#i just read my authors note from yesterday and remembered lol

[nanpecan]

₊✩‧₊˚once more to see you˚₊✩‧₊ pt 6

{nanami x f!reader}

pt 1.  pt 2. pt 3. pt 4. pt. 5

˚₊✩‧₊summary: You’re a manager at Jujutsu Kaisen and you’ve now had two three four extremely intimate encounters with grade 1 sorcerer Nanami Kento, but who's keeping count.... You're preparing for your morning date at your place when you get some unexpected company.

˚₊✩‧₊tags: nanami x fem!reader, nanami gets a little jealous but don't worry bc I can't stand miscommunication tropes, explicit smut towards the end (mdni)

˚₊✩‧₊word count: 8.6k SORRY LOL

˚₊✩‧₊author’s note: lemme start by saying im sorry for taking so long to post the next part but i have been going through it :D i am so grateful for all the positive feedback and messages i've gotten in my absence, i've missed my fellow nanami freaks, so this one is for all yall<3 also i posted this on A03 yesterday...i just feel like its faster posting it there bc im lazy. thank you to everyone for reading!

taglist at the end and feel free to let me know if you want off or if want to be added!

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

After about thirty minutes of scrubbing you came to accept that the pink frosting stain wasn’t going to come out of your shirt. You sighed and put down the wet fabric. Another shirt lost to your shenanigans with Nanami. You laughed to yourself as the realization hit you. You’d lost three shirts in the last four days…you should probably plan to go shopping soon. You grimaced, maybe you should have saved that extra money you’d sent your mother earlier in the week. 

You went around your apartment cleaning here and there, you had found it in better shape than you remembered, but compared to his apartment you felt that yours was definitely lacking in cohesive design. Your eclectic furniture was a little bit of every style, the art on your walls didn’t really follow a theme, you just framed things you liked. You tidied up more than you think you ever had and smiled as you looked around. It may not have been much, but it was home. You felt safe here. 

The building as whole was another issue. You’d frowned when you had seen the elevator was still out of order. Nanami would have to take the seven flights of stairs just like you had. You looked down at your phone, maybe you could reschedule? Meet somewhere else to have breakfast? No, he had been looking forward to seeing your apartment. It was such a silly thing but you could tell he really wanted to. You wiped down your kitchen countertops one more time before cleaning the small dishes in your sink. 

You were planning on going to bed a bit earlier than usual. You were going to prep breakfast to make some pastries for him in the morning. It had been a while since you’d baked. You looked around, satisfied at your cleaning streak. You decided to shower before continuing, maybe you’d be able to catch anything you had missed afterwards.

You stepped out of the shower and walked up to the sink. What a crazy few days you’d had. You hadn’t really had the chance to be alone and process everything. You stared at your reflection as you wiped the mirror. You’d never really thought of yourself as someone worthy of being desired. An odd thing to admit, but you had also never really had the luxury of having the sort of life where that would matter. The world of Jujutsu Sorcery was a fast paced one and every day could be your last, so you often found yourself discouraged from participating in things people your age did. Dating, partying, traveling…it's not like you could afford it either. The only reason you’d really ever gone out was because of Akari. She would invite you to go out to places where she could relive her delinquent youth. She was also the reason you had gone on any dates in the first place. That reminded you, you needed to text her and see when she was free to hangout. You had a lot to catch her up on. 

You walked out to your living room and sat on the couch, picking up your phone. It suddenly dawned on you that you had never gotten Nanami’s number. You seemed to remember Akari saying she gave him yours. You opened your messages and scrolled to confirm. 

Something made a noise in your kitchen. 

Your blood ran cold. Was it an intruder? A curse? Had something broken in? You slowly reached under the couch and pulled out a baseball bat. You sat up and looked towards the noise, but didn’t see anything. A cup holding your washed silverware had been knocked over. Okay…maybe it had just come unbalanced. You got up holding the bat up and slowly approached the kitchen. You cautiously made your way around the counter looking down and jumped. 

It was your neighbor's cat. 

You sighed in relief and lowered your bat. “Messi, what are you doing here?” You picked up the orange cat who meowed in return. “How have you been? It’s been a while.” He meowed again. “Really?” Meow. “I’ve been good. I met someone.” Meow. “Well he was someone I already knew.” You walked out of your apartment, cat in tow, and made your way next door. Your window had a tear in the screen and Messi had made a habit of going through it and somehow prying open your window (which didn’t lock) and wandering into your place. You didn’t mind, you had actually set up a little water bowl for him in your apartment. 

You knocked on the door. “Hi, it’s Y/N. I'm returning Messi, I haven’t been home for a couple of days, so I don’t know how long he’s been in there.” 

You heard some shuffling and suddenly an older lady opened the door. You had never seen her before. She looked at you and then at the cat. “Keep the damn thing.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Y/N?” You heard a familiar voice from behind the lady, your neighbor. She made her way to the door and you saw she was crying. She took the cat in her arms and held him close, starting to cry again. “Thank you.” 

“Is everything okay?” 

“Osuke had his second trial today and was convicted,” she said through tears. Osuke was her husband.

“That stupid lawyer, I should curse his entire family,” the old lady muttered. You had a feeling she was Osuke’s mother. 

“I’m so sorry, is there anything I can do to help?” you asked. You had known about the trial, it had been ongoing for a couple of months now. He had been arrested after being framed for a robbery. The story you had been told was that his boss had been the one to frame him. He was a bottom tier worker, and the perfect scapegoat for the crime. 

“No, thank you though,” the woman said. 

“You can take the damn cat. She’s moving out of here. After the lawyer’s fees and the loss of his income she’s moving in with me, I don’t want to take care of that thing,” the older lady said.

“I’ll take care of it, please,” the woman cried. 

The lady grumbled something else and went back inside. “Thank you for bringing him back.” She wiped her tears and offered you a hug. “We’ll be out by tomorrow, I can't afford the rent. I’m already behind on the last two months.” 

“Don’t worry about it. I hope everything works out. You have my number, call me if you need anything. Anything at all.” You smiled at her and she nodded and closed the door. 

You stood alone in the hallway. Everything was so silent. You heard the women arguing again and you sighed. You went back into your apartment, sitting on your couch again. You hoped everything would work out for them. The couple next door had been so nice. Osuke and Makiko and their cat Messi, they’d lived here longer than you had. You sighed and rubbed your temples. There really wasn’t much you could do for them.  

You reached for your phone again and went to text Akari. 

-sorry i meant to text you earlier, and then i got distracted again. messi was in my apartment and scared me to death. -when are they going to fix that damn window for you? -i don’t mind, i love that cat.  -but if he can get in so can other things, my skin is crawling just thinking about it  -someone is on the road to getting uninvited from my place.  -no way, you owe me from all the times I’ve let you crash at my place -damn…speaking of, when is your next free day? we need to hang out.  -i can do the day after tomorrow, i have a half day, does that work? -perfect, i’m also just coming in in the morning -you can tell me all about your adventures with the old man. have you said yes to being his girlfriend yet? -he hasn’t asked me yet -boooo

You started typing when you received a notification from an unknown number. 

-Did you make it home okay?- It read. You smiled.  -is this who I think it is? -Y/n it’s me, it’s Nanami Kento.  -then it is who I thought. I did make it home safe, I found my neighbor's cat in my apartment so I’m glad I came to check, they’re moving out tomorrow morning. -So you’re free now? -…yes ? -That’s good, get some rest. Have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow.

Hmm you thought he was going to ask something else. You looked at the clock. It was 7:53, earlier than you thought. I should probably get started, you thought to yourself. You pulled yourself off of the couch and went into your kitchen. You would make your dough tonight and let it proof overnight. 

Overnight proofing is the best way to make bread. 

You were shot back into a memory. 

The best things in life are worth waiting for you know. And what’s better than fresh bread? Nothing! Ask anyone that comes in tomorrow, I dare you.  

You smiled fondly as you rolled the dough into a little acorn shape before rounding it out and setting it in a glass bowl. 

As you finished up you checked the time. You had gotten done pretty quickly. You just needed the topping for the melon bread, which you could make as the oven heated up in the morning. You checked your pantry one last time for brown sugar and you realized you didn’t have any. You frowned. You’d run out for some in the morning. If you didn’t go to bed soon you weren't going to want to get up in the morning.

You sat for a moment and noticed the silence again. It’s not like it wasn’t ever quiet around here, but maybe after the events of the last four days something about being alone bothered you. It surely hadn’t before.

You moved into your bedroom and lay on the bed. You usually felt stuffy in here, that’s why you preferred to lay out on the couch, at least it seemed more of an open space compared to your bedroom. But now it felt nice. You felt safe. 

You stared at your ceiling. “Maybe I should call him,” you said out loud to yourself. You closed your eyes and imagined his smile. The way his perfect teeth shone, the way his nose crinkled a bit when the corners of his mouth lifted, his lips on yours. You swallowed and opened your eyes. If you let your mind wander any longer you’d be in trouble. You groaned in frustration. You missed him, how pathetic. You had always been one to make fun of how quickly people in your field tended to get together, but here you were. 

You heard your neighbor and her mother in law faintly arguing through the walls. You frowned trying to think if there was really nothing you could do. 

You had too much “compassion”, you had been told by one of the old professors at Jujutsu Tech. There’s no way to save everyone and to try is to doom yourself. You scowled as you remembered what he had said to you. The arguing died down and you hoped to yourself they worked it out. At least they had each other going through this. Things were tense now but hopefully they’d adjust. You made a note to check in on them tomorrow. You went to set your alarm when you remembered Shoko had wanted you to stop by her office early in the morning. You groaned and set your alarm for earlier than you had intended. Nanami said he’d be by around 7, it would have to be a quick breakfast as you wanted to get to the school by 8, you hoped he didn’t mind. You finally drifted to sleep. 

You groaned as your alarm woke you up, but you quickly sat up and went to wash your face. You needed to split the dough, and lay the cookie topping over it and let it proof for another 30 minutes at least. You could run out to your corner store while they sat and you preheated the oven. 

As you opened the door to exit, you almost tripped on a pile of items placed in front of your place. Cat toys, a litter box, cans of cat food, a small bed, and a note. 

Messi got out again last night and I’m afraid we just don’t have time to look for him. I think he’s better off with you anyway. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. If it’s too much I've contacted a shelter that would take him. Here is the number. 

You frowned a bit. You loved Messi but you didn’t want a cat. You dragged the items into your apartment and quickly went out the door. You’d deal with this later, you were already running behind.

As you stepped back into the hall, winded and trying to catch your breath after returning and climbing the seven floors, you looked up to see a man in a suit knocking on your neighbors door. This wasn’t your man in a suit, quite the opposite. 

You approached him cautiously. He had jet black hair, his suit was dark, and he reeked of alcohol. 

“Please, just let me apologize- I did all I could. I won’t charge ya any money, just please, I’m sorry.” He stumbled as he continued to knock. You were going to have to get past him to get to your door. There was no avoiding him. 

“Excuse me,” you said, announcing yourself behind him. The man turned to look at you. His eyes were tired and sleepy, he had deep bags under his eyes and his sharp nose was red. He was definitely drunk. “If you’re looking for the residents, they’ve moved out.” 

“What?” 

“They’ve moved out, what did you need to tell them?” you asked.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“You’re sorry?” 

“I need to apologize to them. Osuke was jailed. It’s not fair. The whole system is corrupt. I should-” 

“Were you their lawyer?” you asked. 

“Yes,” he turned back and started pounding on the door again. “Please let me speak to you!” 

“Tell him to stop that before I call the police!” an old man from down the hall had stuck his head out of his door to yell. 

“Sir, no one is in there. You have to go, it’s too early to be causing such a ruckus,” you said. 

“I need to apologize,” he whined. You noticed a buzzing coming from his pocket, his phone was ringing. 

“Do you need to get that?” you asked. 

He pulled the phone out of his pocket and handed it to you before turning back to the door. The caller ID said Shimizu. You grabbed the man's shoulder and pulled him away from the door as you answered with your other hand. 

“Hello?” 

“Yes, hello… is this Higuruma’s cellphone? Who’s speaking?” A woman spoke on the other end. 

“Ah, he just handed me his phone. He’s very drunk and knocking at someone- I think maybe one of his clients' doors.” 

You heard her curse, “Would you be able to tell me where he is? I apologize for the disturbance, I’ll come by to get him as soon as I know where to go.” 

“Ah, yes-” he pulled himself from your grip and started going towards the door again. “Sir-” 

“There is no justice!” he cried out. 

You stared at him a bit shocked, what was he on about? You told the woman your address. 

“I can be there in around 25 minutes. Would there be any way you could keep him put? I apologize again for the inconvenience.” 

“I’ll try my best…” you looked at the man as he collapsed onto his knees, staring forward at the door. You walked over to him and handed him his phone. “Shimizu is on her way to get you,” you said. He just stared. You looked at your apartment and sighed. “Would you like to wait for her inside?” You pulled the man up to his feet and unlocked your apartment. You held the door open as he stumbled inside. You reached inside and grabbed a couple of cans of cat food to hold your door open. The last thing you wanted was for Nanami to get the wrong idea.

Once inside you rushed over to your kitchen to check on the bread. The man walked around not looking at anything in particular, but just moping. “Have a seat,” you motioned to the small table and chairs. He sat down and you turned back to your baking, unpacking the sugar you had just bought. You quickly grabbed a plate and spread the sugar, then you rolled the diamond patterned tops in the sugar. You placed the six little buns you had made back on the baking sheet. The oven still had a couple of minutes before it was ready. 

You turned back to the man and were shocked to find him staring at you. “You just let a strange drunk man into your apartment, while alone?” 

“I left the door open…” you muttered. “Besides, I think I could take you in a fight. I’ve dealt with worse.” He gave you a questioning look. “Would you like some water? Some tea? Coffee?”

“Water.” You poured him a glass and walked it over to him. He began rubbing his temples with his hand. He seemed to be sobering up quickly. You grabbed a couple of crackers from your shelf and handed them to him too. 

“Eat something, get a grip before your friend comes to get you.” 

You heard the oven ding and you walked over to put the pasties in the oven. You set a timer for twenty minutes. Looking at the clock you had about 30 until Nanami showed up, probably less since he seemed to be pretty punctual. You turned back to the man and saw he had chugged the water and was gingerly taking a bite out of the crackers. You started cleaning up the kitchen, putting the bowls in the sink and clearing off your small drying rack. 

“Who is coming to get me?” he asked.

“Ah, your friend, I think her name was Shimizu,” you answered. He muttered something under his breath. “More water?” you asked. 

He nodded. You went over with a pitcher and filled his cup, this time sitting down across from him. “Thank you,” he said quietly. 

“So…there’s no justice in the world, huh?” You asked. He frowned. “I don’t think that’s something I’d want to hear from my lawyer,” you eyed him curiously. 

“I apologize for my outburst.” 

“No, no I understand. From what I know Osuke was innocent. It must be frustrating to lose a case, especially when what happened was so unfair.” You thought back to the old woman grumbling about the lawyer. “That old lady was very angry, I can’t imagine that’s easy on you.” 

His hand gripped the cup tightly. “People have no sense of understanding right or wrong. Everything is so black and white to them. But there are so many complications before you can see one or the other clearly.” He stared at the cup. “Most only see the bad, the ugly, that’s the easiest thing to pick out, the easiest to understand. I think most people assume that others are inherently bad, so expecting bad things to come from them is second nature.” You stayed silent as he contemplated his words. “It doesn’t help when your client looks like a bad guy, it’s an uphill battle, but I try I really do.”

He sighed, taking a drink of water before continuing. “ If I lose a case, it's easy to blame me. I'm much more tangible than blaming some higher power for not being in your favor. No one wants to believe that I do this out of a want to help others, they see me as wanting money, as taking advantage of those in dire situations. They only ever see me as greedy when I lose. Another bad guy. I want to help, but when it comes down to it, who am I to a jury, to a judge? I’m another bad person, defending a bad person who did a bad deed. They think if they were truly innocent I wouldn’t have to work as hard, I wouldn’t have to find such cunning ways to prove their innocence, but I try. Not out of trickery or malice, but because I want to believe that not everyone is bad. But again and again people only see me as a bad guy defending bad people, and I'm afraid I'm losing sight of what this all used to mean to me.”   

You looked at the cup he was holding. “I see…” you thought about everything he had just said. You thought a part of him was just feeling sorry for himself, but other points he made were valid. There was a time when you thought everyone in the world might have been bad too. “When I was sixteen…I left my home because of an incident,” you started. “I was alone and scared and I thought that it had happened to me because I was bad.” You frowned slightly as you recalled the events. “And because I thought I was bad, I justified a lot of the things I did. I snuck onto buses and trains to get to Tokyo, away from where I was because I didn’t feel like I deserved to be there, I didn’t deserve to be close to my family. And I stole…a lot…not big things, not precious things, food mostly. I was hungry and had no place to stay and I saw others do it…and so I became ‘bad’. I became what I thought I was, what I believed the world wanted me to be.” You looked up at him, he was staring at you trying to figure out where you were going with this. “But then I met someone, someone who was good, someone who only ever saw the good in people no matter what and that…changed me.” 

“Who did you meet?” he asked. 

“I went to a bakery,” you smiled fondly and looked down at your hands on the table. “I had known about it since I arrived in Tokyo, the line was always out of the door by 7 am, but I had never had the chance to go in. I mean, I never even had the money for it and the owner, she was this sweet old lady and even though I was already stealing food from other places, I felt like if I stole from her I would be too far gone. 

But as it goes, the more I stole, the more I felt entitled to, and after a month of fighting it, I finally gave in and made a plan.” You shifted in your seat, you had never told anyone this story. “I made a plan, and woke up early, to be one of the first in line. I was sixth or seventh outside the door, and when I finally got to go in I felt like crying, it smelled so good and it was so warm. She greeted everyone with such kindness and it was just her that day. I had seen a granddaughter with her before, but this morning it was just the lady. 

“I pretended to look around, considering what to buy. I let people go in and out before I finally decided on a single piece of Melon bread, delicately wrapped in plastic. It was the most beautiful thing I think I’d ever seen. I grabbed the piece and tucked it under my arm and started heading towards the door. I turned to check if anyone had seen me and I saw her staring at me.” You laughed and shook your head. “She was just staring at me and her eyes went to the piece of bread I had tucked under my arm and you know what she did?” You looked up at him. “She looked back into my eyes, smiling the whole time, and said to come back soon. I ran out of there, terrified for my life. I thought she was going to call the cops, but there was something about her smile that just seemed so genuine. 

