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sp0o0kylights · 2 years ago

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Part One: Merry Crisis

It’s also on A03 (this chapter will go up too but not for a bit bc I have stupid adult work to do)

Five days after New Years and Steve Harrington was haunting Eddie’s head.

This time at least, it was consensual.

Mostly.

“I thought you said New Year's resolutions were a total waste of time and a conformist’s mmrrph--” Gareth cuts off as a ringed hand claps (gently) over his mouth, Eddie’s glare burning a hole in the side of his best friend’s head.

“No one asked you to comment.” Eddie informs him darkly.

“He’s got you there, Eds.” Jeff teases, seated on a bin in Gareth’s garage, friends occupying the couch across from him. “It is one of your yearly rants.”

“New Years Resolutions are just a convenient way for normies to understand my quests.” Eddie sniffs, ignoring the fact that he’d been going on about this since he showed up, several hours ago.

He releases Gareth’s mouth, springing up to pace another circuit round the garage. “I refuse to repeat another year in this god-awful high school--and!”

Spinning on his heels, Eddie flings a hand in the air, the exact same way he had when he auditioned for Sherlock Holmes in Hawkin High’s performance of Hounds of Baskerville. “It is my duty as Hellfire’s DM to figure out what the hell those freshmen are wrapped up in with Harrington!”

“Rii-iiight.” Gareth remarks. “I’m sure your obsession with this has nothing to do with those, what did you call them?”

Grant covers a laugh with a cough as Gareth pretends to think before saying: “Harrington’s big ol’ puppy dog eyes?”

Eddie’s face goes red. “I told you, I’m not crushing on Steve!”

“Bro.” Grant says, expression calling out Eddie’s lie better than words ever could.

“The entire planet knows you have a crush on him, Eds.” Gareth adds, leveling his best friend with a knowing look. “Frankly I’m amazed Steve himself hasn’t figured it out.”

“Shut it!” Eddie hissed, face aflame. “This is about everything else! What he’s hiding! Why the kids--”

“--worship him.” Jeff, Grant and Gareth all finish as one, their impromptu chorus deflating Eddie like a sad balloon.

“We know.” Grant says. “You think Harrington and the kids are wrapped up in some kind of crazy conspiracy that's eating them all alive and because you have a compulsive desire to solve every mystery put in front of you, you can’t leave it alone. This is starting to become something you should really like, work on man.”

Eddie turns his glare on Grant.

“You need to drop out of that AP psychology class.” He demands with another sniff. “It’s rotting your brain.”

“Uh huh.” Grant says, voice dripping in sarcasm.

“You;’ll see.” Eddie mutters as he resumes his pacing. “You’ll all see when I finally figure it out. You’ll be all,” Eddie straightens, clutching his hands together and squeezing them against his chest, “Oh-my-gawd, Eddie, holy shit, you were so right, they were hiding a huge secret!”

“Keep dreamin’ bud.” Jeff says flatly, prompting laughs from Gareth and Grant.

Eddie takes off a shoe and throws it at him.

(Jeff swears it was worth it.)

xXx

10 days after New Years and Steve Harrington was right there.

Right.

There.

It would be easy to walk across the parking lot, strike up a conversation. Hell, the kids' presence makes it even easier, Eddie knows all he has to do is talk about them before Steve drives them home.

He just--has to do it.

"You do know the first step is actually talking to him right?" Jeff teases, leaning against the school’s doorway.

Eddie startles, flushing scarlet.

"Shut up!" He snaps, turning around to run his hand over his face.

God why was this so hard!?

He's talked to plenty of people. Hell, he's talked to Harrington before. Talking was the thing Eddie arguably did best and suddenly he just fucking…couldn't!?

"He's waving at you." Jeff observes.

Eddie whips back around to face the parking lot--to find that Harrington wasn't even facing their direction.

Jeff chuckles.

"Oh screw you!" Eddie shoves his shoulder into Jeff’s, glowering.

Jeff playfully nudges him back. "Just go talk to him man. He didn't bite at the party, and he left you that note, so he's clearly open to it."

"I know.” Eddie grumbles, moving so he could lean against the opposite side of the doorway.

“So what’s holding you back?” Jeff turns to look at him now, as Eddie tangles a finger into a few strands of his hair. “It’s not like you hesitate instead of jumping into something head first.”

Eddie hides in his hair for a moment, unsure of how he wanted to handle this question.

Jeff knew he was gay. All the Corroded Coffin guy’s knew he was gay, after the first (and last) time he tried to buy product from a supplier that wasn’t Rick.

(Eddie was smart, but he’d been young back then. Hadn’t caught on to the fact the weed he’d been sold was laced with who-knew-what.

What he did know was that when he and the boys tried it out; Grant had given a very emotional speech about love and acceptance, Jeff wouldn’t stop hugging people, Gareth ended up crying over gender issues and Eddie had admitted he was flamingly gay.

He never bought from another supplier again, even if he did technically owe the guy who’d brought him and his best friends closer together.)

Being gay wasn’t exactly the issue.

It was being gay, and having a blatant crush on Steve--the guy who the Hellfire kids loved. The guy who had surprised Eddie by being decent and downright fun.

The guy who kept insisting he and Buckley were ��Platonic with a Capital P”and even with Robin climbing all over him like a lemur, he had in fact kept his hands and eyes to perfectly respectable places.

Who was practically built to appeal to Eddie, between his stupid sexy smile and the weird mystery he was wrapped up in, the same one that caused his smiles to drop the second he knew no one was paying attention.

Add in the fact he’d played D&D once before and it was like God had made Eddie’s perfect match.

Of course because Eddie’s relationship with a deity of any kind was agonistic at best, they’d made Steve not only the straightest man to ever rule a high school, but also dangled him in front of Eddie constantly.

Like a treat he could never, ever have, but will always crave.

“Oh he’s actually waving at you this time.” Jeff says, and despite the high chance of this being another joke, Eddie looks anyway.

Sure enough there was Harrington, dumb little grin on his face, waving his hand.

Eddie managed to get his brain to function long enough to wave back.

“Wow Eds, you actually waved at him. That’s a lot of progress for you.” Gareth chimes in, appearing in between his friends with a smirk.

“We’re proud of you buddy.” Grant adds, standing behind Gareth.

Eddie groans aloud. “I hate you all.” He mutters, trying to keep a smile on his face for Steve until the guy turns back to herald the children into the car.

“No you don’t.” Gareth sing-songs, to the snickers of Jeff and Grant.

And no, he doesn't--but fuck if Eddie didn’t want to wring all their necks.

xXx

January 13th, Eddie finally gets his first resolution breakthrough.

It came in the form of Sinclair’s girlfriend, oddly enough, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“I’m not Lucas’s girlfriend.” The redhead spat, which Eddie thought was a hell of a lot of anger for someone who he had not been formally introduced to but had flung herself into his passenger seat anyway, with a declaration that he would drive her home.

(He, of course, had been about to protest until Max reminded him with a glare that they were neighbors--which had the effect of making Steve look relieved, like Eddie was doing him some kind of massive favor.

A favor Eddie wanted.

“For totally normal non crush related reasons Gareth, god!”)

Currently Max is staring out the window as Eddie drives home, arms crossed and in a full sulk.

Eddie recognizes it in her the same way he recognizes it in himself, and knows intimately that he has a chance to be to her, what Wayne was to him.

Someone who didn’t just see the problems he had, but acted on them.

That began with a conversation.

“So not that sitting in awkward silence isn’t totally fun, but uh, why am I driving you home instead of Harrington?” Eddie asks, watching Max out of the corners of his eyes.

She doesn’t even flinch. “What, and miss the chance to ride in the drug mobile?”

He expects the snappish response but has to give Max credit--she is absolutely the most vicious of Steve’s kids.

“Ok fair,” He says, because getting angry back was what she wanted. Or at least, what Eddie wanted, back when he was in Max’s shoes. “But don’t all you kids like, worship King Steve? Thought you’d want your beloved babysitting to drive you home..”

Max’s shoulders hunch immediately, her jaw clenching. “Don’t call him that.”

“Babysitter?” Eddie questions.

“King Steve, you ass.” She bites back. “If you like him like Lucas and Dustin swear you do, then you wouldn’t be an dick.”

Quieter, she mutters, “He hates that nickname.”

“Hate to break it to you, but Steve gave himself that nickname.” Eddie says, if only to buy time while he swallows the fact that the kids have decided he and Steve aren't just cool with each other, but like each other.

Obviously not like-like, as in romantic like, because they weren't psychic, but--

'Focus, idiot! Max is still talking!'

Max rolls her eyes, huffing angrily as she finally tears her gaze away from the window. “You don’t get it.”

“I sure as shit don’t and won’t.” Eddie agrees easily, and has to look away to keep the laughter off his face at the confused look it nets him. “Not unless you want to clue me in.”

She chews over that for a moment, before apparently coming to a decision. “You’re annoying.”

“Oh come on Red, if you’re gonna insult me at least do it right. Annoying is boring.” Eddie fakes a yawn, and this time does laugh at Max’s outright offended face.

Thankfully, the antics get him exactly what he wants.

An answer.

"Steve saw the real world and decided he wanted to be a better person. To grow up and leave all the stupid high school petty shit behind." Max says, and for a moment it's almost like she's speaking to someone else.

Likely the person she really is mad at, Eddie assumes.

"Calling him King Steve just takes all that progress away, and for what? Cause you're jealous?"

She's on a roll now. Eddie remains silent, knowing Max needs to get this out.

That this rant isn't aimed at him.

"You're mad that things were easy for him? Because newsflash, they weren't. He put in the effort to be a good guy, could even," Max fakes a dramatic gasp, "--apologize!"

An idea takes shape, both of the unsurprising source of the younger teens' hurt and frustration, and why she at least defends Harrington so hard.

Eddie may not know how exactly Max fits into "The Party" (or even who all is included within it) but it's clear she's just as close to Steve as the rest.

Maybe even a touch moreso, in a way that's eclipsed by Henderson alone.

Max is still going. "Steve's a genuinely good person and he's earned the right to be acknowledged as one!"

Her eyes are wet when she finishes and Max angrily swipes at them with her sleeve.

Eddie knows better than to comment on it, but does take a moment to think her words over.

"Have you seen it too?" He decides to ask. It's the part that sticks out to him, so it becomes the thread he decides to pull.

Max blinks. "What?"

"The real world. Have you seen it too?"

"Yeah." Max admits, after a long moment of silence, chewing on her lower lip. "I did. And I wish I hadn't."

"Sucks huh?"

"You don't know half of it."

"I might not know the exact parts you saw," Eddie agrees, as he pulls up in front of his trailer. "But I have seen plenty of other nasty bits and bobs."

He puts his van in park. "Just because the monster changes shape doesn't make it any less of a danger, you know?"

Max sits with that for a moment. Eddie sits with her, his music on even if he has the volume turned down low.

Waits to see if she'll say more, or if this is all he's getting.

There’s a slight hesitation--as if for a moment, Max considers opening up--but something in her balks and she opens the door instead.

“Thanks for the ride.” She grumbles, quiet enough that he almost doesn’t hear, before slamming the door and walking fast to her trailer.

The lights are off, and the car he knows belongs to her mother isn’t in the driveway.

It’s not unusual to be home alone at this hour. Not for Hawkins kids, and especially not for trailer park kids like them, but for the first time, Eddie finds himself wondering how often she’s alone.

“Hey, Red!” He calls, as he makes his way out of the van.

She turns to look at him, and Eddie realizes he must be getting a glimpse of what every adult used to see in him. Fury and discontent, all rolling over a sadness that’s bone deep and afraid to face daylight.

“You ever wanna explain it to me, you’re welcome to come over.” He says, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at his own trailer.

“Whatever.” Max says with an eye roll, before storming to her front door.

Eddie waits for the lights to go on, before retreating back to his own house, feeling like he at least established something.

Even if it was just proof that he wasn’t going to blow up or brush her off like everyone else.

xXx

January 13th's luck didn't end there.

A few hours after Eddie made sure Steve's attack chihuahua child made it home safe, a car pulls up in front of her trailer.

Curious (and nosey as fuck) Eddie peers out the window to spot Harrington’s Beemer flick its lights off, owner crawling out and up to Max's front door with an arm full of takeout.

Steve stands there for a while, alternating between knocking and not-quite yelling, before finally putting the food down.

Eddie knows now that Steve's some kind of pseudo parent to these kids, that the intent he has towards them is a combination of brotherly and maternal.

Can't help himself from the opportunity that arises when Harrington moves to peek into one of Max's trailer windows, though.

"Damn Harrington," Eddie calls out, after quietly slipping onto his front porch. "Didn't know you were the kinda creep to stare into teenage girl's windows."

Steve spins, startled, and nearly goes down on the gravel while doing so.

Eddie laughs--it's like watching Bambi on ice--but regrets it immediately when the younger man trots over to him.

Puts his hands up and is about to defend himself out of sheer habit.

"Is she okay?" Steve asks, trotting up the two steps so he can lower his voice.

Eddie wiggles his raised hands in a “maybe” sort of gesture before lowering them.

“She’s fine right now, but she’s definitely upset.”

Steve hums, peering worriedly at the opposing trailer, takeout food sitting innocently by Max’s door. “

“She’s been upset for a while. I just…” He trails off, running his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to do for her, you know? She’s not as easy to figure out as the others.”

Which isn’t the least bit surprising. At least, it isn’t to Eddie.

While he can’t speak for their missing fourth member, the remaining three freshmen are the kind to wear their emotions on their sleeves, in their own ways. Mike and Dustin compete for loudest but even Lucas, the most likely to let things go, eventually explodes.

All Harrington has to do to handle any of their issues is simply see that something is wrong, and then ask about it.

The drive from the high school to the trailer park took less than fifteen minutes but in them, Eddie knew immediately that Max was far more like himself at heart. Angry at everything and everyone, using insults or humor to distract from her real problems.

Eddie now was better than he was, the eleven year old kid who’d been dumped on his Uncle, extremely wary of adults and furious at the world at large.

Like recognizes like though, even if he’s made progress.

“I think the best thing you can do is keep being there for her.” Eddie admits quietly, because this is an area he can actually provide some insight for. “That all that anger isn’t going to push you away. Just don’t be surprised if it takes her a while to understand you won’t abandon her like everybody else did.”

“Huh.” Steve says, and Eddie shouldn’t be surprised that Steve is taking him seriously. Not after the not-Christmas party, but he is.

That’s part of the mystery of Steve Harrington, after all.

The way Steve never quite reacts the way Eddie thinks he’s going to.

“If she doesn’t take the food can you let me know?” Steve asks, and he sounds so sad about it that Eddie couldn’t possibly refuse, even if he’d wanted to.

“Sure thing man.” He agrees.

Harrington watches Max’s door for a moment longer before heaving himself off the porch with a sigh

“Oh,” He says, turning around partway to his car. “ We’re gonna have a movie night next Friday night. You should come.”

‘Bing-fucking-go.’

“Well how could I say no to the King himself? Tell me the time and I’ll be there.” Eddie says, and then watches Steve’s face as he winces.

Apparently, Red was right.

Steve doesn’t rip his head off for the nickname though. Plows right on ahead, as if Eddie hadn’t called him it at all.

"We were planning on making it just the adults--or at least, not the freshmen.” He nods towards Max’s trailer.

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “Oh I’m sure they’re just delighted to be left out.”

"You’d be surprised.” Steve says with a long-suffering look. “I've been informed I need more adult friends."

Eddie can’t help but tease, though he softens his voice and grins to take the teeth out of it. "Band geek and a bunch of fourteen years olds not good enough for you?"

"You’re forgetting my ex girlfriend." Steve adds, with his own self deprecating tone.

“Well damn Harrington, guess the town freak might actually be a step up for you!” Eddie says, loving that this version of Steve is willing to banter like this.

“I dunno man, I think that nickname might be overhyped.” Steve says, and there’s that grin back on his face, the one he wore when he was stealing meaningless corporate trophies out of his father’s office. “I don’t think you’re that freaky at all.”

He dips down in a movement that takes Eddie a moment to realize is him mimicking the curtsey he had given Eddie at the Christmas party, before getting in the Beemer.

Then he’s gone, leaving Eddie trying to recover on the porch, wondering if the last part of that conversation actually happened or if he just wanted it so badly he dreamed the whole thing.

(When he looks back over to Max’s trailer, the takeout by the door is gone.)

xXx

20 days after New Years and Eddie didn’t know what he expected from a movie night at Steve’s-- but it wasn’t getting his ass kicked at beer pong.

Of course, this may have been his fault.

It started when Steve, three beers into a home recording of Animal House, made an off comment about Nancy Wheeler once putting all of Hawkin’s to shame at a party.

(“Her aim has always been insane.” He'd added, as Nancy rolled her eyes and tried to hide her pleased grin behind a hand.

Eddie had been a little surprised to see Steve hadn’t been kidding about Nancy coming--but also realized that Steve might have been serious when he’d joked about not really having a lot of friends.

In Eddie's head, a miniature bat version of himself donned a detective's hat and cape, whipping out a notepad to dutifully write down; ‘Clue one: Steve has very few friends.’

“You, Nancy Wheeler, beat out four teams of dumb jocks…at beer pong?” Eddie asked, in total disbelief.

“I did.” Nancy told him smugly. “And I could do it again.”

“Really?” Eddie had said and it hadn’t been intended as a challenge, but it was taken as one.)

Three games in, the beer having a long run out (they were actually playing “Vodka Shot Ball") and Eddie has to concur.

Nancy Wheeler was in fact, god’s gift to throwing small orange balls into cups.

“How are you doing this!?” Eddie yells, throwing his hands in the air as Nancy sinks her last shot, Robin shrieking in victory behind her.

Hand on her hip, Nancy gives him a lazy, smug smile. “I suppose,” She says, tilting her head, sounding for all the world like a cat who’s caught a canary, “--it would be my incredibly good aim.”

Robin, who previously had been paired with Steve before insisting they switch (and who is more than a little drunk), shouts; “Take that Munson!” before grabbing Nancy’s wrists, pulling her into a dance.

Laughing, Nancy goes with her, their celebration a stark contrast to the other half of the table where Steve is leaning heavily on his elbows.

"Alright. Maybe, you do have some ungodly skills." Eddie admits, putting his hands on his head. “Forgive me for doubting you, oh Queen of beer pong.”

"Oh, now you admit it?" Steve mutters playfully, head hanging low. "Couldn't have done it before I ran out of beer?"

