#i kinda adjusted him to things i find easy to draw lmao

[fl00mie]

idk what kind of ink is this but i liked it

[hoonbear]

eyes for you

Despite his outwardly cold appearance, Watanabe Haruto is perhaps the sweetest boy in all of existence, and as you come to know him you realize your feelings for him may exceed friendship. What you don’t realize is just how romantically he means it when he tells you he only has eyes for you.

PAIRING : watanabe haruto x gn!reader

GENRES : fluff, crack, slight angst according to readers but i swear it’s worth it, high school au, strangers to friends to lovers au

WORD COUNT : 5,342

WARNINGS : profanity, this whole fic is kinda narrative in the beginning with only bits of dialogue until the end

PLAYLIST : be with me - treasure / ミズキリ- yuuri / darari - treasure / i love you (piano ver.) - treasure / daphné - amir / o sole mio - iz*one

TAGLIST : @soobin-chois​ @beomsun​​

A/N : hello!! this is a fic i had been writing in 2020 and decided to rewrite + add the ending LMAO but i love ruto sm and whoever’s reading this i rlly hope that this could bring a smile to your face! thank you sm to the loml jaymin simp alice (@hyuckworld @tyonfs @jayflrt @jaytendo @juunnies @jjacob @iinnie @shuaflix @chromekook @addysucks) for making my banner and for motivating + helping me in general! LMFAOO SORRY but ily liceypoo truly 

WATANABE HARUTO FASCINATES YOU.

You can’t pinpoint what exactly it is about him that intrigues you so, whether it’s the way in which he shyly dips his head upon entering your Photography classroom, or the way he clasps his hands together in order to make his shaking fingers less apparent. Whatever it is, you know right at that moment that there’s something about his aura that draws you in, even as he stumbles over his words when he introduces himself as the new foreign exchange student from Japan. (You decide that maybe, just maybe, you find him a tiny bit cute.)

Your fascination with him only grows when he’s assigned to be your seat partner, Haruto greeting you with a slightly awkward but polite bow when he approaches you. When he settles in next to you, you can’t help but grin at the way he haphazardly adjusts his long legs under your shared desk, he himself letting out a small laugh at how his height plays against him in situations like these. It’s easy, genuine, and you can immediately tell he’s attempting to lighten the uncomfortable situation that comes from any two people meeting for the first time. You wholeheartedly do the same, managing brief introductions with him before the lesson starts. Still, the man is a bit of an enigma to you. His profile lingers in your mind even after you both part from the class, and your brain is left with a mess of questions, hoping to get to know him better.

Curiosity leads you to begin unconsciously observing him over the next few weeks, catching onto his small tendencies such as his way of scrunching up his lips when he’s concentrating. It’s endearing, his little pouts and the way he looks up at the ceiling when he ponders on an answer, often fiddling with his pencil as well. Although you’d never admit it out loud, you develop a particular fondness for his tendency to play with the back of his ear when he’s nervous, a characteristic of his that’s normally accompanied by flushed cheeks and a cute flash of teeth.

Alongside the little habits of his you pick up on, however, one of the main things you notice by being in his company so often is how extremely quick your classmates are to shun him simply for being so new, so different from them. It’s baffling, to say the least, how they avoid his gaze when he attempts to make eye contact, or how they pretend like they can’t hear him when he asks a question. You often find yourself carried away by the sheer frustration of it all, finding the need to defend Haruto whenever you notice your classmates purposefully ignoring him.

"He’s not invisible, you know,” you tell your classmate when she bumps into Haruto and says nothing. She nods briefly in response, throwing Haruto a mumbled “sorry” before hastily running off.

“Thanks,” Haruto whispers, shooting you a grateful look, but you can sense the lingering dejection behind his eyes—his eyes that eventually, you notice, can only stand to make contact with yours.

As furious as you are by this whole situation, there’s no denying that it also sparks a bit of pity in you, and perhaps that’s especially why you strive to strike up a conversation with him. However, the boy still intimidates you just a little bit. After all, the only comfortable conversations you’ve had with him are about your class, often involving a borrowed pencil or shared answers. You often consider how you can hold a lengthy conversation with him on a topic other than school, but you always come up blank.

When your teacher begins to introduce the first project for your Photography class, in addition to writing its due date on the board, you hear a quiet groan from beside you.

“That is not enough time for a whole portfolio,” Haruto grumbles, and you can tell in the way he leans towards you that he’s talking to you. “My ideas are definitely gonna suck ass.”

“I’m convinced she just wants us to fail at this point,” you respond, to which Haruto laughs quietly. The bell rings almost immediately after, and you impulsively catch Haruto’s arm as he begins to stand up. “Do—do you maybe wanna meet up to work on the project? We could help each other out.” You shrink up slightly at the hastiness of your question, expecting a blunt, or even cold response. What you don’t expect is the warm smile breaking out on Haruto’s face, his eyes sparkling in a way that nearly knocks you off your feet.

“For sure! Should we exchange numbers to work out the details?” You nod, matching him with a smile of your own, but you feel guilt creep into your conscience for being so quick to judge him from his tough appearance.

Your text messages with Haruto start out icebreaker-like, questions asked and answered on both ends in an effort to become more comfortable with each other. When he shows up for the project as promised, things are still slightly awkward, perhaps because you’re not online or in the school environment you both had become familiar with seeing each other in.

“So . . .” you start, trailing off as Haruto responds with a hum of acknowledgment. You can’t help but internally cringe at the pause that follows, deciding not to make eye contact with Haruto out of fear that you’ll become more nervous. Instead, you look around the park you two stand in. The embarrassment kicks in after, and you feel stupid looking around the park as if you don’t know the place like the back of your hand, as if you’re not the one who suggested meeting up here in the first place. Finally, Haruto fills the silence.

��It’s weird meeting like this, isn’t it?”

The breath you were holding comes out in a laugh, and you relax as you turn to face him. “I thought I was the only one thinking that.” Haruto grins at that, and from there you fall into your usual, easy conversation.

“The sky gets really nice around the time, so it’s great for the project. We could also take pictures of each other if it fits one of our themes,” you suggest, and Haruto’s eyes light up.

“In that case, you fit my theme perfectly.”

You allow Haruto to take pictures of you to satisfy his project, posing according to his instructions. He gives you bizarre guidelines for what expressions to make, supplying you with a variety of scenarios to imagine to “get you in the mood,” to which you ask, “Do you have these thoughts often?”

“I take pictures from my imagination,” he replies, shrugging comically, and you giggle.

The two of you are soon throwing in bits of conversation completely unrelated to your class, losing productivity the longer you talk. To say the two of you are beginning to get distracted is an understatement—by now, you’re snapping picture after picture of Haruto as he haphazardly attempts to climb one of the trees. You learn that he’s absolutely not one for balance, but he surprisingly manages to pull himself onto one of the branches after a few stumbles and much more laughter. You’re eventually taking selfies with him from the ground in which you catch him falling off the tree in what might be the most hilarious photo sequence you’ve ever taken. Haruto survives the fall, thankfully, and he can’t help but join in your chuckles.