I think I got about ten steps down the road before I stopped. The guilt was too much, I felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t deserve to have something so nice. I was bad, and I had done a bad thing.” You scrunched your nose. “I went back immediately. I pushed past the people in line and went right up to her and I handed her the bread back. She looked at me confused and just shook her head. ‘You can have it, it’s your first time here right? Take a seat, let me know what you think of it.’” You laughed and covered your face with your hands. “I sat down and just cried while I ate it. I bawled, like people stared at me out of concern.” The lawyer stared at you. “When I finished she came up to me and asked how it was. I started apologizing profusely and she just handed me another one, and asked if I’d like to learn how to make my own,” you shook your head incredulously. 

“She offered me a job and a place to stay. I still don’t understand how she was able to see right through me.” You heard the timer go off and you shot up to get the bread out of the oven. You smiled as you saw how perfectly the six little buns had crisped up. You transferred them over to a plate and grabbed one for the lawyer. You placed it in front of him. “There are bad people out there, but there are also good people. There has to be a natural balance otherwise everything would fall apart, don’t you think?” You looked at him as he stared at the pastry before him. “I can see that you really care about your clients. Even if this was a bit inappropriate to do, drunkenly asking to speak to them and all, but the right sentiment is there.” He pressed his lips together into a thin line. “The world needs more people that are willing to look past everything and find the good. I hope you can keep doing that.” 

You heard laughter from the hallway and looked over the lawyer’s shoulder at the open door to see Nanami and a sharply dressed woman stepping out of the stairway. The woman suddenly looked at you and then at the lawyer. “Higuruma!” She quickened her step towards your place. Nanami followed behind her. “Pardon my intrusion,” she said as she entered. She stomped up to the man checking on him before turning to you. She bowed slightly. “I apologize for his behavior. This is completely out of character for him, I don’t know what he’s thinking. I’m sorry-” 

“It’s okay, he explained some of what’s been going on. Do you work with him?” 

“Yes, my name is Shimizu, I’m a colleague of his, I’m also a lawyer.” 

“I’m Y/N, sorry we have to meet like this.” You turned your attention to Nanami who was staring at the man. “Sorry our breakfast plans got thrown around a little.” 

Shimizu turned towards Nanami and then back to you. “Ah, I see...” She smiled at you. “I’ll take over now, thank you again for your help. Here’s my business card, let me know if there’s ever anything you need.” You took her card and smiled. Fancy, you thought to yourself.

“Wait,” Higuruma said. “Have my card too,” he felt around his pockets for them but couldn’t find anything. 

“Don’t tell me you lost your wallet,” Shimuzu said, annoyed. She pulled out another card and handed it to you. “Here’s his card as well.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Thank you for listening to me…” Higuruma looked like he was trying to remember your name.

“Y/N,” you repeated. 

He smiled at you. “Wait!” he said again as Shimuzu started pushing him out. “My melon bread…” he muttered, turning back and grabbing it off the plate. Shimuzu sighed and continued to push him out. 

You watched the two bicker as they went down the hall and into the staircase. You became aware of Nanami’s eyes on you. You reached down to move the cat food out of the door frame and let the door shut. “If I ever got called to fetch you out of some stranger’s apartment after you had a drunken night out, I don’t think I’d be as calm as she was,” you said. You turned back to him after he hadn’t said anything. “I hope you’re not getting the wrong idea. I helped him out and we just talked.” You frowned. “I feel like saying that makes me seem more guilty, but I don’t even know why I’m defending myself here.” You turned to him and stared for a bit. “Are you mad at me?” 

His eyebrows furrowed. “No?” 

“Oh.” You turned back towards the door. “You were just being so quiet…I mean I heard you guys laughing…the lawyer lady, Shimizu. She was really pretty. She looked so professional..” You smiled half heartedly. “You looked good together.” You muttered. You frowned as you realized how ridiculous you sounded. “Anyway…” you turned towards the kitchen and started walking to the counter. “I made some pastries this morning. It’s not much, but we’ll also have to be quick because I forgot I promised Shoko I’d meet her early. So I only have time to change and then we probably need to head out. Sorry for rushing things.” you frowned again. “I should have told you to stop by earlier, but I got a little distracted.” 

“Are you jealous?” 

“M-me?” You felt your face grow red. “No-no I’m not- why would you- why would you think that?” you laughed awkwardly. “I was just saying she’s super pretty and I’d just never heard someone laugh with you like that before I mean other than me- but I mean I guess I don’t really know you-I mean I know you but not like I know you now- and she’s-I mean she’s super pretty you have to admit-“ 

“I wasn’t a fan of the way he asked for your name at the end of your conversation,” he said looking down at his wrist and fiddling with his watch. “I know that look he gave you… I’ve given you that look.” 

You smiled and felt relief. “Seems like we’re on the same boat.” You shook your head and went over to him, looking up with a playful frown. “Was she really that funny?” 

“She was the only one laughing, I don’t think anything I said was particularly interesting.” 

You thought back at the way her eyes had turned from you to him and back to you. Oh I see, she had said. “She was into you,” you wrapped your arms around him. “I’ve done that before, laughed like an idiot at someone who’s not funny because I thought they were hot.” 

“Have you done that with me?” He asked. 

“No, you’re actually funny. It’s never forced with you.” You looked up at him again. “It’s your fault, you’re so handsome. We have to do something about your face.” 

“Well then, what do you suggest we do about yours?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“He was quite taken with you.” 

You made a face and shook your head. “Men will rant about their problems to you and then think they’re in love just because you listened.” 

“Did he rant about his problems? His alcoholism? His brutishness? What was he thinking coming into someone’s apartment in that state? He’s lucky he didn’t-“ 

“He was having a rough time of it actually. I do feel a bit bad.” You turned back to look at the door and then the cat items. “He was my neighbor’s lawyer. They’re a young couple, the husband was arrested on some unfair charges and he seemed devastated by the outcome.” 

“That’s not very professional.” 

You shrugged. “I think it’s been a long time coming. Hopefully my pep talk keeps him back on track for a while longer, but I have a feeling he’s going to snap one day,” you said darkly. “There was something unhinged in his eyes.” 

Nanami pulled you back and hugged you tightly again as you buried your face back into his chest. He smelled nice. 

“Speaking of my neighbors. Do you like cats?” 

“I don’t dislike them.” You nodded, backing out of his arms. “Why?” 

“They left me in charge of their cat, Messi. Well not left me in charge, it’s more like they gave him to me. They left me all his stuff, he got out of their place yesterday before they left and somehow he always ends up at my place.” 

“How does he get in?” 

“Oh I guess I should show you around my apartment. Though there isn’t much to look at.” You ran a hand through your hair as you looked around. You pointed at where he was standing, next to the table. “Dining room, living room, kitchen, bathroom door, bedroom door, ta da!” You smiled cheekily as you pointed back where you started. “Bet that’s the fastest you’ve ever had a house tour, huh.” He looked around slowly, taking in the frames on the wall, the knick knacks on your shelves and the books piled all over the place, stacked not so neatly. “It’s- it’s really not much but it’s home,” you said feeling a little insecure again. Maybe you should have cleaned more. 

“It’s lovely,” he said. “It feels very much like you.” 

“Thanks…” you said. Your eyes went to the clock in your kitchen and you perked up. “Oh wow, is that the time…” 

“May I see your bedroom?” He asked. You felt your face go red again. 

“Oh, sure,” you started walking towards it. “I need to change anyway, hope you don’t mind.” 

“Never.” You felt the blush grow and your stomach get tingly. 

You opened the door and gestured briefly. “This is it, again it's not much... I think the bed is too big for this space, but it’s comfortable.” you went around to your closet pulling out a pair of black slacks and a white button down. You laughed to yourself. “That pink frosting was not coming off of my shirt. That’s two shirts you owe me, Kento.” 

“I’ll have to make it up to you,” he said as he looked around the room. “What about this weekend? Are you free? I could take you shopping.” 

You laughed again, “You’re like the main lead in a drama series. You’re too much, you know that?” 

“Sorry?” He offered. 

You smiled at him.“Thank you, but I’ll take a rain check on the shopping. I can get my own stuff. I’m hanging out with Akari on my half day, but Sunday I’ll be free,” you said as you buttoned your pants. “That is if you want to meet up on Sunday… if you’ve available.” 

You turned to him and saw him blush this time. “Sunday…works.” You smiled victoriously as you walked over to him in just your bra. He stared at your face and you nodded briefly as if to give him permission to look. His eyes trailed down. “It’s a shame we have to hurry to campus. Are you sure Shoko can’t wait.” 

“She’s doing me a favor by offering to teach me, I can’t do that to her,” you said. He placed his hands on your hips and pulled you forward. You looked up expectantly and he planted a soft kiss on your lips. You smiled. 

You finished getting dressed and you felt his eyes never leave you as you moved around. He walked behind you out of the room and into the kitchen where you proudly showed him the bread you had made. 

“This is a very secret recipe, I doubt you’ll ever have one as good as this.” He looked down at the bread and smiled fondly. He picked up one of the little buns and slowly bit into it. You watched his face carefully for a reaction. You saw his eyes water slightly as he savored the treat. 

He smiled and nodded. “Good.” 

You were a bit confused. “Yeah…you okay?” He seemed to be lost in thought. “Kento?” 

He smiled again and blinked a few times. “Yes, sorry, it brought up some memories. This is very good, Y/N.” 

You smiled, deciding to not push it. “I worked at a bakery for a short time.” You looked at the buns. “They're good but you should have tried the ones where I learned… I guess people are masters for a reason.” He nodded and continued to eat. 

“Did you want coffee or-” Suddenly your phone rang. You pulled it out of your pocket and read the name, Shoko. 

“Hello?” you answered. 

“Hey, Y/N. I’ve been called out to do something so I won't be at the school this morning. Is there any way you could come in during your lunch?” 

“I think that should work,” you said. Nanami looked at you curiously. 

“Great, see you then.” 

“Ooo~ is that Y/N?’ you heard Gojo’s voice in the background before she hung up. 

You looked at your phone and then back up at Nanami. “So it looks like we have time after all, Shoko just rescheduled.” You sighed and leaned against the counter. “Sorry for rushing you before. Did you want some coffee or anything? I need a little pick me up.” 

He shook his head, “Sit down, you’ve had a long morning. Do you mind if I make us some coffee?” 

“I can make it for you, it's no problem-”

“I insist. It’s the least I can do,” he said with a smile. You smiled back and nodded. 

“Fine, let me atleast get the ingredients out for you.” 

“I’m sure I can find what I need,” he said, gesturing for you to go sit at the table.

You obliged and sat down with a happy sigh. You watched as he moved around the kitchen, looking for ingredients. The coffee, the sugar, etc. You smiled as he grumbled to himself as he searched for items and he would occasionally look over at you for some guidance. You pointed at your cup drawer and he looked over at you as he pulled out two mugs. He held one in his hand and read the text. 

He frowned. “I used to work at this company,” he said. 

“Ah, I got it as a freebie after signing up for their newsletter or something like that, I don't remember now.” You laughed, “I wonder if you were at that event. It must have been around the time you worked there. Before I had this apartment I used to rent one close to their headquarters, so I would walk by almost daily. We were so close and had no idea.” 

Nanami smiled, bringing over two cups of coffee and the tray of bread. “I don’t think you would have liked me then.” 

“What do you mean?” You took the warm cup from him. 

He sighed as he sat, “I feel as if I was a soulless shell of a man focused on money”

“Was?” you teased. 

He gave you a look, “Am I still?” You blew on your cup and smiled slyly. He smiled, “I guess I am still focused on money, but soulless?”

“Definitely not, I can tell by the way you made this coffee,” you said, taking a sip. He shook his head and looked down at his cup. He had taken the one with his old company logo. 

“Would you have liked me?” He mumbled. 

“Probably not, if I’m honest,” you said bluntly. You smiled, “I hate stiffs in suits and I don’t have much money so I doubt you’d have given me the time of day anyway.” 

“Stiffs in suits? Isn’t that what I am now?” 

“At least you’re helping people, now. That company always had a fishy vibe, there was always a tan blonde man in sunglasses who would try to pick me up with bad English phrases.” You scrunched your face. “Sound like someone you know?” 

He laughed. “Unfortunately I know who you’re referring to.”

The two of you finished up your breakfast and Nanami offered to do the dishes while you tidied up. You wiped down your counters as he rinsed the cups. You moved on to the table. 

Laying on the table were the two business cards the lawyer had handed you. You examined the sturdy ivory rectangle and the elegant gold lettering of the man’s business card. Hiromi Higuruma, it sounded like a name out of a tv show. You looked up and saw Nanami staring at the card in your hand with disdain. You smiled, laughing a bit at his expression. 

“Here,” you reached out and handed him the card. “Hold on to this for me, you never know when I might need a lawyer.” 

He begrudgingly took the card and scanned the writing, the scowl still on his face. “I’ll keep you out of trouble.” He tucked the card into his pocket. 

“Did he really bother you that much?” 

“Please, enough about him,” he said with a sigh.

“I kind of like that you’re jealous,” you teased. “Anyway, what are you so worried about?” You reached out and put a hand on his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.” You felt his cheek grow warm as a blush came over his face.

Nanami looked down at his watch, he seemed to be calculating something in his head. “We have about thirty minutes until we have to leave right?”

“Yeah, why?” 

He suddenly moved closer to you, putting his hand on either side of the table around your waist. “Should we make use of our morning?”He gave you a cocky smirk as he gently moved one of his hands under your chin, tilting your face upwards.

You felt your face burning now. “What can we even do in only half an hour” 

He tilted his head as he thought. “Well we really only have twenty minutes,  I would allow us another ten to compose ourselves.”

“Do you think that’s enough?” you asked, laughing. 

He shrugged as he brought his face closer to yours. “We can make it work.” He closed the distance between you, delicately placing his lips on yours. He was so warm, so soft. You pulled him closer, placing your hand on the back of his head and lacing your fingers within his silky blonde locks. His lips moved softly against yours, his hand gently placed on your back as he settled himself between your legs. You pulled back for a second and looked up at him. His lips were glistening with your mixed saliva and face was flush. You smiled. 

“Seeing as I haven’t really had the time to do laundry, and the fact that I’m down a couple of shirts, and that we have a record of being…messy. I propose we move this to my bedroom.” 

He smiled and nodded. He placed another soft kiss on your lips before backing up to let you move forward away from the table. 

“I’ll try to not let it become a habit.” 

“What?”

“Ruining your shirts.” 

“To be fair you only ruined two, the other one was that monster.” You shrugged, “Some things are just inevitable.” You turned towards him once you were in your room and started unbuttoning your shirt. “Should we set a timer?” you joked. 

Nanami set his blazer aside and loosened his tie. “We can be quick about it. We made do in that bathroom.” 

You felt your cheeks go red, “Oh my god,” you buried your face in your hands and sat on the bed. You heard him chuckle and you looked up. He placed a hand down onto your cheek and you smiled at him. He slowly lowered his face down towards you and kissed your forehead. He pushed you onto your back as he finished unbuttoning his shirt. You shifted your weight as you reached down to pull your pants down. You slipped them off of your legs and suddenly felt him grab your right ankle. He smiled coyly as he placed it up onto his shoulders, you felt your face go red as you looked at him. He held your leg firmly as he lazily unbuttoned his pants and shuffled them down to expose himself. You felt your heartbeat quicken as he moved forward and ran his cock over your underwear. He moved forward, placing his knees on the bed as he brought your legs up onto his thighs. He picked up your left leg and pressed it against his side as he moved forward to kiss you. You groaned as you felt your right thigh stretch against his chest. You moved one of your hands onto his shoulder and the other laced into his hair bringing him closer. Your tongues danced as you desperately kissed him. He continued to buck his hips, running his cock over your now soaked panties. He grunted at the friction and quickly moved back suddenly. You whimpered again as your leg moved back up with him. He let go of your left leg and moved it over opening your legs wide before him. He looked up at you, his pupils wide and his mouth wet with your spit. He swallowed hard as his eyes trailed down your body. “Y/N…I don’t know how to explain what you do to me…” He licked his lips as he thrust his hips forward against your clothed cunt. “I apologize in advance if I’m being too rough.” He looked back up at you. “Please let me know if I’m too rough..” He moved a hand down and pushed aside the wet fabric easily. 

He pressed his tip lightly against your opening. You moved a hand forward and pressed it against his abdomen stopping him momentarily. “Kento…” 

His head snapped up to meet your eyes. “Yes?”

There was a desperation in his gaze that made you feel a warmth in your chest. “It’s okay.” You moved your hand back and lifted your arms over your head. “Be rough with me, please…” you moaned and arched your back as you felt him dip a little deeper inside you. 

Nanami quickly grabbed your other leg and pressed it back against you as he moved forward and buried himself deep inside of you. You let out a yelp, which was muffled by him devouring your lips. He pushed his hips roughly against you, desperately, quickly, as he held your legs further back. You were folded over yourself and you felt the head of his cock bully the deepest parts of you. You gasped everytime he pushed into you, becoming a mumbling mess under his touch. He slipped an arm behind you and brought you closer to him and you gasped at the change in position. He had you trapped in a mating press and all you could do was mutter incoherently. “Kento!” you cried, tears forming in your eyes from the pleasure. He moved his mouth from your lips and trailed sloppy kisses down to your jaw and into your neck. You felt him bite your skin gently before latching onto the side of your neck. He was going to leave a mark, you were sure. You moved your arms forward and hugged his large torso towering over you. He wasn’t slowing down and you were reaching your limit. You dug your nails into his back and you heard him hiss as he released your neck. He smiled snarkily before moving to the other side of your neck and biting down on it. You dragged your nails along his back again and he bit down harder. You cried out as he desperately moved his hips with more force, his knees slipping and forcing him deeper as he temporarily let his weight drop on you for an instant. You moaned loudly and clenched your entire body as you came. He grunted into your ear as he thrust his hips one more time before releasing with a roar. 

You were both breathing heavily as he stayed inside of you for a while longer, twitching against your contracting walls. He kissed your face gently as he tried to catch his breath and you smiled, closing your eyes and enjoying the feeling. After some time he finally moved back, releasing your legs which had been trapped between the two of you. He took a moment to massage your thighs in his hands. You hummed in appreciation. 

You felt him move back and pull out of you. You winced as you felt warm liquid ooze out of you. You pointed to your bedside table and he quickly fetched a handkerchief to clean you up. 