"Hush Harrington, you enjoyed it." Eddie grins knocking a hip into his teammates

He too, is more than a touch drunk, despite having been on Nancy’s team for the prior two rounds.

Vodka-Shot Ball, as it turns out, is enough to really mess a person up if you miss enough.

"Did I?” Steve moans, before hiccupping.

(“Harrington you’re a jock, are you missing on purpose!?” Eddie had asked early in this game, when Steve’s shots had gone from fairly decent to fucking abysmal.

“He’s two shots in, Eddie.” Robin had spoken for her soulmate, as she aimed a ball at a cup. “All those concussions don’t play nice with hard alcohol. Why do you think I switched sides?”

“I’ll remember this betrayal, Rob.” Steve grumbled in response. “See if I ever do your hair for you again.”

Batective Eddie promptly scribbled; ‘Clue Two, Steve has had a lot of concussions and can no longer handle a lot of hard liquor’ down on his notepad, puffing on his little old-timey pipe. ‘Also he does hair.’)

“Now that Stubbornson over here has finally admitted defeat,” Steve says, “Can we please go lay down? We're way too drunk for another round.”

“Speak for yourself, Lightweight. I’m fine.” Eddie tells him, walking towards the door to the kitchen.

Of course life cannot tolerate him being smooth and so Eddie walks dead-on into the closed glass door rather than the open one next to it.

He staggers back and loses his balance, falling hard on his ass.

“Shit!” Someone curses.

“You okay Eddie?” Someone else asks.

“Yeah.” He moans, rubbing at his head.

Wheeler appears next to him, shooing his hands away from his face so she could examine him.

“You’re an idiot.” Nancy informs him calmly, hands expertly checking his head. Her touch is professional, but Eddie's surprised by it anyway, “But I think you’ll live.”

Eddie squints up at her. “How come you’re not drunk?” He asks, and okay, yeah, he definitely hears the slur in his voice this time.

"I only had three drinks across all three games." Nancy informs him sweetly. "None of them were vodka."

"I hate you." Eddie moans dramatically, before opting to lay down on the porch.

“No you don’t.” Nancy says confidently, and then pats his head, before getting up from her crouch. “How are you doing Steve?”

“Kill me.” Comes Harrington's voice from across the patio, sounding very pathetic.

Eddie wishes he could pet his head.

“Denied!” Robin calls out. “Don’t even joke about that dingus, you got too close last summer as it was.”

(Batective Eddie, swaying a little with a beer bottle in his paw, tries to write that down.

He somewhat succeeds.)

Nancy disappears for a moment and Eddie wills himself to sit up--or at the very least roll to where Harrington and Buckley are.

"I'm going to drive myself and Robin home.” Nancy announces as she reappears, alongside a hovering bottled water.

Gratefully, he takes it.

With a tone that’s only this side of too-sweet, she asks; “Eddie? Would you like a ride?”

He considers it.

On one hand, that means he leaves his van here. So someone else has drive him to get it back in the morning (unless Harrington drives it to him and while Eddie finds himself weirdly unopposed to that idea, he doesn’t want to impose.

…Or inflict the current sad state of his van’s interior on Steve before he knows the guy better.)

On the other hand, he’s clearly too drunk to drive, which means more time with a drunk Steve Harrington.

That’s gotta be good for figuring out clues, right?

(In his head, Batective Eddie shoots him a thumbs up from where he lays, facedown on the floor.)

"If I get into a car I’m going to hurl." He announces. “So I’m gonna pass.”

Nancy makes a very unlady like noise, and Eddie grins, finally managing to lurch up to his elbows. “Nancy Wheeler was that a snort!?” He teases gleefully, as she rolls her eyes.

“Maybe.” She says, then holds out a hand.

Eddie slaps his in it, but does his best not to pull on her. Instead he mostly uses her for balance as he works his way to his feet.

“You guys get home safe okay?” Steve says, voice uncharacteristically serious as Robin helps him up from the pool chair he'd collapsed in. “Check in when you do.”

That’s weird--Eddie half expects it to be some sort of inside joke or macho, alpha man type comment but instead both Robin and Nancy nod seriously.

“We will.” Nancy promises. “Thank you for inviting me, Steve. Nice meeting you properly, Eddie.”

She gifts him with a smile, an honest one, before guiding Robin out the door.

Who screams; “Bye losers, love you!” as she exits.

(Eddie thinks this might be another moment for Batective Eddie except he’s sort of getting a headache and kinda just wants to sleep rathe than envision his Sherlock Holmes styled bat-self.)

They follow the ladies in, Eddie beelining for the first cough he sees.

“You can sleep it off here.” Steve tells him, zombie-walking to his fridge. He pulls out a soda and chugs it as Eddie falls face first into couch cushions, taking a moment to let his stomach settle before adjusting to a better position.

"Nah I'm just gonna close my eyes for a second." Eddie mumbles. “Be fine in a ‘lil bit, promise.”

Does so, and enjoys the sweet, sweet darkness that envelops him.

He jerks awake a moment later, blinking hard in the dark. A blanket has been draped over him, and his shoes kicked off, though judging from where they landed Eddie thinks he’s done that part himself.

A glance at his wristwatch reveals it's 1 AM, and Eddie goes to scrub his eyes with his hands.

Shit, he hadn't intended to stay this long.

Harrington’s creepy Christmas shit’s all gone, replaced by walls so blank they look almost sterile.

It creates a different, quieter vibe that's almost more spooky than the Santa-themed tomb Eddie had previous seen. The large windows throw shadows across the open space, like elongated fingers. It covers parts of the room in thick darkness, giving the appearance than anything could be hiding within them.

There's blankets on the couch catty-corner to Eddie’s. They're rucked up, and the sound of running water abruptly clues Eddie in to where Steve might be.

A golden glow erupts from the kitchen, then off again, before repeating the pattern.

( Batective Eddie returns with a squeak, frantically waving a sign.

It reads ‘Steve is afraid of flickering lights, remember!?’)

The noise in the kitchen has gone eerily quiet. The bad kind, that makes the hairs on his neck stand up, and Eddie rolls off the couch and to his feet, making his way to the kitchen.

Comes around the corner to see Steve frozen halfway to the stove, his head craned upward at the ceiling lights.

Eddie knew that whatever had happened, a clear trigger for all those involved (the kids, Harrington, hell even Nancy Wheeler that one time in the library--) was electrical issues in lights.

He clears his throat, the sound coming out like more of a growl. He coughs to clear it, then sidles closer.

Steve has a stillness to his body that Eddie doesn’t clock until it’s too late, his hand already reaching out to tap the taller man’s shoulder.

"Hey, uh Steve?"

Gets the shock of his life when Steve yanks his shoulder away, spinning back and around like he's been burned.

Eddie gets a flash of wide brown eyes, glassy and wild, before a frying pan is swung at his head.

"What the hell Harrington!" Eddie yelps, falling down on his ass and scrambling backwards, pan missing his head by inches.

(Envisions in his head his Batective self throwing his notes in the air, taking flight with a startled “Fleeeee!”)

Harrington stands over him. Looks just like Wayne did that one time a car battery caught fire and exploded near the trailer.

Like he was somewhere else, and prepared to do what he had to in order to get back.

Chest heaving, Eddie put aside all thoughts of stupid bats and did what he did best.

Talked.

xXx

20 days after New Years, Steve almost takes Eddie's head off with a frying pan.

Doesn't realize he's swung it like a weapon until he hears the surprised shout, his brain too steeped in adrenaline and old fears.

Freezes, because the shout sounds like one of the kids but he doesn’t remember them being here...

"--eve?"

"What?" He asks, the ringing slowly easing as his tunnel vision does.

He'd heard the growl, saw the lights flicker…

A gentle hand presses into his bicep, and he finds himself staring into Eddie Munson’s eyes.

The guy has a sort of look on his face that says he's trying his best not to freak out, but then Steve blinks and it's gone.

Replaced with something gentle, if cautious.

"You wouldn't mind if I just," Eddie trails off as his ringed fingers slowly stroke down Steve's arm, before carefully taking hold of the pan’s handle. "--took this, aye love?"

It's the nickname that brings Steve back fully, and he loosens his grip on the pan, surrendering it to Munson.

"Thank you Steve." He says, leaning to put the pan back on the stove, far out of Steve's current reach.

Then his hands return to Steve's wrists, and he finds himself staring at them in confusion.

Not because he doesn't know what happened--he does.

It's more that he's shocked Eddie is still willing to touch him after he nearly brained him.

"There's egg on the floor." Steve says, because it's the easiest thought to have at the moment.

Easier than apologizing.

Definitely easier than explaining.

"We'll clean the egg up later." Eddie says firmly, and Steve's never heard him use that tone of voice before. Firm and unyielding, like he has all the answers.

It's the kind of voice Steve can surrender his anxiety to and he finds himself almost sinking into it.

If Munson asked him to walk over a cliff just then, he would be more than a little tempted.

"Let's go sit down, just for a few minutes." Eddie tells him, a gentle tug on his wrists and Steve finds himself breathing out, his body shivering with the release of stress.

He nods, unable to speak, and allows himself to be maneuvered out into his living room, then down on one of the loveseats.

Eddie sits next to him, his thigh a line of grounding heat pressed against Steve's leg and he focuses on it to keep himself in the present.

"You back with me?"

Steve works his throat, hyper aware of how dry it is. "Yeah." He says.

Then adds, "sorry."

"Don't apologize, man. I've done plenty of trip sitting in my day. I know a panic attack when I see one."

Steve vaguely wants to ask what the hell trip sitting is, but finds himself unconsciously leaning towards Eddie instead.

Somehow he doesn't mind, even though Steve's practically squished up against him. Not that Eddie's ever been one to care about personal space, but Steve knows there's a difference between a teasing joke and whatever this is.

Eddie's thumb begins to rub gentle, grounding circles into the meat of Steve's wrist.

It gives his eyes something to track and gratefully Steve does, so he doesn't have to look Eddie in the face.

Isn't sure he can clear the tears trying to wet his eyes in time to brush this off.

Claim it's nothing serious.

"You wanna talk about it?" Eddie asks and somehow Steve didn't account for how direct the metalhead could be.

The tears strengthen and for a moment his vision blurs with them, before he sucks in a shuddering breath and forces himself back under control.

'God Steven, toughen up.' His father's voice rings out in his head, the memory branded into Steve's very being. 'It's ridiculous how much you cry. Do you think anyone wants to put up with that?'

Steve had answered no then, tone wobbling.

"I--" He starts, "--signed an NDA."

Which is not, at all, what he meant to say, but too late now.

"The cops and I aren't exactly on speaking terms, your secrets are safe with me." Eddie says, entirely unphased.

Which ghosts a smile over Steve’s face at least, even as he finds himself totally lost.

How exactly is he supposed to explain this?

The Upside Down, the Russians, hell even the way he's become hyper vigilant?

That certain words or references act like bullets, sending him to the floor in a spiral of burning panic?

Nevermind his finely honed instinct to use anything as a weapon when startled.

Sensing his discomfort, Eddie hums quietly before making a suggestion. "How about you tell me a totally fake, very unreal story?"

Steve croaks a laugh.

"I'm a really bad story teller." He warns.

"Practice makes perfect." Eddie tells him, leaning his shoulder into the taller man's.

Grateful--and feeling more than a little pathetic--Steve finds himself seeking out the touch.

"Okay." He agrees quietly, with a jerky nod of his head. "A--completely untrue, over exaggerated story. I can do that."

So he does.

xXx

The story Steve tells in halting, fumbling bursts of words involves monsters, the supernatural, government secrets and coverups.

The latter half of which doesn't even surprise Eddie--anyone with half a brain could see the sheer number of incidents that happened one after another was a cover up for something big-- but he can't help himself from trying to detangle reality from fiction.

Monsters he gets. It's easier to pretend the bad guy is an evil creature than a real person, to distance yourself from it in such a way it feels fake.

The supernaturally gifted girl is a little harder, but if you replace superpowers with some poor kid involved in some kind of shitty, abusive government program, then he can buy it.

What Steve never explains, is what set him off.

Eddie tells him so.

"I told you I was a bad storyteller." Steve says in response, which isn’t an explanation but then, Eddie realizes he is pushing awful hard for a guy who he barely knows to bare his soul--and who, in turn, barely knows him.

Not really anyway.

Not outside of rumors and old wounds.

"Is there anything that ever helps you feel safer?"

"People." Steve says immediately. "People always help but ah, well." His smile is pained, self deprecating. "I can't exactly ask for sleepovers every night, can I?”

He shrugs. “So I just keep a few things close.'

"A few things?"

"My nailbat."

"Is the nailbat a bat…with nails in it?" Eddie hedges, desperately attempting to keep a calm, straight face because what the fuck?

But this was a no judging zone, and it wasn’t as if a bat with nails in it was the weirdest thing Eddie had ever encountered. Not since Uncle Wayne’s friends informed him they had at minimum, seventeen guns hidden in their own trailer across town.

‘Things are happening at night, kid. Bad things. Don’t go too far into the woods looking for trouble.’

"Maybe." Steve admits.

"How about instead of hugging a nail bat to sleep, if things get bad you come over. Wayne works the night shift and I have insomnia anyways."

"Really?"

Eddie can’t blame him for sounding surprised.

"Yeah man. No skin off my nose, though you will be stuck hearing my beautiful sweetheart. She's a guitar sent from heaven. "

"I can handle that." He says, a smile ghosting across his face.

Then; "Thanks Eddie."

Eddie presses his shoulder against Steve’s. "Anytime, big boy."

(Crisis over, Batective Eddie returns, swooning.

Eddie mentally squashes him under his own notes.)

#I wasnt gonna write more of this but ya'llk talked me into it #Eddie doodles batective eddie everywhere #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #steve needs a hug #steddie fluff #0o0 fanfics #I guess this would be the new years special #god does that mean I should finish it with valentines day #nancy and eddie friendship supremacy

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capitalisticveins · 2 years ago

Text

Shaw Pack Hcs Part 4 (i think?) (Ft. Sam)

These are 3 pages long on Google Docs wow um

- Tank has smoked once, but didn’t exactly get into it.

- Asher and Christian put things they KNOW Milo will need on the top shelf of whatever house they’re in.

- Baaabe has freckles. Whether they're faint, or there’s tons of them, it doesn’t matter. They HAVE freckles.

- Angel may not be able to cook, but for some reason they can really fucking good. Cake, cookies, macaroons, brownies, lava cake, hell, Creme Brulee. They just find baking and cleaning everything up tedious, so they don’t do it often.

- As kids, whenever Kelsey came over with her mom to visit Arden and Christian, Arden and Kelsey would do anything and everything to scare the shit out of Christian.

- The only game Sam and Tank can play on equal grounds with no advantages towards each other is Just Dance 2018.

- Ansel and Bailey work on their upper arm strength more

- David doesn’t shave often, but his face somehow remains slightly shaven? Which is weird because he grows facial hair like crazy.

- David sleeps like a fucking corpse, that man does NOT move.

- Angel likes to shave David’s face when he’s asleep and keeps the hair in a jar under the bed in a box.

- Asher eats Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese.

- Tank LOVES frosting on cake and cupcakes. They lick the frosting off of those mini-cupcakes and eat the frosting first off normal cake.

- Angel used to believe in Herobrine, but instead of being scared or not playing the game until he was “removed”, they’d actively seek him out.

- Sweetheart’s impulsive thoughts have once led them to go tangible while in between a wall. It was excruciatingly painful and they don’t know how they didn’t get split in half.

- Milo would sharpen his teeth if he could.

- Ansel eats Crumbl Cookies, much to Christian’s dismay (he believes they’re undercooked).

- Asher and Baaabe don’t get out of each other’s arms until both of them are awake. If one wakes up first, they just lay there until the other wakes up.

- Baaabe didn’t go into elevators for a week after they met Asher. Not because they didn’t want to see him again, but because they were deathly afraid of being stuck again.

- When he was a kid, Marie would aggressively pinch Milo’s cheek whenever he did something bad.

- Baaabe took it surprisingly well when Asher first admitted to being a werewolf. Not because they were shocked or in fear, but because it explained a LOT of weird shit he would do.

- Once, when they were a kid, Tank got into a frosting container their mom used to ice cakes she’d make, and ate all the frosting out of it. They would’ve been punished if they didn’t vomit an hour afterward, since it was “punishment enough” in their father’s words

- Madelyn and all of the older pack kids (only girls) would have sleepovers almost all the time. Kelsey, Bailey, and Arden were invited, but not so often since they were younger.

- Sweetheart likes to buy square pillows so it can support their neck better.

- Asher, David, Milo, and Christian would try to sneak in or see what the girls were talking about, much to Madelyn’s dismay.

- David has a vase full of honeysuckles in his bedroom.

- Sweetheart can NOT hopscotch. They’ve tried and they keep tripping by the time they reach 6.

- Angel has once laughed so hard they passed out.

- Bailey likes to blow bubblegum, but it’s hard to pop them. Meaning if they grow too big she has to use her fingers to pop them, but then sometimes it gets stuck to her hands.

- Brooke has seen Bailey get tangled up in gum during a pack meeting, and had to go over and help her, but then he started getting stuck in the gum, until Amanda saw him.

- Long story short half the pack got stuck in 5 pieces of gum until David had to use scissors to cut them out. That night he prayed for a normal pack.

- Sweetheart was once compared to Sherlock Holmes. That’s the best compliment they believe they’ve ever been given.

- Baaabe always has a stupid and goofy smile whenever Asher walks into the room.

- As a kid, Milo was often left out of fun activities with the other kids. Bailey was the only one that stuck around him when they forgot to invite him.

- I.E: Brooke forgot to invite him to his 10th birthday party, and when Bailey found out, she and her parents took him to Six Flags.

- Other than the literal stealth in the pack, Brooke is the most stealthy member of the Shaw Pack. He can stop breathing for up to 5 minutes and cloak his aura enough for any normal empowered person to not sense or notice him.

- Tank has put mentos in coke and shoved the bottle in their mouth, Milo had to snatch the bottle from their hands after soda started spraying from their nose. Asher gave them 20 bucks to do it.

- David would stay up until 2am studying for ANY test they were given back in high school.

- Asher tried getting a tattoo in high school and told David, but David said if he ever finds a tattoo on him, he’d tell Asher’s parents immediately.

- Arden is the reason unempowered people in Dahlia believe wolves howl during a full moon. She makes sure that during ALL full moons, she’s at the highest peak possible in the town, shifted and howling as loud as she can. Only Christian knows she’s the one doing it.

- Tank has forgotten to put water in a cup of noodles once before microwaving it.

