#i did not pass many maths tests in high school

[abandoned-as-mustard]

Main character: gets a 'bad grade'

Bad grade: 83%

Me: *nervous laughter*

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

Hi! Can I request MM! Raph with a fem s/o who is very opposite of him, like she's kind, dresses very girly, oblivious, kinds like opposites attract. Where one day, reader is getting flirted with but doesn't understand it, and Raph is js getting jealous/protective??

Don’t Flirt With My Girlfriend (Fluff)

MM!Raphael x reader

A/N: Of course you can! I’m thinking jock Raph with his girly yet a little nerdy girlfriend. I don’t know why, but I just find it cute❤️

Warnings: Raph being jealous, and reader being oblivious to unwanted flirting, but nothing too bad❤️

Whoever said that opposite attracts, had no idea how right their words were. When they first uttered those words, they would have had no idea that such a thing as you and Raphael would ever come to happen.

You and Raphael was the stereotypical high school love story. Well… except the fact that Raph was a mutant turtle and considered a hero in the city of New York City , but that is not very important. Raph was a jock, part of Eastman High’s wrestling team, currently testing his waters in the school's American Football team, having played a few successful games. And though he might be big and strong with a quick temper, he didn’t do too well in his studies, lacking behind for quite some time. But that was how he first met you - his opposite in so many ways.

You were sweet, calm and always so happy, yet drawing very little attention to yourself. Well, at least not by sound, but quite a few had their eyes on you. Often dressing in dresses with pretty floral prints in light colors, such as pink, baby blue, light green and soft light yellow and purple, you were the stereotypical girly girl. And not only that, but you were in the same math class as Raphael, which was how you finally got to talk to him, when your teacher asked you to become his tutor.

Becoming Raph’s math tutor meant that you and jock would spend much time together, both at your place and his. And as time passed and the two of you got to know each other, neither of you could help the crush that you were developing. However, it was during this time that Raph learned something very important about you - you were not good at reading his flirting. He could send you all sorts of looks, or say all kinds of sugary sweet things, but you didn’t seem to understand what he was trying to do or say, which was a little frustrating to the young mutant. However, he decided to do his best and follow your tutoring, believing that was a way to get closer to you. When Raph later passed a math test, after you had helped him prepare, he decided to ask you out, and the rest was history.

You and Raph quickly became the couple of Eastman High that everybody knew of. No matter if it was wrestling or football, if Raph did good in his sports, he would make a show of running to you, where he would place a firm kiss to your lips, telling you how much he loved you, before running off to continue his game. That was enough to let the whole school know that you were together. That you were with Raph and that he was with you. Only a fool wouldn’t be able to understand that. Unless some poor soul hadn’t been there to see that. That is where Anker came into the picture.

Anker was an exchange student from one of the Scandinavian countries, having decided to study in the US for a year. That was how Anker found himself in the same English class as you, sitting just a few rows behind you. And it only took him a few days to develop a small crush on you, not knowing about your mutant turtle boyfriend of a jock. Which is why he decided to walk up to you after class, in the hopes of chatting you up.

As you stood by your open locker, getting a hold of the books you needed for your next class after the break, Anker came up by the locker beside you, resting against it as he began talking to you. You smiled a friendly smile to the exchange student, answering his questions as politely as possible, not noticing the way he kept eyeing you every other minute, or how people passing looked at him, as if he was crazy. If Raph saw this, he might as well count his days. But you were totally oblivious, believing that Anker was only trying to be friendly. An exchange student trying to make new friends.

“So”, Anker continued, changing the subject. “What are you doing this weekend, (Y/N)?”

“This weekend?”, you repeated deep in thought. “Well, this Saturday I’m spending time with my family, and Sunday I’ll be studying for Monday”.

“So you don’t have any plans on Friday?”, Anker asked, not noticing the mutant turtle whose eyes was piercing through him, as he walked up to the two of you at a fast pace, his gym bag almost falling off his shoulder. “Would you like to go to the cinema with me on Friday then?”

“No, sorry”, you answered, still not aware of your boyfriend as he was making his way to you. “I already got plans for Friday”.

“Plans?”, Anker asked in confusion. “With who?”

“Me!”, Raph spat at the exchange student, making the boy jump in fear. Not just by Raph’s sudden presence, but by his appearance. No one had told Anker that the mutant turtles were studying at Eastman High. Raph wrapped an arm around you, pulling you close to him, while staring daggers into Anker’s soul, his anger fuming underneath his skin. “I know what you’re trying to do, and you can quit it right now. Don’t flirt with my girlfriend, buster!”

Anker looked more than just a little unsure, before quickly making his exit, feeling Raph’s eyes burn the back of his neck all the way to the end of the hall, until he was out of sight.

“I’m sorry, Raph”, you finally said when Anker was gone, already feeling horrible. “I had no idea he was flirting with me”.

“It’s okay, babe”, Raph said, wrapping his other arm around you, hugging you tightly against him, feeling his plastron underneath his jersey. “It’s not your fault. You’ve never been good at recognizing flirting, so I don’t blame you at all. But if he tries on anything, I’ll punch his face so hard that he’ll-”.

“I don’t think that’s necessary”, you interrupted him, putting a soft hand against his cheek, feeling him lean against it. There was no doubt that having you in his life had helped Raph calm down immensely, having an easier time cooling down from his more temperamental periods. Just like now. The feeling of your warm hand against his face calming him down. “But thank you for looking out for me, Raph. Otherwise I might unknowingly have gotten myself into something dumb”.

“Anything for my girl”, Raph smiled, leaning down to press a kiss against your forehead, causing you to smile like crazy. Even you were able to understand how sweet that gesture was and what that meant. “Are you still up for our date on Friday?”

“Of course I am”, you said, wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling his face closer to yours. “I’ve been waiting ever since last Friday for another diner date”.

Raph chuckled at that statement, finding your enthusiasm adorable. “Gosh, you’re cute. Gimme a kiss, babe”.

You giggled, before standing on your toes as Raph leaned down, your lips meeting together in a sweet tender kiss before you pulled back, looking deep into each other’s eyes with bright smiles.

“Eating together at lunch?”, Raph asked.

“Of course we are”, you answered, kissing Raph one more time, before the two of you made your way towards math with your hands entwined.

[maliland]

PLAY FAIR!

now playing: xo by beyoncé

barbie(s): e-1610 miles & black fem reader

includes: fluff & fake ass friends

synopsis: your day starts off a bit rocky when you're confronted with conflict concerning your friendships. your boyfriend cheers you up by taking you to the fair!

wc: 8358 (not including the bonus)

credz: @/firefly-graphics

a/n: first fluff fic yayay!! i lied abt when i was dropping this sooo many times, mb.. there's a bonus to make up for it. i hope u guys enjoy this and read VERY slowly bc idk when i'm dropping a fic next 🚶‍♀️ idk what i was doing here lowkey… i h8 everything but the bonus. (i'm biased i like angst better) lmk what y’all think of this tho 💞 ((i proof read but there might be mistakes))

mothers were always thought to have an intuition when it came to their children—some sort of sixth sense. the science behind it? well, there is none. none that’s been proven, anyway. that doesn’t stop some mothers from swearing that their second sight was legit. your mom was one of them, constantly giving her unwarranted two cents about people in your life who seemed harmless to you.

you felt blessed to have the mother you did. she was your best friend and your biggest cheerleader. she brought you up to be the girl you are today. without her, you didn't know who you'd be. not having a huge group of friends to be around 24/7 didn't really bother you as much as it would have if you didn't have her.

you’ve never felt like you needed to hide anything from your mom, but you did keep your crush on miles a secret for a hot minute. you'd never liked someone the way you liked him. you were shocked to discover that he like you too. when miles was ready to make things official, you knew you couldn't hide him from your mom anymore, so you didn't. she met him one saturday morning over breakfast, and to your surprise, she liked him. you were shocked she didn’t have anything condemnatory to say about your boyfriend, not because there was anything wrong with miles, but because your mom is overprotective of you.

growing up, you hadn’t always been the most sociable kid. all of the friends you had now found you and so did miles. that being said, your mom worried that people would take advantage of your built-in hospitality and youf kind heart. she watched out for certain things when you'd describe your interactions with people, then told you to watch out as well. although her overprotectiveness could be irritating more often than not, your mom had definitely helped you avoid trouble here and there.

growing up meant change. you weren't the biggest fan of change because of the risk that came with it. you had always preferred to stick to what you know—until this year. your fourth and final year of high school had you wanting to break out of your shell. the same few friends wouldn’t be there to keep you company when you graduate and go to different colleges, or hold your hand for the rest of your life. neither would your beloved mother. you had to hold your own hand.

you weren't sure how you were going to make friends, and you were too ashamed to ask anyone how to do so. thankfully, you didn't have to do much, because the friends you made came to you.

it started with a group chat with the five girls you had calculus with this year: tiesha, taraji, yanira, and adana. tiesha had created the chain so you all could send homework answers and test reviews back and forth. math was never your strong suit, so cheating was really the only reason you were passing. brief conversations about homework and how much you all hated the class turned into full blown conversations about boys and tv shows. minor comments about something annoying that someone did in class turned into major gossip sessions. you couldn't remember the last time you went a whole day without talking to those girls, whether it was one text message or twenty.

your mom told you she was excited that you had expanded your circle, but you could tell by the way her smile had slightly faltered that she was indeed irresolute. you knew you’d never understand her intuitive claims unless you had children of your own, and even then, you’d still doubt the phenomenon’s validity. it was just your nature to question everything.

presently, you were at a food court in the mall, sitting by yourself at one of the tables. every now and then, you’d glance up from your phone and see a group of friends or a couple pass by you.

you were supposed to hang out with yanira, taraji, adana, and tiesha, but it was almost one and none of them had showed up to the spot in the mall where you agreed to meet. every call you made went straight to voicemail. frustrated, you opened instagram to see if any of the girls were active. you raised a brow when you noticed the multicolored spiral around yanira’s profile picture at the top of your dash where stories were located. you tapped it just to be confronted with a boomerang of yanira, tiesha, adana, and taraji posing in a dressing room mirror. your eyes bored into the screen for a few seconds before you swiped out of instagram, treachery bubbling in your stomach. you released an exasperated sigh.

your mom was right. once again.

you glanced at a nearby tv on one of the walls in the food court and saw a picture of spider-man. you read the captions as they glided across the bottom of the screen, the clip of the hero fighting off a villain playing simultaneously. the news reporter narrated the highlights of the brawl and another one followed up his narration by concluding that spider-man had once again saved the city.

you smiled to yourself like a proud mother, then you thought about miles, not spider-man. you hadn’t talked to your boyfriend since the night before. as if he could read your mind, your phone buzzed against the table and lit up.

3 text messages @ 12:42pm

miles: hey, pretty girl (12:42pm)  miles: i couldn’t text you this morning, i’m sorry (12:42pm)  miles: villain of the week decided to get up early today (12:42pm)

so did you, but for different reasons. reasons that no longer mattered. you didn't even know why you were still sitting in that food court. you should've been en route to the train station by now. you felt so damn stupid.

you: that’s okay (12:43pm)

miles: are you okay? (12:43pm) miles: yk i’d never purposely ignore you, right? (12:43pm)

you: yeah, i know (12:44pm) you: it’s not you (12:44pm)  you: i’m at the mall rn bc i was supposed to meet some friends here, but they never showed. nb wanted to answer the phone either (12:44pm) you: i checked instagram n it turns out they’re all here (12:45pm) you: just without me (12:45pm) you: sooo now i have to do the walk of shame back to the subway station (12:45pm)

miles: that’s so messed up, i’m really sorry (12:46pm)  miles: did anything happen with them before this? (12:46pm)

you: no (12:46pm)  you: i mean if it did then idk anything about it (12:47pm)  you: my ma warned me about those girls. i should’ve listened 🤦‍♀️ (12:47pm)

miles: i got an idea. are you free now? (12:47pm)

you: i am 🤨 (12:48pm)

miles: take the subway to mine (12:48pm)  miles: i have a surprise ❤️ (12:48pm)

you: i gtg grab smth from my place b4 that (12:49pm) you: but i’ll be there :) (12:49pm)

miles loved a message @ 12:50pm

you didn’t even realize the smile that had crept up on your face until it was almost ear to ear and a few seconds away from making your cheeks ache. you quickly stood up from your chair, the legs howling loudly as they scraped against the tile. you winced at the noise and picked the chair up to move it instead of pushing it in. afterwards, you began walking to the exit closest to the subway station. your pace slowed when you saw your “friends” in front of you. they hadn’t noticed you yet. you hoped they wouldn't. they were walking in a horizontal line, laughing and carrying bags on their arms from different stores. you thought it made them look like they belonged in mean girls, or some coming-of-age disney movie with a clique of popular girls who manage to be both unnecessarily cruel and loved by everyone for antsgonists.

when the group of teens finally spotted you, they briefly side-eyed one another before looking back at you, fake smiles gracing their lips almost immediately after.

did they think you were stupid, blind, or both?

“[name]!” adana called out to you when you were only a few feet apart. she dragged out the last part of your name too. you saw it for what it was: an obvious and weak effort to sound genuine. adana picked up her pace so she got to you faster than the other girls. “we thought you weren’t coming, girl!”

you remained tranquil, though you could see everyone else behind adana snickering and exchanging looks. your kept your face relatively blank, not wanting to show the girls before you even the slightest bit of chagrin. they’d get a kick out of it and your outburst would be the topic of their conversations for weeks to come. high school was truly exhausting.

“i mean, i got here at twelve like we agreed,” you shrugged. “i called you guys too. i guess your phones were off.”

“yeah, they were,” taraji chimed in, showing you the 'do not disturb' icon on her phone. you fought the urge to roll your eyes at her fraudulent tone.

you almost couldn’t believe that this was a real situation that you were somehow caught in the middle of. tiesha pouted, the friction between her lips causing her already-faded pink and brown lip combo to fade some more. you knew she was mocking you, but you only wanted to smile when you thought about the shiny gloss that was neatly slathered on your lips, much unlike hers.

“are you okay? have you been here by yourself this whole time?” tiesha interrogated. it felt more like instigating.

“i mean, yeah,” your eyes darted around nervously. lipgloss honestly wasn’t a big deal anyway, tiesha probably had more in her bag. your confidence boost was short-lived and had diminished. you were never the type to thrive off someone's disadvantage. either way, you could act. “but it didn’t really bother me ‘cause i was texting my boyfriend and we—”

“boyfriend?” adana laughed mockingly like it was unbelievable. like it was impossible. “i didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”

“what? i’ve told you guys this,” you frowned, your voice wavering to a degree.

you stared at the four girls with an eyebrow cocked up while they turned to each other and shook their heads, a few whispers floated in the air and into your ears. you had spoken about miles to these girls before, you were positive. he was never a secret, you just weren’t someone who posted online a lot. in fact, you only had instagram because your mom made you sign up. you’d never posted once. either way, it’s your relationship. you didn’t want everyone in your business, that’s where mess was rooted. that's how problems started.

what mess the unforeseen treatment you were receiving was rooted in? that was a mystery to you. you didn’t understand how the girls who were supposed to be your friends could switch up on you at the speed of light. there hadn’t been any fights or arguments between any of you—to your knowledge, at least.

you’ve always preached that there are two sides to every story, but you also preached communication. you all were cool last night while confirming today’s plans, now suddenly they know nothing about you?

nobody questioned you about miles. instead, yanira broke the silence that you’d spent lost in your thoughts, trying to make sense of the uncomfortable situation you were in with purely scraps. “well, good thing we found you now.” she pursed her lips afterwards, clearly stifling a laugh.

words couldn’t describe how stupid and naive you felt. they were trying to play you in your face and thought you were oblivious to it. you were starting to think so too. maybe they’d been playing in your face this entire time. maybe they’ve been acting for the duration of your friendship. maybe there were signs this entire time and you didn’t notice until now. maybe the idea of meeting new people thrilled you too much, and they took advantage of that when they realized it.

you weren’t lashing out over everything going on in the name of “staying calm.” you couldn’t grant anyone the satisfaction of knowing they struck a nerve, and bad. you were just as committed to keeping up with your act as they were to theirs, and nothing was going to make you let up.

