#i was in 1-2nd grades when it was coming out i think

[des-fangirl]

Gravity falls moots. Friends. Anyone- pspspsps-

[faaun]

my mental health has tanked so insanely idk what 2 do lol

[misotsukiiyeooo]

You could write a Seungcheol where he's worried because you've been sad for days, and when he asks why, he's surprised when you say it's because your kids are growing up and you miss having a baby at home.

Tks (:

"Just one more?" Part 1

Pairing:Husband!Father CSC x F! Mother!Reader

A/N: This is such a cute req!! (I didn't know if you wanted a fluff or not so this one's a fluff, but I could possibly make a pt 2 smut if you want! hope you enjoy!(PART 2 IS UP!)

Genre: Fluff + Angst

Word count: 3.3k (not proofread)

Synopsis: You've been pretty sad for a while now and Seungcheol wants to know why.

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3

Seungcheol has been watching you, and he knows something's off.

Down to you pouting every time you look at the kids to you frowning all the time you guys talk.

You're all at the mall right now shopping for clothes and he's pushing the cart with your youngest son and daughter sitting in as he holds the oldest son's hand.

He notices you stop at the baby section picking up some little girl shoes. "Mommy, those won't fit me anymore!" Your daughter, Jieun giggles at her Mother.

Y/N seems unfocused somehow. "Oh..you're right. Anyways let's get going yea?" She looks at me "Yeah, I think we got everything we needed."

He brushes off whatever happened not putting too much thought into it.

It's the next day, Monday, meaning the kids go to school Seojun, the oldest goes to 4th grade while Jieun goes to 2nd leaving Dohyun in daycare.

I make their breakfast and pack their lunchboxes while Y/N gets them dressed.

They come out of the room one by one to eat and Y/N comes out holding Dohyun and putting him in the high chair getting ready to feed him until he decides to grab the spoon, attempting to feed himself. Y/N pouts at the sight of this.

We get into the car and you can't stop thinking about your grown babies.

Dropping them off is never easy, Seeing Seojun wave goodbye and walk into the school himself then Jieun who looks back and smiles before leaving.

The only person you actually walk to their class is Dohyun, but at his age, he doesn't even wave bye, too invested in a shiny toy he spotted. Entering the car Seungcheol looks at you. "Is everything alright Babe?" He caresses your hand. "Yeah, why?"

"I don't know...you seemed a little out of it for the past week." He focuses back on driving as the light turns green. "Really? I'm fine really." Trying your best to reassure him earning a nod.

Arriving home you sit on the couch and turn on the TV.

A Pampers commercial pops up and you can't help but frown. Seungcheol sits beside you and turns off the TV, "Y/N look at me, you can't fool me I know something's wrong, and I hope you know I'm here for you."

He looks into your eyes fondly. "It's nothing really, just some thoughts..this is stupid."

Fidgeting with your fingers, he holds them. "It can't be stupid if you've been thinking about it for a week." He waits quietly for you to talk. "Well, the kids, our kids are growing up so fast...and I kind of miss that feeling of having a newborn baby.."

Seungcheols eyes widen, completely surprised. "That's what's been making you sad? So what you're saying is you want another kid?" You nod looking away.

"Baby, our oldest is only in 4th grade, let alone Dohyun's in daycare."

"I know but you've seen what happened earlier when I went to feed him? he took the spoon himself.."

He chuckles leaving you confused. " I see, so that's why you were looking at little girl shoes and pouting whenever you see the kids playing."

"That's not funny" You look at him trying to hold back his laughter. "It's not funny you're right, it's silly how you held that in for so long.

"You know if you wanted another baby that bad you could've just asked me. I'm always open to seeing another little you walk around the house."

Smiling at the thought, you blush, hitting him lightly, "Don't just say things like that!" Seungcheol giggles, "What? I can't say how I'm willing to give my beautiful wife whatever she wants? Even if it's a fourth child?" He looks at you, eyes big.

"Really? just one more?" You put your pointer finger up. "Yes, just one more, if that's what you want, that is."

Reqs are open!

Taglist

[lowkeyremi]

Late Nights aizawa x reader

it's my birthday so im writing about the man i share it with (-ε-)

content: post war au, fluff, established relationship

"This isn't good for your health, Sho." Today marks the 5th night he's stayed up past 11 pm grading papers or doing something else for his job.

"How do you think I managed before I met you?" His small sigh meets your ears, and you really want to help him. Seeing out of only one eye is most definitely slowing him down.

"You looked dead on the outside when we first met. Do you want me to help grade papers?"

"I'll finish before one, go back to bed, honey." His eyes meet yours once he hears you scoff. He's draining himself by staying up this late, every single night. His face is lit by the warm kitchen light, one of his hands tugging at his long black strands of hair in order to keep himself sane.

"Shota. I'm not taking no for an answer." You say firmly, crossing your arms to indicate that you mean business.

"I knew you'd say that, come sit down." He gives in every single time. He knows he needs the help, he just doesn't want to admit it.

"Can you read through these essays?" At first you're confident, there's only a few papers on the table.

"Can you?" You nod diligently. You confirm you're willing to help, and your husband gets up from the table and slowly walks toward your shared bedroom. When he does return there's a large stack of papers in his arms. They drop on the table with a thump. He chuckles at your horrified expression.

"Just get through as many as you can. Write feedback on them too, hon." No wonder he's always so tired, you forget that 1-A isn't his only class. If you can remember right he has six periods of classes.

"Is this pile all your class or.." He's sat back down by now and started going through papers with red pen.

"That's 3rd and 4th period. I'm finishing up with 1st and 2nd right now." You click your tongue. It's hard to get started, you don't have any motivation unlike Shota. His only motivation is probably the fact he has to do this.

"Why don't you have an online classroom? It would make grading so much easier." He's probably going to say something about not knowing how to use it..

"I prefer for my students to write manually, because it helps with remembrance." Sounds like something an old man would say. You'd voice your opinion but he'd have a comeback for sure.

-----

"Shotaaaaa, I don't wanna do anymore." Your head is resting on the table, the cool wood on your cheek. He doesn't even spare you any sympathy either, laughing at you quietly. His rich chuckles sound like comfort more than mockery in your opinion though.

"Sweetheart, you've only graded four essays." The huge stack of papers looks back at you from it's side of the table.

"Yeah and each essay had like four to five papers in it. I feel bad for your students." The two of you are going to cuddle. You're determined to make it happen, so before he could even reply, you bounce up from your seat, grab his hand, and tug him towards your bedroom.

"We're going to sleep. I'm not taking any other answers besides "okay" or "yes my love." He clicks his tongue at your statement, but finds no reason to oblige.

-----

"Do you want to know something?" He whispers into your ear cuddling you close enough to feel the warmth of his chest on your back.

"What?" At this point you're only half-conscious, struggling to register what your husband's just said.

"I'm actually ahead of schedule. I can grade those papers loosely throughout this week." He admits with no guilt or shame in his voice at all. What a workaholic.

"Are you serious? So I could have been cuddling you all this time?"

"Yeah, I just do work to get out of my head." You wonder how many times you'll have to remind him that you're his strength and that you'll help him through anything, before he actually believes it.

"If you were having trouble sleeping, you should have told me." His big hand rests in your hair playing with it slowly.

"Didn't wanna bother you." His hand is so comforting that you almost fall asleep.

"You're never a bother to me Sho." Your voice is so soft and sincere that he almost breaks out into tears of joy. He's so happy to have met you.

"Oh." It has finally clicked in his brain, even though you've been married to him for quite some time.

You are his light.

[analyticalstarz]

In honor of autism awareness month, here's a full comprehensible list as to why I think Rui is autistic, or at the very least, neurodivergent !!!! - 1, For starters, he was ostracized by his classmates for presumably almost a decade (2nd grade - 1st yr of high school), all because he was "different" and nobody around him could properly understand him. This has resulted in him struggling to form and maintain relationships. As stated in his second focus event, Revival My Dream, when he was a kid, Rui had a hard time conversering with his classmates because he felt as if he couldn't connect with them.