- Sweetheart has scared Baaabe before and this led to Baaabe cursing them out in a different language.

- Angel had braces from elementary school to high school, and keep unknowingly licking their teeth.

- David is NOT flexible, that man is as stiff as a floorboard.

- When Tank and their family first joined the pack, Tank was pissy and distant because they missed their old pack with their old friends.

-Milo has said “I’m walking ‘ere!” once, that’s the only reason Asher and Christian say it whenever he’s around.

- Bailey eats waffles with her hands.

- Kelsey and David fold their pizzas.

- Arden used a fork and knife to eat hers once to piss everyone off.

- Asher, David, Christian, Arden, Amanda, Brooke, Miguel, and Bailey have done the cliche “break a window with a baseball” in Amanda’s backyard once. Bailey broke it and was going to come clean, but Christian panicked and blamed it on Kelsey, who wasn’t there. He then tried to backtrack and blame it on Milo, who was in the corner playing with dandelions because they forgot to ask him to play. Bailey got away with it because Amanda’s mom believed it was him due to his lying, and no one backed him up.

- Asher tries to laugh more “cutely” or “manly” but whenever Baaabe says a joke he can’t help but laugh genuinely.

- When David was scolding Tank in “Confronted but your Pack Alpha”, Tank had a scowl on and kept looking at the ground. They didn’t make eye contact until the end.

- Sweetheart can throw it back

- David can be DEATHLY silent when he wants to be. This is why Sam didn’t hear David from behind him during the pack Solstice, despite his advanced hearing.

- Whenever the Sunbound Solstice comes around, and none of the wolves feel good or energized enough to do anything, the mates do everything in their power to pamper and take care of them until they feel better. The only exceptions are Tank, Sam, Milo, and Sweetheart since they’re all Moonbound. In this case, Baaabe and Angel wait until David and Asher fall asleep to help them out.

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lyon-amore · 8 months ago

Text

*Oneshot based on chapters 5 and 8.

Since Lilly posted the video, my whole life has been turned upside down. Jake is gone for his own good and I have to take the accusatory looks and murmurs of people.

“You didn't expect this to happen to me, right, Jake?” I say through clenched teeth, quite annoyed.

I had sent a message to my boyfriend, I needed to get my mind off of everything that was happening. And what could be better than exploring an abandoned house like we did before?

I see him leaning on his Land-ROVER, looking at his cell phone. His tousled black hair covers his blue eyes. A pair of rings decorate his fingers. On his right wrist, he has the head of a snake tattooed with its mouth open, as if his hand were coming out of it. Meanwhile, on the left, a skull with a rose coming out of the skull. My father is fine with me going out with him, he's known him since we were little, so he's happy to see that he can trust him. In addition, they sometimes work together when it is his turn to be forensic in his cases. Unlike my mother, who found him adorable when he didn't have black hair and was free of tattoos. According to her, it sounds like something out of a satanic rock band. Every time she says it it makes me let out a small growl. His appearance drives me crazy —not to mention something much worse.

When he sees me, he puts his phone away and waits for me to park, approaching slowly. I get out of the car, fighting with my seat belt, almost desperate. I needed to breathe. I run up to him and hug him, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Hey..." He separates me a little and lifts my chin, with a worried look. "Are you okay, Holmes?" I let out a laugh when I heard the nickname. He knows that I like to investigate since I was a child. Him too, but in a different way.

I have told him everything, since we have a pretty solid relationship after so many years together. I've even told him about Jake. I don't want lies in our relationship, I don't want to ruin it.

"Yes, I'm fine," I smile, running my hand through his hair, caressing it lovingly. I stand on tiptoe and kiss him as he leans in a little.

Their metal collars make contact with my skin. They are cold. I separate out of discomfort, I’m too sensitive these days. All because of that stupid Lilly video.

"If you say so," I notice annoyance in his voice. I understand. What is happening to me is not easy for him to also listen to comments from me on his work. And working as a police coroner, I'm sure he had heard their suspicions about me.

I follow him to the back of the car, opening the trunk where there is a black suitcase inside.

“Here it is,” he drags the object toward us and opens it. “Masks, gloves, a pair of flashlights—”

“Are we going to investigate or rob?” I try to joke, although my voice doesn't sound very encouraging.

“Well, when we were teenagers we did everything without being careful” he pokes me on the nose. “We have to be more professional this time, Holmes.”

I nod and start putting on my gear. It’s true that when we were young we went around without being careful, which caused our parents to get angry with us and we always had the police on us. I take the mask and leave it on my chin for now, and then put on the cloth gloves.

"At least you didn't come in a skirt like you did before." I raise an eyebrow at his words. “Don't look at me like that, I don't know how you never got a scratch.”

"Because I had you to take care of me." I smile proudly at him, but he rolls his eyes as he lets out a sigh.

“Who else would do it?”

He gives me a quick caress on the cheek, with a half smile, but at the same time he looks serious. He makes my stomach feel like thousands of little ants running around.

We approach the house and I try to look through the door window. It's completely dark and when my eyes adjust, I can see a little: There is a ladder and a clown doll hanging from the ceiling. There are also two pieces of furniture on each side. I try to open the door, but it’s closed.

"You don't have a pair of lockpicks, do you?" I ask, moving away from the door.

“No, and even if I had, my thing is not to open doors with lockpicks,” he answers, crossing his arms.

I bite the inside of my cheek and look to the sides and then touch him on the arm.

“Let's make a detour, maybe we can enter from behind,” I comment as I start walking.

“Okay.”

He stands in front of me, carefully removing the weeds. He makes a gesture with his hand, as if inviting me in. I smile and put on the mask, passing by him. There is an archway as an entrance to the backyard. I walk over to a stationary bike and sit on it, trying to move it.

“I… can’t…” I complain a little, trying to move the pedals.

"Or maybe you lack strength," he rests his hands on the handlebars and I can see from his eyes that he is smiling evilly. It's clearly a joke, the bike is in a state of not having been used in a long time.

I narrow my eyes looking at him evilly.

“Wait,” he stands next to me, putting one foot on a pedal and his hands on the handlebars. “On three. One… Two… Three,” he says calmly. I move the other pedal and with effort we manage to move it. “Done, teamwork.”

I raise my hand to high-five him and he accepts. But I interlace my fingers and move a little closer to his face to touch his mask with mine.

“Good teamwork,” I agree.

I hear him let out a small laugh and he lowers his mask, leaving a small kiss on my forehead.

“I haven't forgotten that you called me weak,” I answer, getting out of the seat. “That kiss doesn't help me forgive you.”

“Well, I at least had to try,” he shrugs and steps away from the bike. “Look,” he points his head behind me. “The door is open.”

“Almost like they left it for us,” I joke as I turn around and look inside.

I can see like cushions for the chairs in summer. Yellow and green. Although everything seems to be cluttered with things.

"I'll go ahead," he carefully pushes me away, turning on the flashlight, "I don't trust if there's anyone inside..."

“Thank you for wanting to scare me.”

I turn on the flashlight and he takes my hand, along with a small 'Careful' as we carefully enter. I step where he steps, being careful with things on the floor. There are even gardening tools along the walls. He takes out his phone and starts taking photos.

“For the forum?” I ask him, curiously.

"Yes, I'm sure they'll like this."

I can hear some emotion in his voice. He's really passionate about these things.

“You know? You should go back too,” he looks at me quickly before continuing walking.

"I know, but I prefer to leave it behind...”

"Everyone misses you."

“I can imagine it.”

I prefer not to talk about it, it’s something I want to leave in the past and at least he accepted my decision. But he knows how happy that forum made me.

We go out into the hallway opening the first door we see. A bathroom. He approaches the sink and tells me.

"Look, a corpse." I lower my head and look at a dead fly.

“Moron…”

“I could have brought my equipment and made a controlled environment so that no one gets close and I could examine it carefully.”

I let out a laugh as I shake my head. He really always has some strange occurrences. That's what I like about him, that he doesn't pretend.

We continue and enter another bathroom, where we find a baby stroller with a pile of clothes inside. It makes my stomach turn to think that something could have happened to a little creature. It's like my protective instinct against weak people is activated. I feel a pressure in my head and look up. I notice how he strokes my hair, as if he knew I was nervous when he saw him. I smile at him even though I can't see it because of the mask, but I can see it through my eyes. He smiles back at me when he notices it in his too. I let him take photos in peace while I examine the place, entering a room with a pile of bottles of wine and champagne. How I would like to take one…

"Don't do it," I hear from behind me. "Do you remember the last time you did it?"

“It was accidentally that I vomited in my parents' closet.”

“And you ended up grounded for a month.”

"But now my parents can't punish me—"

"Not your parents, but me."

I swallow, noticing the intensity of his gaze. Ugh… If it weren't for this place…

We leave the basement, where the entrance to the house is. The first thing I see is a tapestry on the wall. I look up at where the clown is hanging. His blue and white suit even looks new. How long has he been here?

“There’s ‘IT’,” I point with my hand.

He taps it, moving it a little.

"Let's hope he doesn't start swinging on his own then," he comments with a mocking voice, "because then I'll have to defend you from him."

“Oh, my hero,” I put my hands on my chest as I exaggerate with my voice.

We start investigating each on our own, looking for something interesting.

“I love investigating these places.” I look at him for a moment and see that sparkle of excitement in his eyes. “I feel like everything I see tells a story without having to speak,” he stop looking at his phone for a moment to look at what's around him, as if he were making a mental image.

I smile sweetly after hearing his words. His curiosity is hardly noticeable, but I always manage to see him. He is like a little child, but at the same time he has the respect of an adult.

When I open the cabinet that is on the right side of the door, I find a lot of Christmas decoration objects.

“Do you know anything about Jake?” I hear him ask me.

I take a breath while I grab a calendar. Nineteen eighty-five, could this be the date when they left the house?

“No, he hasn't said anything to me since he left.” I try not to sound upset. Although he told me about his situation with the government, of course I am upset with him. He has left me alone with the accusations. I would have liked a little empathy from you.

“Does it bother you that I asked about him?”

“It seems strange to me that you’re interested in him.”

“I care about you and you know it.”

I turn to hear him speak so softly. Although his look is not. I know he’s worried about what I'm up to, and he'd like to know as much as I do why Hannah had my phone number.

“I know…”

“And isn't it better to leave it?” I look at him surprised. I don't think he has ever told me to give up on the things I like, such as my passion for research. “What if he gets you into more trouble? Or worse, what if the Man without a face is also after you?”

“Wasn't it just a legend?” I let out a somewhat dry laugh, knowing that for him legends are nothing more than legends, nothing real.

Yes, he likes all those stories, but that doesn't mean he really imagines a ghost walking through a town taking real people.

"I know you and I know that you suffer from all those calls in which he threatens you." I cross my arms, as if protecting myself from his words. “Don't pretend now that you didn't call me when he made that video call.”

“Okay, yes, I'm scared,” I admit, separating my arms. I clench my fists tightly, annoyed. “I don't know where this will lead or if anyone will get hurt, I... I'm afraid for them... I'm afraid that...”

I start by shaking like a small animal. Is it normal to feel like this? I want to trust Jake's words and that nothing will happen to my friends. I lower my head so he can't see my eyes, holding back tears. I don't want him to see me like that. I notice how he wraps his arms around me, pressing me tightly against his chest.

“You know, I'm always by your side,” his voice sounds soft. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who sees this sweet side of him and the rest of the world sees the cold guy they think he is. “I know that you are going through a difficult situation and that the person you trusted has left you with a difficult situation, but I have always been with you and defended you, never forget that, okay?”

I nod, hugging him tightly. I shed a few tears, leaving his shirt soaked. What Jake didn't think about is that the video can be downloaded and the phone number can also be passed on, which means the situation won't end until we find Hannah.

But the truth is that right now, I just want to be with the man who has been supporting me since it all started and it makes people's eyes turn away from me when he gives them that cold look of his.

I notice how he slowly lifts my chin. He has taken off his mask. His gaze makes me lose myself in that sea that is only for me. He runs his thumb over my lips and gently opens them, kissing me. When he pulls away after a slow kiss and a few strokes of my hair, he whispers deeply.

“Do you want me to stay at your apartment tonight?”

“It will be a wonderful pleasure,” I reply and bite his lip.

I hear a small growl coming from his throat. Thank goodness I have his support to survive these difficult times or I would go crazy.

<< Will I still have the handcuffs at home?>>

♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰♰

♰Darkness♰

It had been a while and Jake had finally returned thanks to the girls' help, although unfortunately, she had lost a friend. That caused both of them to argue. When he told me, I got angry. Not with her, but with that guy. With Jake. He supposedly promised that nothing would happen to any of the group, and in the end what happened? Richy died. It's been since the threats, the attack to a friend, the hacking of her phone and now the death of one of them. Didn't that guy see everything she was suffering? If I knew where he was hiding, I wouldn't hesitate to punch him and yell at him not to make her cry again. I don't want him to do it again. Or that it doesn't happen when she is alone and I can't comfort her.

"If it weren't for the fact that she feels that he is a good man., I would denounce him," I mutter under my breath as I fill out a form for the last corpse examined.

My phone starts ringing. I recognize the tone of the message. It's her.

I quickly put down the folder and grab my phone from the table. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Holmes🖤 Hey We need to talk ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I arch an eyebrow somewhat confused. It's not that it's a phrase that everyone would like to hear from her partner, but in her case, I think there is something more. She always liked to use those phrases to add mystery and, knowing her, I'm sure she does it to easily break the ice on something serious. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness What's going on?

Holmes🖤 Well how do I begin to say this? Do you know a girl named Avali? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sit in the chair slowly. Now I'm more confused. I met Avali on the forum because she was asking about the man without a face. But if she knows the name Avali, it means… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness Did you enter the forum?

Holmes🖤 It's because of the investigation and seeing that you spoke with her privately, well I had to ask you directly

Darkness Hang on a minute Are we being…

Holmes🖤 Yeah He already know I had to tell him

Darkness Have he taken it well?

Holmes🖤 Right now is not the time 😒 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I let out a small laugh. I'm sure he doesn’t like it that I know everything. Well, he's going to have to put up with it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Holmes🖤 Please tell me everything you know about Avali ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I tell him what we were talking about, that I wanted to know more about the legend and that it was all because of a friend, at first I didn't believe it because it's a pretty common phrase when you don't want anyone to know it's you and you're embarrassed to admit it. People often hide things just so that others don't look at you strangely. But knowing this now, it means that Amy and Hannah must have a connection just like she said. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness So, Amy and Hannah knew each other?

Holmes🖤 Darkness, don't make me call you by your full name

Darkness Sorry, I guess I'm kind of curious about this case now Amy entered the forum looking for answers for Hannah… But she’s the one who ended up dead Don’t you think it’s something interesting?

Holmes🖤 Interesting or not, it sounds like you're having fun with this conversation

Darkness Because I feel proud to be part of your help Although there is not much to tell

Holmes🖤 Or you may now have problems knowing that you spoke to a victim

Darkness Don't worry, I have you as an alibi at least

Holmes🖤 At least if we knew the moment of her death...

Darkness Why don't I stop by your apartment as soon as my shift is over? We will talk about it much better alone If you know what I mean

Holmes🖤 I know 😅

Darkness Perfect See you later And goodbye Jake, a pleasure to be spied on by you

Holmes🖤 Don't make him more angry than he already is...

Darkness Is he really angry? Or is he jealous?

Holmes🖤 You're right, we'd better talk about it at home

-----Holmes🖤 has disconnected----- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Knowing her, I know that she is not going to wait for me with a tray of cupcakes and a smile, I will have to be careful that she doesn’t murder me or another forensic will take my place.

I get to her apartment and when she opens the door, she stares at me, crossing her arms and frowning.

“I'm sorry,” is the first thing that comes out of my mouth. She angry is quite scary and she has rarely been. It's like a strange phenomenon that might happen once every year.

She steps to the side and shakes her head, inviting me in. I accept and left the jacket on the coat rack and the shoes on the small cabinet. Next, I approach her, slowly caressing her cheek, trying to calm her.

“Has he scolded you too much?” I ask worried.

"Let's say that... For him I have broken the trust we had," she sighs and takes my hand, taking me to the living room.

We sit on the sofa, she raises her legs, sitting in lotus. I go up one, getting comfortable.

"You shouldn't let that guy manipulate you with his words." I caress the back of his hand and he looks at me hurt. “You haven't broken any trust, you've only told me and no one else.”

"Well, that's why," I notice how her voice sounds broken, as if she had a hard time speaking. “I had to explain to him that I had to tell you because I didn't want to seem like I was talking to someone else—”

“Technically, you were doing it,” I arch an eyebrow and she pouts.

"You know what I mean," I let out a small laugh and finally lean on the headboard of the sofa, placing my hand on my face for support. “I have told him that we have known each other since we were children and that you are the only one I trust the most to keep my secrets, because you always have,” a smile appears this time on his face. I know she is trying hard not to worry me. She's had a rough morning.

“But I couldn't be with you when what happened with your friend” I look away, annoyed with myself.

I couldn't come because I was working, I think it's the first time in my entire life that I've failed her and I feel like shit. She places her hands on my face, forcing me to look at her. I look better at her eyes, they are red from crying. She approaches my face, kissing me. At first I avoid answering it because I feel like I don't deserve it, but in the end I fall. Surely she does it to forget it. Forget what has happened. I run my hand under her blouse and listen to her sigh as she notices the cold touch of the rings. I smile knowing that I'm the only one who knows everything she likes.

Her phone rings and we stop. I understand, after what happened, it is normal for her to be nervous.

"That's strange, I don't recognize the number..." she says without yet leaving me.

“The kidnapper?”

"No, he doesn't usually call that" she runs her tongue over her lips and answers.

I can hear because of the proximity. The call is from Maydol prison. I frown without understanding, who is calling her from prison? And it is then… that I hear Phil’s voice for the first time. I lean back, making a sound of annoyance. I hope this doesn’t get her into any more trouble.

I listen to her talking to him, walking around the room, worried. I stare at her, speaking with complete professionalism. She's not for jokes. When she hangs up, she leaves her phone on the table and falls onto the couch, resting her head on my lap, putting her hands to her face, tired. I begin to caress her hair, careful not to let my rings get tangled in any strands.

"When all this is over, can we go on vacation, please?" She says through her hands.

“Mmm… There is a church in the Czech Republic that you would love to see,” I see how she slowly opens her fingers, blinking with curiosity, “it has some really ghostly sculptures.”

“It would be nice, at least just to go on a trip to another place and rest from all this” she lowers her hands and plays with my pendant. “Sorry for Phil called me...”