“we were just about to grab some food,” tiesha added after yanira, smiling ever so innocently, as if she was oblivious to the treatment you were receiving. tiesha was the one you were the closest with, so that hurt. stung even.

“thanks, but i have other plans,” you faked a smile and made sure to look each one of your “friends” dead in each of their glowering, dull eyes.

adana’s face contorted in slight indignation. “how could you have plans? were you only gonna hang with us for an hour?”

“i was heading out before i ran into you guys,” you smiled and shrugged, checking the time on your phone. “gotta go now or i’ll miss the train. i’ll see you guys at school on monday.”

those insolent girls gave you the stink eye as deviated away. a few steps farther from fakery and you could already hear the whispers and the murmurs, even if the mall was loud. they sounded more like hisses the farther away you got, until they blended into the many, many sounds of your local mall. you were thankful to be free from that conversation—if you could even call it that.

your next chat oughta be a real one. though you hated it, confrontation was just around the corner.

❤︎₊ ⊹

“and then they acted like absolutely nothing was wrong… tiesha too!”

you were seated on one end of the couch in miles’ apartment, your legs crossed and resting on top of his thighs and a pillow between the arm of the couch and your back. miles hadn’t told you what the surprise was yet, and quite frankly, it had slipped your mind entirely. you were never good when it came to keeping your emotions in check. the fury boiling and seething inside you was so immense that you couldn’t give anything but what happened at the mall even half of a thought even if you wanted to. miles was steadily running his hand up and down the bottom half of one of your legs because he knew it’d help you calm you down. it was something he did by default while you were ranting, because when you were upset over something, you could go on for hours.

miles was a teen girl’s diary that could talk back. you had been on a twenty-minute tangent about what transpired at the mall, making sure to include even the most minor details that other people would view as futile. your boyfriend made sure you knew he was listening, nodding and making a few comments when you’d pause to catch your breath. most people would hate hearing someone complain for as long as you usually did, but miles didn't mind it. in fact, he enjoyed it. it wasn’t your anger that he savored, he just loved staring at your pretty face. you had miles in a trance forever and always. your beauty would forever captivate the boy and you were well aware. the difference between now and when you weren’t blowing smoke out of your ears was that miles could admire every feature without you teasing him for it, because you wanted him to pay attention. in any other instance, you loved pointing out how much he stares and making fun of him for it as if you’re not just as head over heels.

“i feel pathetic. i waited there for a goddamn hour. and you wanna know what the worst part about all of this is?” you exhaled, your irises peering directly into miles’.

even when you were upset, you could admire him. you were doing it in that moment. last time it was his eyes, now it was his hair. the sun rays looming from the unfolded blinds painted his afro a soft brown, singling out and defining numerous strands of those gorgeous spirals sprouting from his head. he was so perfect to you. you often had trouble believing you could call him yours.

“tell me,” miles retorted, slightly angling his head to the left.

“i wore a good outfit for nothing,” you whined, tipping your head back concurrently. “i just got this tracksuit! this is honestly ten times worse than wasting a good outfit on a boring day.”

you had on a black, velvet matching set from juicy couture. it was expensive and you were pissed to have had wasted your first wear on the day you found out your friends aren’t shit. miles remembered how excited you were to buy that outfit. you’d talked about saving the money for it for what felt like forever.

“you didn’t waste your outfit,” miles assured you, drawing confusion to your face almost immediately. “i still have a surprise, you know.”

“right,” your eyes lit up and you sat up straighter, disregarding your mood. “i was thinking about it on the subway and i have a few guesses.”

“i don’t think you’ll be able to guess this one, but you can try," he laughed lowly.

“cookies?” you started.

miles shook his head. “no.”

“a cat?”

“no, mami,” he laughed.

“ummm,” you tapped your chin like you were deep in thought. your dark-colored orbs traveled to the ceiling. “movie marathon night?”

“better.”

you snapped your fingers. “christmas movie marathon night."

“no movies,” miles clarified.

“beyoncé?”

“not beyoncé.”

“i can do your makeup?!”

“nope.”

“you got me,” you rolled your eyes and blew raspberries. “i give up. spill.”

“i know you wanted to go to the fair during the summer, but i didn’t take you because i knew you’d complain about the heat,” miles began. “now that it’s november, i figured it’d be the perfect time to go.”

“oh shit, for real?!” your eyes slightly widened as you swung your legs off of miles.

“i don’t see why i wouldn’t be,” he retorted. “we’ll take the train and walk the rest of the way.”

you jumped off of the couch in excitement and shuffled behind the piece of furniture to grab your purse. you glanced over at miles, who was now scrolling on his phone. you crept up on him from behind the couch and inched close to his ear.

“get up!” you demanded playfully, grabbing his shoulders. miles slightly flinched, and you burst into a fit of laughter at his reaction.

“okay, okay!” he stood up, rolling his eyes and smiling. “i was thinking we could wait a little bit before we went.”

“nope, no time to waste,” you insisted. you’d wasted enough of that with your “friends.”

your boyfriend told you about all of the abilities that he acquired when he became spider-man, one of them being his heightened senses. you used to expect them to go off whenever you were approaching him, or whenever you scared him, but they never did. when you inquired about it, miles told you that his senses were most likely there to protect him, therefore they’d only go off when they felt like someone or something posed a threat. he didn’t elaborate any further, but you got what you needed to out of it.

knowing that miles and his radioactive dna felt safe around you made you feel special.

❤︎₊ ⊹

you hadn't been to a fair since you were ten. you had gone with your cousins, your mom, and your aunt. back then, you weren't smart enough to know how to play any of the games correctly. you weren't tall enough to ride anything that looked cool to you, either. you despised always having to settle for the teacups and the carousel.

going back to the fair wasn't really a priority until that past summer. it just happened to be on the long list of things you wanted to do with miles.

the air outside was cool and crisp and the sun probably felt threatened by the clouds obstructing its view of the city with insomnia. you were relieved to not feel the sweltering heat beating down on you, especially since you had worn the sun’s favorite color in velvet. the leaves on the trees were turning orange now. you were entranced by one tree in particular, watching as the plant detached itself from the branch of the tree and danced in the wind on the way to the ground.

at the front gate, you held out your hand so one of the employees could give you a stamp, as did miles. the stamp was an orange leaf, but it didn't really show up on your darker-colored skin no matter how you squinted.

now that you were there, the fair was much more different than you pictured it to be. though you wanted to experience as much as you could, you had three main goals in mind:  1. win an unnecessarily oversized plush 2. take pictures in a photo booth 3. go on the ferris wheel

as long as you were able to say you did all of those things by the end of that night, you’d forget all the misfortune that the first half of the day bestowed upon you and forgive the universe for allowing it.

as you strolled the fair grounds with miles, you tried to catch a glimpse of everything there was to do as you passed. the fair was bustling with people. there were families, groups of friends, trios, duo. there were also couples, like you and miles. you even saw people by themselves every so often. your day could’ve ended like that, you were elated that you didn’t feel alone anymore, but you’d never say it out loud.

“whatcha wanna do first?” miles asked you. he was being just as observant as you, if not more.

you squinted your eyes ahead and a specific game caught your eye. “let’s play basketball, i’ll definitely whoop your ass this time.”

“big talk for someone who can barely even shoot baskets when we're on the court,” miles fired back. “whoever wins gets to choose what we do next.”

“fine by me,” you shrugged.

you two grabbed a single basketball from your lanes when you got over to the game. you saw miles adjust his grip on the ball from the corner of your eye. you reduced your eyes to slits in response and pressed your lips together.

when the bell rang and the timer began to count down, you both shot your balls into the baskets. both of them made it in. you were doing fine for the first couple of seconds, but then your balls began to veer away from your basket. you quickly glanced over at miles’ scoreboard to find that he was eight scores ahead of you. you furrowed your brows and began throwing balls into the goal again, making the first three shots and missing the last two. you were on autopilot from that moment on, throwing balls at your goal without stopping to celebrate nor gripe.

just as you reached down for a basketball to make another shot, the timer went off, indicating the end of the game. you looked up at your scoreboard to find that you’d only gotten twenty-eight shots. you could already feel miles’ eyes boring a hole through your head, patiently waiting on you to look over at his lane and accept defeat.

you gave in to defeat and scanned his final scoreboard: fifty-eight shots.

you finally looked over at the boy and he was smirking slyly. “yeah, so i’m tryna play the game with the water guns and the targets.”

you would’ve much preferred to find a photo booth next, but a deal was a deal, so you brushed off your loss. neither of you had a map, so you weren't sure where any of the games were. you two agreed to wing it, so you and miles roamed around for a while. you made small talk and miles teased you for being so confident that you'd win the last game.

finally, you came across the mini-game he wanted to play. your face lit up when you saw all the stuffed animals hanging from the rack above. you could get behind this.

the worker was on her phone, visibly nodding off until you two approached the game. you caught a glimpse of her rolling her eyes and shoving her phone in the back pocket of her black jeans. though she was clearly fed up by the presence of you and your boyfriend, she thoroughly explained the rules of the game. miles had to strike down moving targets with a water gun. the targets would move left to right, up and down, or both. he had to shoot all of them to win, and he only got five minutes to do so.

the worker hit the red button and miles was on the clock.

the targets were the typical kind: white circles with red circular stripes, and a red bullseye in the middle. you watched keenly as miles gripped the gun and squeezed one of his eyes shut for precision, pulling the trigger and shooting a line of water at two of the targets with ease. to his surprise, they began to move faster. he was still hitting them though.

the employee was paying miles no mind, already turned around and back on her phone, texting away. even though dealing with those targets was like breathing for miles, he decided to take a shortcut. just for fun.

while the worker wasn’t looking, miles handed you the water gun and used his web-shooters to swiftly shoot down the last five targets. your eyes enlarged at him in a panic and before you could really think about it, you sprayed the webbing off of the targets miles shot down with them.

the worker turned back around when she heard the winner’s bell ringing. by that time, the water gun was already back in miles' hand. the worker stared at the both of you in confusion. miles looked proud of himself. you nervously smiled and shrugged.

the worker rolled her eyes before they traveled over to the selection of toys and stuffed animals just above her. “pick a prize, any prize,” she said unenthusiastically.

“which one do you want, mama?” miles asked you.

“umm…” your voice trailed off. your eyes glossed over all the different plushies until one caught your eye. “stitch for sure.”

the worker nodded and unhooked the stuffed animal from the rack. she quickly handed it to miles and gave him a quick half-assed smile before resuming her bored expression. miles passed you the stuffed animal and you smiled brightly. you remembered this feeling, and you felt like a little kid all over again.

“he’s our son now,” you proudly declared.

“he’s too big for that,” miles teased you. “that’s a grown man.”

you gave miles a dirty look and punched him in the shoulder. “i won’t let you body shame our son.”

“my bad!” miles laughed and put his hands up in defense.

"yeah, whatever," you gave miles an eye roll and grimaced. you clocked the worker glaring at you two from the corner of your eye, so you grabbed miles' hand and hurriedly dragged him away from the booth. "we gotta go before she sees the pile of webs on the ground and has cps investigate us. she already hates us, what if she makes us return our son?”

"that's your main concern?" miles' eyes widened. "not the worker finding out i'm a superhero?"

“why would i be worried about that?" you inquired playfully. "i shouldn't have to lose my baby because you wanted to risk your identity."

you both laughed as you wandered along the paths of the fair aimlessly. neither of you knew what you where you were going next, but you were way too immersed in your debate to think about it. amidst your little parley, the sun finally escaped from the clouds' cover, the sky shifting to a warm orange and light shades of pink instead of the gray it had greeted you with.

“by the way, that was very much cheating,” you chuckled, thinking back to the mini-game. “you need to play fair next time. no web-shooters.”

“we had no opponents,” your boyfriend reminded you.

“the employee seemed like one,” you replied, thinking back to the looks she’d give you two. “i didn’t even know you had your shooters on you… anyway, that means stitch is an accident.” you frowned.

miles' nose wrinkled. “man, what?”

“i’m just chattin’,” you snickered.

“per usual,” miles shook his head, slinging his arm around your shoulder and shaking his head.

you two kept walking aimlessly for a little while, but you stopped dead in your tracks when you spotted a photo booth. you briefly made eye contact with miles before briskly snatching up his arm, pulling him as you sped over to the booth.

“the booth’s not gonna disappear, damn!” miles from behind you, panting with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

“it could,” you shrugged, gesturing to the curtain with your free hand. “get in.”

“stitch won’t fit in there,” miles pointed out.

you frowned and observed your surroundings. you knew stitch was bound to get stolen if you left him outside unattended. you continued to glance around, trying to come up with a simple, but logical solution. your eyes stopped on an old lady sitting on a nearby bench by herself, flipping through a novel. she had on a white sweater with a black dress underneath, her long hair braided down and resting on her shoulder. you told miles to wait by the booth and approached the woman with a light-hearted smile on your face.

“hi, excuse me," you spoke softly in an attempt to make a good impression.

the lady looked up at you, half-surprised. she adjusted the position glasses with her index finger, gently pushing them up the bridge of her nose. “oh, yes?”

“may you please watch this for me while i take pictures with my boyfriend in that booth over there? i promise we won’t be long.”

you looked back at miles and pointed in his direction. though he was clearly confused, he smiled nervously and waved anyway. you turned back around to face the woman and smiled again.

“of course i will, dear,” the lady replied, a smile gracing her lips. she waved back at miles.

“thank you so much,” you smiled graciously, setting stitch next to her on the bench. you were ready to go back to miles when the woman stopped you by calling out. you whipped around, biding patiently in the same spot until she spoke.

“cherish the memories that you’re making. all of them.”

you didn’t exactly know what she meant, but then your last trip to the fair came to mind. it was so long ago, but you had almost forgotten how much fun you’d had, even if you couldn’t do much. you never wanted to make the mistake of taking memories for granted whilst you’re making them, because then you'd miss them too much when they were in the past, at least that's how you saw it. the future is uncertain. life is cruel. that day at the fair as a toddler could’ve been the first and the only time you ever went. today could be the second and the last. you hadn’t really thought about any of that before. you hadn’t thought about how precious your memories really were.

“and make them with the right people.”

you knew what that meant.

your eyes lowered, confusion evident on your face anyway. “how do i know if they’re the right people?”

“you’ll know. intuition is real. if something feels wrong or right, you'll know. listen to what your body is telling you, my dear,” the lady replied, crossing one leg over the other and opening her book back up.

your eyes widened slightly as you were still a tad bit lost, but you nodded. "okay. i will."

you jogged back to the photo booth, excitement coursing through your veins. miles didn’t bother questioning your tactics this time.

you both sat down in the photo booth and miles drew the curtain shut. he sat back and you tapped the screen, selecting two printouts so you could both keep one. before you even got the chance to retrieve your wallet from your purse, miles was sliding a couple dollars inside the machine. you hadn’t even noticed them in his hand before.