He's interested in more niche things, like robotics,

and he was also interested in things that people normally regard as "scary", such as moths;

After he became fond of shows and theater as well and attempted to include his classmates in one he thought of in an attempt to grow closer to them, his idea ultimately backfired since his classmates thought his way of directing was "dangerous", and this is where the ostracization seemed to start.

(translation by Arvon Oven) Being ostracized and shunned is unfortunately a common thing with people who have autism, and as I mentioned previously, Rui was alone for presumably seven years straight, all because he was regarded as "different". - 2, He has "restricted, obsessive interests" that can be seen as hyperfixations/special interests. Ever since he was a child, Rui's been heavily interested in both robotics/inventing and shows. A hyperfixation is described as, "A complete obsession with or absorption into a particular task. The task can be a hobby, a TV show, a subject of interest, or something else. People who hyperfixate may tune out the world around them and ignore important responsibilities, such as eating or sleeping." Rui's interest in shows specifically can be seen as a hyperfixation, as in the first side story of his Unforeseen Keynotes (or Unexpected Happenings according to the English translation) card, Rui was so engrossed in thinking about the next show they'd be doing, he had completely forgotten that Robo-Nene was due for maintenance, and Nene mentions that this wouldn't be the first time he's forgotten to eat or sleep because of how engrossed he gets in his thoughts while thinking about shows.

Nene also mentions in Wonderlands x Showtime's main story that Rui becomes so absorbed in his shows that he "loses sight of everything else", (In the original Japanese version, she says "When it comes to shows, he isn't able to look at his surroundings, so things never work out".)

and also in KAMIKOU FESTIVAL!, where he mentions that his tendency to put shows "at the center of everything" might be a flaw of his;

(translation by Ren) It's also mentioned in A Once-In-A-Lifetime Pandemonium!? that he'll get so absorbed in his thoughts while thinking of shows, he'll completely forget about his surroundings.

(translation by tsukasa’s #3 fan) - 3, He has texture issues, which is also common with people who have autism. It's been mentioned multiple times throughout the course of the game that he detests vegetables, but more specifically cucumbers and things in the cucurbitaceae family (such as watermelon & pumpkin), because they all share the same texture.

He mentions in an area conversation with Nene that he usually only eats at restaurants he's familiar with (he sticks to routine; another thing common with people who have autism), so eating out has never been an issue to him, and he even refused to eat vegetables when they were quite literally stranded on a deserted island and in a life-threatening situation.

- 4, He info-dumps. A lot.

This one is pretty self-explanatory, I think. - 5, He's overly logical and struggles with his emotions. He's had trouble on multiple occasions understanding his emotions, such as in Full Power! Wonder Halloween! where he unconsciously holds himself back after inadvertently injuring Tsukasa with one of his inventions, but he didn't realize that he was even holding himself back until somebody pointed it out, and he didn't realize that he was holding himself back because he was worried, either. Something similar happens in Heat Up! Kamikou High Cheering Squad! where he unconsciously holds himself back because he feared being shunned again, but once again, he didn't realize the reason for him holding himself back until somebody pointed it out for him. In the first side story of his I Can't Afford to Lose *4 card, Rui comes to the Sekai, hoping to talk to somebody to put his mind at ease. As he runs into Meiko and Luka and they ask him what's wrong because he seemed down, Rui says that "I just wanted to think about production, but my feelings got in the way of thinking". He then says "Feelings really are troublesome. / Sometimes, you have to hold them back with all of your might... It'd be nice if someone other than me could manage these troublesome feelings". (In the English translation, he says "Emotions are so complicated and can be so troublesome at times. / There are even times when one becomes completely overwhelmed by them... If only someone else were able to help put a lid on them.") Lastly, I'd like to mention that in Revival My Dream, after Rui asks his mom if he's different from the people around him, she responds by saying that, yes, he is different, but she also says that she was "just like him" as a child, and seeing how autism is caused mainly by genetics, his mom can very well be autistic too.

Okay, that is all!!! Thank you for listening to me yap :3

[visualtaehyun]

MY GIRLS ARE FINALLY ON AIR

Disclaimer: not a native Thai speaker, still learning 🙏

Ongsa and Sun

At first, Ongsa wrongly assumes that Sun is older so she calls her พี่ /phi/, speaks respectfully and wais her:

ขอโทษค่ะพี่ /khaaw thoht kha, phi/

Then they settle into these pronouns:

☀ Sun: เรา /rao/ -> Ongsa (calls her เธอ /ter/ once when she asks her name)

🌐 Ongsa: เรา /rao/ -> Sun

-> เรา /rao/ is an informal 1st pers. pronoun that pretty much all the students in Ongsa's class seem to use

Later, when they're texting, it takes Ongsa entirely too long to catch onto the fact that Sun thinks Earth is a guy because-

คุยกันมาตั้งนาน เรายังไม่รู้เลยว่านายชื่ออะไร /khui gan maa dtang naan. rao yang mai ruu loei waa naai cheuu a rai/ -> นาย /naai/ is a male 2nd pers. pronoun

While we're talking about their texts, the subs have this weirdly mixed up:

1 - ฝันดีนะ /fan dee na/ = lit. dream well/good dreams, 'Sweet dreams' 2 - ราตรีสวัสดิ์ /raa dtree sa wat/ = formal, 'Good night' 3 - Similarly, Sun's มอนิ่งนะ /morning na/ is a more informal 'Good morning' compared to formal อรุณสวัสดิ์ /a roon sa wat/ or polite สวัสดีตอนเช้า /sa wat dee dtaawn chaao/

When Ongsa isn't gay-panic hiccupping, she's actually really clever and witty! I'll get to her ig posts in a second but there's also this moment:

ยังสวยอยู่เลย /yang suay yuu loei/ สวยจะ หมายถึง ซวยอ่ะ /suay ja- maai theung- suay a/

The difference in pronunciation between these two words is just the tone - สวย /suay/ (rising tone) means pretty vs. ซวย /suay/ (middle tone) means unlucky

from.the.earth__

ถ่ายรูป ด่วน สี-ขาวดำ /thaai ruup duaan see khaao dam/ = urgent/express black-and-white photography caption: ยกกล้องมาถ่ายแทบไม่ทัน /yohk glaawng maa thaai thaaep mai than/ = almost didn't raise the camera in time to snap this

caption: เงา-เหงา /ngao-ngao/ = shadow-lonely -> เงา ๆ /ngao ngao/ is an expression that means indistinctly, faintly

The difference in pronunciation is, again, in the tones - เงา /ngao/ (middle tone) means shadow vs. เหงา /ngao/ (rising tone) means lonely

caption: ว้าว! ปลาทับใจจัง /wow! bplaa thap jai jang/

I love this SO much omg It's a pun on ประทับใจ /bpra thap jai/ = impressed, but also a visual pun!!

ปลา /bplaa/ = fish + ทับ /thap/ = placed on top of + ใจ /jai/ = heart

caption: สู้ ๆ นะ เป็นกำลังใจให้ /su su na. bpen gam lang jai hai/ = Fighting! Rooting for/encouraging [you]!

Another visual pun! This one's only funny if you know what peaches are called in Thai: peach = ลูกท้อ /luuk thaaw/ - but the word ท้อ /thaaw/ in there? It means discouraged!

Alpha, Aylin, and Luna

🔝 Alpha is Ongsa's older sister: พี่ /phi/ (used as a 1st pers. pronoun) -> แก /gae/ (informal 2nd pers. pronoun)

👽 Aylin is their cousin, in the same grade as Ongsa, and speaks pretty curtly, almost like someone would on two-way radio: she doesn't use any pronouns apart from this once-

แกกำลังบุกรุกที่ของฉัน /gae gam lang book rook thee khaawng chan/

Omitting pronouns is possible and not uncommon in Thai but doing so constantly, combined with her monotone speech pattern, low voice, and mostly a lack of ending particles, it does stick out! It doesn't really come across in the subs tbh (apart from including the way she refers to people as humans = มนุษย์ /ma noot/):

ไม่ต้องแคร์ใคร /mai dtaawng care khrai/ = Don't need to care about anyone.