“Why do you apologize? You're helping him too, right?” I take her hand and kiss her fingers. “And there is no one better than you in the world to do it.”

We intertwine our fingers and she nods, sighing.

Her phone rings again. She heavily gets up to pick it up and sits down next to me again, showing me that it’s Jake. She rests her head on my shoulder as she talks to him about the new news Phil has given her. Despite looking tired, she tries to solve this case. I kiss her head and she looks at me.

“Why that?” She asks with a laugh.

“I felt like doing it, Holmes.”

She smiles and snuggles again.

"I'm lucky you're with me." Her voice sounds truly happy this time and much better than before. “With you by my side, things feel lighter, like I don't have to worry about anything.”

I run my thumb over her lips and she looks at me.

"And that's my job," I carefully caress her cheek and smile, "to make sure you don't have to worry about anything."

“You don’t know how much I love you…”

"And you don't know that I would give my life for you, so don't put yourself in danger for this, okay?"

“Hey, no blackmail of that kind.”

"It's the only way you won't do it."

She shrugs, accepting that it’s true. If I don’t remind her of things, I’m sure she would do something crazy. She pulls me to her and kisses me. I notice her smile across her lips.

"Weren't you talking to Jake?" I whisper, breaking the kiss.

"He can surely wait twenty more minutes."

I take her phone, leaving it on the table. Then I place my hand on her waist and lay her down on the couch, holding her wrists above her head.

"Make it an hour, now you need to relax Holmes."

#duskwood #duskwood mc #duskwood darkness #duskwood darkness x mc #duskwood everbyte #duskwood game #everbyte studios #everbyte game #everbyte studio #duskwood fandom #duskwood fanfic #duskwood oneshot #fanfic #oneshot

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lorethebookworm · 6 months ago

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Whats your favorite trope(s)????

Uuuh I'm gonna do both general ones and extremely niche ones kaksmsmsm yay

Okay general ones we obviously have found family my lord and savior, a bunch of people that found each other and said ?? Yes ?? these are my people forever ??? When it's Christmas these are the people I'll spend it with ??? Beautiful amazing 10/10

Then we have friends to lovers which I really really like as a romantic trope ( might be bc I might be a touch demi but who knows ) bc this person took the time to know the other ? They spent so much time with their friend and it made them fall in love ?? Good fucking shit , bc if they are friends first they love each other not in spite but because of all their quirks and weirdness. ( BUT if they pine for an unreasonable amount of time , like ten years ? That's a solid no, you could have been together all this time don't tell me that for TEN YEARS you kept it inside come on I tell my friends everything it's just not possible ) ( I understand that it is indeed very possible but it just frustrates me bc if this person is your real friend you know them ! They won't hate you for your crush so just tell them ! Also most of the time they CLEARLY reciprocate so stop being stupid !! ) ( This might be very close to one of the niche tropes I hate so, yeah )

Specific ones I got are when the characters know each other/ have a pretty long history and therefore have a crazy amount of inside jokes and stories that only they understand. So when they are with others everyone else is always super confused bc what even happened in Mexico ? Why are you guys laughing at a red motorcycle?? ( I have no idea why I love it so much it's just how it is )

I don't know how specific this one is but I love when a character ( preferably the protagonist ) is a fricking mastermind and always has a plan or a solution for everything akzkkaksksns ( case in point Kaz brekker but also Sherlock Holmes from the bbc series, I think I need to read the books as well )

Another one is whatever my man Neil Josten has got going on? I just generally really like when the protagonist has this whole array of secrets the other characters know nothing about so no one understands why the character reacts in a certain way to things , why they don't know some stuff that is general knowledge to everyone else etc... ( bonus points if the character shares this with only one or two people so now only they understand each other while everyone else stands there confused jbeududigjrvebsksks )

Yeah I have a thing for secrets and being unknowable but wanting to be known and have inside jokes I guess

#rb with other tropes you like if you thought of any?#if not it's cool don't worry #also loved this quesiton thank youu !!!#asks #tropes

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cinemastyles-blog · 2 years ago

Text

Iced Vanilla Latte

Summary: A Wattpad request by madxxstyles - “Also maybe rich Harry and y/n who meet somewhere (coffee shop, restaurant, shops, etc.) and hookup after first date??Or something like that Imao”

Warnings: SMUT18+, strong language, first date sex, quick and dirty, unprotected sex, fingering, mentions of alcohol, fluffy beginning, filth ending

Master

HARRY’S HOUSE HARRY

“Hi, can I get a large iced vanilla latte please?” You stood at the counter, patiently waiting for the barista to give you your total.

“Four sixty five.”

You nod and dig into your purse, only to find that you don’t have you wallet, “Shoot. I’m sorry, I must have lef-“

“I got it.”

You look up to see a tall, man in sunglasses with a freshly showered look, “You don’t have to.”

“It’s okay.” He smiles at you and hands the barista his card. You blush, slightly embarrassed, “Thank you. I’m so, so sorry.” You look back at the line and let out a slight sigh.

He turn to you after ordering and pushes his sunglasses up on to the top of his head, revealing his captivating green eyes, “How about you make it up to me with a date?”

You’re kind of caught off guard at first, no man has ever been this forward with you.

You feel a connection with this man, so you smile and nod, “I’d like that.” You hold out your hand, “Y/n.”

He places his hand in yours gently, “Harry.”

“Large iced vanilla latte.” The barista slides the drink on the counter. You smile and grab it, “Thank you again.”

“Where are you off to? Maybe I can walk with you?” He smiles and steps aside so the other person can order.

“I’m just heading to the office, do some paperwork for my boss.” You nod quickly, “But yeah, it’s two blocks that way if you want to walk with me.”

He smiles, obviously captivated by your stupidity, “Sorry. I seen to be having a terrible day.”

He chuckles and shakes his head, “We all have those.”

He grabs his coffee and leads you out of the shop, “So. Y/n. Do you live around here?”

You sip your coffee and nod, “Yeah, born and raised.”

“Really, that’s nice.” He takes a drink of his coffee and you look over at him, “So I’m obviously going to ask, you’re not from America are you?”

He shakes his head, “You got me.” He laughs, “Yeah, no. Im from England. Born in Redditch, raised in Holmes Chapel.”

“Neat.” You raise your eyebrows and nod, “I’ve always wanted to visit there. England, I mean.” You close your eyes and shake you head.

He probably thinks I’m some crazy person who’s escaped from the looney bin, you think as you try to ga your nerves.

“Maybe you can one day.” He glances over at you and smiles slightly, “If you ever need a tour guide I’m sure we can work something out.”

You smile and nod, “Sounds like a date.”

He stops and points to you, “Speaking of.”

“Oh yeah, I owe you one for this coffee.” You hold up the half nervously drunken cup of coffee and smile.

“When are you free next?” Harry tilts his head, “Right now my schedule is pretty flexible so I can work around yours if need be.”

You look up and tap you cup as you think, “Is tomorrow too soon?”

He shakes his head and smiles, “Tomorrow is perfect. I can meet you somewhere, pick you up, doesn’t matter to me.”

“I can meet you at Hilton’s Brewery? They have a bunch of delicious food and drinks if you’re into that kinda thing.”

He nods, “Sounds good. Does six work?”

“Six works.”

——

You take a deep breathe, smoothing out your dress as you walk up to the doors. You stop when you notice Harry sitting on the bench outside, “Oh, gosh. Am I late!” You look at your phone and he stands up, “No, no. I’m just early. Or I was.”

He laughs and runs a hand through his hair, “You’re perfect. Right on time.”

You smile and blush at his words, “Alright, then. Shall we?” You point to the door and he nods as he opens it, “After you.”

You walk in and Harry follows. The host seats you and leaves you to look over the menu.

“What do you recommend?” Harry asks glancing up at you, “I’ve never been here before.”

“Well, harry. I can assure you that the fries here are to die for.” You smile and tilt your head, “Also, the raspberry mash cocktail is..” you kiss your fingers, “Chefs kiss.”

“What ever you say. I’m trusting you.” He smiles and goes back to looking over the menu.

“My mate Niall, from back home, just did something with Guinness along with his mate Lewis in Ireland I think.” Harry nods, “Documentary or something like that.”

“Really? That’s awesome. I’ve also wanted to go there too.”

“I’m sure Niall can hook us up with a tour, that’s where he’s from.” He smiles and you smile back at him.

A little while later the waiter comes up and takes your guy’s orders, “I’ll be right back with those drinks for you.”

“Thank you.” You smile and look back at Harry, “So I have a question, and you don’t have to answer if it’s too personal or whatever.”

He smiles slightly, “Hit me.”

You look at him and laugh slightly, “The bag you were carrying yesterday.. what do you have in that thing?”

He smiles fully and shakes his head, “Oh gosh, we’ll I just came from the gym at the time, so gym stuff, I guess a book might be in there, too. I don’t know.” He laughs nervously and shakes his head.

“If it makes you feel any better, I carry everything in my purse.”

“Everything but your wallet.” He snickers and glances up at you.

Your mouth drops and you point at him, “Okay, Harry. You got me there, Mr.”

“That’s okay. If you didn’t forget your wallet, you probably would have left before I even had the chance to say hello.” He sips his water and shrugs, “So I’m glad you forgot your wallet if you ask me.”

You smile and nod, “Yeah, me too.”

——

As dinner is coming to an end, and the drinks you and Harry got to try settle in, it’s time to leave and you make your way outside.

You stand there for a good minute, taking in the fresh hair instead of the hot air that filled the place.

“That was nice.” Harry says turning towards you, “I had a great time tonight.”

You smile and nod, “Yeah, Harry. Me too.”

“Do you want me to walk you home?”

You bite your lip, still smiling, “Please.”

You lead him in the direction of your apartment and look around at the night life filled streets, “It can be so nice here sometimes.”

“I caught onto that. I like walking around. Good for clearing the head.” Harry looks over at you, taking in the beauty of you enjoying the walk.

You look over at him, “What?”

He shakes his head and smiles, “Nothing.”

You smile and look down. Your hand brushes against Harry’s as you walk next to him and he doesn’t hesitate to interlock his fingers with yours.

You squeeze his hand, not wanting to let go. You rest your other hand on his arm and head on his shoulder as you walk with him.

You two enjoy the company of each other as you stroll on home.

“This is me.” You smile and step in front of Harry as you point to the apartment building. You look up at him, “Would you.. want to come inside for a little?”

“Only if you’re certain of that.”

“One hundred percent.” You smile and watch as he smiles, “Alright then, lead the way, love.”

You smile and pull him with you up the steps to the front doors. You make your way up to your place and unlock the door.

You push it open and Harry holds it as you walk in, “Thank you.” You smile and hand your keys and purse on the hook next to it.

“It’s not much but, at least it looks clean.” You laugh and take your heel off, walking them to sit them around the corner of your bedroom door.

“This is very nice, y/n.” Harry smiles and takes his jacket off, laying it over the chair.

“Would you like a drink? Something?” You ask as you open the fridge. He nods, “A water is fine.”

You grab a water and walk over to him. His hand brushes against yours and you look up at him. Both of you having the same idea.

The water falls to the floor and he pulls you into him with a slight force. Your body slams against his as his hands go to your neck and your lips move in the absolute most perfect sync.

You moan against his lips, sliding your hands up his chest, gripping the collar of his shirt.

“You’re so beautiful.” He breathes out.

You smile and step back, slipping your dress over your head and tossing it to the floor. You walk him back to the couch and he sits down. You straddle his lap, your lips moving back onto his.

His hands slide up and down your bare body, his fingers drag down your back, “Fuck.” He moans as you grind down on his growing bulge.

He undoes his shirt and slips his arms out, his hands going right back to your waist. You reach down, kissing down his neck as you fumble to get his pants undone.

He helps you and pushes them down. You free his cock and he reaches down, sliding your panties over and rubbing your folds with his fingers.

You grip his shoulders and moan out, “Fuck that feels good.”

He bites his lip, watching your face change as he plunges two fingers into you, curling them.

His lip part as you moan out his name, grinding your hips down onto his hand, “Fuck, fuck.”

“Gonna cum for me?” His fingers dig into your skin, “Fuck.” His head tilts back into your hand as it slides onto the back of his head. Your fingers tangle into his hair and pull, earning a moan from him.

You clench around his fingers, whining as his thumb runs against your clit, “Shit, Harry.”

You push your hips down onto his fingers, squeezing your thighs together as you cum.

He guides you through your high and pulls his hand out, flipping you over so your back is against the couch, “That was so fucking hot.” He groans as his lips smash against your.

His hand slides down and pushes your leg open, gripping his cock so he can align it up with your pussy. He pushes the tip in, gasping slightly as he moves his hand up to your cheek and thrusts in.

You let out a moan and wrap you leg around his waist, “You feel so good.” You lips part as you moan and Harry lays his thumb on your bottom lip.

He watches as you suck his thumb, smiling as you tilt your head back.

He smirks, “You’re too good to be true.”

You pull him in for a kiss, wrapping an arm around his neck. His hand slide does your body, gripping your thigh as he thrusts deeper into you.

You moan against his lips and pull him closer with your leg, “I’m so close again.”

“Yeah, yeah, me too, baby.” He nods and pushes his tongue against yours. You clench around him, arching your back and pressing your chest against his, “Fuck.” You gasp and dig your nails into his shoulder, dragging them down his back as you cum around his cock.

“Shit.” He groans and buries his face into your neck, nipping and sucking at the skin until his thrusts suddenly get sloppy and he pulls out, stroking himself as he cums on your lower belly.

You lay there panting, watching his face scrunch up and relax before he opens his eyes and smiles at you.

You smile up at him and brush hair from his face.

He grabs his shirt and wipes you off, “I think I got it all.” You bat the air, “we can get a shower then.”

“We?” He asks with a smirk.

“Yes.. we.” You sit up and lean over to grab a blanket, “You don’t think you’re getting away that easy do you?” You laugh slightly and look over at him.

A smile rests happily on his lips, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

You lean over and kiss him and he moves down to lay with you on the couch. And to think, It all started with a large iced vanilla latte and now the rest is history.

——

Thank you for the request! I hope you like it!

If you have any others, you can -> send them here

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d-raewrites · 1 year ago

Text

Kinktober Volume 9: Not Fair

Word Count 2,565 Comment for tags

Rated M 🔞

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minors stay out of this portion of the library.

Synopsis: plus size female, pining, size kink, bookstore setting, ladder is involved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say he was obsessed would be an understatement. She was perfect. A little taller than his short frame and her body. God her body! Those curves, full chest and even fuller ass drove him crazy. He couldn’t stop staring, daydreaming of the way his hips snapping into hers would make every section of her jiggle and move in the most appetizing way. For the past year, he’s done nothing but silently pine over her. It was so hard not to stare. He knew he shouldn’t, definitely shouldn’t. No, he shouldn’t get too close. He shouldn’t linger by her too long. He shouldn’t try to brush her hands when they worked the front desk, and he definitely shouldn’t push himself a little harder against her when he passed behind her in the tight space of the register.

But in his defense, it was so hard not to. Not when she always smelled so good, like honey and flowers. And when she always looked so delicious in those cute tight shirts that showed off every curve and pushed up those plush tits perfectly. The evenings they worked together alone were the worst. Stupid ass weekdays when the store was rarely busy, and they had too much time to sit and talk. Her laugh would echo through the shop, making his knees weak, just like tonight.

Sitting on the stool behind the counter of the old bookstore, he couldn’t help but stare as her entire chest shook as she laughed. Her soft, cushiony belly moving with each punctuated breath she let out. “You didn’t tell him that?” She giggled again at his story.

“I promise I did! He was buying the entire Sherlock Holmes set and freaking looked like Sherlock Holmes. How could I not?” He could hear the hitch in his voice and wanted to cower in embarrassment, but took a deep breath, trying to play it cool.

The large clock on the wall chimed loudly, alerting the two of them that it was time to lock up.

“11 already?” She asked, sliding off the chair before pulling her hair back and up into a ponytail. He had such a love/hate relationship with that damn ponytail. On the love side, he could clearly see that tanned neck, covered with freckles, just like the ones that covered his own face. He couldn’t help but think if they’d match up as he littered her neck with marks. Making sure everyone knew this beautiful goddess was his to enjoy. On the hate side, it gave him the worst daydreams of grabbing that ponytail and pulling her back while he flipped up her flowy printed skirt and fucked her from behind. Getting to watch his dick disappear in between those meaty ass cheeks.

“Hello? Dude!” He was snapped back to reality as she waved her hand in front of his face. “Welcome back sunshine.” God, her smile was the fucking sunshine, not him. “If you want to duck out, I can re-shelve and clock you out too when I’m done.”

Looking over at the lack of mess around them, he shook his head gently. “Nah, it’s okay there’s a lot to shelve, and we need to put out the new releases and change the displays too. I’ll hang here.” It all sounded like good reasoning, they did in fact need to finish those tasks, but it had less to do with the task and more to do with the company.

“If you’re sure.” She shrugged before picking up the phone connected to the overhead speakers. “Do you mind?”

Shaking his head, he gathered the new display books in his arms and began walking to the front displays. A low, sultry beat echoed through the store as she picked up random items to reshelve. Trying to keep his eyes on the task in front of him, he couldn’t help but notice the way she was swaying her hips to the beat. He tried to keep the view in his peripheral vision but unfortunately lost the fight, causing his eyes to widen when she caught him staring. “Um. The ones that go in the back, just put on the sofa and we’ll do those together.” He stated, attempting to make a quick recovery.

“Thanks,” she replied shyly. He was the only one who caught on to the fact that she hated being alone in the back of the store. Something about it just gave her creeps.

Looking at the completed displays, they high-fived before making their way back to the couches, his eyes repeatedly glancing at her ass as she continued to sway to the music. Gathering up all the stray books that belonged in the back portion of the store, he made sure to stick next to her, in a small attempt at comfort.

“How are your classes going?” She asked as they walked up and down the first aisle.

“Descent, I guess. I’ve always heard senior year is the worst because of the workload, and it’s true. My portfolio for Creative Writing is kicking my ass. It’s so damn stressful.”

“There are many ways to relieve stress, sunshine.” He could feel his face flush at her words but knew that innuendo was not what she was talking about. “You on top or me?” For fuck’s sake, the blood in his body began to reposition, giving his lower region much more than necessary at this moment. Looking up at her slowly, he heard the sliding ladder scraping against the metal bar before he saw it. Definitely not what she meant. “I’ll spot,” he said, handing her the last set of books in his hands. “Hold me tight,” she said playfully as she climbed the steps to reach the top shelf.