“We should probably stop now,” you suggest in between gasps of air, Haruto himself still clutching the sides of his stomach.

“You’re right, we definitely won’t be getting anything more done,” he agrees, and you promise each other to meet up again and get more done the next time. (It isn’t until after Haruto leaves that you realize you’d spent nearly four hours with him.)

When the deadline for the portfolio passes and you receive your scores, you can’t help but feel dread settle in your stomach as you wonder whether it means the end of your growing friendship with Haruto. Now that you won’t have the constant excuse of the project, would you never meet outside of school again? However, you find yourself relieved when Haruto approaches you at your lunch table to discuss the project, which you both succeeded at with flying colors. You briefly compare your pictures, laughing as you come across the ones you’d taken of each other and recall the days you’d spent. Haruto never tells you what the theme of his project is and why he needed so many pictures of you for it, but you swear that you catch a glimpse of it scribbled on the cover of his portfolio. (Beautiful.)

You begin texting Haruto more often, and the awkward “did you understand the assignment?” texts turns into late-night musings over the most impulsive thoughts your brains would spit out. As you get to know him better, you find that Haruto’s messages in particular are often accompanied with long lines of emojis when he’s particularly passionate.

”Thoughts on sushi?” Haruto once texts you at 3:00 A.M., and you can’t help but laugh at the timing and spontaneity of it.

y/n: never had it actually

haruto: no fucking way

haruto: you have to try it i’m so serious

y/n: are u gonna make it for me 😚

haruto: think i’ll burn down the kitchen another day...but i’ll search up restaurants

haruto: i miss it so much

haruto: i miss home

Your heart clenches at the last text, and you find yourself almost immediately peeking outside the door of your room to check if anyone is awake. Of course, no one is at this hour, so you tiptoe down to the kitchen to see if you have the ingredients. When you proudly show Haruto your creation the next day at lunch, you push away the feeling of butterflies in your stomach when he lets out a delighted gasp, his eyes tearing up. When he takes a bite of the sushi, his face breaks out in the largest smile you’d seen on him. He’s glowing, and it hits you with a wave of emotions that you chalk up to relief over him liking the food, because the idea of it being anything else is too scary for you to consider. (It occurs to you later that day that for the past month, you had been spending every lunch with him.)

At one lunch break, Haruto mentions a coffee shop he had recently discovered, where he invites you to hang out. The shop soon becomes a regular meeting place, the two of you discussing a wide variety of topics from your wish to pursue photography as a career to his hidden passion for track. You pretend not to notice your heart stuttering in your chest when you see the sparkle in his eyes as he describes the team he was on in Japan, and he tries to ignore his ears turning red on the several occasions in which your fingers touch his.

You begin to rely on each other, supporting each other at various events and offering encouragement as friends do. Haruto is there at every single one of your photography contests, and likewise you accompany him at tryouts after hours of convincing him to display his talent to the school’s track team. Indeed, you’re the first person he calls when he gets in, barely able to contain the squeal in his voice when he breaks the news to you.

The two of become accustomed with calling each other by nicknames, the name Ruto usually slipping from your mouth on impulse. (Eventually, though, you find yourself intentionally using it just to watch the way in which his eyes brighten and his lips turn up.) Haruto himself becomes incredibly fond of teasing you, constantly making fun of the little things you do and possessing a knack for making you laugh at exactly the right moments. And of course, eating sushi together becomes one of your favorite shared activities.

You’re not sure when it is exactly, but your friendship soon takes a more intimate turn. You grow closer to each other in ways you might not have been before, and multiple times you find yourself wondering why it is that Haruto makes your heart flutter differently from that of other friendships.

You notice it the day he leads his team to victory in their first major relay race, when you shriek, “That’s my best friend!” in delight and run all the way down to the track straight into his embrace. “Oh my god, you did it!”

Haruto’s arms wrap around you instantly, and as he spins you in the air you can only hear the sound of his laugh and your own heartbeat pounding in your ears. When he finally sets you down, you have to convince yourself that the running is the only reason your heart’s racing, and that it definitely is not because Haruto’s looking at you like you hold the entire galaxy in your eyes, like he would fly to the moon and back if you asked him to.

“Thank you, Y/N.”

You furrow your eyebrows, confused. “I didn’t do anything.”

Haruto shakes his head, his grip on your waist tightening in the slightest. “You did. I definitely wouldn’t have joined the team if you didn’t drag me to tryouts. So, thank you.” He gives you one of his most dazzling smiles as he leans in to hug you again. You’re left with the feeling of your stomach turning, jumbled in a way you can only compare to the lens of a camera going in and out of focus.

Over time you realize that there’s more than simply the blurry-lens confusion, that there’s also a strong gratitude you feel towards him. You feel it particularly at the times that you call him late at night, usually out of overwhelming feelings of stress or a simple need to talk. Whether he was previously asleep or not, Haruto always picks up, and somehow despite your nearly incoherent rants, he understands you perfectly—he always does. He patiently listens to all of your troubles until you’re out of breath, and by the end of it, he routinely asks you to promise him that you’ll keep calling him whenever you feel this way. He continues to surprise you with his methods of calming you down, sometimes turning on his video camera so his words can more sincerely reach you, and other times singing to you, his low, baritone voice instantly soothing you to sleep. (He tries not to let any awkward stutter show in his voice each time you praise it. Singing embarrasses Haruto, but he does it over and over for you.)

Haruto has a way of communicating his feelings more strongly through his actions than his words, and it touches your heart in a way you’d never experienced. He takes to clinging to you when the two of you walk through the school halls, often gripping your arm so that he doesn’t lose sight of you in the huge mass of students. Other times, he squeezes your hand as a silent form of encouragement, and the simple gesture means more to you than you could ever tell him. On one particular night at your house, he opens up to you regarding his homesickness and you almost immediately embrace him.

“I know it’s hard being away from home, and I’m sure they’re thinking of you a lot too,” you console him, feeling him nestle further into your shoulder in response. He sniffles, trying to make the sound subtle but your heart cracks when you realize he’s crying.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, but you shake your head and tighten your hold.

“Don’t apologize, I’m glad you told me. I’m here for you, okay? I'm sorry I can’t do much, but I’ll make you sushi tomorrow.” You stroke his hair carefully as he cries into your shoulder. In between little hiccups, he recounts whatever he can about Japan to you and what he misses. You avidly listen, holding him in your arms for nearly a full hour.

When Haruto calms down enough to stop shaking, he pulls away from you, enough so he can face you but not enough for you to let go. You can’t help but marvel at how he still looks gorgeous despite the remains of tears streaking his face, and you briefly wonder how someone can be such a pretty crier. However, all thoughts fly out of your head the moment Haruto musters the courage to lock eyes with you. Your breath hitches, caught off-guard by the emotion in his expression that you can only describe as pure, unadulterated sincerity. He says nothing, only leaning forward to press a soft kiss to your forehead. Haruto is truly a man of action, and the warmth of the kiss tells you more than words need to. He’s thanking you—for listening to him, for supporting him, for everything, really.