🌙 Luna, Alpha, the two bullies, and Mawin all seem to be in the same grade because all of them use the impolite pronouns กู/มึง /guu, meung/ (=I/you) amongst each other - how very fun to finally hear some GMMTV girls talk like this :D

I love Alpha and Luna teaming up to beat up scold these two dipshits:

Alpha: พวกมึงสองคนแกล้งน้องกูออ /phuuak meung saawng khohn glaaeng nong guu aaw/ Mawin, trying to defuse: พวกเธอใจเย็นก่อน /phuuak ter jai yen gaawn/

While the girls are furious, the guys are clearly fearing for their lives, wai'ing endlessly 😂

Lastly-

Sarah Salola

I gasped when I saw her name in the credits!! She's this handsome singer-songwriter with a lovely voice who's queer herself - she's talked about her sexuality and style before (interview is in Thai) but this Valentine's she revealed her partner :)

Here's a cover of Nont Tanont's รักแรก (First Love) she did with Jan 💕

Needless to say, I can't wait for her OST and the accompanying MV that's surely gonna be super cute!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

SCREECHiNG

WAKE UP HON WE GOT NEW OFFICIAL ROLLO CONTENT (thanks to curekibouka for the translation!) 😭 (Bless him, he came home so quickly at only 40 rolls…)

***Rollo profile, Groovy, vignettes, and chibi spoilers below the cut!!***

As you can see in the card art shown above, it looks like his official English name will be "Rollo Flamme", not some other variation.

His coffin icon has a bell on it! Very fitting.

Yes, he’s triple fire magic and has a Duo with Grim.

… LMAO his Buddies are Malleus, Idia, and Azul 🤡

He's a third-year student at Noble Bell College, Student Council President, (but we already knew this) and 18 years old

His birthday is Feb 2nd! (There was a mistake in the initial launch of the Rollo card and profile in which his birthday was incorrectly stated as Feb 4th, which is Cater's birthday. Man was so mad when he realized he shared a birthday with a NRC boy so he redid his birth certificate/j)

(Here are screenshots of before and after the change; I happened to take a picture before the update:)

178 cm tall (LMAO I guess he doesn't meet a certain Ghost Bride’s standards)

Right-handed

Comes from the Shaftlands (again, we already knew this)

HE'S IN THE HAND BELL CLUB????? TF... HE JUST STANDS THERE AND RINGS HIS LITTLE HAND BELL????? ? ???? ?? ???

Best subject is Potionology

His hobby is cleaning malewife trait

He obviously hates magic 😂

Favorite food is not, in fact, croissants; it's actually grapes

Least favorite food is savarin, which is a ring-shaped cake soaked in flavored syrup and then garnished with cream and fruit

HIS SPECIAL SKILL IS GARDENING WHICH MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD... considering what he used that skill for... 🤡

His official description in the profile states that Rollo is admired by his classmates for his seriousness and no-nonsense attitude, but he also has a tendency to be… neurotic 💀 gee, ya think

His vignettes are set at NBC, not Night Raven College. They seem to be set prior to the events of Glorious Masquerade.

It's said that the reason he is at NRC now is because he is there temporarily to study.

We see Rollo going about his daily routine. He tends to the Bell of Salvation and the gargoyles early in the morning when the sky is still dark which probably explains the dark eyebags. He’s able to witness the sun rising as he does his cleaning. Rollo finds the dawn peaceful! and loves listening to the bell ring.

OMG the gargoyles are so excited when he pays attention to them 😭 They hop around like excited little puppies… NOT ROLLO WANTING TO GET RID OF THEM

Rollo also has his duties as a regular student. I believe he discusses grades with his vice president. He thinks his classmates are stupid 😂 and finds it ironic that these people look up to him and see him as a top student and a great magician…

Rollo eats his lunches alone because he finds people noisy. Bruh, he has 2 croissants, 16 grapes and 1 cup of cafe au lait (coffee with milk) for lunch every day of the year…

He shops in the City of Flowers and has a routine of buying a plain letter set, only all white paper and envelopes—even if there is a better deal on other sets. If Rollo is one thing (besides angry), he’s consistent and likes to stick to a routine and to things that are certain!

LMAO Rollo hates the City of Flowers because it’s flowers blossom because of magic ✨

Rollo runs into some trouble when a community goat wants to chomp on rhe letter set he bought in town 😂 He’s calm at first but then gets mad because he considers the goat unsanitary and it’s trying to eat his robes…

I want to stress that this boy is suppressing his rage and disgust the entire time 🤡 He’s trying so hard to pass as well-adjusted… Man’s literally going to send this goat flying but stops because he realizes there are too many witnesses…

At the end, Rollo writes a letter to his parents to let them know he is doing fine. Apparently, they’ve been worrying about him ever since “that” incident 😔 The letter reads as very formal and stiff, as though he’s writing to strangers. Maybe he has emotionally distanced himself from his parents (perhaps as a result of “that” incident), although he isn’t outright rude about it.

HIS LITTLE EVIL SMIRK... IT'S EVEN MORE FUNNY WHEN PAIRED WITH HIS VOICE BECAUSE IT'S SO SOFT AND CALM, THE KIND OF VOICE YOU'D NORMALLY HEAR IN LIKE AN ASMR VIDEO 😭

The fact that he writes with a feather quill instead of a magical pen………… ….. ….. … … . .. . … … . . . . .. . … .. . . .

Also the fact that he's by default in his big, bulky uniform with tons of extra material that would make it TERRIBLE for P.E. 💀 and has nothing else to change into... The last screenshot of the group above also looks like Sebek has leaned over to Rollo's ear to spread the GOOD WORD of WAKASAMA and Rollo is trying to do his very best to ignore him...

P.S. I want everyone to know that he does THIS whenever he has a Perfect in Magic History... ROLLO'S LITERALLY A CARTOON VILLAIN PLOTTING REVENGE AGAINST HIS CLASSMATES.... .. . .......... . .. . . . . . . . . . yes, I stuck him in a class with Malleus, Idia, and Azul :))

AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HIS GROOVY...

WHY DOES iT MAKE ME WANT TO BULLY HIM INTO THE DIRT 😭 jUST Lo0OKK AT HIM, HE'S tryING sO HaRD THAT I T HAS THE OPPOSITE INTEndeD EFFECT AND HE COMES oFF AS A MOREN SKRUNGLY L0SEr INSTEAqd 2reqrbhyygo13ogyt68p9egflbagj;jlg.DIHOBbyOFSYSvtdDOVFEILBcsnkmg2myoeqofadnm,vd..go0i424ph13nifIUSFVsofsgotfFIUOFOVUEWVOQEGYVbiypfpb OTL

I'M SO NOT GOING TO BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS, I'M SO NOT GOING TO BE NORMAL

I aM SO ASPoRRY fOR THE PERsON I Am AbOUT To BecOME 🤡

[thelingodingo]

Haikyuu Characters' Informal & Formal Speech

Something I find interesting about different languages and cultures regarding sociolinguistics is the entire idea of formality. Of course, there are ways to sound more formal/polite in English and ways to sound more informal/rude depending on word choice (synonyms). But with a language such as Japanese, it's the grammatical structure itself (verb endings, vocab) that changes to convey varying levels of formality.

An example would be:

大丈夫? (informal) vs 大丈夫ですか？(formal) = Are you ok?

daijoubu vs daijoubudesuka

これは本だ (informal) vs これは本です (formal) = This is a book.

korewahonda vs korewahondesu

In a school setting, the younger grades (kohai) will use formal speech with the older grades (senpai) as well as teachers: meaning 1st years will be formal to 2nd and 3rd years, 2nd years will be informal to 1st years but formal to 3rd years, and 3rd years can be informal to both 1st and 2nd years.

This is easily shown in basically any anime but this post will focus on Haikyuu since it's the one I'm most familiar with.