He intended to say something flirty back, but the second his eyes lifted, they were met with a clear shot up her skirt. Baby blue lace panties covered a tantalizing portion of her plump ass cheeks, but not enough to conceal it all. God, he wanted to sink his teeth into those cheeks, suck mark after mark over her creamy flesh before ramming himself between them.

“You know you’re not very sly,” she said, turning her head to look down at him, still perched on the ladder. His cheeks heated at her words. She couldn’t possibly mean what he thinks, can she?

“Do you like me, sunshine, or just need to get your stress relief?”

“Wh-what?” He asked, trying but failing miserably to keep his composure.

“Do you like me or do you just want to fuck something?” She stated plainly. “Because at first I thought you were looking at me because of my size, which people do. They usually have some comment or another about my outfits being ‘too little’ or ‘too tight’ for ‘someone like me’.”

Immediately, he began to shake his head in disbelief. Who the fuck would tell her that!? Anger starts to work its way through him before she stops him. “But then more than a dozen times I’ve caught you licking your lips or sporting something a little thicker in your pants area while staring at me. So I’ll ask again. Do you have a thing for me, sunshine, or do you just want to get your dick wet? Because I’m not really a one time fling kinda girl. And I’m sure as hell not gonna be the fat chick you fucked just because you feel like you can. I’ve got more respect than that.”

In a second, he was moving up the steps right under her. “Don’t you dare fucking say that about yourself. You’re a damn goddess, and any asshole that says differently can go fuck the hell off.”

“Down boy,” she stifled a laugh as she pat his head. “Don’t go all fantasy novel on me. Now are you gonna answer the question?”

“I like you,” he states, much stronger and faster than he anticipated.

“Alright, whatcha gonna do about it?” Getting as close to her as possible on the slim ladder, he pulls her lips down to his, taking her into a searing kiss. Their lips begin to move against each other before his tongue slips onto hers, tasting her thoroughly before pulling away. His heart is hammering against his chest as he takes a few steps down and off the ladder, expecting her to follow. Her own body feeling hot with need and a bit of disappointment. “Hum” she huffs, “that was a hell of a kiss but with the way you eye fuck me, I thought you’d do more. Ya know, go for a feel, try to finger me, anything.” A growl comes from his chest at her words.

“You giving me permission, sweetheart?” He retaliates, “And no nodding, use your words like a big girl.”

“I am a big girl,” she says, motioning down her body.

“So much more to taste, my pretty,” he says, effectively cutting her off. “But I didn't hear a yes or no.”

“Yes, you have my permission.” She says, gripping onto the ladder ready to make her decent. She halts her movements as he clicks his tongue at her, shaking his head. “Stay in your tower, princess, you’re not allowed to come yet.”

Gripping her hips and turning her around, breasts now flush against the ladder, he runs his hands over the soft swell of her ass before reaching up and unclipping her bra. He flips her skirt up now having a better view of that ass he so long dreamed about. Pressing his lips to her skin, he begins kissing, nibbling and sucking on the soft flesh there. A moan escapes from her as he bites down particularly hard. “Turn,” he demands, taking a step back allowing her to move, “and hold on.” Before she can register what he means, his head is under her skirt, moving her leg up and over his shoulder before he begins nipping at the fabric covering her most sensitive part. “You’re already soaked, baby,” he says, nuzzling the wet patch with his nose. “Shall I leave it be for dessert or have it as my meal?” He asks aloud, expecting no answer. Pulling the strip of fabric to the side, he spreads her open with his fingers before lightly running the tip of his tongue up her slit.

“Shit,” she hisses, feeling her knees jolt at the pleasure, “You don’t waste time, do you?”

“You have no idea how much time I’ve wasted watching you. On campus, here in the store. You drive me crazy, baby. I’ve wasted enough time, now, just let me make you feel good.” Immediately his lips are back on her pussy, kissing at her lower lips, sucking on her clit and lapping at her opening as he moans at the intoxicating taste of her all over his tongue and chin.

“I’m close.” She mutters, feeling her legs begin to shake, trying to keep her upright despite the enormous pleasure filled assault happening to her lower half. His lips release as he moves back, taking her hands and bringing her down the ladder. Once her shaky feet hit the floor, he pulls her into another mind-blowing kiss. She can’t help the moan that escapes her as she tastes herself on his lips, pushing her body forward for some much-needed friction.

“Can I fuck you, gorgeous?” He asks softly, holding onto the back of her neck.

“Please. Please fuck me.” She mumbles, her head moving quickly in a nod. He pulls her close again before gripping her hips and turning her around. “Ass up, baby, and hold on.” She assumes her position, bending down at her waist and clutching onto the ladder for support.

“I’ve been dreaming of fucking you like this for a year now. Been dreaming of having my cock disappear between this delicious ass. Of holding onto your gorgeous belly and tits while I fuck into you.” Flipping up her skirt just like in his daydreams, he drops to his knees, biting her plump ass and sucking a few marks into the flesh. “You have no idea how many times I’ve moaned your name and cum in my hand at this thought. I can’t believe I’m here now. I won’t go slow, so hold tight and say “red” if it gets to be too much. Okay?”

“Yes,” she verbally agrees, causing him to spank her ass as he stands behind her again, pulling his dick out of his jeans.

“That’s my good girl.” Running his hand up her back, he pulls at the bra still loosely attached to her before grabbing her supple breast in his hand. He groans at the feeling as he pumps himself. Pulling her panties to the side again, he lines himself up and pushes inside her warm walls in one movement. “Fuck!” They both groan. “You feel amazing sunshine, even bigger than I imagined, and I felt I was being an over thinker here.”

“Yeah?” He replies with a giggle. “You’re heaven, just like I knew you would be. Glad to hear you fantasized about me too, though. Did you give yourself any orgasms with those thoughts?” He snaps his hips toward hers before removing himself almost completely, leaving his tip resting inside her opening.

“Yes,” She whispers at the filling sensation. Grabbing her hand and putting it over his, “Teach me,” he requests calmly before moving his hips and slamming into her again. The whimper that leaves her lips only adds fuel to his fire. “Please teach me,” he mutters. Softly, she takes his hand and guides it to her folds, moving his fingers in soft motions through her outer lips before guiding his finger to her clit. “Teach me how to make this voluptuous body shake. How to make that delicious cream spill all over my dick and tongue.

Teach me how to make those mind-numbing noises tumble from your lips.” His pace becomes unrelenting as he pleads with her, moving his fingers with her guidance. Their sounds turn pornographic as their highs approach. “Ass. Ass.” She repeats, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten.

He chuckles, finding both her dick drunk expression and chant enticing. “Are you calling me an ass or asking for something, goddess?”

A soft giggle escapes her, “smack my ass,” she clarifies while taking his fingers and pinching her clit. At her request, he draws his hand back before bringing it back down to her ass. “Oh fuck!” Her moan echoes through the small space as her orgasm barrels through her. From inside, he felt her walls contract and flutter around him. Staring at the red mark left for his hand and the satisfied giggles falling from her lips, his hips start to falter. Slamming into her harshly one more time, his orgasm takes over, her walls still softly milking him as she comes down from her high.

Leaning her against the sliding ladder, he gently pulls out of her. Turning to face him, he’s met with a satisfied smile.

“I feel like this was cheating. I didn’t get to see you, or taste you. Nothing.” She states pretending to pout.

“Nothing, huh?” He says, reaching between her thick thighs and swiping their combination out of her. “I wouldn’t call this anything. But if you’d like, we can go back to my place, and I’ll show you all you want.” He says with a wink and smirk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kinktober Complete Collection

🧋Kofi

#pickyourperson #pickyourfighter #kinktober2023 #kinktober #marvel x reader #pickyourfightersmut #pickyourpersonsmut #skz x reader #ateez x reader #txt x reader #anyone you want x reader #stranger things x reader #anime x reader #bts x reader

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lustrumlane · 1 month ago

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poly want a murder trial? | kit | 3.7 | re: packet, emerson, elena | attn: emerson

Okay, seriously? Who is planning murder this fecking complicated? It cannot be this hard to get away with murder. In fact, honestly— all these stupid details almost narrow down who could have done it, rather than obscure it. Now they need a culprit who had a motive to bring Poly into this, could program Victor from the outside, and could then figure out a way to hide Poly again— well. Evan has his thoughts, but he’s not brave enough to accuse who he thinks it is at this current moment.

“Um… question, on uh. What Emerson said first. To clarify?” Thinking about it. “If Poly was in Victor’s body, could it have fixed the…” Murder Weapon. “Gun… hand. Er. On its own? Just, um. In terms of limitation. Would that be something you could do with one hand? I’m not sure how much work it took to make it feasible, but… also, uh. How did Poly know how to do that…?” That last one is maybe not as relevant. But he’s worried about it regardless.

Evan didn’t like when the Emissaries pointed at him at all. Please don’t call attention to him. Please, please. Still, it’s good information to know. The Curator’s answer, too. “Also, um. We’ve been operating under the assumption that Poly was involved to keep it here, but… uh. He wouldn’t have known that without someone telling it, right? What Ms. Elena said earlier about ‘what would make Poly do this’. Well, uh. Anisha and Packet and I did watch Poly blow up Sedrick— so… I don’t think it’s exactly out of character for it to, uh. Use excessive force…? But who told it about the potential for it to stay around? And when…?”

The actor hums. “Um. Not to be this guy, Packet, but… if Victor’s actions in the arcade are following a script, alibis specifically during the gun going off don’t fully clear … anyone’s name. If it was added externally, and not by Poly, that means we’re looking for someone unaccounted for at the time it would have been added, right?”

He adjusts his hat. “We know Falk found the cord, so at some point, the cord was at Falk height.” Evan smiles at the dog, although it’s a bit forced. “This is a crazy idea but— what if it worked like a trip wire…? If the drug did affect Uroro, maybe it was used to make him trip, somehow…? Even into the wack-a-mole machine, even?” He’s thinking. This is hard to do if you are Evan Holmes. “The script given to Victor doesn’t say anything about a cord, right?” He looks to Emerson for confirmation. “So whatever it was used for, it must have been set up before Victor got there…”

#kit #ic #trial 3 #submission

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ryoryeonggu · 2 years ago

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THE UMBRELLAS VS THE ORIGINALS

Seven siblings

Worst parent(s) in the world turning children into monsters

Abused, manipulated and traumatized childhood

Dysfunctional dynamic

A bunch of idiots with a worst/chaotic team up ever

Luther Hargreeves / Elijah Mikaelson

Leader of the family

The strongest one

Protective

Honorable aka "thAT'S mURDER" vs"neeeeeklaussss"

Polite and respectful to the elders

Tries to keep his siblings behave then finally gives up in the end

Only wants to protect his family and decides what's best for them but ends up making all bad decisions

Suits (Black suit / Monkey suit)

Diego Hargreeves / Finn Mikaelson

Hero complex

Mommy boy

Easily manipulated

Wants to save people but his strategies always involve violence and murders

Has no clue of wtf is going on

Made fun of him and called him a fool multiple time by his siblings

DILF

“Batman aim lower” vs “Sherlock Holmes after one too many tequilas”

In love with a crazy bad bitch who would fight anyone but them (Sage/Lila)

Allison Hargreeves / Freya Mikaelson

Big sister who takes no shit from anyone

A powerful bad bitch with "i don't give a sh*t" energy

Lost her child

Cares a lot about her siblings but also so done with their stupidity and endless bickerings

Done with everyone in general

Rolls eyes 90% her screen time and shut people's mouth with her power

Would do anything to get what she wants

Has soft spot for his little sister / smol little brother

Klaus Hargreeves / Kol Mikaelson

No one takes him seriously but ends up having all the answers, everyone pls listen to him

"nowhere to be found" but always shows up when needed

Wildest and wisest

Unique power amongst family (seeing ghosts / witch)

Alcoholic and high all the time

Tells the kidnapper "my family don't give a shit about me" while being tortured

A punching bag

Highest death and coming back from the death counts

Deep quotes / nonsense shit / inappropriate jokes

Sexually active

Lives for dramas and chaos

"Disgusting but consistent" aka a sexy trash

Fun uncle

Looks sociable but actually anti-people ("don't touch me" and you can't say Kol didn't accidentally start a cult too then ran away from his worshippers)

Five Hargreeves / Klaus Mikaelson

Psychotic murder

An aggressive sarcastic dramatic bitch

Master of planning

Disappointed at his incompetent siblings all the time

"is it too late to be unadopted" vs "this family makes me want to murder people" - but actually just wants to be with his family and wants them to stay together

"I'm better than all of you" aka "I'm the hybrid" "I'm the DADDY here"

"LISTEN TO ME YOU IDIOTS/USELESS PUKE BAG" and "if you don't do it I will kill you" aka yelling, insulting and threatening are his love languages

Throwing, kicking and screaming aka the stress relievers (note: the stress level is always high)

Teleports out of nowhere and hovers over people like creeps

Everyone want to kill him (including his own family and his brothers's lovers)

Grumpy boomer and anti-people

Anger issues, paranoia and potentially some personality disorders

A romantic when he's in love

Has soft spot for his little sister / smol little brother

Ben Hargreeves / Henrik Mikaelson

DEAD

Sweetest angel who never did anything wrong in his life

Adored by everyone in the family

The family fell apart after he died

Viktor Hargreeves / Rebekah Mikaelson

The baby of the family

Soft, sensitive and emotional

Looks like a cinnamon roll but actually can kill you

Adored by everyone in the family but also was abused, manipulated and lied to all his/her life

Abandonment issues

Stubborn and naive, but grew to be the mature one

Almost got his/her family killed twice but has precious bonds with all siblings

Desperate for love and finding identity

Kissed boy(s) and girl(s) (terrible taste in men)

Note: Finn and Kol could pretty much switch places to each other since they has a lot of similarities - anger issues, trauma from being locked/abandoned in coffins/ graves, being overlooked, underestimated and treated like a fool, dying and coming back to life repeatedly... Kol is also head over heels for a special power girl who had a vendetta against his brother and tried to kill their family. And he also did have a bit of hero complex, given the fact that he died twice for trying to save someone/the world. But I prefer that way because Kol is the one who matches the chaotic energy of Klaus xD

#the umbrella academy #the originals #luther hargreeves #elijah mikaelson #diego hargreeves #finn mikaelson #allison hargreeves #freya mikaelson #klaus hargreeves #kol mikaelson #five hargreeves #klaus mikaelson #ben hargreeves #henrik mikaelson #viktor hargreeves #rebekah mikaelson #tua #to

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tenthcrowley · 2 years ago

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⠀⠀⠀⠀The Turntable

fandom: bbc sherlock

words: 1.2k

summary: Moriarty and Sherlock chat at the living room of Baker Street or Sherlock and (Y/N) dance with two fainted men on their floor.

When Sherlock stopped meditating as he noticed a presence around him. He immediately knew who it was. He stood up and just keep his straight face. Morality and Sherlock started to talk, him mocking the detective and Holmes telling him how he was very aware of his presence in the house when he was out. Then Moriarty walked to a shelf in the house, passing his finger slowly over the dusty wood making his finger also dusty.

"By the way, you have an amazing bed" He mentions, trying to hide that typical mocking face of his.

Sherlock doesn't seem upset about that, I mean, he didn't care anyways. As long as he knew what was happening and what Moriarty was doing. But, if he has to be honest, this was the first time that he was nervous about something in the man in front of him. He didn't like that feeling, that something was just off. Jim's smile betrayed himself.

"And a amazing boyfriend"

Sherlock felt everything around him began to move, as if he was dizzy. Suddenly, nothing made any sense, his senses had been dead and the only thing he could concentrate on was the strong beats of his heart and his brain, projecting moments he had with (Y/N), happy, sad, embarrassing, of anguish. So when Sherlock hated feeling that something was out of place it didn't compare with what he was feeling right now. Fear, guilt, sadness, anger. All together, so many emotions colliding with each other and so many thoughts overlapping another and so on.

And right now, at that moment, he regret having feelings.

"Oh, poor detective, he's in love!" The black-hair man mocked and laughed, he made He waved his hand in the direction of the door, and with that, Sherlock whipped his head around so fast and so hard that it almost fell off.

His heart was struggling so, so much. He wanted to cry, scream yet he is Sherlock Holmes, a emotionless arrogant self-care detective.

"Sherlock" He was half dressed, only a boxer and a white shirt on with the first two unbuttoned buttons, which he recognized it was his. Holmes wanted to smile at that, but it wasn't a right moment, well, his boyfriend had a gun pointing at his head.

"(Y/N)" He whispered, wanted to run at him and hug him, like if that helped to keep him out of all this. But there was no way to do it, not if he was Sherlock Holmes' boyfriend.

Moriarty saw his intentions and put a hand in his chest, Sherlock didn't need more to know he couldn't get close. But the black haired man did get close, not loosing his big white smile.

"Now, don't think I'm doing this because I want something, Holmes, it's just for fun" The man breaks the silence, looking straight at the curly one.

Sherlock just couldn't stop watching his lover's face, (Y/N) was trying not to let go even one tear but he was scared as fuck and the cold of the gun in his nape didn't help at all. (Y/N) couldn't concentrate in anything that was happening around him, he was to focused on the gun and his own heartbeats, he wasn't even looking at Sherlock anymore.

"(Y/N), do you think if I kill you your boyfriend will go in his knees?" But he didn't answer. "I asked something!"

The young man looked at Moriarty with teary eyes, threatening to shed tears. "No" But it's obvious that he was lying, he knew Sherlock's feelings were true, if he does such things for John Watson, why wouldn't he do even more crazy stuff for him?

"Well, the thing is, I don't share your thoughts" Jim said with a big fucking and psychopath smile on his face. The sound of the gun being loaded made Holmes' soul leave his body.

"Sherlock, please don't he fucking stupid right now, don't listen to him, just don't" He starts talking to his boyfriend, trying to make him realize that this isn't worth it.

"You wouldn't kill someone just because you can" The detective challenged. Oh, what a mistake.

"Wanna try?" Moriarty said and tha man holding the gun pushed (Y/N) down to his knees, making him finally cry in silence and with the head down.

Sherlock tried to step closer, but his rival made clear he couldn't. In this situation, he'd always have something to think of, an escape plan, something to save him and (Y/N), but there's nothing he could do, if he steps closer (Y/N) dies, if he doesn't do what Moriarty says (Y/N) dies. The thing is, what the heel did Moriarty wants? Just play with him like he said, for fun? or because he actually wants something?