The heart-pounding exhilaration combined with the deep comfort and respect you feel for Haruto only confuses you further, and you spend many nights lying in bed contemplating what it all means. Most importantly, if it is what you think it could be, how in the world are you supposed to tell him?

You figure that it’s best to wait, that he probably can’t use another distraction in his life, especially with his increased popularity among your schoolmates for his remarkably stunning performances on the track team. A part of you feels irritated by it, at how the very same people who initially refused to even look at him grew to claim to be his number one supporter. But Haruto never fails to notice your annoyance, nor does he ever fall short on teasing you for it, poking at you and asking if it makes you jealous.

“Aw, come on, don’t be mad. You know I only have eyes for you,” he would frequently say, nudging your shoulder as he’d flash his signature mischievous grin. Of course, it never fails to make you smile, nor does it fail to spike your heart rate, although the latter is something you choose to address later at night with the rest of the confusing feelings.

Watanabe Haruto fascinates you, and despite you taking care to remember even the most trivial things about him, you somehow never realize just how genuinely he means that last sentence.

The sound of Haruto nearly stumbling on a crack in the road snaps you out of your thoughts. You whip your head towards him instantly, laughing at the sight of his one arm spread out for balance, the other linked with yours as his shoes jaggedly scrape against the pavement. You flush when you become aware of just how close you are to your destination, realizing that you’d been zoning out watching him. You’re well aware that it’s starting to become a problem—by now you’ve figured out that you very clearly harbor a crush on him, but lately you’ve been doubting yourself far too much, wondering whether it even is a good idea to confess and how you would do it if so. For now, you push these repeated questions aside to assist your friend so you don’t fall into another pensive spiral.

“Come on,” you tease, “you can do better than this, Ruto.”

“Hey! I wouldn’t be tripping over the road if you didn’t have me blindfolded in the first place,” Haruto insists with a frown.

“Just a little bit longer, I promise.”

A noise of frustration leaves Haruto’s throat, but you know he’s resigning in how he doesn’t complain any further. You squeeze his arm lightly to reassure him, knowing he’ll be patient for as long as you ask him to be but still not wanting to leave him in anticipation for too long.

“Be honest,” he calls out after a few moments of silence, “you first started talking to me because you felt bad for me, right?”

Your steps falter at the sudden question, your arms drooping in the slightest as you feel a pang in your chest from the hesitance of his tone. Still, you know that he deserves the most honest answer from you.

“I mean, part of me definitely felt that way, but I wouldn’t say it was the only reason. There was curiosity, anger, charm—I don’t know, I just don’t think there was one solid motive.”

“Anger?” Haruto questions, and you laugh a little as you feel his elbow nudge you.

“Not at you, obviously. I meant that I didn’t like everyone else ignoring you for being new when you weren’t so different from them after all. I didn’t want to treat you like that just from a first glance, so I decided to get to know you.” Haruto hums in response, and you resume walking, leading him carefully along the sidewalk.

“Wait, charm? Do you find me attractive?” He teases, lips stretched out into a playful grin. You immediately break into a series of jumbled protests, leaving your friend chuckling. You’re thankful that he can’t see your flustered features, which he normally would have incessantly teased you for.

“The point is,” you splutter, desperately trying to avoid the question, “you were never a pity friend to me.” You’re thankful Haruto doesn’t pry further, only nodding and leaning just a little bit into you. It’s then that you feel his slightly tensed shoulders, noticing the way his breath shakes when he inhales, and you realize that he’s insecure.

“Ruto?”

“Hmm?”

“You know that I never regretted it, right? Talking to you was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

“Me too,” Haruto whispers quietly. You’re taken aback by his words for a moment, as he’s normally not one to verbalize his feelings in such situations. Still, you smile.

“Good, then there’s no reason to be insecure, okay? I like spending time with you, and I like doing things together like this.” You rest your head against his shoulder as you say this, continuing to guide him through the streets. Suddenly, Haruto stops walking, reaching up to tug the blindfold off his eyes. You gasp at the ease of his motion.

“I thought I tied it better than that!”

“Fuck the blindfold. Let me guide you now,” he insists playfully as he steps behind you. “Come on, arms around my neck,” he instructs as he wraps an arm around your waist and tucks the other under your knees. Realizing what he’s about to do, you instantly shake your head, protesting as he begins lifting you up.

“You’ll drop me!” You joke, but Haruto only grins as he fully gathers you in his arms, and you throw your arms around his neck on instinct.

“Just tell me where to go, okay?”

“It’s not supposed to go this way!” You huff. “I should be the one taking you there, not vice versa.”

“Hey, it’ll still be a surprise! I don’t know this area that well anyways, I’ve only been here like twice.”

You sigh, about to protest again, but your train of thought momentarily freezes as you realize Haruto’s approaching the park you wanted to take him to. Haruto appears unaware of the location, however, and you look up at him expectantly. You realize from the shift in his eyes that he’s distracted and a little bit nervous. He stops in the middle of the grass, turning his head to look at you.

“I have to tell you something,” he blurts out, before you can even ask what he’s thinking of. He looks down at you, waiting for your acknowledgement. When you give it, he takes a deep breath. “I’m not going back to Japan this summer.”

Your eyes widen instantly. “How come? Did something go wrong?”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Haruto shakes his head fervently. “I just—god, I don’t know how to say this.”

“Go on,” you prompt, finding it adorable how his ears begin to turn red as they always do when he’s nervous.

“You, this place—it’s become like my second home.” He says it with a touch of embarrassment but sincerity, gaining confidence with his next words. “I’ll still visit Japan, and I’ll probably still miss it. But whenever I did get homesick you helped me so much with it that I realized I want to stay here longer, that it’s worth it.” By now he’s leaning closer towards your face, eyes directly pinned on yours.

“I’m your second home?” You can’t stop the smile pulling at your lips, laughing with amazement. “I’ll make your stay worth it, I promise. Oh my god, you’re amazing.” Haruto blushes but doesn’t avert his eyes, and he’s close enough to you that out of a sheer burst of happiness you lean up and plant a kiss onto his cheek. His skin is surprisingly warm despite the low temperatures, and the heat spreads to your own face. Haruto is frozen when you look at him, and for a moment he simply gapes at you, his eyes slightly dazed. “Fuck,” you curse. “I shouldn’t have done that, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m so sorry Ruto—.”

“Y/N,” Haruto cuts you off, instantly blocking your stream of words. “Shut up for a second.” He secures his grip on your lower back, lifting you higher in his arms so your breaths mingle. You only process what he’s about to do when he leans in enough for your noses to touch, your heart pounding with exhilaration. Your eyes fall shut, and Haruto takes it as a signal to connect his lips with yours. The kiss is soft, sweet, and you tighten your arms around his neck so you can match his lips. Haruto pulls away gently, but his lips still lightly graze your own as he whispers, “I like you.”

Your breath hitches in your throat. “What?” The word spills from your mouth faster than your brain can keep up, and you can feel your ears burning. “You’re kidding,” you add, although you know that Haruto isn’t one to joke in such situations. You knew there was a chance of him liking you back, but hearing the confirmation of it leaves you completely shocked.