“I might have gotten carried away again.” 

You laughed and sat up sorely. “It's only 8 am.” You mumbled. He smiled at you and you saw his eyes trail to your neck. You put a hand over the spots he had leeched on to. He smiled satisfied as he made his way off the bed. 

“I’m going to take a quick shower…would you like to join me?” You nodded and scooted off of the bed. You looked at him as he turned his back towards you and winced. He turned to look. “What? Is something wrong?” 

“Your back,” you said with a frown. “I didn’t realize how hard I was scratching.” 

He peeked over his shoulder at the sharp red lines. “Nothing you can’t fix,” he said. He went over to you and scooped you up in his arms. 

After your quick shower together you went back into your bedroom to get dressed. You looked in the mirror at your body. He had left a mark at the base of your neck, just low enough to be covered by the collar of your shirt. You looked at his reflection in the mirror and saw he was staring with a smile on his face. “I might have been caught up in the moment, but I made sure I was careful.” 

You smiled back and looked at the mark again. You looked back up at him. “This…this doesn’t have anything to do with you being jealous does it?” 

He blinked and you saw his eyebrows furrow slightly. “No,” he huffed, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeve.. “Why would you- No, I’m not-”

You laughed. “Sorry, I had to tease. I love when you get flustered.”

He sighed and came up behind you, leaning down to rest his chin on your shoulder. “Do you have the lady lawyer’s card? What was her name? Shimizu? I think I should hold on to her card as well.” 

You frowned and leaned your head into his. “I knew it. You’re leaving me for her.” 

He laughed and wrapped his arms around you bringing you closer to him. He buried his face into your neck and took a deep breath. He pressed a kiss into your shoulder before moving up to kiss your cheek. “We should get going.” 

You turned to look at him. “Okay.” He took your hands and lifted them to his lips to give them a gentle kiss. 

“Make sure Shoko doesn’t go too far, she has a habit of getting carried away…”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

pt 1.  pt 2. pt 3. pt 4. pt 5.

˚₊✩‧₊thank you for reading my way too overly complicated fic, i have so much planned and its all really self indulgent but I'm glad I can share it with other nanami lovers. i'll try to be better about posting the next part without a three month ghosting period, but in my defense the end of 2024 was out to get me....anyway much love to you all and as always if you saw a typo, no you didn't -Nana

˚₊✩‧₊ taglist: @wrldtups @rjreins @phattyboo90 @tnyblacklesbo @silkija @justwantedachange @inthedarkshadows000 @nniiyyaa @starkmila09 @sikuthealien @wifenanami @bloombb @kentos-glasses @inciteterr0r @naturalismi @kimkimoruo @thatvintagefanboy @lavenderdaydream97

[enjisbf]

fairy lights & illusions

Chap. 2 : tea and biscuits

° Pairing: pornstar!John Price x inexperienced!fem!reader

word count: 5k words (actually 4 9696 but whatever)

summary: Meet cute but you actually already met lol

warnings: lovefools being in love but one is in denial :p

author's notes: Hello, hello, hello !!! Apologies for the delays, fellas and non fellas. I fear that I have been hit by the ao3 author curse lol :p Now, do not be afraid, I've already started chapter 3 and hopefully, the wait would be shorter lol. Can't promise anything, though :p I HOPE YOU ENJOY !!!! Thank you so much for the lovely words, you guys don't understand just how much they brightened my days <333333 This is so nerve wracking. I am sure that I am going to find mispells and mistakes in a few days, hope they're not too bad lol. Don't hesitate to tell if you find a real bad one o7 Did not proof read this, didn't even check with a spelling thingie thing program. I am raw dogging this :3c Okay, I'll stop yapping. ENJOY <33333333333333

⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╯╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╯╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅─

He couldn’t get you out of his mind. It had been a week since the release of the video, and a week and a half since he last saw you. However, he remembers your softness, from your lips to your gaze, as if it had only been since yesterday. What’s more, the fans couldn’t quite forget you either, based on the comments they were leaving. From his private channel to his public one, the viewers were overjoyed with this softer version of the ‘Capt’n’. They loved how he would hold your hand every time you came, or how gentle and full of affection the aftercare was. Fuck, what a good girl you had been for him.  

His team was equally as happy to see that the fans loved this version of John. So much so, that they advised him to contact you to see if you were up to film more videos with him. Of course, he immediately agreed. To please his fans, of course. Ah, who was he kidding? He couldn’t lie to himself. He had felt the capture of his heart by your softness, the second you had introduced yourself. 

Shaking himself from thoughts of your sweet smile and even sweeter nectar, John sets on walking to his destination. Some days ago, Kyle had recommended this coffee place not far from the studio. The Capt’n trusted the man’s recommendation and was sure that he could find his happiness there. As John entered the place, he checked the lads’ orders again. Kyle wanted guava leaf tea with some milk, Simon’s order was a peculiar one and Johnny wanted a double shot espresso.  

He looked around as he waited in line for his turn, and he had to admit that the place felt very cozy. The sunrays streaming through the windows provided a comfortable vibe to the place, and the many plants adorning the place made it livelier. As he waited, he texted the boys that the shop was a bit busy, and that he would probably be back in 15. When it was his turn to order, he noticed in the corner of his eyes, a silhouette that he was familiar with, for it had been haunting his mind for days. As if his body was a planet and you his sun, he felt himself gravitating towards you. When his order was done, and he hoped he made sense to the worker, instead of finding a place to sit, John was approaching you. When he deemed that he was at a good distance, he greeted you in joy by calling your name.  

As your head turned at the sound of your name, John’s eyes were given the privilege to gaze into yours again. He might have watched your video plenty of times, but nothing could compare to having you in front of him. Breathing, within reach and possible to gravitate towards. Surprise quickly painted your face before it was covered by happiness.  

“John! It’s so nice to see you here!” 

“That it is, poppy! I am glad I ran into you! Was just thinking about sending you a message to meet up, pet.”  

If John possessed the powers of reading into minds, he would see you screaming into yours because he thought of you??? He was glad to run into you??? Okay, you had to calm down before melting from happiness right in front of his eyes. You took a subtle deep breath, or at least you hoped it was subtle, before meeting his beautiful eyes again. The both of you were sporting lovesick smiles, happy to finally be in each other’s orbit once more. Checking your watch, you noticed that it was close to your break time. You told him so just before his name was called out to take his order. With a charming smile still on his lips, he pointed to a vacant table with his thumb.  

“Perfect, may I give you company during your break?” So, what if your heart skipped a beat foolishly at the beauty of this man? Only you would know of it and so with a dazzling smile you accepted his invitation. It didn’t matter that you would never have a tangible relationship with this man. You will take whatever you get. As he carried his order with him, he walked the both of you to the table. His other hand itching to hover at your backside. He couldn’t. Not yet. He had to wait. He had to show patience and while he was known by the lads for his cool. You made him feel differently. However, ever the gentleman, he made sure to pull out your chair for you before sitting down himself.  

“How ‘ave you been, poppy?”  

“Ah, you know, quite sore but I wouldn’t dare complain about it!”  

“Yeah? Would apologise to ya, but I enjoyed it too much.” Was said with a cheeky wink on his part. You hummed in confirmation at his words before speaking once more.  

“That and ever since the video has been posted... Well, let’s just say that the toy really does not compare to the real deal.” It was your turn to send him a sly wink. Although, in his eyes, with your cheeks all flushed and your wink, he was just left in complete awe at your beauty and cuteness. He was also left with his dick slowly hardening in his pants. His jaw clenched, his head tilting a bit as he tried to readjust himself in his pants.   

“Jesus, pet, I’m already struggling as it is to keep my hands to myself.” With his legs spread wider underneath the table and his hands placed above, he leaned closer to your space before speaking in a lower tone. “Unless ya want me to bend you over this table and show all the patrons and your coworkers just how badly I’ve missed you, hm?”  

Well, play with fire and get burnt because you were also adjusting yourself underneath the table now. Thighs rubbing together to relieve the pulse growing stronger between your legs. Of course, the motion didn’t go left unnoticed by the bear of a man. Now, it was your turn to lean in his space, his pull on you being too strong to ignore.  

“Hm, what did you want to meet up for anyway?”  

“Ah yes! Well, don’t know if you saw but the viewers were very pleased by our video.” He paused to look at you in confirmation. However, instead of seeing your sweet smile or flushed cheeks, you had leaned back from him with a small pout on your face. Fuck, he hated to see that look on your face. His hands itched to connect with yours, to give you some reassurance, to have the both of you in your own world once more. “What’s that look for, pet?” He couldn’t help himself. As he saw how you were slowly retreating to your own space, he leaned as far as the table let him, his pinkie reaching out to touch you. As he finally allowed himself to have some contact with you, he felt himself breathing easier. At the touch, you allowed yourself to look into his eyes once more, and his heart broke a bit at your dejected look.  

“I didn’t- I didn’t see those kinds of comments when I gathered up the courage to check on what your fans thought.”  

The anger that curled around his ribs at your words was pushed to the side as he looked at you. Your frown deepening and your eyes slowly being filled with tears. He turned his hand upward near your own, trying to communicate that he was there for you. Your eyes quickly looked at his hand before looking back down at your lap. Fuck, this had been going so well and now you were close to crying. Try as he might, he couldn’t leave you with thoughts of yourself like that, and just as he was about to speak, your name was being called.  

You looked at your coworker who looked stressed as more clients entered the café. This was just the beginning of rush hour. You nodded to confirm that you will wrap this conversation up. Before getting up from your seat, you set your watery eyes on John. “I’m sorry, John. Work’s calling.” Just as you were about to escape from the harsh reality you were reminded of, Price gently grabbed your forearm. The grip was firm, and you knew that if you wanted to, you could escape his hold, but did you?  

“Poppy, please.” Whatever that was going to leave your mouth was cut off by your coworker once more. John felt his impatience creeping up on him. His jaw clenched; his nails dug in his free palm as he set his eyes on whoever called you. The hard set of eyes met those of the unfortunate soul. Which was plenty enough for them to quickly look away from the both of you. As he looked back at you, his jaw and hand unclenched. He called your name when you wouldn’t meet his eyes, moving his head in whatever direction your eyes stubbornly followed. His hands found themselves on your biceps, softly squeezing the muscle and fat. Blood and bones underneath his hands, after wishing to hold you for so long, you were finally in his grasp. “I won’t be able to continue on with my day if we part in such ways.” As your eyes finally his, the noises around you were reduced to a slight buzz. “I know we have neither the time nor privacy to talk more about this, but would you be willing to continue this conversation somewhere else?”  

After some seconds of hesitation, you agreed with a nod. Of course, you would listen and agree, you were his good girl after all. He made sure to voice those thoughts and the small quirk of your lips was enough to please him. For now.  

“I really have to go now, John. Just text me the address, alright?” 

“Alright, sweets. Take care of yourself and I’ll see you soon.”  

“I will. See you soon, John.”  

However, instead of letting go, instead of escaping his hold, the both of you stayed in each other’s orbit. Not willing to separate after being apart, even if it had been for a short time, even when you would see each other soon. As you gathered the courage to part with him, you felt his hands move along your body. One of his palms came to rest on your hip while the other rested on the back of your head. Safe in his arms, once more. He leaned in and your eyes closed in anticipation, awaiting his lips to meet yours. However, the kiss didn’t land where you had expected. Instead, the bear of a man gripped you a bit tighter before bringing his lips to your temple. The Captain lingered a bit in that position before moving his hand, grabbing your chin between his pointer and thumb, making sure to hold the eye contact between you two.  

“Can’t wait to see you again, my good girl.” And with that, he left you with a peck on the forehead and a fuzzy feeling in your stomach. ‘This fucking man might just kill me.’  

As you joined your coworkers’ side once more, they side eyed you a bit before getting back to work. You were sure that some of them will ask plenty of questions regarding that little moment between John and you. However, for now, you will treasure seeing him again and ignore your heavy heart.  

⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╯╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╯╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ 

Upon his return from the coffee shop, the lads had whined and bitched about their beverages going cold and him taking ages. However, he couldn’t bother more than deliver the drinks and growl to the boys to shut up before he went into the break room. Not when the fallen expression on your face was still imprinted on his mind.  

Now, with his phone beside him, nervous anticipation was running in his system as he waited for his pet to reply. As he was leaning back against the counter, with his arms crossed, the man wondered why he hadn’t just gone home. Of course, the Captain should have expected the muppets to follow him when he wanted some quiet to think. They probably sniffed out that there was more than him being “an old man” that explained his delay. As he was waiting for a reply from you, Johnny and Kyle kept going back and forth while Simon just grunted occasionally.  

“Reckon John ran into someone he knew and just talked their ear off.”  

“What if he pulled a Johnny and forgot that he had a video to shoot?”  

“In ma defence, a lad sometimes forgets he has tae film a public porn video, ken” 

“That type of shit only happens to you, man.”  

“Well, ye dinnae ken that, do ya? Is the bonnie lad correct, Captain?” 

John lifted his eyes to look at the boys in front of him before answering.  

“Simon’s guess is the closest one to being true.”  

A mumbled ‘fucking right’ from Simon reached everyone’s ears. His hand outreached to the other two men. Kyle and Johnny grunted in annoyance before placing money in the man’s palm.  John just watched the scene unfold in amusement. When the boys’ attention returned to him, he could already imagine the ticking bomb that was about to go off. Their minds trying to decipher who had taken hold of his attention for so long. Just as the dozens of questions were about to roll of their tongues, John heard his phone go off.  

He quickly looked to his side and saw your name. Not willing to waste any time, he took off with his phone and said his goodbyes quickly to the lads.  

“Gotta go, boys. My poppy is waiting for me.”  

As the Captain walked rapidly towards the exit, he could hear the boys placing new bets on who he was talking about. Couldn’t give two shits, though. Couldn’t bother to do more than chuckle. Not with you on the forefront of his mind. Price felt adrenaline and excitement shoot through his veins, his pace rapid to reach his car. He was close to trembling at the idea of seeing you, of being close to you once more. While he was pulling his seatbelt, he checked the messages once more.  

Hi, poppy.   Wanted to know if you would be willing to meet up at my house?   Here’s the address: yada yada street, 141 London 

Sure! Could you just pick me up near the store ‘Assortments’ and meet up in two hours?  If that’s okay with you, of course ^^ 

Of course, pet. I’ll be there. 

⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╯╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╯╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ 

With sweaty palms and a kaleidoscope of butterflies in your stomach, you were feeling a sense of déja vu as you waited for John on the bench. Today was all about feeling past emotions. When you felt the buzz of your phone, when you were getting ready for John, the feeling of being too nervous and too excited. You hoped he would like your dress; you hoped he would like you.  

With a shake of your head, you dismissed your last thoughts. The only reason you had even met John Price was because you won a contest. This was no love story about soulmates. No, this was harsh reality, and the quicker you got that inside of your brain, the better. Your thoughts were getting more jumbled together. Maybe, this invite was so that he could cut you off... but he was the one who reached out to you. He said he was thinking of you. That couldn’t be just to cut you off, right? Right? Oh, you just wanted to lie down in bed and bury your sorrows. With your head in between your hands, you tried to make sense of the situation.  

“What’s that look for, pet?”  

There it is, again. Past emotions surging back to the surface. Unbothered by the world, by the people walking nearby, John squatted down in front of you. (The look of pain not going unnoticed by you.) His soft blue eyes looking at you with an emotion you couldn’t quite determine. His hands took hold of yours to gently remove them from their positions.  

“John! Were you waiting for me in your car? I’m sorry-”  

“Nah, poppy, don’t worry about none o’ that.” His hands were still in yours and were resting on your lap. Enlaced together, orbiting towards one another. “You ready to go?”  

“Y-yeah, I think I am.”  

His eyes crinkled in the corners, his lips perking up into a soft smile. The sight was enough to bat away the feelings that had crept up to you. By the stars, he was such a pretty man.  

“Alright, pet, come on, then.” So, with his hand still enlaced with one of yours, the man got up from his position. Groaning a bit as he did so, placing his right hand on his lower back. While walking to his car, you chirped a little comment.  

“You know, if your back hurts, I know this great massage place!” He turned his head to look at you properly, only giving you a meh sound, with his smile still on his face. Your lips, in turn, quirked up in a smile at the words leaving you next.  

“Ooor, I’ve been told that I give a pretty good massage.” At this, his lips were painted in a grin now as he replied to you.  

“Yeah? Well, I’d much rather have your hands on my poor back, poppy.” You mirrored his expression, stopping in your tracks since he did as well. As always, with him, you had been too occupied with his beauty that your surroundings turned into a blur. Looking away from his beauty, you realised that you were probably in front his car. The Captain opened the door for you, helping you get inside, helping you fasten the seatbelt. He made sure you were alright before closing your door.  

‘Well, here goes nothing.’  

 ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╯╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅──╯╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ 

The drive to his house had been surprising comfortable, but you should have known that it was impossible not to feel at easy when you were with John. It hadn’t been a long trip, maybe 20 minutes passed before you reached his house. At the sight of it, you chirped that it represented him well. He thanked you as he parked the car, telling you to stay in your seat. So, you did. You were pleasantly surprised when John had rushed to your side to open the door for you. When he unfastened your seatbelt and took hold of your hand. When you walked side by side to the front of his home.  

Upon entering his house, you had both taken off your shoes. John had asked if you wanted to be shown around, but your stomach’s rumbling had turned his attention to another matter. You had smiled a bit in embarrassment at his chuckle. Then, the bear of a man had guided you to the living room before leaving to the kitchen to make some tea and prepare a snack. Making sure to tell you to feel at home and kiss your forehead before parting ways.  

While you waited for him to return, you inspected your surroundings. This house was exactly what you had imagined. It was true when they said that your living space was a reflection of yourself. The home didn’t feel like a bachelor pad. No, instead, it felt warm and comforting. Adjectives you would use for John. You were seated on one of the armchairs, feeling as thought you were on a cloud. With your knees pulled to your chest, you cherished being surrounded by John’s smell. He must spend lots of time in this place.  

You breathed it in, eyes closing in satisfaction. With the sounds coming from the kitchen, and your feeling of bliss, you could pretend while you waited. You could pretend that this was just another day. That John felt something for you, that you could feel something for him. That this was just another day in the Price household. Alas, reality wasn’t so kind to you, and you were brought back to the present world.  

When you opened your eyes, you saw John walking in with a tray in his hands. A smile still on his face. ‘What a pretty man.’  

“Here you go, poppy.” He placed the tray on the table in front of you. Taking a seat on the sofa on your right side. 