“today is my treat. you’re not paying for anything,” he told you.

“boo. i can’t spoil my man every now and then?” you clicked your tongue. “i’ll get you those comics you wanted instead.”

miles shook his head and chuckled. when the timer on the screen began to count down from ten, you fixed your braids and made sure your clothes looked presentable.

“i have ideas,” you announced to miles. you'd be envisioning this moment in your mind for ages. “just let me lead.”

“you the boss,” miles conceded in compliance.

“cool,” you giggled. you slid your hand under miles' chin and pulled him closer until your lips were pressed onto his cheek. you stayed in the same position with your eyes closed until you heard the first flash. the next photo was simple, a shot of you and miles kissing. the third one was the both of you looking at each other and laughing. it wasn’t planned, but miles had made a joke so you didn’t have time to pose any differently.

in the following ten seconds, you made miles your canvas, scattering kissing all over his face. he was confused until he looked at the screen to see all that your lips were imprinted on his face with colored lipgloss. he kissed his teeth but then laughed. your arms were wrapped around his shoulders, and that was the last photo. it was your favorite.

you waited for the photo strips to print and then left the booth. you immediately snapped your neck towards the bench to see your stitch plushy still sitting with the older lady. you sighed in relief and jogged over to her.

“thank you again!” you beamed, grabbing the stuffed animal.

you had a feeling she knew you were also thanking her for the unsolicited advice. you'd never understand how some older people were so good at reading others.

“you’re welcome, dear,” she waved goodbye and you waved back.

you wouldn’t forget what she told you.

you then went back to miles, expressing how happy you were that stitch wasn’t stolen. you went on and on about what a terrible mother you would’ve been, had you lost your child after not even twenty minutes of having him.

a few minutes later, miles caught you staring at some nearby concession stands. you didn’t eat anything before leaving his flat, but the line was a bit lengthy. you were silently trying to decide whether the wait would be worth it.

“you hungry?”

you nodded, settling for waiting in a long queue over an empty stomach. “starving."

❤︎₊ ⊹

it was getting late now. the sun was nowhere in sight and neither was the end of the night. the cool fall breeze felt nice against your soft skin. you wished that you could live in this part of the day for eternity, playfully bickering with miles as if you wouldn’t cling to him a few minutes later during the drop on a rollercoaster.

up to that point, you had gone on at least thirteen rides and played nine competitive mini-games. miles ended up winning most of them, despite him saying he’d go “easy on you.” you’d always respond to loss by saying you won in your heart, and he’d laugh at you. you’d pretend to be upset until you couldn’t fake it anymore and laughed along with him.

now, you and miles were sitting on grass, the synthetic kind. you two had shared a peculiarly long corn dog. you claimed that was enough for you, but miles ordered nachos too, and you shamelessly snatced up a sizable amount of them. food just tasted better when it wasn't yours.

after hours of being offline, you finally had a phone break. you sent your mom a text to check in with her before navigating to your email app. you scrolled through your recent until you came across the digital copies of the pictures you and miles took in the photo booth earlier sitting in your inbox. “i got the digital version of the photos. they're so cute!" you exclaimed.

miles grinned. “send ‘em to me later on."

“will do,” you agreed, looking back up to see him stood up from the ground with stitch in hand.

“i’ma rent out a locker to keep this guy inside of and then head to the bathroom,” he told you.

“okay, i’ll be here,” you nodded.

whenever you were out with anyone, you always thought it was common courtesy not to reply to texts that weren’t urgent. you never wanted to make anyone in your life feel like your focus wasn’t on them while you were spending time together. that being said, you hadn’t thoroughly gone through your notification center since you were at the mall. since miles was gone for a little, you thought it was a good time to deliver a few textbacks, because you knew that after tonight, you wouldn’t have any energy to do so until the next day.

you didn’t have any notifications from the calculus group chat, no surprise there. you had an older one from your mom from before you checked in, but she was just sending a tiktok. the next one down was tiesha and then adana. a pit formed in your stomach and you nervously chewed on the inside of your cheek. despite the uneasy feeling you had, you opened tiesha’s text first.

tiesha💞: [name] (5:46pm) tiesha💞: miles is your boyfriend?? (5:46pm)

‘not this again’ you thought.

you didn’t know what you were expecting the text to say, but it wasn’t that. this wasn’t a topic you wanted to circle back on, given everyone’s initial reactions. and you thought she knew—you thought everyone knew. maybe you weren’t as close with tiesha as you thought you were. or any of those girls.

you: yes... i’ve said this before (7:34pm)

you: literally with him rn. why? what’s the problem? (7:35pm)

your brows were knitted together as you anticipated a reply, your fingers drawing circles in midair just centimeters above the keyboard. you were biting the left side of your lip and your teeth were close to piercing the skin. tiesha's response came quick despite your late reply.

tiesha 💞: miles morales? the one i told you i like?? (7:36pm)

you read the text and had to do a double-take. your stomach dropped all over again. you had an exceptional memory. tiesha had never mentioned miles to you, like, ever. she hadn't mentioned any crush of hers to you at all. you just assumed she wasn't interested in dating.

you: i don’t remember you saying anything about like any miles.. but yeah he’s my boyfriend. (7:36pm) you: he has been for months now. i told y’all this, so idk why you were acting all confused @ the mall. (7:37pm)

tiesha 💞: if we knew then why would we be acting confused? 😐 (7:37pm)

you narrowed your eyes at the screen. you could tell her tone was meant to be harsh.

you: i don’t know, tiesha. (7:38pm) you: maybe for the same reason y’all were acting confused when you found me by myself at the spot that we agreed to meet at tday?? 🤦‍♀️ (7:38pm)

tiesha 💞: we said you could come hang w us (7:39pm) tiesha 💞: you’re the one who left (7:39pm)

you released an exasperated sigh as you read her response. you thought back to what the lady who watched stitch for you told you earlier. you couldn’t stick around these girls for any longer. they weren’t the people you wanted to make memories with. perhaps they were nothing more than a much needed lesson. you partially learned how to socialize, but you also needed to learn how to stand up for yourself. you were growing up. nobody else was going to do it for you.

you: i left bc you guys were acting weird towards me (7:40pm) you: idk what the deal is, but if there’s a problem you need to be straight up about it. (7:40pm) you: we all agreed to meet at the food court, but i opened ig to see y’all posing in a mirror while i’m sitting alone. why’d you even invite me atp?? (7:40pm)

tiesha 💞: i thought adana was lying when she said you got with miles, behind my back but ig she was right. (7:40pm) tiesha 💞: you weird af for that. you know i like him (7:41pm)

you: fym bro.. ??? 😭 i literally did not (7:41pm) you: and either way, he’s BEEN my boyfriend (7:42pm)

tiesha 💞: yk you only got w him to tick me off 🖕 (7:42pm)

you: ok wtv. (7:44pm) you: you guys showed me what kind of people you really are, so best believe i’m not sticking around anyway. you can tell that to eb else.(7:45pm) you: and i don't know what you thought you were doing. miles has been MY boyfriend for almost over a year now. he’ll continue to be my boyfriend for years to come, thanks. (7:47pm)

you didn't hesitate to leave the group chat and block those girls everywhere. they didn’t get to have access to you anymore. it felt like weight was lifted off your shoulders and you silently celebrated in your head. you were still in public and didn’t want to draw attention to you because you were cheering about cutting people off. at least you were free from the burden, even if you had a few less friends now.

“ready to go to the ferris wheel?”

you glanced up from your phone to see miles towering over you, both of hands in the pockets of his green puffer. you smiled big. this was the last thing on your checklist, and the thing you’d been looking forward to since you set foot on fair grounds.

“duh,” you giggled, reaching your arm out so miles could pull you up. after he did, you brushed off your outfit and cleared your throat. “so, do we know which way it is?”

“nope,” miles answered. “we’ll just start walking and hope we come across a map, or something.”

you raised and eyebrow and smirked. “so like we’ve been doing this whole time?”

“like we’ve been doing this whole time,” he echoed.

“i guess it makes it more adventurous,” you decided as you two began to walk away from the grass. you clasped your hand with his. “plus, i can tell you what happened with tiesha while you were in the bathroom while we look for it.”

miles’ eyebrows elevated. “something happened?”

“yep,” you shake your head in annoyance. “tiesha had a crush on you or something. apparently, she didn’t know we were together, so she thinks i got with you just to spite her.”

“how wouldn’t she know?”

“that’s what gets me!” you pointed your index at miles’ chest and tilted your head back in irritation. “i told her and the other three, so i don’t know why they were acting clueless! plus, she swears up and down i knew she liked you. that girl never said a word.”

“from everything you’ve told me today… it sounds like they just don’t like you,” he frowned, speaking in a way that told you he was trying not to hurt your feelings.

“they don’t,” you sighed, tilting your head up slightly. “that’s why we’re not friends anymore. i told tiesha to tell everyone else we won't be talking anymore.”

"really? are you okay?"

you reluctantly nodded. "yeah, i think i'm okay." you were telling the truth. in the moment, you were okay. maybe it'd bother you later, but all that mattered was that it wasn't bothering you now.

miles’ expression softened in relief. “that’s good. i’m glad you’re learning not to take b.s.”

you covered your mouth and snickered when you heard "b.s." for whatever reason, you thought it was humourous coming out of miles' mouth.

“no, really,” miles insisted anyway. “i’m proud of you.”

you didn’t ask for confirmation because you believed him even if you found the delivery funny. “thank you, miles.”

he smiled and pulled you closer, planting a kiss on your forehead. you grinned and pressed your ear against his arm. you made sure to take in and appreciate each and every step you took forward with your lovely boyfriend. you were cherishing a memory that wasn’t one yet, but tonight felt far too special not to. you absorbed everything to the scenery and the moonlight to the warmth that clinging to miles' arm gave you.

as if it was looking for you two and not the other way around, you and miles found your way to the ferris wheel without even having to seek out direction. surprisingly, the queue wasn’t at all demanding. when you got closer to the front of the line, you thought of something. you needed something to remember your favorite memory by, anyway.

“we should take a picture in front of the wheel,” you suggested to your boyfriend. “we can ask someone to do it for us.”

“bet,” miles pulled his phone out of his back pocket of his jeans.

he turned around and kindly asked a random girl standing in line behind you two if she could take the photo for you. she thankfully agreed and miles swiped to the camera app and handed her his cell. you two backed up a bit and the girl told you where to stand so that the photo would look better. you took a few pictures standing in front of the wheel side by side, miles’ arm around your shoulders. you two were hugging in one of the shots and he was kissing your forehead in the other.

after those pictures, you took miles’ arm and made him face a different direction. now your shoulders were to the camera lens and the ferris wheel. you snaked your arms around his neck and he instinctively placed his arms around your waist. this was one of your favorite poses, miles knew what to do by now.

you glanced down at your feet and took a step closer to miles so the distance you two wouldn’t look awkward. you lifted your head back up to meet his gaze. the boy was looking at you and you could’ve sworn you saw hearts forming in his eyes. he wasn’t just looking at you, he was admiring you. there was a difference, and you could tell.

but it’s not like you weren’t doing the same.

you whispered loud enough for only miles to hear. “i love you."

“i love you more."

you shifted onto your toes and miles slightly leaned down to reach you. your lips connected effortlessly, your eyes fluttering closed in unison. the ferris wheel lights glimmered behind you two as miles deepened the kiss. you mindlessly lifted your hands to his cheek, your thumbs gently caressing his soft, warm skin.

“got it!” the girl taking the photo called out.

you and miles slowly withdrew your bodies apart and she approached you two, handing miles the phone. you both thanked the girl and got back in line. your gaze was fixed on the structure above you. all you could think about was how pretty the sky was bound look from all the way up there.

you excitedly entered the cabin when it was finally you and miles’ turn. the designated employee shut the door and your eyes immediately glued themselves to the window. you were just barely going up, and you already had a better view of the fair and all of the lights.

“you seeing this, miles?” you questioned without even daring to rip your eyes away from the window.

“i am,” he smiled. your reaction to the view made him happier than any angle of the world around him ever could.

as you ascended higher up, you focused more on what was above ground rather than on it. the luminous stars painted the night sky like white spatters of paint would paint a black canvas. they glittered brightly above you while the ferris wheel slowly spun.

you turned your head back to miles to smile at him, but he beat you to it. you felt like the luckiest girl alive. you were thankful to have at least one person who was true to you. that alone was more than enough. 

miles was more than enough.

the moonshine illuminated your beguiling features as you admired its fullness and its beauty. your head was rested on miles’ shoulder and his arm was sitting around your waist, the other one holding your hand in his lap. you knew you’d look back on this and recall that you never took this day or the feeling that came with it for granted, not once.

this felt so right—you didn’t know how to explain it. tonight was perfect and you would never change a thing. everything was how it should be. you were where you should be, you could feel it. this felt right in your soul.

maybe this was it. maybe this is what everyone was talking about.

maybe intuition is real.

❤︎₊ ⊹ bonus:

you and miles had concluded your fair date and were back at his place. you were going to stay for a while before returning to your own. your head was on his shoulder and your legs were curled up in the opposite direction. his hand was evolved in yours, as yours was in his. miles' mom was home and you definitely didn't want to give her the wrong idea by appearing exceedingly handsy.

“i had fun,” you gloated on the day you'd just had as miles browsed through netflix on the tv.

“are you sure? you seemed pretty over it when i beat you at basketball.”

you tongue clicked. "very funny, morales." you thought for a moment. “and thanks for taking me out, by the way. i know you were probably tired from having to fight all morning,” you exhaled.

“it’s no problem,” miles insisted, though you could tell he looked tired. “tomorrow’s sunday, i’ll get some sleep then.”

you both turned your heads when you heard the sound of a door being opened echoed through the hallway followed by rhythmic footsteps. even though you and miles both knew the footsteps belonged to rio, the hallway was dark, so neither you or him could see her until she stepped into the living room. her hair was down instead of being braided or put into a ponytail like it usually was. she was trying to slide a hoop into the earring hole in one of her ears. she was in one of her fancier outfits.

"jeez, you kids been on the couch all day?"

“we went to the fair,” miles replied, a smile tugging at one corner of his lips.

“oh really? explains the oversized oso on your bed. papa, didn’t you use to watch that one show… what was it called? spy oso?”

“special agent oso, mami,” miles corrected her, a hint of embarrassment fermenting in his voice. his teeth were clenched and his eyebrows were furrowed. “and that’s stitch, not a bear.”

you were stifling a laugh, one of your hands shielding the grin on your mouth while the other clutched your stomach. rio didn’t see, but miles did and he rolled his eyes at you.

“i left the snacks in your room, i’ll be right back," you told miles before you got up and disappeared down the hall.

“stitch? what’s a—” rio stopped herself and shook her head. “actually, never mind. how was the fair?”

miles answered her anyway. “it’s an alien, mom. from lilo and stitch. and the fair was good, we had a lot of fun. i can show you pictures later.”

“good,” rio smiled but then broke into a whisper. “miles, mejor la llevas a casa. don’t let that girl wander around all by herself at night.”

“alright, alright,” he put his hands up in defense. “you know i always take her home, calmáte.”