“It’s about time I reciprocated the feeling, no?” He smiles at the way your eyes widen when you process his words. You can’t help but stare at him in stunned silence for a moment before you find your tongue.

“Reciprocated? You know?”

“That you like me? I’m not stupid, you know. It just took me a little longer to realize that I felt the same.” Haruto says the last part gently, turning away in the hopes that you’ll miss the pretty blush spreading over his cheeks, although he’s just a little too late. Haruto straightens so that he’s no longer face-to-face with you, desperately avoiding your gaze.

“No fucking way,” you breathe. WIth a burst of confidence, you use your grip around his neck to pull his face back down to yours. However, with Haruto still carrying you bridal-style, your combined weights causes him to stumble over his feet. You crash to the grass, screeching as you realize Haruto is about to land directly on top of you. Thankfully, he manages to plant his hands on either side of you, catching himself before that can happen.

“My god, you always had shit balance,” is the first thing you can think to say.

“Well maybe let me know the next time you pray on my downfall!” Haruto grumbles.

“You idiot, I was trying to kiss you!”

“Oh.”

You snicker at the innocence in the word, and Haruto laughs sheepishly. However, the expression on his face quickly switches to something more intimate, and as he lowers himself to his elbows you’re suddenly aware of the proximity of his body to yours. It’s like you’ve read each others’ minds, for the moment you hold his face in your hands he’s already diving in to kiss you again. When you separate from Haruto, met with his pure, fond gaze upon you, you feel as though the blurry-lens confusion has finally come into focus.

“You know, Ruto, I never answered your question before. I do find you attractive—I always have, and I don’t just mean your face. I love the way you get nervous, but also how expressive you are when you’re passionate. I love that you’ll always talk to me even if it’s four in the morning, I love eating sushi with you, and I love it so much when you sing. I’m not trying to steal your phrase or anything, but for this past year, I really have only had eyes for you. And it seems like I’ve already made this obvious, but I really really like you, Watanabe Haruto.”

The post-embarrassment from your words is all worth it when you see Haruto break out into a huge smile despite him being a flushed mess. There’s a glimmer in his eyes again, one so beautiful that you think even the sun couldn’t dream of rivaling it.

“I have a suggestion,” he voices, and you smile encouragingly. The affection in his face shifts to a smug grin. “When I win my next relay race, you could say something other than ‘that’s my best friend.’”

You smirk, immediately knowing what he’s getting at. “Like boyfriend?”

Despite him being the one to hint at it, Haruto nearly chokes at the directness of your words. Still, he doesn’t oppose it, a hint of longing in his eyes. “I mean yeah, only—only if it’s okay with you.”

“Hmm,” you feign a thoughtful expression, and Haruto whines at your teasing. You giggle, giving in. “That would have a nice ring to it.”

“You think?” The genuine hope in Haruto’s tone makes you melt, and you nod immediately. Haruto beams at you like you’ve just given him the world, and you quickly place your hands on his shoulders, unsure if you’ll be able to stand anymore of it.

“Come on, walk around the park with me,” you urge, gently nudging him off you. Haruto obediently stands up from the grass, pulling you up with him. Finally, he takes a moment to process his surroundings, his eyes scanning the park with apprehension. The sky has darkened, but the streetlights illuminate the area just enough for him to recognize it as his mouth parts in a little gasp.

“No way, it’s the park we did the portfolio at! How long ago was that, like a year?”

“A year,” you affirm, finding it adorable the way Haruto wistfully observes the park. “It feels like it’s been forever, right?” A mumbled agreement barely leaves Haruto’s lips before he’s grabbing your hand to drag you around the area, his excitement comparable to that of a little child.

And somehow, things feel exactly the same as they always had between the two of you. Haruto still clumsily climbs the tree and he still nearly breaks his leg falling off it. You still laugh and poke fun at him the whole time. (The only difference, really, is that he openly calls you beautiful this time.)

Eventually, the two of you slow down to more lazy steps as you continue along the path surrounding the park. Haruto’s arm is casually circled around your waist, his gaze locked on you as he listens to you ramble. He’s so focused on you that he almost trips over the sidewalk again, to which you wonder whether he’ll look away from you at all.

“The stars are really pretty,” you test, jutting your head towards the space behind Haruto.

“Yeah, they are,” comes Haruto’s response, his eyes completely fixed on yours, and you raise your eyebrows.

“There’s like, barely two stars out right now. You didn’t even look over there,” you point out, the amused smile on your lips giving away that you’re not actually offended.

“Sorry,” Haruto chuckles, his eyes glimmering and tone softening with his next words, “you know I only have eyes for you.”

[nya-vivi]

Genshin OC

Hi hi! I’ve been preparing this for awhile, I present you my Genshin Impact OC, Lorena. Most of her info is based of how I play, the things I do and the things I like.

Genshin has occupied a big place in my life lately, and it’s the first time in a lot of years I got so hooked in a game. It is very relaxing in general (except when moobs appear) and the graphics and story are brilliant in general. 

Anyways, my lovely mutuals who don’t play Genshin, I’m kinda sorry for spaming you with game theories and crack headcanons LMAO. I will bother you again with my traveler-sona kind of OC. 

This character was already thought of since April, but just now I managed to get the courage to show her, big shout-out to @genshxn​ whose post made me finally pushing to design her.

Also, shout-out to @witchhazelbazel​ who is hosting a wonderful OC event all on her own (I hope you don’t mind me tagging you ehe)

I will shut up now.

(I am trying a less serious drawing style I like a lot more. Super proud of the graphic. Maybe I should update some more??) 

Lorena 

— General

Name: Lorena

Age: 20

Birthday: April 25th

Nationality: Mondstadt

Weapon of choice: Claymore

Vision: Anemo

Constellation: Cornu Copiae

Affiliation: Adventurers’ Guild

— Personality

Values: Honesty, courage, responsibility, family.

Likes: Eating, heights, mountain climbing, mora.

Dislikes: Irresponsibility, rudeness, swimming.

Lore is a happy-go-lucky girl with a bit reckless and too much curious tendencies, which makes her land in some unpleasant situations. She is always prepared to help someone. Has a record of being flirty towards people, but she can’t help it! She always makes sure to be respectful and adjust to everyone. She likes when people are direct with her as she is with people, so if there is something she did which made you uncomfortable, just tell her. But no rudeness allowed!

While she usually manages to keep a cool head, she panics really easy and hard for a solid minute before gathering herself. 

— Background

She comes from a family who was poor and got sick easily, eating scraps and whatever food anyone gave them. Her parents died from an infection and she was separated from her sibling at a young age. She did everything to survive and find her sister. From there on, she joined the Adventurers’ Guild in hopes of gaining enough mora for her and her sister. 

At some point, when she was finishing a commission, she got thrown over a cliff. She felt strangely safe when a current of wind managed to get her down safely, anemo vision in hand. She free-falls since then, glider on her shoulders to break her fall.

— Relationships

She is friendly and open-minded, so she doesn't have problems doing friends. 

