#i can *see* his flushed teary eyed face clear as day in my mind

[hwanghyunjinenthusiast]

Not me hitting tag limit kjhggfggjk.

Congrats on 3k!! You deserve it sooo much💌

If you have the time (and only if you have the time!) I would like to request a sort of a short bullet point fic. Or more so just your thoughts on the following: moving in with seventeen. Who is the one that labels every box? Who will live out of moving boxes for the next year. And yeah, just overall the vibes of new beginnings and promises😶‍🌫️

Pls only do write something if any of this inspires anything, if not pls don't feel burdened to write anyway!

I love your writing, so once again: congrats on the succes💗

seungcheol thinks it's one huge adventure. yes, he will be the person lifting the stupidly heavy boxes at the store. yes, he will make it a competition to build furniture as fast as possible (and race to take it all apart when you discover the desk legs are all different lengths because someone thought he could figure it out without the manual). even among the graveyard of boxes and bubble wrap and those huge styrofoam slabs he keeps chasing you with, seungcheol is happiest to lay with you on your bare, naked mattress (because he forgot to order sheets). he's planning what pictures of the two of you he wants to put on the walls. this is the first time he's owned a welcome mat and he's not even mad about it. it's all yours, together, and there's no bigger adventure than that.

his walk-in closet. bowls the perfect size for a portion of ramen, plus an egg. the lego taj mahal with two pieces missing that he insists will turn up sometime. these are some of the things jeonghan's not sure he can bring to your new apartment. it's not that he doesn't want to move in with you--he just doesn't know if he can. hell, you kissed him for the first time on the tiny futon in his living room, and he just learned it's too small for your new place. it's not until he watches you, later that day, play jenga with the toiletries on his bathroom counter because there's never been enough space for the two of you, that he realizes maybe it isn't such a bad thing to try something new. he imagines leaning you against a new sink, with that carrara marble you've been talking about, and he might even say he's looking forward to it.

you don't think there's a day you haven't seen joshua on zillow. look at my pinterest board, he'd say, and you wouldn't have it in you to ask how the hell you're affording that couch or if you really need a salt lamp that badly. you've lost count of the times your thursday nights consisted of a: your favorite chinese takeout and b: watching celebrity architectural digest videos. but joshua can't help it--to him, there's really nothing that would make him happier than waking up next to you in a bed you picked together. now if it was a midcentury modern canopy bed? even better. he can't wait to use his fancy little espresso machine to make your morning latte and grab your coat from the rack you got from that shop in LA before he kisses you before you head off to work. but they're all just things (pretty, shiny ones, albeit)--more ways he can show you the love you deserve.

junhui loves a good open house. early on in your relationship, you would dress to the nines before pretending to shop for a mansion you could never afford. junhui would comment on the door handles and the crown molding like he was a property brother, and then you'd finish the night off making out in the mcdonald's drive-thru. things are a little different now that you actually can afford a home. what if you end up not liking it? will you get tired of the wallpaper? will the closet be big enough? but surprisingly, none of this seems to matter when you walk into the house. (what's on your mind? you ask him. n-nothing, he says.) but he's really thinking about feeding you in that kitchen and spending the morning looking out those bay windows. how beautiful you'll look greeting him from that front door. needless to say, he's sold.

you find soonyoung hiding in the kitchen at your housewarming party. just an hour earlier, he was dumping cans of sparkling water in the jungle juice to make it more "adult" (as if it would erase the fact that an entire bottle of everclear had already disappeared into the mix). the hour before that, he was cleaning like a madman despite there not being much to clean yet. he held the duster the wrong way and you think he got more windex on the ceiling than on the windows. darling, what's wrong? you ask. his little, drunken hands wrap around yours so he can bring them to his cheeks. i just realized this is all ours. like, all of it, he wails, teary, and you realize he is far too many drinks down. it's only after you've sent him to bed with a water and a kiss that you really think about what he said. the hardwood floors, the duvet, the misshapen tiger plushie on the couch, him--all ours.

wonwoo is not an easy person to live with. the first three things he unpacked were, in order, his table, his first monitor, then his second monitor. then he ruined your perfectly curated aesthetic with his neon red keyboard and a gaming chair that would make any interior designer cry. the final straw is when wonwoo manages to kill the one and only houseplant you have, the single thing holding your home decor together. but he's trying, he really is. he's bought a silly little throw blanket for your couch (aren't the tassels fun? he says, wiggling the fabric between his hands). his ugly lamp has been replaced by a strange glowing cat light and there's a sticker on his computer tower. he buys a succulent and you have a little naming ceremony in your kitchen. and it lives, against all odds!

jihoon doesn't know the difference between a chaise and a sectional. cherry and mahogany look the same to him. and god forbid you ask him to choose between terrazzo and subway tile because he really thinks both of them look good and, no, he's not just saying that to make your life harder. jihoon isn't good at the hgtv stuff, but he's happy to move all the boxes. it's only when he's unpacking said boxes that he finally gets it. (the vase that came with the first bouquet of flowers he bought you. the record player you got him for your first anniversary, now fingerprinted, well-loved. matching valentine's day teddy bears, worn and baby pink.) you're standing on a stool stacked on top of another stool trying to hang a poster, and this is what home looks like.

seokmin wants to live in the ikea showrooms. you can't blame him--sometimes, when there's nothing better to do, you'll spend your afternoon in a bedroom that's not yours. seokmin will try on the lumpy blazer from the closet, and you'll beckon him to your sprawling king size bed, the one sat next to the painted on windows and floating shelves. honey, come to dinner, you'd say. he'll peek over your shoulder, arms wrapped around your middle, and you open the lid to a big, steaming pot of nothing. micke or lagkapten? you ask, completely unseriously. but he's thinking about it, really thinking about it. in his mind, he's building a home together, silly furniture piece by piece, counting down to the days when you really can agonize over plants and how many drawers you want in a desk.

when you got the keys to your new place, mingyu insisted you eat jajangmyeon to commemorate move-in day. unfortunately, he failed to account for the series of delays that led to you having absolutely no furniture to move in on said move-in day. but mingyu is nothing if not a man with a plan, so he runs to the store and buys the cheapest assortment of kitchen tools and ingredients for the world's most unlikely dinner. we really don't have to do this, you laugh, the backs of your legs cold on the kitchen counter. but i want to, he insists, holding out a spoon for you to taste. we have to christen the apartment. you eventually do christen it the right way (involving: lots of tongue, even more laughter), but you might prefer, just a tiny bit, the night you sat on the empty kitchen floor and fed mingyu out of a pan.

minghao has rearranged the living room four times now. every time you walk in, it feels like you've entered someone else's house. it doesn't look right, he says, hands on his hips like his life depended on it. you don't know how to tell him they all look right, every single version. in the first version, all cardboard furniture and plastic wrap, you gave up on deciphering the wifi setup and built a fort instead. the second involved an ottoman in the walkway, which you almost immediately stubbed your toe on (and laughed so hard you cried). in the third, the couch faced away from the adjoining room, and you accidentally spooked minghao so badly he almost broke his knitting needles. but it's all perfect, every iteration, because you're doing it together--a hypothesis he's more willing to believe when you shut him up with a kiss.

don't look now, but seungkwan is buying another doodad at your local sunday swap meet. it's a small painted figurine of a bear in a nightcap, which he simply points to and says that's me. you don't have it in you to mention the fact that you're currently unpacking his seemingly never-ending assortment of doodads and you couldn't possibly know where one more would go. it's only when you're getting ready for bed that you catch the little bear in the glow of the alarm clock light. there's already a turtle with a hat in the medicine cabinet (jeju, last summer). on top of the fridge, a woodcarving that says EAT. (tj maxx, 2 years ago. it still makes you laugh). even though you just moved, all these little seungkwan-isms make home a little more home.

you wouldn't call vernon a planner. his version of housewarming is watching you play the sims. but real life doesn't have nearly as much poolside drama or five story houses--just packing peanuts and 50 page appliance manuals. aren't boxes just drawers? vernon asked you one day. no, but that's how it always starts. two weeks after move-in, vernon cooks you breakfast with a pan procured from a cardboard box. by three weeks, you know the exact box everything is in. (you still haven't been able to find vernon's avril lavigne let go album, though.) it's only when you're eating dinner on top of the box that your dining table is in when you say, vernon, baby, i think we need to actually move in. he takes one look at you, who's wearing mismatched socks and his boxers because your shorts are underneath the tv box, and his smile nearly splits his cheeks. yeah, i think so too.

if you had asked chan what his dream house looked like, he would say it had a wraparound porch, a white picket fence, and a pool. your new apartment has none of those things. the length of your bedroom is a little more than one and a half times the length of his body and he's not even that tall. if he looks out the window he can see right into his neighbor's apartment (three cats and no bitches. almost like he's living next to wonwoo). and his feet stick out of the tub. but he's learning how to live in small spaces. he likes the squeeze of your bathroom, how you have to sit on the counter if you want to both brush your teeth together. he likes the bump of your elbows when you wash the dishes together. most of all, he likes falling asleep with you slotted to his side--even in your tiny bed, he wouldn't mind having you a little closer.

[l3viat8an]

Nsfw content MDNI

Ofc me being me, I can’t work on the idea I want to but I can write a random idea that popped into my head!- anyways some Lucifer content because why not ;) CW: Me just typing words and hoping they make sense tbh- Pillow humping, Lucifer really, misses you and he’s a little jealous~

This is stupid.

You’ve only been gone 2 days, 2 measly days! He’s been on longer trips away from you and never felt this….needy.

Lucifer’s thinks it’s pathetic the way he’s feeling, but he hugs your pillow tighter, burying his nose a little deeper and breathing in your scent.

What’s worse is the reason why he’s missing you and wishes he could touch you.

You sent him a photo this morning, nothing risky or even suggested! Just a quick mirror selfie in the bathroom at the hotel, where you and Satan were staying.

Oh yea, Satan was with you! Diavolo had insisted the two of you go on a short trip to the human world and acquire new rare books for the RAD library. Lucifer had objected saying he could accompany you instead, but Diavolo shot him down. Saying it was more fitting for Satan to go and how Lucifer’s work plate didn’t need another thing added. You had frowned a little, but ultimately agreed with Diavolo. If you and Satan could do the job and not make more work for Lucifer that had to be the better option! Right?-

But back to the photo!- It was you, bleary-eyed and messy bed head, smiling into the mirror, you sent him the pic followed by a quick ‘Good morning, Luci <3’ text. It made his heart melt and cheeks flush a bit. Lucifer always loved how you looked first thing in the morning, so cute and still half asleep until you’ve had coffee and breakfast.

But that wasn’t what had set Lucifer off. What had really got to Lucifer was Satan, standing behind you in the bathroom doorway his hair still messy and holding a cup of coffee out to you.

Lucifer knew it was stupid but the thought ‘It’s not fair.’ Won’t leave his mind. It’s not, after all. Satan is with you in the human world, apparently sharing a hotel room, getting to see that soft look on your face first thing in the morning and Lucifer is down here in literal hell hugging a pillow wishing it was you.

What’s even worse then all of that is how thoughts of you, in his bed with him won’t leave his mind.

You should be here, he should have his arms wrapped around you and be able to touch and kiss you, just because he feels like it.

But you’re not and he can’t. It’s so frustrating, all these thoughts mixed with the unusual feeling of jealousy fill his mind, he wants to clam you, take you, mark you.

And he can’t do any of it because you’re not there……but your pillow is….and maybe….

Lucifer sits up in bed, still holding your pillow, “No.” he says aloud as if that’ll clear the thoughts from his mind.

He’s not some hopeless virgin, he’s the avatar of pride! and he’s not about to fuck a pillow because he’s lonely……is he?

He sets the pillow in his lap looking down at it, as if the pillow did something wrong.

As he looks at the pillow memories of your face, head on it, eyes teary and cheeks flushed red as he fucks you float through his mind or when he has you on your stomach, biting the pillow to muffle your moans. “Fuck.” Lucifer breaths memories of your nights together filling his mind.

In the end his body decides for him. Grabbing the pillow, Lucifer stands up, setting the pillow in roughly the same position your ass would be if he bent you over his bed. Sliding his pants and boxers down, enough to free his hard cock and seeing the pre-cum beading at the tip and Lucifer mumbles “Pathetic.” He’s better then this……but you’re his weakness… experimentally, he holds your pillow still and ruts against it.

The material is a soft enough, Lucifer ruts his hips a few more times, letting out soft moans. If he keeps his eyes closed he can imagine it’s you, just like that time you teased him with red silk lingerie~

Ahhh~ more thoughts of you, naked and underneath him, begging for more, for whatever pleasure he’d give you. Lucifer opens his eyes hoping to see your face and is met with reality. He’s still alone, it’s just your pillow, just your scent in the room with him.

His hips speed up and a sound that can only be described as a whine of your name leaves his lips followed by, “Stupid and not fair……” he pulls away from the pillow and pumps his cock in hand, rubbing his thumb over the tip and groaning. It’s still pleasure and feels good but it’s not as good as you!

He grips the pillow again, rutting into it much faster then before, properly chasing his high now, Lucifer closes his eyes picturing you, just you. “Miss you, miss you so much.” Lucifer pants as he cums all over you pillow.

He stands there for a moment, coming down from his temporary high and hears his DDD chime. Sighing Lucifer reaches for his phone it’s a texts from you ‘Miss you. Goodnight 😘’ a small smile on his lips Lucifer texts back ‘Miss you too, goodnight, Darling and sweet dreams.’

[gredandforgesmischief]

long story short - f.w

title: long story short

pairing: fred x female slytherin reader

summary: fred has been in love with y/n since they were fifteen, but the universe was never really on their side. (idk i'm bad at writing summaries but basically best friends to lovers. this takes place during gof in the spring.) this is also vaguely inspired by "long story short" by taylor swift bc i'm obsessed w her (see if you can find the lyrics)

other characters/pairings mentioned: adrian pucey/y/n, fred/angelina, george weasley, harry potter, ron weasley, neville longbottom

content warnings: its all fluff, some parts can be construed as angsty?? maybe probably not. sad fred at some point. sad y/n at some point. fred and y/n are both clueless all the time for no reason.

a/n: i wrote this with my Head Empty, but I hope you enjoy (feedback welcomed) also this wasn't proof read so ignore any grammatical errors

“... right Fred?”

“Yeah that’s cool, whatever,” Fred grumbled as a very irritated George hit his side.

The pair were having breakfast at the Gryffindor table, and the two were supposed to be brainstorming shop ideas, but it was apparent that Fred’s mind was off somewhere else.

Regardless of how hard he tried, Fred’s mind was often clouded with his feelings about Y/N. The two had been best friends since third year, and it took him a long time to realize that he wanted to be much more than just her best friend. But just as expected, right as Fred realized, Y/N had gotten into a relationship.

“Dude, Y/N is with Adrian now, you need to get over it,” George said. While he did feel bad for his twin, there wasn’t much that either of them could do about it.

Fred nodded, but just as he was about to respond to his brother, he noticed a flustered Y/N get up from the Slytherin table. In all honesty, if Fred hadn’t been staring at her he wouldn’t have noticed how distraught she was. Without another thought, the ginger boy got up from his seat and followed her into the corridor.

“Y/N, wait up!” Fred called out, not quite sure what he was going to say to her. The Slytherin girl slowed down, waiting for her friend to catch up.

When it came to his and Y/N’s relationship, there wasn’t a lot they wouldn’t talk about, but Y/N’s relationship with Adrian was a conversation that was often avoided. Y/N knew how Fred felt about Adrian, so she made an effort to keep the two as separate portions of her life.

“Hi, Fred,” Y/N’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes glossy.

Fred winced. Up until she had started dating Adrian, Y/N always called Fred by his nickname. When Y/N started dating Adrian she pulled away from Fred quickly. He could tell she tried to make everything seem normal, but it wasn’t.

“Is everything alright? You walked out of the Great Hall a bit fast.” Fred said. The pair were now sitting on a bench in the courtyard.

“Just… some stuff with Adrian.” Y/N said, knowing that there was no way that Fred would allow her to leave it at that. There was an ever growing vendetta that Fred had against Adrian, and him hurting Y/N would probably be the worst thing that the Slytherin could do.

“Listen, I know I’m not Adrian’s number one fan, but I’m still your best friend.” Fred said, hoping that Y/N would talk to him. It had been months since the two had chatted about anything of substance and he feared their friendship would fall apart if they kept avoiding each other.

Y/N went silent for a moment, weighing her options in her head. After a short while she looked at Fred and started, “Have you ever been in love?”

The question completely caught Fred off guard. He wasn’t exactly sure what he expected Y/N to say, but that wasn’t a question he was prepared to think about.

Sure, Fred had dated around during his time at Hogwarts, but the only person he had ever really loved was Y/N. It wasn’t something he had ever wanted to talk about with her, particularly because he didn’t know how great he would be at concealing his emotions. How terrible would it be for him to confess it to her while she was in a relationship?

Fred nodded, “Yeah, I’ve been in love before.”

“How did you know? What did it feel like?” Y/N asked, looking genuinely curious. Was Y/N truly asking him about this?

Fred looked at her incredulously, speaking once more, “Honestly, love, I think it's different for everyone,” The look on Y/N’s face was unreadable as Fred continued, “for me, I just knew.”

Y/N let out a deep sigh, “I feel like it’s all moving too fast.” There she goes again without any elaboration.

As Fred continued to give her terse answers, Y/N decided she had to describe what she meant. She had never really been great at putting her feelings into words, but she’d try.

“Adrian told me he loved me last night,” Fred’s face faltered, “and I didn’t say a word back.”

Fred wasn’t shocked by the idea that Adrian loved Y/N. The pair had been together for nearly five months, and Fred knew from experience how easy it was to fall in love with Y/N. If anything, it was more of a shock to him that Y/N didn’t say it back.

“But you do love him, right?” Once again, Fred hoped that Y/N would say what he wanted to hear. It was cruel of him to wish that Adrian and Y/N wouldn’t work out, but he couldn’t help it.

“I do,” Dammit. Y/N continued, “but I don’t think I’m in love with him. You know?”

Fred understood completely. He had loved a few of the girls he had dated, but he never felt in love. There was always some sort of hesitation that he had.

“I... just feel like I’m trying to force something that isn’t there,” The frustration was evident in Y/N’s voice. “And I thought that maybe I just needed more time, maybe we were moving too fast, but honestly I just can’t feel the way that I want to about Adrian.”

“Do you think there’s a reason why you can’t love him? You wouldn’t stop talking about him during Christmas break.” Fred said, recalling Y/N’s happiness after Adrian had asked her to the Yule Ball.

“What do you mean? I don’t think I acted any differently about Adrian during break.” Y/N was confused. If anything, Fred was the one who had acted strangely during Christmas break.

“No, I definitely recall you acting funny,” Fred said as Y/N shot him a glare.”You ignored me for two weeks Y/N.” Y/N frowned, shaking her head.

Fred remembered the two weeks in vivid detail. Up until six months ago, Fred and Y/N were attached at the hip. That’s why Y/N’s sudden absence in his life stung. In some way it felt like Y/N had picked Adrian over Fred, but he didn’t know why.

“Fred, I did ignore you, but do you really not know why?” Y/N said.

Once more, Fred tried to remember the events leading up to Y/N and Adrian’s relationship, but everything seemed normal. Adrian and Y/N had always been friends. It wasn’t strange for friends to date.

Fred shook his head, prompting Y/N to tell him what had happened.

-

It was a week before the Yule Ball, and the cheeriness around the castle was gleaming. The Great Hall was decked out with garlands of tinsel. Mistletoe was hanging in all of the corridors. It was nearly impossible to be unhappy with how much light was around., but as Y/N had watched what felt like the fiftieth person get asked to the Yule Ball, she was feeling less than cheerful.

“Y/N!” Fred greeted, earning an adoring smile from the girl in front of him. She was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, as she had just been working on an herbology project with Neville.

“Hiya, Freddie, what’s up?” Y/N was excited. She and Fred had been spending a lot more time together recently, and she was convinced that he was going to finally ask her out.

Fred smiled, “I need advice. ” Y/N nodded, encouraging the ginger boy to continue, “if you were to get asked to say, a ball, how would you want to be asked?”

Y/N was practically exploding with joy at this point, but alas, Fred still needed an answer.

“Well, for me personally, I’m not fond of the huge gestures. I feel like if you really like someone then you should just… ask? I know that’s a bit boring, but I wouldn’t want everyone to be involved in my business, so public gestures aren’t for me.” Y/N was getting rambly, a clear sign of her nerves.

Before Y/N could ramble anymore, Fred was marching up the dormitory stairs, calling out a short, “Thanks, Y/N!” over his shoulder.

Although Fred’s behavior was strange, Y/N brushed it off as Fred being, well, Fred. The boy often did things that were unexplainable. It wasn’t until dinner that day that Y/N had realized why Fred had asked her about the ball.

-

“Y/N, c’mon what’s on your mind?” Adrian asked, poking his friend in the side. Y/N was staring down her plate, pushing around peas with her fork. After her encounter with Fred earlier in the day, she had been on edge. The ball was coming up quick, and at this point it was now or never.

“It’s nothing important, don’t worry about me.” Y/N had finally put her fork down, flashing a sad smile at the boy. Adrian looked suspicious, but as he opened his mouth to talk, the pair noticed commotion at the Gryffindor table.

George was ruffling Fred’s hair, and Ron and Harry were laughing. Fred had a smirk on his face, his cheeks tinged a pink color. Just as Y/N was about to approach Fred to ask what the deal was, Fred walked out of the dining hall.

“I’ll be right back,” Y/N told Adrian, before walking to the Gryffindor table to ask George about what was up.

“Hey, George, what was that all about?” Y/N asked as she sat.

“Oh, Freddie boy just asked Angelina to the Yule Ball!” George replied, causing the two other boys to start to laugh again.

Y/N muttered a “thanks” to George before heading out of the Great Hall. She nearly sprinted to the Slytherin common room, not wanting to have a meltdown in the middle of the hall. Y/N was convinced that Fred would ask her to the ball, and it stung like hell to know that he had asked someone that wasn’t her.

When she arrived outside the common room, Adrian was waiting outside for her. Without any question, Adrian outstretched his arms, embracing the teary-eyed girl.

-

“You wanted me to ask you to the ball!?” Fred asked, mentally slapping himself for being so clueless.