Karasuno: Kageyama and Tsukishima definitely hold a very high level of politeness towards their senpai as they always speak formally towards them and also always call them "full surname-san" (Azumane-san instead of Asahi-san, Sugawara-san instead of Suga-san, Sawamura-san instead of Daichi-san, Nishinoya-san instead of Noya-san). It makes sense for them since in general their personalities are quite strict and rigid. Hinata also speaks formally to his senpai but calls them by their more usual names (Daichi-san, Suga-san, etc) and he tends to forget to speak formally out of sheer excitement (not because he's trying to be rude) so he ends up adding on the formal desu copula to quickly change his informal sentence to be formal at the last second. You might think that Tanaka and Nishinoya are pretty relaxed when it comes to formalities due to their crasser personalities but I would actually say it's more the opposite. They're both characters that really like upholding the entire senpai-kohai relationship and it shows in that they are always respectful to the 3rd years and use formal speech (it's also shown in how they both loveee being called senpai and specifically Nishinoya's relationship with Asahi). They still call the 3rd years by their more common names so they aren't as rigid as Tsukki and Kageyama when it comes to names though. The scenes in season 1 when Noya and Asahi were fighting (specifically the storage room fight) were surprising in particular due to Noya changing to informal speech while arguing with Asahi (his senpai).

some other random formalities I've noticed in the other characters: as mentioned in the anime, Kenma doesn't like any of that hierarchy stuff which is why Hinata is able to continue comfortably speaking informally to him even though Kenma is a senpai. The shock and immediate apology of Hinata when he finds out Kenma is older than him is sensible in the cultural context since there are many people who would get quite offended and angry if a kohai were to be speaking informally towards them. Although Kenma is never shown directly talking to any 3rd years (other than Kuroo, which he speaks informally to since they're childhood friends), I assume he would still speak formally since even though he doesn't find formal speech necessary he would still be aware that others would care about it. When it comes to Mad Dog, a small part of me expected him to be completely informal to everyone since those kind of characters are usually like that in anime but he still keeps a pretty formal tone when talking to his senpais which pleasantly surprised me. As far as I remember watching season 4, I don't think the Miya twins use formal speech when talking to Aran. They don't call him Aran-san or anything either, just Aran-kun, which could be another example of childhood friends not needing formalities even with the age gap.

EDIT: i just remembered that Kageyama is so damn polite that he doesn't even differentiate between the Miya twins by their first names, he calls them both "Miya-san"!

If anybody wants a particular character/school to be discussed in detail then just send me an ask and I'll try!

side note: this post isn't proofread so if theres any mistakes or corrections in the info please tell me (✿◠‿◠)

[hermetiqa]

What do you need to hear today?

Daily Message: 01.08.24

Happy 1st of August!

Close your eyes and take a deep breath before picking a pile. If you feel drawn to more than one pile, it's alright, you may take the piles that you're drawn to. What's important is to take it how it resonates and leave what doesn't.

PAID READINGS

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FEEDBACK

NOTE: Please feel free to give me a feedback on my asks about the reading! I would highly appreciate it and it'll be a huge help for me to save money for my tuition fee this year.

Pile 1

Hello, Pile 1! For today, I'm getting that you need to be reminded about seeking help. This is your reminder that it's alright to seek help from others, whether from your family, friends, or maybe if you have a guidance counsellor in your school/university. Be mindful of your actions and avoid letting your impatience and aggression make you do things that you'll regret in the far or near future. You might be someone who listens to your heart than your head, and that's alright. But at times, you need to watch out for any aggressiveness that you might find yourself in. There are times that you need to use logic in certain situations, but you tend to listen to your heart. I'm hearing that you need to improve that and learn to listen to your head when you need to. I'm also getting that there's something that you want to achieve here, it's more like a material possession or anything related to your finances. I feel like you want to spend some money on yourself or maybe you're thinking of moving out of your home but you're too afraid to risk everything you've done, and I'm getting that you should take the risk. Because your current situation might be holding you back or weighing you down from success, and you need to pull yourself back up and overcome it. This is your reminder to let go of those people who are no longer serving you.

Pile 2

Hello, Pile 2! I hope you're doing well because I'm getting a lot on your end. I'm getting stagnancy on your end. You're not progressing when you're supposed to because you're not changing your methods and routines. You're too scared to do that. You want to be in control of your life and your environment. You're not focusing on things that you should focus on and prioritize. You tend to procrastinate when you have plenty of time to do things. You might be a student and this could be related to your studies. I'm hearing high school student or university student. If you're a high school student, you could be in 11th or 12th grade. If you're a university student, you could be in your 1st or 2nd year. You might be thinking of changing your mind when it comes to your career in the future, so now, you're thinking of changing your major studies. The confusion is leading you to stagnancy. You don't want to do things anymore because you don't have the energy to do them. You're drained by your confusion about what your future holds for you. But in reality, your future depends on you. Similar to Pile 1, it's okay to ask for guidance and help too, especially from your guidance counsellor since you're a student. This is your reminder to take some rest and clear your mind because I'm getting that you might be overthinking about it too much and not being able to give yourself some time to recharge. Your current path might be leading you to a severe burnout, so it's okay to keep your distance from it and change paths. A friend messaged me as I'm doing this reading, so something or someone could be hindering you from making your decision, especially your family or close friends. I'm getting that you're scared of being left behind. This is your reminder that it's okay to change your path while you're in the middle of the current one, it's okay not to finish it especially if it's draining you. You have your own timeline and journey, just as much as everyone else does.

Pile 3

Hello, Pile 3! There's also a lot on your end. I'm seeing that something is weighing you down, it's either something or someone. But I'm getting more of the latter. I'm getting a strong masculine energy. This person is confusing you and holding you back. I feel like they're convincing you not to pursue what you want to pursue because this is threatening to them. Your success and abundance are threatening to them. They don't want you to be happy because they have a miserable life. I feel like this person is using their soft side to get to you. It's like they're trying to manipulate you not just by intellect, but also by their emotions. You think they have a soft side for you because that's what they're showing you, but deep inside them, they're already thinking of other ways to manipulate you. This person is trying to convince you that there are many other opportunities for you so that you won't grab the opportunity that was offered to you. You could be in a relationship with this person and you could have a job offered to you, which is more like a part-time job. You're a practical person and this person is not, which is causing them hatred towards you. You might be confused about this right now because you might be thinking that they have genuine intentions, but this is your wake up call that they don't have genuine intentions towards you at all. I feel like you're getting hints about this and your friends could be warning you already, but you're in denial. You refuse to listen because you have love for this person but unfortunately, this person doesn't have love for you. This is your sign to reconsider your relationship and let them go. Choose yourself, your well-being, your peace, and your peace of mind.

[earthtoharlow]

Teach Me: Merry & Bright

Series Masterlist

“Careful Daddy!” Jayla’s arms wrapped around Jack’s neck tightly as the snow crunched underneath his boots as he carried her to his car parked in the driveway.

“You think I’m gonna drop you?” Jack teased as he pretended to drop her from his arms, making his daughter squeal. Ariel smiled as she followed closely behind them.

Ariel and Jayla were on their way to the school's annual 2nd grade Christmas play. Surprisingly enough they both were in the play. Ariel as the narrator and Jayla was playing Elf #1. Jack was dropping them off early and would come back closer to the time the play started.

After Jack dropped the girls off at the school the two changed into their costumes, and did one more dress rehearsal with the other students before the crowd arrived.

Jayla had been in plays before but this was the first time she would actually have a speaking role. Ariel couldn’t help but snap photos of Jayla running around with the other students, excitement running through their tiny bodies.

Hours later Jack made his way down the aisle and sat front and center so that Jayla would be able to see him. Jack slid further down in his seat the more people trinkled in.

“Daddy?” He heard a familiar voice quietly call out. Turning around he saw Jayla’s head peeking out from behind the curtain on the side of the stage.

Thankfully not too many people were in his row yet as he excused himself, and quickly hopped on the side of the stage to greet her. Jack almost melted when he saw her in her red Christmas dress, hair pulled up into the perfect bun that he was sure Ariel spent a good amount of time on. He stopped in his tracks though when he noticed her lips start to quiver. “I’m really scared, daddy!”

