his body to take the brunt of the fall

“Ah! I’m so sorry, I’ll get off right no—”

he fully locked his lips onto yours

“Shut up, already.” he frowns before continuing, “I never hated you, stupid.”

“You… don’t?”

“Tch,” he clicks his tongue in irritation but he still pulled your cheek affectionately

“O-ow! Why don’t you go… to practice then?”

in response, he sighs and says, “it’s a long story, but I’ll tell you at Maji Burger… how’s that sound?”

“O-oh! I didn’t bring money today!”

“I meant as a date. You, me. Between us. As a romantic thing.”

“R-r-romantic!?”

“Do I have to spell it out?” he sighs loudly. “I like you, shortie.”

“H-hey!”

#submission #kagummypack #knb #knb x reader #kuroko no basket #aomine x reader #aomine daiki #knb headcanons #aomine daiki x reader #knb fluff #knb imagines #knb scenarios

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be11atrixthestrange · 4 years ago

Text

The Loft Chapter 4

After a bad break-up, Hermione Granger moves into a messy and dysfunctional loft with four single men. What starts as a temporary home until she gets back on her feet becomes so much more, as she learns there's a lot of life - and love - that happens at rock-bottom.

Inspired by the TV Series ‘New Girl’

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Also on A03 | FFN

More Chapters

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Chapter 4

[Ron]

Ron would best describe the loft as a mess, but a clean one. After hours of scrubbing, the windows are clear and smudge-free, and the concrete floor shimmers with its long-forgotten natural color. What makes him feel most at home, however, is not the fresh pine scent of the couch cushions, but the fact that they're strewn about the floor like plush stepping stones. The boys have arranged them around the trash can in the middle of the room, which is empty save for a dried-up bottle of Febreeze.

Ron's desperate to know Hermione's opinion on the new decor. Despite lifting an eyebrow at the bad doodles of United States presidents and the cardboard cutout of a bald eagle plastered to the wall, she doesn't say anything. She must know better than to think he'll offer an explanation.

After cleaning and decorating the loft, Neville, Seamus, and Harry dispersed into their rooms to make themselves presentable, leaving Ron and Hermione alone in the kitchen to finish up the last of the dishes. He hands her a plate to dry, and she takes it with a smile.

"Thank you for helping, Hermione."

"Of course! But I'm not sure why we're cleaning so much if it's just going to get trashed."

Trashed might be an exaggeration, but she's right in the sense that the new cleanliness of the loft isn't going to last very long. Tonight they're throwing a party, Hermione's first as a loft resident, and she's in for a treat. The boys have been purposely vague regarding loft parties, as any accurate descriptions might turn her off attending. Ron would hate to have her make other plans tonight, whether those be with the girls, or worse, a date.

"Hey, we're not animals. But if it's going to get trashed, it's nice to know it's new-trashed, not old-trashed," he says, earning an eye-roll from Hermione.

"So I'm guessing that this party is America-themed?"

"No. Why would you guess that?"

"No reason," she says, eyeing the miniature blow-up Uncle Sam doll that the boys have been tossing around like a basketball.

"The decorations are just for the drinking game we're going to play," he says, motioning to the multiple cases of PBR lining the wall.

"Right, how do you play?"

"It's not really a game you can explain. You just have to experience it. Nice try, though."

"Then I look forward to experiencing it." She finishes drying the last dish and stacks it away neatly in the cupboard. "What else do we need to set up? Everyone's coming at eight, right?

Ron checks his watch. "Shit, you're right. People should be here soon. I'm going to get ready. Can you start on the beer castle?"

"The beer castle?"

"Yeah. Just stack beer cans in a castle shape around the trash can in the living room."

Ron doesn't wait for Hermione's reaction before he slips back into his room. He rummages around his closet in search of something to wear, something that makes him look both put-together and laid back, ready to party. He lands on a pair of khaki shorts and a pastel blue t-shirt that looks quite nice with his eyes.

He's pretty sure Hermione hasn't seen him in it. Not that it matters, anyway.

He pulls off his shirt and catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Surprisingly, he looks pretty damn good. He's a bit skinny but firm and fit. It comes as a pleasant surprise because he's been slacking on his workouts ever since Hermione moved in and he lost his home gym. It's been difficult to exercise in his tiny bedroom, so he doesn't. He hasn't wanted to work out in the living room for fear of Hermione seeing him, but maybe he should give that a try…

With a shrug, Ron pulls off his pants and stands back up. He can't resist the urge to take another look at himself in the mirror. As much as he wishes he was a bit more muscular, there are pros to being lanky. By comparison, his scrawny self really does accentuate his already well-endowed state.