Y/N nodded her head yes, clasping her hands together. She thought she had been very obvious about how she felt about Fred, but it was clear he truly didn’t know.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, I never meant to make you upset. Angie and I went as friends anyway.” Fred apologized. He hated seeing Y/N cry, and to think that he was the reason made his insides churn.

While Y/N had cleared up her pre-Yule Ball behavior, there were still a few questions that Fred had.

“Okay, but what does any of that have to do with Adrian? If you wanted me to ask you out, why did you start dating Adrian?” Fred asked, despite knowing how forward all of those questions were.

Y/N sighed, this wasn’t the part of the story that she was particularly proud of.

“Other than you and George, Adrian is probably my closest guy friend. After I heard about you and Angie, Adrian was the person who comforted me while I was crying. I think somewhere along the lines I got my feelings for him all confused…” Y/N trailed off.

“Adrian was sort of an escape from everything. I thought that if you were dating Angie it would stop whatever friendship we had going. It felt like I got knocked off of some weird pedestal.” Y/N’s explanation made some sense, but it didn’t explain why she wouldn’t just talk to him.

“Why didn’t you just talk to me, Y/N? We’re best friends.”

Y/N let out a soft laugh, “I sort of went down a rabbit hole when I stopped talking to you. I was embarrassed, and Adrian was sweet. But after it all, I think I was trying to emulate whatever feelings I had for you with him. I thought clinging to another person would stop my feelings. Clearly it didn’t work. It was just a bad time.”

From what Y/N was saying, Fred was hoping that this meant something for the two of them. But right now, Y/N was still with Adrian, and neither of them would ever do that to them.

“Y/N, you need to tell Adrian how you feel.” If the two were going to date, it had to be proper. Fred didn’t want to be some sort of secret.

“I did, that’s why I ran off actually. We broke it off yesterday, it was just a lot for me to be sitting with him today…” Y/N was slightly embarrassed.

“There goes your excellent communication skills again, why didn’t you start with that?” Fred teased, earning a groan from Y/N.

“Hey, the knife cuts both ways. If you had just said that you were asking Angie to the ball I would have never gotten my hopes up!” Y/N quipped back, intertwining her hands with Fred’s.

Fred sighed happily, “Is there any chance that you still feel the same way about me?” Fred was sure he knew what she’d say, but this situation had proved the two needed to talk more.

Y/N laughed, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “I’m all about you, Freddie.”

[thebeautyoffanfics]

Hello!!! Can I request a alive Mitsuba x tsundere female reader who didn’t like Mitsuba at all then one day she just… fell for him-

And she was shocked and ghosted him a bit saying that love wasn’t a thing and that she should get over it. And she also get insecure thinking that his fake insults for her are true sometimes…

But then it kinda gets brought up eventually… like Mitsuba might confront her about it and soon it lead to a confession between the two???

Please I need some soft love and kisses from Mitsuba right now because I didn’t expect to fall for him I’m crying-

mitsuba sousuke x f!reader

a/n: hihi!! I’d be glad to write this <33 to be honest, it may be a tad self indulgent cos I have wanted to write for a reader who ends up taking his insults to heart- but, of course, tied in with the rest of your request! I shall gladly do my best to provide some soft love and kisses from my tsundere femboy, even if it’s taken way too long to get out (which I’m genuinely so sorry for-)!! :DD thank you so much for requesting, and I hope you enjoy!!!! <3

warnings: mitsuba and the reader argue a bit?

word count: 1,479

“Ugly.”

“You’re so annoying, literally just shut up.”

“Eh?? What did you say? Speak up, idiot.”

“Iiiiidiot, you’re so stupid!! What a stupid pervert!!”

Those insults would dance in your mind. Those insults that went straight to your heart- chipping away at your emotions, as you hoped to anyone that you could one day get used to them.

Glancing over at the boy who called you all those rude things, you felt your heart race a bit. Your face flushed, as you made brief eye contact- and, as if he could care less about your feelings, he stuck his tongue out, pulling on his lower eyelid. Mocking you.

How did you fall for him…?

Yes, his insults were empty. Logically, you knew that much. Yet, emotionally, they still hurt you. Coming from the boy you…

No. No. You didn’t like him. That’s why you… couldn’t talk to him. The day had gone by, and you sat in the last class of the day- exchanging as few words as you could. After all, you taught yourself to despise the butterflies in your stomach.

“How did this even happen?” You thought, mentally kicking yourself. Why did you have to feel these… disgusting emotions?? As if love was a real thing. As if these feelings wouldn’t fade away… be it before or after he broke your heart.

“Oi, you idiot. The bell rang. What, are you deaf? Pfff!”

You glanced up at Mitsuba, who stood next to your desk, a hand placed dramatically on his hip, the other hand being held up to his mouth. As you always did, you forced a smile, acting as if what he said was actually funny. As if you didn’t feel your heart ache a bit, wishing nothing more than to run home right this moment so you could let yourself at least get teary-eyed.

“Sorry, Mitsuba,” You muttered, standing up and grabbing your bag. Luckily, you thought, you had already packed it. Giving Mitsuba a brief nod, you walked out of the classroom, rushing towards the exit.

If you had glanced back, you would have seen the pink-haired boy staring at you as you left. If you squinted, just a bit, you could see his… somewhat hurt expression. Though it lasted for a brief moment, his face cleared quicker than anyone could have noticed.

As the day passed, the week dragging, you continued to ignore the boy. Slowly, your actions went from only speaking when necessary to, by Thursday, practically dodging him. Spotting him in the hall, you’d speed up- when he walked past with his lunch tray, you’d rush to find a spot where he couldn’t join you.

Yes, only a week of these actions had passed before Mitsuba had enough. The last bell of the day rang Friday. As you reached for your pre-packed bag, Mitsuba grabbed his- like you had, Mitsuba had everything he needed already packed.

“(Y/N).” Mitsuba spoke, but, by the time he finished saying your name, you were mostly out of the door. He huffed, speeding up- as he turned the corner, he spotted you already leaving the school. As if he was on some criminal chase, he sprinted after you, shoving the doors back open. His hands balled up at his sides, as he shouted your name.

“(Y/N) (L/N)!! WAIT UP, YOU DUMMY-!”

Frustration welled up in Mitsuba’s mind, watching you not stop. Now at a full run, Mitsuba caught up to you- his hand reached out, grabbing your wrist- his grip on you wasn’t harsh, but just tight enough for you to be unable to pull away easily. Still, if you wanted to desperately, you could pull away.

“What is your problem?!” He shouted, instantly regretting it as you winced.

His grip on your wrist loosened almost entirely. “Sorry, just… what did I do? Talk to me, pervert.”

“Why do you care if I’m nothing but a stupid pervert?!” You snapped, yanking your wrist from his grip. Mitsuba’s eyes widened a bit, before narrowing a bit.

“What- you’re my friend, (Y/N)! I don’t-”

“You don’t what, Mitsuba? I’m not some mind-reader, and I hate it so much when you treat me like one.”

“I don’t… mean my insults,” Mitsuba muttered, his face flushing a bit as he glanced to the side. “THAT’S- that’s aside the point!! Tell me why you’re being so weird!”

“JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T MEAN IT DOESN’T MEAN I KNOW THAT!?”

“I’m sorry, alright?! Answer my question!!”

You ran your hand through your hair, unsure whether your anger or embarrassment was growing stronger. You didn’t want to acknowledge why you were avoiding him- you couldn’t even accept it yourself, so why should he have to know?

“Why do you need to know so badly?” You muttered, crossing your arms. You made eye contact with Mitsuba, your stubbornness that was surely showing in your expression being met with the same sort of stubbornness.

Two tsunderes… the most stubborn of people. An argument that was bound to continue until one or the other gave up.

“Because you’re my... friend.”

“Oh? You can’t even confidently admit it. How does that make us friends?”

Mitsuba’s face flushed, as he bit back what you knew was a curse word. “Because I care about you. If I did something to upset a friend, I want to know what it is.”

“As if you really care about an ugly idiot-”

Mitsuba stepped forward, though his movements weren’t threatening- more defensive, as if he wanted to get his point across. “You- you aren’t an ugly idiot!”

“I’m pretty then?” You questioned, intending for it to come off as a joke- intending for Mitsuba to deny it, so that you could both get those growing feelings in your heart gone and have something to use against him.

“YES, YOU KNOW WHAT?” Mitsuba paused, clearly already regretting what he said as his face burned, “You’re really pretty. And smart. And I don’t hate you, alright?”

His eyes were on the ground, as you hesitated- processing those words. After a moment, you felt your face feel as though it was on fire.

“H- Huh?”

“If you make me say it again, I’ll… I’ll break your kneecaps.”

Don’t cry, (Y/N). You silently urged yourself, feeling somewhat nauseous at how nervous you were- at how hard you were questioning everything in this moment. “You… don’t like me, Mitsuba.” You declared, stepping back, your voice nearly getting caught in your throat.

“........yeah. I do.” He muttered, turning and beginning to walk off. Instinctively, you grabbed his wrist. The expression he wore as he turned around made your heart flutter. As if your heart was trying to convince your mind.

“I… I… uh,” You muttered, trying to sort your thoughts as quickly as you could. Everything felt so overwhelming, as tears pricked your eyes.

“EH- DON’T CRY! I-I’ll take it back, alright?! I don’t like you-!”

“I like you, Mitsuba,” You sniffled, wiping your eyes. “But… but I don’t know how. I don’t know if I really do. I-I can’t even say that love is real- I just need to get over it, so please reject me properly.”

“...H… how can you say it isn’t real. Plus, we… don’t need to be in love, you know that, right? It’s alright to just… have a crush. You can be in a relationship and not want to… get married, or whatever. I’m not ready to be in love either. But, I- I…” He paused, as if he didn’t want to admit it once more. His face clearly burned as he took a deep breath again, quickly finishing his sentence- “I do like you.”

“I… like you too,” You stated, glancing up at him.

A moment passed, before Mitsuba glanced around- guaranteeing that no one was around, then wiping the tears off of your face. “I don’t want your parent to think I was… like, bullying you or something.”

“You kinda do,” You sniffled, laughing lightly.

“I don’t mean it, idi… (Y/N).” Mitsuba sighed, his hand lingering on your face. A thought crossed his mind, which clearly flustered him. Yet, he didn’t seem too opposed to it… as he glanced down at your lips. Quickly, he pecked your lips, intending to pull away as soon as he could- but, being stopped when your hand grabbed his properly. Allowing himself to enjoy the moment, just briefly, he lingered- pulling back and glancing to the side. “So… we’re cool again?” He muttered, squeezing your hand just slightly.

“Ah… yeah… I’m sorry for ignoring you, Mitsuba.”

“Whatever. Don’t worry about it. Take things at your pace, loser- and… uh, don’t… think you’re actually ugly or dumb.”

“What about me being a loser?”

Mitsuba started walking, keeping your hand in his, “psh, you’re still a bit of a loser.”

“Ah, shut up,” You laughed, hitting his shoulder lightly with yours.

[leviiattacks]

I loved Ceo Levi so can I request Ceo Levi comforting the reader because she’s in financial trouble? Idk the plot it’s up to you but that sort of idea. I hope it’s not too much of a bother!! Also happy birthday ❤️

author note :: very rushed and not that great at all but i hope it’s enjoyable anon !! also thank u for the birthday wish <333 if you’d like for me to idk expand on this request you can always request again my ask box is open !! <33333 word count :: 1.5k

levi’s worried about you

like super worried

ultra worried

mega, super, ultra worried?????

all the synonyms for large aren’t enough to explain how distracted he is whilst he stares at you from across the table.

the entire team meeting today you’ve sat down with a glazed expression, you’re clearly out of it and don’t want to be present

on a few occasions he notices you gnaw at your lips anxiously and your eyes shift everywhere showing you’re clearly uncomfortable

team meetings are normally two hours long on a monday to discuss production plans extensively but levi can’t even make it to the thirty minute mark before he’s dismissing everyone

“we’re ending early i don’t feel well.”

mr ackerman letting the team leave early again... it’s the second time he’s done it now but HEY, the employees have no complaints!!

levi knows something’s bothering you when you don’t move an inch from your seat

you probably haven’t even heard what he said about leaving because you’re so zoned out

now,,,,levi’s never really been big on physical contact and he’s not great at comforting or using words either but he still double checks the door is locked so he can speak to you privately

you start sobbing as soon as the sound of the door clicks

“y/n, what’s wrong?” he’s cautious in his approach but places a hand on top of yours gently to test the waters

but you only start crying even more ?!?,!,

which panics him because oh my god what did he do...???,?.

did he do something wrong???

you know what, he’s just going to copy what people do in the movies and hope it goes well

your sobs echo through the room and he thanks himself that the cement walls are definitely thick enough for you to not be heard by your colleagues

slowly but gradually you get a grip and it almost looks like you have to force yourself to a halt midway just to wipe the tears at your eyes

it’s at times like these that levi thanks you for having an expressive face because he would hate to not notice you felt this horrible

“i suggest you carry on if you haven’t got it all out yet. from personal experience it’s better when someone sits with you.”

levi’s warm words embrace you and you look at his arms then his heat pressed suit. he’s in a completely different world compared to you and a feeling of sickness soon overpowers the warm feeling in your chest

why are you sitting here and crying like a pathetic fool in front of your boss??

ok, maybe he’s a little more personal than a boss you aren’t sure what he really is but that doesn’t matter

“y/n, i have something to say.”

FUCK. this is it. you’ll be fired for being unprofessional and improper. this is IT. the end of your professional career.

you want to run out of this room at full speed and hurl yourself out of one of the windows never to be seen again...

but,, you won’t do that, that’s embarrassing

instead you steel yourself and look at him with as much courage as you can muster (which to be clear is not very much)

“if you ever need to take a day off for mental health reasons you’ve always been allowed to so please feel free to take the rest of the day off if you’d like.”

he’s... not firing you?

“but before that, would you like to let me know what’s happened? can i maybe help?”

you purse your lips feeling the premature humiliation

he can help, anyone with as much money as him can but you don’t want him to aid you. the guilt would eat you away

but you do want to confide in him and tell him what’s wrong

you want to tell someone about it at least

“i’ve been evicted from my apartment” your voice is barely above a whisper and levi just looks at you mouth agape

he pays you enough to live comfortably

how could you be getting evicted?

“i have to pay for my mother’s medical expenses so it’s stressful i send most of my earnings hom-”

levi shushes you with his input. “i’ll pay off the debt so you don’t be evicted and i’ll also give you a pay rise.”

at that you’re just pure shocked

is he even thinking right now???

because this isn’t the strong willed strategic business man you know

“no??? i can’t leech off of you??”

“you’re not leeching. i am investing in you.”

you’re a little lost now but choose to hear him out

“you work for me already and i greatly value your work. now you’re in a tough position. correct?”

you nod your head in response

“and for you to still work for me you’ll need a home. correct?”

again you nod

“so allow me to pay off the debts. it’s for both of our benefit.”

that however really isn’t levi’s reasoning at all. he couldn’t care less about that, he just doesn’t want to see you shoulder the pain and stress of it all alone

staring at him teary eyed you sniffle

“would you-” your voice cracks and you cough “really???”

you look so desperate and vulnerable and levi feels frustrated for not spotting the warning signs of your struggle any sooner

you had been coming to the office looking more restless, you had been drinking more coffee and despite the excessive caffeine consumption he still caught you dozing off at your desk at least four times

he places a hand on the centre of your back and pats you three times as if you’re members on the same ship

“yes i mean it, take it easy.”

his simple sentence is enough to cause all of your rational thinking to jump away and you drag him in by the neck into a tight hug

you’re ugly crying and you know you’ll look back on this in embarrassment but your mind works on impulse, you’re unable to stop it

usually levi doesn’t like anyone messing up his suits but he can make an exception for you. he’s sure your tears have left a moist patch but he’s not mad. hell, even if you get snot on his expensive dress shirt he’ll be okay with it

“is there any way i can pay you back mr ackerman?”

he winces at the formality of your tone

“call me levi.”

your brows raise at the request

“that’s what i want in return. for you to call me levi.”

????

that’s all???

“oh, well thank you levi. i’m grateful...”

his name rolls off your tongue awkwardly the first few times and even he regrets asking you to call him by his first name

but three days later you’re walking in breezily. a pen is tucked behind your ear and you’re double checking levi’s spending sheet with a calculator in your hands.

levi literally STOPS breathing because you look so refreshed today and the colour is back on your face. you look your best when you’re stress free.

and then you say it

“levi, do you think you could spend a bit less on tea bags because OH MY LORD???”

he notices there’s no longer an air of discomfort to his name and his chest swells happily

“y/n, give me ONE good reason to not spend my money that way??”

you notice how he easily he says your first name with an airy chuckle and you could almost... ALMOST... swear the two of you are flirting

to anyone observing with no sound he looks as nonchalant as normal but really the tone of his voice is implying the suggestive nature of conversation

“maybe you should spend your money on other things you like?” your suggestion is thrown back in your face when levi scoffs choking back a laugh

“i already am spending my money on other interests of mine.”

turning to face him and to hand him a file of paperwork you look him right in the eyes

“and what interests would those be?”

levi’s gaze meander down to your lips before shooting back up to your eyes and you swear you feel a tingle in the pit of your stomach

“i’ll let you figure that out on your own. you’re smart enough.”

you’re gaping at that reply because how are you meant to know???

but, the answer to your question is far more obvious than you think.

and it’s only after work whilst you’re eating dinner that you’re able to connect the dots

he was, talking about...you??

gasping you flush bright pink and bury your face into one of your sofa’s pillows

no way, there’s no way that happened

oh no, but there really is a way

and that way is levi ackerman ;-)

[haztory]

OK BUT THAT'S ME BEING AN IDIOT HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA drabble/sfw JAHAHHAHAHAHAH DAMN

““You better catch that fucking bouquet, babe. Our relationship is on the line!” + “You wanna go toe to toe with me, pretty boy?” with Bokuto for the loveliest Clara! from my writing event that is now closed!

warnings: adult langauge and that’s it!

a/n: i answered her previous ask for the quotes so i’m just posting the drabble here! thank you for your patience my love!!! i hope you like it <33333

bokuto koutarou x f!reader; (fluff, all the fluff and wedding shenanigans)

Bokuto loves weddings. They’re truly his weak spot. Ask him to attend and he’s there an hour early, regardless of whether you’re his best friend or his cousin twice removed. The man lives for a wedding.

He loves the sentimentality of the ceremony that never fails to make him teary-eyed and oppositely, he loves the liveliness of the reception, half tempted every time to push the DJ aside and take over the mixing of music with a drink in his hand and a sloppy yell. He’s a vivacious mess of mixed moods and energy, but truthfully, he’s the best date anyone could ever ask for.

The best attendee too, considering almost everyone wants him to be a groomsman. He usually can never say no, but this time, it wasn’t even a question; Especially not for Hinata.

But above all, he loves that every wedding he attends grants him ample opportunity to enter into the sanctity of his fantasies and imagine his own.

“Did ya see him up there?!” Atsumu barks with a hard laugh, one hand clutching his whiskey and another his suit-clad chest, “He was cryin’ more than the groom!”

Met with the boastful laughs of his fellow team members, all gathered in a scattered circle by the bar, Bokuto jokingly pushes the blond on his left with a loud scoff and a faux-defense tone.

“I held it in!”

 “I heard you sniffling when Sho finally entered the venue,” Sakusa says, pointing a finger at Bokuto with the same hand that held his own alcoholic drink, “Don’t lie.”

 The group erupts into even more scattered laughter, that of which Bokuto finally joins in. His suit jacket has long since been abandoned, and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows as he holds his hands up in surrender, “What can I say? I love weddings!”

Throwing an arm around his shoulders, Meian joyfully says from beside him, “At least we’ll know now how you’ll be at your own.” His eyes waggle in accompaniment and Bokuto feels his cheeks start to ache from the intensity of his smile. 

“We’ll bring extra tissues!”

Flustered to the core, Bokuto dips his head in abnormal shyness— the likes of which have the entirety of his friend group leaning forward in curiosity, their own interested smiles painted on their faces.

Fascinating as it may be to see the loud and boisterous wing spiker reduced to flushed cheeks at the mention of marriage, it doesn’t take much to figure out why; Even if they didn’t know him as well as they did, it was more than clear as to the reason when Bokuto’s own gaze tries to covertly dart to the side. That of which they all notice and blatantly follow. 

Stood beside the table of the bride, there you stood in all of your sheer elegance laughing with a number of the bridesmaids, blissfully unaware of a loving gaze that was drawn much too heavily to your turned figure. Focused on the way your dress shimmers in the dim lighting and the way you speak amongst the other guests, Bokuto feels locked in the trace of your magnanimous presence. Shyness dissipating quickly and replaced with the overwhelming flutter in his stomach.

And, not for the first time this night, he wonders briefly what it would be like if it were you walking down the aisle; If instead of the sheer, shimmery dress that adorned you beautifully, you were wearing a white one.

As he watched with exuberant joy as one of his closest friends married the one he loved, he couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like if this were his wedding. If it were you walking down the aisle to the ethereal orchestra with your closest friends and family in attendance, all watching with eager rapture at your astounding beauty as he surely would be. But none of them, not a single one of them could ever compare to the intensity of his own stupefied gaze.

He’s imagined the scenario too often, felt tears prick the corner of his eyes every time, and he grows more excited each time he’s fantasized. But nothing gives him more butterflies than the thought of interlocking his hand with yours, placing his ring of eternal promise on your third finger, and avidly vow forever with you.

It’s not like he needs a wedding to promise that; He sees his future every time he looks at you—even if you have your back turned to him and are chatting away unsuspectingly with the fellow attendees.

 But a wedding would be nice, he thinks.

“That’s if he can get married,” Atsumu mutters into his glass cup and takes a long drink of his whiskey.

Bokuto, interrupted from his loving stare at the back of your head, snaps his own head to the blond with the speed to break necks. Eyebrows furrowed, fantasy ruined, and full offense coating his syllables, he exclaims, “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Shrugging his shoulder nonchalantly, Atsumu leans one elbow on the surface of the bar counter and swirls his drink around, “Ya keep sayin’ yer gonna do it, but how long’s it been? Seven, eight months? If you haven’t done it yet, yer not ever gonna.”