“Thank you so much, John. You didn’t need to do so much.” The tray was full of things. He really had taken the time to prepare this. The thought warned your chest, feeling something blossoming in your ribs. As soon as the thoughts started to pop in, they burst into nothing. No, John was just a gentleman and a good host. Nothing more, nothing less.  

“None o’ that, pet. Didn’t know how you took your tea, so here’s everything you might need.”  

You thanked him once more, smiling in contentment at the kind gesture. As you prepared your cuppa, the two of you chatted. It was always so easy with him. You couldn’t control the many butterflies flying in your stomach, fighting to be let out. To be let free.  

You couldn’t know just how badly John was having his own battle at the same time. How badly he wanted you. How he yearned to have you in his home like this every day, sitting in his favourite armchair with a face of contentment. You looked so at home, so at peace, sitting with your eyes closed in happiness. John’s eyes crinkled as he took in the view. Suddenly, he remembered your stomach grumbling in annoyance and picked up the plate of biscuits. As it nudged your hand, you opened your eyes. They were so full of warmth. He could only hope that the words leaving his mouth won’t dampen the light in them.  

“Here take one, pet.” You softly thanked him, taking two biscuits in your hand. Your stomach was so happy to receive food that you did a little dance of happiness as you ate. John’s cheeks were starting to ache from happiness, you looked so beautiful. “I hope I don’t disturb your mood by saying this, poppy, but how about we continue our conversation from earlier?” Your chewing slowed, your stomach feeling heavier for a different reason other than food. You didn’t really want to think about the mean words, again, but John- You could trust John. Right?  

Sensing the hesitance from you, he reassured you that it didn’t have to be now if you didn’t want it to be. That didn’t mean that you would never have this talk thought, but he was willing to go at your own pace, ready to follow your lead. Even if you had only spent most of your time together in... a particular position, you trusted this man, and so you agreed to talk.  

You talked about the comments you had found under his public channel. How they had made you feel small. How you had tried to ignore them, but their cruelty would come back as whispers. It was when tears had gathered in your eyes that John took hold of your hand and pulled you out of your seat to be seated next to him. Within reach to be able to wipe down the tears that slid down your cheeks. He whispered words of encouragement and praise in the hopes to help you calm down. You wanted to stay there indefinitely, and yet you knew that this could not be. At the thought, fresh new tears slid down your tears and John’s frown deepened. His concern and fury mixing in together in his rib cage. Tendrils mingling with one another and circling his every bones.  

He told you that he would turn off his comments until his fans learnt to be respectful. That he would go as far as making the videos private if it meant you would have some peace of mind. Immediately, you refused. You couldn’t let him make such a big decision for little ol’ you. This was his way to pay the bills, to pay the groceries. You wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if you knew that he was running short on money due to you being sensitive.  

“And I wouldn’t be able to rest easy if I knew that you were crying like this because of mean trolls, pretty girl.” His hands never left you; they were always touching some skin. Gently caressing your cheeks, making sure no tears were left. He didn’t know if he was doing it to reassure you or himself. 

You weren’t going to agree on this topic, for now. So, you opted to change directions, in the hopes of forgetting about it altogether. (You should know better.) When you felt his hands retract, you quickly grabbed them. Reaching out to him, fingers tracing small circles on his palms, feeling how his rough his hands were, and yet they always handled you with care.  

“Anyway, what- you wanted to talk about something else earlier, right?” Your head tilted as you asked, and John felt his heart ready to burst at the sight. How were you so beautiful?  

“Yes! Yes, I wanted to talk to you about something my team and I discussed.” He took a deep breath, waiting for a sign from you to continue. You nodded and he dutifully obeyed, opening his mouth to deliver words at your lap. “They noticed positive feedback from this type of content. Told me it’d be good business to keep on going.”  

“That’s good. I’m glad for you, John!” You smiled at him all sweetly, perfect poppy that you were. Your smile remained on your face as your eyebrows slightly scrunched in confusion, fingers stopping their movements. “Although, I don’t see how that involves us having a talk? Unless...” You looked at him with eyes full of emotions. Uncertainty being the lead dancer in your irises. 

“Well, told my team that I completely agreed with them, of course.” Price tried his best not to get too excited, continuing the movements you had stopped to redirect his energy somewhere. “They wanted me to do it with someone from the studio, but well,” Even with the skin contact you both had. It didn’t feel enough. It felt like he would orbit out of your gravitational pull if he kept on going like this. He wanted, nay, he needed to explode, interlink your world with his. Your eyes wouldn’t leave his and that was a good sign as any to keep on talking. “told them that the fans were asking for you, poppy.”  By the way your eyebrows shot to your hairline, you hadn’t expected those words to come out of his mouth. With a stunned voice, you voiced your emotions.  

“I don’t understand- I am not-”  

“I know, I know, but you’re a breath of fresh air for the fans, pet. You don’t hold back on your expressions, on the sounds you make, they eat that up.”  

“...I’m- but what about you, John? Wouldn’t you rather deal with a professional? Wouldn’t you rather do this with someone else other than me?”  

That was what his team had told him. He had been quite in denial at the start. Reasoning with them that he was just trying to please the fans. That his insistence that it was you and not someone else was purely for the business. What a fool he had been to have thought that, to have believed that for even a second.  

“Pet, you wouldn’t be here right inside of my house right now if I wanted someone else.” 

Your hands left his, attempting to ground yourself, to believe the words that were leaving his mouth.  

“So, what are you saying? What do you want me to do?”  

“Nothing that you don’t feel comfortable doing of course.” You nodded because that was obvious from the get-go. “To sum it up, I want to make more videos with you. We’ll share the profits 50/50, of course. The themes would be similar to our first video. Soft and nice, poppy, just how you like it.” His pointer and thumb quickly took hold of your chin, snapping you back from your thoughts, from the mess of words in your head. When your eyes found his, he smiled just like how he always did when it was directed towards you and released your face.  

“Where will you post those videos? And how many times would you need to do this per month?” 

“Everything would be on the private channel. Of course, any raw footage will be sent to you, anyway. As for how many times, I can’t tell you quite, yet. We can work around your schedule, but maybe we could do a session every week? We can work out the details later if you agree to this.” You nodded in thoughts, attentively listening to every word dropped from him. “I understand that you would need time to think this through. That’s no problem, please take the ti-” 

“Yes.” It was now John’s turn to have his eyebrows shoot to his hairline.  

“Pet, are you su-”  

“Yes, I am sure.”

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

invisible string

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.1k

Warnings: fluff

Request by anon: this is about to be super self indulgent but could you by any chance do a spencer reid x barista!reader maybe he keeps going back to the same cafe or something and memorizes like little facts about coffee or something lol i love your writing so much!!

Summary: Spencer keeps going back to the same coffee shop not because of the coffee but because of a certain someone that never fails to make him smile.

Square Filled: invisible string by taylor swift for @spencerreidbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

“I need a double shot espresso and a strawberry refresher,” you call to your coworkers. You’re working the register when a tall man walks up to the counter. Man, he is super cute. “Hi, what can I get for you?”

“I don’t come here often but I hear you don’t take large cups? What are they called?”

“Venti?”

“Yeah, that,” he chuckles. “What do you recommend?”

“I personally love anything caramel. It gives me enough sugar to counteract the bitterness of the coffee.”

“I’ll do that, then.”

Man, he is clueless but he’s so cute. You’re not sure if this is a bit or if this is who he actually is but you like it.

“What kind of coffee do you want?”

“Hazelnut Americano with caramel drizzle.”

“You got it. Anything else?”

“No.”

“Name?”

“Spencer Reid.”

He pays for his coffee and you start making his order since there is no one else in line. You write his name on the cup and walk to the pickup section and call his name. The way he bounces over to the counter is kind of cute.

“Have a nice day, Spencer,” you grin and hand it to him.

“Thank you. You, too!”

The next day when Spencer comes in, he is more confident. He’s still nervous since he finds you attractive but he’s not going to let that stop him.

“Hey, I remember you. You ordered the hazelnut Americano yesterday,” you smile and greet him. You yawn and cover your mouth. “Sorry. It doesn’t matter how much coffee I drink, I am still tired.”

“Did you know that coffee was discovered by an Ethiopian goat herder?”

“I did not but it makes sense. He needed all that energy to round up all the goats. What’s your name again?”

“Spencer.”

“Yes, that was it. Sorry, I have a terrible memory.”

“I have an eidetic one.”

“What is that?”

“An eidetic memory is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period—after seeing it only once and without using a mnemonic device. I have an IQ of 187 and can read twenty-thousand words a minute.”

“So, you’re really smart?”

“Yes,” he chuckles.

“Okay, come back tomorrow and I’ll have a fact for you.”

“Deal.”

There is a line forming behind him so Spencer quickly orders and leaves just as fast as he came. You have to wait an entire day to see him again and this time, you have a fact lined up for him.

“Hi, Spencer,” you smile. “I think I got a good fact for you today.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Did you know that ketchup was once sold as a medicine?”

“In the 1830s, it was believed that the condiment could cure almost anything, including indigestion, diarrhea, and even jaundice,” he nods.

“Alright, smarty-pants, I’ll have to try harder tomorrow.”

“I have one for you about coffee. Did you know that bees love the taste of coffee?”

“Is that why they always fly near me when I’m having my morning coffee in my sunroom?”

“It might be.”

Another line is forming so you grab his coffee order and move on with your life. The only thing you’re looking forward to now is Spencer when he comes in. He shows up the next morning at the same time he’s been showing up, and you find yourself smiling because of him.

“Spencer! The usual?”

“Actually, get me your favorite drink.”

“Are you sure? You’re not allergic to anything?”

“Nope.”

“Coming right up.” You ring him up and accept his cash. “I have another fact, and I think it’s a good one. Did you know the Vikings discovered America and not Christopher Columbus?”

“Yes, approximately five hundred years before Christopher Columbus, the Scandinavian explorer Thorvald, brother of Leif Erikson and son of Erik the Red, died in battle in modern-day Newfoundland.”

“Okay, you’re good.”

Spencer blushes at your small compliment. “My head is filled with facts that I can’t seem to forget like coffee beans are actually the seeds from the coffee plant’s berry-like fruits. The coffee plant is a shrub that grows in tropical climates in parts of Africa, Asia, South America and North America. It produces an edible berry-like fruit known as a coffee cherry, which typically contains two coffee beans. These beans are then processed and roasted to create the coffee we know and love.”

“I did not know that.” You really like talking to him but every time he comes in, there is a line forming behind him. You have to move on so you put in his order. You turn to your coworker who barely begins to make his order. “Can you take this? I want to make his cup.”

“Sure, smitten kitten,” she grins.

You grab the empty cup and make your favorite drink for Spencer. When you’re done, you write your number on the side of it in hopes he will use it.

“Spencer?” He walks up to the counter and you smile. “Here you go.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be here.”

Spencer doesn’t notice your number until he gets to his car. He smiles which makes you smile because that is a good sign that he likes what you did. The next day, he comes in with someone. He hasn’t used your number yet but maybe he’s nervous. The man with the dark skin encourages Spencer to make a move on you, and he pushes him toward you.

“Hi, Spencer,” you smile.

“Hi. This is my friend and coworker, Derek Morgan.”

“Hi, Derek.” You turn to Spencer. “I got one for you. I really think I’ll get you this time. Did you know that in Ancient Egypt, the New Year celebration was called Wepet Renpet?”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Wait, really?” you gasp.

“Are you serious?” Derek asks Spencer at the same time as you.

“I’m sorry, yeah, I did.” You tip your head back and laugh. “While we celebrate New Year’s Day on January 1, the Ancient Egyptian tradition was different every year. Meaning ‘the opener of the year’, Wepet Renpet was a way to mark the annual flooding of the Nile River, which usually happened sometime in July. The Egyptians tracked Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, to time their festivities.”

“You know, one day, I’m gonna get you. I’m gonna know something you don’t.”

“I’ve been barking up that tree for years now,” Derek chuckles. You and Spencer look at him and he nods in understanding. “I’ll go wait over there.”

“What can I get you two?”

“Caramel Macchiato and a Hazelnut Americano.”

“Is that all?”

Spencer looks at Derek who nods in encouragement.

“Would you like to go on a date with me?” he stutters.

He blushes as he talks which is super cute.

“I’d love to.”

“Great. I still have your number. I was nervous about using it but I will now.”

“Don’t wait too long,” you grin.

There is something pulling you and Spencer together, something of an invisible string.

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[syndxlla]

best friends don’t look at each other the way we do

A low stakes, high reward and self-indulgent Zelink fan fiction. Canon-compliant. Takes place between BOTW and TOTK

Chapter Five: My North Star

Read chapter four here

My masterlist

Song: August by Taylor Swift

Summary: Link and Zelda get a visitor from an old friend, and start to remember how to live for the hope of it all.

Warnings: brief and non graphic mentions of death and dead bodies, canon-typical violence and horror, PTSD (always for this fan fic)

Word Count: 3.3k words

Authors Note: finally some happy moments lol. Also this is unedited!! ALSO I KNOW I HAVE SO MANY UNANSWERED ASKS RN I PROMISE I AM NOT IGNORING YOU IM JUST BUSY AND LAZY kloveyoubye

It takes only three more days for Impa to arrive at their door, angrily pounding her staff on the wooden plank. It’s early, she beats the rooster, and Link is rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he stumbles to the door from his makeshift bed he’s made adjacent to the kitchen.

He’s shocked to see the old woman staring up at him, as far as he knows, she hasn’t left Kakariko village in decades.

“You completed the mission and your first instinct was NOT to come and tell me?” She asks, her wrinkled lips pressed firmly into a frown. Link looks up to see Cado, apologetic. His hair is down, shirt is off, and he’s barely wearing trousers. He yawns.

“Good morning, Master Impa.” He bows deeply to her and she just whacks his skull with her cane in the same manner she did the door. Link yelps and rubs the top of his head. “What was that for?” He asks.

“Where’s the princess?”

“She’s sleeping still, it’s barely sunrise.” Link rubs some more sleep from his lashes, his hand in a tight fist. “You know, most people say good morning when you see them first thing…”

Impa then lets herself into the house, pushing past him like the angry ball of spunk she is. “I’ll have tea.” She states, “And I’d like to see my friend.” Link and Cado look at each other, the Sheikah man staring at him apologetically.

Link nods, walking to the furnace and kneeling in front of it. He blows on the dying embers from the night before, placing a small log on them. Flames catch, and he’s setting the kettle over them, still full of water from yesterday. Cado closes the door and sits across from Impa at the table. Link eyes his bed roll in the corner of the room, kicking some blankets around in an attempt to make it look less disheveled, but the elderly woman just squints at the state of the house. If only she had seen it a week ago. Link was starting to feel proud of he and Zelda’s progress, wildflowers being placed in a vase on the table, and their plates polished and put away neatly for the first time. After Impa’s scrutinizing gaze, however, he was feeling all sorts of insecure again.

The air is stagnant.

“She's still sleeping…still.” Link clears his throat, his voice hushed. “She needs to rest because-“

“Link, two bodies were found just outside of the castle two days ago, the man who found them also reports seeing a Shadowy Figure, covered in what he suspects is malice.” Impa interrupts him.

“What?” He asks, startled.

“I didn’t want to lead with that, but it cannot be ignored.” She spoke in the same hushed tone. They didn’t want to wake the Princess, and they especially didn’t want to scare her.

“Treasure hunters? I mean it's still a war zone there, it wasn’t anything else… right? He was lying, surely. All the Malice disappeared…” Link asks, feeling the blood go from his face.

“The man was Me.” Cado frowns. He would never lie. “After we got your message from Purah, I traveled to the castle to confirm that the Calamity was destroyed. The bodies were hylian, two young people. A boy and a girl… I thought it was..”

Cado’s voice became too loud, and Link hushed him.

“We want to think it was leftover spells, but we don’t know. We don’t know who else to ask to investigate.” Impa says.

“Now that Hyrule is safe, it's time we start reestablishing civility, democracy.” Cado steps in.

“It’s been eleven days since I defeated him.” Link crosses his arms, “I’m still not sleeping through the nights, Zelda doesn’t have her full strength back yet. You promised me I would get to rest when it was all over.” He looks at the Sheikah Chief.

“Don’t lie to me, Link.” Impa shakes her head, “I know you can’t stay in one place for too long. No matter how hard you try.” She states. She wasn’t wrong, but recently Link has started to feel different.

The kettle starts to whistle. Link swallows his frustration and takes it off the heat, preparing three cups of green bell tea. Everyone feels discomfort. “Did the figure do anything?” Link asks as he pours the hot water into the cups, his back turned to the Sheikah.

“It just stared at me, it was tall, hunched over.” Cado describes, one could easily hear the fear in his voice. “We stared at each other, I couldn’t tell if it was from this world or not.”

“Tall like a Zora or tall like a Gerudo?” Link asks, still turned away.

“Gerudo.” Cado struggled to say it. “I drew my sword, and as soon as I did, it turned away from me and walked into the mist to the south. I never saw it again.”

Link swallows and then turns around finally, carrying the cups to the table. “And the bodies?”

“Cause of death was unknown, I checked for a pulse multiple times but they were both long gone. They were dressed in traveler's garb. Their dress seemed to be from the north.”

“If they have families they need to know.” Link sits, holding the mug of tea in his hands.

“You’re the only one who could inform them about such a thing.” Impa says. “Tabantha is a long way, but you could be there and back in an hour if you warp. We’ll stay here until you-“

“The sheikah slate is utterly destroyed.” Link admits. “I left it with Purah but she essentially told me it's beyond repair.”

“You’d have to go on foot like the rest of us.” Cado smirks.

“Why would I?” Link asks, perhaps too forcefully. “I did my quest.”

Impa stares at him, silent for a moment, “You don’t really feel that way.” She shakes her head, “And if you do, then you are not the same man who woke up three years ago.”

“I’m not!” Link almost shouts, and they all bite their tongues, listening for any sound from upstairs. “Impa… you know I care. You know I want to go find whatever that figure was, but I am tired.” His voice cracks. “I can’t just sleep this one off.” He can’t look at her, if he does, he’ll break. “This is much deeper than exhaustion. It’s… it’s traumatic.

I still see him. His eyes, the way His heat radiated and burned my skin, the sound of His laughter. He Haunts me at night, I swear He finds ways into my dreams and taunts me there. Like it was all just a game to Him. Because it was. It always was. He’ll do it again a hundred times, and we can’t ever stop Him. There will be countless more Links who lose their hearing and can’t sleep and won't even look themselves in a mirror because as long as the triforce exists, He will mock us all with His deviance.”