"Get the boyfriends on their knees, Sher, please" The black hair man says, walking to the detective and looking him straight dead in the eyes.

But he didn't want to listen to him.

"Sherlock, please, don't" He hears his boyfriend muttering under his breath.

"ON. YOUR. KNEES." Moriarty scream makes him obey.

The man laughed. And Sherlock knew this was the end of the game. He lost against Moriarty and all because he has feelings, all because he has one weakness and it was being used against him. Game over. His head raised and his eyes met with (Y/N)'s. A little wink he perceived before his lover faked his crying again. And he tried to not smile at that again.

"Can I ask one last thing?" (Y/N) called Moriarty's attention. He had a positive answer. "Can... can you put Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley? It is already put on the turntable"

Moriarty didn't see why not. He walked to the turntable with his right hand still pointing at Sherlock's head and started to play the requested song. When he walked back to Sherlock, the lyrics started to go. The lovers look up at each other's eyes and a little smirk on both faces while moving their mouths like they were singing the song.

Wise men say

"Only fools rush in"

But I can't help falling in love with you

And suddenly, (Y/N) punches the man behind him in the nuts with his elbow at the same time Sherlock knocks Moriarty down and both lovers kick their rival's guns away from them, starting a tough but short fight while Elvis Preasley beautiful voice sounds.

Shall I stay?

Would it be a sin

If I can't help falling in love with you?

And they switched rivals. Now (Y/N) facing Moriarty and Sherlock the man that pointed a gun at his lover's nape. The young man kicks with all his strength in the nuts, then he climbs Moriarty and start punching him on the face.

Like a river flows

Surely to the sea

"This is for puting a fucking gun on my nape, you cock!" He smiles when he sees that the black haired man seemed to pass out and stands up again to turn and look to his detective. Sherlock was already standing with a smile waiting for him to dance the piece.

Darling, so it goes

Some things are meant to be

With no hesitation, (Y/N) accepts his boyfriend's proposal, grabbing his hand and putting the other on on his shoulder while Sherlock's hand rested on his waist and they began to move to the song.

Take my hand

Take my whole life, too

For I can't help falling in love with you

"What are we gonna do with this men in our flat?"

Sherlock chuckled. "No idea"

Like a river flows

Surely to the sea

Darling, so it goes

Some things are meant to be

hi! soup here :> I'm so so sorry if this is quite shitty, I actually didn't like it either but I needed to post something on bbc sherlock I just had to.

#bbc sherlock #sherlock holmes imagine #sherlock holmes #sherlock holmes x male reader #sherlock holmes x reader #x reader #x male reader #john watson #benedict cumberbatch

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holychocopie · 3 years ago

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The Social Experiment

Speed-Dating collab with @bakuroo-writings

Kuroo Tetsuro x F!Reader

Summary: For science, Kuroo decides to try speed-dating. Of course, he meets the girl, but things get complicated because he's such a dork, right!

Author’s notes #1: I'm so happy I could take part to this amazing event! I wish I could update earlier but Valentine's week was real busy with my partner's, my mom's and my birthdays... I hope you'll like it people. Sorry, I know it's long but I wrote it with love xx Also, I tried something new for me: I made some fake texting to illustrate a text conversation... Tell me what you think!

Super tip! A friend recommended me an extension for Google Chrome called InteractiveFics, which enable you to replace 'Y/N' by the name of your choice. I use it all the time 🤍

Warnings: F!Reader, SFW, a bit of swearing, mentions of D-pics, but lots of romance and fluff, and a bit of angsty tears too! Characters are aged up (all are Uni students).

Word count: 10966 😅

Thoughts and flashback are in italics.

-----

Kuroo Tetsuro loved University. He loved all the subjects he had picked for his first year. He had successfully completed all the tasks the different teachers had given him so far: essays, presentations, quiz, occasional research and readings. However, this time, he was doubting his ability to achieve. He was simply not inspired. On the paper, the topic was great. ‘How does modern consumerism impact social norms?’ In reality, it was just too broad for him to actually picture… There were just so many approaches he could go for, so many examples. It was deep, so many aspects to cover. However, he could only pick one phenomenon to observe and analyse but there was simply too much choice, too many options.

The dark-haired man was looking blankly at his computer, his elbows on the table as his head was resting in his hands. He sighed, annoyed, bored, lost, for what seemed like the 100th time this afternoon, and for his friend Bokuto Kotaro, it was one too many times.

“Bro, what’s wrong? You look like… well, like me, when I try to work on a physics equation.”

“Just that stupid assignment for my Social Study course.”

“Can I help?”

Kuroo chuckled. He was usually the one offering his help to the crazy owl, tutoring him in science. So far, he had never been on the receiving hand, and he honestly thought that he’d go all the way through his college years without ever seeing the day when Bokuto would actually be in a position to give him a hand with something academic.

“I don’t think you can. But don’t worry, I have a couple of months to work it out. I’ll probably be more inspired after the winter holiday break. I just thought that if I could pick a topic today, I could at least start the preliminary research.”

“What is it about?”

“How our social constructs and habits have been modified by capitalism and marketing. I need to find a specific example to illustrate the evolution of society, observe and analyse it.”

Bokuto brought a hand to his chin, nodding appreciatively, seemingly deep in thought. Like always, his exaggerated Sherlock Holmes-like expression made him look like some bad actor in a 1970’s crime TV series. After a good 5 seconds, the ace shrugged.

“Yeah, sorry, no clue. But what about you give it a break and go out with me tonight! That’ll take your mind off it for sure, then when you come back to it later tonight or tomorrow, you’ll have fresher perspective!”

Well, for once Bokuto’s advice wasn’t half bad. Actually, it was even pretty good!

“Okay, yeah, let’s do that. What do you suggest? The arcade?”

“Nah, actually I was planning to try something new!”

Kuroo raised a doubtful eyebrow. Bokuto trying something new often ended in drama, like that time when he had that ‘free entry and free first drink’ voucher for a new club, and they found out once there that it was a gay club. It was such an awkward moment… They did have a lot of fun – the people were super friendly, the music with great, the cocktails tasty – but Bokuto just didn’t know how to politely reject the few guys who had tried to flirt with him. And when he found himself overwhelmed by a never-ending flow of invitations to dance, free drinks and phone numbers on napkins, he came up with the excuse that Kuroo was his boyfriend. They even had to kiss!

Rubbing his right temple, ready to face whatever crazy new thing his friend wanted to test tonight, Kuroo asked:

“Mmmmh, okay… So, what’s the plan?”

“I wanted to try speed-dating!”

“Huh?!”

Well, that was unexpected…

“Wait, didn’t you find a girlfriend on Tinder or something?”

“Well, I thought I did! But I got catfished!”

“Like, what, she wasn’t an 18 year old Yoko but a 45 year old Taro?” he laughed.

“Close enough! She was definitely not the age she said she was, like probably 35 or 40. And she was basically searching a boyfriend for her daughter! So, the picture on her profile was actually one of her daughter! So awkward!”

Kuroo just burst into a loud laughter, arms crossed over his belly. That only ever happened to the horned owl.

“Dude! You and your drama!” he exclaimed, tears in his eyes.

Bokuto’s disgruntled expression slowly turned into a happier one.

“She did pay for the diner though, and it was a fine dining restaurant. So it wasn’t that bad, in the end, I guess. And I really liked talking to her. I felt like we had a true connection, you know!”

“Yeah, right, can’t say no to free food!” Kuroo pointed out as his laugh died down and he straightened in his chair. “But how true can it be? It’s just an application designed to sell you the dream of the perfect partner and get you hooked on browsing and swiping profiles, hoping to find the real gem. Marketing 101!”

“I just can’t seem to casually break the ice with a girl. If it’s in a dating context, I feel like half the job is done and all I have to do is get to know her. Because we’re both already in the optic of dating so no quid pro quo...”

Kuroo could easily see what Bokuto meant. The way people interacted together these days was so different. There was a need for immediate satisfaction, immediate results. And also, not everyone had the same concept of dating: some people just wanted something casual, others were after a one-night stand, and then there were those who wanted to find a companion. Some wanted exclusivity, some were happy to share, and others wanted freedom. Then there were those who just wanted a flirt, some others wanted to take you on a date and make you feel wanted and less lonely.

If the rules were already set before the encounter and everyone adhered to them, then finding a like-minded partner would be easier. So many new needs had emerged, the market had started to get more diverse in order to match the demand. Speed-dating, aps like Tinder, Hinge or Plenty of Fish… all of those were just a modern declination of a well-established profession that had existed for centuries but needed a refresh to fit in nowadays society ! Match-makers, they were always a thing.

Wait! That’s it! That’s my example of social norms impacted by modern consumerism! the former Nekoma captain thought. The timing of Bokuto’s invitation was so perfect it felt like Kuroo had had a little light bulb light on in his brain. And everything was clear in his mind; ideas were already blooming! He knew exactly what he would write in his introduction, what references he wanted to use to make parallels and support his hypothesis. Once again, he found himself excited and inspired by this subject!

He would have to go with an open-mind and a scientific approach to make observations and stay away from any form of subjectivity. This was gonna be great!

“So, speed-dating, huh?”

“Yeah, that way at least I get to meet the girl IRL and I won’t be as disappointed! So? What do you say?”

“I’m in!”

----

The café near your place was absolutely packed tonight. It was always busy on a regular basis, and you often found that it was safer to book on weekend, even for brunch, as it was a very popular place in this side of town. The Wallflower Café was well-named for its double entendre: the wallpaper in each of the two main rooms was indeed covered in watercolour designed flowers, and the regulars hanging out there were often nerds, loners, and other introvert misfits who would likely feel inadequate at a big party. But here, it felt peaceful, comfortable; it was the safe place your shy personality had always craved for.

Plus, the atmosphere was great and gave British tea house vibes with its wooden furniture decorated with floral carvings, its large windowpanes and French doors. It also had a few Romantic paintings and old silver-made mirrors hanging on the walls. The coffee was amazing, the cabinet food was great too, and the staff was always so friendly. The perfect spot to study, read a book or share a cute fruit tart with your best friend and flatmate.

However, once a month, the place would turn into the perfect rendez-vous for desperate souls seeking a partner. The Wallflower Café organised very successful speed-dating events every first Friday of the month, and this time was a special occurrence: the theme was ‘Find your perfect Holidate!’. Christmas was only a few weeks away after all! At this time of the year naturally, bachelors and bachelorettes were often in search of a boyfriend or a girlfriend to spend Christmas with.

You never really gave the modern mating parade much thought, and simply avoided your favourite café on those crowded evenings. But tonight, you were gonna be a part of it.

Your best friend Shoko – bless her heart! – thought that you could do with a little distraction from your very demanding nursing studies. Plus, you had remained single for just about 10 months now, after your high school boyfriend broke up with you for a girl going to the same college as him. So much for ‘sticking together after graduation’… you thought as you entered the café after Shoko, remembering the very shitty feeling of being dumped via text by the guy you thought was your one true love. What a bitter disappointment it was.

Had it been Shoko, you knew she would have drowned her sorrow in ice-cream and cheap snacks for a couple of days before immediately dating again – “You gotta get back on the saddle asap!” she would say. But you were an introvert! A shy one, at that! And you were such a serious student, always going the extra mile, when were you supposed to find the time to date? You knew deep down that you were voluntarily overbooking yourself with studies and activities to forget how lonely you felt most the time. And lately, well, it was simply harder than usual to pretend everything was fine: for the past three years you had spent Christmas with your boyfriend, and the perspective of being alone this year wasn’t really bringing the jolly to your winter break.

So here you were, ready to find your holidate!

“Hi ladies, welcome to today’s Holidate event!” one of the hosts said, catching your attention as she welcomed you in the entrance, by the booking desk. “Just a quick recap of the main rules: the women sit, the men turn. Each round lasts 10 minutes, and there will be a short break every two rounds. Always be polite, as it is often a first time for a lot of people, and we wish for everyone to have a great time. For your safety, do not give your personal details directly to a participant. At the end of the evening, you will be given a list of the participants who were interested in you and would like to contact you, and only with your approval, we will give them your email address and phone number. If at any point tonight another guest makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, please ring the bell that will be at your table, and we will handle it.”

You nodded with a smile, stress already bubbling up in your chest and your stomach twisting at the idea of having to talk to potentially many strangers tonight.

“Here’s your participation form,” the host continued as she handed both Shoko and you a sheet and a pen. “Please fill it in and we will assign you a table and a name tag.”

It was only 5.45pm when you were seated at table number 6, and all fifteen or so tables in this room were all assigned. The other room, a bit bigger, was reserved for the LBGT+ community, so you estimated the number of participants to tonight’s speed-dating at roughly 70! Only then did it down on you how popular the Wallflower Café was on those special evenings.

You were anxiously sipping at your hot chocolate, waiting for the event to start at 6. You tried to take your mind off the rising stress by looking at the many Christmas decorations that adorned the furniture, walls and ceiling, and admired the majestic Christmas tree and its many cute ornaments, tinsels and lights. You smiled when you noticed the miniature reindeer plushie sitting on your table by the sugar and the napkins.

Eventually, 6pm came, and the speed-dating session started with the duty manager giving a friendly welcome speech, inspired by the seasonal holiday. You didn’t pay much attention to what he said, you were too busy trying to deal with the mild panic rising in you. You looked behind you, at table 7, where you knew you’d find Shoko. She immediately grinned at you and gave you the thumbs up. At least one of you was excited!

When the host finished speaking, the first round started.

“Remember your notes!” Shoko whispered, loud enough for you to hear.

It wasn’t rare for a few people to come with some notes, or at least a paper and a pen to write down stuff. After all, you had only 10 minutes! A very short amount of time to make an opinion on someone, and make good impression too. So, upon Shoko’s advice, you had prepared a few questions to start the conversation and get to know the guys. You had also made a ‘short’ list of qualities to you were looking in a man, and flaws that would be an absolute deal-breaker. Yes, quotation marks on ‘short’ because we know how high your expectations were thanks to all those anime and books and comics you were ingesting on a regular basis.

Your ideal boyfriend would have to be tall, and athletic, dark and handsome, but still cute. He had to look good in a dress-shirt and a tie, but also in a pair of jeans and a hoodie. He had to be smart, but fun too. Reliable and a good cook. Kind, thoughtful, a pet-lover who gives good massages and doesn’t forget your birthday or anniversary. Someone with a solid sense of humour, and great pop culture references (extra points for nerdiness!). Someone who would surprise you with French poetry and random scientific facts – like did you know snails have actual teeth?! Oui, madame.

However, you would never go out with someone with dubious hygiene, who thought cats were assholes, or who would rather watch sports than a rerun of Doctor Who or the OG Star Wars trilogy. You could tolerate tardiness, but would not allow being stood up without a valid reason. Entitlement was also a big no-no, you didn’t want the guy to take your relationship for granted! Someone without a dream or an ambition to drive them, someone who thought a woman belong in a kitchen, someone who would take and never give… Someone who would break up through text.

Focus! Breathe! Smile! you thought as the first guy sat down in front of you…

----

It was only round 4 but it felt like he had been at it for hours already. Kuroo had underestimated how exhausting speed-dating could be. Only 10 minutes per person. 10 minutes during which he had to give his absolute and undivided attention to a stranger, listen, answer, talk… pretend! Thankfully, he had noticed that a few people were taking notes, so he decided to do the same, although he doubted the others had the same scientific purpose as he did. There were so many things to write down, so much he was observing, from the general atmosphere to the wide variety of questions and topics that were brought up. Some were more concerned by material stuff like jobs, social background, favourite brands of clothes, etc. Facts and countable criteria. And others were more interested in subjective matters such as common hobbies, favourite book or movies, etc. A girl even asked him to choose between 100,000,000¥ or teleportation. Was there even a good answer?

The victory theme song of Final Fantasy rang across the room, announcing the end of the round 4, and Kuroo politely smiled at the young woman across table 5 before standing up. There was a short five-minute break, which he welcomed gladly as he walked towards the drink station where Bokuto already was.

“Any luck tonight?” the white-haired man asked.

“It’s not like I really any,” Kuroo mumbled barely loud enough for his friend to hear as he poured himself a glass of water. “What about you?” he asked. “Any chance for a Ms. Bokuto tonight?”

“Nooooooo,” the ace pouted.

“We still have 8 more dates to go, I’m sure you’ll meet someone interesting tonight.”

“I really like the girl on table 7, she looks cute. Do you think she’ll be impressed when I tell her I am in the national youth team?”

Kuroo looked in the direction of table 7. The girl was cute, for sure, and she had that same huge grin as Bokuto himself so somehow, the raven-haired boy could picture the two of them together. She was enthusiastically talking to the girl from table 6, who had her back turned to him so he couldn’t really tell what she looked like. But he guessed he would know soon enough since table 6 was going to be his fifth date. The fact that she and number 7 were so friendly probably meant that they knew each other. Maybe they came together like Bokuto and him.

Sonic the Hedgehog’s intro theme song played, announcing the beginning of date number 5 and Kuroo couldn’t help but wish good luck to Bokuto, who would have to go through 10 very long minutes with table 5. To Kuroo’s opinion, she was a bit boring, so he couldn’t imagine how hard it would be for his hyper-active friend.

As he got closer to table 6, the young woman there had already stopped talking to number 7 and was sitting straight, her shoulders maybe a bit too tensed, as she held onto her mug with both hands, her gaze focused on the hot chocolate and its floating marshmallows. She’s cute, Kuroo thought with a smirk as he sat down.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi.”

Your voice wasn’t loud, your tone was a bit neutral. An introvert?

“So, what’s your name?”

He decided to start with an easy question. Not too invasive given the circumstances, but enough to hopefully get them started. I mean, he could have simply looked at your name tag but where would be the fun in that?

“Y/N,” you answered as you finally looked up.

His smirk turned into a full smile as he finally got to look at your pretty face.

“Hi Y/N. I’m Tetsuro. Nice to meet you.”

“Same.”

There was a bit of a blank, but Kuroo didn’t mind. The way you pursed your lips, pushing a strand of hair behind your ear, not quite sure what to say next in spite of it being round 5… it was all so adorable to him.

“Your first-time speed-dating?” he assumed.

“Is it that obvious?” you asked, slightly embarrassed.

“Yeah, but only because it’s the same for me.”

“Really?”

You seemed a bit relieved, and Kuroo saw that as the perfect opportunity to help you loosen up.

“Yeah, my friend convinced me to come.”

“Same for me,” you chuckled, your lips curling up into a shy smile.

“So, wanna ask me some of the questions you prepared?” he suggested, nodding towards your notepad.