Lorena appreciates liveliness, so she is usually running around with Venti or gliding with Amber, and she gets Xiangling ingredients for her weird concoctions whenever she visits Liyue Harbor, she is her first taster! 

When she wants a bit of silence, she hangs out with Noelle and Barbara, making sure they get a bit of rest. If they are not with her, she is visiting the ever-brooding master Diluc on Angel’s Share to entertain him a bit or cooking almond tofu for Xiao on Wangshu Inn. 

If she isn't with any of them, then she is more often than not visiting Albedo up on Dragonspine, as the Chief Alchemist is cooped up in his laboratory. He has her do a lot of things, from getting materials to being his experiment tester. She doesn’t mind, as his experiments with her are fun. She likes him, so it’s not unusual watching her hiking up the mountain for him. The thought of her feelings being reciprocated makes her giddy but only from time to time, as she thinks there isn’t really anything of her for him to like. 

Maybe she should look herself again in the mirror, for rumor has it, certain alchemist fancies her, too.

— Trivia

Her curiosity has made her get involved in some shenanigans. She glided over the Pearl Galley, where she had to get an invitation, and the Crux while it was waiting for a woman named Beidou. Both of the travels were an accident.

She is currently trying to explore Dragonspine, but she always gets back to the camp with frostbite and injuries. She tries to see Albedo everytime.

She is really good with kids. She gets a bit sad when she remembers her sister, but she is determined to find her.

Her favorite dishes are matsutake meat rolls, adventurer’s breakfast sandwich and Mondstadt hash browns; while she dislikes fisherman toasts and radish veggie soup.

Her hobbies include farming, gliding, free-falling and mountain climbing. Well, she likes climbing up practically everything. Her favorite place so far is Huaguang Stone Forest. 

She wants to travel soon to Sumeru and Natlan! 

She is interested in ancient history and ruins, so they are her favorite places to visit of a nation.

For some reason she can't understand, she always do commissions at night. It doesn't matter if she just woke up. She's always sleep deprived.

Her constellation name, Cornu Copiae means Horn of Abundance. It has the form of a filled horn.

—22.06.21. Added Lorena's constellation Cornu Copiae and it's meaning.

[peach-mangos]

New Year’s Eve

☾ yoo kihyun/im changkyun ☾ holiday fluff/fluff/humor/meet cute/neighbors au...aka the changki new year’s eve au no one asked for lmao ☾ 2.6k ☾ can also read here

“What do you want?”

“Well good morning sunshine—at least you’re up, kind of surprised I must say” Jooheon chuckles on the other side of the line.

“Yeah well—pretty hard to get any sleep when the whole population on this damn apartment hall is up and about causing a ruckus” Changkyun grumbles, and just as he throws open his apartment door, a group of teenage kids zoom past him blowing party horns and leaving in their wake a trail of party tinsel.

“Kyunnie, it’s New Year’s Eve, lighten up. Of course people are excited and happy, they’re celebrating the end of a long ass exhausting year, new beginnings are always welcomed” Jooheon tells him, and Changkyun can’t help but roll his eyes.

He heads back into his apartment to retrieve a trash bag from his kitchen drawer and makes his way out once again.

“You know, in my opinion—every day is an opportunity for a new beginning—don’t understand why everyone and their damn mother lose their shit over this New Year bullshit”

“You know, you used to love celebrating New Year’s Eve until—”

“Whatever, I’m taking down all these damn decorations” Changkyun says cutting off his friend, “the regulations of our apartment complex doesn’t allow them for safety purposes”

“Dude” Jooheon laughs, “isn’t that a little too much?”

“I’m sorry, was there a reason for this call?” Changkyun asks shoving his cellphone between his ear and shoulder while trying to hold open a trash bag in one hand and ripping off “Happy New Year” decorations off the hallway walls with the other.

“Right, get showered, get dressed—we are going out tonight”

“Like hell we are” Changkyun chuckles bitterly and continues making his way down the hall ripping off decorations with a fiery purpose.

“Listen man, I know it’s been hard for you to celebrate New Year’s ever since Soobin—but damn it, we are doing something this year. We all let it slide last year because it was still pretty fresh, but not this year. You are not gonna sit in that apartment in your old man flannel pajamas and greet the year alone and bitter”

“Are you done?” Changkyun asks making his way towards the elevator.

“Yes” Jooheon concedes harrumphing at his friend.

With that, Chankgyun hangs up on his best friend and tries to close off the gate to the elevator.

“HOLD THE ELEVATOR PLEASE!” someone yells, and usually—well, usually Changkyun isn’t one to be an asshole— but he really isn’t in the mood to share an awkward elevator ride with some random stranger at the moment. So instead of holding the gate open as the unsuspecting stranger had asked, Changkyun rushes to close it.

As his crummy luck would have it though, the trash bag full of holiday decorations he was on his way to get rid of gets stuck between the gate, giving the stranger just enough time to reach the elevator.

“I know you heard me” the guy accuses, narrowing his eyes at Changkyun.

“Oh, sorry , I’m a little hard of hearing” Changkyun lies adjusting his hoodie and begrudgingly making space for the man to get in. He hates the fact that he has to do a double take because —upon closer inspection—his new elevator companion is quite the looker. Dressed to the nines beneath his cream colored winter coat in a silky red button up dress shirt buttoned down all the way to the center of his chest, nice black crispy ironed dress pants accompanied by shiny polished black dress shoes and hair slicked back.

“Are you a little blind as well, you literally saw me rushing towards you”

I wish, Changkyun thinks, a light chuckle escaping his lips. “You know, you’re kind of loud for such a small person” he muses, making the tiny handsome man blush.

“And you’re a little bit of a dick, but that’s none of my business, is it? Could you press the floor button now, please?”

Laughing at how easy it had been to ruffle the guys’ feathers, Changkyun obediently moves over and carries on with pressing the button to the apartment complex’s lobby.

Not even a minute into the elevator ride and the damn metal contraption begins to make a startling noise followed by staggering movements that cause both men to topple forwards in loss of balance.

“The hell was that?” the stranger asks, eyes wide and panicked.

“Think the elevator broke, genius” Changkyun sighs leaning against the metal wall.

“Broke? BROKE?!” Mr. Slicked Back hair wails, “it can’t be broke, I’m going to be late for work? Isn’t there an emergency button or something ?” he asks looking around franticly for the emergency button. He finds it behind a small door next to the button selection also containing a red emergency phone. “Hello, this is Yoo Kihyun from apartment 3B, can someone help us?”

Changkyun chuckles because of course, he’s the new guy that moved into 3B.

“Hey, 3B—phone doesn’t work, genius. Can’t you see it’s not even connected?” Changkyun tells him rolling his eyes.

“Well, do something, don’t just stand there!” 3B wails slamming back the phone into place.

“This happens every other week dude, they’ll get us out eventually” Changkyun shrugs, and the guy, Kihyun visibly deflates.

“How long do you think it’ll take?” he asks defeatedly.