Link stares into his tea.

“Impa…” A quiet voice says from the stairs, and all three of them are turning to see her. Long, blonde hair draped over her shoulder, eyes sleepy and confused, hands at her sides.

She nearly trips down the stairs as she runs to the woman, wrapping her hands around her neck and crying. Impa immediately holds her back, laughing, taking an old, bony hand and stroking the top of her friend's head with it.

“Good Morning, my dear.”

Link and Cado share one more glance.

The day is spent with hugs and laughter and Zelda looking into Impa’s eyes and crying every time she sees that they’re still the same eyes. Link cooks for them, and gets as quiet as he was at the start of this war. It’s all he can think about. Did it return for other Links? Did it return this early?

Zelda must have noticed his distance because while Impa is telling Zelda all about the man she married, the Princess is glancing at Link. His shoulders tense, his head down, his voice silent. She frowns, deciding to ask him about it later.

Cado was delighted to meet the woman, bowing deeply for her. He eventually got on a tangent about his children while they ate the omelets Link prepared, but Link stayed silent. He glances over at the Master Sword, leaning against the corner of the room, staring back at him.

He distracts himself the rest of the day with Epona, tending to her constantly while Zelda tells Impa every single detail about her time sealed away. The two prayed over each other a few times. The sun gets low in the sky, Link stays silent.

They come back inside, and before Impa and Cado enter from the outside to begin their next hour of catching up, Zelda places a gentle hand on Link’s shoulder. “Link,”

He turns to look at her, everything about him immediately softening as her green eyes stare at him.

“You’re upset?” She says, her voice soothing.

“No I’m not.” He denies. She raises an eyebrow.

“I know you.” Link becomes acutely aware of her thumb that starts rubbing circles into his muscle and he has to remind himself how to stand. ”Talk to me.”

He knows he can’t tell her about this, not yet. “Later?” He asks. She smiles and nods.

“I’m here for you.”

Link begins dinner, and Zelda washes up, leaving the three alone for the first time since early morning.

Impa stares, Cado uncomfortably clears his throat. Link looks at them, frowning, knowing what they want.

He sighs deeply.

“I will return to the castle. Zelda and I briefly discussed returning the Champion’s weapons to their people, and can do it then.” He finally says. “Tell every leader to warn their people to avoid the castle at all costs.”

“Good.” Impa nods.

“But-“ Link holds his hand up, “I’m not going until both she and I are ready.” He says.

“What do you mean by ready?” That old woman was always so pushy.

“When Zel and I both feel ready to return to those places without it absolutely crushing our spirits, we will go. Together.”

“Hylia knows when that will be.” Cado scoffs.

“Exactly.” Link says. “Unless more deaths are reported or this shadow is seen again, it can wait. Everyone has been avoiding the castle for a century, what’s a little while longer?” Link states, silently proud of himself for sticking up for himself and not just being the obedient soldier he was trained to be. “Besides, no one should be there anyways, it’s not safe.”

“You’re in love with the Princess.” Impa states with a chuckle and Link sputters, the wind knocking out of him.

“What? Why would you say that?” He asks.

“I saw you two. The way you look at her.” Impa smirks. Link feels his ears heat up, Cado stifles a laugh.

“You are so rude.” Link replies.

“I think you two need each other.” Impa shrugs, “But do not let any worldly affection keep you in the way of what really matters here: Hyrule and its people.”

Impa always knew exactly how to remind Link that he is just a soldier.

“We will leave before we eat. At this rate we will not return home until late into the night.” Impa states, standing back up.

They say their goodbyes. Zelda promises to visit, Impa gives her a kiss on the forehead, Cado bows again. And just as the sun begins to set, the pair is headed through the bridge.

Both Link and Zelda stand in the doorway as they watch them leave. Zelda starts to sniffle, wiping a tear.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Link says in a comforting tone when he sees her cry, turning to face her. “It’s okay, we’re gonna see her again real soon.” He reassures. Zelda sighs.

“She got so old, without me.” She tries to swallow her sob but fails. She presses her tear-stained face into the crook of Link’s neck, and he just holds her for as long she needs. Zelda is the one to pull away after a moment of comfort. “I’m sorry… I know there's something troubling you, too. I shouldn’t be so selfish.” Zelda sighs.

Link swallows, “It’s nothing. Not for tonight.”

“You're sure?”

“Positive.” Link nods. “Can I show you something?” He asks, and Zelda is nodding as he takes her hand and leads her up stairs. He pushes open a hatch on the ceiling in the corner, and a rickety ladder slides down. Some dust and cobwebs fly down, but when the air clears, Link is climbing up onto the roof of their house. He helps Zelda up next, and she’s looking up at the night sky with bright eyes. It’s still not totally dark yet, but the first few stars are starting to shine.

The roof is slightly slanted, but not enough to cause either of them concern. They both comfortably find a position on the tiles, facing south, noses pointed at the heavens. There’s about a foot of space between them, and Link wants to scoot closer into her, but chooses not to. He closes the hatch from the outside, so the warm light of the house doesn’t pollute their view.

“I like to come up here to clear my head.” He says. “It doesn’t hold a candle to the night sky in Hebra or out in the desert, but it's still pretty spectacular.”

Zelda hums, “You’ll have to take me someday.” She stays looking at the sky but Link looks at her. Her profile is beautiful, hair long and cascading, ears pointed and blushed. Surely she knew he was staring, but neither of them did anything to stop.

“One day.” He nods before looking away and laying on his back. He rests his arms behind his head, crossing an ankle over his bended knee. “That one is called Haru.” He points to an especially bright star, “It’s part of the constellation Nabooru.” He then traces the warrior constellation with his finger.

“I remember, yes.” Zelda scoots into him, and he tries to stifle his smile. She doesn’t lay next to him, but now they’re a mere inches apart.

“And this is the North Star.” Link cranes his neck back to see it. “It moves though, did you know that? True north changes over time, so that one was the North Star when we were born, but over time the celestial bodies shifted and now it's that one. They didn’t even know that until I came back, because I was following the original one and ended up in Lanayru instead of Eldin. I talked with Purah and Robbie and they agreed, isn’t that fascinating?” He asks with a smile.

Zelda smiles so wide she thinks her cheeks will burst. “I never heard you speak like that before. With so much passion and eloquence.”

Link looks at her and just chuckles, “Now everyone follows the new star, but it didn’t have a name yet….”

“We should name it!” She gasps.

“Oh…I already did.” Link frowns, “I named it after I got my first memory back.” He shrugs. “I”m sorry. But there are plenty of stars without names anymore. A lot of the scientific research got destroyed with the…” He stops himself, “Well you know why. No one these days even knows the constellations anymore. I’m the only one.”

“What did you name it?” Zelda smiles.

Link looks at her again, “Zelda.”

She just about passes out from flattery, smiling down at her knees which are bent into her chest, blushing a little. “That’s very nice.”

“It was my true north.” He says. “I’d have been lost without it.”

It was fully dark now, and the sky lit up with the twinkling lights, the moon was a small sliver of a crescent and hung low in the sky near the sea.

“When did you remember the constellations?” She asked.

“They come to me slowly. It was required for all knights to know them, as I’m sure you remember.” Link described, looking to the heavens again. “I still can’t think of half of them.”

“Well isn’t that one Navi?” She points to another star.

“No, that one is Navi.” Link scoots up to her level, closing the gap further between them, and takes his hand to move her arm to the right star, his calloused and scarred flesh rough against her soft skin. “That one is the top of the constellation Hylia-“

“-Hylia”

They say it together. Perfectly in tune.

Their faces turn towards one another, locking eyes. The air freezes, time itself seems to hold.

Their hearts simultaneously skip a beat, and a soft blow of warm wind passes by, brushing through their hair.

Link makes the mistake of looking at her lips and for a split second he swears she leans in, but before anything goes any further, she’s moving away and laying down next to him.

He supposes this is alright, too.

“I wonder what she thinks of all this.” Link says.

Zelda is quiet ....“I sometimes wonder if the God’s regret making man.”

“What do you mean?” Link asks, looking at her.

“Well… man is what caused the curse of the loop anyways. If it weren’t for us, Hyrule wouldn’t have to be rebuilt every ten thousand years.” She frowns. “Maybe they wish they had left their creation to rest without our feeble beings.”

“I don’t think that.” Link shakes his head. “I think they put us here because we are flawed, not in spite of it.

I think our mistakes, our sins, our curses are what makes us special. Life would be futile if we were perfect. There would be no motivation. No growth. No passion.

You cannot have good without evil, or light without dark, or joy without pain.

That’s what’s so beautiful about life. I think the God’s know that. I think they love us because of it. That is a luxury they don’t have. I see it as a gift. To live for the hope of it all.”

Link rambles, and Zelda is stunned for a moment. She turns her head to look at him, this time he’s the one with wonder-filled eyes staring up, ignoring the gaze of the other.

“I really think you should wield the triforce of wisdom.” Zelda teases.

Link looks at her, their noses almost touching. “Oh no, I’m only profound when I’m around you.” He shakes his head, giggling. “You should see me try to talk my way through Gerudo town, there's nothing wise about it.” His tone is playful, and they both laugh over it. “I accidentally told a woman she looked pregnant instead of ordering a drink at the bar.” Link explains and then says the two phrases in Gerudo, Zelda can admit they have very similar pronunciations and the both of them are full-belly laughing at the situation. Zelda asks how he managed to get out of that situation, and Link had to describe further that he was in disguise, which made everything harder to get through. Zelda couldn’t get the image of Link in a woman’s clothing out of her mind, and Link only sets her off further when he finishes the story with him getting slapped by an elderly Gerudo Woman. It isn’t much longer until she has tears welling down her face, but this time they are finally tears of laughter and joy.

When they both finally pull themselves together, Zelda smiles at him, wiping a tear from the corner of her eyes. “Thank you.” She sighs, her stomach aching from laughter.

Zelda then takes a risk, and snakes her hand in between them before wrapping it around Link’s. They don’t lock fingers, and it isn’t even necessarily classified as a romantic gesture, but she just squeezes his hand, thankful for cheering her up, thankful for reminding her that there is still hope.

There is hope in balance.

She tries to pull it away, not wanting to overstep, but Link is holding her hand tighter, keeping it in his grip. Zelda happily obliges, and they keep their hands clasped at their sides the whole night.

—

Chapter Six

[enchxanting]

our love is god [ethan landry]

read part 2 here || all parts

pairing: ethan landry x fem!reader

warnings: nothing yet but this fic is heathers-inspired, so be warned for the future.

author's note: hi guys, long time lurker first time poster. this is my first time WRITING fic so feel free to leave any critique. also i don't know if i did the cut right lol i have a lot planned and hope you like!

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

Dear Diary,

I should’ve never let Mindy convince me to start this operation. 

Sure, it’s nice to have a steady cash flow, but nothing is more aggravating than everyone and their mother asking for doctor’s notes, report cards, prescriptions, and absence notes when I’m just trying to make it to fourth-period math. When I was ten, I expected to use my Nancy-Drew-inspired skills to unearth hidden staircases or find whistling statues, not help someone’s checked-out mom get a Xanax. 

Yet I forged three (3) permission slips today. Why? Because, next to mysteries, I love the sweet smell of cash in the morning. Yesterday, I added $150 to the rainy day fund. Hopefully, when the weather’s right, I'll be inspired to buy a car and ditch Woodsboro. This town is fucked, alright. Just ask Chad, Mindy, Sam, or–

“Tara! Jesus Christ!” I rub my leg where her sneaker connected. “What’s your damage?”

“Are you done, Shakespeare? You said you’d get lunch with me like, fifteen minutes ago.”

Tara isn’t so great with patience. But, again, I am not so great at keeping track of time. “Yeah, whatever,” I say. “Let’s go see what they’ve cooked up for us today.”

I follow her through the winding path of tables, chairs, and teenage bodies. As we go, I collect bills from outstretched hands and replace them with papers of varying sizes. Tara turns to smirk at me. “What was the event this time?”

“Oh, you know. It’s report card season, and this school is not known for its stellar GPAs.”

“We just have you to thank for keeping it floating below a 3.0,” she teases. “Tell me, Y/N. Does all that extra brainpower of yours get used up matching the way people dot their i’s and cross their t’s?”

I roll my eyes at her. “Sure, Tara. Let’s just get some lunch. I’m seriously starving.”

We grab trays and join the line, aimlessly chattering about the day. Tara’s been my friend since the beginning of the year when I was the only new kid in a town struck by tragedy. We were the only new buyers in Woodsboro over the summer. The rest are still empty, the memory of last year’s Ghostface attacks having driven out long-time residents.

What’s surprising, though, is that the so-called “Woodsboro Four” are still here. Sure, Sam, Tara, Mindy, and Chad mostly stick together, but despite the terrible tragedy that they witnessed, they let me and Annika, Mindy’s current girlfriend, into their lives. I could never measure up to that. I’m just glad they want to be my friend.

I’m taken out of my musings on friendship when I feel someone’s eyes on my back. Without turning around, I recite my usual speech. “$5 for report cards, $10 for prescriptions and absence notes, and an extra $5 for rush fees.”

“Woah, um, tempting, but I’m not looking for any forgery.”

Confused, I turn around to put a face to an unfamiliar voice. The guy’s tall, almost as tall as Chad, with curly brown hair and brown eyes that widen when I meet them. “Sorry, I was just going to get my lunch, but you dropped some cash back here.”

For some reason, my voice is not working. All I can do is look up at him, suddenly captivated by how shy he seems to be. When I pause for a few moments too long, Tara reaches around and takes the money from his hand. “Uh, thanks. I’m sure my friend here appreciates it. Usually she’s more talkative.”

“Oh, god, yeah, sorry,” I finally get out, stumbling over my words. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Suddenly, I think he remembers to be bashful and walks away without another word.

When he’s gone, Tara laughs. “God, Y/N, drool much? I’ve never seen you like that before.”

I flush red. “Whatever, Tara, you’re the worst.” I give her a playful shove and walk off to buy my lunch. I hand the money to the cashier, but all I can think about are those big, brown eyes, and I know I’m fucked.

[caplanbuckybarnes]

Songs4Caplan Challenge

(I located an older song fic challenge from a deleted blog I had that had this graphic on it. LOL)

Rules:

Tag me in the authors notes & send me a message with yuor fic once it's posted! (along with the hashtag so I know which Masterlist to place the fic when I post it)

Please tag the proper warnings before the fic

Can be ANY CHARACTER YOU'D LIKE!!

More than one person can write for the same prompts

RPFs are allowed

If you’d like to write for more than one song, please make them separate fics

the songs are randomly picked from my playlist, so don't judge lol.

Can be however long you’d like the fic to be, however, please be considerate to the folks using the app and place the 'keep reading' feature on your posts!!

PLEASE tag the fic as #songs4caplan so i can easily find your fics!!!

Addicted to you simple plan

Africa Toto 

All downhill from here new found glory 

All for you sister hazel 

All summer long kid Rock 

Alone together fall out boy

Amnesia 5 seconds of summer

Animals maroon 5

As it was Harry styles 

as the world caves in Sarah cothran

Ashes of Eden breaking Benjamin 

Attention Charlie put 

Bad guy Billie eillish 

Bad things jace Everett

Beautiful mistakes maroon 5

Beautiful soul Jesse McCartney 

Before he cheats carrie underwood 

Before you go Lewis capaldi 

Beggin maneskin 

Better than me hinder

Blue ain’t your color Keith urban 

Burn usher 

Car radio twenty one pilots 

Church fall out boy

Climax usher 

Come & get it Selena Gomez 

Count on me Bruno mars 

Criminal Fiona Apple 

Deja vu Olivia rodrigo 

Delicate Taylor swift 

Diary Tino Coury 

Dirty laundry Carrie underwood 

Dirty thoughts Chloe adams 

Don’t call me up Mabel 

Downtown lady a 

Drivers license Olivia rodrigo 

Easy on Adele 

End of me a day to remember 

Every breath you take the police 

Every morning sugar ray 

Everybody hurts r.e.m. 

Fall for you secondhand serenade

Fallin Alicia keys 

Fast car Tracy Chapman 

Flowers Miley Cyrus 

For the first time the script

Forever young alphaville

Forever and ever amen randy Travis

Fuck it Eamon 

Fuck you bitch wheeler walker jr

Ghost of you Justin beiber

Glimpse of us Joji

God gave me you Blake Shelton 

Hate (I really don’t like you) plain white tees

Havana Camilla cabello 

Heart attack Demi lovato 

Heartbreak anniversary giveon 

Heaven Kane brown 

Hello darlin Conway twitty 

Hold on, we’re going on drake 

How do you sleep Jesse McCartney 

Hurt Johnny cash 

I fall apart post Malone 

I miss you blink 182

I see red everybody loves an outlaw 

I wanna be your slave maneskin 

I’m not the only one Sam smith 

I’m the only one Melissa Ethridge 

I’m yours Alessia Cara 

In my blood Shawn Mendes 

It ain’t me baby me Johnny cash 

Jealous nick Jonas 

Just one yesterday fall out boy 

Just the way you are Bruno mars 

Keep Holding On Avril Lavigne 

Killer queen Queen 

The last of the real ones 

Leave  the door open Bruno mars 

Leavin’ Jesse McCartney 

Let her go passenger

Like I can Sam smith

Lips of an angel hinder

Little do you know Alex & sierra 

Little Talks Mumfords & sons

Mama's broken heart Miranda lambert

Man down Rihanna

Misery Maroon 5

My Boo usher & Alicia keys 

Needed Me Rihanna 

Never gonna be alone Nickelback

New Rules Dua Lipa 

Not Over You Gavin DeGraw

Obsessed Mariah Carey

One Call Away Charlie Puth

One More Night Maroon 5

Our Song Taylor Swift

Picture KidRock & Sherry Crow 

PillowTalk Zayn Malik 

Please Don’t Leave Me Pink

Red Taylor Swift 

Remember the time Michael Jackson

Rolling in the deep Adele 

Say My Name Destiny’s Child

Say So Doja Cat 

She’s Got You Patsy Cline

Shower Becky G

Smokin out the Window Bruno Mars 

Someone You Loved Lewis Capaldi

Stay With Me Sam Smith

Take a Bow Rihanna

Take Me to Church Hozier

Take You Dancing Jason Derulo

There’s Nothing Holdin Me Back Shawn Mendes

Title Meghan Trainor

Too Good at Goodbyes Sam Smith

Too Little Too LAte JoJo

Trip Ella Mae

Trouble P!Nk

True Love P!NK

Unfaithful RIhanna

Unholy Sam smith

Unsteady X Ambassadors

Uptown Girl Billy Joel

Wait For You Elliot Yamin

Walk Me Home P!NK

Walkin After Midnight Patsy Cline

Want U Back Cher Lloyd

What a Man Gotta Do Jonas Brothers

What Ifs Kane Brown

Wolves Selena Gomez

Would You Go With Me? Josh Turner

You Found Me The Fray

You Had Me @ Hello A Day to Remember

You Need to Calm Down, Taylor Swift

[scentedpeachlandcreator]

Hello Eli hope this message finds you well.