He checks himself out from a few more angles before deciding that physically, he doesn't have much to complain about.

Before he has the chance to put on his pants, the door to his bedroom swings open. Ron startles when it crashes against the wall and Hermione barges in uninvited.

"Hey Ron, I have a question about the beer can castle—"

"Hermione!" Ron, completely naked, scrambles for something to cover himself with but doesn't have time before she's standing right in front of him. "You have to knock!"

She's staring at the two cans in her hands until she pauses and looks up, but her gaze never makes it to his face. Instead, it lands directly on his penis, and she seems to stare at it for an eternity. Thanks to his utter panic, Ron can't move.

It almost feels like time has stopped, and he's frozen there like the statue of David while Hermione ogles him. She appears to be frozen too, eyes wide, mouth agape, staring.

If his dick could blush, it would match the color of his ears, which are bleeding scarlet.

For a split second, he wonders if it's truly as bad as it seems. Maybe Hermione likes what she sees. A tiny seed of hope takes root.

But that hope shatters when she opens her mouth to speak and lets out the worst sound he's ever heard. It's somewhere between a scream and a giggle, and he wouldn't wish such a reaction on his worst enemy.

Without further ado, a red-faced Hermione mutters a quick and useless 'sorry' and rushes out the door and slams it behind her.

Ron stands there for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before the reality of what just happened crashes down.

Hermione just laughed at his dick.

Well, fuck.

Now that he knows how she really feels, he'll never be able to look her in the eye again.

Ron stays in his room until there's a knock on the loft's door, and he has to show his face in order to let in his guests. He's opted for a hoodie over his shirt so he can hide behind the hood whenever Hermione looks at him, because when she does, his neck prickles with heatwaves, and he feels like he's naked again.

It doesn't make sense — Ron's never reacted so strongly to having a woman see him naked, and he's had a decent amount of experience in that arena. He's no Seamus, of course, but he's not a stranger to the occasional hookup.

It's just because she laughed—no other reason.

He opens the door to find his sister Ginny, her roommate Demelza, and two of their mutual friends—Dean and Luna.

"Welcome," says Ron, opening the door.

"Hey, Ron!" says Ginny. "Hermione!"

Ginny crashes into Hermione for a hug, then introduces her to everyone else. "This is Hermione, Ron's new roommate."

"Nice to meet you all!"

Hermione falls into easy conversation with Ron's friends before they get a chance to greet him, but they don't seem bothered by it. He watches her through narrowed eyes and doesn't even realize he's glaring at her until she looks at him and scowls.

"What?"

"Nothing." He turns back toward his friends, hoping they didn't notice their interaction. "Make yourselves at home. Drinks in the fridge, food on the counter, and you know where the beer is," he says, pointing at the beer castle.

Harry turns the music up just as their guests crack open their beers, and everyone starts to relax. Except for Ron, of course. Even though he's hyper-aware of Hermione, he still manages to bump into her and make more frequent eye contact than he'd like.

For some reason, they seem to gravitate toward the kitchen to replenish food and drinks at the same time, and they barely manage a conversation when they run into each other.

"Oh, sorry," she says, trying to slide past him, only for him to walk directly into her in an attempt to get out of her way.

"Erm—"

"I'll go left; you go right."

"Yeah, okay."

Are they always this awkward around each other?

Every time he tries to act normal, all he can hear is her weird little high-pitched scream-laugh, and he just wants to disappear into his hoodie. On occasion, Ron can sense Hermione watching him, but she looks away whenever he tries to catch her gaze. Not that he wants to make awkward eye contact with her, he just wants her to leave him alone.

He continues to keep himself at a safe distance to avoid talking to her, making sure he's always involved in a conversation with someone else. Over the course of the party, he becomes progressively more resentful of how much mental space it requires to avoid her.

Then, like a hawk, she swoops in and catches him alone while he's in the kitchen grabbing another beer.

"Ron!"

"Jesus," he says, nearly crashing into her. "You scared me."

"Why are you being so weird?"

"I'm not."