“alright, then. just making sure," rio retorted. "anyway, i’m in a hurry, i’m going to meet your dad, his coworker, and his coworker's wife somewhere. comportarse,” rio cautioned in a stern tone of voice, walking over to the couch and planting a kiss on her son’s cheek.

“i will,” miles promised as his mom hastily walked to the front door.

“tell [name] i’ll see her soon,” rio called out to miles before shutting the door.

a few moments later, you emerged from the shadows that lurked in the hall and took your seat next to miles on the couch. you scooted closer to him and pulled the blanket over both of your legs, handing him his bag of chips then opening your own. he hadn’t chosen something for you guys to watch yet.

“where’d your mom go?” you inquired, looking around.

“somewhere with dad,” miles answered, shrugging his shoulders at the same time. “she told me to say she’ll see you soon though.”

“aww,” you grinned. you really did love rio. you had to stop yourself from chuckling when you recalled her bringing up one of the shows miles used to watch as a kid. as hilarious as you found the whole thing, you held in your laugh anyway. you refocused your attention to the tv on the other side of the coffee table. it didn't take you long to realize that your beloved boyfriend still had yet to choose a movie to watch or a show to binge.

“what should we watch tonight?... homecoming?”

“jesus, no,” miles frantically shook his head, waving his arms around in a panic.

you were referring to beyoncé's 2018 coachella headlining performance movie. you’d made the boy watch the film with you more times than he could count on you two's twenty fingers combined. miles knew the name's every song being performed, the lyrics, and what order they were performed in. he had almost memorized all of the dance breaks, but not willingly. he swore that the word “homecoming” alone triggered some kind of ptsd. miles knew you too well. he was well aware that the renaissance movie would be a homecoming repeat, but maybe ten times worse. he'd been mentally preparing for that as well.

“booooo, you’re boring,” you frowned.

“thanksgiving is coming up, how about that one charlie brown movie?”

“only if we can binge christmas movies after.”

“deal.”

maybemymali ©

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[smoochkooks]

—chapter nineteen: illicit affairs

this is a part of my an ode to a broken heart drabble series.

pairing: jeon jungkook/reader genre: unrequited love, best friends to (?), heavy angst, smut word count: 1.6k words summary: it dies a million little times...

previous || next

Five months later

There is a park nearby your apartment, sandwiched between the residential buildings. It has been here way before some chaebol had decided to buy this land and transform it to yet another wealthy neighborhood in downtown Gangnam. It looks almost surreal – tracts of green among concrete. There’s not many people here today. It feels like a scene from a movie: remote, run-down bench by the pond standing directly underneath the only magnolia tree in the park, and the girl sitting on it with an unreadable expression. What's going through her mind? What, or who, is she thinking about? She's clutching the phone in her hand in a death grip – the only sign she's feeling any emotion right now. Nightingale sings somewhere in the far distance, the sound breaking the deafening silence. Then, a phone rings. Once, twice, three times. 

You pick up.  

“I told her.” Jungkook waits a beat and then adds, “She wants to speak with you, in private.” 

You wonder if he can make out your ragged breath through the speaker. It's the only thing you can hear now, as if the whole world has gone quiet just to listen to your conversation.

“I gave her your number. Is that okay?” 

It was all your design to come clean, to free your conscience from the burden that's weighing you both down day by day. You agreed to do this, but he still makes sure if you're ready. A single magnolia petal lands on your thigh. You stare at it, transfixed. He calls your name. So softly, so gently and you break a little. 

“Okay.”

The line cuts off. No one says goodbye. 

Soojin contacted you soon after that. She sent you a message, asking whether you would have time to meet with her on Friday. She had chosen a coffee shop in SNU’s neighborhood where she had met Jungkook all those years ago. When you googled later the address you found out it's one of those places designed to serve both as a coffee shop and bookshop. How ironic. There's no doubt your book will be sitting on the bestseller shelf, mocking you as your best friend's wife is confronting you. 

You arrive almost fifteen minutes earlier. Your heart is beating so fast it's borderline painful, your entire body trembling from anxiety. You don't know exactly how much did Jungkook tell Soojin, so have no idea what to expect from her, which makes you even more uneasy. She has the upper hand here.��You notice a stack of ‘An Ode To A Broken Heart’ copies laying on one of the tables and avert your eyes somewhere else.

You try to pass the time by swiping through social media but it's too hard to focus. You keep re-reading sentences because you can't make out what they mean. You've never been good with handling stressful situations, ever since you were a child. You envied kids who didn't worry about tests and exams. Growing older, you managed to control your nerves a little, once you realized you couldn't possibly continue living like this forever. In high school your parents took you to a therapist and that, along with anxiety medication, helped you survive finals and college. However, today you can't help but feel like the girl who couldn't sleep before a math test all over again.

Soojin enters the coffee shop on time. She looks flawlessly, just like during her wedding day. Her silky, black hair is styled in pretty curls and she's wearing light make-up accentuating her features. She’s dressed in a formal attire, a white button-down blouse and beige pants, so she’s probably here on her lunch break. Not much time for a private conversation it is, then.

She orders her coffee to go and looks around. She smiles when she spots you but you can easily tell it’s not sincere, more of a courteous manner. “Hi,” she says and takes a seat in front of you. “Have you ordered something yet? They have amazing lemon tarts here.”

“I’m fine with just coffee.”

“I’d love to eat something sweet but I’m currently trying to cut down on sugar, so just coffee for me, too.”

You nod, not knowing how to respond to what she said. It has always been hard for you to talk to her, ever since Jungkook had introduced you two together. She doesn’t really speak down to you but she carries herself with such superiority it’s making you feel self-conscious.

Soojin was born into an upper-middle-class family from Seoul. Her father owns a prospering business, so they’ve never really had to worry about money, as far as you recall what Jungkook had once told you. She used to attend ballet classes but dropped out of dancing school before entering university. That’s probably where her poise comes from. Thinking about it makes you straighten your slouching pose.

“Are you working around here?” you ask, trying to ease yourself into the conversation. She hasn’t moved straight to the point yet, so you’re panicking a little.

“Yeah, the company I work for has office nearby.” Soojin answers courtly. She takes a sip of her coffee and in a flash, the polite tilt of her mouth vanishes. “You know I’m not here to chit-chat with you, though.”

There it is.

“I’m aware.”

“What did Jungkook exactly tell you?”

“That you want to talk.”

Soojin raises a brow. “That’s all?”

“I’m assuming he didn’t want to intervene,” you say. “He only told me you know about the book.”

Or was it the only thing he meant? Did he perhaps tell her about the New Year’s Eve kiss as well?

“Weird situation, isn’t it?” she asks. “I just found out that the book I liked so much is actually about my husband and his childhood best friend. I sympathized with someone who’s been in love with him for twenty years. Can you believe it?”

Irritation laces her voice already but you remain calm. “He didn’t know. If he didn’t read the book, he would have never realize it. Don’t blame him.”

“I’m not blaming him. I actually believe he had no idea about the book. Maybe he did suspect something about your feelings but he decided not to do anything about it. He married me after all, right?” Soojin says. “What bothers me though, is you writing a whole goddamn book about your silly crush.”

You frown. Silly crush? You wouldn’t go to such great lengths if this was just a crush. And Soojin knows it too, she read the book after all. But she’s not here as a reader who enjoyed your work. She’s here as a wife whose husband you’re in love with.

“I published it under a pen name,” you counter. You’re hoping your voice doesn’t tremble too much. Soojin would gladly use your weakness to her advantage. “I changed names, locations. No one beside me and Jungkook would have known it’s about us.”

“What gave you an impression that you could just use someone’s life like that?”

“It was my life too,” you respond firmly. Jungkook was mad at you because you didn’t tell him about your feelings and now Soojin is going to be angry in his stead for writing a book about your relationship with him? “I talked to Jungkook about it after he had found out. I already apologized and he said he doesn’t mind that–“

“Of course he won’t hold a grudge against you. You’re his best friend.” Soojin snorts.

You sigh heavily. This is going nowhere. It’s crystal clear why she wanted to talk to you but for some reason, she won’t say it directly. Maybe it’s a matter of pride for her, or she’s afraid to admit it out loud.

“I’d like to apologize to you too. I’m sorry for using your relationship with Jungkook for my book, however I am not going to apologize for the way I described it. I didn’t write anything malicious or improper about you. I put on paper what I had seen as a mere bystander,” you say. “I know you’re probably worried now that since everything is out in the open that I am going to act out on my feelings but I can assure you it’s not going to happen.”

Soojin chuckles. “Oh, I’m not worried about that.”

Maybe she shouldn’t feel so sure of herself, you think. It’s not your place to tell her about the kiss. If Jungkook chose to lie by omission, that’s on him. You can’t carry the guilt on your own.

“Because you will, from now on, refrain from hanging out with him,” she continues. “You won’t meet up as often as before, you won’t text him about your mundane life, you will contact him only if necessary.”

Your heart skips a beat. “What?” you croak.

“I don’t want you near Jungkook anymore, it’s as simple as that. I don’t trust you.”

She has all the rights to feel displeased. You’re in love with her husband, after all but forbidding you from seeing him? She cannot control your lives like that.

“Does Jungkook know?” you ask.

Soojin’s rose-tinted lips stretch in a smile. “No, he doesn’t know yet because you will be the one to tell him so,” she replies. “You will tell him that you don’t want to be as close to him as before, that you need distance. If he asks to meet and talk, you will ignore him. If he asks about our conversation, you will say that you apologized to me and I decided to move on.”

“And if I don’t?”

Soojin’s expression is almost triumphant. She got what she wanted at last: you, finally out of Jungkook’s reach.

“Then the world will find out who Magnolia May really is and how she seduced her best friend and made him abandon his wife.”

[i-am-baechu]

❥・Title: Passenger

❥・Paring: Namjoon x reader 

❥・ Summary: Meeting a cute boy at the bookstore wasn’t new to Y/N. What was new was when the said cute boy asks her out and he’s Kim fucking Namjoon. Why would an idol want to be with someone in a wheelchair or someone who uses a cane?

❥・ Rating: Explicit (18+) 

❥・ Genre: Idol! Namjoon, bookstore worker! Y/N, disabled reader, toxic ex-friends, musician Y/N, fluff, romance, angst, comedy, and smut

❥・Author's Note: I had this done yesterday but I didn't like the story so, I re-did the story

❥・ Playlist: Passenger - Candice Glover ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ

“Mom, can I please have this?” 

L/N Y/N glanced at the mom with a curious look as she put books on her cart. It was a normal Thursday afternoon, some kids were just getting off of school and coming in to study or looking for books. Y/N smiled at the scene as the mom got down to her daughter's level, “What is it?”

“It's a koala. Well, it's bt21 Koya. I don’t have this one.” 

The mom glanced at the keychain and smiled, “Sure, you passed your math test. You deserve something.” 

“Really Mom!? Thank you!” 

Y/N watched them walk away, “How cute.” 

Yuri walked over to her and smiled down at her, “It is cute. Wait, are you talking about the scene or the keychain?” 

“Both. Both are good.” Y/N pushed the cart slowly as she turned her wheel on the chair, “Where does this cart go?” 

“It goes in the back. I heard that Maria is leaving on Friday.” 

Y/N scoffed at this as she stopped moving, “Good. After what she did to me, I’m glad she got fired.” 

Yuri nodded her head as she stood next to her, “I am too. I am scared that she’ll do something. Maria and Chae were close, Chae might come after you.” 

Y/N rolled her eyes and shook her head, “This isn’t high school...why do they want to act like it is?” 

“Because that’s when they peaked. Just be careful, I’ll keep an eye on them too. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” 

“What more can they do to me? I already have nerve damage.” 

Namjoon leaned back in his chair and stared at his screen with a blank expression. It’s been two hours and nothing. Every time he typed something out, he deleted it. He just wanted to write a simple poem to get his thoughts flowing and so far, nothing. He cracked his neck and ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. A knock on the door made him glance at the dark wood and rub his forehead, “Come in.” 

The door opened to reveal Yoongi leaning against the door frame with a raised eyebrow, “It’s bad that I’m checking on you.”

Namjoon sighed with a chuckle escaping, “Yeah, I know. I’ve been trying to get inspiration but nothing.”

“Why don’t you go to that bookstore?” 

“That narrows it down.” 

Yoongi rolled his eyes and took his phone out of his pocket. He typed something in his phone and turned it towards his leader, “It's called Sea of Hope. It’s by a park and a cafe, I think it will be beneficial for you.” 

“Sea of Hope...I’ll check it out. Will you go with me?” 

“Sure, I have nothing else to do. Plus, Hae wants me to get her a new sketchbook.” 

Namjoon nodded his head and took out his phone with a sigh. Yoongi raised his eyebrow with a small smirk, “Waiting for her?” 

“I don’t think she's going to text me back.”

“You don’t know that.”

I do...I do, “Do you want to get a drink with me?” 

“Sure, let me get Hoseok too. He needs a break too.”

“Alright sounds like a plan.”

Namjoon watched Yoongi leave his studio and he leaned back in his chair staring at his phone. He sighed to himself and felt annoyed. Why did she ask about him if she wasn’t going to communicate with him? He was interested but clearly she wasn’t. How many times is he going to get ghosted? 

Y/N brushed her hair as she glanced at herself in the glass leaning against her cane for stability. She was in her late twenties with her wheelchair and cane to get around. She was born with nerve damage and there wasn’t much she could do but to live with it. There were days where she wished she could’ve ended it all but there was always something stopping her. It was her mother's smile and her father's laugh that kept her grounded throughout her life. Then she met her best friend in high school, Jung Ae-Cha. Just their simple love kept her moving forward in life.

She pushed some hair back and smiled to herself, “Okay.” 

She opened the door and called for a car, saying goodbye to her orange and white cat, Sonia. She locked her door and put her keys in her pocket when the cold air touched her warm cheeks. She had a small shiver and shook her head, it’s so cold but I do love fall... The drive there was short but it was enough time to watch the leaves fall from the branches. It was a sight to see. Watching a leaf dance with the wind was like watching a married couple take their first dance, it was always special no matter how many times you’ve seen it. 

The cafe was like any other cafe, it felt warm and it wasn’t just the tea. The windows showcased the large park with the flowers touching the cold glass. She sat next to the window and watched the kids play with one another. She couldn’t help but feel some sadness watching them run across the grass without a care in the world. 

“You shouldn’t think too hard, Y/N.”

She turned her head and saw Ae-Cha giving her a soft smile holding two cups, “I guess. Sometimes thinking is good for the soul.”

“It can be good but it can also be bad depending on the thoughts. Knowing you, the thoughts are bad.” 

“Not necessary...what kind of tea did you get?”

Ae-Cha set the cups down on the small table as she pulled out her chair, “I got myself a London fog and I got you a green tea with cream.” 

“Thank you. How was the trip here?” 

Ae-Cha sighed and shook her head, “I know moving to Italy would be exciting but my god, the flight here. I feel so exhausted.”  

“I thought your boyfriend got you first class?” 

“He did but the people around weren’t so nice. How’s work?”

Y/N rolled her eyes and put her cup back on the table, “You remember that girl I was telling you about?”

“Maria? Or was it Chae?” 

“Technically both but the story is focusing on Maria.”

Ae-Cha nodded her head and took a sip of her tea, “I thought you liked her? What happened?”

“She got mad that I was getting more hours than her so she tried to trip me and then she got Chae to make my life harder. She said, “We only need her to make the company look good.”