A quick flash of sternness settles into the eyes of their captain, his arm still wrapped around the shoulders of the slowly deflating wing spiker. “He’ll do it when he’s ready, Atsumu. There’s no need to rush something like that.”

Rolling his eyes, Sakusa chimes in from across the three men. Pointing his stare at Koutarou, who resembles a kicked puppy at this point, he sighs. Not one to expel too much effort in emotional comfort, he decides this one is worthy of some kind of attempt. Albeit a minimal one. 

 “Don’t listen to this idiot, Koutarou.”

“‘m jus’ sayin’. She won’t wait for long, man,” Atsumu shrugs his shoulders again, eyes flitting to his right. Out of the corner, Koutarou deflates even more— shoulders slumped and the corners of his mouth downturned noticeably. He huffs out a quiet laugh through his nose.

Step one, complete.

“Since when were you such an expert in what women want?” Sakusa snorts.

“I have experience, thank you very much!” 

“That’s hard to believe.”

Sticking his tongue out at Sakusa, he pointedly ignores the insult to his knowledge of the feminine desires and turns his attention to the subject matter at hand.

Atsumu knows what women, having dated quite a few in his years. More specifically, he knew what you want, considering one drunk evening you had wondered aloud— quite heartachingly in your alcoholic daze, he might add— if the boisterous wing spiker even wanted to marry you. Bokuto, in your words verbatim—

“He just always gets fidgety when I bring it up and I jus’ dunno if he even likes me anymore cause yesterday, he said that my dinner was just ‘okay’ when he always says that he really loves it. Do you know how that made me feel? How could he even want to marry me when I make just ‘okay’ food? Do you know how much he eats? How can he survive!”

And as the ever so loyal friend that Atsumu considers himself to be, who is never one to ever meddle in the business of others, decided it was only right of him to solve this slight problem himself.

By taunting Bokuto, of course. 

If only to make him take matters into his own hands and finally do what everyone has been waiting for. What he knew the poor man has been dying to do forever, considering he never shuts up about you.

And also, to finally have you stop drunk texting him, no matter how endearing he may find them to be.

“So,” Atsumu sings once more, ignoring the look of exasperation on Meian’s face and instead, zoning in on the face of despair before him, “what are ya waiting for?”

In his stupefied stare at the blond beside him, Bokuto finds his gaze once more being drawn back to your turned figure that stands right in his line of sight. Wearing that pretty dress that you face timed him to get his opinion on, smelling of sweet lavender and jasmine— his favorite perfume of yours— and the lip gloss that you begged him not to mess up. He didn’t listen, and truthfully, you hardly minded all that much.

What is he waiting for? He knows what he wants, so why hasn’t he done it yet?

What if you’re growing tired of how long he’s been waiting? What if you’re unhappy that your relationship hasn’t progressed to the next stage? Oh god, what if--

His mouth opens then closes, then opens once again, bottom lip jutting out in a pout. “I… I don’t know.”

“Do ya want to marry her?”

Bokuto nods eagerly, as though through the action alone he could dispel of any lingering doubt that ever had the audacity to pervade his thoughts, “Of course! I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

“Ya think she’s gonna say ‘no’?”

Looking at his two other teammates, who each have their own curiosities piqued at the line of questioning, he shakes his head with finality.

“No. At least, I don’t think so.”

“Then ya just need a push!” Placing his drink on the counter, Atsumu slaps his hand on the man’s shoulder, “How about this: If yer girl catches the bouquet, ya rip the band-aid and ya ask her—”

Stepping in once more, Meian chimes, “Don’t push him to do something he’s not ready for—”

“I ain’t pushin’! He’s got the ring already, right?”

“You do?” All eyes fall onto Bokuto, who stares with widened innocent stare at each of them. He quickly shoves his hand into his pocket, pulling out his fist to reveal a velvet box in his hand. 

“I’ve been carrying it with me every day for the past six months. I just didn’t know if I should do it.”

Three pairs of eyes stare blankly at the man before them. Sharing a quick look at one another, the message is translated seamlessly between each of them and voiced eloquently by Meian himself. Ever the efficient captain.

“Holy shit.”

“My friend,” Atsumu laughs, squeezing his hand on the broad shoulder of his closest friend. His smile, innocent enough to the passing gaze, holds that twinge of mischief that Bokuto has come to know rather intimately; A taunting smile that has been directed his way one too many times that usually never ends well.

“I dare ya to propose to yer girl if she catches that bouquet. If yer really a man, that is.”

Bokuto’s eye twitches, his features narrowed at the utterance of the dare, and that’s how Atsumu knows he’s got him in the bag. It has his own smile widening even further, as Bokuto’s face scrunches in suspicion, knowing full well that he could never resist a dare.

With the single word alone, long gone is the hesitancy and doubt that plagued the man just a moment before, and instead stands a man tall in his ushering of competition. A man who thrives off the challenge, especially wherever his teammate presented one. It’s almost startling how quickly he sheds his mopey behavior and embraces his natural presence, which overwhelms and overpowers everyone around them. 

Step two, done.

“And if she doesn’t?” Bokuto asks, smugness filtering his words as he entertains the notion— silently accepts the provocation laid before him and drastically alters himself in order to successfully combat it. 

In order to win.

Spotting the glint of devilry that grows in strength in the narrowing of Bokuto’s eyes, Atsumu smirks and meets it with one of his own. He’s got him, hook, line, and sinker.

“Ya break up.”

Bokuto reels backward physically, shaken from the competitive trance and staring at the man in grotesque shock. The kind that almost borders anger and offense. Huffing a breath through his nose, he takes a step forward, away from the present comfort of Meian and almost in accusation.

“Are you trying to ruin my life, blondie? You trying to go toe to toe with me, pretty boy?”

Atsumu laughs, holding his hands up in defense, “I’m tryna get ya married, big guy!” Shoving his hands into his pockets, hardly phased by the proximity in which the large man has entrenched onto his space, he shrugs once more, “That is… if yer man enough to take it.”

“Deal,” Bokuto says without hesitation, both incredibly and not at all to the surprise of the other two men who have been silently watching from the sidelines. Like a sudden reset, the tension that resided stiffly in the shoulders of Bokuto rescinds, and replaced is the confident, joyous man. 

A man who looks as though he’s won easy money and then some. 

Smiling widely, Bokuto turns in his place and begins a bold strut away from his friends. In the direction of his beloved, “Excuuuse me, gentlemen. I’m going to go teach my lady how to catch a bouquet.”

Meian and Kiyoomi step to the side, allowing enough space for Bokuto to walk through with the hint of laughter in their small smiles. 

Spinning on his heel and pointing his thumb at his chest, Bokuto exclaims proudly, “This time tomorrow, I will be a married man!”

“One wedding at a time, Kou.” Meian laughs at the retreating man, who is beaming from head to toe.

“Better train ‘er good, big guy! Or else I might be the next one to propose to her!” Atsumu calls out as Bokuto gets closer and closer towards your turned figure.

“I’ll kill you!” He calls back, hearing the echoing laughter diminish as he finally steps beside you.

Turning from the conversation with one of the bridesmaids to the new presence, you shine beautifully upon recognizing who it is, and Bokuto feels his resolve grow almost stronger.

“Hi baby,” You coo, instinctually placing your hand into his and leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek when he quickly presents it to you, “Did you have fun with the boys?”

Wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you closer, he places his own kiss on your cheek, humming against the surface of the skin yet making no move to part from you. “Mhmm. Just missed you.”

You laugh, rubbing your hand on his arm, “You were only gone for a couple minutes, Kou.”

Trailing his lips downward, he nuzzles himself into your neck, inhaling deeply. Lavender and jasmine. His favorite scent.

The one he wants to smell for the rest of his life.

“Ten minutes is too long.”

If possible, he manages to pull you even tighter against him. Two strong arms wrapping around you, pulling your chest into his and squeezing you tightly. Lovingly and entirely too comforting. Home.

You return the embrace eagerly, holding him to you equally as tight, “You’re right. It was starting to get boring without you.”

His hand, warm and large against the small of your back, rubs the surface up and down before he pulls back slightly, if only to look at your face in its entirety and the lip gloss you have unfortunately reapplied.

“You’re gonna do the bouquet toss, right?”

You raise an eyebrow, “I usually do. Why?”

He glances to the side, avoiding your inquiring stare. He raises a hand from your waist, rubbing the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile, “Maybe we should go outside, and I can throw a couple of rocks at you. Just to practice your catching skills.”

“Kou— “

“Can’t have anyone disrespecting you on the floor, can we? We gotta let everyone know you’re a winner! Cause you’re my girl, and whoever disrespects you, disrespects me! You know? So, you better catch that fucking bouquet. I mean, our relationship is on the line, here!”

“Koutarou—” From the tone in which you say his name, he knows he’s not making any sense. You’re confused, incredibly so, and he can’t blame you. Truthfully, he doesn’t even know what he’s saying, only that he has a goal, and he has to make you see it without revealing himself entirely.

 “I mean, only if you want to. It just… means a lot to me, and I want you to say yes, because I love you. And if you win, I win in a lot of ways. And I want to win with you, for the rest of our lives.”

Realizing almost entirely too late that he was talking with duplicity that you have most certainly caught on towards, he decides there is a good place to stop talking entirely. Oh god, he’s such an idiot. What was he thinking? He can never hide anything from you!

If you couldn’t tell from the way he was talking in metaphors, you could most definitely see it from the way in which sweat beads at the top of his forehead.

Your eyes flicker from each of his, your warm palms cupping the sides of his face as you watch him with concern.

“Baby,” You breathe out, voice steady and calm as you watch his resolve slowly crack under your watchful stare, “Did you want to talk to me about something?”

He tried desperately to remind himself that he has a mission to accomplish, that there was a dare that Atsumu had challenged him to that he must complete—but it’s you. You’re the trump card, the weakness in his defense, his priority above all else. He could never hide anything from you because you would catch him in a quick minute. And truthfully, he doesn’t want to hide anything from you.

It was easy to hide the ring under the guise of waiting for the perfect time, a mental barrier that he could excuse as a good cause behind his hesitancy, but now that he’s accepted a dare that is forcing him to put his desires to immediate use, he can hardly wait for the bouquet toss to arrive.

He’s got to do it now. The time is right, it will never be more perfect. You look beautiful, you’re held tightly in his arms, and he’s never been more convinced of the fact that he loves you. Why has he even waited this long?

He has to do it—Atsumu be damned.

“Marry me.” 

**

Extra:

“You really think she’s going to catch it?” Meian asks Atsumu, as they both watch from afar the way Bokuto wraps himself around your body, nuzzling unabashedly into you.

Atsumu scoffs, “Hell no. Girl can’t catch fer shit.”

Furrowing his brows, Meian stares at the blond with intense confusion, “Then why did you—”

“Just had to plant the idea in his head. He’ll do it soon, jus’ give it a minute.”

The two watch you both silently, noticing the way in which Bokuto pulls away from you and starts to speak rapidly. Neither of them can hear what he’s saying, but they can see his lips moving. More importantly, can see the way in which you stare in perplexion.

Then finally, his lips stop moving and your hands cup his face. The setter and captain feel their breaths hitch and they both lean forward if only to see if they can read the wing spiker’s lips from where they stand.

They can. And from the way you respond with a laugh and an eager kiss, they know it worked.

Looking to Meian, Atsumu raises his brow with a smile, “Told ya!”

end note: to everyone who sent a request, it is on it’s way! i just don’t know the definition of a drabble and instead make 3k long fics, so that’s fun. 

[ryozoro]

Hades Playlist - ii.

NOW PLAYING: Vampire [Dominic Fike]

cw; nothing really, very small mentions of manipulation and murder

an: SORRY FOR THE LATE UPLOAD , THINGS GOT BEHIND SCHEDULE :(

“The curious are always in some danger. If you are curious, you might never come home.” – Jennette Winterson

She couldn’t get him off her mind; ever since she met him, all her thoughts have led back to the droopy eyes and the slick back hair that seemed a lot softer than what the gel presented it as. The whole idea of her thoughts tracing back to the eldest of the Haitani’s and her heart beats mimicking each time the octave of his voice dropped with every word he spoke to her, made yn almost forget all the rules her big brother placed when it comes to men.

Why does she yearn to be in the presence of someone who would not hesitate to take her life for a laugh amongst his gang? Why does she want to run into the back allies of each street in hopes of accidentally bumping into him? Why isn’t she able to use common sense and erase the memory of him out of her head? Why does she feel like fate has strung their paths together on purpose? Why – you know what? Maybe she latched onto Ran so fast in hopes of forgetting someone else that continued to plague her mind daily. Maybe she is becoming obsessed with idea of someone not seeing her as a kid. That has to be it, right? Ran, ‘Tani-Senpai,’ shares the same interest and even wants to talk to her later as if they have been old friends. That has to be it —

“Yn!” her brother’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Are you okay, ya idiot?” She took note that everyone at the table was staring at her, waiting for her to answer Draken’s question. “You’ve been spacing out since we got here,” Draken frowned as he plucked a piece of food from her plate, “are you sure that nothing happened on your bike ride to the shop?”

“If you were riding to the shop, I would have gladly picked you up,” Inupi chimed in with a soft smile. “I told you to treat me like I’m another older brother.”

“Hm,” yn hummed while avoiding eye contact with the blonde man, “wanted to surprise my troll of a brother and I figured you were off because its Tuesday.”

“Ah,” Inupi gently laughed as he watched her play with her food, “you remembered my schedule?”

Of course, she remembered his schedule. Yn knew almost everything about him; from the origins of his beautiful burn mark to his favorite snack in the vending machine back at the shop, yn knew and fell in love with it all. Draken always teased her about being in love with Mikey or Hakkai since she always seemed relaxed around them, but little did he know that his little sister was in love with his best friend and business partner.

“I’m honestly shocked that you kept it the way you did,” yn side-eyed him as she raised the other hand to pick at the bandages that wrapped along the underside of her jaw, “but at the same time, I’m not that shocked considering old people love to stick to their schedules. Wouldn’t want you straining your back, Oji-chan.”

Inupi laughed – God, she loved that laugh - whole heartedly to the point he began choking on his food. Of course, sitting with their friends and family, Inupi’s contagious laugh spread amongst the others and the people around them either ignored it very well or gave them silent glares in hopes they would stop; surprise, they did not. Hell, if anything, it got worse – so much worse – to the point that Mikey, Takemichi, and Chifuyu all fell out of their chairs.

“I – what did I say that was so funny?” yn pouted as she fished her phone out of her pocket, “I just called him the old man he was.”

“That’s why, brat,” draken flicked her forehead and chuckled, “we had made a few bets on what you would say when Inupi had talked to you. Surprisingly, Mitsuya guessed you would have called him a grandpa.” Draken and the others proceeded to give Mana’s big brother 200 yen as they got up off the floor and calmed down.

“So, Yn,” Takemichi looked her in the eyes with a dopey flushed face.

“Watch it ‘ Mitchy,” Kazutora playfully warned, “don’t wanna embarrass the poor girl since she just got back.”

“What is it, crybaby,” she asked hesitantly as she scanned over his face, noting signs of mischief lurking in the corners of his smile. “It better not be something stupid, or else I’m telling Hina-san about what you did last time you came over to the shop.”

“Oi, you’re so mean – just like your brother,” Takemichi pouts and fans his hands towards you, “but it’s just a simple question, neh.”

Yn enjoyed Takemichi’s presence more than someone from an outside point of view would have thought. He always served as a hero in her eyes as he saved Mikey from the dark path he began to walk and how he constantly reminded her brother on how much his deceased lover, Sano Emma, watches over him and guides him to all the good things that happens in his life. He was an amazing guy and one that she wished had set her expectations for her taste in men, but her heart yearns for those who are completely out of her grasp.

“Just ask or else I’m calling Hina-san,” yn smirked as she brought her phone screen into view for Takemichi to see that “Hina-san <3” contact was pulled up and only one press away from being dialed.

“Oh, you bully!” Takemichi sighed dramatically, “I was just going to ask how long you have been into gilfs?” Draken choked on his drink and Pah-chin was patting his back in hopes of easing the rough coughs. Everyone at the table began to cause even more ruckus with tears of laughter as yn sat there dumbfounded.

“w-what,” she scratched her head and looked around the table in hopes of someone taking note of her clear ignorance at the word that Takemichi had claimed her to be attracted to. Since no one answered, she decided to speak on her own, “what the hell is a gilf?” Much to yn’s dismay, the table went silent for a brief second before bursting out into an even louder fit of laughter. “Well?! What the hell is it?”

“Yn, love,” Smiley spoke between hiccups and giggles, “it’s the same thing as a Dilf or Milf, but for old people.” After he finally finished his sentence, he leaned against his twin and laughed even harder.

“I-,” yn stood up and threw her dirtied napkin and spoon at the man who made the joke, “I’m not attracted to gilfs you fuckin idiot.” Yn moved behind Takemichi and put him in a headlock, “what made you even think to say that ya CD sellin’ pervert.”

“Oi,” Draken said from above her, “let ‘Mitchy go or else I’m taking you back all the way to Fukurodani and asking them to volunteer you for the summer school tutoring.” Yn dropped her arms in defeat and made her way back to her seat. “And you,” Takemichi looked up at her brother with a teary-eyed smile, “go clean your hair up before your wedding. It’s in three days and anyone can tell you pick at your split ends during your down time at work.” Draken laughed as Takemichi’s expression turned into a pout and he began punching Draken’s solid abdomen.

“Oh,” Angry stood up abruptly, “yn, could I see ya outside really quick?” Despite his rough tone, everyone knew he was asking in the kindest way possible.

“Yeah, sure,” yn got up with a pout and made her way to the exit with Angry trailing her with a hand on her mid-back. She was confused as to why they went outside at such a fast pace, but she just assumed that Angry wanted peace and quiet away from the others. “So,” yn smiled at the younger twin, “what did you – why is your face angrier than usual?” She titled her head at the man but he was quick to grab her hand and guide her towards his bike.

“Hop on,” he straddled the seat and waited for her to do the same, “don’t worry, Draken texted me to take you back to me and Nahoya-nii’s shop. So… hurry up, please.” Souta stopped her right before she got on and placed a helmet on her head, “safety first because I’ll hurt you if you get hurt,” he said as he proceeded to adjust the straps enough to keep her safe and comfortable. “Get on, Princess,” he kicked up the kick stand and took off fast out the parking spot.

“So – uh,” yn spoke aloud as they arrived at a stop light, “why did nii-chan tell ya to take me to the shop… I wasn’t done eating.” She felt her stomach rumble and she pressed her cheek to Angry’s leather cladded shoulder blade and readjusted her grip on his waist as they began moving towards the backroads to get to the Kawata’s Ramen shop.

“I’ll make you a bowl when we get there,” he relaxed his upper body so yn wasn’t laying against hard muscles, “and we left because everyone kept staring at you.”

“Psh,” yn rolled her eyes, “they were staring because I am a strong, independent woman who managed to put a MAN in a headlock like a bad bi-.”

“Enough of your ‘bad bitch’ talk, I believe you, but I promise you that was not the reason.” Angry spoke through a breathy laugh, “the cook and the table in the corner was kept looking over you. Don’t you think it was weird how when they brought our orders out and Draken said your rice was missing an egg and the cook came out and apologized himself?”

Yn pondered on the question for a bit but then shook her head gently and nuzzled inbetween the center of Angrys’s back, “no, to be honest, I thought that the cook just hates when he messes up. It can’t be that deep, yanno? Oh! Maybe they mistook me as an idol?” She felts Angry’s laugh bubble from his chest to his shoulder blades; Souta’s laugh honestly made her feel like her jokes were genuinely funny to listen to.

“Hate to break it to you,” Angry brought the bike to a gentle stop as the arrived towards the ramen shop, “but you don’t present yourself as the ideal image of the idol you probably think you are.” Yn joined Souta in the small fits of laughter as she gently punched him in his side.

“Oh, shut up,” she let out a soft breath as she hopped off and carried the helmet with her as she made her way to the employee back door. “Open up, yeah? ‘M reeeeeally hungry.”

“Already ahead of you, ya dumb brat,” Angry bumped his hip gently against yn’s and unlocked the door and pushed her inside. They placed their helmets and jackets off in the staff room and made their way towards the kitchen where she sat at bar stools and Angry started up the stove to boil a few eggs and moved to chop up some green onions. “You want beef or chicken, idiot?”

“Sheesh, souta-kun, if ya wanted to marry me – just say that,” Yn teased as she propped her head onto her two hands, “your terms of endearment have been getting sweeter and sweeter by the minute~ but! I do want chicken please, been not feelin like eating cow and pigs lately.”

“Yer annoying,” angry threw a small, chopped onion at her, “in your dreams I’d marry you. Plus, I KNOW I’m not your type. You go for mechanics with burn marked boys that work with your brother -,”

“OKAY, NOT NEEDED,” Yn pressed her face to the counter, “asshole… He’s my type, but I’m not his. He’s like, Makima and I’m Denji… please tell me you understand that because it’s the best I got.”

“I understand it, and I just want to say that that is the most tragic thing I have heard from you in a while – oh, but back to the restaurant,” Angry said as he slid a small chocolate mochi from out the freezer and towards yn on a cute, small plate, “there was a customer who went into the back the second he heard that your order was wrong. I thought it was weird because what cook comes out that frightened when they get someone’s order wrong, but then your brother texted me saying that every man there had their eyes on you as if they were in charge of watching your every move. At first, Hakkai noticed some of the men sporting a ‘Bonten’ tattoo on their wrist, so we thought maybe they were after Mikey, but then Mitsuya texted us when he went to the bathroom that he heard some of the guys saying your name. Once that was said, Draken immediately told me to take you away from there… I do have a question for you though.” Angry began whipping up the ramen in the most tasteful way and side-eyeing the young ryuguji, “did you by chance get into it with a few Bonten member’s when you first got here? Is that why you’re all bandaged up?”

“Souta,” yn felt her heartbeat pick up but remained composed, “nothing happened with what ever ‘Bonten’ members… you know how weird some gangs are…”

“I trust you, brat,” Angry’s frown deepened once he noticed that the eggs were ready to be cut and the chicken was ready to be fried, “I just don’t want to lose another family member, okay? We babies have to stick together.” With that, he paid no mind to the situation, making a small mental note to tell Draken that one of the members there probably just thought yn was pretty. “Oh,” Souta looked back at yn, “one more thing.”