"Is it because I saw you naked?"

"No."

"It's not a big deal, Ron."

Of course, she has the nerve to act like he's the one who's being childish.

"Oh yeah, Hermione?" he says. "Then why did you laugh? Too immature?"

Hermione opens her mouth to answer, but in the moment before she does, he turns away from her and shouts to the crowd, "Who's ready for True American?"

The loft whoops their approval and begins to gather in the living room.

"Right now?" whispers Hermione behind him. "We're still talking."

But he ignores her.

"The game is True American," shouts Ron at a volume much louder than necessary for the size of the room. "Say 'aye' if you've played before."

There's a chorus of 'ayes' and a room-wide scrambling toward the furniture. When everyone hops onto a cushion, a table, or a chair, Ron notices Hermione looking around frantically, her expression disheartened.

"I'm the only one who's never played?" she asks.

"It's okay, Hermione," says Harry. "All you need to know is that it's about fifty percent drinking, fifty percent life-size Candy Land."

"I'd argue that it's seventy-five percent drinking, twenty percent Candy Land, and the floor is lava," says Ginny. "Which is why we're standing on the furniture. Hermione, you're melting."

"Oh no," she says, hopping up onto the coffee table between the beer castle and Demelza, who extends a hand to help her.

"Honestly, guys, it's ninety-percent drinking and has a very loose Candy Land-like structure to it," says Neville. "There's also a truth or dare component."

"I just need to know how to play—"

"You're smart; you'll catch on," says Ron. His tone comes off a little more terse than he'd intended, so he quickly continues, "I'll start. JFK!"

"FDR!"

Everyone but Hermione shuffles to a new location, avoiding the lava floor, and Hermione is left standing in her same spot between the beer castle and now, Luna.

"What just happened?" she asks, looking confused.

"Hermione, since you're the last to find a new spot, you have to pick someone, and they'll ask you a truth or dare question," explains Ginny. "Just answer and drink."

"Okay, then," she says. "Um, Neville. Truth."

"How do you like loft life?" asks Neville brightly, eliciting a groan from the crowd.

"Neville, you can do better—" starts Seamus.

"It's her first game!" he says. "Let's ease her in. So, Hermione?"

"Well, it's great so far."

"Just so you know, not every question will be that tame," says Ginny from her precarious perch on the armchair.

"Go figure," says Hermione before chugging back a gulp of her PBR.

As soon as she swallows her drink, Neville shouts out, "The only thing we have to fear is…"

"Fear itself!"

When the crowd joins in, Hermione looks around the room, dumbfounded.

"Hermione, you didn't complete the quote," says Harry.

"I didn't know I was supposed to!"

"Well, now you do! Drink, and then pick someone."

"I feel like I'm at a disadvantage since you didn't explain the game," she says, challenging Harry.

"We've all been there," Harry says, shrugging, "It's a rite of passage."

"Fine," Hermione takes a long swig and points at Ginny. "Ginny, truth."

"Sweet!" says Ginny, beaming mischievously. "Hermione, are you attracted to anyone in the loft?"

Ron's ears tingle at Ginny's question, and he tunes in for Hermione's answer.

"Nope," she says, taking a hasty drink.

In his curiosity, Ron has made prolonged eye contact with Hermione for the first time since the penis-incident, but when she catches his gaze, he quickly looks away. Ron's stomach clenches. Not that he wants Hermione to be attracted to him, but after she saw him naked, it's quite the low blow. Trying to look casual, he pulls back a swig of beer.

"Really?" presses Seamus. "None of us?"

"Ginny's turn!" says Hermione, ignoring Seamus' question.

"Alright, here we go," says Ginny, her eyes narrowed in concentration. "Abe Lincoln! George Washington!"

"Cherry Tree!" shouts Ron.

"Correct! Pick a person and an amendment!"

"Hermione, second."

Everyone looks at Hermione, and Ginny tosses her an unopened can of beer.

"I don't understand," she says. "You still haven't given me any information."

"You have to shotgun a beer! And then pick someone to ask truth or dare," says Dean.

"Wait, what? That doesn't make any sense."

"Give it time, Hermione," encourages Neville. "I didn't understand it at first either."

Hermione groans and sets down her half-full PBR, and reaches into her pocket for her key. She stabs the bottom of her can, then tips it into her mouth, chugging it down while the loft's onlookers cheer in the background.