I think yesterday I had a spiritual awakening. Before that I was in a sad victim mindset. I was convinced that I was a loser because I had no friends. I convinced myself that I was a failure and that nothing would ever work in my favor. I was convinced that I was ugly, I was worthless, basically nothing. These have been a result of my upbringing and childhood trauma but I also do suffer from CPTSD and social anxiety. I used to be a people pleaser for people who couldn’t care less about me. Looking back at it I would say that yes I have been a victim but I decided to choose to stay that way.

Anyways I always have been connected to the spiritual side of things like tarot, spirit guides, angel’s number, etc. I do know about those things and I also had some knowledge of manifestation but I never really tried it. I had used sublinals and they did work. I lose weight and had a glow up. I think on Sunday of last week I just “woke up” lol. I don’t know what it was but I think I remembered who the hell I was beneath all of the darkness. I was such a bold and confident child who rebelled against authority, I would never have let myself be beat down by my own mind. I have dreams of traveling abroad, being financially stable, buying my mom her dream home. And I realized I had told people enough times that I would be studying abroad so it has no choice but to come true. It’s like all my doubts were gone I was tired in a way. Literally that same night I was like “screw this” I’m getting my dream life no matter what. I deep cleaned my room top bottom, deleted old contacts, deleted photos of people who had hurt me, redid my phone, etc.

Now onto my question. I decided that I would not listen to anything on Tik tok about manifesting because I have a tendency to spiral and get overwhelmed so I knew that was an immediate no no. Also they tell people how to get everything they want in like 3 days which is of course possible but I knew that if I didn’t see results I would give up. So I decided the best method for me was to script. But not in a typical way. I wrote down as if I was my future self experiencing a certain scenario. But in this scenario I talk in both present and past tense. For example Christmas is coming up since the date I wrote is set for January 6th, I wrote down how I got everything I wanted want more for Christmas, how my dream room looked like, my morning routine using products from my Childhood list now. I talked about how grateful and happy I was. The new phone that I got, etc.

I decided this was the perfect way to manifest for me but I don’t know if using the past tense will hinder any progress of my manifestation.

.𖥔 ݁ Hello dear!

I'm sooo happy that you had your awakening.

At least you realized not like some people🙄-

I really advice you to avoid Tik tok they don't give useful informations about LOA and they have soo many limiting beliefs.

Now that you decided to manifest your dream life, you need to stay consistent.

No matter what the 3d shows just tell yourself that you do have your dream life (because imagination is the true reality).

No matter what happen in the 3d, instead of checking it, go check your 4d, because this is where is the true reality, the true validation.

Do whatever method you want and what you find yourself comfortable with, but if you want to script or affirm for your dream life i advice you to Say it in present tense, like you already have it, you're already there and have everything you want.

Don't give up and just keep going no matter what cause you will be proud of yourself when you manifest your dream life.

Note: past tense won't hinder your progress don't worry.

I advice you to read this, and read this and this and this.

Good Luck on your journey!💗

Xoxo, Eli

[greenlightbulbonawire]

Misfits (yeah like the Arcane song)

XLV.

______________________________________________________________

Summary: From the dark musty cell of Stillwater all the way to the very base of Firelights, but where to from there? Guess you'll just have to let fate lead you.

Author's note: Here's another chapter for yall, Also, props to anyone who actually made it to this chapter and waits for me to post more. It's still crazy to me that actuall people are reading my work T-T. Love you and hope you have a good day!! (also i didnt proof read this so if theres any spelling mistakes and shi lmk and im sorry in advance lol)

previous chapter: Fourty fourth chapter

next chapter: Fourty sixth chapter

Masterlist

______________________________________________________________

Your eyes peeled open as the dawn of the day came, at first you were slightly confused as to where you were and then you remembered. You looked around, taking in Ekko’s empty room when something wriggled behind you. The boy's hands were snug around your waist and you felt his forehead against your back. Red slowly found its way onto your cheeks again and you could only hope that he was still asleep and wouldn't wake up as you carefully detached his arms from your body. You quietly got up and picked up your hoverboard, the first sun rays of the day started seeping into his room through a small window on the sleeping boy's door. It creaked as you opened it and you froze up, turning your head to look at his unconscious body, but he stayed asleep.

When you finally left his room and silently walked to the edge of his balcony, you swung your legs over it and started up your device, hopping on it and flying towards the entrance to the hideout. You had a certain destination in mind, but before you could go there, you had to go buy something, oh right, money, okay, let's head back to your room and take it maybe, that’d be great. Changing into your usual working outfit wasn’t in the question right now, as it was dirtied up from the junkyard, so even your beloved cloak was unusable at that moment. You grabbed the money and the dirty clothes, stopping by a washing room before you left. The cold stone pressed against your body was enough to fully wake you up and you pushed at it with all your might, until finally it gave in and moved away, creating a small gap for you to slip through into the sewer system, surrounding the Firelights’ hideout.

THe low hum coming off the machine and its weak neon green glow filled the empty tunnels while you took a familiar route. You shot up through a grate hole, its cover kicked away by you some time ago and laying a few paces away. The device shot up as you hopped off and fell into your arms, you had to carry it this time, your cloak being left in the washing room, but compared to the metal piece from yesterday, it was nothing. You left the little dead alleyway and walked into a bigger, more alive street, searching for a food stand. It took a little while but you finally spotted one and quickly made your way over. A smile painted your lips as you spotted a wooden box full of a particularly sweet fruit. You reached into the box to pull out one, but your hand was slapped away by an older man with orange curly hair.

“You want something, you pay for it.” The man stated and folded his arms, giving you a skeptical look, and then a familiar voice echoed from the back of the stand. “A customer?” “Felix?” “[Reader]? Oh it is you! Hi!” The boy came forward and turned to the older man and then he turned to you again. “I see you’ve met my dad.” He chuckled and shook his head, the older man sighed and retrieved into an opened door of the building the stand was built against while mumbling something to himself. “That’s your dad?” “Yeah man, don’t mind him, he’s just wary, that’s all.” “Oh no, it’s fine, I get it, but if you’ll forgive me, I’m in a little hurry, I just wanted to buy two of these.” You pointed to the box you were eyeing a few seconds ago. Felix nodded and reached over the counter of the stand, grabbing a pair of the fruit, throwing them into a paper bag and handing them to you. You paid for them and got on your way again.

It wasn’t long until you reached your desired destination, an empty street, filled with dust and remnants of past life, at night illuminated by a big billboard and its white light. You got greeted by a loud shriek and a dark smudge slamming into you, pushing you off your hoverboard and onto the ground as it licked your face with its split tongue. “Fae! Stop that!” Any attempts at fighting back were absolutely useless and all you could do was wait until your pet salamander was done with greeting you. Fae finally stepped off your body and ran in circles around you, making little happy sounds. “I know, I know, you missed me, I missed you too.” Your arm disappeared into the paper bag and pulled out the fruit, dangling it in the air until Fae noticed it. She stopped running around and tilted her head.

“Can you sit Fae?” You asked her and she sat down politely, wrapping her tail around her legs. “That’s a good girl! Come here!” The salamander broke into a little run and you threw the fruit in the air, she leaped and caught it with her mouth, letting out a murrow, seemingly pleased with herself. You sat down onto the ground and pulled out the second fruit, beginning to eat it as Fae slowly lied down next to you, as if you two were sharing a meal. She finished her piece in a few swift bites, obviously, she was like three times your size at the end of the day, and looked at you with puppy eyes, begging for more. You rolled your eyes and chuckled softly, taking one last bite and giving the rest to her.

[iheartgod175]

Some Thoughts...

While I've still got some Zula Patrol brain rot, I've been rediscovering some old shows from Playhouse Disney (the fact that I called it that versus Disney Junior should tell you how old I am, haha XD). Special Agent Oso was one of them, and I remember watching an episode because Phil Lewis was in the series. But I didn't care for it, even though the theme song is a total bop. Then I started rewatching the episodes. And then I stumbled upon that lore video by Athena P. And then I realized I'm in too deep XD

Watching the show, I understand why folks initially disliked Oso. On one hand, his incompetence is not something a secret agent should have. On the other hand, he's a cinnamon roll. He just needs a little extra help, that's all. Not to mention that during season 2, he gets a lot more independent and competent, with his overconfidence being one of his main flaws. He's a himbo, plain and simple. That's probably why I like him.

I read that the show's creator, Ford Riley, has a son with autism and that his son's autism therapy was the main reason he implemented the "three special steps" into the show. As an autistic woman myself, I just wanted to say kudos to this guy for creating a show geared to teaching autistic children, and sorry for my initial criticism.

I also discovered that there were ships for this show: Wolfie/Dottie and Oso/Dottie. After confirming their ages (because for some reason, the Disney Junior wiki's got Dottie as an eleven-year-old while Oso and Wolfie are in their twenties--which is, uh...SUPER WEIRD O.O), my general consensus is this: Oso/Dottie is a solid "nah" for me. To me, they're more like siblings rather than a couple. Wolfie/Dottie, though...I see the vision. You've got me, folks. (I totally didn't come up with that after seeing the "One Unique Pair" video xD) If you enjoy Oso/Dottie, that's cool! I won't bite your head off for it, lol XD

If I had to pick a character I liked aside from Oso, I'd say that Wolfie is my favorite. And not just because Phil Lewis plays him. He's just too darn cool. Oh, and he has the patience of a saint.

Those dark theories are something else, though. And of course, I now want to write a story with my own spin on those dark theories. Yesterday, I spent about two hours writing up page after page of a proposed fan fic where Oso uncovers the true purpose of U.N.I.Q.U.E. and, uh...doesn't take it well. And he messes up everything for everybody so badly that outside forces (aka the Super Readers) have to get involved. To put it simply, he becomes this fic's Origami Tobiichi. (@0range-flames, this is why I had that Super Why: Infinity War joke XD)

I decided that in this story, Jack is gonna be heavily involved. Playing Revue Starlight gave me an idea of how Jack could be a fighter, heavily inspired by Fumi's Orpheus card.

Speaking of Disney Junior, I'm thinking of writing more Callie/Peck. As of last night, my Wattpad story, Time After Time, is now the number one Sheriff Callie story. That filled me with such indescribable happiness, that I felt inspired to work on a Callie/Peck one-shot for the first time in forever.

That being said, while I haven't forgotten the Disney fandom or the fans who've read this story, I'm writing this purely for free. Badgering me about updating this story (or my Wattpad story collection) will not make me write it faster. Please show some consideration for your fellow authors!

The response to the Bula/Firestorm WIP has been really heartwarming. 12 notes already?! You guys are awesome!

[businesstiramisu]

Worth the Candle is a webtoon now!!

I actually saw Alexander Wales' Discord announcement about this back in October, but my sister asked me about it yesterday, so I finally checked it out. There's three chapters so far, incidentally covering about the first three chapters of the webnovel. (Does this mean we can expect 254 Webtoon chapters?? Probably not, but lol)

Wales' discord announcement said he's not directly involved in production (by his own choice)`:

I'm there mostly as a resource. I expect adaptational changes, and so far have agreed with the streamlining and tweaking I've seen.

I don't know what he's seen, but I agree the tweaking and streamlining seen in the first three chapters seems well done! For example, this conversation (webtoon vs original prose:)

Joon's parents' jobs are interesting flavor, but completely irrelevant; the Athenaeum of Quills and Blood *will* be relevant later but it can be name-dropped when the story gets there. I do miss the "I remembered what it meant right after saying I didn't know it" -- that's a kind of nerdy too-in-his-own-head self-correction that Juniper is very prone to, and it's a trait that greatly endears him to me as a protagonist. The webtoon's internal monologue *can* be read that way but it can also be read as Juniper lying to the girl. But overall it's a really small thing, the scene reads fine.

There's also some innovation. I laughed at Juniper's "Ideas for what's going on" being converted to the visual metaphor of a dumptruck full of garbage. The original list is pretty funny too but this adds a certain flair appropriate for a visual medium:

However, some things are completely lost [note: these actually happened first but i wanted to talk about the panels in this order]

pretty standard "crush at first site" story beat, right?

here's the webnovel (screenshots below, or here's the same text in a pastebin if the screenshot is hard to read)

"Crush at first sight" is absolutely happening here, but there's also a whole lot more. Juniper is a hormonal teenage boy, but he's Aware of the Discourse about female characters and love interests, and the author of WTC is *even more* Aware Of the Discourse. So he's self-conscious about it -- again with that caught-up-in-his-head internal dialogue (which doesn't make his awkward gawking more palatable! Oh, Joon). There's also the suspicion and fear -- which is not just "oh she's Too Pretty" but "she's Too Pretty in a way designed specifically to appeal to me." He's was primed by the zombies and the frongles being drawn from his own tabletop DM ideas -- what else is in this world is drawn from his imagination? And why??

[Also, more basically, "she's so pretty it's scary" which, accurate -- "Cypress" is indeed scary! Beauty is one of many skills and talents she wields to terrifying effect. I don't think the webtoon has really conveyed how intimidating she is -- yet, at least.]

Maybe the squinty-eyed look in the last panel of my screenshots is supposed to convey some or all of this, but I don't know how a reader would intuit it.

These are central themes to the story as a whole and this character specifically. I'm sure they'll be established and explored later in the webtoon (well, probably sanded down the case of the Amaryllis, because ~gestures at the quote again~ and the Webtoon seems to be aiming for more anodyne characterization in general) but it's a shame they got left out of the first impressions.

[Also, I notice that "Cypress" in the comic panels doesn't have blood on her shirt and *does* have a scar on her face -- are these setting up adaptational difference? Plot divergences that are going to matter?? We shall have to wait and see.]

In conclusion, the webtoon seems very promising so far, though necessarily eliding a lot of the wordy details and earnest imperfection that I really appreciate in the webnovel. We shall see how it develops!!

===

Also I'm sorry but I *gotta* shoutout to Joon complaining that his knowledge stat should be higher b/c of his habit of binge-reading Wikipedia.

He's hilarious! I could read him all night (just did again, in fact)

If you also think that book!Juniper is hilarious, consider buying the kindle version of Worth the Candle, or DM-ing me for the epub

[romaine2424]

Weekly Blog August 30, 2023

Let me say upfront that my personal world is quite small, but that doesn't stop random lightning strikes of 'Oh shit' hitting my household. Yikes. I think things have calmed down once again so I can get back to escapism. LOL

I have been writing and updating. The Azkaban Letters Chapter 12 was posted yesterday. I update every Tuesday. The response has been 'meh' kudos wise, but I have some lovely lovely commenters, which inspires me to push ahead. For anyone who's posted a chapter fic, you know what it means to have a few folks comment on each chapter.

What I've been reading:

I've been reading a lot! Mostly very long fics, but then I hit upon a fest I hadn't heard of before that just ended. @ladiesofhpfest! 16 weeks of themed fics! The theme range goes from Vilenous Vixens to Hedwig's Circle of Divas. Most of the fics are less than 5K. Here's the link to the Master List by Weeks/Themes. The final two weeks have to be added to the list. I know one of them is Week 15: Girly Girls.

I have two three recs from this fest, mind you, I've just started reading the stories.

The first is Sparkling Cyanide (1.4K) by @saintsenara.

Summary: Tom Riddle had nothing to do with the death of Hepzibah Smith. Hokey had just had enough of being a slave.

I have no idea how the author fits so much into 1.4k words. But we learn who Hokey is and how she and those who came before her were mistreated by Hepzibah Smith. That wizards and witches have no idea and don't care to know the rich history of house-elves. And they are oh so clever! Cheer Hokey on as she works around the law that house-elves cannot use their magic to hurt their masters.

The second is Look Like the Innocent Flowers (4.8K) by @midnightstargazer.

Summary: Daphne is silly and superficial, the sort who obsesses over makeup and fashion and knows all the latest gossip. Astoria is fragile and soft-spoken, a delicate flower of a girl. When the Carrows take over Hogwarts, the two sisters appear to be unaffected, indifferent to changes that have little impact on pure-blood Slytherins like themselves. But as the Sorting Hat said, "those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends" - including allowing themselves to be grossly underestimated.

This is a great canon missing moments fic for 7th year. Daphne is very much a Slytherin (as is Astoria). She's made a decision to protect her sister and those that the dark side wants to hurt. We're treated to the beginnings of Astoria/Draco, the subtle communication between Slytherin women, including Narcissa, and how such a beautiful witch can use her wiles and magical powers to help bring down the Dark Lord that most of her house admires.

Oh, and this author also wrote Lily's Cat (sniffle) for the fest. Really sweet.

One more rec, and it's Drarry, and it's a Series, and it's long. I'm guessing that many of you have read the Blood Magic (340K) series by Houseofhebrideanblacks(AO3) and Thestralsofspinnersend(AO3). The series is made up of 3 distinct fics in feel though definitely intertwined. The first fic, A Half-Life, A Cursed-Life (49K) is very tough to read. It takes place quite a few years after the war, and Auror Harry is so so broken. At the very end, though, there is a spark of hope as Healer Draco takes action.

The second fic, The Forest (88K), is my fav. Definitely the balm to ease the pain of the first one. And the third, Misunderstood Creatures (198K) is amazing in love, action, and lore. Truly a great Drarry series that should be on every Drarry fan's list to read.

One note of interest is that the Authors wrote for their character, and it's seamless.

Please remember to give love to these stories! Comments are always appreciated.

Resources:

Today's resource came from @maesterchill on the Main Drarry discord server. The Fic Writer's Guide to Formatting (An AO3 Repository) by @anisaanisa. I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally learn how to do coloured text in AO3 and so many other things! Geez just so happy for this resource.

UpComing Fests of Interest (okay to me):

H/D Kidfic Fest: Prompting is Sept 16th-29th.

H/D Owlpost 2023: Sign-ups Aug 18th - Sept 8th.