“Y-yeah, of course,” yn snapped her eyes to meet his gaze, nervous that he might have picked up on the fact that she lied about not coming into contact with any members when she first arrived, “what’s up stinky?”

“Just be careful,” Angry passed her a water bottle, “don’t trust anyone who isn’t in our toman family; especially not a Bonten member. He’ll take you in, manipulate you into believing you can’t live without him, and sell you off with no cares in the world. That is, if you’re lucky enough not to be killed in the middle of the street for entertainment.” Souta turned back around to finish up the ramen.

“Yeah,” yn felt a chill go down her back, “I’ll be careful… I promise.” She honestly didn’t know how to feel, after all, she just met with the man who presented her with an unrequited love, another man who made her heart yearn to lurk into the depths of the shadows, and someone whom she considered family just told her that one of those men would lead her onto a road of misfortune. Lost in her thoughts, she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She pulled on it and felt her stomach drop as she was greeted with two notifications.

Draken bacon >:D : You okay kid? We’re heading to the restaurant right now, ‘m sure nothing was wrong – just wanted ya to be safe. me and inupi there in a bit, the other boys are getting stuff together for our dinner tonight. don’t annoy angry too much <3

Tani-senpai <3: why did you leave so soon pretty girl? Didn’t mean to alarm you, but I sent your picture to quite a few of my juniors and underlings, delinquents if you will – just wanted them to know not to touch what isn’t theirs. N e Wayz, I have time now, do you want to call now?

Were the gods telling her to remember her caring brother’s rules on men or to listen to faint voice of curiosity that lingered in her young and ignorant mind?

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Taglist: @richiyo @haitanigigi @chifuyusprincess

ryozoro©

[hargrove-mayfields]

Billy has to stick up for max a lot because of her autism, at school he walks to her class and their afraid of him because just,,, look at him

warnings for mentions of bullying and ableism.

It isn’t easy to make Maxine Mayfield cry.

At least, Billy had almost never seen her shed a tear in the six years he’d known her but maybe two times: once when she was still little, and just learned her step-family was going to move into her house and replace her real dad forever, and once when she was told they would be leaving California. Both times she’d run off to her room and slammed the door before anyone could see, but Billy had noticed. He always did when it came to Max. Had to when he knew damn well how much trouble he’d be in if things went wrong while he was watching her.

Beyond that there were a few teary eyed looks that got wiped away, maybe a sniffle she’d try to cover up by complaining about her allergies, but it was very rare, even during meltdowns, that she’d be full on crying, tears streaming down her face so quickly she couldn’t wipe them away while sobs wrack through her and make her shake.

So Billy knows first thing that something is very, very wrong when she’s already at his car after school, her face buried in her balled up jacket and doing exactly that. He can hear her from outside the car, so he sighs and knocks on the window before he yanks the door open, but Max doesn’t even flinch, just curls up tighter in the passenger seat and ignores him.

That’s a bad sign too, the fact she isn’t even trying to hide it from him, “What’s a’matter Maxi?”

“None of your business.” She snaps at him, voice thick and wet with tears. It’s unfamiliar seeing her like that and it makes Billy feel tense ang guilt even though he didn’t do it this time, so he tries, “Come on. It totally is my business. You get tears on my leather seats n’the salt’ll stain ‘em up, and you’ll be the one to clean it up.”

All it gets from Max is another heavy sob, instantly hitting him with a pang of regret for trying to be light about this, “Shit. M’sorry, Maxi. Didn’t mean it like that. Just tryin’ ta make you smile.”

“Well it didn’t work!” Max sniffles, throwing her jacket on the dash and finally turning to look at Billy, face flushed red and tracked with tears, her bottom lip still wobbling, “I’ll never ever smile again..”

“Why not? I know it’s not just because of your dumbass brother.” Billy sees a twitch at the corner of her lip, the slightest hint of a smile at him insulting himself, and he counts that as a small win, a sign he’s getting at least a little bit through to Max, so he prompts her again, “What happened at school today, Max?”

Her gaze drops to her lap, and she shrugs her shoulders slightly, stiffly, as she mumbles an explanation, “Remember how I told you about that boy, who's mean to me and my friends?”

“‘Course I do. I never forget anythin’ you tell me.”

Max wipes her nose on her sleeve, and corrects him, “Except for when you forgot I told you I had AV club and you came in the school looking for me and then you got stuck talking to a teacher for like, three hours after I was done.”

“Yeah, well that was one time. N’I was already havin’ a bad day when you told me, thank you very much.” He encourages her, his face serious though their tone is light-hearted, “Keep goin’, what’d this kid do now?”

Again Max’s features close off, and she tries to lie, “He was just.. Well it was my fault.. I-I don’t know.”

“Max. I need the truth.”

Talking fast, like she’s fighting against her thoughts, she makes him promise, “Promise me you won’t do anything dumb, first.”

Billy lifts a hand from the steering wheel, “I won’t. Cross my heart, Maxi.”

At this point, in the silence that builds while Max wills herself to speak, Billy starts to drive, since it’s clear he won’t be going back into that school. It isn’t lost on him the way Max takes a deep breath, out of relief that he meant it when he said he wasn’t going to be dumb and march back in there.

Quickly, once she’s ready, she explains, “Okay. Well he kinda sort of told me that I was annoying ‘cause I laugh too much, and I told him it was just a stim n’that I couldn’t help it but he said that made me a baby and I told him I wasn’t and he called me a retard instead and I was already stressed so I started crying like a dumb baby and he laughed at me and none of my friends said anything or helped me and I just.. yeah.”

All Billy can do is raise his eyebrows, has about a hundred and one pissy and angry things he could say, but he doesn’t utter a word, because he doesn’t want to make Max more upset than she already is.

Clearly just the change in his expression spooks her though, because she insists, sounding like she could cry again at any second, “You promised me!”

He puts his hands up sort of defensively, though he has to grab the wheel again when the car veers, swallowing his anger to tell her calmly, “I didn’t even say anything. I promised I’d be nice and I’m gonna keep that promise.”

She nods hesitantly, more to show trust than agreement, so Billy continues, “But Maxi that’s.. bad. Why don’t you tell a teacher or some shit?”

“Yeah, like they would even do anything. They already hate me for being in their coed classes.” Max mumbles the last part, looking away, “They’d probably rather Troy beat me up so I wouldn’t be bothering them anymore.”

“Tell me you’re being dramatic.”

But Max just shrugs again.

“Fuck, I hate this fucking place.” Billy tears his eyes from the road to look Max in the eyes as she says it, even knowing she can’t return the gesture, “You know you don’t deserve to go through this shit, Maxi?”

“It.. is kinda my fault though.”

He lashes out, just a little, hearing her talk like that about herself. Because it’s not fair that a thirteen year old girl looks at herself that way, yeah, but also because he knows it’s in some ways his fault too, and their parents for the way she’d been brought up, and the shit she'd been around that she even thinks to say shit like that.

He hits the palm of his hand against the rim of his steering wheel, rather he goes to before he catches himself, slowing it before it really hits, tapping it more than anything, “No the fuck it isn’t. It’s nobody’s fault but the assholes that make it into a problem. And fucking Neil’s for dragging us to this close-minded little spot on the map. I hate this fucking town”

“Oh.” Is all Max says.

Billy waits, but he can see she doesn’t know what else to say, so he sighs, “Look, I made my promise to you. Can you make one for me now?”

Max looks confused, “Okay?”

“Promise me that the next time somebody says some shit to you, you stand up for yourself.” Max scrunches up her face, like she immediately disagrees with that, but Billy insists, “Look, I don’t care if you’re crying like a damn baby or you can’t even talk while you do it, just don’t let ‘em walk all over you like that again.”

“I’m not fighting anyone, Billy. I’m not.. like you.”

“That’s not what I said. I said to stand up for yourself. It’s different.”

“Yeah right. How am I supposed to do that?” Billy knows that some asshole had to have said that to Max, that for whatever bullshit reason she couldn’t stick up for herself. Damn kid can’t catch a break in life, so he tells her, at this point not sure if this is even advice or just him ranting at Max, “This kid calls you a slur again, tell ‘im at least you got the diagnosis. Make him feel like he’s the stupid one. And if a teacher ever pulls some shit about the way you learn, tell ‘em you’ll go to the board of education and personally get their asses fired. Your mom would fight for you.”

“No she wouldn’t.”

“Then dammit I would. Your friends would if they understood. I know Sinclair would kick ass for you.”

Max’s toughness finally cracks- she learned that from him, to put on that hard exterior and fake it- Billy's determination stronger than her stubbornness. She looks up at him with a look in her eye that says he’s said all the right things, “You really think so?”

“No shit. Big brothers know all about this kind of bull.”

“I guess.” Max smiles just a little, and tells him matter-of-factly, “But you’re not that kind of big brother. You’re too cool.”

“Hell yeah I am.” Billy hums proudly, adding with humor in his tone, “But it’s even more cool to be nice to your little sister than it is to be an asshole. Remember that one.”

Max nods, listing it off on her fingers, “Stand up for myself, but don’t be an asshole, and Billy's secretly a big softie. I think I got it.”

“Good. Now out of my car, shitbird.”

Giggling in that way that says she knows she got him, Max swings open her door and runs into the house, leaving Billy to watch after her. He turns off the car but doesn’t get out, trying to bury his worry for her under his expression, not because he didn’t care, or even because he didn’t want her to know, he was long past that, but because he was worried what would happen if Susan saw his concern.

She’d weasel the truth out of Max if she knew something was up, and somehow, despite her promises, Neil would find out once he dragged his ass back home from the bar later tonight, and then it would somehow be Billy’s fault. He just hopes, if Max lets slip about the bullying, she at least doesn’t get too mouthy and mention the part where she was crying.

That was a Friday when that all went down, so Billy has the weekend, which thankfully does not include any snitching, to decide what he’s going to do about it. It’s not like he was ever going to go beat up on any tweens anyways, but he promised Max he wouldn’t be dumb, and he knew that meant no passive aggressive bullshit either. At least not while she could see him.

Because that ruled out like, half of his options, he’s still kind of clueless on what he’s going to do that next Monday morning when schools back in. He’s sitting in the middle school parking lot, fingers twitching against the steering wheel without a cigarette to busy them with, waiting for 7:30 on the dot when Max always goes in.

At this point, he’s considering just ditching with her to go get ice cream or something so she doesn’t have to face any bullies today, but his epiphany comes in the form of watching Jonathan Byers walk the littler one all the way to the front doors, his hand protectively hooked through the handle on the kid’s backpack. When the clock ticks the right time and Max opens her door, he knows what he’s going to do, and he turns the car off.

She freezes, can tell he’s up to something. “What are you doing?”

“Nothin’. M’just walking you in.” She glares at him in response to the smug smile he wears, so he swears, “Honest. I got basketball today. No way I’m missing that shit ‘cause I fought some little kid.”

“You’re lying.”

“Can’t I just be nice to my little sister?”

From the look on her face, she’s still skeptical, but it's enough to get Max to agree to it, grabbing her bag from the backseat and mumbling, “Whatever. Just don’t embarrass me.”

Billy chuckles, giving Max a head start towards the building before he follows, “Hey now, I thought just yesterday I was your cool older brother.”

“Cool older brothers don’t walk their sisters to the door.” She calls it over her shoulder, and Billy can’t help but tease her more, correcting her in a sing-songy voice, “Who said I was stoppin’ at the door? I’m walking you all the way to your class.”

“Oh god.” Max stops walking, but Billy keeps up, this time pulling ahead enough to call back to her, “Come on shitbird. Don’t wanna be late.”

“I hate you so much.”

“Yeah, right. You love that I would take the time outta my morning to do this for you.” He props open the door for Max with his boot, pretending not to notice the way all the little middle school kids at their lockers turn to gawk at them, letting her shove past him with her face flushed deeper than the color of her hair in embarrassment.

Pulling on her backpack straps, like she’s trying to physically make herself smaller, she mumbles, “No, I actually hate you.”

He almost feels bad for embarrassing her, but that’s the other part of his job, and he reminds her of that, “Good. There’s some more advice for ya, little sisters should always hate their big brothers, or he’s doing something wrong.”

They get a little ways down the hall, Max’s confidence going up just some as the shock wears off and people start to turn away, but Billy hardly notices. He doesn’t even come close to being bothered by eighth grade politics anymore, and if he’s intimidating the poor kids, well that’s exactly what he’s there for.

When he’s met with a particularly harsh glare from some snob nosed brat, who happens to remind him a lot of one Tommy Hagan, he bumps into Max on purpose, and announces louder than he needs to in hopes the kid’ll know he was looking for him, “That the little asshole s’been givin’ you trouble?”

Glancing nervously between him and Billy, she nods, “Yeah..”

Billy just nods, a cross between acknowledgment and judgement, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You said-“ Again Max panics, but Billy cuts her off this time with a simple assurance of, “And I didn’t do anything.”

Her eyebrows knit together, realizing that that wasn’t a lie, “I.. guess you didn’t.”

“What’s your first class anyways?”

“We report to the cafeteria before first period.” She informs him, leading him that way, but he hooks two fingers through the strap on her bag to stop her, “Not gonna happen, Maxi. Being shoved in a tiny room with three hundred other kids makes you feel all ‘meltdowny’ I think was your exact word. So you’re not doin’ that anymore. I just decided.”

“But that’s against the rules.”

“Yeah, so’s me bein’ in this building during school hours, but nobody’s saying shit to me, are they?”

Max narrows her eyes at him then, and he knows he said too much, that he’s been found out, “That’s your plan isn’t it.”

There’s a crooked smile on his face he can’t hide as he plays innocent-like, “What is?”

Max pushes him a little and he pretends to misstep while she accuses him, “Coming into school and being all intimidating so nobody will bug me anymore.”

“Pfft, yeah right.” Billy denies again, getting nothing but an eye roll in response at first, but when it’s clear it’s he’s not going to give up and admit it, Max does, glancing shortly over at him, “Well thanks anyways, Billy.”

She adds, realizing he’s wandering with no idea where they’re going, having never been in the middle school himself, “My first class is in B-18.”

“Which one is’at?” He asks, just curious, but Max deflects the question, giving a short, “It’s taught by Mr. Clarke.”

Just from how quiet she is, Billy can tell that she's hiding something, “Max. You seriously don’t even know what class you’re in?”

“No I don’t, okay?” Max stops in the middle of the hallway, ranting at her brother, “It’s already not the same as my old school, and then they moved my schedule all around again after they decided I didn’t qualify for special ed, so now I just go where I’m s’posed to, and I know my teachers better than my classes.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone, did you?”

“No. There’s nothing anyone can do so it doesn’t matter.” Her tone implies she thought a lot about it, maybe even wanted to, but decided not to.

Billy insists right back, these past two days feeling like he’s constantly petitioning for Max to trust and rely on him, “Oh I could do somethin’. You know I could.”

“I do. But I don’t want you to. Sticking up for me is enough.”

That’s what makes Billy understand. The firmness in her voice says everything she needs him to hear: Max doesn’t want Billy to do for her what she can handle. This is bigger than just being the older brother. This is her setting boundaries, asking for help without wanting to be controlled. That’s something he never really got how to do, being raised by a dictator and all, but it’s something she needs. Sometimes he forgets that.

He doesn’t say anything else, just lets it sit while Max takes him down some stairs to the right room. She stops outside, scuffing up the dusty marble floors with the toe of her Chuck Taylor’s, “Could you.. stick around for a little bit in case he says something?”

Billy clicks his tongue, remarking, “I dunno. I got a class in a few..”

But his sarcasm falls short with Max, which, that’s his bad for not realizing that it would, and her face falls, “Oh, well I guess I can just-”

“Was just funnin’ you shitbird. I don’t give a fuck about my classes.” Max grimaces in that all too familiar way of uncertainty, so he promises, “I’ll be right out here. Go talk to your teacher, ‘n if he says some shit to you, remember I only promised not be stupid about the bully.”

He at least gets a smile for that one, before Max rolls her eyes, “You’re not fighting my science teacher, dummy.”

“Whatever. Just get in there, brat.”

He can see Max holding back a smile as she listens, bounding into her classroom with another quick glance back at Billy to check that he wasn’t lying and going to walk away.

Billy waits until the door fall closed to lean against the row of lockers opposite it, watching her through the little meshed over windows. By now, he’s pretty well versed on what arguments with angry authority figures look like, and the conversation between Max and her teacher is not one. He still stays though, just because Max asked him to, but maybe, just maybe a little for himself, a reassurance that the second he leaves shit isn’t going to get worse, and Max’ll have at least someone other than her equally as nerdy little friends behind her.

Then they both turn and give him a little wave, Max and her teacher, an acknowledgment to Billy that this new routine was indeed going to work out. The way the school district had handled everything else, he wonders if the guy even knew Max wasn’t like his other students until now.

Still, seeing that, Billy gives a half nod in response, and decides his job is done here, at least until tomorrow when he does the same. Max’ll get used to it, and his hope is that the little bully brats won’t. He’ll just have to keep them on their toes.

Which is exactly why, while on his way out, Billy has to break his promise to Max, just slightly, and do something dumb. He finds the Troy kid again, and waits until the little punk is at his peak to knock him down a few pegs.

He’s complaining about some teacher, which is pretty typical for a thirteen-fourteen year old kid, but the other things he’s said to Max make it not as relatable, not as innocent. So he does what any logical, mature adult would do, and scares the piss out of him.

Billy waits until the kid gets a laugh from his troop of assholes, and slams the locker door beside him shut, uncaring of who’s it was. All eyes are quickly on him, all too wide against too pale faces. It’s too easy.

“What are you little shits whining about over here?”

The one in charge steps forward, trying to be tough despite the way he has to practically bend backwards to look up at Billy’s face, “None of your business. Did the freak send you after us to scare us? It ain’t gonna work.”

“Oh I’m not here to scare you. I’m just here to give you your final warning. We’re past the point of intimidation. Matter of fact, next time I have to come here.. it won’t be looking so good for you.”

“You’re lying.” The kid accuses, despite the obvious doubt written behind his features.

Billy can work with that.

“I might be. But I’m still an authority figure over your sorry little asses, and if you don’t start respecting that..” He bends down a little further, still nowhere near the kid but making his whole troupe flinche back, and drops his pitch, “well, I can’t promise what’ll happen to ya, but unlike your teachers, I don’t play by the rules. You got that?”

Straightening himself back out, Billy pretends to start walking away before he adds, “Oh, and if you pick on my kid sister ever again, I will know. Just remember that, uh, Troy was it?”

The kid nods dumbly, literally vibrating with something like fear, and Billy can say he’s pretty satisfied with that. He pats the kid on the shoulder, a touch so gentle it wouldn’t’ve hurt a fly, and notably couldn’t get him in any trouble, but the little shit scampers off, three other puffy head bullies trailing after him.

Everyone sees it happen, Billy with his nasty smirk and his distinguishably high-schooler way of carrying himself, Troy running for the hills in the other direction. He leaves feeling like his point has been thoroughly proven.

It isn’t easy to make Maxine Mayfield cry, but it’s even harder to get away with it, and Billy knows it won’t be a problem from now on.

[tentimesthecourage]

Shock of a Lifetime

Summary: Ahhhh no summary, just fluffy and dorks in love.

Post LU adventure

Rinku took a deep breath to calm his nerves the best he could. Okay, okay, he could do this. He managed to get through giving him the promise ring. He could manage to give him this too. And this time, they’d be alone…

Yeah right, he knew his twin would drag everyone after them, but he managed to ignore the feeling of being followed. He could see Four’s matching expression of exasperation.

“They’re watching.”

“I know.”

“Are you gonna tell me what you’re planning yet?”

“No.”

A small huff escaped the smith before he squeezed his hand gently. “You are such a tease.”

“Yes.” He smiled softly before they finally stopped at the clearing. “What do you think…?”

The area was small but pretty. It was full of flowers that shone beautiful under the moonlight. There were a few fairies floating around to add to the atmosphere lighting.

“It’s lovely…” Four murmured in faint surprise, “I’m amazed you managed to find such a place around here.”

“It’s just knowing where to look.” He shrugged lightly before gently pulling him close. Four managed to flush faintly before melting against him as he started humming softly. He felt Rinku gently run his fingers through hair and sighed softly in content.

“Why did you bring me out here, Rinku…? I don’t mind it… it’s lovely and being with you is always wonderful… but I feel there’s some sort of purpose to it.” He could hear his heartbeat quicken from where his head was resting.

Rinku took a deep breath, taking both of his hands and pulling back just enough so their eyes could meet properly. He smiled bashfully before swallowing.

“Four… Link.” Four shivered at hearing his actual name from his boyfriend. It never failed to send a chill down his spine.

“Link, I love you. More than anything in the world. Meeting you… meeting your colors… it’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you, I love them, I love just being with you all the time and I hope that I’ll never have to spend a day without you.”

Four felt his eyes stinging faintly at his heartfelt words, forcing back a shiver. He could hear the colors in the back of his mind melt at the sweet sincerity shining in his words, even Blue. He focused back on Rinku when his hands were gently squeezed before his eyes widened when he saw him lowering himself to one knee in an all too recognizable pose.

“R-Rinku…”

“Link, Red, Green, Blue, Vio… I love you all, with every fiber of my being. I want to fall asleep with you every night and I want to wake up to you every morning.” He released one of his hands to pull out a small silver box and hold it out to him.

“Would you do me the honor of becoming my fiancées and someday my husbands? Will you marry me?”

Four felt himself freeze, the colors falling silent in his mind in shock. He swallowed heavily, mouth feeling dry as his cheeks burned brightly. He knew that Rinku had mentioned proposing to him one day, he knew that it had been joked about and tossed around lightly, but he actually wasn’t expecting him to...

He felt the hand still holding his trembling and he realized with a jolt that Rinku was terrified of his response. He knew the younger’s thought process, how it would spiral down so quickly. This wouldn’t do.

He squeezed his hand tightly before pulling him forward causing him to yelp softly.

“Yes.”

Anything Rinku was about to say was immediately silenced by his response. Four felt the tears that had been building finally start to slip and fall down his flushed cheeks and a bright smile crossed his face.

“Yes, I will, we will.” He squeaked softly as he was pulled into his arms and kissed oh so softly. He melted into it, barely aware as his right hand was taken and the ring was slipped on his finger. He didn’t even bother to look at it, the moment his hand was released, he wrapped his arms around his shoulders and kissed him back eagerly.