Eyebrows raised, Ron watches her shotgun her beer, trying to ignore the smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He never thought he'd see that, and he isn't complaining.

"Yeah, there's no going back now," says Hermione once she finishes. "Luna, truth."

"Yay!" says Luna. "Did you and Ron get into a fight? You've been avoiding each other all night."

Ron's face grows hot. He bores his gaze toward Luna, who is staring intently at Hermione and doesn't seem to notice Ron's glare.

"Is that really your question?" she asks.

"Yep!"

"Luna, you've never seen us interact," says Ron. "How would you know that?"

Luna shrugs. "I can just tell."

"You know what," says Harry as he looks between Ron and Hermione. "You two have been acting weird tonight."

"Is it that obvious?" asks Hermione.

Ron feels Hermione's eyes on him, and his palms break out in a sweat. Once again, his refusal to make direct eye contact probably serves as a sufficient answer to Hermione's question.

"Well, fine then," she says, turning back toward Luna. "Earlier, I walked in on him changing. But it wasn't a big deal."

"Ron, is this true?" asks Harry.

Everyone turns to look at Ron, who groans. "Yes, but as she said, it wasn't a big deal."

His roommates might as well be shining an interrogation light on him by the way they all continue to stare.

"If it wasn't a big deal, why are you all fidgety?" asks Seamus.

"I'm not," says Ron, but his defensive tone suggests otherwise.

"Yeah, women have seen you naked before, Ron," says Luna. "Why is it different with Hermione?"

"Whose turn is it?" says Ron, much louder than necessary. Anything to divert the attention from Luna's oddly specific question.

"Oh, it's my turn," says Luna. "One, two, three, go!"

Luna holds up the number five to her forehead, and everyone else follows suit with their own number. Ron looks frantically around the room and breathes a sigh of relief when he matches numbers with Harry.

It appears that Hermione, who was the last to catch on, as usual, is the only one without a partner.

"Not again!" she says. "But at least that one made sense. Seamus, truth."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" asks Ginny.

But it's too late. Seamus, who is already slurring his words, looks at Hermione and asks, "So, Hermione, what does Ron's dick look like?"

"Dude, what the fuck?" shouts Ron.

"Seriously, Seamus," adds Harry. "That's not even an interesting question."

"Sure, it is! I'm interested!"

"Old news," pipes in Neville. "We've all seen Ron's dick."

Embarrassed, Ron glances toward Hermione. She looks lost for words. "You don't have to answer, Hermione."

"No, we haven't!" says Seamus.

"Really?" says Dean as he side-eyes Seamus. "I've seen it, and I don't even live here."

Ron looks toward the loft door. Maybe he can make a run for it.

"Am I the only roommate who hasn't seen your dick?" asks Seamus, now appearing uninterested in Hermione's answer. When everyone in the room turns to look at Ron, he feels like he's naked in a crowd again.

Ron shrugs. "I guess so," he says, casually taking a sip of his beer.

"When? Where?"

"I don't know, dude. Locker rooms, penis fights, I'm sure you'll see it someday," says Ron. "Can we stop talking about my dick, now?"

"Yes, let's move on," says Hermione with an apologetic glance in Ron's direction. "Just ask me a different question."

"Fine," says Seamus, his words melding together, "Hermione, what did you think of Ron's dick?"

"Seriously, Seamus?"

"I guess we can't," mutters Ron.

Hermione rolls her eyes. "Whatever. He has a very nice penis."

"I wouldn't know," says Seamus bitterly. Then, just as quickly, "JFK!"

"FDR!"

Everyone scrambles for a new spot, and this time Ron's the only one left out in the shuffle.

"Fuck," he says, looking around for someone who won't ask him a dick-related question. "Uh, Demelza, truth."

Demelza smiles. "How did Hermione react to seeing your dick?"

"I picked you because I thought you wouldn't ask about my dick, Demelza."

"Sorry," shrugs Demelza.

"It wasn't a big deal," says Hermione.

Before he can stop himself, Ron scoffs, and once again, everyone snaps their heads in his direction.

"Sounds like it was a big deal."

"It wasn't!" says Hermione. "I mean—"

"Hermione, don't," says Ron, but Hermione continues without a missed beat.

"I laughed at first, but only because I was nervous."

"You LAUGHED?" asked Demelza. "No wonder you two are being so weird."