“Oh Jayla” Jack cooed before pulling her into his chest, rubbing her back as small tears dropped from her eyes. “You’re going to do amazing!”

Jayla pulled back from the hug, eyes still watery. “I’m going to forget my lines!”

“You won’t forget them, you practiced every single day with me and Ariel—“

“…mommy.” She corrected him.

Jack had to hide his smile at the correction. “Exactly, so how could you forget your lines? You’re just nervous and that’s okay. Everyone gets nervous sometimes.”

“Even you?” Jayla questioned. While her dad didn’t perform on stage anymore, her many uncles have shown her videos of him rapping on huge stages.

“Heck yeah! I used to be terrified.”

Jayla snuggled in closer to him. “How did you stop being scared?”

Jack stopped for a moment to think before answering. “Well, I always take a deep breath, and remembered that I worked really hard on my performance. No matter what happens on that stage my friends and family will still love me.”

He could see the wheels turning in her head, thinking over what he said. She still looked nervous though. Jack lightly held on to Jayla’s shoulders and gave her complete eye contact. “Hey, you’re going to do a wonderful job tonight, Jayla Rose Harlow.” As Jack spoke those words, Jayla’s shoulders immediately dropped as she began to relax.

Jayla wrapped her arms around her father in a tight embrace. “Thanks, daddy.” She whispered in his ear.

“Anytime, babygirl! Now go break a leg!” Jayla stopped in her tracks at that phrase.

“Huh?”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh. “It means good luck!”

“Ooooh! Thanks!” Jayla said and blew him one last kiss before running backstage to finish getting ready. When Jack stood back up to feet he noticed Ariel standing a few feet away.

He simply winked at his wife, knowing she had seen the whole exchange and went back to his seat.

Jack eagerly waited for the curtain to draw as the lights dimmed in the auditorium. He started to feel nervous for his daughter, as his leg began to bounce in his seat.

The second grade class were all dressed as Santa’s helpers. The kids were running around on stage chasing Santa and playing pranks on him.

Jack was glad that Urban had volunteered to take photos of the play, he already couldn’t wait to look back on them. So far Jayla hadn’t had any lines, but he could see her getting more and more comfortable the more she was on stage.

He watched on as Jayla and the other Santa helpers swapped Santa’s suit for a smaller size. Laughing along with the crowd as Santa struggled to get the suit on.

Jack began biting his nails nervously knowing Jayla’s part was coming up.

Mrs.Claus slaps Santa’s hand as he reaches for a cookie. “No more cookies until you can fit into that suit!” Santa pouted.

“Maybe you should try eating a carrot, Rudolph loves carrots!” The other helps nodded in agreement

Santa shook his head, “no no! Do I look like a reindeer?”

Jack watched as Jayla tilted her head to the far left and looked at Santa and proceeded to tilt her head to the far right to get another look. “You are kind of round like reindeers body!”

Jayla's smile widened when the theater erupted in laughter. Jack’s smile was twice as big when a parent next to him elbowed him slightly and said “She was born to be on stage.”

The rest of the show flew with Jayla performing her lines perfectly. When the curtains closed, he immediately went backstage to greet Jayla with the other parents.

He stood to the back but still close enough for Jayla to see him. “DADDY!!” He heard her yell, he crouched down to her level to receive the huge hug he knew was coming. Jayla threw herself at him, and Jack held her tight as he scooped her up in his arms.

“Oh my god! Jayla you did amazing!! I’m so proud of you!” Jack said before placing kisses all over her face making her giggle.

“Hold on, are you giving away kisses without me?! Let me in on the action!” Ariel said, coming up behind him and Jayla. Jack handed Jayla off to Ariel so she could have her own time to congratulate their daughter.

Watching them together was starting to make him emotional. He tried to hide it by wiping his eyes but for some reason the tears would stop.

Holidays used to be very tough for both he and Jayla. Even just a couple years ago, Jayla wouldn’t even dare join the school play. He knew the person he could thank for that was Ariel. She’s changed their lives for the better, she was responsible for putting a smile on both his and Jayla’s faces.

“Are you crying, daddy?”

Jack took a deep breath and wiped his face again. “Only happy tears baby, only happy tears.”

***

Sorry this is so late but hope you all enjoyed this! Let me know your thoughts 🫶

tag list

(message me if you'd like to be added or removed)

@heavyhitterheaux @hoodharlow @neon-lights-and-glitter @babiefries @toocriticalharlow @mace23477 @jackmans-poison @dstark-0706 @harlowsbby @itsyagirljaz @leftapricotprofessorlover @comehomeimissyou @minkookie95 @harlowcomehome @jackharloww @jaydaaasworld @kkrenae @hufflewhore128 @w1ldthoughts @vinniehackersbaee @realwifeofjackharlow @halfmoondaze @katiaw2

[itsokbbygrl]

Old Dogs and New Tricks

Summary: Sarah Miller has always loved her dad, maybe especially today. Years of long days at work and longer nights taking classes and studying have lead to this--his college graduation day. When the Miller family is interrupted during their impromptu picture time, Sarah thinks there might be one more person who could love her dad, too.

Word Count: 3k, one-shot

Rating: T (some swearing)

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader/OFC

Tags: FLUFF, TOOTH ROTTING FLUFF, BRUSH YOUR TEETH AND FLOSS AFTER THIS ONE!!!, mild swearing, Sarah Miller POV, briefly Joel Miller POV, likely some University of Texas at Austin graduation inaccuracies, adult learner gets his diploma yay, Uncle Tommy is an A+ wingman, almost zero description of reader aside from having hair long enough to tuck behind an ear, wearing a dress, and having a shimmering laugh, but Joel and Sarah both refer to reader as a woman and use she/her pronouns, no y/n, no 2nd person perspective, reader/OFC has an unspecified family outside of 1 sister

A/N: Helloooooooooo this is the first thing I've ever published here holy shiiiiiiit. I was scrolling on Pinterest for interior design inspo and came across this adorable photo and immediately went, "omg Joel and Sarah core."

So naturally, I had to write it and set it in the HBO TLOU timeline. Sarah is 10 and we're going to suspend our disbelief about the technology of the year 2000 a little bit okay??? Digital cameras were not that good and very expensive and most people still did not have cell phones, but THE MILLERS DO OK. Anyway without further ado, I give you that (not so) old man doing something adorable. I hope you like it! My DMs and inbox are always open (yes I lovingly refer to you all as my little chickens, come say hi to me!). Reblogs and comments are appreciated per usual. 💖 Banner and title card made by me with the help of Canva :)

Sarah loves a lot of things about her life–her soccer team, her fourth grade teacher, all of the friends she’s made in her 10 years of life–but if you asked her what she loved most of all, she would say her family, hands down. Her family is small–just she, her dad, and her uncle Tommy–but their love for each other is anything but. It’s been the three of them her whole life and she’s never felt like there were any missing pieces, until one fateful Saturday in May. 

Sarah has spent nearly her entire life being told how proud her dad is of her, but today is a day Sarah is determined to show her dad how proud she is of him. She knows he tries to hide how stressed he’s been the last few years, how tired, but she’s a smart girl and she, to her dad’s chagrin, notices everything. Sarah almost can’t contain her excitement for her dad as her uncle Tommy parks his truck in the vast expanse of the University of Texas at Austin’s football stadium parking lot. She hops out of the backseat and slams the door like Tommy taught her to make sure it closes all the way on its rusty old hinges, and then bends at her waist to brush any pesky wrinkles from her dress. She wanted to look extra nice for today, trying to tame her thick, curly hair by tying it back in a low bun and fashioning her favorite flower pin on the side, donning her favorite sundress and the sandals her grandma said were nice enough for Sunday church. If they were nice enough for grandma’s church, they were definitely nice enough for her dad’s graduation, she figured. 