They both were aware of the cheers and whistles coming from the bushes, but neither of them paid any mind. He reluctantly pulled away and smiled sweetly at his now fiancée, his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel a pulling sensation in his soul and chuckled softly.

“They want to answer for themselves too.” Rinku laughed softly and kissed his head, “Of course.”

Four allowed himself to fall apart and watched as the colors tackled Rinku to the ground, various exclamations of yes being heard. He chuckled softly as Red was sobbing, clinging to him and burying against his side. Blue was teary eyed but hastily rubbing them away as he tried to keep himself composed, squeezing his hand with his free one. Green was sniffling softly but had a grin a mile wide as he glanced from Rinku to the ring. Even Vio had lost his calm stature as his eyes sparkled with tears of happiness.

Rinku pulled the four into his arms and held them tight, “I love you all… so, so much… and I can’t wait til the day we can be joined together under the Goddesses.”

“You’re such a sap…” Blue mumbled with no heat in his words. Red gave a weak giggle and snuggled against him. Green smiled and buried his face against his chest and Vio hummed softly in response. “Know that we feel the same, Rinku. We love you so so much…”

[lykegenia]

Nate Sewell x Leah Kingston, hurt/comfort

--

I manage to make it all the way to my apartment and into pyjamas before I wobble. It’s just as well – getting into a crash because I was too teary-eyed to see the road would have been an embarrassing way to go – and at least the hour is late enough that none of my neighbours are around to bear witness to my return. Now that there’s time and distance between me and the warehouse, the adrenalin has faded enough for my stomach to start growling again. Hunger is a practical problem, one that I know how to solve.

Nothing in the fridge will make a proper meal, but the jar of kimchi and the leftover sausages can be cobbled together with one of the packets of instant ramen Nate shoved to the back of my cupboards with a distasteful curl of his lip. It’s ready fast enough that there’s not much time to dwell, but not even the care I take to make it look fancy, garnished with chives from the new pot on the windowsill, can make it taste of more than cardboard. I force it down anyway. The blank wall opposite the sofa stares back at me as I sit, curled up, trying to figure out what to do with my evening now that my plans have gone sideways. The sting in my eyes is easily blamed on the spice in the noodles.

Reading is out of the question, I need something to do with my hands. After a long moment, I set the bowl aside and cross the room to get the workbasket sitting half-forgotten down the side of one of the bookcases. The rag rug unfolds in my hands, creased from long storage. I started it in the quiet nights after Murphy’s capture, intending it to cover the cold tiles of the kitchen floor, the repetitive action of tying knots in strips of fabric almost as good as sleep when sleep eluded me. The only choice to be made with it is what colour to choose next, a simple, easy decision without any consequences at all. And silent, so the neighbours aren’t bothered by the noise of power tools in the wee hours. I had intended to have it finished weeks ago.

I’m completing the fourth new row when someone knocks on the door. The time blinking on my phone screen brings a frown to my face, the deep silence tingling over my skin. As unlikely as a trapper would be to knock, I lay my work aside and reach for the Volt gun stashed in the drawer of the coffee table. My feet make no sound as I creep to the door. The shadow cast by the hall light moves at my approach nonetheless, as if coming to attention, and I risk a glance down to check the safety.

And then I look through the peephole.

It’s Nate. He glances up as if the door isn’t even there, his expression a tight knot of worry clear even through the distortion of the lens as a breath shudders between my teeth. The Volt seems ridiculous now. Flicking the safety catch back on, I shove it into the utility cupboard beside the door and take a swift inventory of myself, smoothing a hand through my hair and across my cheeks before I dare lay it on the door handle.

He answers my smile as I swing the door open, but it’s guarded. “Hi.”

“Hi.” I can’t hold his eyes. “I wasn’t expecting anyone so late.”

“If I woke you –”

“You didn’t.” A pause. “It’s good to see you.”

“You’ve no idea –” he starts, then interrupts himself. “You’ve been crying.”

“No.”

“Yes, you have.” Because of me, he doesn’t say, but it’s easy enough to read in the tightness around his eyes.

“Alright, yes, fine,” I grumble, as something harsh squeezes in my chest. “Human lie detector. You should come in.”

As I step aside there’s a heartbeat before he crosses the threshold, ducking his head to avoid a collision with the door lintel, and then he pauses just inside the living room, shifting the weight uneasily between his feet.

“But I’m not human,” he says, with no trace of his usual humour. A shiver runs across my shoulders as I lock the door behind him.

“You’re close enough.”

When I turn back to face him, his features are contorted into incredulity. “How can you say that after what almost happened?” he demands. “What I almost did?”

He reaches for me, but the hand curls back around the words that stick in his throat before he can touch me. The shake of his head informs the shape of them anyway, what I knew they would be.

“If you’ve come to break up with me because of one stupid accident you can come back and do it in the morning,” I snap. “I’m not dealing with it now.”

The shock that meets such a blunt statement might have been comical in other circumstances, but there’s also the flicker of other emotions beneath the surface that pass too quickly for me to recognise. For a long, speechless moment the space between us unfolds with all the paths the brewing argument might take. Finally, with a helpless shrug, he licks his lips and makes a choice.

“I’m dangerous, Leah.”

“I think you proved tonight that you’re not,” I retort. “Not to me. Otherwise I wouldn’t be standing here.”

He flinches, hunching over as if winded. “You have no idea how much I wanted to – how tempting it was. It keeps playing through my mind.”

“Nate, I’m fine.” I dare a step towards him. “Everything’s fine. I’m not even bleeding anymore – you can stop worrying.”

When he doesn’t respond, the hopeful smile falls from my lips as I turn away. It’s a fight to keep my hands from wrapping around myself, from betraying exactly how lonely it feels with him so far away, but I won’t give in to the urge. They bunch into fists at my side instead; I’ll be able to wallow as much as I want after he leaves.

He notices. A gaze soft and full of regret falls on me as he crosses the floor, and my skin burns where his fingertips brush my arm. “I’ll always worry about you, and… I’ll always want to know that you’re alright.”

“I’m fine,” I insist.

His touch falls to my injured hand, to the plaster on my finger. “I frightened you.”

“A little.” I swallow. “But it wasn’t just fear.”

He’s closer now than he was in the kitchen, brown eyes heavy on mine, shadowed by a frown as he tries to work out my meaning. Maybe in the end the flush in my cheeks give it away, because he blinks at last and his mouth falls open, held taut as if he can’t decide whether to advance or retreat, and the embarrassment of the whole thing forces me away with a huff of laughter and a ragged hand shoved through my hair. It doesn’t say much for my sense of self-preservation that I’m turned on by my boyfriend’s predatory instincts, especially when guilt twists so clearly at the corner of his mouth, but he deserves the honesty.

“No one’s ever looked at me with such… intensity before,” I mumble, staring past his left ear. “And I noticed you weren’t staring at my hand. It felt like you wanted… well.”

He hooks a finger under my chin. “I’ve never wanted to kiss you more.” With the confession spoken his gaze drops to my mouth, his fingers turning to trail along the curve of my jaw and down my neck, reverent over the sparking line of my pulse, and he leans closer. “But it might not have stopped there, not once I’d tasted you.”

“You really are like the hero in a vampire romance novel.”

A laugh breaks from his lips at the unexpected tease, my face cradled in his hands as he brings his forehead gently down to mine. “I’m glad you think so.”

“Can I kiss you now?” I ask, winding my arms around his neck. The moment hangs between us – there shouldn’t be any trace of blood left, but Nate is always cautious, always considerate.

“Nothing would make me happier,” he murmurs.

My smile bows against the pad of his thumb, and then the press of his mouth as he closes the last of the distance. After everything that’s happened, the relief of his touch is like a physical thing, setting a tremble in my knees that I’m glad no one else can see. Strong arms wrap more tightly around me to keep me standing, the scent of leather and rain that always follows him as soft as the kisses slanted across my lips.

The movement shifts our positions a little and I pull away at the unexpected sensation it brings, a sharp prod against my stomach.

“What is in your pocket?”

He laughs again. “Maybe I’m just happy to see you.”

“Then I have some serious anatomical concerns.”

Still chuckling, he lets his hands fall from my shoulders and after a moment of rummaging produces a small, square tin from one of the oversized pockets in his leather jacket. The series of Chinese-style paintings decorating the sides suggest that at one time or another it was used for tea, probably directly imported from some small, artisan family business, knowing Nate.

“They were meant to be dessert, but they won’t keep,” he says in explanation.

Curious, I take the offering and pry off the lid. Inside is a nest of soft, crisp tissue paper, and hidden beneath the topmost layer –

“Macarons?”

I hardly dare to breathe. The smooth, round shells are unmistakeable, their sugary almond scent immediately conjuring an image of the old tearoom where I first tried them, complete with pristine white tablecloths and fussy porcelain teacups.

They’re a pain to make, and I’ve never tried. Not only do all the measurements have to be precise, the process followed to the letter, but humidity or a wind from the north or the wrong moon phase can ruin them, and you’d better hope you don’t have plans for the rest of the day. They’re also far too expensive to buy regularly on a cop’s salary. With anyone else I’d wonder what occasion I’d forgotten, or the reason for trying to butter me up, but Nate is just… like this.

“You made me macarons.”

“They’re not perfect,” he cautions, reaching out.

I shake my head. “Yes they are.” They’ve even been dusted with glitter powder, which I suspect is a touch added by Felix – Nate’s romantic but he would never deign to be gaudy. “Thank you.”

“After ruining dinner I thought at least I could give you these.” He shrugs before I can contradict him. “Thank you, by the way, for clearing everything up.”

“Of course,” I answer, reaching for his hand. “Will you stay?”

“I would like that.”

Flashing a smile, I hand back the tin of macarons so I can clear away enough space on the sofa for us both to sit. The scattered rags are stuffed back into the workbasket with the scissors, and the tape measure fished from its attempted escape down the side of the cushions.

Nate helps fold the rug. “I haven’t seen this before,” he says. “It’s pretty.”

“It’s just something I do in spare moments.” I shrug. “Actual crochet is a bit beyond my skill level, but it’s nice to have something to do that doesn’t require thinking. What’s that smile for?”

“No reason in particular,” he murmurs, once more stepping close. “Every time I think I can’t be luckier to have you in my life, you prove me wrong.”

I have to drop my gaze, stammering against the urge to protest. “You’re the one making me fancy desserts.”

“I have to find something to do while you sit buried under all that paperwork,” he teases. “Shall we enjoy them?”

His hand stretches out in offering, and with it he draws me down to his side, patient while I get comfortable, tucked up under his arm safe and small and enveloped in warmth. A kiss brushes against my forehead. Even after months, I still marvel at how Nate can make my apartment feel so much more like a home just with his presence, and as he tilts the macaron tin towards me, knowing how easily I might have gone without it tonight – how I would have thought it normal, once – turns the gesture into something even sweeter.

[hearteyesbowen]

just friends ☆ joshua bassett

you and joshua are just friends and nothing else. promise.

warnings: angsty, some swearing, some steamy writing, at this point assume anything i write may be long

part I , part II

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Your eyes flutter open slowly, a bright yellow light blinding you as you wake up. You rub your dry eyes and smooth out your messy hair. The pounding in your head disturbs you as you clear your throat. You attempt to sit up on your bed until an a strong arm left at your hip prevents you from moving up any further. You look to your side and see a familiar hand, so you look back further and saw your best friend, Joshua. His curly brown hair covered more than half of his face, only showing his slightly open mouth. Soft snores escaped his lips as you watched his chest rise up and down slowly. You almost completely forgot you slept over at his house last night.

You laid back down and faced Josh, wanting to stare at his calming features. His arm tightened around your waist and brought you slightly closer. You felt your cheeks heat up. You did your best not to wake him as you moved your arm to snuggle into his warm body more. Your plan failed when you felt him softly shuffle above you and let out a low groan.

“Y/N?” Josh groaned lowly. His morning voice next to your ear gave you goosebumps.

“Josh?” You whispered.

“Did I wake you up?” He said as he removed his arm from your waist to rub his eyes. He moved his arms back to you and brought you back closer to him tightly. “Sorry about that, angel.”

“I’ve been awake for a bit.” You mumbled into his shoulder.

“Do I have to do anything today?”

You shook your head to say no.

“Do you want to go to the diner and get breakfast?” He asked sweetly, bringing your head back to look at you. You nodded and he let out a soft chuckle.

Josh arm slid off your waist. He sat up and stretched out his arm above him, letting the blanket covering his body fall off and revealed his toned stomach. You almost forgot that he went to sleep without a shirt on. You also forgot how much Josh likes to work out on his free days. He got up from the bed and went to his dresser. He noticed how you kept watching him grab clothes from his drawer.

“Are you going to keep falling in love with me or are you going to shower? Because if you don’t go now I’m going to take my sweet ass time.” He joked.

You jumped up from his cozy bed and threw the blanket at Josh, covering his body. You did a quick stretch of your body and saw Josh look you up and down. “Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart.” You strutted past him and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Yours and Josh’s friendship was odd. You’ve been friends ever since he moved to the house next to you five years ago. It started off as a normal friendship; You two would hang out all the time and even go on road trips once a month. Then about three years ago it shifted. You would always playfully flirt with each other, which confused all your friends and family. But neither of you saw it as flirting. You both somewhat understood what you were doing, but it never fully clicked as to how it actually seemed. Your parents would always tease you about him. You always went out to eat and see movies together, you would pretend to be dating if someone in public was making the other uncomfortable, and cuddling together or sleeping with each other became a norm. Either way, a relationship between you two would never work, you lived totally different lives.

Once Josh got hired to play the part of Ricky Bowen on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, he definitely needed some help managing all of his time, and basically his life. You would offer to help him any time he needed you, so he made the best choice to hire you as his assistant. It didn’t change your friendship, it’s just that now you know his schedule and have the numbers to his manager and his publicist. This choice, however, sparked more talk between not only your family, but also his fans. If he were to post a picture with you, then his comments immediately flooded with either questions about your relationship or them “shipping” you two.

You never thought of Josh as your boyfriend. When other friends or family would ask you about him and as to whether or not you did like him, you always said no, it’s what you genuinely believed. Although thoughts of you developing feelings for him did cross your mind, you thought it was just a phase and you would get over it. And you did. The idea of ruining your friendship brought you fear, probably more than the idea of being in a relationship, which you absolutely despised.

After you both took a quick shower, you grabbed your keys from your purse and went back to Josh’s room. He was bent over, looking for something in his drawer. He turned around and instantly had a smug smile on his face as he found what he was looking for. He found the sweater he was searching for in his dresser worn on your body. It was his light beige sweatshirt that he would wear when he recorded a lot of his music. Coincidentally, it was the same one he would give you every time he saw you sad or crying, to which you grew a strong fondness for it.

“I don’t get why you like that sweater so much, it’s literally my most plain and boring one.” Josh laughed as he brought you into his side with his hand on your waist.

“I don’t know either.” You lied.

“Whatever, you always make my clothes look way better than me.” He complimented, wrapping his arms around your head and yours around his waist for a tight hug. He pulled away slightly to look down at you, your noses barely touching. “Are you ready to go out?”

➢➣ ➢➣

“Shut up, dickhead!”

Josh slammed his hands on the steering wheel of his car. His loud laugh burned into your ears with embarrassment and discomfort. He slammed his body on the back of his seat and clutched onto the sides of his stomach and the fabric of his sweatshirt. He snorted, trying to catch his breath.

“Y/N, you’re such an amazing girlfriend.” He joked

As to why Josh was now stuck in a fit of laughter was all your fault. While at the diner, Josh received a phone call from his manager, which he of course had to take. You were both waiting on any news about the show as he was promised a special announcement from Disney. He was told to come to set tomorrow to film something, but he didn’t know what yet.

The moment he left, the waitress that escorted you to your seats had come to take your orders. You told her what you wanted, and she asked about Josh, referring to him as your boyfriend. Without even thinking of what she said, you continued to tell her what you knew Josh would have wanted, which led her to believe he actually was your boyfriend. You still had not realized what happened until you were both finishing your food and the waitress came back with the check, mentioning you two as a couple. To not make it seem awkward, Josh played along ( and would not stop teasing you about it for the rest of breakfast ). So here you are now; Josh is still not able to breathe.

You shifted in your seat, “You can take me home now, Joshua.”

He wiped his teary eyes and calmed down from his fit of laughter. “Aww, I’ll stop now. I’m sorry for laughing so much.”

He placed his hand on your lower thigh and gently rubbed it. You eyed him and earned back a sincere smile. You rolled your eyes playfully at him, and placed your hand on top of his to give it a tight squeeze. He brought your hand up to his lips and gave it a soft kiss, making you hide your flushed face. Josh noticed and let out a quiet chuckle before starting the car.

“I was writing something a few days ago. I don’t know if I should record it.” Josh spoke, glancing at you.

You sat up straight and excitedly looked at Josh, “Can I hear it?”

“It sucks, Y/N.”

“Please, Josh. Everything you write is so beautiful. You know I love all of your songs, literally all of them.” You squeezed Josh’s hand tighter that stayed on your thigh.

“Maybe when we get home. It’s not a lot, it’s basically four lines, so don’t get your hopes up.” He warned.

“I’ll love it no matter what.” You smiled.

➢➣ ➢➣

You followed Josh to the staircase of his house. He had promised to let you listen to his new song and record it if you “didn’t make a big deal out of it.” You sat two steps above Josh where you knew his phone camera wouldn’t get you in frame. He brought his ukelele out with him too, and he nervously fiddled with the strings.

“Don’t laugh, ok?” He mumbled, trying to sit on the step comfortably.

You shook your head and watched as he let out a deep breath. He scooted up to his phone and went to the camera, and hit the red record button.

“I wish you all the best,

cause lord knows you deserve it.

And it took me time to see,

but I understand,

the best just isn’t me.”

Josh finished playing the final chord and quickly stopped the video. He let out a large exhale and slowly faced you. You were in awe. You were always so greatful when he played his songs in front of you, especially because you were the first one to hear them. He was regularly writing love songs, and each time you thought for a second that he was thinking of you as he wrote it. You always convinced yourself that it was nothing or it was for someone else, but this song felt different.

“So?” He asked nervously.

“Josh,” You gasped out, “that was so beautiful.”

“Don’t lie, it sucked.”

You got up from your step and moved to sit next to him. He set his ukelele in the step above you two and faced his body towards you. You held his hands in yours and he squeezed them tightly.

“It’s an amazing song, Josh. If you put out all those songs you wrote you would understand how much of an amazing songwriter you are. You’re the best musician I know.”

Josh looked up at you and gave you a small smile. He scooted closer to you and held your waist. You stared at him for what seemed like forever. Josh darted between your eyes and your lips. Instinctively, you slowly inched towards him, and you felt him do the same. Your lips were so close that you felt your breath fan over each other. Your mind raced with various thoughts; Just do it, if you never take the chance you will regret it. But if you take that chance and it ruins everything, then you would lose Josh.

A part of you stopped and backed away, Josh following suit. He quickly removed his hands from your waist and you scooted a few inches away from him. You cleared your throat and got up from the stairs. You held your hand out for him to grab and he hesitantly took your offer. He stood taller than you and with your chests almost touching.

“You want to watch a movie?” Josh asked, picking up his instrument.

“Sounds great. I’ll get the snacks.” You offered. You walked down the steps, leaving Josh alone to think about what just happened.

You ran down the remainder of the stairs and tried to reach the kitchen without stumbling, but you nearly ran into one of the bookshelves and almost fell over the couch. Your whole body felt lighter. You reached the kitchen counter and rested against it. Your hands grazed through your hair and roughly massaged it. The headache you felt from the past five minutes overtook you. You don’t like Josh that way, so why did you want to kiss him so badly?

Shaking your headache aside, you opened one of the wooden cabinets above you. You found the large box of popcorn that Josh bought and tried your best to reach for one of the packages. Once you did, you tore off the plastic packaging and harshly threw the bag into the microwave and set the timer. You laid back on the corner of the counter and let out a large sigh.

“Y/N?” You heard Josh’s voice from the living room and his steps that grew louder towards the kitchen. You immediately stood up straight and fixed yourself to look collected. He walked in and abruptly stopped when he saw you agaisnt his counter. You noticed his loss of words, “W-What movie do y-you want to watch”

“Anything, it’s your turn to pick the movie.” You replied.

He started to walk up to you and your breath got hitched in your throat. “Should I make hot chocolate?” He questioned.

You gave him a simple nod, trying not to stare at him for too long. He moved closer to you and you looked up at him. One of his arms gripped the counter to your side. He looked straight at you, his mouth slightly agape. You took in all his features once again.

“I’m sorry, I just need to get the mugs.” He whispered lowly, staring between you and the cabinet above you. You could have sworn he was about to lean in again.

Your head snapped back and you realized how much you overthink his little gestures. “It’s fine, I can get it.” You offered.

You turned around and stood on your toes, trying to reach for your favorite mugs. Why on the top shelf Joshua? Almost out of instinct, Josh held on to your waist to help you keep steady as you lunged for the cups. You let out a quiet gasp in shock. This isn’t new for him to do, stop overthinking. You eventually grabbed them and handed it over to Josh.

“I’ll make it just how you like it.” He smiled.

➢➣ ➢➣

Josh decided that you should finish your High School Musical marathon and watch the final movie. The first 30 minutes of the movie could not have been more dreadful to watch. The tension in the air was thick, and you were both so used to singing the songs together right next to each other. You two were almost on opposite ends of the couch, which although wasn’t too far away from each other, there was still a gap between you. The only thing separating you two was the bowl of popcorn.

Troy and Gabriella met at the rooftop of their high school, he had just asked her to prom. As much as you tried to hold it in to not seem bored, you let out a quick yawn. Josh overheard the little whimper you let out and scooted closer to your direction.

“Do you want to lay down on my shoulder?” Josh asked politely.

“You don’t have to,” You denied.

“I insist, come.” He demanded. He held out an arm for you to snuggle into.

You reluctantly got up and moved the popcorn bowl to the coffee table in front of you and sat down next to Josh. You moved the sweatshirt that he took off from behind the seat and to your lap. You left the smallest bit of space to not seem weird, although, for you, this whole situation was weird. Josh chuckled at your nervousness and scooted in closer to stop the big space. His arm wrapped around your shoulder and you laid on his. It felt as though nothing happened between you two nearly an hour ago.