"It was an accident!"

"Let's move on," growls Ron. "Demelza, your turn." He shoots a glare in Hermione's direction.

"Niagara!" says Demelza.

Everyone brings their drink to their mouth and begins chugging. As soon as each person finishes, they toss their empty cans to the PBR castle in the middle of the room. Hermione, having caught on a moment too late, is the last one to toss it.

Hermione groans. "Harry, dare."

Harry grins. "Well, to make Ron feel better, I dare you to repeat after me. I love Ron's cock."

Ron's ears grow warm again, but they're also buzzing from the beer, which takes precedence over his embarrassment. Also, it'll be interesting to hear Hermione follow through with this dare.

Hermione narrows her eyes at him. "Fine. I love Ron's penis."

Ron sends her a curious glance. She said it so… formally, like she was taking an oath in court.

There's a tense silence while everyone stares at Hermione. "Try again," says Harry.

"Why?"

"I love Ron's cock," he repeats. "Say it."

"I did."

"You said penis. Not cock."

"Same thing!" she protests.

"Hermione, why can't you say cock?" repeats Harry.

"Penis is the technical term," she says, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Ron chuckles at the argument playing out before him.

"What about dick?" suggests Demelza.

Hermione stares at Demelza, her cheeks flooding with color. "Why?"

"Schlong? Wang? Knob?" offers Seamus.

"Seriously, what's wrong with 'penis'?"

"Nothing, it's just weird that you won't say cock," says Harry. "I think that should require two drinks for refusing a dare."

Ron looks around the room; everyone nods in agreement.

"Fine," says Hermione before taking a second sip.

As soon as she finishes her sip, Harry shouts, "Give me liberty or—"

"Give me death!"

As assumed, Hermione is the only one who doesn't catch on.

"Ugh," she says. "Dean, dare."

"I dare you to make it even!" slurs Dean.

"What does that mean?"

"He showed you his; now you show him yours."

"Executive order," says Ginny. "Vetoed."

"Why?" asks Ron. "I don't think it's a bad idea. Plus, it would make me feel better." He pouts at Hermione with wide, puppy-dog eyes and grins when her cheeks flood with color. He's well aware that she never responded to Dean.

"Too far, that's why," says Ginny.

"Well," says Ron. "You guys are no fun."

There's a moment of silence when no one seems to remember where they are in the game or whose turn it is. Seamus breaks the silence with a question directed at Ron.

"Can I please just see it?"

Ron groans and rolls his eyes. "No. And I'm going to bed."

"Why?" whines Seamus.

"I didn't think my dick would be such a huge topic of conversation, yet here we are."

"More of a slightly above average topic if you ask me," says Harry.

"See what I mean?" says Ron, as he hops off his cushion and turns his back to the crowd. "Goodnight."

After chugging a tall glass of water, Ron retreats to his room for the night, ready to escape his roommates' drunken shenanigans. He changes into sweats, settles underneath the covers, and is about to turn off the lights when there's a knock at his door.

"Erm, come in."

The door creaks open, and Hermione pokes her head into his room. "Hi," she says.

"Hi," he responds, raising his eyebrows at his unexpected guest. "Thank you for knocking."

"So—"

"I'm not naked. Sorry to disappoint you." He cuts her off, aiming for an icy tone, but unfortunately, it comes off whiny.

Maybe he has been acting a bit petty and childish.

She stares at him, expressionless, for a few tense moments and then bursts out into laughter. He can't help but follow suit. Her laughter is quite contagious when he's fully clothed.

"For the record, I'm not laughing at the thought of you naked," she assures him as if reading his mind.

"Sure, Hermione. Sure," he says. His cheeks are heating up, but he's glad it's not from embarrassment this time.

"I meant it, you know," she says, as soon as her laughter dies down.

"You meant what?"

"That you have a very nice—" she clears her throat, "cock."

Ron beams — at both the compliment and her word choice. "You said cock!"

She stands a little taller. "I've been practicing."

"Say it again!" he urges.

"Please don't make me."

"Pretty please—"

"Fine," she says, taking a step, so she's fully in the room. The door closes behind her. "Cock. Dick. Schlong. Willy."

"Okay, now you're embarrassing yourself."

"Give me more words," she says, now grinning. "I want to prove that I can do it."