Sarah finds Tommy around the front of the truck as he’s pulling their entry tickets from his wallet. “Here you go, kiddo,” he says, extending a ticket to her with a smile. She replies her thanks before following him towards the imposing stadium ahead. Tommy helps lead them through the crowd, consistently checking to make sure she’s still near, Sarah offering him a smile each time she catches him looking. Their seats are up high, in the top third of the stadium bleachers. Sarah thinks she hears Tommy mutter something about only getting good seats if you donate a bunch of money under his breath, but she isn’t sure what exactly he means, so she ignores it. 

“Do you know where dad’s going to be?” Sarah asks her uncle. She wants to know where to look, doesn’t want to miss a minute of this, and she’s dubbed herself unofficial photographer for the day, so she wants to make sure she knows where to point the camera at all times. 

“Not yet, honey. We’ll keep our ears open, they usually announce each college as they come in, so we’ll know when to look for your dad,” Tommy reasons. 

“Good plan,” Sarah nods in return, eyes focusing back on the field ahead. 

Once it appears the seats have nearly filled, Sarah checks her trusty watch and sees the time has just passed 2:00, the scheduled start time for today’s ceremony. As if she triggered it herself, her head perks up as the sound of brass instruments rings out through the stadium, signaling the start of the ceremony. She watches the entrance of students intently, hoping to catch a glimpse of her dad. 

Sarah turns in her seat and asks, “Uncle Tommy, can I have the camera, please?” 

Tommy fishes in his pocket and pulls out the requested camera, placing it in Sarah’s open palm. “Yup, got it right here. You gonna be on photography duty today?” Tommy chuckles as he watches Sarah’s brows pull together just like her dad’s as she fiddles with the buttons on the camera until the settings are to her liking. 

“You bet,” Sarah answers, poking her tongue between her teeth as she looks down at the small digital viewfinder. “Can’t see anything, gonna use the zoom and see if I can see any better through the screen.”

Tommy lets out a low whistle, “Smarty pants over here, did we forget your cap and gown? Shouldn’t you be down there?” He jokes and pokes her in the ribs to make her giggle. 

“Uncle Tommy! Stop!” She laughs. “I’m trying to focus!”

“Alright, alright, kiddo. I’ll let you focus. Let me know if you find him.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Sarah salutes in return, earning a chuckle out of her uncle. 

The McComb School of Business is announced and Sarah sits up a little straighter, refocusing her efforts to capture every important moment. She squints against the afternoon sun, determined to find her dad amongst the long line of pending graduates. 

“There!” she points and Tommy follows her finger, trying to find what she’s seeing. “See his hat? I told him he needed to put something on it so we could find him and he told me to go wild, so I did. I knew that orange glitter glue would come in handy.”

Tommy spots him then, laughing when Sarah shows him the picture she’s snapped on the little screen, Joel’s graduation cap adorned with orange glitter glue that reads, “This old dog learned new tricks,” accompanied by two clip art dogs pasted on opposite corners. 

“D’you come up with that all on your own, smarty pants?” Tommy asks her. 

“Sure did,” Sarah chuffs. “Dad always says, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” when he doesn’t want to learn stuff like the camera or the computer, so I thought it would be funny,” she finishes with a shrug. Tommy silently laughs, his shoulders gently shaking, and Sarah smiles to herself. 

If there’s one thing Sarah will take away from this day it’s that graduation ceremonies are long and boring. There are about two minutes where she focuses intently as her dad’s row rises to make their way up to the stage. She diligently keeps the camera pointed his way, snapping pictures every so often. As he prepares to take the stage, she and Tommy stand from their seats. 

“Joel Alejandro Miller,” the announcer reads. Sarah and Tommy whoop and cheer as Joel crosses the stage, Sarah keeping the camera trained on her dad, making sure to press the shutter a few times as he shakes hands with the chancellor and receives his diploma. The rest of the ceremony goes by relatively uneventfully, until the graduates are instructed to stand and change their tassels from right to left. There’s a murmur through the audience and then the students erupt in a spirited rendition of, “The Eyes of Texas.” Sarah smiles as she watches the new graduates laugh and sing, throwing arms around friends and pointing to the sky. Once the song ends, the graduates then whoop and throw their caps into the air, and Sarah raises the camera once more to snap a couple final pictures. 

The crowd starts to dissipate, attendees making their way towards the exits to find their respective graduates. Sarah looks over the railing of the ramp as she and Tommy work their way down from their seats and watches as the mass of bodies move through the corridor, thinking about how they resemble a school of fish, almost liquid in the way they shift to accommodate obstacles in the hall. 

After a few minutes of shuffling, she and Tommy find the exit out of the stadium, heading towards the spot they designated to meet Joel after the ceremony. Sarah spots him first, poking Tommy in the arm and pointing his way. Tommy nods in acknowledgement, giving her the okay to head over. She looks both ways to make sure the coast is clear before breaking out in a jog. 

“Dad!” she calls, waving her arms to get Joel’s attention. His natural scowl drops the minute he sees her, face breaking out into a wide grin, and opens his arms as she rushes forward. Sarah meets him with force, earning a quiet, “Oof,” from her dad as she wraps her arms around his middle and hugs him tight. 

“You did it! I’m so proud of you!” Sarah tells him, not letting go, but tipping her head back to look him in the eyes. If she notices the extra glimmer along his waterline, she doesn’t say anything. He pulls her in tighter, giving her small shoulders a squeeze, and Sarah feels the deep rumble of his laughter in her cheek. 

“Thanks, babygirl. I’m so glad you came,” Joel tells her, rubbing up and down her back before letting her go from his embrace. 

“Hey old man, proud of you brother,” Tommy greets Joel with a smile and a hug, the brothers exchanging firm pats on the back before separating. Joel gives him a half smile and thanks him for coming and for bringing Sarah.

Sarah steps back from their little group and realizes her dad has already taken off his cap and gown, and that just won’t do. 

“Dad, where’s your hat and robe?” Sarah chides, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a serious look. 

“It was hot, so I took them off,” Joel answers. 

“Well, put them back on! We need to get pictures!” Sarah iterates, raising the camera in front of her dad’s face and giving it a shake. 

Joel sighs, but relents. “Alright, alright, gimme a second, kiddo, then you can play photographer.” They find an open spot on the lawn and Sarah powers up the camera again, using the viewfinder to ensure the shot is lined up just right. 

“Ok, 1, 2, 3…say, “Hook ‘em!”” Sarah says. 

Joel smiles and entertains his daughter’s request. “Hook ‘em!” he says, smiling for the camera. 

“Ok, this one, hold up your diploma,” Sarah requests and Joel again complies. “Can we do one more?” Sarah asks. 

Joel gives her a nod, “Sure thing, honey.”

“Ok, this one, do the Hook ‘Em horns,” Sarah says and she does the gesture with her own small hand. Joel mimics his daughter and smiles for the camera as she snaps the picture. She pulls up the recent shots and turns the camera towards her dad to review them together, unaware that they’ve been watched for the last few minutes. 

“Excuse me,” a soft voice interrupts Sarah and Joel from their scrolling and they look up to find a new member has joined their party. 

“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, I just saw your daughter taking pictures and I thought y’all might want a few together?” Wow, pretty, Sarah thinks as she assesses the stranger. 

Joel clears his throat and Sarah turns her head to see her dad’s cheeks have flushed a new shade of pink as he stammers out a, “That’s awful kind of you, darlin’. Thanks for offerin’, we’d love that.” Sarah’s mouth ticks up into a smirk, the dimple she shares with her dad crescenting her cheek. She turns to Tommy and they share a knowing look. 

“Thank you, ma’am. You just press this button here,” Sarah hands over the camera and shows the pretty stranger how to operate it.

“Got it, thanks, sweetie,” she replies before bringing the camera’s viewfinder up to her eye and lining up the duo. “Ok, big smiles,” she says and clicks the shutter. She smiles and moves the camera away from her face for a moment to direct, “How about we get one with both of you showing us your best “Hook ‘Em” next,” before once again snapping the photo. “Alright, let’s do one more. Gimme your best silly faces!” and she lets out a shimmering laugh as she presses the shutter a final time. 