Harry Potter Rare Pair Fest IV (@hprarepairfest): Claiming now open!

Oh wow, I think I'm done! Have a great week and remember to have some fun in our lovely fandom!

Rom

[boydepartment]

Pizza Parlor- Lee Felix: Chapter 8.5

Description: Y/n is a stressed-out college student who has no idea what she is doing with her life. She is always wrapped up in nostalgia and her friends seem to know exactly what they're doing. Feeling insecure one night she decides to go on an old website. Club Penguin. Little does she know; she would encounter a certain penguin who was also having a rough night.

Stray Kids are idols, TXT is not.

Partial smau, mainly written.

Warnings for chapter 8.5: cursing!

WC- 50

back next

masterlist

                                                                                                ```

Song for Chapter 8.5: Scrawny - Wallows

Chapter 8.5: Happy Dance

Felix was truly over the moon, when you ended the call yesterday (well now a couple days ago??) saying you had to go on your trip to Seoul he almost threw up. BUT NOW he was over the moon. He gets to see you, her, Y/N, REALBOBFROMANIMALCROSSING, JOONSGF. He had to be prepared, like genuinely prepared. He saw the time on his phone, 12:43am. Quickly hopping out of bed he threw a pair of sweats on and a big jacket. He threw a beanie on over his now blond hair? Honestly, he didn’t know how that happened the staff just did it. Felix wasn’t complaining though.

He almost fell putting his shoes on and he rushed out, he had to be prepared, okay.

Wait, was this a date? Or just a meeting?

Shit he should’ve ASKED!

Okay either way, something nice right?

He walked out in the cold air and rushed to the nearest store that was open this late at night. He needed flowers, SHIT HE SHOULD MAKE BROWNIES! Quickly Felix grabbed whatever he needed. When he was done, he plopped it down on the counter, the cashier looked at him then sighed tiredly. Felix rushed home and quickly put water in a random bowl he could find then got the flowers situated.

Okay good, now time to bake. He was digging for the pans and then popped back up from behind the island.

                “Holy shit you scared me.” Minho said, “what the hell is going on?”

Felix’s silly little grin almost instantly gave it away, they all knew about this trip Y/n was so busy saving up for because Felix would complain about not getting to see her due to it.

                “Holy shit.” Minho said dumbfounded.

-------------------------------------------------------------------- Taglist: @bloofairyfox @yellowroses-world @g4m3girl @forevrglow @nepytune @rensimps @curly-fr13s @amara-mars

Taglist is always open :) if I ever accidentally leave out a tag please just remind me. I have horrible goldfish memory.

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

Author's note: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the love this story has gotten recently!!! I have gotten a lot of love and comments and reblogs and I am just so happy everyone enjoys it! I pinky promise the next chapter is def gonna be good good!!! Heheheh!! I am going to try and finish the couple projects I mentioned yesterday this week, not the full blown fic but some of the little side series! That'll probably require another masterlist but idk we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Chapter 9 is completed it just has to be proof read and then I need to decide on some other things regarding this fic! Sorry that this .5 was so short, I had to fit something in for this hehe and I thought it was cute <3

Today is a slow college week so I will definitely have time to work on my projects here on Tumblr, I am so very excited to say the least.

I hope everyone is doing fantastic! Remember to eat and drink a lot of water! That is very important! If you can try to do some stretches! It feels really nice to stretch and crack lol

If any of you need anything my dms and ask box are always open <3

I love you!

[kuiinncedes]

but i want 'em all

@gleeadvent day 2: bonfire!

yeeee this is BARELY proofread and pretty quickly written and i will almost certainly read it again and edit later lmaoo i'm just writing and posting and hopefully it doesn't all suck 🤪

also idk how summer camp shit works i've never done it but that's what this is lmao so yeah

title from "lover" by taylor swift!!! ALso this is quinntina (we BACK BABY) but like lowkey highkey can be kinda read as minor quinntike as welllll 😈 idk but it happened i love it here 😌

word count 825

read under the cut or on ao3!! <3

Quinn squeaks in surprise as a weight lands on her back, almost knocking her over, and her hands come up instinctively to find themselves meeting and holding up a pair of legs that end in familiar combat boots.

“Tina!” she laughs, stumbling to regain her balance with another person suddenly attached to her. Mike, who she had been talking to, laughs and takes a step away from them. “We’re right by a fire!”

Tina giggles right by her ear. “Sorry! Was just excited to see you.” She hooks her chin over Quinn’s shoulder and kisses a spot by her ear. “How are you?”

“Better now that you’re here,” Quinn teases, knowing Tina will roll her eyes but love the cliché. She turns her head to press a slightly awkward kiss to Tina’s temple, some of both their hair in the way but she doesn’t care. “Missed you.”

Quinn feels the missed you, too in the way Tina holds onto her tighter, leans her head in closer. “I’m here,” Tina says. “Not leaving anytime soon.”

--

Quinn knows she’s being... lame, annoying, sad, pathetic, mopey -- you name it, Mike tells her as much and she scowls at him but secretly is grateful that he’s here; he knows she doesn’t need to be comforted or coddled, knows not to because while the leather and chains and cigarettes are long gone, the pink hair is still here and the combat boots are in the back of her closet.

It’s just -- the annual bonfire… sue her, but she’s sentimental. It’s special -- it’s where they first met when they were campers a long time ago, where they reconnected as counselors, where they know they will see each other again every year because getting everyone settled is always so hectic and busy and then they can just let it all go for a moment. This is the third summer out of the four they have before graduation, and Quinn knows Tina’s not gone, just away this summer, but it’s the whole summer and it just feels like too long since she’s gotten to talk to Tina, with her unpredictable service and her constant other activities all the way across the world, just not here at camp like she always is and not with Quinn which isn’t fair because she just misses her --

“You’re moping again, Fabray,” Mike jokes, nudging her with his shoulder.

Quinn leans her head on his shoulder and he kisses her head lightly. She focuses back on the bonfire, watches the sparks float into the night sky, lets Mike’s warmth and the energy of all the new and returning campers and counselors fill her up with undeniable happiness and excitement for the next few months. Being with Tina would just make it a hell of a lot better.

--

“Have you been avoiding me?” Tina asks, crossing her arms slightly but Quinn knows it’s her way of sort of hugging herself and fuck, she already knew this but she fucked up --

“Do you -- do you not want to do this?” Tina continues when Quinn can’t come up with an answer, her voice growing small at the end.

“No! No, I mean, I do -- sorry, I just -- ” She doesn’t know -- she just wants Tina’s hand in hers in the way she’s wanted to for so long and finally can do, and no one’s stopping her but herself, and she’s hurting Tina too --

Tina sees what Quinn can’t put into words and her eyes soften, she pulls Quinn gently over to the edge of the field. There’s only a dim orange glow from the fire at this distance.

“It’s just us, okay?” Tina says softly, offering her hand between them and Quinn interlaces their fingers, finally. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just… got nervous, I guess. It’s been a long year.” A weird year; Quinn feels like she’s just finally finding her way back from it all.

Tina smiles softly. “We don’t have to tell anyone if you don’t want to.”

“But -- you want to -- ”

“I want you,” Tina says. “I don’t care about them.”

“You are -- fuck -- ” Quinn says breathlessly. Tina grins wider and pulls her close, brushing her fingers through slightly pink hair as Quinn wraps her arms tighter around her.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you.”

“It’s okay. Whenever you’re ready.”

--

Quinn didn’t know if she’d be here, but sure enough, from across the fire, she sees her, talking to Kurt who Quinn also didn’t know would be here, how has she failed so badly at keeping up with these people, it’s been so long since they were all here as campers --

Tina laughs at something Kurt says, the wide open-mouthed laugh that Quinn still remembers, that throws her whole body forward and her head back and she turns toward the fire and meets Quinn’s eyes.

Quinn grins -- Tina’s huge smile has always been infectious -- and waves slightly. Tina’s eyes widen in surprise, and she waves back, smile growing impossibly wider.

[arent-i-the-fairest]

Idia with an s/o who used to stalk him (not in a perverted way) before they started dating bc they wanted to befriend him but was too afraid to approach him pls?

#𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐲

author’s note : a non-perverse stalker, what an oxymoron lol— but i did my best to write it here! hope you enjoy~!! ( ＾∇＾）

cw : stalking

idia remembers the day you two started dating— which was also the day ortho revealed all the things you did to get to this point. (not knowing you didn’t want him to.) and idia was absolutely speechless— like, how does he react to this information?? does he… does he thank you for all the effort you went through? run for the hills?? thank you then run?

well, over anything, he is baffled. baffled that you went to the lengths you did just to try getting to know him. the biggest reason being because, well, it’s you— like, the coolest person in the school. you’re mx. magicless person that came from another world that also took down several overblots.

—he’d think you, of all people, would be able to just walk up to a loser like him and ask for his number with no problem. but ends up you were afraid of him. him. idia shroud.

(well, having someone intimidated by him… it’s not a first or anything— far from it, in fact— but still! he’s surprised.)

but anyways, it’s oddly amusing for him to hear all the shenanigans you got into before you two started dating. let’s take a look at a few of them, shall we?

one of the things you used to do was constantly look through his magicam— so you were always checking to see if he posted anything new, rereading his old posts, so on and so forth.

grim watched you scrolling from over your shoulder. “and just what are you trying to gather from reading all of his posts?” he asked.

“his likes, dislikes— stuff like that. he posts a lot about them, and is so passionate about them too! for example he loves this one idol group, premo— and this anime, attack on…” grim started tuning your voice out, sleepy.

“you…” he yawned, crawling up up your lap. “sound crazy— MRRAH?!” he hissed as you suddenly stood up, starting to pace back and forth around the room. “damn it..” you muttered.

“henchman?”

“I ACCIDENTALLY LIKED SOME RANDOM POST HE MADE 6 MONTHS AGO—”

you would often try and send your friends to go and ask idia questions, and they were… not the most enthusiastic about the idea of being your errand boy, to say the least. but hey, you gave them good rewards, so they all caved in at the end.

“so, you want me to run to ignihyde just to ask idia what his favorite food is?” ace asked, squinting his eyes.

you nodded. “correct.” “pfft— no way, you can do it by yourself, you’re a big kid!” he scoffed, walking away. “ace, come back! you know i can’t, i don’t even know how to approach him! do this for me and you get to copy off my homework for every day the next week!”

ace stopped in his tracks and turned right around. “ohoho— sold!” he laughed as he started running towards the dorm.

there were some times where you wanted to drop this whole scheme— several, in fact. because, well, this is weird. so you’d try and talk to him face to face, like normal people would— you had a pretty good chance of having a good, smooth conversation too, since you had the advantage of knowing what he likes and doesn’t like! —but still, every attempt failed since you ended up getting cold feet.

thanks to reading through idia’s posts, you felt prepared to talk to him. extra prepared, actually, since you brought something that he’s had his eye on— a manga, which he posted about wanting yesterday. that you went out of your way to find and purchase.

manga in hand, you approached idia’s room, but stopped halfway. did you really have the confidence for this?

on the other side of the door— idia looked at his younger brother, who suddenly seemed alert. “idia, i’m detecting someone else is super near— they’re right outside your door!” “WHAT”

hearing all the commotion, you were tipped over the edge and ended up running away. womp womp~

this whole thing was kind of a wild journey for you, one you don’t quite know if you enjoyed or not— but hey, you got your man now.

[httpknjoon]

small world | pjm

plot | You attended a relative’s wedding with your child as the ring bearer. Unbeknownst to you, someone estranged is also showing up at the said wedding. Leading to a disclosure of a longtime secret.

words | 4.5k

genres | oneshot, fluff, (major?) angst

pairing | jimin x single mom!reader

warnings |  language, alcohol, mentions of sex, vomitting, abortion

author’s note  | i watched mamma mia (again) yesterday and thought of this plot. it can be crack, fluff, angst. in that order lol. i was carried away in the last part. but it’s the same universe as (re)starting over again. also, unedited. forgive me with some errors. anyways, let me know your thoughts. enjoy reading!

masterlist

“Mama, it’s too tight.”

Jihoon, your son, tugged in the hem of your white, cotton robe repeatedly. The make up artist stopped from putting on your eyeshadow so you can give your attention to Jihoon. Looking at him, he was visibly uneasy with the suspenders on his shoulders. You can’t help but too giggle with how cute he was.

“Who fixed it for you, bubba?” you asked him while you set up the straps more loose.

“Mima did.” your son pouted.

You looked at your mom, who’s busy with talking with your other aunts, unaware that her grandchild complains to you.

“There, bubba. You look handsome!” you told him in a enthusiastic tone.

“Thank you, Mama.” he shows you his toothy smile with his eyes almost closing. “I’ll go play with Nini.”

You nodded before he ran back to the other kids in the event. You sat back in the make up chair and just let the artist do the work. 

It’s your Jisoo’s, your favorite cousin’s, wedding. You two practically grew up together. You even consider each other as siblings since both of you are only child. She asked you to be her maid of honor months ago while Jihoon as the ring bearer. Of course, you agreed with no second thoughts. The wedding was delayed for a month after some happenings. So, it was a really exciting day for everyone. Especially for your well knitted family.

“You’re done.” the artist spoke after spraying a setting spray on your face.

“Thank you.”

You then walked to your mom, who’s still chatting with your aunt. “Mom, can you keep an eye on Jihoon? I’ll just change to my gown.”

“Sure, honey.”

You trusted her small smile and walk to your designated room. Jisoo and her fiance, Namjoon, rented a whole events place to do their marriage ceremony, which includes many rooms to prepare at. With other bridesmaids, you helped each one with wearing your gowns. All the zip ups and tying the ribbons. The bridesmaid wore a pastel blue, column gown. While Jisoo made you wore a same color but with off shouldered gown intentionally to make you stand out as a maid of honor. You have the same bouquet of flowers.

“Mama, you look pretty!” Jihoon ran to you after you and the other bridesmaid went out to have a photoshoot.

“Thank you, bubba. Now, stay with Mima. Mama just have to take some pictures, okay?” you told him and he nodded.

The photographer took a picture of you and the other bridesmaids first. Later on, he asked for you to call the bride. Jisoo was already wearing her whimsical wedding gown. You assisted her with the long trail of it until you reached the spot.

“You look pretty, Jiji.” you called her by her nickname.

You two stood up next to each other as the camera flashes in front of you. The photo shoot went by for half an hour before everyone was asked to prepare for the ceremony. It was an outdoor wedding. Guests are finally asked to take place on the prepared seats. While everyone who’s part of the ceremony line up were asked to ready. You will be the first one to walk while your five-year old son will be in the near end of the line.

“Do you remember what to do? We practiced it, right?” you asked him and Jihoon nodded keenly.

“Walk ahead. Not too fast, not too slow.”

“And?”

“Smile!” he answers, showing his smile again.

You kissed his forehead, “Very good. Smile for everyone, okay?”

“Yes, mama.”

You walked back to your line. Everyone will walk solo, except for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. There are four partners. You wondered why the groomsmen has not lined up yet. Until the piano began playing. You heard guys behind you, saying sorry to their dates for being late. You did not looked back as you began walking down the aisle. With confidence and grace, you strolled until you reached your seat. Still standing up, you watched the others walking.

Until you spotted someone familiar. You blinked once, you blinked twice. You unconsciously let out a silent gasp.

No, it can’t be. It’s him. Park Jimin.

What the hell is he doing here?

Jisoo is saying her vows to Namjoon with tears in her eyes. You tried to listen and just stay calm. But you can’t help but to take many peeks to the man meters away from you. He doesn’t seems to notice that you were here too. Your laps were bouncing up and down out of stress while your heart pounds almost out of your chest.

“Mama, I’m bored.”

You look down to Jihoon, who’s already sitting beside you. He was playing with your hands as soon as he sat. But the duration of the wedding is taking a toll in his small patience. You forced a smile to him, trying to ripped off the thoughts in your head.

“Just wait a little, bubba. Watch Aunt Jiji and Uncle Namjoon.” you told him, pulling him closer to you.

You breathe in and out, hoping that you will not end up in a same table with Jimin later at reception. You wished to be placed away from him as far as possible, not wanting to even have a small talk with him.

The thing is, Jimin was your ex boyfriend. It was only six months of dating from five years ago. You two broke up because of time conflicts. It was a mutual decision though. The breakup happened in good terms. But the incident follows was not really ideal. Plus, there was a big reason why you don’t want to stay near him and the reason is beside you right now. Jihoon. That short relationship you two had resulted to this chubby little kid that you loved and cared for the most. And you never told Jimin anything about it.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Everyone stood up and clapped for the newly wedded couple. Focus on the wedding, Y/N. you thought to yourself. Then, you eyed on Jihoon, who’s covering his eyes with his small hands while the couple kissed. Just a couple of minutes later, guests were asked to go to the reception venue. You knelt down to Jehu, equal to his eye level.

“Bubba, Mama will just help Aunt Jiji. Can you go with Mima to the foods?” you asked him.

His mono lidded eyes suddenly widened, “Are we going to eat now?”

“Yes, bubba. Go to Mima and I’ll meet you in our table, okay?” 

He nodded and ran again. You shouted a single careful. The kid loves running everywhere. When you saw him already with your mom, you walked to Jisoo to help her with her gown. The couple is still taking photos. You never seen her this happy. Her eyes and nose crinkles almost every second. 

“Okay, the maid of honor and best man can join the shot.”

You stood beside Jisoo while Namjoon’s best man, his cousin, stood next to the groom. You whispered a simple congratulatory to your cousin and she softly beamed. After a few shots, you noticed that the bridesmaid and groomsmen are still there for their shots. From the perspective of your eyes, you know that he was looking at you. You bit your lower lip. You don’t want to look at him and spark a conversation. Just avoid him in the remaining time of the event.

“Bridesmaids and groomsmen, please stand next to them.” says the photographer.

You lost count of how many times the camera shutters until all of you can finally go to the reception area. It’s like your final job, to help Jisoo and her long trail of gown to arrive at the roofed venue with no struggles for the bride. Ten minutes later, you’re sitting in a table with your son and mom. Thankfully, it is away from the man you’re not looking forward to meet again.

“Mama, I want the chocolate.”

Jihoon points out to the chocolate fountain that was prepared for kids. Looking at it, you can see how messy it will be for your five-year old. Your mom gave him a marshmallow dipped in the chocolate earlier and there’s already spots of it on his white top. Also, having sweets in him made him more energetic with running everywhere.

“Please, mama.” he pouted with his appealing eyes.