"Okay, why don't you try Peter Pecker. Big Red. The Orange Cannon."

Hermione's face flashes red, and she slaps a hand to her mouth.

"Too much for you?" asks Ron.

"Did you nickname your penis?"

"No!" Ron protests, although his flushing cheeks likely give him away. "Those are from former lovers."

"Oh, well, I'm not going to say them then."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not your former lover," she argues.

He catches a slight emphasis on' former' and forces himself to keep his expression neutral. Maybe some good will come from the penis incident. Either that, or he's imagining it.

"While technically true, I still want to hear you say them."

"Too bad."

Thankful that the awkwardness seems to be dissipating, Ron grins at her. "Then you'll have to make it up to me another way."

As soon he speaks, he winces, hearing the implication of his words a moment too late. Did he actually just say that?

Hermione doesn't waste any time with her response. "How? By making it even?"

Ron cannot interpret her expression — it almost looks like she's trying to keep it neutral. In his effort to decipher it, he hesitates for too long, and by leaving her comment hanging, he might as well have agreed.

"That was actually what I came in here to do," she says, biting her lip.

"Really?"

"Yes."

At this point, it feels like his whole face is on fire, and Hermione's smirk isn't helping at all. He can't bring himself to look away from her eyes nor say anything, as the air feels too thick with tension. She could be bluffing, but he has no desire to call her on it if she is.

Is she joking?

His question answers itself when Hermione averts her eyes to the ground and hooks her thumbs at the hem of her shirt.

Holy shit. She's not.

Hermione keeps her eyes on the ground, and Ron can't help but grin at how her cheeks turn bashfully pink. He wishes he could help it because he's definitely beaming like an idiot. With a deep, nervous breath, she pulls her shirt up and over her bra—

She's not wearing a bra.

Fuck.

Ron lets out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding. "Well damn, Hermione."

Still holding up her shirt, she meets his gaze. "Yes, Ron?"

"You have amazing… knockers."

"Ron!" she says, shoving her shirt back down. He immediately misses the view, but he doesn't regret his word choice. "They're called breasts."

"Boobies. Bing Bongs. Spongey love mountains."

"And I'm the immature one?"

"Jesus, woman, just take the compliment! I'm trying to tell you that I love your tatas." He speaks before he can filter himself, hoping she doesn't read too much into his phrasing. There's nothing wrong with showing appreciation, after all.

She lets a small smile at his admission but quickly narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her now fully-clothed chest. "If I have to say cock, you have to say breasts."

"Sorry, Hermione," says Ron, his tone veering dangerously close to flirtation. Then, feeling a bit bolder, he continues, "what I meant to say is you have wonderful breasts."

Her face tinges red, and she smiles smugly. "Thank you, Ron."

"You're very welcome. Your turn."

"What?"

He motions toward his pants. "I want to hear you say it again."

She groans. "Fine, but this is the last time."

"Sure it is."

She rolls her eyes before continuing. "Ron, you have a lovely cock."

His breath hitches in his throat. Hearing her say that again definitely does something to him, and it's not helped by the sincerity in her tone. She's not lying. As a result, his hair stands on end, heat pools in his stomach, and he's thankful for the positioning of his bed covers.

"Thank you, Hermione," he responds, looking directly into her warm brown eyes. Reflecting her slight smile, they appear softer and darker than usual, as if they're deep in thought.

Ron and Hermione keep eye contact for a few elongated seconds before the awkwardness of the interaction kicks in, and they avert their eyes, looking anywhere but each other. What an odd conversation to have with a roommate.

"I should go to bed," says Hermione, pointing at the door.

"Erm, yeah. Me too."

"So I guess I'll see you in the morning?"

"Good night," he says, but Hermione's already out the door. He sighs.

It shuts behind her, and Ron turns off the light and leans back in his bed. When he closes his eyes, the image of Hermione's perfect breasts is still fresh in his mind, and he makes no effort to let it morph into something else because who knows if he'll ever get to see them again.

Why would he? She's just his roommate.

Yeah. I'm definitely attracted to my roommate.

A smile creeps onto his face. It feels good to admit it, even if it's only to himself.

#muggle AU #Ron and Hermione #ron x hermione #ROMIONE #romione fanfic #romione fanfiction #Romione angst #Ron Weasley #ronweasley #Hermione Granger #hermionegranger #be11a_loft

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