“I realised earlier that they were a bit stupid though,” you said as you grabbed your notes.

“Is that what someone told you?”

Somehow the idea that another guy may have made a nasty remark to you bothered him.

“Yeah… I mean, he was nice about it, but I guess he kind of expected me to be more… I don’t know… spontaneous?”

“Well, I don’t know… those are what could be the most important 10 minutes of your life. Imagine missing out on your soulmate because you didn’t ask the most important questions!”

“Yeah like, aisle seat or window seat?” you chuckled.

“Aisle.”

You raised an eyebrow at his quick answer, obviously surprised that he would answer at all. And seriously, too. Kuroo smirked.

“I hate having to ask people to move so I can go to the bathrooms,” he explained.

“Fair enough,” you admitted, lightly shaking your head in mild disbelief. “So, hum, ketchup or mayo?”

“Mayo.”

Keeping up with the game, you increased the pace of the questions.

“Beach or mountain?”

“Beach.”

“Calling or texting?”

“Texting.”

“Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Is strawberry an option?”

“Lord of the Rings or Star Wars?”

“Both is good.”

“Playstation or Xbox?”

“PC.”

Your eyes widened. You were impressed.

“‘The moment you think of giving up…’”

“… ‘Think of the reason why you held on for so long.’”

You seemed nearly taken aback. But to be honest, so was he. Quoting Fairy Tail, showing your nerdy side with the console question, low key admitting that you were indeed an introvert who hated phone calls when you surreptitiously nodded at his ‘texting’ answer… You were opening up in your own subtle way and he loved what he was seeing. In a way, you were a bit like Kenma, minus the permanent bitch face that the Nekoma setter always put on.

“Okay, my turn. Very important question! If you could choose between 100,000,000¥ or teleportation, what would you pick?”

You laughed. Like, a proper laugh.

“Dude, what kind of question is that?!”

The 10 minutes went on so quickly Kuroo couldn’t help but feel frustrated when the time came for him to change tables again.

He had come here tonight with nothing in mind but his assignment, yet here he was, determined to see you again. In the short amount of time you had just spent together he felt like something unexpected yet absolutely amazing had happened. And he wanted it to happen again. And again. That smile of yours, your straightforward personality, that kind heart, that nerdiness… that beauty. When he came to this holiday speed-dating event, he wasn’t searching for a girlfriend – he never really had any trouble getting one before anyway – but somehow he wanted you.

----

Two months later…

Kuroo had a very strong feeling of déjà-vu.

He was in his regular study room, with his best friend Bokuto, looking blankly at his computer screen. Although this time, it wasn’t a lack of inspiration that blocked him. Quite the opposite actually; he had a lot to share about his little social experiment at the speed-dating event back in December, but how much of it was relevant? It wasn’t like his assignment was a complete blank page anymore though! He had his introduction where he described the topic, he had defined his keywords, presented the hypothesis to be tested, his approach and method, and had his arguments laid out. He even had cues for the final discussion and conclusion. But the actual observations, which were supposed to support or contradict his theories? Well, he could only rely on the notes he had taken during his first four dates. After that, he had lost all objectivity as soon as he met you, and then for the rest of the night and the remaining few dates, he just couldn’t focus anymore. His notes after his ten minutes on table 6 were superficial at best, and his memory, pretty blurry. All he could remember of the other participants were anecdotic details such as funny questions, awkward jokes, outstanding outfits or physical traits such as showing tattoos and dyed hair.

So, yeah, he had fuck all. And whenever he tried to jog his memory by looking at the incomplete handwritten scribbles on his pad, moments with you were the only thing that came to his mind. And the assignment was due in five days, on Wednesday 16thFebruary.

He sighed, passed a hand in his crazy black hair and laid back in his chair. It was only 10am, maybe he just needed another coffee. Or ten!

Across the table, Bokuto was on the opposite being quite productive. He was typing away with a very intense expression on his face, a slight frown of his forehead, as his sharp golden eyes were focused on the screen. It was rare to see the owl in this godly state of academic transcendence, Kuroo thought as he noticed how fast the other man’s fingers were flying over his keyboard.

Kuroo’s phone vibrated on the table by his laptop, catching his attention. At this time of the day, it would only be either Bokuto, Kenma, or his precious girlfriend. The first one was with him, in a crazed study trance, the second was likely in class right now, so it could only be you.

Even if he already had a solid guess on who was the sender of the text, the former Nekoma Captain couldn’t help but smile when he saw your nickname attached to the notification that popped-up on his screen.

Baby-girl: Good morning good sir, may the sun bless you on this wonderful day of February 💃

His smile widened at the sight of the flamenco dancer emoji, straight sign that you were in a great mood. He texted back immediately.

- ‘Morning m’lady, you’re in a good mood today!

Your answer was just as fast:

Baby-girl: I happen to have started my day with very good news

- Please do share because right now anything positive could help out

Of course, the sweet bunny that you were immediately worried, and you asked:

Baby-girl: You’re all good? Anything happened?

- Nah, just that stupid assignment… I don’t have enough data to finish it

Baby-girl: 😲💔 Can I help?

Kuroo bit his bottom lip as typed again:

- Nah don’t worry.

- So? What’s the big news?

Baby-girl: Well, you will be pleased to know that not only did I pass my finals, but I nailed them so good I got extra credits! 😎

- Kitten, that’s awesome! 🎉🎉🎉

Baby-girl: You proud of me?

- I’m next-level proud! I wanna brag about my super smart baby to the whole world 😘

He never had to lie or pretend with you, every emotion felt genuine, every word was earnest, every interaction felt natural. So right now, he really was proud of you. The school year was reaching its end, and the pressure on students across the country was mad! So, he truly was relieved and happy that you got to finish it with great fanfare! Next year would be especially demanding for you, since you would have two placements and a handful of reports to hand over, so it was good that you had the extra credits to give you a head-start.

Baby-girl: Just so you know, I’m blushing right now 🤭

- So you should! And I plan on making you blush so much more tonight since you’ve been a good girl working extra hard

- 😉🍆🍑💦

Kuroo cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. Sexting wasn’t really the most comfortable thing for him, but he did it anyway because his previous girlfriends really liked being turned on remotely with suggestive emojis and dirty talk. Damn, he had even sent a few dick-pics in exchange for nudes! Meanwhile, with you, things were a bit different. Being the shy piece of fluff that you were, mild PDA – such as holding hands or forehead kisses – was absolutely fine for you, but as soon as he would put his hand on the small of your back in the street, you’d start blushing. And of course, the mere mention of sex would make you turn absolutely red – sometimes he could nearly see steam smoke out of your ears as you tried to cope with his cockiness. So, no matter how uncomfortable he felt sending you those emojis, especially with Bokuto just in front of him, he loved the idea of making you blush madly. I’m such a dork, he thought, fully embracing that personality trait of his.

Your response came and he couldn’t help the satisfaction it brought him.

Baby-girl: 😳🔥🔥🔥

He had to bite his cheeks to hold back a chuckle.

Baby-girl: Should we go on a date too? 😊

- Definitely!!!

Baby-girl: Speaking about date, Vday is 3 days away…

Kuroo immediately jumped at the opportunity to make his request.

- Please bake me some chocolates 🙇‍♂️🍫💝

Baby-girl: I had a feeling you’d prefer home-made

- If it’s too much though I am happy with regular ones too!

- As long as I’m the only guy you give them to 😜

Baby-girl: Of course you’re the only one!! 😠

Baby-girl: And home-made you want, home-made you shall have 💪

He smiled.

Across from him, Bokuto cleared his throat very loudly, catching his attention. When the raven-haired man raised his eyes from his phone’s screen, he was met with the owl’s mocking smirk and suggestive eyebrow game.

“Distracted, I see…”

Kuroo shrugged, trying to act casual, and quickly texted:

- I’ll pick you up tonight. 6pm?

Baby-girl: Sure! Looking forward to it

- Me too 😘

When Kuroo put his phone on the side, he had a lingering smile on his lips.

After the Chrismas Holidate speed-dating session, you had agreed to pass your contact details to him and, as soon as he had received them from the Wallflower Café, Kuroo had texted you. It was late at night, and he was lowkey afraid you would think he was a creep for texting you so soon after the event, but he just couldn’t wait. And he did well: you ended up chatting until past 3am. You were a night owl like him, being only productive when your brain was about to pass out from exhaustion.

Since then, you had gone on a proper date: movie + diner, the whole thing! Then, you did a multi-date on Christmas with your friend Shoko who (very conveniently) had started ‘dating’ Bokuto. Kenma, Akaashi, the Miya twins and a few other of their old Volleyball friends living in Tokyo had joined in with their partners too. Together, your merry gang ordered massive amounts of fried chicken and rented a large room at a karaoke where you spent most of the night. You even gifted Kuroo a hand-knitted bobble beanie, black with cat ears on it. He remembered how guilty he felt because you had spent so much time making his gift while he only came up with a pink bunny plushy. You had claimed that you loved his present, and you did keep it on you bedside table, but he had sworn to himself he would go above and beyond for your birthday!

For New Year, after diner with your respective family, Kuroo and you had spent the night together for the first time at your place, making sure to wake up before dawn so you could watch the first sunrise of the year. Then you also went to the shrine together for the first prayer and the omen. Overall, things had been developing at a comfortable pace for the both of you. No matter how stressed or exhausted or frustrated Kuroo was with himself or his studies, or life in general, a simple text or snap, or a quick facetime with his girlfriend was enough to chase the bad vibes away for a bit.

“You’re so in love, bro. Smitten!”

“Yeah, so what?!” Kuroo admitted, a faint blush building up on his cheeks as he looked at his computer screen again.

“So, I think you should show some gratitude to me for introducing you to your future wife!”

Turning water into wine would be easier than trying to ignore Bokuto’s teasing antics and straight-up foolishness. Besides, Kuroo couldn’t really add anything to his essay at this point, so pretending to be working seriously was quite pointless. He sighed, giving up on pretending to be working seriously, and looked up at his best friend.

“First off, we’re not getting married—”

“YET!!”

“Then,” he continued, ignoring the owl’s interjection, “you didn’t introduce us.”

“I so did!”

“You did not.”

“I did!”

“Hu-huh, you did not.”

“I did! You would never have met Y/N if it wasn’t for me taking your sad ass to the speed-dating thing!” Bokuto exclaimed a bit loudly.

“There is like a massive gap between inviting me to tag along to an event, and introducing us, mate!” Kuroo answered.

Of course, there was a bit of bad faith from him; he knew that ultimately, Bokuto was the reason why he went to the speed-dating event, indeed. Meeting you was just a fortuitous bonus.

Bokuto crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, acting overly offended, like a fifty year-old cuckolded housewife.

“Fine, okay, thanks for taking me there,” Kuroo admitted with exaggerated annoyance. “But please don’t mention marriage in front of Y/N, I don’t want you to freak her out!”

The white-haired man chuckled proudly.

“Fret not my friend, I won’t! But!! You owe me!”

Kuroo sighed for what felt the hundredth time since he woke up.

“Fine, what do you want?”

“Help picking up a Valentine’s Day present for Shoko and your expert eye to proof-read my freshly finished essay!”

“When is it due for?”

“Valentine’s Day is in three days, duh!”

“Not the gift, the essay, duh!”

“Oh!” Bokuto exclaimed, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. “At the end of next week.”

“Sweet, no worries, I’ll do it.”

“My man!”

With that, the Ace shut his laptop and stood up to start a little happy dance – only he could get away with that in public places without feeling embarrassed. Sure, they were in a private study room, but the door and partition walls were made of glass…

With a little disgruntled groan, Kuroo tilted his head backward, rubbing his eyes with his palms. That caught Bokuto’s attention, who sat down again with a very serious expression on his face.

“What’s up?”

“You finished your essay, Y/N passed her finals, and here I am, struggling with my last assignment of the year…” he grumbled.

“Why can’t you finish it?”

“I miss some data.”

“How can you get them?”

Well, Kuroo couldn’t exactly explain to Bokuto. He hadn’t told his friend about his social experiment because he too was a part of it; he was one of his subjects of observation. While he doubted the owl would take offense, Kuroo didn’t want to take chances. Besides, all his subjects were referred to anonymously in his essay, the same way a journalist would make observations in an article without naming some of the people they encountered during their investigation.

“It has to be in a very specific set up and I won’t have the opportunity again.”

Kuroo frowned at his own words.

Wait, wait, wait! Isn’t the speed-dating a recurring event at the Wallflower Café? he thought. Immediately, he googled the name of the coffeeshop and checked their website. Well, look at that! Another speed-dating special V-day was happening tonight. He read the pop-up that appeared on the homepage:

Because we wanted to offer our beloved customers the opportunity to find their perfect Valentine, exceptionally this month, the Speed-Dating night will happen on the second Friday of the month, instead of the first! So, mark your journal: Friday 11th February at 6pm, special ‘Be My Valentine’ Speed-Dating night!

The only issue was he already had plans with you tonight!

Another sigh escaped his lips; he knew he could post-pone his date, however he wouldn’t get a third chance at gathering the data. Tonight was an especially good opportunity because, just like the ‘Christmas Holidate’ event, this special Valentines would provide the same unique atmosphere and a similar celebration-type of context, meaning the settings would remain cohesive between his first data and the new ones.

Before he could change his mind, Kuroo grabbed his phone:

- Hey princess, actually I won’t be able to make it tonight…

- Really sorry, I’ll make it up to you tomorrow night tenfold ❤❤

“Looks like you found a way…” Bokuto observed.

“Yep, and it’s gonna have to be tonight.”

Kuroo’s phone vibrated in his hand.

Baby-girl: Everything alright?

- Yeah I am gonna work on my essay

- If I can finish tonight I’ll come for breakfast and we can spend the whole day together since no volley practice tomorrow

Baby-girl: You gonna bring croissants? 😍

- Of course 😘

Baby-girl: Do your best then! 🥐🥐🥐

Kuroo smiled at your cuteness before turning his attention back to Bokuto.

“Wanna go shopping for presents now?” he offered.

“Hell yeah!”

----

It was about 7pm when Shoko came out of her room, all pampered and ready to go out.

“So, what do you think?” she asked, spinning around as if modelling on a catwalk.

You raised your eyes from the manga you were reading as you were sitting crossed-legs on your favourite spot on the couch. Your friend was really cute in her outfit, her makeup and hair were on fleek, and the pair of shoes she intended to wear was a great match. You gave her a silent thumb up before going back to your reading.

“What? That’s it? Should I change?”

“No, you look great.”

“Then why the mild reaction?”

“‘Cause I’m in a mild mood?”

“Aww, you still upset that your boy took a rain check?”

“I wasn’t upset in the first place,” you mumbled, looking back at your manga.

Truth was, you werea little bit upset. But Kuroo was being a serious student and a reasonable young man; it was exam period, and you knew he had already handed over all of his assignments except for this one. You didn’t know what it was about, but it seemed to have given your handsome lover a lot of grief recently, so you were still glad when he announced he was planning on finishing it tonight. Meaning, he would finally be done with it, and would have more free time to relax in between his practice sessions with his college volleyball team. Sure, you’d spend the evening alone while all you wanted was to celebrate your passing your own exams, but you were looking forward to your romantic breakfast now.

You had contemplated accepting your classmates’ invitation to go for drinks with them instead, but you only really talked to a few of them – and more out of politeness and need than actual friendliness – and you didn’t feel like forcing yourself to be social tonight. You wanted to be able to be yourself with people you actually liked. That would have to wait until everyone was done for the year; you could all get together and celebrate everyone’s hard work and success.

“Now, now, Y/N. It’s okay to be upset…” Shoko said as she came to sit down beside you.

“It’s okay, really. We’ll spend the day together tomorrow…” you explained, failing at showing any enthusiasm.

Shoko shuffled your hair with an amused sisterly smile.

“So, my outfit is really okay, yeah?”

“Yes. You look amazing,” you reassured her a bit more vehemently. “You sure it’s not a date?”

“We’re not dating!” she defended herself a bit too quickly.

You smirked. Shoko had been seeing Kuroo’s friend Bokuto on a regular basis. She kept claiming that they were not a thing, but they clearly were, whatever they wanted to call it. They’d hold hand, exchange cute and long hugs, snuggle up in each other’s arms on the couch while watching movies, and all other sorts of PDA. And your friend’s excitement every time she was getting ready to see him… you had never seen her like this before. Maybe they were just moving a bit slower than Kuroo and you, and that was absolutely fine. And her stubborn denial was actually quite cute and gave you many great opportunities to tease her – nicely, of course – since she had been giving you so much shit for falling head over heels for Kuroo so quickly.

The interphone rang and she just about jumped off the couch; she ran so fast to the buzzer on the wall in the hallway that it seemed to you like she was flying. You chuckled to yourself, knowing you were just as bad when it was Kuroo at the door. You were simply better at interiorising.

You resumed your reading – you’d never ever get tired of reading Ouran High School Host Club, one of the best shojo out there!

When Bokuto arrived, you could hear their chattering in the background, but didn’t pay much attention until the boy came to you to say hello.

“Congrates, Victory-girl!” he exclaimed cheerfully with a bright toothy grin.

“Haha, thanks,” you answered with a small smile, raising your eyes from the book again.

Because he was the first of Shoko’s boyfriends to have ever genuinely paid attention to you, you were always happy to exchange with him. You had had a few occasions to chitchat with him over the past two months, and you could tell he was a very passionate and inspiring person. While you could completely understand why Shoko and he were a perfect match, you were still trying to wrap your head around the fact that he was one of Kuroo’s best friends. Your lover really had the most heteroclite group of friends: Kenma was an introvert like you, but with a bit of more caustic sense of humour, Yaku was an absolute tsundere, the Miyas were like a comic duo…

Overly extrovert, Bokuto sometimes overstepped your boundaries, but never in a forceful manner, so you always enjoyed his presence.

“What are you gonna do tonight?” he asked.

“Just gonna stay here and read.”

You shrugged, nodding at the pile of manga by your feet to highlight your plans.

“Maybe I’ll order some yakisoba too…” you added, now a bit more aware of your hungry belly.

“Nah, you just passed with honours! You should go out for a drink even if Kuroo ain’t here!”

“I prefer drinking with friends though.”

The owl-looking man nodded, a thoughtful expression on his features.

“I got an idea! What about you come with us? We’re friends after all, right!” he suggested.

You definitely weren’t expecting that. You looked at him with wide eyes, then looked over at Shoko, who was excitingly nodding behind him with both thumbs up.

“Yes! Come with us!” she approved.