“Could be a couple of hours, to be honest”

Kihyun staggers back into the opposite metal wall and groans, “couple of hours?” he whispers in disbelief. He runs a hand through his hair and gasps, as he looks up he notices an opening and walks over to slap Changkyun on the chest.

“Look, up there, there’s an escape door—you seem stronger I’m not even going to lie, and my shoulders are much narrower than yours—think you could maybe lift me up?” Kihyun asks.

“First of all, ow—your rings, asshole” Changkyun whines rubbing at his chest, “Second, I mean I guess I could, but that thing looks like it’s bolted shut man”

“Doesn’t hurt to try” Kihyun tells him already shrugging off his coat, and Changkyun can’t help but roll his eyes.

“This job so damn important you’re willing to squeeze out of an escape door in an old and faulty elevator?” Changkyun asks groaning as he awkwardly tries to lift Kihyun up. He isn’t that much taller than the guy, he doubts he’ll be able to reach the trap door even with Changkyun lifting him.

As Kihyun struggles to make his hands reach the ceiling, something slips out from around his neck and out of his shirt slapping Changkyun in the face.

“You’re a groupie ?” Changkyun asks, narrowing his eyes at the shiny VIP pass, voice full of judgement.  

Kihyun freezes in his arms.

“Put. Me. Down” he bites out.

Changkyun is quick to do as he’s told and let’s Kihyun slide down and out of his arms.

Once his feet are back on the floor, Kihyun immediately walks away as far away as possible from Changkyun, hiding his VIP pass and crossing his arms across his chest.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that, I just wondered” Changkyun tells him truthfully.

“Why the hell do you have a trash bag full of  party decorations?” Kihyun asks instead.

“Took them down from our hallway, we aren’t allowed to hang decorations like that. It’s against the regulations of the complex” Changkyun tells him as a matter of fact.

“Why is that any of your concern? Why is it up to you to police the way people enjoy their holiday? God, of course I get stuck in an elevator with the goddamn grinch of the apartment complex. Who hurt you dude?”

“Ex fiancé” Changkyun tells him, a sad smile on his lips, “two years ago, to the day, actually. Cheated on me the night of our engagement party with who I thought was one of my best friends”

“Well fuck” Kihyun groans blowing out an awkward breath and sits down on the little wooden bench lining one of the walls of the elevator. “Fuck, I’m sorry man—“

“It’s alright, it’s whatever now, you know? But yeah, you’re right. Did turn me into a bit of a grinch, which kinda sucks because I used to love celebrating New Year’s with my best friends” Changkyun confesses.

“I never understood the concept of cheating” Kihyun sighs, “if you feel like you no longer have strong feelings for the person you’re with, just tell them and set them free. Don’t hurt them and waste their time. It’s selfish and plain old mean” he tells him.

“Sounds like you have strong opinions on the subject as well then” Changkyun muses.

Kihyun smiles and stands up.

“You said it’d be a couple of hours right? Well then, I guess we’ll just have to have a party of our own. Rediscover your love for the New Year’s celebration. Come on, we’ve got decorations “ Kihyun says coming over to pull out the holiday decorations trash bag from his fingers.

“But the—” and the withering look Kihyun levels him with has Changkyun shutting up immediately and pliantly handing over the bag and it’s contents.

“Come on grumpy, start putting these banners up” Kihyun demands shoving an array of banners onto his arms. He then rummages through the bag and manages to find a pair of party hats. Making a small noise of triumph, he walks over to strap the red one on Changkyun, smiling when it earns him an eye roll.

“You are something else, 3B”

In comfortable companionship, both men decorate the elevator to their best ability with the few decorations they have, Kihyun occasionally humming random tunes.

“So what do you do for a living?” Kihyun asks as he strings tinsel around.

“I’m a comic book illustrator”

“Oh, is that so? Draw something for me then” Kihyun demands, pulling out a pen and paper pad from his bag, and Changkyun has begun to realize Yoo Kihyun from apartment 3B is quite the demanding fella.

“You’re so bossy” Changkyun says with a chuckle, he takes the man’s pen and pad nonetheless and begins to draw. “What about you? What do you do?”

“Well for starters, I’m not a groupie” Kihyun says pointedly. “I’m a singer, well back up singer right now. It’s why I have this pass, I’m supposed to be performing at the ball drop on New Year’s Eve in Times Square” he sighs sadly.

“Sing something for me then, so I can concentrate on your drawing” Changkyun laughs and Kihyun shakes his head furiously.

“No way man, maybe if we get out of this damn elevator you can come watch me perform instead”

Changkyun shoots Kihyun a look and both burst out in laughter.

They carry on talking for hours about the randomest things. From their earliest childhood memories to likes and dislikes to the reasons why they’re both in New York.

“Are we ever gonna get out of here?” Kihyun sighs defeatedly, “not that you aren’t wonderful company, but I’ve already missed the rehearsal. I’m sure it’s nearing ten p. m, god, I’m really going to miss my chance to perform at Times Square” he laments.

“I’m sorry dude—but hey, look we still have time before you have to go on, you said your performance is at 11:30, right? Perhaps by then” Kihyun gives Changkyun a, ‘thanks for trying’ look and smiles.

“You done with that drawing then?” Kihyun asks and Changkyun laughs nodding his head.

“Here, happy New Year’s” Changkyun laughs handing Kihyun his illustration of him frantically yelling for help earlier in the elevator clutching onto the emergency phone for dear life.

“You are insufferable, I hope you know” Kihyun laughs taking the drawing from his hands. “But you’re actually pretty good, this is so intricate, how do you do that?” he says voice full of awe.

Changkyun just shrugs rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.

“We’re supposed to be having a party” Kihyun comments, then stands up and begins to narrate his movements.

“The handsome young singer scanned the room, when suddenly, his eyes made contact with another handsome young man”

Changkyun tolled his eyes but stood up.

“They stared at each other for a moment, tentatively smiling at one another” at this point Kihyun shoots Changkyun a shu smile and he can’t help but birst out into a fit of laughter.

“Tentatively!” Kihyun exclaims laughing as well.

“Okay, okay—how about now?” Changkyun asks trying his best at a tentative smile.

“Eh, guess it’ll do” Kihyun teases. “We finally cross the room, just as everyone starts to count down…” Kihyun comes closer to Changkyun, smiling and begins to count. “Ten, nine, eight, seven” Kihyun’s words are barely above a whisper now, and Changkyun feels likes his face is on fire. He doesn’t know what to do with himself or where to look, so he settles for Kihyun’s eyes, which—kind of a mistake. A feeling of being able to lose himself in that pair of warm brown eyes settles over him and he really thinks, fuck it, it’s the New Year. If he were to kiss this man right here, it would be a perfect end to the year. “Six, five, four, three, two—”

Just as Kihyun is about to close the distance between them, the elevator shakes once again throwing both men backwards as it descends properly once again.

Both men clear their throats once the doors to the elevator open, and a group of tenants cheer.

“See, told you I’d get it fixed—and it only took what, leight hours” their landlord cheers, and several tenants erupt in a chorus of annoyed ‘shut ups’ and ‘took you long enoughs’.