“Perfect,” she says to the small family, smiling and handing the camera to Joel, their fingers brushing briefly as the camera exchanges hands before both of their eyes lift to meet. Tension lingers only for a moment at the contact before they both let out breathy chuckles. The stranger lifts her hand and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Joel’s gaze following the motion, Sarah’s gaze locked on her father. 

“This was real kind of you, darlin’. Thanks again for helping us out,” Joel says, trying to extend the moment just a little longer. 

“Oh, it was nothin’. My pleasure, really,” she replies in kind, waving him off, her gaze dropping shyly to the ground. “Well,” she continues, bringing her gaze back to Joel’s, “I better head back or my sister,” she turns her torso and gestures to where her party is standing and carrying on conversation, “will never let me hear the end of it, how I deserted her on her own graduation day after she spent torturous hours sitting through mine a few years back,” She chuckles softly and clasps her hands in front of her, kicking out one foot and cocking her hip slightly to the side. 

“Alright, s'pose we better let you get on back then,” Joel replies. Sarah catches a sadness in her dad’s eyes at their pretty stranger’s words. “Thanks again…I know, I know, I’ll stop,” he laughs when she gives him a stink eye at his persistent gratitude. “Have fun with your family. And pass on our congrats to your sister.”

“I will,” she nods before taking a visible breath and waving goodbyes to the three Millers. She turns and heads back towards her own family. Sarah watches her dad watch her the entire time she goes, turning to Tommy and sharing an unspoken conversation before Tommy breaks the silence. 

“Alright, brother, why don’t you say hi to your fancy college buddies before we head out. I’ll entertain the sprout for a few minutes. Then we can head out for ice cream,” Tommy says, pulling Sarah into his arms and giving her a soft noogie while she cringes good naturedly. 

“Uncle Tommy! Stop, you’re going to mess up my hair!” Sarah complains. Tommy relents and Joel eyes the pair suspiciously, but ultimately agrees. He gives the camera back to Sarah for safekeeping, and she dramatically tells him she’ll protect it with her life. He laughs before leaving the pair on the lawn to find a few of his classmates and professors. 

Once he’s out of eye and earshot, Sarah and Tommy form a quick plan and spring into action. 

It’s getting late, the sun set, the evening sky dark and air heavy with the remaining heat and moisture from the day. Joel is sat in his makeshift home office at his messy desk, camera in hand, flipping through the pictures Sarah took earlier in the day. She got some pretty good shots, rolling his eyes and shaking his head fondly when he realizes how gaudy his cap looked from the crowd. 

He gets to the pictures of he and Sarah together and smiles, loving how happy his little girl looks, how proud she clearly is of him, how much fun they have together. He tries and fails not to think of the beautiful woman who took those pictures earlier, of the jolt of electricity that zipped up his arm and ran through his heart when their fingers touched, and he especially tries not to think about how he never managed to get her name. 

Just when he thinks he’s gotten to the end, the silly faces he and Sarah made only hours ago staring back at him through the small camera screen, he notices the number in the upper righthand corner. 24/25. There’s one more. He flips to it curiously, finding a special face looking back at him. A wide toothy smile, hair still tucked behind one ear, gorgeous little sundress that should have been illegal to wear out in public, and…holding a piece of paper? There’s something written on there and Joel desperately wants to know what it says, but for the life of him, he can’t remember how Sarah told him to work the goddamn zoom. 

He flips to the picture before, of him and Sarah making silly faces, swallows his pride and prepares himself for the shit he knows he’s about to get from his daughter before bellowing out, “Sarah! Babygirl, can you come here, please? Need you to help me with the camera!”

Sarah bounds into the room, sly grin already plastered on her face. Joel holds out the camera and asks, “How do you work the zoom on this thing again?”

Sarah walks over to her dad and points out the buttons he needs to use. “These right here, the plus sign zooms in, the minus sign zooms out, and you use these,” she moves her finger down to the directional arrow buttons that form a small circle on the lower right side of the camera, “to move the picture around when you’re zoomed in. Make sense?”

“Clear as mud,” Joel replies, giving the buttons a try to make sure he has it before dismissing his daughter, thanking her for her help, and thinks he hears her mutter something about old dogs and new tricks as she leaves the room. 

Joel turns his head to make sure Sarah isn’t hanging around before flipping back to the last picture on the digital version of a camera roll. He does as Sarah instructed, presses the plus button until the picture is zoomed in enough that he can read the paper being held up to the camera. No fucking way. He blinks, squints, rubs his eyes, and looks again, but his eyes did not deceive him. Written on the paper in a looping scrawl is undeniably a phone number. Joel leans back in his chair and brings his hand up to his mouth before pulling it down and resting on his lap. He stares at the screen for a moment in disbelief before letting out a low chuckle. He looks away from the screen and over towards the office entrance again, thinking about Tommy and Sarah and their insistence to hang back and let Joel congratulate his classmates and thank his professors. 

“Son of a bitch,” Joel murmurs to himself. He shakes his head and looks back at the screen. He holds his gaze there for a minute, then one more, before he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone, punching in the number and hitting the green call button before he loses his nerve. 

The line rings once, twice, three times, and Joel thinks maybe this was a mistake, calling a relative stranger after a brief (at most) meeting, but then the ringing stops and a newly familiar voice answers with a soft, “Hello?”

Joel smiles as his anxieties drift away, “Hey, darlin’. Nice to hear your voice again.”

END

Tagging some friends who might be interested: @5oh5 @javierpena-inatacvest @swiftispunk @sawymredfox

[daisynik7]

The Takada-Chan Meet and Greet

Pairing: Aoi Todo x f!reader

Rating: Mature

Word Count: ~3.1k

cw: explicit language, suggestive dialogue, switching POVs (reader is in 2nd person, Todo is in 3rd)

Summary: Your first Todo-free Takada-Chan event! Or so you think.

Author's Notes: Here’s Chapter 3! Thank you for supporting this series so far. In this story, Todo lives in Tokyo; he moved after graduating from Kyoto Jujutsu High School, in case you want some background info. Divider credit to @/saradika.

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Todo hates being late to Takada-Chan events. Absolutely despises it. However, his duties as a Jujutsu Sorcerer always come first; that’s the vow he committed to. Being a grade 1 sorcerer involves responsibilities that even the pop idol can’t supersede, much to his dismay.

The Saturday of Takada-Chan’s Meet and Greet, he is assigned a mission to exorcise an unregistered special grade cursed spirit outside of Tokyo. He convinces his brother, Yuji, to team up with him to knock this out as soon as possible. They successfully eliminate it, but it ends up taking them the entire morning, leaving Todo to rush back home to get ready. He’s scratched up a bit; nothing that a hot shower, moisturizer, and deodorant won’t fix. Still, he’s exhausted. It doesn’t matter, though; he will push through the pain for Takada-Chan!

As he changes, he recalls the most recent Handshake event he attended. It somehow became the best Takada-Chan experience, all thanks to that girl, his rival. The chick who gets under his skin, always challenging him, and calling him an idiot. They only received special treatment because the pop idol assumed they were a couple. How ridiculous. As if Aoi Todo could ever be with anyone besides Takada-Chan.

However, he is still a man. There’s no denying that he checked this girl out while she stood in line in front of him. He always makes it a point to observe a person, especially women. It’s for scientific data, of course, or at least that’s what he tells himself to justify it. In all honestly, he finds her cute; she has a nice smile, even though it’s never directed at him. And sure, maybe his eyes have drifted further south, mostly out of curiosity. Even he can admit to himself that she has a nice butt. He can’t help but acknowledge a beautiful ass when he sees one.

Personality-wise, he can’t straight up say he hates her. She’s annoying for trying to compete with him to be Takada-Chan’s #1 fan. She’s his rival when it comes to that. But deep down, he respects how she doesn’t back down from him. She challenges him, which he doesn’t mind since he loves competition. It keeps things interesting. It’s amusing how fired up she gets over all the stupid shit he says. And he says a lot of stupid shit.

He doesn’t like how she calls him an idiot, considering he has the highest IQ possible. But he can’t completely blame her either, given what an asshole he’s been to her so far. She probably hates him. 