Troy and Gabriella were in the middle of singing, and you hummed softly to the music. You felt Josh’s stare burn through you, but you tried to hold back from looking at him. You paid as much attention to the movie as you could. The two in the movie were in the middle of the rain, and were staring at each other intently, almost like how you and Josh were a while ago. They slowly leaned in as they were about to kiss until the bell rang, interrupting their moment.

You heard a snort come from Josh, “I swear, they’re always about to kiss every ten minutes and something always stops them at the last minute.”

You giggled, “I know, they should just finish what they were about to start.”

“Yeah, we should.” Josh replied. You turned to look at him instantly, thrown off by his remark.

“What?” You shifted your body to face him, one leg laying on the cushion and tucked under the other leg hanging off the couch.

“You know what I mean, let’s finish what we started. Your words.” He insisted. “Did you ever think we were just friends?” He whispered into your ear, sending a shiver down your spine.

He altered his position to mirror you, facing your body directly. He rested his hand on your knee and moved closer to exclude any unwanted space between you two, playing with the material of the sweater still on your lap.

“Is this ok?”

“Yes.” You murmered directly.

You studied his eyes for any hint of a joke. Josh did nothing but admire you. His hand crept up to your cheek and the other around your waist. Like the staircase, you both veered towards each other. You felt his soft lips brush ever so slightly on yours, feeling his hot breath again. He drifted away the slightest to look at you, searching for any sign of discomfort or aversion. You gave a minimal nod as to let Josh continue, which was all he needed.

Josh pushed his lips onto yours for a soft and sweet kiss. The hand that wasn’t on his hot chest went to his neck. You kissed back gently. Josh pulled away extremely slow, lingering his lips on yours for however long he could. His eyes slowly fluttered open, showing an almost dreamy daze. His hands fell from your face and waist to your legs.

You stared at each other for the smallest second, before the confidence deeply hidden inside of you struck out. You pulled him back onto you, and Josh waisted no time in eagerly kissing you back. His hands traveled up your thighs, gripping them tightly. He swiftly grabbed his sweater that lay on your lap and threw it across the room. You pressed up your chest to his and tilted your head to deepen the kiss further.

Josh went to put his hand on your lower back, pushing his body weight forward. You slowly went down behind you until your back reached the couch softly. He hovered over you, passionately kissing you. You played with the curls on his hair, twirling it around your finger. You felt him bite down on your lower lip, making you gasp. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue in, feeding into your teenage hormones. You tugged at the hem of his shirt, trying to pull it off. Josh removed your hands and pushed you back down quickly, trailing long and awfully slow kisses from your lips to your neck. You felt him bite under your ear, earning a whimper from you. You could practically feel the smirk playing on his face.

He sat up from on top of you and pulled at his shirt from the collar, removing it completely. He quickly attacked your neck again, leaving deep red marks on your neck down to your collarbone, stopping where his sweater covered the rest of your body. You bit your lip to hold back the noises begging to come out. His lips traced back up to your face, fervently kissing your swollen lips. You tugged at his hair, making him groan into the kiss, and you quickly nudged his face up and to his neck. You were able to leave two big marks under his ear before he wanted to go back to giving you attention.

You heard a vibration coming from Josh’s pants. The buzzing didn’t seem to stop him, as he kept creating new marks all over your neck. You wish you would have ignored it too, but you knew it could have been his manager again about the show. You grabbed Josh’s face and held it up to you, his face confused as to why you stopped him.

“Your phone, Josh.”

“That can wait.” Josh grumbled, desperate for his lips to be back on your body. He was stronger than you, so he easily pushed your hands aside to kiss under your ear again.

“Josh,” You moaned out, pulling his face away from your neck again, “just answer it. I’ll still be here.”

He let out a groan, and kissed your lips tenderly once more. He got out his phone that was almost about to finish ringing, and got up from your position. You sat up as well, fixing your possibly messy hair.

“Olivia?” Josh sounded in shock as he answered the phone. “What do you mean you’re here? With Matt?”

Panic took over you and Josh, and he quickly threw on his shirt. You fixed up the couch, picking up the sweater that Josh threw earlier, and bringing the dishes left on the counter to the sink.

“Yeah, I’ll get the door right now, just give me a second.” He rushed, hanging up immediately.

“Should I leave?” You asked, reaching for your bag that was left on the floor next to the couch.

Josh rapidly grabbed your arm and held it to his chest, “No, no, no, please don’t. I promise it will be quick. You can stay.”

“They’re going to see your neck, and worst of all, mine.” You said in fear.

“Please, Y/N. Stay.” He begged.

You let out a sigh, holding his face in your hands to kiss his cheek, “I’ll be in your room.”

➢➣ ➢➣

Josh had been gone for about 10 minutes, leaving you to hear them scream in joy for something you have yet to find out about. After a while it got quiet, which made you as to wonder if they had left or if they were still talking. Either way, you didn’t want to go down and check.

You took that time alone to really grasp what just happened. Everything moved so fast, and you weren’t prepared to face it. In the moment, you would have thought nothing of it, just pushing aside the reality of the situation and focusing on Josh’s body on yours. Now the guilt has come flooding in, overwhelmingly. You didn’t want to like Josh, it would just over complicate you relationship, as if it weren’t already. You hated the idea of dating, it was never something you were good at. All of your relationships ended with you being cheated on or lied to. You know Josh isn’t like that, but the memories it brings back is like nightmare fuel. And now you almost possibly hooked up with your friend ( and kind of your boss ).

You heard footsteps rushing up closer to Josh’s room, sending nerves to your body. The door swung open, making you jump in fear. Josh saw you lying on his bed, almost like this morning, and he tried to catch his breath.

“What happened, Josh?” You wondered, sitting up on the bed and walking up to him.

“We start shooting for our second season tomorrow!” He yelled out, a large smile built upon his face.

The anxiety somewhat washed away, leaving excitement for your friend. “That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you!”

Josh brought you back in for a tight embrace, picking you up off the floor. As he set you back down, he moved his head back to look at you. He leaned down again to try and kiss you, but you stopped him.

“I think we should talk about what happened.” Josh pulled away awkwardly, nodding.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He sat down on his bed, “Listen, I’m sorry if I took things too far. I honestly don’t know what came over me, it was kind of an ‘in the moment’ type of thing. I’m not usually like that.”

You sat down directly next to him, “I’m not saying I didn’t like it, because I sort of liked it a lot. But I’m more worried about what this means for us. We’ve been just friends for years, so why did today feel different.”

“It’s been feeling different, Y/N. Don’t lie to me and tell me you haven’t felt something change between us.” He argued.

“Josh, I know things have changed, but we can’t do this. We’re friends, and worse, I’m your assistant, too. How could that ever work out?” You whined.

“You being my assistant has changed nothing, absolutely nothing. And ‘only friends’ don’t sleep in the same bed together, or constantly flirt with each other, or make out on one’s couch.”

“What are you saying, Josh?” You asked reluctantly.

“I’m saying that I feel something for you that I know is wrong, but I have to express. Y/N, I like you, and maybe it took me a long time to realize but, fuck, you’re the best thing in my life.” He angrily blurted out. “All those songs I wrote, I always thought of you. I know you don’t like relationships, I know that. I’m so sorry I put you in this position, but please, let me try.”

You felt your eyes water, “This is all moving too fast for me. Josh, we can’t do this.”

“You couldn’t have said that before we made out?” He cried, rubbing his head restlessly.

“That was my fault. But I can’t, Josh. I’m sorry. I really want to say yes, but it’s all too much to handle at once. I’m so sorry.” You choked out, getting up from his bed.

“Y/N,” Josh stood up and grabbed your arm, forcing you to turn around.

“Just give me some time, alright? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You yanked your arm out of Josh’s grasp and walked out the door, leaving Josh alone in his room to think if he ruined his life.

A/N - so this is probably has the most sexual-ish writing i can do without feeling like ive sinned ( ironic ) . i took the inspo of his music from his instagram , just not in the same order (: hope u like this little story , planning on making it a small series , so let me know what u think !! love y’all xx

[btschooseafic]

Hey you, what’s your dream?

Pairing: platonic!oc x ot7

Details: manager!oc, predebut/idolverse, partial BTS World!verse

Summary: Aviva struggles to keep up with all of her new responsibilities as a manager.

Warnings: This is a fictional story based on real events. The characters presented here are not the same as their real life counterparts. [Masterlist]

Track 9: New Responsibilities

Responsibilities- Thane, Anderson .Paak, BJ the Chicago Kid

“I ain't stressin' bout the future, take it day to day

It's a marathon baby I'm just learnin' the pace”

Aviva stared around at the graffiti on the walls of the private space she had rented for their first dance practice. It wasn’t much, but…

“Siljangnim?” Hoseok called out.

“Hobi!” She called back. “Stop calling me that!”

“But, you are our manager,” he said simply.

She blinked.

“Ah. Right.” She grimaced. He laughed.

“Did you forget?”

“No, I just… you could at least use ‘maenijeo’...” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Or should I call you Jung Hoseok-ssi all the time?”

He rolled his eyes at her formal address.

“Now you’re just making it weird... Have you heard anything from Jungkookie or Jiminie? I texted them, but they haven’t responded.”

She chewed her lip. “They’re not responding to me. Jungkook-ah always showed up to practice on time when I was with him in LA, but I haven’t worked with Jimin-ah that closely yet.” She looked at Taehyung. “What’s his work ethic like?”

Taehyung hummed. “Jiminie works very hard… but he also has trouble sleeping sometimes.”

“That’s understandable,” Yoongi thought.

Jin clicked his tongue. “Kids these days.”

Everyone laughed, although Aviva’s laugh was a little restrained.

“We’re almost out of time for the practice space,” she said worriedly. “Should I book another slot…?”

“Do we have the budget for that?” Yoongi asked bluntly. Aviva sighed.

“I guess we should start the practice without them.” She turned to Namjoon. “Namjoon-ah, you said you had some music you wanted to share with everyone?”

“Yeah.” He popped a CD into the player on the floor.

Taehyung bobbed along to the music. Jin made an uncertain face. Yoongi started arguing about the merits of local artists over international ones.

“Look, we can listen to both,” Aviva said, trying to calm them down.

“Yes, but the order we listen to them is important,” Yoongi insisted. Aviva massaged her furrowed brow.

“Listen, Yoongi-oppa—”

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Jungkook said, looking exhausted as he and Jimin walked into the room. They looked more than exhausted, they looked about ready to cry.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Aviva asked worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“We weren’t trying to be late…” Jimin said.

“That’s all okay!” Taehyung said cheerfully. “Come in, my friends!”

“You could’ve let us know that you were going to be late,” Hoseok commented.

“We were too freaked out to think about that,” Jungkook said.

“Freaked out about what?” Aviva pressed.

“You should have called to be considerate,” Jin agreed with Hoseok. “There were a lot of people waiting on the two of you.”

“Hey, it’s only one tardy! Let’s just let this one slide!” Taehyung suggested, smiling brightly. Aviva nodded thoughtfully.

“Only one tardy?” Yoongi said, giving them a cold look. He crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re not here to play around. Whether you meant to be late or not, you have obligations to the group.”

“I agree with Yoongi-hyung,” Namjoon said, crossing his arms too. “You don’t succeed in this industry with just hard work alone.” He sighed. “I’m disappointed. I thought you both were more dedicated to this group. Do you really want to be here?”

“Hyung… how can you…” Jimin was now unmistakably teary eyed. “How can you doubt something like that?” Jungkook patted him on the back, leading him to sit down. Jimin took deep breaths. Aviva frowned, noting the bloody stain on the knee of Jimin’s pants.

“Jimin-ah…” She kneeled down in front of him. “Tell me what happened—how did you hurt your knee?” A few of the older boys made noises of surprise behind her.

“I waited so long for our first practice,” Jimin said. “I was so excited I ran here. But I was dumb and fell down a flight of stairs…”

“I had to convince Jimin-hyung to go to the hospital, that’s why I didn’t think to call,” Jungkook explained.

“Hey, I’ve been excited too,” Aviva told him. “It’s not your fault you fell over—Namjoon-ah does stuff like that all the time.”

“Yah!” Namjoon cleared his throat, his face pink. Jimin laughed a bit, his tears interrupted.

“But I’m glad Jungkookie convinced you to go to the hospital,” Aviva continued speaking to Jimin, ignoring Namjoon. “What did they say?”

“They said it’s fine. Just disinfected it, and gave me a Band-Aid, but it’s coming off already…” Jimin frowned at his knee.

“Oh, I’ve got Band-Aids!” Aviva said, popping up and running over to her bag.

Namjoon chuckled. “You’re just as clumsy as I am, Avi-yah.”

“I’m not,” she disagreed, handing Jimin the Band-Aid. “Does it hurt, Jimin-ah? Do you need anything else?”

“No.” He smiled at her. “The Band-Aid’s enough. Thanks for worrying about me, manager-nim.” He took her hands in his. “But you keep up your health too, okay? Don’t overwork yourself.”

Namjoon frowned slightly as he watched them.

A couple of days passed, and Aviva was still worried about the group dynamic. They kept arguing about small things, like who should change the water cooler. Such arguments were bound to happen, Aviva figured, but the boys seemed to be disproportionately angry in relation to the issue.

Jin and Jimin were refusing to speak to each other, sending Aviva back and forth with messages.

Taehyung interrupted, pointing out that their time slot was over.

Aviva glanced at her phone. “I’m sorry, I’m running late! I need to go, please get home safely, all of you.” She ran out of the room.

That night, the boys accidentally ran into each other in the practice room. The older boys were impressed when they realized the younger boys had been staying late to practice, sleeping over to be able to make the best use of the time.

“Well, that, and we couldn’t find anywhere else to sleep,” Taehyung finished.

Jimin nodded, grimacing.

“You hyungs are still sleeping in the supply closet at the offices?” He wondered.

The rap line trio nodded grimly.

“Usually Avi-yah would’ve realized by now,” Hoseok thought. “Especially when her new office isn’t too far away from the supply closet. Maybe she really is overworked…”

“Is that why Namjoon-hyung lied to her about having found a place to stay?” Taehyung wondered, blinking at him. Namjoon flushed slightly.

“It wasn’t, a lie, exactly.” He ran his hand over his face. “The renovation announcement was so last minute, and she’s got so much on her plate already, I didn’t want her to have to worry about this, so I said I’d take care of it, but I haven’t been able to find a place big enough for all of us, and when she asked, I couldn’t exactly tell her that…” He felt guilt heavy on his chest when he remember how relieved she’d looked when he told her it was all taken care of.

“Look, what’s this?” Taehyung picked something up off the ground.

“It’s Avi-yah’s notebook.” Namjoon took it from him, smiling as he recognized it as one of the many he’d bought for her over the years. He started flipping through it.

“Isn’t that an invasion of privacy, hyung?” Jimin commented.

Namjoon’s smile turned sheepish. “I don’t think she’d mind.”

“She’s always writing in there,” Yoongi said, leaning over to get a look. “What does she write?”

“Um, everything.” Namjoon skimmed over cartoon doodles in the margins and hand drawn marketing graphs. “Our schedules, research on hip hop groups…” He smiled, pointing. “Look, she looked up both the international artists I suggested, and the underground local artists you suggested.”

Yoongi smiled slightly, shaking his head. “She does work hard, that one.”

“Right?” Jin agreed. “She’s only been here for a few years, but she’s already basically fluent in Korean.”

“Still, I bet she misses home sometimes,” Hoseok thought. “Did she seem happier when she was there, Jungkookie?”

“What?” Jungkook flushed. “Um, well, she seemed pretty happy, but she didn’t actually grow up in LA, so, I don’t think that’s… I think she was just happy to be able to speak English so much again, and to see Jenny-ssi.”

Hoseok grinned. “If you and Avi-yah’s little sister get married, maybe she’ll come live here too, and Avi-yah will be happier, and your older sister!”

Jungkook tilted his head. “I wouldn’t mind…” He waved his hand. “Not that I’m saying I’d want to marry Jenny-ssi—we’re not even really dating at this point, more like pen pals?” They all laughed. He huffed. “Anyway, we’ve got off track, we were talking about Aviva-noona.”

“I wouldn’t want her to be my older sister,” Taehyung said quietly.

“I wonder if this is really what she wanted—to manage a group of trainees like us?” Jimin said more loudly as Namjoon gave Taehyung a funny look.

Namjoon flipped through the pages, frowning at the color-coded blocks.

“Hey, Jimin-ah, did you know about this? Is that why you told her not to overwork herself?” He held up the schedule.

“Oh yeah.” Jimin grimaced. “I saw something like that the other day, when I was borrowing a piece of paper.”

“Speak to groups about getting members as featured artists and backup dancers, listen to lectures, hire instructors… and this is all after supervising our practice. How is she doing all of this in one day?” Namjoon shook his head. “When does she have time for sleep?”

“She needs to take better care of herself,” Yoongi thought aloud. Namjoon snorted. Yoongi frowned at him. “What?”

“Are you really the one to be saying that?”

Aviva rushed into the practice room, having gotten the keys from the janitor, after explaining she forgot an important notebook inside.

She felt around the wall for the light switch, but couldn’t find it. She let out a huff of frustration and used her cellphone light instead. She squinted her eyes at an oddly placed plant. Then she heard movement and squeaked, nearly falling over.

“Yah, careful!” A familiar voice called out. Aviva froze up as she felt the warmth of someone’s arms around her, holding her up. “The floor is hard.”

She shivered at his breath in her ear. “…Yoongi?”

“Wow, nice catch!” Another voice said.

“Taehyung-ah?” Aviva recognized his voice as well. She blinked as the lights flickered on. Jungkook and Jimin popped out from behind the suspicious plant Aviva had noted earlier.

“What are you doing here?” Jungkook wondered.

“Are you alright?” Jimin asked concernedly. “Manager-nim, are you hurt?”

“I’m, I’m okay,” she said a little shakily. Namjoon, Hoseok, and Jin came over. Namjoon looked at Yoongi and Aviva and frowned. Hoseok looked back and forth between them and then smirked. “Thanks, Yoongi-oppa… you can let go of me now.”

“Yeah…” He let go slowly, frowning at Taehyung. “Why’d you scare her like that?”

“You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that!” Hoseok agreed. Taehyung pouted, stepping closer to her.

“I was actually trying not to scare you—I thought it would be scary if I was too loud, so I was trying to be sneaky—are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m sure,” she told him. “It’s okay, Taehyung-ah, I just get a little jumpy sometimes.”

“Oh, so you don’t like horror movies?” Taehyung wondered, sounding disappointed.

“Sorry, not really.”

“You don’t have to apologize… I was just hoping we could watch one together.” He sighed, but then quickly recovered his usual charming smile. “What kind of movies do you like?”

“Action,” Hoseok said.

“Mystery,” Yoongi said.

“Fantasy,” Namjoon said. They looked at her.

“I like all of those,” she said.

Taehyung nodded. “We’ll watch one of those instead, okay?”

She blinked at him. “Okay, that sounds good.” She frowned. “Wait a minute, what are all of you doing here at this time of night anyway?” They looked around at each other nervously. “Huh…” She rested her hand on her hip. “It’s nice that you guys appear to be getting along again, but you still haven’t answered my question.”

“Um… I left something here,” Hoseok said slowly.

“Oh yeah?” Aviva said, doubtful. “What did you forget?” Hoseok rubbed his neck. Aviva frowned at the pain patch on his neck, spotting another one on his arm. “Seriously, guys, what’s up?” She looked around the room, spotting a few sleeping bags in the corner. Her eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you’ve been sleeping here?”

“…I mean, it’s the first night for here for some of us,” Hoseok said, cheerfully raising his hand. He chewed at the inside of his cheek. “Though, we were… kinda… sleeping in the storage room before that…”

“…Fuck,” Aviva said.

“Yah!” Jin covered Jungkook’s ears. Jungkook shook him off, grumbling.

Taehyung grinned. “Manager-noona, I’ve never heard you curse before.”

“Yeah, I taught her,” Namjoon said, smiling proudly.

“This is all my fault,” Aviva said, rubbing her temples. “I’m so sorry, Joonie, I shouldn’t have left this all on you. I knew finding a big enough place nearby would be difficult, so I should’ve checked in.”

“Why didn’t you?” Yoongi wondered.

“I’ve been distracted,” she admitted. “But that’s no excuse.” She bowed. “I apologize, it was my responsibility to find you a place to live, and I didn’t.”

“Aw, manager-nim, no need to be so formal,” Jin said, patting her on the back.

She straightened up.

“Right.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Wait!” Namjoon called after her. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve got to find you somewhere to stay—and someone to stay tonight right away!”

“But you’re busy already,” he protested.

“Gone already.” Yoongi grimaced. “She’s quick.”

“That’s why I didn’t want to mention it to her,” Jungkook said, sighing.

Jimin smiled. “I think we’re in good hands.”

“Right?” Taehyung held his hands over his heart. “I’m touched.”

“I found a temporary spot,” she said, later that night. “The commute isn’t bad, and you’ll have access to a backyard, and the living room and kitchen are a little bigger than the last place, but it’s still a one bedroom so you’ll still have to share.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t mind!” Taehyung said happily, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Namjoon crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ve all slept in the same room before. I’m just happy not to have to sleep on the hard floor!”

Aviva shook her head.

“About that, Tae… it isn’t fully furnished either. I got them to throw in two and a half couches—“

“Half a couch?” Jungkook wondered. Hoseok elbowed Jimin.

“That’s for you, little Jiminie.”

Jimin scowled at him.

“So some of you can sleep on those,” Aviva continued, ignoring them. “But I couldn’t find seven beds on such short notice.” Taehyung’s face fell. “I’ve got two sets of bunk beds.”

“Even just that is impressive in a couple of hours,” Namjoon thought.

Taehyung nodded slowly. “…A couch is still better than the floor,” he decided.

“Yeah, at least bring a sleeping bag next time, dummy,” Yoongi muttered.

“Ah, Yoongi-yah cares so much,” Jin said, slapping him on the back. Yoongi frowned at him. Aviva smiled slightly.

“Anyway, I’ll text you guys the address, so feel free to meet me there.”

“Where are you going, noona?” Jungkook wondered. “Don’t you have a lot of other things to do tonight?”