“Oh my god, I can still make it, if I hurry”

“Then you should probably head out” Changkyun tells Kihyun clearing his throat.

“I uh—yeah, I’ll see you around. Happy New Year” Kihyun tells him as he rushes out the hallway.

“Yeah. See you around” Changkyun sighs making his way back to the elevator. “Hold that for me will you Mrs. Jensen”

And as Changkyun makes his way back into that damned elevator he notices a rubber pink balance bracelet on the ground.

Fuck.

He picks it up and rushes out of the elevator once more irritating a few dozen of his neighbors in the process and runs out hoping he can make it to Kihyun in time.

Turns out, he does make it to Times Square in time, he barely catches Kihyun on his way up the stage.

“HEY! 3B!” he exclaims.

Startled, Kihyun turns around, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in a silent gasp.

“You’re—what? What are you doing here?” Kihyun asks.

“I uh—well I found this, figured it might be yours. I don’t know” Changkyun laughs.

“How did you even get back here?”

“Security is actually so bad? They think I’m the band’s drummer” Changkyun laughs.

“You came all the way out here—in your pajamas, I might add—to hand me my bracelet?”

“It says it’s for balance, didn’t want you out there performing without it. And who knows, maybe it’s good luck. What do I know?” Changkyun mumbles, now blushing slightly.

“Thank you, that’s really sweet of you” Kihyun laughs taking the bracelet from Changkyun’s hands.

And he’s not sure what gives him the courage to do what he does next, but “ you also forgot this in the elevator,” he says. In one swift movement, he leans up to press a kiss to Kihyun’s lips, pulling him in by his dress pants belt loops. It takes Kihyun about 0.01 seconds to respond, clutching fiercely only the fabric of Changkyun’s hoodie.

“I’m—yeah okay, thanks for that” Kihyun says in a bit of a daze once he’s pulled away, “I’m glad you remembered that” he says clearing his throat.

Changkyun shoots him a million wat smile and presses a light peck to his lips once more.

“Go knock them dead, tonight, I’m your groupie” Changkyun jokes.

“Go!” Kihyun says laughing heartily and Changkyun supposes that maybe new beginnings really are welcomed.

[rather-be-free-blog1]

this was written as a (kinda belated) birthday fic for @harryspaceshipmchale !! happy bday again lmao and sorry this is so late!

“Annie Edison, thank you for joining me.” The sound and video aren’t completely in sync at first, with his voice sounding warbled and dull around the edges and the visual itself slightly blurry, like when she was younger and took off her glasses and tried to read an entire page of small text. He’s there, she can see that, but the details are fuzzy. It’s Jeff, but not.

Nevertheless she grins, because even with the mangled audio and not-quite-there video it’s the first time she’s seen him in three days and maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder or maybe he’s always had this effect on her but either way she can’t help the way she reacts to him. She has the feeling it’s the latter.

But she presses her lips together to keep up with the bit and ducks her head, all mock seriousness. “It’s my pleasure.”

When she looks back up, the connection is clearer and he’s smiling so she figures it’s okay to shift her laptop back a little and lean across the kitchen table, resting her temple on her fist.

“What, bored of me already?”

She knows he’s only teasing so she rolls her eyes before answering, “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”

“Fighting crime?”

She hums. “More pushing paper. I sat in on three meetings today. Three, Jeff.”

“Yikes,” he winces in sympathy, “and I can hardly make it through one.”

“Well, I mean…” she shrugs. “You’ve got the dean to deal with, I guess.”

He tilts his head to the side and smiles with just the appropriate hint of smirk. “I guess.”

She expected that seeing him again might make her feel wistful. It’s only been a few days since she last saw him in person and less than two weeks since he kissed her in the study room but something about the distance between them makes the short amount of time feel much longer. Seeing him like this - familiar but with the the computer screen stripping away the life in his skin - causes a physical pain in her chest. As if the need that she feels for him has hit her not just with a pang but with a blow.

She wants to tell him all of this. Wants to ask him if he feels the same way. After his confession before she left, she thinks it could be possible.

Instead she says, “How’s your day been?”

He shrugs almost self deprecatingly. “Not anything exciting. We haven’t done much since you and Abed left. Mostly we’ve been revelling in our newfound peace and quiet.”

“Ha ha.”

He doesn’t need her prompt of seriously, though to explain further. “Things are the same. I mean, it’s summer after all.”

“Yeah,” she finds herself nodding as if she knows what means, but she doesn’t have a clue. It occurs to her, suddenly, that despite the modest amount of time they would spend together with the group during the summer vacation, she never really knew what Jeff got up to on his own. Oh, she’s sure that she must have wondered at some point (probably during that first summer they knew each other, when the twinkling memory of a kiss was all she could think about) but despite the definite question, she’s never received an answer.

And he must notice that she hasn’t really responded to his insinuation, because he pipes up again, speaking like someone who has just counted down to 1 in their head. “You know, the dean offered me a job.”

Annie raises her eyebrows. Now they’re getting somewhere. “Really?”

He nods, eyes wide, like maybe he’s just digesting the news himself for the first time. “Teaching summer school. Six weeks, but only one class a day.”

“Do you think you’re gonna take it?” She has to actively swallow down a lump of disappointment threatening to make its way into her voice, but she’s not sure why. She should be a lot happier for him - he’s her friend, first; secondly, more selfishly, at least this way she knows he won’t spend the summer feeling lonely and sinking further into the spiral she often fears he’s locked into.

Of course, there were other ways she imagined he could spend the next ten weeks while she’s away, but it’s not until now that she realises just how real they had become to her. When she first indulged in this little fantasy, it was harmless. She imagined him being there, with her. Sharing in the moments she found particularly funny or frustrating. It was something to pass the time. Maybe she hadn’t considered how much she truly wanted that until now because there hadn’t been much of an alternative. She hadn’t thought there’d be anything going on for him back home.

“I don’t know,” he sighs heavily. “I mean, the pay’s alright and all, but I could get by without it.”

She nods slowly, pressing her lips together. “Right.”

Jeff regards her curiously for a minute, waiting. When she doesn’t say anything else, he prods, “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Well, what do you think I should do?”

It would be so, so easy to ask him not to take it, tell him what she wants to happen instead. And she’s aware of that, but…but it wouldn’t be fair.

Then again, if she doesn’t ask, she might have to wait another ten weeks before she knows where they stand.

“I don’t know.”

“Right. Helpful.”

She gives him a smile and shrug that hopefully conveys apology as he shifts backwards in frame and tilts the laptop to better accommodate the view. It’s then that Annie becomes aware of the pillows stuffed behind him and the headboard in the background.

“You’re in bed right now?” She asks despite herself, and feels the telltale heat rising to her cheeks immediately after.

He raises an eyebrow at her. “Yes?”

“Right, um.” She gives a jerky nod. “I was just asking. You know, ‘cause there’s. Pillows.”

“Yeeeah,” he draws it out, settling back against the headboard, looking as though he’s thoroughly enjoying her discomfort.

“Not that it’s strange or anything,” she offers. “Just, ‘cause we’re talking. And you’re in bed.”