“I’ll slap her for you.”

“You could get sued.”

“You should sue the company for letting the manager discriminate against you. It’s not right.”

Y/N sighed and glassed at the park, “I know...but sadly I need this job.”

Ae-Cha shook her head and gave her a stern look (something Y/N was avoiding), “No job is worth the abuse.” 

“Tell that to the economy. I was already looking at another job.”

“That’s good. You need to leave that toxic place.” 

“I’ll try.” 

Namjoon sat down on the grass and stared out into the neverending grass fields. He looked down and gently touched the daisies that were around him. Each flower was a different color but the petals felt the same. He placed his backpack behind him and laid down staring up at the clear sky with the cold air touching his skin. 

It was another day with no work getting done and another day without getting a text. Maybe this online dating wasn’t meant for him. Maybe he should go look for someone without someone helping him. It was time to take matters into his own hands. He was going to find a girl. 

He glanced at the cafe and smiled, “Neverland..that sounds cute.” Namjoon had a small shiver when she felt the breeze again but it didn’t bother him. He actually loved fall. 

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

It was early morning and Y/N was opening up the store. Chae was on the schedule with her but she knew she wasn’t going to show up. Why would she? Her parents owned the bookstore and she hated her guts, it makes sense. She didn’t understand why Maria or Chae hated her. They were friends in the beginning but then something shifted and she didn’t know what it was. She’s tried talking to Maria (the more civilized one at least that’s what she thought) but she got ignored. 

Maria was someone that Y/N knew back in college. They only talked when they needed to but the conversations were never malicious. They were the opposite. Maria was kind and gentle to her whenever she saw her. Obviously, something changed. When she met her in the bookstore things were going well. She would go out to dinner with her or they would hang out at the cafe. Once she started to hang out with Chae, she changed. 

Maria was fired because Y/N laid everything on the table to Chae’s parents. She only mentioned Maria because she was scared to even mention Chae. Maria would make everything harder for her. She would make sure all the books she needed were higher than usual or she would make sure there was stuff on the floor whenever she had her wheelchair. Y/N tried letting it go because it was just childish and she didn’t need to be angry. It wasn’t until she had an accident. Maria tripped her and she fell. She asked Maria for help but she got laughed at. Chae was there and recorded everything. Their laughs clouded her brain that day and a decision was made. Now she was the target of Chae but she wasn’t going down without a fight. 

Y/N watched as people made their way into the store. Talking amongst each other with small voices that would make a mouse jealous. She was always jealous seeing groups of friends, she never really had a group. Sure she had friends throughout high school and college but they never stayed. Ae-Cha was the only that stayed but even with her, it gets lonely at times. This is one of those times. 

The way the girls laughed with each other and hit their shoulders as they laughed, it made her smile in green. She sighed to herself and picked up the go-backs, it was a small stack of books so it was manageable. She leaned against her cane putting some books back on the shelves. She turned her and her eyes landed on a group of guys. It was four of them but they had masks with sunglasses. She squinted her eyes at them because this wouldn’t be the first time someone stole from the store. She made a mental note about them but headed back to her desk to finish her morning paperwork. 

Namjoon felt her eyes and glanced at her, her curious eyes were bright as her lips were shining under the light. She was cute but that's all he thought. In his mind, she knew he was famous because of the stare. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone stared at him in public when he had a mask on, so much for the mask to cover his face. At least she didn’t come up to him to ask questions or anything like that. 

Jin raised his eyebrow and glanced at him, “Are you okay?”

Namjoon nodded his head and glanced over his shoulder to see her leaving, “That girl was staring...I think she knew we were famous.” 

Yoongi rolled his eyes and shook his head, “I think you're paranoid. She probably was just checking in on us or something like that. We are wearing masks, sunglasses and black hoodies. She probably thinks we're going to steal.”

“I didn’t think of that...” 

Hoseok let out a small laugh, “See, don’t assume someone knows you're famous. She’s just doing her job, that’s all.”

Namjoon sighed and nodded his head, “I know, I know. You just never know with people and I want to make sure we're safe in public.” 

Jin nodded his head and put the book back on the shelf, “I get it Joon. I saw you looking at her though, you think she's cute?”

Namjoon rolled his eyes at him and put the book in his basket, “Do you have your books?” 

“You ignored the question, you think she's cute.” 

“I want to look at more books, I’ll be in the back.”

The three older men let out a small chuckle watching him leave, annoyance with each step he took. Y/N signed off her last paper and looked up to see the guy with the mask and glasses. She tilted her head at him as he headed towards the back. He had an interesting aura but it was probably because he was going to steal or something. Some people came up with their purchases and she looked away from him. 

Namjoon grabbed the book that he wanted and smiled underneath the black material. He ignored his members and went to the front. He waited in line but he heard her soft voice, “This book is really good. The poems are kinda dark but it's still good.” 

“Oh really. I’ve read the other works of his but they weren’t dark. So this one is dark?” 

Y/N nodded her head and gave her a smile, “It is but it's really good. I’ve read it.” 

The younger girl smiled at this and took out her cash, “Thank you for helping, I appreciate it.” 

“Of course and if you don’t like it, you can always return it.” 

“Thank you again.” 

Namjoon smiled to himself as he watched the girl smile. Her smile was gentle and her voice sounded like the gentle wind in spring. She was cute, “I can help who's next.” 

Namjoon snapped out of his thoughts and bowed his head at the girl. He placed the basket on the counter, “Hello, how's your day?” 

Y/N smiled at him as she put the books on the counter (happy that he didn’t steal anything), “It’s been going good. Do you like history?” 

Namjoon smiled (even though she couldn't see it) and nodded his head, “Yeah, it’s a story about a feminist leader and I’ve been interested in it for a while.”

He’s interested in a feminist leader...it could be a way to pick up girls. He could be one of those guys.... “My co-worker read this book and liked it. You should get the other volumes.”

“I thought about it but it gives me another reason to come back.”

She raised her eyebrow but nodded her head, “That will be ₩ 88,077. Will that be cash or card?”

“Oh, card.”

“Alright, let me set up the card reader and when it’s ready just hover your card over the corner to have it read.” 

Namjoon nodded his head as he took out his card to do what she said. She doubled his bag and clicked the tender on the computer. She pushed some hair behind her ear as he glanced at her. She smiled and took the receipt and put it in the bag, “You have a good day.” 

“Y-You too, bye.” 

“Bye-bye.” 

Y/N watched him leave and tilted her head. “How strange.” 

After her shift, Y/N went to the music store next door. She waved her hand at the owner, Kim Jin-Young, and walked up to him, “How’s your day so far, Mr. Kim.” 

Jin-Young let out a small laugh and shook his head, “I told you to call me Jin-Young, Y/N.”

“I know but it's fun calling you Mr. Kim, makes you feel older.” 

Jin-Young rolled his eyes and glanced at the back door, “Do you want your guitar?”

“Yeah, I was checking in on it.”

Jin-Young smiled at this and went to the back room. He came out with a brand new acoustic guitar with flowers on the side, “I tuned it for you but you might want to do it yourself. Are you performing this weekend?” 

Y/N smiled and nodded her head. She set the cane against the counter to take the guitar with a smile, “Yeah, Ae-Cha signed me up a month ago. I had no idea but she thought it would be good for me.”

“I think it would be. You have really good lyrics and a beautiful voice.” 

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Shut up, I’m nothing like those K-pop idols.” 

“Some of them lip sync. Be proud of your talent.” 

“I suppose. Thank you for this, I appreciate it.”

“No problem, Y/N. I’ll be cheering you on Saturday.” 

“I’ll see you later, Mr. Kim.”

Jin-Young rolled his eyes and watched the girl leave with the guitar on her back, “Yah! It’s Jin-Young to you!” 

Namjoon leaned back in his chair and stared at his ceiling with a blank expression. His blank expression matched his computer screen and he sighed to himself. He glanced at his couch and saw the bag from the bookstore and smiled to himself. He got up from his desk and took out the book he got. He smiled to himself when he thought of the cashier but he shook his head. Maybe reading the book could give him a break from life. 

Namjoon finished the book that night and he came back to the bookstore the next day. Y/N recognized him because of his voice and the pair of sunglasses he had on. She didn’t check him out at the register but she did talk to him when he was walking around the store. She realized that he wasn’t using a feminist leader to flirt but he was actually interested in it. She smiled at this as he went on tangents about the leader. He even recommended books to her. He was interested and he read pretty fast because he’s back again today. 

“You read pretty fast.”

Namjoon jumped at the voice and looked at her. She was wearing a simple white short-sleeved shirt with her work vest and her hair was in a low ponytail. The vest had different buttons of things that she was interested in and he held in a laugh when he noticed a Koya on the dark green vest.  He nodded and showed her a random book on the shelf, “I was looking at a different genre this time.” 

She tilted her head at the book and let out a small laugh, “You want to read a teen fantasy about a vampire falling in love with a wizard?” 

Namjoon glanced at the cover and back at her, “I-I...”

“If you're into that then go right ahead.” 

Namjoon put the book back and shook his head, “No-No, I just grabbed a random book. I-I-”

“I can put that in the front for you.”

Namjoon felt his face get hot and he wanted to slap his forehead, “I want some poetry books.”

“So, why did you grab that book?”

“I just grabbed a random book to talk to you.”

“To talk to me?”

“I like talking to you...is that weird? It is weird, I’m sorry.”

Y/N felt flattered and she ignored her heart fluttering,  “I like talking to you too. I can show you the-”

“I’ll show him the poetry section. Y/N, you should be in the front. Not walking around.”

Y/N held in a sigh and turned around to see Chae glaring at her. She nodded her head and looked back at Namjoon with a small smile, “I’ll see you in the front.” 

Namjoon watched Y/N leave and he frowned at the scene. Whoever this girl was, it was clear she didn’t like the girl. The one thing he was happy about was that he knew her name, Y/N. It matched her perfectly. Namjoon turned towards the girl and smiled at her under the mask, “I can find it, thank you.”

“Are you sure? I would love to help.”

Namjoon fought back the urge to roll his eyes but shook his head, “No, it’s okay. Thank you.”

Namjoon left her standing there before she could say anything to him. He quickly went into the poetry section and sighed to himself, “Y/N...pretty name.” 

Y/N signed off some return receipts and when she turned around Chae was standing there with her arms crossed. The glare she was giving her made her skin feel like it was on fire, “Hi, Chae”

“Why weren’t you in the front? That’s your task for today.”

Y/N glanced at the paper in her hands and then back at her with a tensed smile, “No one was on the floor with me so, I had to walk around the store to make sure everyone was helped.” 

“Walk? You barely do that. You're slow, that's why you stay in the front.” 

“I have my cane, I can walk around-”

“I don’t care what you can do, you stay in the front. You’ll just get in my way and it's annoying.”

She knew she shouldn’t feel hurt by her words but it was hard, “Okay.”

“Okay? Is that all you can say? You should-”

“I’m ready.”

Y/N glanced over Chae’s shoulder and saw the mystery standing there with his books. She was grateful for him because she felt saved at this moment. Chae gave him a fake smile and nodded her head, “Y/N will be happy to help you.” 

And with that, Chae left. Y/N let out the sigh that she was holding in and smiled at him, “Thank you for that...you know my name, what’s yours?” 

Namjoon let out a small laugh and put the books on the counter, “Now why would you want to know my name?” 

“Because...I like talking to you.” 

Namjoon smiled at this and nodded his head. He took off his sunglasses and looked around before pulling down his mask, “My name is Namjoon.”

Her eyes widened at this when she saw who it was, “Kim Namjoon? Like from Bts?”

“Yeah...don’t tell anyone, please.” 

“I wouldn’t dare to do so. It would mean other people talk to you and I wouldn’t want competition.”

Namjoon let out a laugh and put everything back on, “It wouldn’t be a competition. I would only talk to you anyways.” 

“That’s good to know, Mr. Idol.” 

“Mr. Idol? That feels weird, just call me Namjoon or if people are around Nam.”

She let out a small laugh as she scanned the last book, “Nam? That’s not very creative of you.” 

“Hey, I’m trying here.” 

“I see that. That will be ₩ 94,248, Mr. Nam.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes and took his card out, “I regret saying that now.”

“I don’t...I was wondering...We have this festival tomorrow and it would be cool if you came. You don’t have either.” 

“A festival?” 

Y/N nodded and put the receipt in his bag, “Yeah, it's a small music one. You said you’ve been having trouble at work. Now that  I know it's music...I thought it would be beneficial for you.” 

Namjoon smiled and nodded his head, “Are you asking me out on a date?” 

Y/N’s face felt warm and she shook her head, “It’s not a date. A hang-out if you will.” 

“Then I’ll come to that hang-out, Y/N.”

“Good, Mr. Nam...I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

She watched him leave the store and she couldn’t help but smile to herself. He was interesting and she couldn’t wait to know more about him. 

Namjoon sat on the grass with Yoongi sitting next to him as he stared at the empty stage. Y/N already met Yoongi and Yoongi thought it was funny that Namjoon was interested in her. She was the opposite of him, she was more blunt with her comments while Namjoon wasn’t but it was clear they were both interested in each other. Y/N told them that she had to do something and walked away. The last thing that he saw was the rose gold cane shining.

“You like her?”

Namjoon glanced at Yoongi and took a sip of his water, “She’s interesting...” 

“Just say you like her. You're not waiting for the other girl, right?” 

“I deleted her number. She wasn’t worth the wait.”

“What was her name again? Hae told me that she wasn’t good news so I blocked it out.” 

Namjoon sighed and looked at Yoongi, “Hae, knew she wasn’t good? Why didn’t she tell me?” 

“She wanted you to learn your lesson, I guess. What was her name so I can keep an eye out.”

“Maria.” 

“The next performer is my good friend, L/N Y/N.”

Namjoon snapped his head to the stage and watched Y/N go to the microphone with a guitar and without her cane. She sent a smile to the crowd and gave a small wave to Namjoon. Namjoon returned it as Yoongi watched on the sidelines with a smirk on his face. Yoongi leaned towards Namjoon and whispered in his ear, “Did you know she was performing?”

“No...” 

She played a few cords and smiled to herself as the melody echoed throughout the park, Raindrops make me think of you, Fragments of you in them. Each drop is our memories. Good or bad, there are no outliers. Especially with you. I think that’s why I like rainy days. You're always with me, even in an empty room.”

The sad melody played and for Namjoon everything was at a standstill as he stared at the girl in front of him. She was playing the guitar and her soft voice pierced his ears. It was beautiful but it was so sad. The words to the song were poetic and they held the pain of the past. Anyone can relate to her words and he thinks that’s why he liked it so much. 

When she finished everyone applauded her and bowed. She headed off the stage making Namjoon run towards it, ignoring the stare from his member. He entered backstage and saw Y/N looking down at the ground with tears in her eyes as two girls stood in front of her, “Why would anyone like your song?”

“They probably felt pity for you because I mean look at you. Disabled and you barely can walk.”

Namjoon glared at this and let out a small cough behind the mask as his glasses hid his glare. The two girls turned around and looked him up and down with confused looks, “What do you want?” 

“I’m here for Y/N. I don’t appreciate you saying all those things to her.” 

“It’s true and it's time she learned. She’s just a headache to everyone.” 

Namjoon took off his glasses and sent a hard glare that made the girl take a step back, “You're a  headache by just talking. Now move.” 