You sighed, “Fine. But, let’s keep it clean. Alright? Don’t remove this in your clothes, okay? Just wipe your fingers with it.”

You tucked a table napkin cloth on his shirt, making it as a substitute bib. Your mom was busy eating and chattering up again with your relatives. So, you accompanied Jihoon to the fountain. You got him a plate for the marshmallows, bread sticks, and strawberries he wanted for the small bowl of chocolate.

“Jihoon, do you want to sit with us?” A little girl with pigtails walked to your son  while you were walking back to your seats. You recognized her as one of the flower girls.

“Where?”

“There.” the girl pointed to the kids’ table.

The table have toys and other things a child can enjoy with. It’s not messy since there’s an attendant who help the kids. You noticed Jihoon looking up to you, his silent way of asking permission. Of course, you’ll let him. The adult table is too boring for him anyways. Nini, the little girl, made Jihoon sat beside him. You placed the plate and bowl in front of him.

“Mama will be seating with Mima, okay?” you told him and he only gave you a nod, already engrossed with the toys.

You sat back to your seat, he’s still in your eyesight. Everyone in your table are already having their conversation while you kept your attention to Jihoon. Seeing him having fun made you smile. It calms your heart for a bit. You hoped for this day to be anything you wanted.

The fairy lights in the event were already lit up when the couples’ first dance happened. After that, everyone is already free to dance and have drinks in the bar. Your other cousins invited you to have the cocktails with them but you kindly declined. Just settling with the lemonade around the corner.

“I can’t drink. I have a kid to keep an eye on.” you quipped to one of them and they quickly understood.

You don’t drink when you have Jihoon with you. You know you do many stupefied things when you’re tipsy or drunk. It’s been years since you last had fun with an alcohol. After you had Jihoon, you stopped drinking. Just taking sips when you and you’re friends are hanging out. You just want to focus on doing what’s good for him and maybe for you too. Maybe if he gets a little older, you will drink again.

Now, you’re sat with your cousins, still keeping an eye on Jihoon in the kids’ area. They are talking about their careers and love lives. Yoonji, one of your cousins, noticed you being quiet.

“Ah, Y/N. Loosen up! Jihoon will be fine.”

Your other cousins joined in, asking you to have fun once in a while.

“Almost everyone here is family. No one will take him away from you.” Saeron joked.

You tried to laugh with them. But, you don’t really find it funny as you worried more and more with Jimin getting near to Jihoon or you. You saw him a while ago with his date in the bar, hoping that he did not noticed you. You’re still not ready to tell him about everything. You don’t even had plans. Considering you moved to another city after you knew you were pregnant, you thought that you will never see him again.

“Look, have a sip.” Yoonji handed you a glass of vodka. You were about to shake your head when she said, “Just a sip.”

You gave up and took a sip as she said. It feels like a burn sliding down your throat. They cheered to loud for your liking, even gaining side eyes and looks from other guests. It’s the first time for them to see you having alcohol again. Before you had Jihoon, you and your cousins used to bar hopping in every places you go to. You were almost the leader of that activity. According to your relatives, you are the untamed one. You liked partying and having fun. They are even more surprised that you finished college than the news that you got pregnant four months later. But everyone in the family accepted you nonetheless. They loved Jihoon and treated him as everyone’s baby since you’re the first one to have a kid. No one forced you to admit who’s the father. Not even your mom knows it’s one of the groomsmen. They never met him anyway. Not even Jisoo.

“You know what? I’ll got get you a drink while—”

Yoonji was about to stand up when you stopped her, “It’s okay. I can get my own.”

You stood up, leaving the table. They continued chatting again. As you go to the bar, the bartender looked at you. He was a witness of your cousins asking you to drink with them a while ago. It’s like he’s waiting for you to say your order.

“Nah, still lemonade. Give me one in a glass like the one with cocktails.” you told him, making him chuckle.

You were just tricking you cousins so that they can stop. Your eyes moved back to where your son was. Still playing with the others. Not long after, the bartender handed you your lemonade but in a same glass as the alcohol. He even added some features to make it look like one of the cocktails.

“Thanks.” you smiled to him.

You just decided to stay in the bar counter, sitting in one of its high chairs. For now, you’re just waiting for the event to finish. Everyone were having fun. Jisoo and Namjoon are still going around their guests. Your mom are with her sisters. Your baby is with his new found friends. While you just want to go back to your room and rest.

“It’s a small world, isn’t it?”

Fuck.

You immediately registered that voice. You gripped tighter on the glass you were holding. Your heart starts beating faster again. Slowly, you looked to your right.

“H-Hey.” you tried not to sound nervous. “You... You’re here?”

Jimin chuckles, “Yeah, I’m friends with Namjoon. I actually saw you while taking pictures earlier.”

Me too.

“R-Really?” you can’t stop stuttering out of worry. You tried to take a glimpse of your son. Fortunately, he’s still busy with his friends.

“Yeah. It’s been a long time since I saw you.” Jimin told you in a friendly way. Like nothing happened when you last interacted. “I saw you’re the maid of honor, huh?”

Fuck, it’s small talk. It reminds you of the first time you met. You forgot how time quickly passed by when you two began talking back in that bar.

“Jisoo is my cousin.” you replied with a tight smile. You kept looking behind you to check on Jihoon, hoping that he will not go to you now.

“Is the seat taken?” Jimin points out to the vacant chair beside you.

You shake your head. You don’t know what he wants but you don’t want to make everything awkward or weird towards him. You just wish that he will talk to you shortly or you will have a reason to leave.

“Y/N, about that night...” Jimin was careful with his words and you can feel it because you know what night was he pertaining to.

You let out an awkward chuckle, “Oh, let’s just forget about it.”

It was a fucking one night stand after we broke up and I don’t want to talk about it.

“I know that it has been years. But, I feel sorry for making you on your own in the morning.” He spoke gently.

Oh, yeah. You had your own walk of shame in his shared apartment with his best friend, Taehyung, that you barely knew. Jimin was nowhere to be found when you woke up. You had to ask his best friend where he was, who also don’t know where he was. It took you a few days before you cut off any connections with Jimin. Even a couple of months later when you learned that you were pregnant.

“It’s fine.”

You finally looked at him and his sorry eyes. You hate how Jihoon got almost every features of his face. Especially his unique eyes and plump, pink lips. You had the baby in you for nine months. But it ended up looking like his father. But you don’t hate Jimin. You don’t blame him with any of this entanglement you’re in right now. It was your choices that led you to this.

“Mama.”

Your eyes immediately widened as you heard that small voice. You looked back and your son is looking at you with urgency.

“I have to pee.”

You looked at Jimin who seemed surprised too with the arrival of the little kid. Ignoring him, you stood up and held Jihoon’s hand, ready to leave. “Okay, let’s go to the restroom.”

“I don’t want to go to the girls’ restroom, Mama!” he stomped his foot. “Nini told me that I can’t go there.”

Your eyebrows scrunched. In all times he can get a bad mood, why now? you asked yourself. You sighed and stayed calm, “But, bubba, you’ll have me. We can go together.”

“No!”  He’s one step to throwing a tantrum.

“Bubba, Mama can’t go in the boys’ rest—”

“I can go with him.”

You looked back, Jimin already stood up with a smile and ready to go with you. Your little boy immediately trusted him and held Jimin’s hand, letting go from yours.

“Let’s go, please.” Jihoon pleaded.

Jimin led the way to the restroom. You just followed behind with an apprehensive look. At the same time, the scene in front of you warms your heart. Seeing him holding his son’s hand for the first time made you reflect on what you have done. As you wait outside the door, you exhaled. Guilt slowly eats up your whole body. For the first time in five years, you thought of doing something that you should have done years ago.

“What will you say to him, Jihoon?” 

After having his relief, you carried Jihoon on your way back to the reception area. His hands were still damp from washing it.

“Thank you.” Jihoon said with a smile that have a big resemblance to the man beside you.

Jimin has been quiet when they got out the restroom. It makes you feel nervous. But he then gave a small smile to your son as he ruffles his hair, 

“Your welcome, buddy.”

As you reached the doors to the venue, you put Jihoon down. You walked him back to the kids’ table. While Jimin just follows you.

“Bubba, Mama will just talk to someone. Go to Mima if you need something, okay?” you told him.

Jihoon nodded before playing with his friends again. You and Jimin walked outside the reception, away from the loud music and people. It was like an unspoken chat after Jimin and Jihoon went out the rest room. He looked at you in a certain way. You can’t tell if he’s angry, sad, or even shocked.

In the veranda of one of the small houses in the event place, it’s the one where your designated room were, you and Jimin stayed. It was silent, only the blows of the breezy wind can be heard. Plus, the distant noise from the main event. Jimin leaned his arms on one of the railings as he looks out the place. You remained in a safe space beside him, darting glances on him every minute.

“Jihoon, huh?” he suddenly spoke, not even looking at you. 

You did not answer, it felt like something’s stuck in your throat. By the way he sounds, it’s like he was in sad amusement feeling.

“You have a nice kid.”  he added. “He told me a lot in the short time back in the rest room. He likes the chocolate back there. Also, the girl his playing with. He said he just started going to school this year.”

Finally, you tried to respond, “Y-Yep, I just enrolled him—”

“He told me he’s five.”

Jimin turned to you, he faces you with a mixed expression. Now, you can see the hurt and fury in his eyes. He already knows. Of course, he does. It’s an easy math. You felt frozen in your position as thoughts popped in your head. You tried to look at him straight in his eyes but you ended up looking away.

“We last saw each other five years ago. We slept together five years ago.” he put stress in some words he said, frustration showing up. 

He took a step closer to you while you remained pinned in your place. The guilt, fear, and sadness were all adding up in your system. You felt like throwing up.

“I-I...” you got nothing to say.

“Is... he mine?” he asked, almost breathless.

You gulped the biggest lump you felt in your throat and gathered all the courage you had to look him in the eye, “Y-Yes.”

You see his knuckles turning white as he clutched tighter on the railings. He turned his head down and seconds later, you can hear him sobbing. You don’t know if you should calm and touch him.

“I’m sorry.”  

Jimin looked up with his tear-stained cheeks. You can’t help but to see the similarities of him and Jihoon. Whenever your son cried about a toy or something else, he have the same red, pouty lips and flushed cheeks.

“You know, I-I saw you in a supermarket like three years ago. You... You were pushing a cart by the d-dairy aisle. T-Then I saw you with a t-toddler. J-Jihoon.” he saw sobbing in between his story. “I-I was happy for y-you since I know t-that you’re happy by the way you p-play peek a boo and laughed with him.”

You were just quiet as he tell his story. Your vision was beginning to blur with tears forming by your eyes.  You looked away as you immediately wiped your tears.

“I... I know it was shitty to be gone so suddenly after we had sex although we already broke up . And I am so sorry for that. But, do you have to hide him from me this long? Or did you even thought of telling me?”

That’s where a fire sparked in you. Your jaw clenched as your eyebrows lowered. You said through your gritted teeth, “I had my reason.”

“Then, what is it, Y/N?” he sounded like he’s challenging you.

You did not take time to lessen the anger in you and just answered, 

“You made me feel unwanted. We had a break up and then we met by the bar just two days later. Next thing I know we were having the best sex of our lives. Then, in the morning, I wake up with no one beside me. Realizing it all now, I know I shouldn’t have expected something when you asked me to go to the bar with you. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected for us to happen again. Because clearly, you liked me for something else. In conclusion, you fucking made me feel used.”

“I... I did not like you for sex.” Jimin said in disbelief. “My mind was a mess that time. We already broke up and I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, sorry. Clearly, I am not a mind reader who can know your thoughts.” your sarcasm was over the roof when you’re mad. “I waited for days because there’s still this tiny hope in me. Because I know you’re not that low, Jimin. I know that you are a great person and ghosting people is not your thing. But you were in dead silence for days! You should have called or even texted me. There’s fucking social media.”

Jimin was already looking down and you can feel that every weight you had on you for years were slowly lifting up. You let out a big, heavy sigh as tears scroll down your cheeks. Thank God the makeup was all waterproof.

“You made me feel unwanted and I don’t want that to happen with my baby too.” You cried. “I got scared of telling you because I had this ideas that maybe you will just deny us or push us away. Maybe you will be scared too and tell me things that I would never want to hear. Like, give him up.”

You teared up and Jimin now eyed you with more care, “I... I wouldn’t say that. Never.”

“But I don’t know that, Jimin. It was a crazy world in here.” you pointed in your head with a sad chuckle. “I thought of things so much and I let that turn into fears and I am so, so sorry.”

You poured all the sincerity in you as you apologized to him, hoping that it will somehow made everything lighter. 

“I had so many doubts when I learned I am pregnant. One of those was you. But tonight, when I saw you with Jihoon, even for that short interaction, I knew I was wrong. I realized that I robbed you and especially my child for having a father in his life.”

It hit you like a truck when you fully realized everything. You know how hard it is growing up without a father. You experience it yourself. You began crying hysterically and Jimin did not stop himself from hugging you.

“What kind of mother am I?” you sobbed on his chest. “I’m a bad mo—”

“Shhh... Shhh...” Jimin hushed you as he strokes your back. “Jihoon grew well in five years. He is respectful, nice, and fun. You did well in raising him alone.”

You cried more as you listen to his praises. There a little part of you who’s saying that you don’t deserve this from him, considering on what you did. But a huge part of you calms down with his soft voice and gentle touch. Slowly, he caresses your cheeks and made you look at him.

“You’re an amazing mother. Don’t take that away from yourself. Okay?”

You don’t know if it’s just the tiredness you feels or the soft feeling of his touch made you rest your head in his palm. You felt a heavy weight got off your chest now.

“Thank you, Jimin. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, Y/N.”

You closed your eyes as he leaned it. It’s amazing how his touch relaxes your mind. He placed a peck on your forehead before hugging you again. It lasted for a few minutes until he let go of you. You two decided to get a glass of water for each of you inside the empty house that you stayed at.

“If it’s okay, can we do a schedule or something so I can get to know him?” Jimin asked after drinking his water.

“Sure.” you smiled at him. “I’m sure that Jihoon will be happy to know you too.”

a/n: not gonna lie, teared up there a little.

[cr0wbonezz-wr1ting-inc]

“This is my boyfriend!”

Request: So uh, this is probably going to be oddly specific and I’m sorry for that but dating Karl and being part of SBI how would they all react? I just really love Karl 👉🏻👈��~For-Memories-Sacrifice

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

Summary: how the sleepy bois would react to karl being your boyfriend~♡ (gender neutral + in-game au)

Author’s note: YESSS SBI TIME BABY!! i love this request sm i- ahhhhh (´Д｀。) - enjoy, one of my favorite mutuals <3

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

Philza:

- when he heard you had a boyfriend he was ready to own up to his title as ‘angel of death’

- you immediately started talking about how he isn’t a bad person and you just have to meet him

- the sheer thought of his kid having a boyfriend was just unimaginable

- when he opened the door and saw karl next to you a week after you told him, his cold demeanor made a chill run down karl’s spine 

- the 3 of you sat on the couch, you holding karl’s hand and phil looking at both of you with dull, almost dead eyes

- “hello, sir-”

- “don’t call me sir, my name is phil”

- he sounded kind of tense in a way

- he was still unsure of the fellow in front of him

- but his worries quickly washed away when he saw just how happy you were telling him all about your new boyfriend

- how your eyes light up when you spoke about your picknick date last week

- his face turning from dull to delighted

- it was a huge relief (more so to karl than to you)

- he still keeps an eye out, though (it’s the parental worrying in him lol)

Technoblade:

- "___, there's no way in hell you are going to have a boyfriend when will and dad are around."

- he doesn't really care that you have a boyfriend

- he does give karl a "breathe the wrong way and you're dead" speech

- but other than that he's really chill

- one time he walked in on you and karl making out on the couch and just kinda

- walked backwards

- he's never going to get that image out of his head

- most of the time he's just making sure that will doesn't slaughter karl

- techno knows that karl wouldn't dare to hurt you while he was around

- so he had nothing to worry about

- the only time he actually got protective over you is when you were crying in your room

- when he heard a sob come from your room he walked in and asked what happened

- "well, karl-"

- he didn't listen after those two escaped your mouth

- he was ready to rip his limbs off

- the voices are asking for blood and he's willing to give it to them-

- "-isn't that sweet?"

- he looks down and sees a small jewel in the palm of your hand

- "oh."

- "he dropped off this pretty necklace yesterday evening"

- "good"

- certified cool brother

Wilbur:

- doesn’t believe you at first

- you? a boyfried? really?

- but that all changed quickly

- he wanted to ask you for a book he let you borrow a while ago and walked into the room

- “___, do you still have my-”

- he saw you sitting in karl’s lap, smiling while he talked

- queue intense staring between him and karl

- “do you need anything, will?” you said, breaking the silence

- “no”

- he closes the door and plans murder <3

- genuinely shocked

- when karl leaves for the day will is waiting for him outside

- basically threatens him that if you ever get hurt because of him he’ll decapitate him

- karl just replies with “y-yes, sir! of course!”

- you two don't go to your place for like 2 weeks

Tommyinnit:

- tommy does not like karl at first

- pretty sure tommy bit him once

- not very hard (although he'd like you to believe it was)

- just enough to make an impact

- glares from across the table

- him and wilbur have definitely hunted karl once

- well, they tried

- but techno stopped them before they could do anything

- most of his and karl's interactions are something like this

- "hi, tommy-"

- "you're a bitch, karl."

- after a while of knowing him he slowly changed his opinion on the man

- he started to like him more and kind of started to see him as a brother

- sometimes tommy asks about his travels

- he doesn't know that karl is a timetraveler, only that he sometimes leaves for a couple days

- karl is really good at coming up with stories about places and people he "met"

- there have been times where tommy just fell asleep listening to karl's stories

- you melt everytime it happens

Bonus!

Ghostbur:

- ghostbur is so sweet

- he really likes karl and they get along great

- ghostbur talks about his experience being a ghost and all the stuff he's pulled with his family

- karl talks about the timetravels he went to recently

- ghostbur is absolutely starstruck over all the stories karl tells him

- he loves hearing about them and asked him if he wanted company on his next trip, fully aware he couldn't

- because, you know, he's a ghost

- you sometimes ask karl if he'd rather be ghostbur's boyfriend instead of yours

- "no no no, ___! i woudn't trade you for the world!"

- accompanied with a bunch of kisses

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

Thank you for reading! Remember to eat something today ♡

m.list