He doesn’t say anything, just continues wearing that dumb, shit-eating grin he always has whenever she does something he finds particularly amusing.

He knows exactly what he’s doing, so Annie doesn’t feel any guilt when she says, “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” He replies, trying his best to seem mock outraged and failing miserably.

“Making me flustered! And nervous, and rambly. It’s embarrassing.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

But he can’t even say it with a straight face, and his chuckle makes her laugh, and for a moment she forgets to think about anything else because they’re just laughing together and it feels like old times.

But it’s not, it’s different, he’s there and she’s here, and it’s gonna be ten long weeks before she sees him in person again - but, she can change that. Or try to, at least.

The words tumble out in a rush. “I was hoping you could come visit me sometime.”

He stops laughing and just stares for a second, benign smile frozen on his face. She watches, wide-eyed, as he carefully adjusts.

“You want me to go…there?”

She nods.

“To be with you?”

She nods again.

His hesitation goes on a beat too long, and all sorts of excuses find their way to her lips - it’s okay, you don’t have to, you probably wouldn’t want to come, anyway, it’s fine.

Jeff’s eyes slide to the side, and she panics a little about the possibility that he’s ignoring her while he tries to think of a good reason not to go, but then they flick back to hers, and-

“Yes.”

Her heart stops and she feels herself freeze up. Cold then warm, and she breathes out a little of the nervous tension she seems to suddenly have acquired. “Yeah?”

“Yes, Annie.”

She didn’t think a three letter word could sound so wonderful.

But wait, “What about summer school?”

“It’s only six weeks,” he offers, “that’s almost an entire month of leeway.”

“Yeah,” she can feel it all falling into place, her fingers itching to touch him. She can’t, but she can always use her hands for planning instead.

She just got to DC and it’s not like she’s going home anytime soon but a part of home is coming to her and as much as she’s excited about her own new adventure there’s comfort in that fact.

She can’t wait.

[anoceaninthesun]

I had a feeling just based on her dialogue choices in her debut game and the way other characters react to her vs her male counterpart that Minako was likely meant to be a really charming, cute girl. But I cannot get over her in this game. They completely blew my expectations out of the water on bringing her to life! She’s so effortlessly charismatic and super funny I get such a kick out of the fact that she’s the first non-Persona 5 character to be unlocked because she plays a big role in getting you through the first dungeon and gets lots of dialogue that reveals what kind of character she is—an amazingly adorable one. Like she’s immediately taken by the fact that Persona 5 characters get these unique “thief like” costumes.

They’re supposed to be “phantom thieves” as that’s the whole theme of the fifth game so when they use their Personas they get these kinda Robin Hood, etc outfits and Minako loves everything about them. When she gets the chance to become an honorary member of the team she pounces on it and the way she effortlessly kicks ass while being cute is exactly how I imagined her. Like the villain tries to take off into the air during a cutscene and she comes out of absolutely nowhere to drop kick him back to the ground (ruining his big moment) then lands safely and does a cute thumbs up.

Every time she speaks its gold, basically. She’s so in awe of everything and down for anything. There are times when her reactions make me think its likely Aki’s influence. When she nearly gets caught while undercover and decides to argue with the enemy about how they cheated by tricking her even though she ends up effortlessly saving herself anyway with brute force, it’s such an Aki move. lmao!

Anyway, enough gushing.

Well, no, I don’t think you have to know much about the first game. The first PQ let you pick between playing a Persona 3 (sans Minako :( ) or Persona 4 centered gameplay at the beginning and whichever team you didn’t pick joins you as a supporting cast. In this game the decision is made for you and the P5 cast are the main characters from the beginning but like I said, Minako is unlocked pretty early and so far she’s being treated as a main character and not advertised but then sidelined, which I was honestly very worried about. But nope! They’ve been doing her justice. I’ll be interested to see how the two other casts will be merged and introduced since Minako is like from a “parallel” Persona 3 and I heard they were approaching it in this game as she and the male P3 protagonist have never met. Yet Minako is introduced as the leader of S.E.E.S. and whatever else. Anyway, the important thing to note is these games are sort of Gaiden arcs that don’t effect the main game plots so expect the dungeon crawling and art style and certain other elements to be more on the Etryian Oddessy side.

Since this are technically x-over games with Persona cast and storyline but Etryian-inspired gameplay. The biggest thing I cannot stress enough is you BUILD your own map from nothing. So a dungeon can be easy to explore and also revisit depending on how diligent you are with it. Like as you walk around you actually have to use your styles to put icons on the map at the bottom of your screen to mark shortcuts you find, treasure areas, areas with dangerous enemies that can one-shot you, traps, etc. you also have to make sure you draw walls around the path you take (which will light up automatically as you walk) so you can have a better sense of where different floors begin and end. After getting used to it and fumbling through in the first game I’m so much better at it the second time around!!

Good news is, you can choose your settings and if even easy is difficult while you’re adjusting they also have a “safety” mode to utilize where ifyou fall to a powerful boss in battle you have the option to replay from that exact moment instead of restarting from the beginning. So all the damage to the boss stays but you and your team are completely revived and healed.

The game’s plot isn’t too complex to figure out, so no worries. In short it’s sort of a Gaiden that takes place with all the different casts getting thrown into movie land inside a movie theater, and they have to go into movie based dungeons to get clues on what’s happening. Last time it was a school festival with each dungeon being designed around an event apparently popular in real Japanese school festivals. This ended up being due to the fact that one of the new character’s introduced was an ill girl whose soul had been stuck in limbo and transformed the space.

She had never gotten to experience high school so her deep desire for the experience changed the setting and you were basically there to help her move on. Not sure what the point of this Gaiden is but it’s brought the casts of P3-5 together and there’s another mysterious amnesiac girl so we’ll see. 😂😂 I’m almost done with the first labyrinth now finally! About to go into the last boss battle. And I gotta day, Minako’s Japanese voice isn’t so bad either. It’s actually really sweet and soothing! So I feel the Japanese cast is just as dead on as the English VAs. I cannot believe Theo’s Japanese VA is so damn suave!! I could listen to this man on a cd all day!

And don’t worry I’m taking it easy~ The dungeon has been fun and I’m doing a leisure playthrough cause I’m more about the story and the fun than dungeon grinding. Minako’s antics have kept me laughing and lifted my mood quite a bit.

I will keep you posted!!

@ashleymeowtese All I really wanna do is like...go hard on Persona Q2 because Minako has been introduced and omfg she’s even more adorable when her dialogue isn’t player controlled, if that were possible. So I wanna get Minako through the first dungeon now that I’ve unlocked her and reunite her with the boys because if her dialogue with Aki, Shinji, etc is anywhere near as cute as it is when I brought her back to Theo then ofjfdjdb but like, fuck exhaustion, amirite? At the end of every day I look at my 3DS and then wanna play some but I’m so tired to my soul my body nopes out. 😓

P.S. The English dubs are still iconic, but I’m really growing to love Theo’s Japanese voice. 😍😍😍 Even if his name is basically now Teo according to the sub. 😂