She scoffed at this and glanced at Y/N, “He only did that because he felt bad for you. Remember that.”

The two girls left while Y/N stared at the dirty wood with a blank expression. Namjoon shook his head at their behavior and tilted her chin with his thumb, “Don’t listen to them. Idiots just echo each other to feel heard.” 

Y/N let out a sad chuckle and shook her head, “Sometimes Idiots say the truth....”

“Y/N, they're wrong. You're beautiful inside and out, no matter what people say. Everyone is different, and that makes everyone unique in their own way.” 

“Beautiful?”

She tilted her head at him and let out a small cough as he looked away, “Just don’t listen to them.”

“Should I listen to you then?”

“If that makes you happy, then yes.”

They stared into each other's eyes and she let out a small laugh, “Thank you...we should get back to Yoongi.” 

“Y-Yeah, where’s your cane?”

“In my dressing room. Can you help me?”

“Always...” 

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Fall came and passed. It was spring when the flowers bloomed from slumber from the cold winter. Y/N opened her window to let the semi-warm air into her room. She glanced outside to see the bush that was near her house was already blooming with small pink flowers. She smiled to herself and pushed some hair back as she relished in the morning sun. 

She had known Namjoon for a while now and everything was good. In her dark thoughts, it was too good. He would always make time for her and come visit her and her cat. He would bring her favorite food and drinks while they sat in her living room talking about poetry. It was as if he understood everything she was saying and vice versa. It was lovely but again her mind loved playing tricks on her. 

Namjoon was building up the courage to ask her out but every time he wanted to, it didn’t feel right. The rest of the members were threatening him at this point to ask her out but he was nervous. He never really liked anyone before her, they were only flings. Y/N was different and he didn’t want to ruin anything between them. It would devastate him if he lost her. If he had to keep his feelings hidden longer then he would do so. 

Y/N got ready for another day at work and she was already dreading going in. She didn’t want to see Chae but at least she worked with Yuri today. She laid back on her back staring at her ceiling with a frown. It wasn’t until she felt softness at her fingertips and she smiled. She glanced and saw Sonias with her bright green eyes. Y/N softly scratched Sonia’s head, “Sonia, I wish I could stay home all day with you. Nothing to worry about, just cuddles.” 

Sonia let out a loud meow and cuddled into her side making Y/N melt, “I love you too but I have to go. You be a good girl. Namjoon is coming by later, he’ll have your treats. You know how he is. Always spoiling you.”

Another meow left her lips and she smiled to herself. She leaned down and kissed the top of Sonia’s head. She gently got off the bed and frowned when she felt pain in her leg. It was going to be a long day and she wasn’t ready for it. She walked down the stairs carefully as Sonia went beside her, slowing down when Y/N did. When she finally reached the last step she grabbed her wheelchair and slowly sat in it. A sigh left her lips as she tried to be positive for the day. It’s so hard to feel anything when you feel nothing. 

A knock at the door caused her to raise her eyebrow, “Who is it?”

“It’s Namjoon! Can I come in?”

Y/N rolled her eyes and a small laugh, “You know the code.”

Namjoon opened the door and saw that she was in the wheelchair and frowned, “Is your leg acting up?”

“When is it not acting up? It’s just a wheelchair kind of day. Why are you here?” 

“I wanted to drop you off.” 

Y/N smiled at this and looked down at her feet, “You want to drive your disabled friend to work?”  

“I want to drive Y/N to work. You're much more than being disabled.” 

“Wait, you can’t drive though.”

Namjoon rubbed the back of his neck and let out a nervous chuckle, “That’s why I asked Hyung to help me.”

“Which one-”

“Y/N~!” 

She smiled and watched the door open wider to see Hoseok giving her a wide smile, “Hello, oppa. Thank you for driving me.”

“It’s no problem Y/N. Namjoon woke me up early to-”

Namjoon hit Hoseok's shoulder and let out a nervous laugh, “Let’s get you to work.” 

“Thank you, Nam.” 

Namjoon rolled his eyes and let out a huff of air, “I told you not to call me that when it's just us.” 

“When do I listen to you? It’s fun making you mad.” 

The ride there was filled with soft music bouncing off the leather fabric. Y/N stared outside looking at the flowers with a softness in her heart. She loved spring, it was the time when things that were hidden away from the cold appeared. It was a metaphor for life and she wanted to stick to that. 

Namjoon saw that she was looking out the glass and smiled at her gentle look. He let out a small cough that made her look at him and raised an eyebrow, “Tonight I was wondering if we can write together again.” 

Y/N smiled at this and nodded her head, “That sounds fun. Are you going to spoil Sonia?” 

“She deserves it. She’s the only cat that behaves well and loves cuddles.”

“Does this exclude Yoongi?” 

Namjoon let out a small laugh and shook his head, “You know what I mean. Who do you work with today?”

“With Chae and Yuri.” 

Namjoon scoffed at this, “I don’t like Chae. She needs to be put in her place.” 

“I don’t have to deal with her any longer. Next week is my last week, so no worries.” 

Namjoon smiled at this and nodded his head, “Where are you going to work?”

“With Jin-Young. It felt right to move to the music store and it's near the cafe.”

“I’m glad you're leaving that bookstore. It was toxic.” 

She nodded her head as she looked out the window, “Ae-Chae, asked her boyfriend to sue Chae and wants me to go forward with it.”

Hoseok nodded his head at this as he gently stopped the car, “You should go forward with it. She discriminated against you.” 

“I just don’t like conflict...it’s so much money too. Ae-Chae said she would pay for it but I feel bad for that. I don’t think I’ll go forward with it because well I’m scared...”

“That’s understandable, Y/N. If you want to go forward, I’ll be happy to help you.”

She turned towards Namjoon with her eyes widened, “You would help me?” 

“I told you. I’ll always help you.” 

That night, Jin picked her up with Namjoon and the tension in the car was different. Namjoon was nervous while Jin was smiling to himself, it was clear that he had done something to him. They sat in her bedroom typing away on their laptops. Namjoon kept glancing at her over his screen while Y/N was typing and petting Sonia in her lap. 

“Nam, what did you write?” 

“I-I...I want you to go first.” 

“Okay...Falling snow with secrets of winter linger. Springtime is when the truth is revealed 

Warmth is replaced in the summer with your touch, But when fall comes loneliness returns. Four seasons isn’t enough to heal. A lifetime will do.” 

Namjoon nodded his head and smiled, “That was pretty. I liked the mention of the different seasons.” 

“I thought about it because it's the first day of spring.” 

“Ah, you were excited about the flowers blooming.” 

“I was, now what did you write?” 

Namjoon nodded his head and let a nervous sigh out, “I wrote this from the heart...I hope you like it.”

“If it’s from the heart then how could I hate it?” 

“The moment we met, I knew. Somehow the truth always comes out with you. The reason I survive is one of the reasons for my rebirth. My meaning of life. Hold me, with tears escaping into the abyss. Something so pure and true. Can even make the strongest whimper. My summer sky in the harsh winter, the first raindrop in a drought, a crumble in a famine. My strength, my clarity, and my heaven...Y/N will you be my girlfriend?”

Her eyes widened at this and stared at him with a shocked look, “Y-You want me to be your girlfriend?”

“I do...I really do.” 

Y/N glanced down at Sonia as she continued to pet her, “You want me even though I have so many things wrong with me?” 

“Y/N, I don’t give a shit if you have problems. I love you for you. Every little thing about you I’m in love with. Regardless of how you see yourself. I love you.” 

“You-You love me?” 

“I do.” 

She gently touched Sonia’s butt to have her jump off her lap. She leaned against the table and gently placed her lips on his. His eyes widened but he closed his eyes and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He gently pushed the table away and grabbed her hips, picking her up effortlessly. His hand moved to the back of her neck and he pulled her closer. When they leaned away he pushed some hair away from her face and truly looked at her face. She tried to look away from his intense eyes but he would let her budge. He kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, her cheeks, and then the edge of her lips, “I love you Y/N.”

“I love you too...Nam.” 

He let out a deep chuckle and kissed her neck as her fingers went through his hair, “Always the one that likes to annoy.”

“I think it gives you excitement.” 

“It does.”

He gently pushed her down on the floor as he towered over her. Her hair perfectly framed her face as the nervousness in her eyes became clear to him. He leaned down and kissed her lips again and this time it was more passionate than before. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him in closer. He happily accepted it. Nervous as she was, she couldn’t help the feeling in her stomach that erupted because of his touch. His thighs slowly separated hers as he got into a better position. 

He was perfect and she was the greatest treasure that he could ever acquire. He lifted up her skirt and gave her a small smile, “Is this okay?” 

“This is everything I want...” 

It happened so fast but so slow at the same time. He buried his face into her neck, panting as he placed kisses on her sweaty skin. The thrusting that started off slow was no faster with each passing second. He leaned away and looked down at her pleasured-out face. Her lips shined under the light with her eyes closed tightly. Her moans became louder as she felt her body moving forward with each thrust. Her arms reached up to him and he knew what she wanted. He leaned down and gave her another deep kiss as she arched her back when she felt her orgasm approaching. 

Keeping his mind focused, he continued to focus on her. Lifting up her shirt and kissing the tops of her breasts. He was losing himself and he couldn’t stop, “I’m going to come, Y/N.”

“T-That’s okay.”

“Where do you want me to come?” 

“You can just do it on my thigh or stomach.”

He nodded his head and pulled himself out with a low groan coming out of his mouth. He started rubbing himself and a white substance touched her the inside of her thigh. She felt it drip down and out of curiosity, she brought her fingertips to it and gently touched it. She brought it to her mouth and tasted it. Namjoon's blissed-out expression registers what just happened and lets out a moan at the sight. 

“You’ll be the death of me.”

“That’s good to know.” 

He leaned to kiss her left shoulder and back at her with a smile, “I love you regardless of what’s happening. You're my everything. The moment I saw you with your cane in the bookstore I fell in love with you. I love you for you. Nothing less.”

A small tear escaped as she gently touched his face, “Even if I can’t walk some days.”

“I’ll carry you.”

“Even on days that I can feel anything.”

“I’ll become your nurse.”

She smiled at him and kissed the tip of his nose, “Then I’m yours.”

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Two Years Later 

“Y/N! Are you ready?”

She turned around and smiled at Namjoon, “You think Army would accept me? I mean it’s me...” 

Namjoon let out a small laugh and sat next to her. He kissed the side of her head and pushed some hair from her forehead, “Why wouldn’t they?” 

“I’m not normal...”

“Y/N, you're the greatest thing that has happened to me. I love you. Remember what I said to you.” 

She let out a laugh and kissed his cheek, “Call me Nam.”

He rolled his eyes and kissed her forehead, “My strength, my clarity, and my heaven. I would do anything for you.” 

“I would do anything for you too...Let’s tell the world about us. I’ll stand by you no matter what. I’ll be your passenger through life.” 

He smiled at this and intertwined their fingers together as a diamond sparkled in the light, “Forever.” 

[fanficfanatic000]

Eddie Munson x fem reader (Munsons book )

Eddie x fem reader best friends 18+ content don't read if a minor TW

Part 1 of 2

Plot: You find a questionable book under eddie munson your best friends bed

You and eddie are on your last year of high-school finally he kept getting held back but this year was the last because he had you tutor him You always had eyes for your best friend eddie but recently he had been hanging out with a girl. chrissy which definitely bothered you. But you were happy he was happy. "So are you coming over to help me study for this test?" You looked up from your lunch to see him. His messy metal head hair framing his adorable face and his dark chocolate eyes with his cocky boyish smile "Yeah sounds. good" you smile as you said yes. "Great then i could just drive you to my place after school?" "Yep perfect" The lunch bell rang You sat throughout all your boring ass classes. Then school was over. You walked outside and there he was leaned up against his van smoking a cigarette. The wind slightly blowing his curls out of his face Then he sees you and smiles. You walk towards him and you felt blush creeping in on your face "you ready darling?" Darling was just one of your many nicknames that made everyone think you were more than just friends "if you're ready?" He stomped out his cigarette and opened the passenger door with a wink That made your heart jump. Minutes pass and you're at his trailer in his room trying to explain the math problem to eddie "Eddie just think about it " "but it isnt logical to have letters in math!" "Okay okay lets just take a break then go back to it okay?" "Okay Princess but i have a question." "What is it?" You tilted your head. "Can i show you something ive kinda been working on?" "Sure why not" you smiled. He gets up fastly and grabs his guitar and his guitar pick and sits back down infront of you. And he starts to play a Metallica song on his guitar. You focused on his ringed fingers long. Fast moving .veiny And pretty for a guys hand until his pick flew from his hand to somewhere on the floor "shit! That was the 3rd one ive lost…." He says in a deep tone "here i can find it for ya edds" You get off the bed onto the floor and your looking for his white guitar pick then you spot it underneath his bed on top of a book? Curiosity got the best of you when you grabbed the book and the guitar pick stood up "so i found it but w-whats this?" You Raise an eyebrow at him.. he looks up at you and his eyes widen he gulps "um just N-nOthing!" He reaches out for it so you dashed into the the hall and you locked yourself in the bathroom. Usually you wouldn't run through eddies trailer because wayne hates the way it vibrates the trailer but he's out of town and won't be back until Monday night and it's Friday "Princess PLEASE DONT OPEN THE BOOK I BEG OF YOU!!" He jiggles the door knob "Keeping secrets from your best friend huh munson?" "Princess please dont ive told you everything like how i fell down the stairs at school and got a bloody nose or how i had a shaved head once… please dont read it.." "but you dont tell me everything do you?" "What?? Do you mean??" "I mean i saw you with chrissy yesterday You didnt tell your best friend about your girlfriend did you?" "Girlfriend?? No Princess i was selling her weed." He chuckles. "Well sorry eds but i-i have to see what this is if its porn or something dont worry im not a judgmental person" "NO Princess dont!!" He jiggled the door knob more then you opened the book with a blank cover and flipped to the first page to see writing (my girl one day you will be mine and only mine)

[countrymusiclover]

18 - Mr and Mrs. Cooper

( image from Pinterest )

Part 19

The Texas Tire Family

Tags just ask - @supernaturalgirl30 @bvbwestfall @bubble-blu @patriciaplictisita @liesanddreams @bethanymccauley

Missy ran down a hallway to the last bedroom putting her baseball and mit away. She came back grinning ear to ear. “So my brothers are weird. My dad drinks beer and my mom is really strong about god. Other than that I’m the normal one.”

“Okay I’ll keep that in mind.” I nodded, putting my hands inside the pockets of my jacket until the back room opened.

I noticed Sheldon was carrying some mittens in his hand and he stood in front of us. “You’re Y/n from my math class that sits in the front row. You did well on our last test. Not as good as me but not bad.”

“Uh thanks Sheldon. Can I ask why you have mittens?” I made the mistake the first night I had dinner with his family.

Missy rolled her head back. “Oh no.”

“I don’t know where your hands have been. I don’t want to risk the likelihood that you have some kind of disease. There are too many in the world.” He explained moving around us to watch a science tv show.

The back door opens and I saw their mother come in with some brisket getting the table set in the dining room. The bedroom door in front of me and Missy opened and I smiled seeing it was Georgie. “Hey Georgie.”

“Hey Y/n.” He smiled wearing a yellow tea shirt with a football number on it. He had blue jeans on with henna shoes. I gulped feeling nervous since I was just wearing a Texas tea shirt that was light blue and some dark blue jeans with my hair in a ponytail.