“I finished the meeting, so I’ll postpone the other things,” she said. “The temporary unit I found doesn’t have any food, so I thought I’d grab some groceries for you.”

“We can do it,” Jin said. “Don’t worry, just continue on with your normal schedule.”

She bit her lip. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sure,” Jin said. “I can make a dish out of anything, I’m not just a pretty face you know.” She laughed. He grinned at her.

“And I like grocery shopping,” Taehyung commented. “It’s like a treasure hunt!”

“Okay, I’ll see you later then.”

“Before you go.” Namjoon held her notebook out to her. “Don’t forget this again.”

“Oh.” She smiled at him. “Thanks, Joonie.” She waved and hurried off again.

“Thanks, Joonie,” Hoseok imitated in a high-pitched voice. “Hmmm… tell me again why you haven’t asked her out?”

Namjoon flushed slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. “What, you mean, besides the fact we could both lose our jobs?”

Hoseok nodded. “Yeah, besides that. People do break the rules and get away with it, you know. If you decide the risk is worth it…”

Namjoon rubbed the back of his neck. “Is it? I mean, we’ve both been working so hard for this debut, should I really throw it all down the drain just because Aviva-yah is so…?” He waved his hands inarticulately.

“Cute?” Taehyung suggested.

Namjoon frowned at him. “That she is!” Hoseok agreed cheerfully. “But Joonie’s acting pretty adorable right now also.”

“Shut up,” Namjoon muttered. “Anyway, even if I’d be willing to risk it, there are other people involved, Hoseok-ah and Yoongi-hyung especially, I wouldn’t want to ruin all your hard work.” Hoseok nodded, thumping him on the back.

Yoongi rolled his eyes.

“Let’s just go to this new place and get some sleep.”

[raleighcarrera]

18. From the best and worst prompts for Raleigh 🙂

best vs. worst prompts / 18. best part of the wedding vs. worst part of the wedding

the worst part 

the hallway outside of the bridal suite is blessedly empty when he stops in front of the door he knows cadence is just behind, putting the finishing touches on her outfit. 

he hesitates before he knocks, wondering if he should even be out here. cadence surely doesn’t need any added stress right now, but -- he feels itchy and unsettled, and hearing her voice would help immensely to soothe some of his anxiety.

“babe?” raleigh calls cautiously, “you there?”

there’s muffled sounds from behind the door, and then her voice, clear as day. “hey! what’re you doing here? is everything okay?”

“everything’s fine,” he answers. his voice is high and sounds unconvincing, even to him. “but do you think people will notice if i sweat through my tux?”

“um...” cadence’s voice is slower now, less excited and more concerned. “i don’t think so. it’s black.” there’s a beat of silence before she speaks again, her voice filtering lowly through the gap in the side of the door. “are you sure you’re alright? do you want to come in?”

guilt swells within him -- he really shouldn’t be bothering her. not now, not like this. “isn’t that bad luck?”

“only if you believe in that, i guess.” he watches the doorknob turn slowly. “but you can close your eyes, if you want.”

that’s probably for the best. he needs to calm down. his eyes squeeze shut as cadence slowly pulls the door open, and he lifts the hand that isn’t slipped in hers to cover his eyes as she leads him inside.

“oh -- wow,” cadence breathes, and despite himself, the hushed, awed tone of her voice makes his lips quirk up into the smallest grin. “you look -- jesus, raleigh. that tux is perfect.”

“okay, keep it in your pants.” though it’s relaxing, at least mildly, to tease her. it’s a nice reminder of the fact that despite the pressures of the whole world watching them and the five hundred people waiting to hear their most private declarations of love to one another, this day is still, at its core, about the two of them. she’s the only person he has to make happy today.

“what’s on your mind? you know you can tell me anything.”

he sighs, turning to face the wall instead of her so he can open his eyes, pushing his fingers through his hair once they’re free from covering his face. “i guess i’m just -- freaking out a little.” cadence is pointedly quiet behind him. “i’m sorry, i don’t want to be. but -- there are a lot of people here. what if i fuck this up, you know? what if it’s not perfect for you?”

“raleigh. oh my god, of course today is going to be perfect -- no matter what happens. there’s nothing for you to fuck up.”

“well, i could just -- blank. forget everything i want to say. and then everyone here is going to be like, ha ha, remember when raleigh fucked up at his own wedding? for the rest of our lives. every time we see these people.” it’s admittedly something that’s crossed his mind, about... ten thousand times today alone. he rubs at his eyes with frustration. 

“that’s not going to happen,” cadence answers firmly, “because i know you. even if you don’t say your vows the way you wrote them you’ll say something from the heart and... that’ll be perfect to me, baby. i mean -- jesus christ, i’m not marrying you because you’re some perfect person who always says the right thing.” 

he snorts, despite himself. no, she’s certainly not. but still. “look,” he starts, finding it hard not to be overwhelmed by just how close they are to showtime. any minute now, someone’s going to come looking for one of them. “you know i love you, right?”

“raleigh,” cadence says again, though his name sounds much different, this time. she sounds a little bit like she’s panicking, too. 

“i do. i really -- i just do. and i know today is going to be the best day of my life, but... i don’t want things to change between us, cadence. what if -- what if after today, everything is different?” 

“well... of course things are going to be different, baby.” now her voice is gentle, as though he’s likely to bolt at every moment. that just makes him feel worse. “but good different, you know? like when we moved in together.”

“yeah.” so why does he still feel like puking? “i know.”

cadence’s pause this time feels hesitant -- unsure. guilt twists his stomach further; the last thing he wants her to feel today is uncertain. 

but he doesn’t say anything else, and after a moment she asks, “i’ll see you out there?”

the best part 

“sorry -- excuse me.” chris winters and his wife smile indulgently at raleigh as he butts in to their conversation, but he only spares them a glance before his eyes are on cadence, again. “i just need to borrow this one for a few minutes.”

she slips away with him with a giggle, a champagne-induced flush to her face as they cross the room hand-in-hand. “where are we going?”

“no where,” he answers, pausing at the edge of the dance floor to spin her around and into his arms, grinning smoothly at cadence when she stops with a hand braced on his chest and a big smile on her face. “i just haven’t kissed you in five minutes, so -- i came to collect.”

she hums, pushing up onto her tiptoes and looping her arms around his neck, kissing him solidly, her lips warm and soft and familiar against his. since the end of the ceremony, they’ve done this at least one hundred times, but each kiss has felt better and more important than the last, leaving his heart pounding and his hands shaking every single time.

it was amazing how all his nerves seemed to melt away the moment he saw her walk down the aisle towards him. as soon as he looked her in the eye, everything that made him anxious disappeared; he no longer cared about the millions of eyes on them and everything that could go wrong. all he could see and hear and focus on was her. 

and if he got a little teary-eyed, reciting his vows? well -- the whole world would find out eventually.

not that he cared.

not that he could care about anything, when cadence was smiling at him like she had been all day, radiant and beautiful throughout the cocktail hour and the reception, which was really getting underway now that the speeches had been given and they were both a few good drinks deep each.

“i love you so much,” she breathes, when he finally lets her up for air, her eyes shining all over again. 

he feels suspiciously choked up himself, his thumb stroking back and forth across her cheekbone. “i love you, too. you’re the best wife in the world.”

cadence beams even more radiantly at him, squeezing his shoulders. “how can you possibly know that? i’ve only been your wife for two hours.”

“they’ve been the best two hours of my life,” he assures honestly, delicately kissing the top of her head and then her nose, which crinkles under his lips as she laughs again. 

“i’m so glad we did this,” she gushes, her hips swaying a little to the music the band is playing, the wide skirt of her white dress swishing out across the floor. 

he knows people are watching them. he knows that whatever happens tonight is going to eclipse every other party he’s ever thrown -- that tonight is going to be something the entire world talks about for the rest of their lives. 

but he’s with her, so he doesn’t care. “me, too.”

[ferretbitexo-fic-den]

Density Kills 4/?

Took me a while, but here's part 4 of the mini-series inspired by @sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes

Pairings: Analogical

Summary: Janus' match-making mission finally gets accomplished.

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Hanahaki, Kissies (because the nerds deserve it), Mentions of Suffocation and Choking, Confessions

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 X Part 5

Virgil was tucked under his dark purple weighted blanket. Though his face was pale and cold, lips chapped and eyelids swollen, Logan thinks he’s about the most beautiful being in existence.

“He’s in a trance.” Janus cleared his throat as they both stood by the door frame of Virgil’s room.

Part of Logan didn’t want to wake Virgil, seeing as this may have been the longest he’s known Virgil sleep.

They entered the room, Logan after Janus. The Logical side stopped by the foot end of the bed, taken aback by the sight.

“What’s wrong?” Janus asked with a slight cough. “You don’t want me to wake him up?”

“These petals…” Logan choked out, holding back tears.

The side of self-preservation had been too focused on Logan’s well-being that he forgot to mention Virgil’s similar situation. He totally didn’t leave it out on purpose so that Logan would worry about one thing at a time.

“Yeah. He said they’ve been flowing out for four days now…” Janus confessed, not looking at Logan in the eyes.

Blood-drenched Cornflower petals were scattered around his face and not dumped into the bucket, staining his pillows and bedsheets. Virgil must have coughed out in his sleep.

Janus coughed, getting Logan’s attention. “Come on…”

Logan sighed guiltily. “He’s suffering because of me.”

Janus scoffed. “And you weren’t?”

“That’s different…” Logan lied.

Janus side-eyed him. “Logan, I only mean well when I call you a dense fucktwat.”

Logan chuckled, making Janus’ cold blood rush. “You never mean well with your insults.”

Janus cleared his throat, seeming like a new habit of his. “Delaying tactics won’t work on me, Logan Logic Sanders.”

“I know, I know…” Logan surrendered. He sat beside Virgil’s sleeping body and intertwined their fingers.

Janus sat on the other side of the bed. Virgil looked like a gothic, darker, more beautiful version of Snow White, it almost pained Janus to wake him up.

"I am going to begin slowly counting to 10. With each number you will feel yourself gradually becoming more awake…” Janus chanted softly as Logan stared in awe.

Janus started to count down, softly, gently; a side to him of which until today, Logan hasn’t seen. It was nice.

Snap, snap.

Virgil jolted awake. “Wha..” He started, locking his eyes with the hypnotist.

“Hey Virge, someone’s here to see you.” Janus said smiling.

Logan felt his eyes being clouded by the tears that welled up in him. “Hello Virgil…” He sobbed.

Virgil felt his heart implode. “Am… I dreaming?” His eyes began to water as he felt his skin going cold.

“No, Virgil. You aren’t dreaming.” Logan chuckled. He looked down at their intertwined fingers and smiled. “I’m sorry, Virgil…”

Virgil’s eyes widened. “No, L! It’s not your fault! I just…” Virgil rambled.

“No, Virgil. I am at least partially at fault. I should have never let you think your feelings were unrequited.” Logan said, lifting Virgil hands to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on the back of the emo’s hands.

“L, I…” Virgil started. “So, they’re not unrequited?” He felt his face getting wet from the tears.

Logan chuckled, teary-eyed. “Of course not! It took me a while to realize, but I love you!”

He wiped the tears from Virgil’s cheeks. “I love you, so much. And I want you, if you’ll still have me.”

Virgil smiled through sobs. “Goddamnit! Yes, Logan!” The anxious side pulled Logan by the collar and locked their lips eagerly, still tasting both their tears.

Logan froze in shock, the realization of Virgil kissing him overwhelming his senses.

Virgil pulled away abruptly. “Oh shit! Logan, I’m so sorry, I…”

Logan snapped back to earth with a new kind of high, grasping Virgil’s shoulder with a giddy feeling that feels alien, yet not unpleasant.

“Virgil, it’s alright. I was just shocked is all. I didn’t mind it at all. In fact, I rather enjoyed it.” He said, with a softness that could nearly kill Virgil where he sat.

“Can I kiss you?” Logan asked to which Virgil nodded, face flushed bright red.

Logan cupped Virgil’s face in his hands and leaned in, placing his lips on the other’s. The mouths moved perfectly in sync as Logan’s hand moved from Virgil’s cheeks to his neck. They could almost feel each other’s heart race as their mouths parted.

“God, you have no idea how long I wanted to do that.” Virgil giggled, and suddenly Logan’s heart was malfunctioning.

Logan sighed heartily. “I owe Janus my life.”

A realization struck him. “Wait, where is Janus?”

The two glanced at the spot where Janus sat as he woke Virgil up from his trance. Neither had noticed the snake side slither out before the two had declared their obvious love for each other. He watched by the doorway, away and smiled as he walked away when they noticed he was gone.

…

Janus grasped on his sheets clinging for dear life. His lungs felt like collapsing as he laid on his bed, half-collapsing, almost losing the will to fight it.

“Shit…” He murmured, drifting to sleep in exhaustion as the violet and cornflower petals scattered on his floor.

TAGLIST❤

@shadowjag

@wigsnatchedhoteltrivago

@arsonenthusiast

@i-love-my-dark-strange-sons

@phantom-moonfire

@lostonehero

@awkward-child-of-satan

@gigitheimposter

@ashtonbby2

@lokiamorstuffs

@janus-the-sassy-snek-boi

@eeveeeclair246

@enragedbees

@franthehorsegir

For Density Kills: @knight-shives

Tell me if you wanna be added or removed!❤

[yukiwrites]

Lost, but Found

Thank you for the support once again, @ramannnn! This was so wholesome to write, so I hope you like it~

Summary: The pair of hairpins Lien Jin wore with her usual outfit were a gift from her lover, Childe. She treasured them as much as she did anything he did for her, so when she woke up one morning and realized she had lost one, Lien Jin stormed out of home...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

__________________________

The doe-eyed dancer, Lien Jin. To say that she was the treasure of the Liyue Theater was an understatement, especially if someone asked one of her many siblings -- all of whom were also part of the staff who worked at the theater itself. She was a jewel to be kept safe and away from any prying hands, one so precious that they couldn’t leave her alone whenever she went outside on her own.

Of course, the biggest reason for that was because Lien Jin herself was much too shy around strangers to be able to enjoy a walk outside on her own -- not to mention that her overwhelming popularity made her stick out like a sore thumb when she stepped foot out of the theater. Some of her fans were overbearing, which frightened her to no end; meaning that it was imperative for one of her siblings to be with her if she were to go out.

There was a whole timetable set at the kitchen of their house, which was behind the theater. Depending on the day of the week or the hour of the day, Lien Jin was able to ask any of a set number of siblings, all according to the table; though there were some who were prone to leaving their work to escort Lien Jin depending on the situation outside.

However, this time Lien Jin went out in a hurry, running unceremoniously through the back door as though possessed.

“Oh no, where-” Lien Jin huffed as she ran through the streets, her eyes darting around the ground, “where could it be?!”

Worried, the maiden clutched her chest as she stopped to take a breather, fishing through her memories to remember where she had been yesterday in an attempt to retrace her steps. She had lost an item so precious to her that it made tears well up in her clear eyes in a way that would bewitch a lesser man and bring forth a feral maternal instinct on older women.

Even her head felt lighter without the wonderful hairpin that her beloved Childe had gifted her some time ago. She wore the twin pins every single day without fault, to the point that she felt incomplete without the set of them.

Yet, how could she have lost one of them?! Worse yet, it took her a full night to notice it was gone? How did she even go to bed last night after taking off the single hairpin and not noticing that its twin had been lost during the previous day?

What if she couldn’t find it anymore? Childe told her it was a one of a kind set from Mingxing Jewelry! It was such a wonderful, thoughtful and very expensive present… How could she have done it to something so precious her beloved had given her? She had to find it!

Panting, Lien Jin shook her head to clear away the dreadful thoughts and bit her shaking lip.

“Huh? Lumine, Lumine, look! That girl there seems like she’s in trouble, let’s check it out!” A childish, cheery voice chirped from nearby, making Lien Jin lift her gaze towards it.

Blinking, Lien Jin made eye contact with a fairy-like little girl clad in white, who pulled a blonde young woman by the arm. “Um-”

“Are you alright?” The girl called Lumine approached carefully, reaching to her pocket to fetch a handkerchief. “You’re crying.”

“Ah, I’m, oh… What do I do…” Faced with such unexpected kindness, Lien Jin felt her tears pour faster than before, unknowingly accepting Lumine’s handkerchief and sobbing into it.

“Oh, what to do; what can Paimon do…” The little fairy floated around the two of them, her forehead scrunched in worry. “It’s gonna be okay, lady! Let Paimon and Lumine help you, we’re good at that!”

Lumine narrowed her eyes at her emergency food before going back to the crying girl, patting her shoulder in a soothing way. “Although she’s quick to jump to conclusions, Paimon’s right. We’ll try our best to help you, if you’ll have us.”

“T-truly?” Lien Jin raised her adorably red and teary gaze to the two strangers, touched for having received such unwarranted kindness just when she was feeling the most helpless. “I-I wouldn’t want to impose…”

Paimon puffed her chest with pride. “No worries! We can handle it!” She giggled, floating around Lien Jin in an attempt to make her laugh.

Lumine nodded to Paimon’s statement and squeezed her hand on Lien Jin’s shoulder. “What’s happened?”

Lien Jin hiccuped once before patting the handkerchief on her cheeks and eyes to dry the overflowing tears, her nose still a bit stuffy from the sudden cry. “A-actually, I lost something really important to me, it was…” She reached out to the lone hairpin on her head, adorning one of the twin buns she usually wore, “it was a hairpin that pairs with this one. My lover gave them to me when we had our anniversary, so it’s something really, really important to me… I don’t even know how I could’ve lost it; I always keep it so close-”

“HEY! You two!! What’re you doing to my little sister?!” A sudden yell startled the trio into looking at the alley they were right in front of.

“W-waah?!” Paimon flew behind Lumine by reflex, wide-eyed at the approaching woman.

“B-big sister Huifen?” Lien Jin stopped crying immediately, widening her eyes in surprise.

Seeing the helpless Lien Jin crying into a handkerchief while being amidst two strangers only made Huifen inflate with anger.

“What do you two weirdos want with my sister? Shoo, away with you!” Huifen clapped and shooed the two away before taking Lien Jin’s hand. “Are you okay, Lien Jin? You know how your fans are, so it’s better if we bolt from here!” She huffed before pulling her sister back into the alley, completely missing the entire point.

“W-wait, big sister!” Helpless, Lien Jin could only stutter and look back at the confused duo. “M-my hairpin!” She reached out to the now farther away Paimon and tears sprung back into her eyes, delivering a fatal blow to the tiny girl.

“Weirdo? Look who’s talking!” Paimon puffed her chubby cheeks and crossed her arms before immediately flying in front of Lumine with a teary-eyed expression. “We gotta look for her hairpin, Lumine! We gotta! Look how much she was crying- Yikes, she left with your handkerchief…”

Lumine crossed her arms and switched her weight into one leg. “Do you even remember what the hairpin looks like?”

“O-of course, don’t doubt Paimon’s memory! It looks liiiike this!” She took a piece of paper out of their spatial pocket and drew a perfect depiction of Lien Jin’s pin. “Hehehe!”

“Ohh, okay, that’ll make looking for it much easier. We can find her again later when we have the hairpin.”

“Yup, yup! Paimon thinks she saw that girl somewhere… But Paimon can’t quite put her finger into it… Oh, well! Let’s look for the hairpin first, Lumine! We can’t keep a girl crying like that!”

“True, she looked so distressed.” Lumine bobbed her head to the sides as she started to move through the alley Lien Jin and Huifen had just disappeared into, figuring that it could also be there since it was a route they took to go back.

“I wonder who’s her loverperson? She must really love them for her to be THAT sad about it!” Paimon floated on her back as though swimming leisurely through Luhua Pool.

Shrugging, the Traveler focused her eyes on the ground. “You can ask when we meet her again.”

“Mhm, mhm!” Paimon nodded enthusiastically. She loved to learn new things! especially if it had to do with people’s lives.

From alleys to busy streets; from tall buildings to forgotten underground passageways; from the port to the entrance of the city… Paimon and Lumine looked everywhere. It was even harder to look for something they only knew the shape of without knowing the person’s circumstances, likes or where they had been on the day they lost it, so the duo had to comb through so much information it made them dizzy.

Paimon complained of hunger one hour after their search started, then again two hours after, then another two hours after -- to the point that their day was basically eating and searching for the hairpin in their spare time. Regardless, Lumine was already used to her ever-hungry guide, so she didn’t pay it any mind, especially considering the weirdness of the search request.

They were stumped, there was no way around it.

At that same time, Lien Jin finally managed to speak after being dragged all the way back home by Huifen. “Big sister! They weren’t my fans!” She huffed with the door closed behind her.

“Honestly, what if I hadn’t found you? You must remember to at least bring Brother Aiguo with- wait, what did you say?”

Lien Jin pouted her flushed cheeks, tears springing back into her eyes. “As I said, they weren’t my fans and they weren’t bothering me…” she sniffled. “They offered to help me look for the hairpin I lost… Now I don’t even know if they’re going to look for it or not…”

Huifen blinked, staring at her little sister with surprise. “But how was I supposed to know?! That girl was maiming you and you were crying! Don’t blame your big sister for this, okay? You know how we’re all worried about you.”

“I know,” Lien Jin sniffled, using the handkerchief to dry her tears. “Thank you so much for worrying about me, big sister, but I really need to get back to looking…”

Huifen scratched the back of her neck and sighed. “Okay, I’ll call brother Aiguo; today’s his day to be with you and we can’t always expect the strangers will be so sweet like those two from before.”

“Mhm,” Lien Jin nodded, then finally noticed the thing with which she was drying her tears. “Oh no! I took that poor girl’s handkerchief…! I hope we can meet again soon so I can give it back!”

“There’s a good girl. Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Huifen patted Lien Jin’s head before heading inside to call for their brother.

Once alone, Lien Jin reached for the pin on her hair, carefully tracing it with her fingertips. “I hope we can find your sibling, too…”

Once Aiguo arrived, he and Lien Jin set out to look for her hairpin, though there wasn’t much they could do as the hours passed and the streets got more and more packed -- it wouldn’t do to walk with Lien Jin through such a crowd, so they ultimately had to give up and return home. Not to mention that although today wasn’t a performance day for Lien Jin, she still had her daily practice to do, which she never missed for anything in the world.