“You guys sure? Weren’t you supposed to have some together time?”

“We’ll still be together with you!” Bokuto affirmed.

You blinked. Wow, that’s actually a very kind thing to say, you thought before caving in.

“Okay then, I’ll just grab my stuff…”

Five minutes later, the three of you were out the door. And one hour after, you were leaving a local ramen shop, stomachs full and cheeks warm after sharing some noodles and sake.

“Should we go karaoke? Or go to a bar?” Shoko asked, holding onto Bokuto’s arm.

The two had kindly been keeping their extreme PDA in check until now, and you were glad for it. So far, at no point they had made you feel like the third wheel, so you were actually able to enjoy being out with friends, even though you couldn’t help the little guilt bubbling up in your heart for high-jacking their not-a-date date.

“I completely feel like singing!” Bokuto exclaimed a bit too loud, catching other pedestrians’ attention.

You laughed.

“Okay, sure.”

“Oh my God, what’s that over there?” Bokuto nearly screamed, eyes wild as he looked further down the road.

You followed his gaze, only to find a very long queue in front of your favourite coffeeshop. That was weird… It shouldn’t be that crowded at night.

“Looks like they’re having an event of some sort,” Shoko noted.

You frowned. Speed-dating was the only event you were aware off… Oh wait! You did see a few posters around by the till a couple days prior when you visited the café to grab a hot chocolate on your way home. Special ‘Be My Valentine’ speed-dating night was happening tonight instead of the first Friday of the month because of the upcoming lovers day. Usually, at this hour, every participant was already set up inside, so why the big crowd? Did they decide to run two sessions in one night? That would make sense; some people were really lonely and depressed on V-day, so searching for someone to spend the holiday with was only normal.

“Oh!” you exclaimed.

“What?” Shoko inquired.

“Well, I wanted to take Kuroo there on Monday morning for coffee… You know, since that’s where we met, I thought it’d be cool to do something there on Valentine’s day together. Maybe I should call them and book ahead, ‘cause it’s probably gonna be busy all Monday.”

“Awwww! That’s so cute!” your bestie exclaimed.

“He will actually love that,” Bokuto approved. “This guy is just a big romantic and he’s completely weak for you!”

You blushed.

As the three of you kept walking along the street, you could see the rich and flamboyant red and pink decoration in front and inside the coffeeshop. That was so cheesy and cliché, nearly sickening, yet absolutely cute! Like in one of those American rom-com movies you secretly liked. You could feel a smile spread on your lips at the idea of taking your favourite dork there! He’d both hate it and love it. It’s gonna be so much fun, you thought, imagining the two of you sitting at your favourite table by one of the big windowpanes, exchanging Valentine’s gifts and chocolates while sipping at a hot drink… You crossed the street, excited to take a closer peak at the inside.

Your eyes scanned the room: hundreds of red glittery hearts of different sizes were stickered to the ceiling, thick ribbons in shades of dark fuchsia and Barbie pink were hanging on the walls, heart-shaped balloons were gathered in tree-like arrangements and positioned in each corner, and the tables were dressed in white clothes, red and pink roses in porcelain vases and baby pink candles ornamenting each and every one of them, and—

You froze.

You instinctively took a step back, ending up stomping on Bokuto’s foot.

“Ouch!” he yelped. Then, when you didn’t react: “Y/N, you okay?”

You could hear him, but your brain was blank.

Tetsu…

What eventually pulled you out of your personal pit of despair was the wetness on your cheeks. Did it start raining? you wondered stupidly as you brought a hand to your face, only realising then that you had started crying.

“What the fuck!” Shoko growled.

She visibly saw it too.

“What’s going on?” Bokuto asked.

“I’m gonna kill him!” Shoko added, ignoring the white-haired man beside her.

“Oh, shit…” Bokuto murmured right behind you.

Yep, he saw it as well… Right there, on the second row of tables, not far from the drink station, was your boyfriend. There was no mistaking his crazy bed-hair and his trademark smirk. He was smiling and chatting with a girl and seemed to be in the middle of a very enthusiastic conversation. When the pain started to spread from your chest and outward, making your limbs go numb and your head dizzy, you realised just how much you actually loved him. Because it definitely felt way more awful than when you had found out that your ex had a side chick, even after three years of relationship. And really, there was no doubt about what was going on, it was a speed-dating event after all.

Was it all a game for him? Did he simply enjoyed picking up lonely and desperate girls, because he knew he’d have no trouble scoring one or two? Wait, what if he was dating a few girls at the same time, gathering phone numbers at each event? They’d have no way to know, it was the perfect plan for a serial cheater!

Panic started to rise in your chest as some of the worst scenarios reeled through your mind at the speed of light, making breathing more and more difficult. You had to get away. Now!

As you were about to move, you noticed Shoko. She had somehow made it past the crowd by the door and past the Wallflower managing team, and was now walking – or more like furiously stomping the floor with each step – to Kuroo’s table. Since he was sitting with his back to the door, he didn’t see her coming. She swiftly grabbed a glass of water from a nearby table, catching other participants’ attention, and without an ounce of hesitation, she splashed the content of the glass at your boyfriend’s face.

You couldn’t hear what she said to him, but her facial expression was cold, her glare was pure wrath, and the finger she pointed at him might as well have been a sword.

Eventually, Kuroo turned to the large window, his features twisted by fright and panic as his hazel eyes found yours.

You immediately took off. Your body was on autopilot, reacting on its own, as if moved by a strong sense of self-preservation to protect you from further arm. Although, well, it was clearly too late, because the emotional pain was so intense you were physically hurting.

You never knew you could run that fast. You zoomed through the familiar streets of your neighbourhood and made it to your building in what felt like a handful of seconds only. And since the elevator was taking way too much time to reach the ground floor to your liking, you took the stairs. You reached your apartment completely out of breath, but that was fine. You’d soon be okay once you made it to the safety of your bedroom. You just wanted to be alone. That’s all you needed.

You ditched your shoes in the lobby, but didn’t even bother removing your coat. You locked yourself in your room, and curled up in foetal position on your bed. And you cried.

----

The sun was rising and Kuroo hadn’t slept at all…

His brain just kept replaying what had happened the night before at the Wallflower Café, again and again.

The splash of cold water that hit him had caught him off guard, and it took Kuroo a hot second to register what was going on. The whole coffeeshop was quiet, all eyes on him as he turned to look at the source of the sudden hosing.

Shoko was there, by the table he was sharing with what-was-her-name-again. Her soul-slaying glare was piercing through his bones and he felt himself instinctively shrink in his seat.

“What the--”

“Don’t be surprised!” she cut him, pointing a sharp manicured finger at him. “You hurt my friend, so I had to do something, since she’s too kind to do it herself.”

Hurt? What is she talking about? he wondered. He didn’t do anything wrong, did he? Wait!Realisation slowly downed on him. With what Shoko just said, he realised that him participating in a speed-dating event could definitely be interpreted the wrong way. Somehow, in his eagerness to gather the data he needed in order to finally finish his assignment, he just completely omitted that part. To him, it was only a social experiment, and because of the nature of speed-dating, he wasn’t committing to any of the women he was meeting tonight. It wasn’t cheating, but he could completely understand why Shoko would conclude that he was.

‘You hurt my friend’? Y/N? But you weren’t here though… were you? Once again, Kuroo’s brain put more pieces together and eventually got the full picture. This very unfortunate predicament appeared to have much worse consequences than Shoko-dzilla angrily watering his face in public. The black-haired man slowly turned to the large windowpane; he didn’t even have to search for his girlfriend, he spotted you immediately, right beside a visibly very disappointed Bokuto. When Kuroo’s eyes met yours, the absolute distress and pain he found in them completely crushed him. He was, indeed, hurting you.

The eye contact didn’t last long though, as his lover took off, dashing through the pedestrians and quickly disappearing from his sight. Struck full-force by a wave of panic, Kuroo rose from his chair and hurried outside. But by the time he made it to where Bokuto now stood alone, you were nowhere to be found.

“Fuck…” he whispered to himself, running a frustrated hand through his messy hair.

His heart was beating so fast and his blood was pulsing so loudly in his ears that he couldn’t really hear what Bokuto was telling him. Kuroo quickly went back inside to gather his stuff, ignoring Shoko’s pissed off comments, his date’s shocked expression, and the other participants’ murmurs. Somehow it only made sense to him to fetch the precious notes for which he had ruined his relationship with the woman he loved, so at least his loss wouldn’t be a total waste. Fuck you, Kuroo! You haven’t lost her yet! he thought to himself angrily as he left the café with his messenger bag across his chest and his jacket under his arm. He had to go after you. He had to find you and explain to you. It was all just a big misunderstanding after all!

But he hadn’t gone more than half a dozen metres in the direction of your building that he was called out by Shoko:

“Ooooh no! I hope you’re not planning on seeing her, you cheating bastard!” she threw at him as she caught up with him, Bokuto following right behind her.

“I wasn’t cheating! I gotta tell her that!” Kuroo defended himself.

“Then what were you doing there?” Bokuto asked.

Yeah, if even his best friend was doubting him, the whole situation must have really looked bad. How come he didn’t even think it would, was beyond him. He should have just come clean about what he was doing in the first place! He should have told them about the experiment. But then, what would you have thought? That you were just another experiment to him? His frustration went up a notch as he answered:

“I was gathering data for my assignment.”

“What are you on about?” his friend asked, obviously confused.

Kuroo stopped walking and turned to face the owl and explain:

“Remember my paper for Social Studies?”

“The one that’s been giving you so much trouble?”

“Yes, well, I decided to write about speed-dating.”

Kuroo groaned when, once again, he remembered Bokuto’s sad expression. He could easily tell that hetoo felt sort of betrayed and hurt… like a lab rat being experimented on against its will.

By the time the boys had gone home to the flat they shared, Kuroo had been able to explain himself, assuring to his friend that what he had written was respectful, and that nothing in there could tip off the reader about the identity of his ‘subjects’. He even offered him to read his essay – or at least what he had written so far – which the owl did. And that probably helped untangle the situation. Maybe if I could get Y/N to read it, she would understand too?

He had tried texting and calling his girlfriend many times last night, but his messages were left ‘unread’, and when his last call bounced straight to your voicemail, he knew there was no point insisting as you probably ended up turning your phone off. At least he wasn’t blocked – yet! – or his calls wouldn’t even have reached, and he would have been met with an automated voice message instead. Now, Shoko had been clear about not wanting him to show up at their door until you felt comfortable seeing him, or she’d call the cops and get him arrested for harassment. That definitely made it harder for him to plead his case, but he couldn’t blame Bokuto’s girl for wanting to protect her friend. If anything, Kuroo was kind of glad that you could rely on someone like Shoko, although right now it was at his own detriment.

As Nekoma’s captain, Kuroo always knew what to do. He was sensible and responsible, and somewhat mature too, which made him a great problem-solver. But right now, he just couldn’t see any solution. It all depended on whether you would give him the benefit of the doubt and hear him out, or whether you’d simply cut all ties with him and kicked him out of your life. Given what had happened with your previous boyfriend, he wouldn’t be surprised if you opted for the latter.

With a heavy sigh, the young man decided to get out of bed. He didn’t exactly feel like having breakfast or anything but staying in his room all day would only lead to more spiralling. His twisted stomach was too upset for food, but he could at least make some coffee. Kuroo dragged his sorry ass to the small kitchen and, as he was setting up the coffee machine, someone knocked at the front door. He frowned. Did Bokuto go out and forget his keys? That would be highly probable if it wasn’t 8am on a Saturday morning… The owl was definitely still in bed, especially with practice being suspended during the exam period. A parcel delivery maybe? Kuroo didn’t remember ordering anything recently but maybe his flatmate did? With a lazy sigh, the raven head went back to his room to put on a tee-shirt before opening the door.

Another knock, a bit fainter and more hesitant than the first one, could be heard just as he made it to the hallway.

“Coming,” he mumbled, barely loud enough his visitor was to hear.

Eventually, Kuroo unlocked and opened the door.

Well… That’s unexpected.

Standing there in front of him was his girlfriend.

Your hair was attached in a very messy bun and your face seemed a bit puffy. Upon looking closely, Kuroo noticed the red in your eyes, and the dark circles underneath, sign that you definitely didn’t sleep well either and probably cried a lot. Knowing that he was the cause of your tears was hurting him even more than his fear of you leaving him.

You stood in silence for a few long seconds. Kuroo wanted nothing more than to take you in his arms and hold you, but he was afraid you’d run from him again.

He cleared his throat before speaking:

“Wanna… Wanna come in?”

You pursed your lips, lowering your gaze before nodding.

Kuroo moved to the side and opened the door wider for you. You removed your sneakers and winter coat while he closed the door, only to reveal that you were only wearing a pair of sweatpants and an oversized tee, no socks, and visibly no bra either… You had come all the way to his place, that early in the morning and in the winter cold, wearing only your pyjama!

Immediately, Kuroo grabbed you by the shoulders – you were so cold – to lead you into the living room and wrapped you in one of the blankets they kept on the couch. Only then did he realised that you had been holding onto a large paper bag. He wanted to ask what was inside, but you talked first.

“I read it… Your paper, I read it.”

Kuroo froze.

“Bokuto emailed it to Shoko, and she made me read it,” you explained in quiet hoarse voice.

“I’m sorry,” was all Kuroo could muster, disappointed with himself.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I….” he sighed, frustrated.

How was he supposed to make you understand? Would you even believe him? He passed a hand over his face, then through his knotty black mope.

“Because I didn’t want you to believe that I wasn’t serious with you, and that you were just part of an experiment…”

“Was I not?”

“NO!” he exclaimed a bit too loud. “No… You’re my girlfriend, you’re not a lab subject.”

“You mentioned your own best friend in that paper – not by name, but I knew it was him. And you talked about Shoko too.”

“Yeah, that’s shitty of me…” Kuroo mumbled. “This paper is meant for my teacher only though, I didn’t intend on having anyone else read it.”

“I still don’t understand… Why did you go last night?” you asked, a touch of sadness laced in each word.

“I… I can’t be objective when it comes to you. The night we met, from the moment you smiled at me I was done for. I couldn’t focus on anything else after that. I can’t remember any of the other girls’ faces or their names from that night… Remember how I told you that I didn’t have enough data? Well, that’s because I just didn’t take any valuable notes after our date. I couldn’t focus my mind on anything. And then Christmas happened, then New Year, then I prioritised my other assignments and procrastinated this one for as long as I could…”

Kuroo took a pause; he knew how stupid and lame his excuses sounded right now but, at least they were the truth.

“That’s when I realised all I could rely on was the notes from the first four dates of the night, and that wasn’t conclusive enough for my analysis. And I found out last minute yesterday that I still had a chance since this month speed-dating had been postponed to match Valentine’s Day… and believe me, I… Not a single moment did it occur to me that going there last night was ‘cheating’ because, in my mind, it was just about gathering data, finishing this stupid paper, and make it to you for breaksfast.”

Yeah, it definitely sounded very lame.

Still standing, face to face with you in silence, the volleyball player felt vulnerable. He needed to give his body some substance or he felt like he would flake, so he went to the couch and sat on the armrest.

“I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot,” he whispered.

You approached him, standing at arm’s reach, and that’s what he did. He reached. Palm up, a silent invitation for you to take his hand.

“Will you forgive me?” he asked, raising a timid glance at the beautiful woman he hoped would still be his.

But after a few long seconds that felt like an eternity, you didn’t take his hand.

Instead, you put the brown paper bag in it.

Kuroo gulped, feeling his heart drop. What was that supposed to mean? He opened the bag and took a look at the content: the bag was holding a white pastry box with a logo he recognised. He caught a faint whiff of the sweet perfume of freshly baked croissants from the delicious French pastry shop that was across his local train station.

“You promised me breakfast,” you said, a soft smile curling at the corner of your mouth.

You must caught his confusion because you explained:

“I had forgiven you the moment I finished reading your paper. Even though it’s not finished yet…”

It took everything Kuroo had to stop himself from jumping and screaming his joy – Bokuto was still asleep, and his introvert girlfriend would probably freak out a bit. So instead, he bit his bottom lip, his mouth stretching in a smile. He put the croissants away on the coffee table, then grabbed you with both arms around your waist and pulled you to him. Since he was still sitting on the armrest, he was in the perfect position to burry his face in your soft chest. Now perfectly muffled in the plush of your flesh, his voice lot go a loud groan of relief.

When he felt your arms wrap around his shoulders, one of your hands sliding in the short hair at the back of his head, Kuroo tightened his embrace.

“I thought I’d lost you…”

The raven-head boy opened wide eyes. The words could have come out of his mouth, but they came from yours instead.

“I thought I fell in love with the wrong person again, and that I’d lost my boyfriend.”

You let go of him, your hands moving to cup his face. You looked into each other’s eyes, then you captured his lips into kiss.

It started as a soft, kind and loving kiss, but quickly turned into a more needy exchange. Kuroo could tell by the subtle moan you let out, that somehow you felt like him: you wanted to hold onto him and never let go.

He deepened the kiss, and you didn’t complain. He would say that he loved you – he had never said the three magic words before, although he definitely didn’t feel less for you – but right now, after nearly losing you to his own stupidity, they would feel too cheap. Besides, V-day was only two days away now, a more appropriate opportunity.

When eventually you both pulled apart, slightly out of breath, Kuroo grinned at you before securing his hold around your waist. And without any warning, he simply let himself fall backward onto the couch. You let out a surprised yelp and you found yourself being pulled down with him. You landed onto him safely, pressed against his chest and he murmured against your ear:

“I’m so exhausted, we should take a nap here together.”

Your legs were tangled together, hanging in an awkward angle due to the armrest, but somehow it wasn’t too uncomfortable. He was just happy to be able to hold onto you. You nodded, kissed his cheek and buried your face in his neck.

“You’re such a dork,” you whispered.

And he smiled.

-----

Author's Notes #2: I tried to stay accurate with Japan’s traditions and perceptions of Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Meaning that Christmas isn’t really a family holiday, because only 1 or 2% of the population is Christian. It is mostly the occasion to party with friends or go on a date with your lover. Fried chicken is also a must on Christmas, not sure why lmao. The family gathers more for New Year’s Eve and New Year. Valentine’s Day is usually a day where girls will treat the boy(s) they like by offering them chocolates, and already established couples also go on a date. Also, calendar-wise, the school in Japan usually starts in April and goes all the way to end of February or mid-March for some schools and institutions, with a small break in between school years. They also have a summer break, a short winter break over the holidays, a golden week and public holidays here and there. I hope this helps.

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