The three of us headed into the kitchen seek Mr. Cooper had come in from work wearing his red coach gear. “Hey ya’ll. Georgie, did you invite a girl from school to dinner?”

“No!” He fought back.

Missy piped up. “I did.”

“Alright well let’s eat.” He shrugged his shoulders sitting down at the end of the table. Missy sat across from me. Georgie and Sheldon were on the same side.

Someone entered the house where I saw an older woman sit down at the other end across from George Senior. “Hey ya’ll who’s the new girl?”

“Y/n, ma’am.” I smiled while putting some brisket on my plate.

She smiled at me. “Call me Connie.” Mrs. Cooper had us all take hands while she blessed the food before we all dug in.

“This is really good, meemaw.” Georgie told Connie with his mouth full of meat.

She sat her fork down on her plate. “Really good. You’re spitting the best brisket in Texas all over the damn table.” I snort covering my mouth with my hand holding the fork trying not to laugh out loud.

“Close your mouth.” His mom said.

Sheldon suggested back. “Or aim your face the other way before you spit on Y/n.”

“You're acting like a barn animal. Y/n probably won’t ever kiss ya.” Missy stuck her tongue out towards her brother causing my face to turn red at the thought.

Georgie hit his other hand on the table where I glanced out the corner of my eye seeing that he was blushing too where a smile grew on my face. “Shut up, Missy. I ain’t gonna kiss the girl in my class that you invited to dinner.”

“I bet you a dollar that you will get with her in two years.” She challenged him.

I added on playing her game smirking at Georgie. “When she is going into middle school.”

“Oh yay!” Missy leaned across the table high fiving me grinning with me. Unknown to either of us it would actually happen when we were both sixteen years old.

Georgie and I were huddled up as close as we could be. Aurora, Eve and Montana in between us with the storm crashing outside the upstairs of the church. I didn’t know how long we had been down in the basement. But it was scary as hell that much I knew. Clutching my eyes shut tightly I whimpered like a dog until someone peeked outside announcing to our group. “The storm has passed now. We can go check out the damage.”

Everyone got to their feet and shuffled outside as best as we could. Georgie got to his feet first helping me to stand on my own two feet. “I’m sorry about your dress, darling.” He dropped his gaze downward to my wedding gown.

“It’s just a dress, Georgie. I’m more relieved that my family is safe.” I shrug my shoulders pushing hair behind my ear. The dress was stained with dust and dirt on the bottom train but otherwise it was white still for the most part.

Aurora and Eve ran towards the main doors pushing them open. I was carrying Montana in my arms where he was drooling a little on my shoulder. “Mommy, look at the truck.” Eve points out where we both gasped in relief.

“Holy crap.” I sighed seeing that a large tree limb was laying right beside our car meaning it was fine but it definitely was a close call.

Georgie put a hand on my shoulder squeezing it gently. “Things could have been worse.”

“Thank you lord.” His mother said, holding her hands together praying to the sky.

Sheldon just glanced at Amy who gave him a look. “Don’t say it.”

“She probably will say God sent the storm and then took it away.” He didn’t listen and said it anyway.

Connie came over to us pulling a box of firecrackers in her hands. “I thought I’d get you two of these as a wedding present. Since Mary is going to be watching your kids tonight.”

“Oh mom.” Mary rolled her eyes.

Georgie glanced down at me wrapping his arm around my waist tugging me into his side smirking. “Take you back doesn’t it, Y/n?”

“For sure. At least this time we won’t have to worry about being grounded.” I chuckled at him, grinning up at him. I would remember that night forever.

Mary came over gently picking up Montana from my arms. “I know your father would be happy if he was here. You’re a good father and husband Georgie.”

“Mommy, can we throw the poppers?” Eve asked tugging on the side of my gown.

I bent down handing the box to my husband, opening my arms for her. “Unfortunately no sweetheart. They are for your father and me. But we will let you throw some if we don’t use them all. Now give me a hug.”

“I love ya.” She mumbled jumping into my arms hugging me gently.

She ran towards her daddy jumping up into his arms where he grunted at how fast she ran at him. “Woah Eve. I love ya too.”

“Rora, behave for Connie.” I warned our eldest daughter when I noticed something in her pocket when she walked over to her father hugging him. “And don’t set you or your sister on fire with that cracker in your jacket pocket.”

Georgie smiled when I sent him a raised brow. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t give it to her.”

“Sure, you didn’t Mr. Cooper.” I trailed off, raising myself to stand heading over to his truck. Georgie came over to me making me squeal when he picked me up bridal style sitting me in the passenger seat. He got in the driver's seat taking us back to our house that was down the road from Connie’s.

We finally had gotten enough money to move out of the apartment and buy a house of our own. Georgie opened his door coming over to my side where I wrapped my arms around his neck when he picked me up again. “Georgie, I can’t believe we’re actually doing this now.”

“Neither can I, babe. Now let’s do this the right way.” He opened the door when I grabbed the keys from his back pocket. After fiddling with the lock I got it open since he was still carrying me in his arms. “Welcome home, Mrs. Cooper.”

My dress hit the floor where I spun around underneath his arm when he gave me a spin. “Thank you, Mr. Cooper. I love you, Georgie. Just thought I needed to say it again.”

“You don't have to stop saying it ever. Cause I love you too. I’ll never stop, darling.” He tugged me against his chest watching when I moved my hands up undoing the tie he had on throwing it off when he shut the door with his boot.

I smiled up at him leaning up on my toes and he closed the gap kissing me slowly. One of his hands moved to the back of my dress tugging on the zipper where I broke the kiss smirking. “We should probably move this to the bedroom.”

“Probably a good idea.” He nodded leading me by our intertwined hands into our bedroom. We both kicked off our shoes and he removed his jacket just being in jeans and his white tea shirt.

Laying down on the bed I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him in for another kiss. He put one hand on my hip, kissing me slowly. His other hand was in my hair tugging on it for a second until he broke the kiss. “What’s wrong?”

“With our track record of when we sleep together I just….I want to make sure you're cool. With ya know maybe a fourth kid and all.” He searched my face for any hesitation and he has done it every time since we were teenagers when we had Aurora.

Running one hand through his hair I drew him in for another kiss. “Georgie, I said this with Eve and I said it with Montana. I ain’t gonna run because you get me pregnant. I love you always. Now kiss me, Mr. Texan.”

“God you don’t know what that nickname does to me.” He smirked quickly trying to shrug his shirt over his head and then helped me remove my dress by tossing it on the chair by the shut bedroom door so it wouldn’t end up on the floor.

Resting my hands on his shoulders I smiled up at him hovering above me. “Probably the same way you call me darling. Every time it drives me crazy and I love you for it.”

“And I’ll never stop cause you're always going to be my darling.” He smiled wrapping his arms around me when I put my legs around his waist pressing my lips onto his. The rest of the night was spent in bed enjoying being in each other's arms finally as a married couple after ten years.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[getsusekaii]

He doesn't know what kind of learning Yuji is doing at the school. Jujutsu tech officials are too adept at forging documents and using family ties to secure positions in high-ranking jobs. So naturally, it falls upon Kento to ensure Yuji has the basics down. One day, he lays a total of five academic books down in front of the unsuspecting young sorcerer. "English, maths, science, economics and business. They're important topics you will need if you want to succeed in life. I will test you." Not one to shove Yuji into the deep end without a life-jacket, he adds, "I will tutor you beforehand so you're guaranteed to pass."

yuji was a pretty decent guy when it came to school. he flew by with average enough grades, to keep him afloat, and maybe to graduate on time, but that was all prior to being thrusted into the current like he was experiencing. he hardly had the time to think about having a normal school life since his life was anything but normal with becoming a jujutsu sorcerer, but it seems as if that's not the case.

the deafening thud startles yuji in his seat; intimidating books laid before him in subjects he'd forgotten to even focus on lately. he gulps as nanami makes no room for complaints to be made. he should feel grateful that someone is looking out for him and his studies. however he can't help but feel a little scared about the manner in which it's being delivered.

“t-test? you guys teach normal school here too? gojo-sensei didn't say anything about this,” yuji murmurs in disbelief. did that mean his grades dropped? do they even have a grading system for academics like this, and who was doing the grading??? yuji has so many questions. “nanamin, i don't know if i can do it...”

unprompted asks › always accepting

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

I was taking a look at some of your old asks and found one on for Bakugo, the public school gifted child issues, and the .2% of UA is a lie. This would actually be an interesting concept to write about as it would take a look at the Japanese schooling system compared to the American schooling system(since most English speakers are American) and how being a gifted child would affect Bakugo in his schooling.

The 0.2% for UA acceptance is interesting as the original origins could come from an entirely differently quote that mutated into something else, name "0.2% of all new heroes come from the UA heroics course", which later mutated into "0.2% of applicants to UA are accepted". Heck, the 0.2% could've originally been 2% or 2.2% and a misplaced number or point can easily changed the math, especially on paper. This can easily lead into the fact of how many heroic students graduate in Japan every year, how bloated the heroics industry is, and how many heroes retire within a few years.

Next would be that since Bakugo did come from a public school that did not do any justice for him, spoiled him rotten and let him get away with a lot of reasonable actions(not illegal). There is no doubt that Bakugo does actually do the work to study since we're shown that but his actual struggles would be in the abstract and theories. The Entrance Exam is one where an applicant has to know basic common sense and regurgitate stuff that they remember from school and self-study. It's more of a memorization exam for laws, history, and Japanese literature and then knowing how to do math, and Japanese grammar.

When it comes to certain stuff, like that math class scene where Izuku forgot to do a multiplication of 2 before the final answer, he just waits to be called on just so he can rub it in on others while ensuring that he is 100% right in the event the person before him gets it wrong. But his problems become worst as he is asked to explain why certain events happen and the cause-and-effect. It's no longer the what has happen, it's now why and how different events relate to each other. It's no longer just a regurgitate the answers, its regurgitate the answers and write a lot more to explain it or learn even the smallest of details in the event that something surprising is on the test.

And if you're wondering how Denki and Mina passed, remember that they're the dumbest 1-A students in the top school in Japan. They could easily wipe out 90% of American students of similar age if not most high school Americans. They had to learn 2000+ Kanji characters before high school and most of us Americans are being passed while not being able to read at an 8th grade level. The stereotype for the dumbest in a Japanese class is completely different than that of an American one. Had they been so dumb, they would be at risk at expulsion for not doing well in academics due to UA being a private school and they both passed the written final and Entrance Exam.

This is really thought out and something I can see.

Bakugou is a very straightforward guy, and I can see him able to memorize things and do equations well, but when you do get down to it, he struggles with the hows and whys. He can tell you that this equation equals this, but can't tell you why that chemical reacted with this one.

I think with that, his real rank would be like 11 or 12. And he would despise it so much. Denki and Mina are the people to me who are incredibly intelligent in certain things, so they actually would be ranking above Bakugou in some classes, but not in all. I remember how in POTSOD I have Mic mention he only gave out rankings because Bakugou wanted them: Imagine if Ectoplasam is the only teacher who does have a ranking of top students right away. It's solely because he forgets things and kept leaving the sheet out. Bakugou is ranked third there and while he's pissed, he keeps telling himself he'll move up. He doesn't think about the other classes, not at all.

Until their rankings come out and he learns where he is over all.

[aliciajadee]

I saw you’re video you made about what’s going on in your life, and I’m not sure if this will make you feel better but I’m currently struggling too. I think I made a comment about this but I can’t remember, but I had to homeschool last year (Grade 10) and then this year I decided to go to school (Grade 11). The teacher told me 2 MONTHS later that homeschooling isn’t real credits when Grade 11 is already almost over. They said my only option to graduate now is to do Grade 10 over, then 11, then 12. That’s practically 2 more years of school?? I got good grades and did tests home schooling it makes no sense. So I wanted to ask, do you think I should just leave it alone and finish grade 11, and 12 with only electives (I can’t do required classes such as math, science, and English) since I’m not planning on going to university or college anyways and I could still tell people I have Grade 12 for careers because I still would, I just didn’t technically graduate. So should I do that or should I restart Highschool over again?

you can 100% put year 12 completion on your resume. i don’t understand how a teacher can say “homeschooling” doesn’t count????? that makes absolutely no sense????? considering i know multiple people who were homeschooled and then transferred to in person and still graduated and completed high school with the rest of us. i’m majorly confused 😭

i mean if you’re not wanting to go to uni or college straight after graduating i don’t think missing a few credits from year 10 is going to be that detrimental. assuming you completed year 11 and assuming you completed and passed year 12 there’s not really any reason not to tell people that you didn’t complete year 12. you put in the work, the time and the effort and you finished the year. you completed year 12 and that’s that. you have every right to put “year 12 completion” on your resume and tell employers that you completed year 12

also if you decide later down the road that you do want to go to uni, there are sooooo many more ways to get in other than having and ATAR. i wish someone told me that sooner

[just-mebs]

Thank you for asking @hanktalkin (og post)

So, I generally head canon that Engineer is about 10 or so years older than Scout is, which is fine because in canon that would make Engineer 37 when Scout is 27. However, thinking about them when they are a bit younger I think introduces some goofiness especially when adding a Soulmate AU to the mix.

I was thinking about the particular set up where when you turn 16, you are able to write on your arm and whatever you write shows up on your soulmate's arm. So you have Scout; a 16 year old sophomore/junior in high school, and Engineer; a 26 year old Engineering major most likely working on his first (of many) PhD.

Engineer, who hasn't gotten any response from his soulmate in a decade, being shocked when one day writing starts showing up on his arm. Or maybe, because he hasn't gotten a response in a decade, he just assumed he didn't have a soulmate so he'd been writing Engineering notes on his own arm one day to Scout's own surprise.

What I'm saying is that Scout finds out that his soulmate is really smart like really fast, so he of course uses this to his advantage. I'm just imagining Scout writing Engie notes during exams. Asking him how to solve radicals, or how to find x, or what the the quadratic formula is and??? Engineer in the middle of a high level physics lecture having to show his work on how to multiply "4 x 25" because Scout is clueless and doesn't know how and is failing his math class for the 3rd time.

Just imagining Engie's classmates, who he probably told years before that he did not have a soulmate, looking at his arm seeing basic level math and not believing him when he swears it's for his soulmate. Scout who is suddenly passing all his math tests having to scrub his arm clean every morning because Engineer decided to stay up all night working on an invention so he just has foreign equations scrawled over him (Engineer not being able to break the habit of using his skin for notes even though he now has a soulmate who can see them).

Also for a bit of angst: I can see a situation where Engineer maybe messes something up due to Scout writing something in a poor place at a poor time. Engineer deciding his life was better before Scout/having a soulmate is too much of a distraction so he cuts off his arm and attaches the gunslinger - sufficiently severing his connection to Scout. Him quickly regretting it once its done (not realizing that Scout had grown so much on him), but not being able to undo it just being sad over the fact that he will never meet his soulmate now (+ Scout now having a faint scar on his arm/seeing how Engineer stops responding/this boy got more abandonment issues now than he did before).

Then fast forward a decade when they both just happen to work for Mann Co. and one of them (or someone else entirely) piecing it together (cue more angst especially if they were getting close before they realized it and then Scout getting mad at him for abandoning him a decade before.

Anyway yeah that was the idea

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hi Cas,

So I just found out that you're a teacher and I have been struggling with school quite a lot lately so i could really use some advice.