Well, she usually practiced at dawn until breakfast, but her whole schedule got jumbled up due to the missing hairpin, so she only managed to start practicing de facto after eating with her siblings.

By then, her focus was completely elsewhere, so she couldn’t be proud of the progress (if any) she had made with her steps; besides, no one who accompanied her blamed the poor girl for it. She was barely holding back her tears as it was -- if someone just as much called her out for something, they were afraid she would break down.

The anxious siblings decided to pair up and search town while Lien Jin couldn’t go out, promising her that they would find clues about it even if they had to turn Liyue upside down!

… Or so they would, but the moment they set foot outside the theater, they ran into Lumine and Paimon, who had tracked Lien Jin’s location down.

“Ya think this is the right place, Lumine? They don’t look anything like that pretty girl…” Paimon whispered to the traveler. They had heard that the entire troupe was composed by siblings, so they figured that at least they would have some resemblance, but those brothers… well, the less said about them, the better.

Lumine chose to ignore Paimon and turned to one of the brothers. “Someone from this house asked us for help in looking for a hairpin-”

“Oh! You’re the strangers Lien Jin mentioned!” One of them cut off, “wait here, I’ll get her!”

“-and we- oh, okay.” Lumine lowered her lifted hand, shutting her mouth as the other brothers scurried away to look for the pin, seeing as there was nothing in the traveler’s hands; not to mention the drawing the floating girl held.

Not a minute later, Lien Jin ran to the door, her big, innocent eyes making Paimon cover her face from the sheer radiance.

“You found me! Oh, thank goodness. I didn’t know what I would do if I never found you again…” Lien Jin pouted, then shook her head. “I just washed your handkerchief, so I was going to look for you later when it dried.”

“That’s alright, now that we know of each other, you’ll know where to find me.” Lumine shook her head.

“Wait, wait! She can’t find us if she doesn't know our names, right?” Paimon flew in between the two. “So! Paimon’s name is Paimon and this is Lumine!”

Giggling, Lien Jin bowed. “Thank you for helping me earlier. My name is Lien Jin and I’m a dancer at this theater.”

“Nice to meet you, Lien Jin.” Lumine nodded before shifting her gaze awkwardly. “Actually, there’s no need to thank us, since we didn’t do anything. We couldn’t find your hairpin, so we decided to come here and ask you more questions about it.”

Paimon floated from Lien Jin to Lumine. “Yup, yup. Paimon’s memory is amazing, but I can’t remember things I don’t know!” She shoved the drawing in Lien Jin’s face, then smirked evilly from behind it. “SO! First question: who’s your loverperson who gave you the hairpin?”

Lumine closed her eyes awkwardly, pulling Paimon’s scarf to take her away from the bewildered girl. “Hey, that’s not a necessary information-”

Before she could even finish her scolding, a familiar set of steps stopped a few ways behind them.

“Huh? Traveler? What’re you doing all the way over here?” Childe asked with genuine curiosity.

“Childe! You here to help us find Little Doe’s hairpin?” Paimon inquisitively flew towards the ginger man.

“Little Doe…?” He asked with a smirk in his voice that also grew in his lips, raising his gaze to Lien Jin.

The moment their eyes met, Lien Jin flinched, clutching her chest with guilt. “Childe, I- the hairpin you gave me-”

“Huh- what-” Paimon froze in place the moment the words were out of Lien Jin’s lips, momentarily forgetting how to float as she slowly sunk to the ground. “Childe here is-”

Ignoring the blabbering tiny girl, Childe walked up the steps to the door, rummaging inside his pocket as he did so. “Don’t worry, ‘Little Doe’.” He whispered as he got closer, taking Lien Jin’s hand and placing something inside of it. “I had it with me the whole time.”

Lien Jin blinked at the gorgeous hairpin in her hand, which seemed to sparkle even more than usual. “B-but, when? I don’t remember…”

“It’s true that you had dropped it, but I found it close to my place after walking you back home.” Childe explained, softly taking the pin from her hand and carefully pinning it on her hair, opposite to where its sibling sat.

“O-oh…” Lien Jin looked up as though she could see the hairpin in its rightful place, emotion bubbling in her chest. “Oh, I’m so glad… I’m so glad!” She sniffled, resting her forehead on Childe’s chest as the energy left her body.

“There, there, Doe.” Childe whispered. “Why don’t we go somewhere quiet, just the two of us? Paimon’s gaze is burning a hole in my back right now, so I can’t even focus on hugging you.” He teased in a voice loud enough that the duo behind them could hear as well.

Lumine cleared her throat as though she wasn’t being talked to while Paimon blinked and pointed at them.

“Wait, wait, Paimon’s never heard of this! Since when do you have such a cute lovergirl, Childe?! She’s wasted on you!”

“Paimon, she found her hairpin, so we should get going.” Lumine pulled the tiny girl by her scarf, receiving a lot of high-pitched squeaking in return.

Childe winked at Lumine once they made eye contact, earning a thumbs-up from the traveler as she turned on her heel and left.

“Haha, they’re always so interesting to be around.” Childe snorted at the duo before turning back to his lover with a warm gaze. “Now, where were we?”

Lien Jin opened her mouth to reply, but the one who spoke was someone behind her. “... Leaving, I hope.”

“B-big sister Huifen!” Lien Jin turned around, completely beet-red. “I, um, we were-”

Childe smile and gave a nod in Huifen’s way before slipping one hand into Lien Jin’s. “We have your sister’s blessing, so c’mon, let’s get out before your brothers see us.”

Blinking, Lien Jin looked from her sister to her lover before smiling shyly and nodding, letting him whisk her away into the day -- to their unexpected, but very much welcome, date.

To think that Lien Jin had been feeling anxious just a few minutes previous… How Childe was able to calm her down and flip her emotions to this extent always surprised her, but in the most wonderful of senses.

Squeezing Childe’s hand, Lien Jin allowed her lover to take her away to the unknown, feeling ever so safe within his warmth.

[my-arlington-academia]

Serandy and Olifael part 3: Nari’s horrible return

Hey I’m back! ... I’m sorry.

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

"S-Serena-senpai..."

Nari was looking away, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment. No matter how many steps back she took, Serena kept on getting closer and closer until she slammed her hand on the wall, next to Nari’s ear.

”Kyah! S-senpai! What’s going on?? Why are you being so violent with me?”

From Serena’s point of view this wasn’t violence. This was love. Oh Nari... you and your unstoppable mouth. No matter how much someone would beg, Nari would never shut up. Serena was provoked by that, the fact that someone wouldn’t obey her orders. It was frustrating and yet so charming.

She leaned in and whispered into Nari’s ear.

"Nari-chan... you aren’t a gemini, are you?”

Nari was confused, that’s it? That’s all Serena wanted to ask? No scolding, no punishment like usual? She was disappointed. Nari loved getting yelled at by Serena.

”N-no. I’m not a gemini, I’m a scorpio Senpai. But what does that have to do with anyth-"

"Shut it.”

Serena passionately kissed Nari with her passionate lips, passionate love and passionate hate towards geminis. She was so relieved that Nari wasn’t one of them. Disgusting. That would be horrible.

Horrible.

Hor-

"AAAH! NOOOO PLEASE GOD NO!"

Serena woke up covered in sweat. What the fuck was that?? Nari? What was she doing in Serena’s dream and why were they calling eachother like characters in a Japanese cartoon? Serena looked around her, it was her room. Thank God everything was just a dream and nothing else. Next to her, lying in bed was Andy who snuck in last night to sleep next to her girlfriend. Like all nights, actually. She was really worried for Serena’s mental state, not only today but in general.

"Serena...? *yawn* Are you okay sweetie?”

Serena hugged Andy, almost in tears.

"N-no! I saw her again in my dreams. That chatterbox monster, Nari! But this time we were high schoolers in a shitty anime... Why? Oh, why would this happen to me?? What did I do wrong for her to come back to haunt me?"

Andy hugged Serena back, trying to be as supportive as she could. This situation was really strange. For the past few days, Serena always saw Nari in her dreams. Nari was that 2nd year student in Arlington who went missing a few months ago. But in actuality... it was all a ploy orchestrated by Serena. Serena had pulled some strings to make some trouble happen in Egypt so that Nari would go back there for a couple of months. A couple of months that were extremely peaceful... Well, Trashy burned the building a couple of times but it was cool. Thanks to that some classes were canceled and Serena secretly thanked Trashy for her interventions.

The only people who knew about this were Serena and Andy, Serena knew that if she told Olivier what she did in order to get rid of Nari, he would get mad at her and rightfully so.

”Calm down Serena sssshhh. It’s going to be alright. Um... you know I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but could it be that you have a guilty conscience? Maybe that’s why Nari appears in your dreams?”

Serena looked up at Andy, seriously taking in account what her girlfriend just told her. But no, that couldn’t be it. Serena? Feeling guilt for getting rid of Nari? Impossible. Nari was her arch-nemesis. It was absurd to think that after all these months Serena would suddenly start to feel guilty about her scheme.

”No... that can’t be it Andy. I would never feel bad for Nari. I think.”

”Aww come on, I know that you’re not as cold hearted as you pretend to be. Let’s just try to contact Nari, okay? Maybe you actually miss her a little bit.”

Did Serena miss Nari? Ridiculous but much more believable than feeling guilty.

"... Alright. Let’s do that."

Serena and Andy came down from the bed, they were changing into their school uniforms to get ready for class. That’s when someone barged in, looking extremely distraught. It was Rafael.

"Girls!!! Come quick! There’s 8 murde-"

Serena threw a pillow into Ralf’s face while Andy was covering herself with the blanket. Serena yelled at him in panic.

"What the hell Rafael? Can’t you knock first?? Turn around and explain yourself!”

Rafael turned around like instructed, facing the door. He was super gay for Olivier but he still covered his face with the pillow, just in case. He didn’t want Serena and Andy to feel uncomfortable.

"This is not important right now! There’s 8 murders in the Academy that ocurred this morning...”

Andy and Serena looked at eachother, horrified by the news. How was that possible? The security was so tight and the custodians always made rounds, even in the early mornings. Andy clenched her fists, still in disbelief.

”But... that’s impossible! One murder, sure. But 8 people have died?? There’s always guards in front of the entrance... and... and there’s at least one custodian on each floor to keep an eye on us!"

Rafael stood there, silent. Unable to explain the events. All he could say was...

”Oliver is waiting for us in the student council’s room. Come quick.”

There was no time to waste. Serena and Andy dashed out of their room and went out of the dormitory only to see a cruel scene unfold. A bunch of nurses were taking 8 people away into ambulance trucks. However, the 8 people were covered in white pieces of cloth. As if they were already dead. In the crowd, a blond girl with a pink flower in her braids was being retained by at least four people. They were trying to hold her still while she was screaming and shouting like a trapped animal.

"G-geez! How strong is this girl?! Someone call the remaining custodians to help us out! We can’t hold her forever!!!”

”Remaining custodians”? So, some of them had been killed as well? Or at least badly hurt. Andy and Serena tried to pass by the scene in a hurry but they couldn’t ignore the yells of the suffering young girl. Oh mother of god... It was the sweet and gentle Claire, trying to set herself free by punching and kicking.

"LET ME GO! I HAVE TO FOLLOW THEM AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE OKAY!!! DON’T HOLD ME BACK!!! THIS CAN’T BE. THEY’RE NOT DEAD!!! THEY’RE NOT DEAD, OKAY?! STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE I’M CRAZY!!! I... I...”

Suddenly all of her strength left her body and she fell down on her knees, seeing that she finally calmed down the 4 students that were holding her let go of their grip. Claire buried her face into her hands, crying.

"N-No... they’re not d-dead... the doctors will bring them back with a b-blood transfusion and... and... CPR will definitely work... if, if not then there’s also a defibrillator... it’ll work haha... ah... ah... ahh..."

She started hyperventilating, her eyes were bloodshot and her hair and clothes were all messy. She then covered her mouth, trying to stop what was coming, in vain.

”BLRGH.”

She threw up on the ground, still hyperventilating in between each spew. Because of that she was almost unable of breathing. Two custodians ran to her, scared of her reaction. What if she chokes up and dies because of her own vomit?

"P-please! Young miss calm down! Breath in... and out... in... and out... yes, slowly.”

Thank god her breathing became stable again, she could’ve lost consciousness from the lack of oxygen. After emptying up her stomach she started crying in the custodian’s arms.

"T-those people w-were my friends... *hic* R-raquel was right next to me... *hic* how did I fail to do anything?! ...U-useless! I’M USELESS. W-when it comes down to real danger... I’m unable to do a-anything. I couldn’t save anyone... I’ve never saved anyone! Not a single person!”

Andy didn’t even realize that she was crying at the heartbreaking scene until Serena covered her eyes and pulled her away from the crowd.

"Andy, don’t look...”

It was meaningless, Andy was unable to see anything anyway. Her eyes were filled up with tears, distorting her vision. However there was one thing she knew. Even though Serena was trying to hide it and act though, she was crying too.

In front of the student council’s room, they dried up their tears and snot with their sleeves, no time to find handkerchiefs. And they stepped in. Four people were in the room, Olivier shouting at Trashy, Trashy looking scared out of her mind but doing her best to deny whatever Olivier was stating, Rafael trying to calm Olivier down and... Tadashi, sat on one of the chairs. Looking down, emotionless. It’s as if all trace of life had left his body.

Serena tried to ignore that for now and put her hand on Olivier’s shoulder, he turned away from Trashy and looked at Serena, annoyed and angry.

"Ugh. You’re finally here?! What took you so lo-"

Before he could finish, Serena slapped the shit out of him, knowing that he wouldn’t calm down anytime soon if this went on.

"Calm down! I can see that Tadashi isn’t capable of handling anything right now so you should try to stay calm and take over as the student council president! It won’t help if you lose yourself like this...”

She then looked at Rafael, who was frozen in panic.

"Ralf, next time something like this happens just hit the shit outta him without hesitation. Got it?”

”Y-yes, sorry. I’ll do so.”

Olivier looked at his reflexion in the window and sighed a few times. He still wore that stupid cat mask. Then with a clear mind, he went back to business.

"Trashy. Please be honest with me. You’re the one who committed those murders, aren’t you?”

Trashy was shaking, teary eyed and visibly afraid by not only Olivier but also the stressful situation she was in.

"N-no! I’m telling you I would never kill people in cold blood! I only do harmless pranks...”

Olivier clenched his jaw. ”Harmless pranks” she says. He opened a folder and took out a document from it.

"Trashy. So far you have committed: arson, fraud, larceny and forgery. So tell me what could POSSIBLY lead me to believe that you aren’t the culprit behind this... this... inhumane incident?”

Trashy stood up, slamming her hand unto the table.

”I’m telling you: I’m innocent! I would never kill E-Ellie, Alistair or any other person of this school!"

At those words, Tadashi who was silent this whole time started sobbing and holding his arms, as if he was hugging himself.

”N-no... Ellie... Alistair... Raquel... *sob* Please c-come back. I-I’m scared... *hic* I-I’ll be good so p-please don’t abandon me *hic* A-Axel I-I won’t give you detention ever again... and... and I-I’ll help you guys with your homework... *hic*"

Rafael, Serena and Andy rushed in to hug him, seeing that he was in despair. Olivier sighed and glared at Trashy.

"I told you not to mention their names. He gets like that whenever he hears it.”

”I’m so sorry...”

Trashy looked extremely apologetic. As Serena was holding Tadashi in her arms, she shot a quick side-glance towards Trashy, it’s true that she was very chaotic but... logic aside, proof aside, was Trashy really capable of doing such things? Serena wanted to believe in her so badly but it is true that she was quite suspicious. As she was asking herself hundreds of questions, two people barged in.

"Excuse us.”

A weird man dressed in all black, carrying a katana and... a normal woman were standing before them. Olivier walked towards them, as if he knew who they were.

”Are you... who I think you are?”

The man and woman smiled at eachother.

”That’s right, I’m Nadir. The detective.”

”And I’m Gen, the coroner. Nice to meet you.”

Nadir had a Maryland accent... whatever that was supposed to mean. He didn’t look like a detective at all though, why was he carrying a katana? And why was there a coroner with him? All the dead bodies were brought to the hospital already. Well, they might get resurrected somehow. It’s not like hope was completely lost. Or at least Andy hoped so.

”Um. Excuse me uh. Gen? I don’t understand why you’re here and not at the hospital, I mean your job is to check wounds and find the cause of death, right?”

Gen smiled innocently.

”Oh I’ve already done my job, it was all stab wounds from a kitchen knife. Now I’m here in any case we find other dead bodies or if someone else dies.”

”Uh... okay.”

Tadashi suddenly stopped crying, awakened from his miserable state by Gen’s comment.

"DON’T SAY THAT! How... How DARE you just call them ”dead bodies”?! They were my friends! And... and they might be saved!!!”

Gen looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. As if it was too late. Thankfully Tadashi was so angry that he didn’t notice that. She had a look that said ”it’s hopeless kid.” Serena tried to change the subject, knowing that Tadashi would blow up like Claire if he knew that they were already dead.

”Soooo... Anyway, who are the people that got hurt?”

Olivier gave her the list with the names of all the victims, knowing that if he said their names aloud, Tadashi would lose it again. As expected, all of Tadashi’s and Claire’s friends were on it. Neha Rao, Tyler Williams, the Novakova siblings and so on and so forth. They were all so close and yet the only people left were Tadashi and Claire... but why did only those 2 survive?

”You’re all thinking ”why did those 2 survive”, aren’t you?”

Nadir smirked at them with a know-it-all epxression that everyone hated. It seems like he had already made some research before coming.

”Well, we’re thinking that it must be because... either one of those 2 is the culprit or... the person who attacked their friends didn’t manage to finish their job and he’s after them.”

Everyone was frightened by the thought... Claire, where was she? Hopefully she wasn’t left alone, however, just in case they should go find her and stay by her side. What if the culprit took advantage of her mental state to strike? The only person in the room who didn’t think about that possibility was Tadashi, he was too blinded by anger and fright.

”You’re saying that either me or Claire could be the culprits? That’s total BULLSHIT! We would never even THINK about doing something like this! How could I... How could I ever do something like this to my best friend and boyfriend?!!”

That’s right, Tadashi’s best friend: Alistair. And his boyfriend... Axel. A really weird couple indeed, they hated eachother’s guts until really recently so why did they suddenly start dating? It was a complete mystery. It all started on april fool’s so everyone just assumed that they would end the joke pretty soon... 3 weeks later and the joke still wasn’t over.

Gen raised her voice, desperately trying to stop him from punching them in the face.

”Please calm down kid! We’re only stating the possibilities! Not saying that they’re true... but while it might not be you nor your friend, there is a high chance that the kill- um, culprit is a student. Even though some custodians were... hurt, no guards were harmed.”

Nadir nodded, strongly agreeing with his colleague’s words.

”That’s right. But first let’s go find that Claire girl, she might be in great danger at this rate. Do you know where she is?”

Tadashi shook his head, having no idea where the only friend he had left was. Luckily, Andy and Serena knew where she might be. They all ran to the nurse’s office, thinking that they would find an unconscious Claire who had probably collapsed from shock and stress. But she wasn’t there. Only the nurse remained, saying that Claire wanted to rest in her room. Serena grabbed the nurse by the shoulders and shook him violently.

”Are you kidding?! How could you let her alone in a situation like this?! Are you not aware of what’s happening right now?! And besides... isn’t Claire’s room... tainted in blood right now?!!”

The nurse pushed Serena away, slightly upset by her outburst.

”Who do you think we are? The room had been investigated and cleaned the moment the body was discovered. Also, she wasn’t alone. There was another student with her who promised me to follow her no matter where she went.”

Serena’s eyes widened. Oh god. Oh no. What if this student is the killer?! Catching on what she was thinking, Nadir grabbed the nurse by his shoulders and shook him just like Serena did earlier.

”Who was it?! Who was that student?”

”Ugh. Could you all stop grabbing and shaking me?! I don’t know what her name was but it was a girl with really messy hair. To the point where I would guess that she doesn’t even own a hairbrush.”

They all started running towards the dormitory while the nurse was cursing them under his breath. On their way there, they saw two students in the courtyard, on the ground. One covered in blood and the other one holding her in her arms while crying. It was Reckless and AJ.

”AJ!! Please wake up! Come on you gotta live... You still haven’t paid me for the tarot reading I did for you the other day!!”

AJ was still half-conscious, holding on to dear life.

”God... shut the fuck up...”

”No, don’t say that AJ!! What if those are your last words?! You can’t let your last words be something so vulgar! What am I gonna say to your parents...”

”I don’t... give a shit...”

Gen pushed Reckless away, looking closely at the young girl’s wounds all over her stomach. Reckless wiped a tear away, relieved.

”Oh thank God, thank you doctor! Please save my cash-cow- I mean... my dear classmate!”

Gen then immediately got up, wiping her bloody hands on her jeans.

”Oh no kid, I’m not a doctor, I’m a coroner. All I can say is that she has most likely 5 minutes left to live or so. Sorry but to be saved, she would need to be a billionaire or something. Y’know how it is in America.”

Reckless started crying again.

”God I fucking hate capitalism. Can we all just die from a nuclear bomb, please? Someone nuke us, anyone. Even North Korea is fine...”

Andy took out her phone, calling the ambulance in a hurry. Serena had never seen her girlfriend look so livid.

”Are you all crazy?! We should at least call the ambulance in situations like these! Reckless, why didn’t you call 911 sooner?!”

Reckless kneeled in front of AJ, looking apologetic while still bawling her eyes out.

”You’re right Andy... I’m so sorry AJ, if only I wasn’t a dumbass... Come on, don’t lose consciousness! Or at least tell me your blood type before you do! Maybe we can still save you...”

”B... positive...”

”*sniff* I’m trying AJ but you’re losing a lot of blood...”

”That’s not... *cough* what I meant... you fucking dumbass *cough*"

This all looked like a comedy skit to be honest. AJ’s blood type wasn’t even B, it was O. Was she so out of it that she made a mistake? Serena went through 8 stages of whiplash before the ambulance finally showed their asses on the murder scene. Unfortunately, AJ hadn’t seen her attacker and same thing for Reckless. In any case it was useless to stay there, the group rushed back to the dorms like they were supposed to a long time ago before they found AJ dying. Hopefully Claire was still okay... It was like running a marathon. Arlington was way too big than it needed to be.