Let me give u some background context, before COVID I used to be a straight A student, in like all subjects except maths ( i used to get Bs , which was kinda ok).

But during covid, I like stopped studying as hard as I used to which has a very bad effect on my academics now that I've returned to school.

My studying capacity has really reduced and i really really struggled to maintain a good GPA in these previous academic years. ( i passed my mind sem exam by 2%) And now I'm going to start a new academic session (bcoz the next 2 academic sessions r literally one of the most important years of my education) and I need to get my shit together, I did some self reflection and have realised that I waste a lot of time on my phone & laptop and even when I'm not using them i just waste a lot of time but just lying in bed and doing nothing.

I just finished a semester with a very stressful period of exams and have some free time on my hands (like 15 days ig), and I really want to use this time fruitfully.

So as a teacher, what do you suggest I do?

p.s- thank you so much for listening to all our problems and giving advice, you're like a guardian angel and i really appreciate what you're doing. ♥️♥️

Hi hon!

First, I think it's amazing that you're reflecting and wanting to do better, especially at your age. It's difficult to make those realizations, you know?

Also, I want you to know that you are absolutely not alone. SO many people are struggling after covid.

I think the biggest things to put in place, especially as school gets tougher (which is natural as you get older) are strong study habits, organization, and time management. You can't always control the difficulty of classes, but you CAN control how you deal with that.

So, over the next few weeks, I'd suggest taking some time to first, get yourself organized. If you don't already have one, come up with a system that works to keep all your books, notes, assignments, etc in order. And then STICK to it.

Next, practice some different ways of time management. Do you work better with lists or a planner? Alarms on your phone? Rewarding yourself after every twenty minutes of work with a Tumblr break, or just getting the whole assignment done at once? Reflect on how you manage your time best and make sure those systems are put in place before classes start. Then, STICK to them.

Last, reflect on your study habits. What's the best way for you to study? Do you prefer to read information? Rewrite it in notes? Say it aloud? Make flashcards? Some other way? If you're not sure, try each one. Knowing the best way to study for YOU will help you later when you have tests so you're not wasting time making flashcards if you really benefit more by reading.

Once you figure all this out, make sure to stick to it. Even when it sucks. Because if you do, you won't get as overwhelmed when things start to get tougher. I'll be honest with you, I literally started using a time management strategy I hadn't used since high school just the other day because I had so many things going on and it was SO helpful!

Remember, you've got this! I believe in you!

(Also I am naming you student anon in case you want to write again!)

[starrysnowdrop]

Hello everyone, this isn’t FFXIV related, but since this is my own blog, I wanted to share something personal with you all.

Tonight, NASA’s Artemis 1 had a successful launch, and it’s the first step to sending humans back to the Moon, and eventually onto Mars. And I’ve been by the screen crying tears of joy and feeling a whole range of emotions.

Here’s something most of you might not know about me. Ever since I can remember, into my earliest memories, I wanted to be an astronaut. Now this is a pretty common childhood dream, so this isn’t the strange part. What was weird about me was that I never outgrew that childhood dream.

I would watch everything I could get my little hands on about outer space. One of my favorite films ever was Apollo 13, and eventually I grew fond of the extremely cheesy Armageddon. I would collect NASA memorabilia, and play in the backyard pretending I was flying a rocket to the Moon.

I had it all planned out too. After graduating high school, I was going to join the US Air Force and train to become a pilot. Then I would apply to NASA to join the Astronaut program in order to become a pilot for the space shuttles, and then pilot the rockets that would one day go to Mars.

And when that day came in senior year of high school, when the Air Force recruiter came to my school, I signed up to join. But when I went to do my first physical, I got rejected. The tests came back with a diagnosis: Asthma. There was no way that they would allow me to fly fighter jets, let alone a space shuttle.

I was crushed. Completely devastated. It took me years to recover from the depression that occurred in part due to that event. I had never imagined doing anything else in my life. I quite literally had no back up plan.

But I did come up with a plan. If I could not be an astronaut, at least I could study Astronomy, or perhaps I could be a part of NASA’s mission control and still be a part of the mission to take others into space.

So I went to college and began a program in Astrophysics. I was doing very well, that was until I got to the higher levels of Mathematics and Physics. Turns out that although I’m not the worst in Math, but I’m extremely slow at it, and I eventually hit a wall where there was no way that I could pass the classes I needed to pass. I was struggling to just get passing grades, let alone try to get Straight A’s so that I could get a job at NASA.

I once again realized that this too was an impossible dream to achieve for me. I had my limitations, and I had hit the wall and could go no further. So, I switched my field of study, and I not just struggled with depression this time, but also anxiety. Panic attacks were a very common occurrence all throughout my college and Grad School years.

Yet, I did graduate college, and even went on to earn a Master’s degree. In those years, I got married to the love of my life and had my beautiful son.

Tonight’s launch caused so many memories to come flooding back to me. I watched as Artemis 1 soared into the sky, on its way to orbit the Moon. I am still sitting here with joyful tears running down my face. I’m so happy for all who were a part of this, including my husband who had a part in testing the rocket’s engines.

So do I have any regrets? None. Because I can stand here knowing that in my heart that I tried my best in achieving that childhood dream. I tried and failed, twice. But I am happy knowing that I even tried at all.

[thebookowal]

School might have waking us up in the morning…… and somehow managed to put our life together…….. and schedule our life in times and so schedule life of people who work in companies and jobs and anywhere

But it destroyed my relationship with the people I love…. The people who supposed to love me with the people who supposed to be there for me

It drains my energy It’s suck it up for me. It destroying the little amount of childhood that I did not manage to to live

All I remember from my childhood is me being in my room, listening to all music while the sunlight lighting up my room in the morning

I remember times with my family

And the rest is the pain in the tears

Since I got inside high school and my grades haven’t been that great, but at least they make me pass

I’m devastated because of this I want to be a pharmacist when I get the hell out of here. I probably will miss it, but I’ll just miss it for the fun time with my friends jokes the drawings I draw underneath the table while the teacher was spitting bullshit at us.

I will not miss my teachers maybe just just biology teacher I will not miss the homework. I will not miss any single information. I managed to get out of there because if you ended up asking me now what I had last year I will tell you I have no idea because this is what I get my brain cannot hold a big amount of room information for way too long, I will hold the information that I love information that I grow up with I will not remember that (4,7)=z=r(cos6.isin4) I will not remember this bullshit

Give me something that I would love and remember

(probably I’ll remember biology. It’s easy.) but other than this……. No.

And I asked my Ministry of education of my country to give me a good vocabulary….. not some old ones you managed to find from 2001…. Those are old words….. even from2014….. You guys choose some old vocabulary, giving us the same grammar…… I’m tired of this bullshit. I know words that are improved better than the word (voice-over) really….. They want me to say a voice actor and it’s not even written in our vocabulary. They expect us to write it like this grow up, please…… half my class isn’t educated enough. My accent isn’t even accepted…… I don’t even participate in class anymore. I’m scared…… my reason to be scared. I’m scared from the attention…… doesn’t anybody just sit down and say something that was so (brand new) to hear…….. me just saying the word security in an American accent…… made half my classmates asked me to say it again….. and at some point when they laugh I think they laugh at me

 School Have Provided me shame and embarrassment of what I like….. and expect me to go by this rules….. what does chewing gum in class have to do?…. Eating in class is a problem.?….. bringing my phone??……. I mean, I get it. I’m in strict school but why bringing my phone is a big problem? if you guys would have letting us bring our phone we wouldn’t have to sneak it in every now and then……. I haven’t done it before.(because I don’t want people to go through my phone. Thinking I have taken pictures of my teachers to threaten them or blackmailed them.)…….

The list is endless of the stupid things that my school have thought about….. other schools allow the kids to bring their phone….. and they don’t do anything……..

Not that fucking bad you know

I don’t know, but it’s going to even read this because it’s way too long

But today I had a math exam. I was so hyped about it for so many reason one I actually studied for two days for it two I slept early and woke up early so I had a good amount of sleep and three the positive things that I have to math class today and somehow I still ended up with a bad grade……… even though it’s a test the teacher took away my paper before I wrote down my answer. I already have everything done, but my answer is not there yet…… I’m not gonna lie to you. I did two or three of my classmates told me that it’s going to be fine….. no, it’s not going to be My math teacher having been bothering me for two years I don’t get good grades because of them and one time I thought I’m not going to have them in my class but suddenly there they are standing in front of me and literally luring us about us being irresponsible…… and basically praying to who were thinking about or is inside our head at this point to die(that’s actually true. They actually do pray for that. They say it so many times.)….. and confront them telling another student thinking about another students or their parents or a person……. And you’re just basically praying to God to kill this person that they’re thinking about…… and they somehow managed to….. play with my words and make it as a normal thing to say……. ‘This is it oh, it was just normal.’ kind of talk shit.

There are so many things I would like to talk about, but I prefer to talk about it here because it’s the only place I feel comfortable and fucking safe not completely but at least safe to speak my mind and I know nobody’s gonna give a shit about what I gotta say and if they do, let me understand what I’m going through

[chryzuree]

highschool chrysijacks is so funny silly to me.....how is jacks doing in math!!i hope he is having a miserable time <3. how involved are they in extracurricular stuff? are they in any clubs? what were their plans in general for after high school?

omg, thank you for asking!!! he is doing soooooo badly <3333 he probably should’ve failed out, on account of the fact that he skips class all the time to go to ap literature to hang out w chrysi and castor,BUT!!!!! castor and jacks will have all-nighter study session to get jacks caught up on math before every test. w/o fail, they both pass out and get sick and they can’t get to school the next day.. yay!! now jacks is warned abt what’s on the next math test, so he passes!!…. jst barely.

chrysi’s wayyyyy more involved in extracurriculars than jacks, for sure… mostly bc cheer takes up so much of her time, but she’s also on student council, the ac dec team, and key club. i kinda have been playing w the glee au sm that it might jst be that chrysi and jacks are part of the glee club.. juno makes me watch too many glips (glee clips)for it to NOT influence me.. jacks would probably only do glee club & theatre!!! but theatre is partially for a grade ,so. he sucks <33

jacks did NOT know what plans he had for after high school. mostly he was going to go to college and mess around and make new friends (and get new girlfriends…?? hopefully ones that haven’t heard abt the epidemic jacks accidentally started at a kissing booth???), but then he gets rlly into costume design during theatre ((and during ren faire, when he dressed chrysi up and fell in love w how it turned out. and also with chrysi… but he’s been in love w her for a while ;))

chrysi’s plans after high school always were kinda nebulous?? she wanted to ultimately help ppl w supernatural stuff, but she was probably going to go into macabre history studies and such in college.. but mostly. yeah. her goal was to poke at supernatural beings and see if they’d bother her instead of others :))

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Sami Edge

Published: Oct 19, 2023

Oregon high school students won’t have to prove basic mastery of reading, writing or math to graduate from high school until at least 2029, the state Board of Education decided unanimously on Thursday, extending the pause on the controversial graduation requirement that began in 2020.

The vote went against the desires of dozens of Oregonians who submitted public comments insisting the standards should be reinstated, including former Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan. Backlash against the lowered standard had already delayed the vote, originally slated to take place in September.

Opponents argued that pausing the requirement devalues an Oregon diploma. Giving students with low academic skills extra instruction in writing and math, which most high schools did in response to the graduation rules, helped them, they have argued.

But leaders at the Oregon Department of Education and members of the state school board said requiring all students to pass one of several standardized tests or create an in-depth assignment their teacher judged as meeting state standards was a harmful hurdle for historically marginalized students, a misuse of state tests and did not translate to meaningful improvements in students’ post high school success.

Higher rates of students of color, students learning English as a second language and students with disabilities ended up having to take intensive senior-year writing and math classes to prove they deserved a diploma. That denied those students the opportunity to take an elective, despite the lack of evidence the extra academic work helped them in the workplace or at college, they said.

Board members underscored that state-mandated standardized tests will still be administered to most Oregon high school students – they just won’t be used to determine whether a student has the skills necessary to graduate.

“We haven’t suspended any sort of assessments,” state board member Vicky López Sánchez, a dean at Portland Community College, said during Thursday’s meeting. “The only thing we are suspending is the inappropriate use of how those assessments were being used. I think that really is in the best interest of Oregon students.”

Oregon lawmakers, however, have mandated that families be told each year that they can opt their student out of taking state tests – and one third of high school juniors didn’t take the tests last spring, meaning they and their families don’t necessarily know how they measure up against statewide academic standards.

Proving mastery of reading, writing and math on one of many standardized tests or a teacher-judged in-depth assignment was one of several Oregon graduation requirements. Students also have to earn a prescribed number of credits and complete an education plan that maps out how they can achieve post high-school goals.

During the pandemic, Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill freezing the proficiency requirement, as standardized tests weren’t happening amid school closures. Lawmakers decided to order a more comprehensive review of graduation requirements.

After broad outreach to families, educators, students and employers, with a particular focus on people of color, the Oregon Department of Education recommended new graduation recommendations about a year ago. One of those was to scrap the requirement to show mastery of reading, writing and math. State lawmakers have not acted on that recommendation, and the department in the meantime asked the state board to continue its pause through at least the 2027-28 school year.

Speaking of the academic mastery requirements, Dan Farley, assistant superintendent of research and data for the department, told the state board Thursday, “They did not work. What they were designed to do is protect student interests. We have no evidence that they did that.”

Farley pointed to a 2021 analysis by Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission that found no clear evidence that implementing the proficiency standards improved the performance of Oregon high school graduates during their first year of community college or university classes. The report did not study all possible postsecondary outcomes, Farley told the commission, and the state could do further research on that point.

The report also notes that it’s possible that the level of skill required to meet Oregon’s since-paused academic mastery standards was “too low to improve college and university outcomes.” It’s also possible, the report said, that student success in college relies more heavily on other factors than writing or math skill levels.

Suspending the requirement at least until the class of 2029 gives the state more time to do community outreach about how best to overhaul the grad standards, Farley said, and gives future high school students plenty of time to prepare if this standard does resume.

Hundreds of people submitted written comments to board members about the requirement for students to demonstrate academic mastery, the vast majority in favor of keeping it. Many of those critical emails used the same stock language.

Drazan, a former member of the Legislature, wrote that she had opposed the 2021 bill that suspended the requirement in the first place. Oregon doesn’t need to decrease standards, she wrote, but create and act on a concrete plan to increase students’ academic achievement.

“The board failed to discuss their responsibility for lagging academic achievement in our state. Instead they cast the blame on a tool used to measure a student’s ability to read, write and do math,” Drazan said in a news release sent after the vote. “It’s disappointing that these unelected bureaucrats decided to ignore public comment and continue down a path that neglects their responsibility to help students meet high standards.”

Whitney Grubbs, executive director for Foundations for a Better Oregon, a coalition of Oregon-based nonprofits that advocates for educational equity among other school reforms, wrote in public testimony that pausing or ending graduation requirements without proposing more effective and equitable alternatives “risks leading Oregonians to believe that our state is lowering expectations to artificially mask disparities” and reinforces false and prejudiced ideas that students’ demographics dictate their academic success.

“As Oregonians, we hold high expectations for students because we believe in the boundless potential of children,” Grubbs’ testimony said. “...We urge state leaders to articulate a plan for holding Oregon’s education system accountable for demonstrating whether and how it is supporting all students to meet graduation requirements.”

--

See Free Black Thought's earlier post from 2022:

==

This is what the bigotry of low expectations looks like.