Well, it doesn’t matter. The only woman for him is Takada-Chan. He doesn’t have to waste his time trying to get other women to like him. Especially her, his enemy. That’s all she’ll ever be to him anyways.

~~~

The morning of Takada-Chan’s Meet and Greet, you are busy helping Sara prepare for a private party at her family’s restaurant. As much as you would have preferred to arrive at the event early to secure a good spot in line, your best friend asked for help and you couldn’t deny her of that. She deals with plenty of your ridiculous requests, so offering her a hand is the least you could do. 

As you lay out new tablecloths, Sara asks, “So, think you’ll see that himbo again today?”

“Todo? I don’t know, I hope not,” you reply. 

She sets a centerpiece down in the middle of the table. “You might want to reconsider your stance on pretending you two are a couple. I know you said you wouldn’t go along with it again, but what if you keep getting special treatment? This might be your best option.”

You look at her, eyebrows furrowed. “You’re not seriously suggesting that my best option is to pretend that egotistical gorilla is my boyfriend, are you?”

She shrugs. “What’s there to lose?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. My pride. My dignity. My self-respect!”

She snickers. “Oh honey, that went out the window as soon as you started screaming Love Gem at each other.”

You give her a playful shove as you move on to the other tables, not responding to her little jab. Smirking, she adds, “Yuji said that Todo is actually really nice once you get to know him.”

“I’ve met this guy twice already and he’s been everything but nice. And since when are you and his friend on a first name basis?”

“Oh, we’ve been texting ever since we exchanged numbers at the Handshake Event. He’s super funny,” she explains, nonchalant. “Anyways, my point is, maybe you should try to play nice with Todo. There might be some benefits you can get out of this odd relationship you two have. Also, he’s hot. Maybe you can have angry hate sex with each other. How great would that be?!”

“Sara!” you exclaim, scandalized.

She giggles, giving you a sly look. “Oh please, don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it! He’s totally your type and you know it.”

You stay quiet because it’s true. It’s not like you’ve thought about doing it with him. But he is your type, there’s no denying it. Ripped, tall, that low gruff he has in his voice. That mysterious and alluring scar on his face. What’s the story behind that?

He has an awful personality, though. Just awful. Cocky, arrogant, overbearing, irritating. A straight up asshat.

Is it a tad bit cute how smitten he gets around Takada-Chan? Yeah, maybe. Just a tad. The tiniest morsel of cuteness. Other than that, there are no redeeming qualities about him. Zero, nada, zilch. And you’re convinced that there’s nothing he can do that will change your feelings about him. 

After helping at the restaurant, you board the bus to the familiar convention center. The Meet and Greet starts in an hour at 1 PM, so as expected, there are already hundreds of fans in line. Many are already inside, so the sheer volume of fanatics outside has you assuming the worst. Today is going to be a long day of waiting for your turn with Takada-Chan. You scan the line of people ahead of you to see any familiar face, specifically Todo. He’s probably first, gloating to whoever would listen about how he’s #1. Ugh. At least this will be the first Takada-Chan event uninterrupted by him. You’re not sure why you’re even thinking of him in the first place, you need to enjoy this moment of being Todo-free.

People continue to fall in line behind you. You chat with some fans next to you, sharing your favorite songs and iconic concert moments. From the corner of your eye, you notice a familiar figure approaching slowly from the across the street. To your surprise, it’s Todo. He’s walking with a small, but noticeable limp towards the front door of the convention center, hands in his pockets. He looks through the doors, then down the line of people wrapped around the building. His whole body heightens as he takes a deep sigh and makes his way to the back, looking defeated with his head down, staring at his feet, clearly frustrated. You can’t help but feel sorry for the guy.

Once he’s within earshot, you call out to him, “Hey Todo!”

He lifts his head to glance at you with a neutral expression, waiting for you to say something else.

You’re not even sure why you call out to him. What are you supposed to say? Do you want to be a little shit and boast? He would probably do the same to you, in fact you’re certain he would. But something about his expression in this moment is pitiful. You’re not that much of a cold-hearted bitch to kick him while he’s down, right?

“I guess we were both too busy today to claim our rightful spots. We’ll get it next time.” You give him a tight-lipped smile.

He lets out a small laugh. “Yeah, sure.” Then he drags his feet towards the end of the long line.

Why did you say something so unnecessary and useless? As if saying anything can make him feel better. And why do you care about making him feel better? This guy is nothing to you. It’s not like the two of you are friends.

You look back to see if you can still see him, but by now, he’s disappeared into the throng of people.

By 12:30 PM, the crowd is buzzing. Takada-Chan will be arriving any moment. There’s a chance that she will walk through the front entrance to greet her fans. Right on cue, a stretch limo appears on the street and the pop idol steps out, surrounded by security guards. She’s wearing an off-the-shoulder cropped blouse paired with a checkered mini skirt, strutting towards the fans in black platform heels, so stylish and cool as always. She starts near the rear, waving and smiling. Your heart races with excitement as she gets closer and closer to you. As she passes by, you wave enthusiastically. She smiles and continues, but then does a double take. “Hey! I recognize you! You were at my handshake event just a few weeks ago! One half of the couple! What’s your name again?”

Stuttering, you say your name. “Y-Y-Yes! That’s me!” You can’t believe that she recognizes you!

The idol gives you an adorable pout, asking, “Where is your other half?”

What should you do? You told yourself you wouldn’t continue along with this lie. You’re supposed to hate this man. He is your sworn enemy, arch-nemesis, your rival. On the other hand, Takada-Chan is standing right here, talking to you! Would you even be in this situation if it wasn’t for this huge misunderstanding? At the same time, you can’t get his sad face out of your mind. He’s probably still wallowing in self-pity. 

Thinking on your feet, you quickly blurt out, “He’s way in the back of the line! He had work earlier today, so he came late. He didn’t feel right getting in line with me since there were already so many other fans lined up, so he just went to the back, that’s why we aren’t together.” You manage to put on your most convincing frowny face, praying to the Idol gods that this little fib is convincing enough.

She nods, not saying anything at first. Then, she gives you a mischievous grin. “Well, we can’t have that can we? Let’s go get your boyfriend.” Your eyes widen as she holds your hand and drags you out of line towards the back. You’re at a complete loss for words, no idea what is happening. When you reach Todo, his sullen face instantly changes as soon as he sees Takada-Chan. He gives you a quick glance and his expression changes from delight to confusion.     

With a bright smile, the pop idol says, “Hello! Your girlfriend told me all about your situation. Follow me!” With her free hand, she grabs Todo’s wrist and leads the two of you into the convention center, security guards surrounding you. There are gasps and excited cheers from the others as you all make your way further into the building.

Todo, currently transfixed by her  grip on his wrist, manages to whisper to you, “What’s going on?”

As quietly as you can, you respond, “I’ll explain later, just play along.” He nods, continuing to focus on Takada-Chan’s grip, blushing the whole way.

She leads you past the Meet and Greet table, through a door in the back that turns into a hallway. Most of the guards stay behind, leaving you with just the pop idol and the same guard who handed you the posters at the Handshake Event. She releases her grips on both of you, facing you, still smiling brightly. Her hand rests on the doorknob as she announces, “Welcome to my dressing room!” The door swings open, like the pearly gates of heaven. You can’t believe you’re about to enter Takada-Chan’s dressing room! What’s more unbelievable is that Takada-Chan herself has invited you!

You and Todo gasp as you walk in, taking in this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the pop idol’s life. Takada plops down on the couch, twirling one of her pigtails with her fingers. “We still have a few minutes before the Meet and Greet starts. I wanted to give my favorite couple a very exclusive experience!” She pats the space next to her on the couch, motioning for you to sit down, specifically you. From your peripheral, you see Todo’s eyes widen, green with envy. Oh, how you wish you could take a picture of this and remember it forever. He’s so jealous of you. This is a feeling you can get used to.

For some reason, you don’t sit down. Instead, you smile at Todo, putting on this fake girlfriend act. “Todo, sweetie, you go ahead and sit. You’ve been working hard all morning.”

Why did you do this? You don’t owe this guy anything. Well, maybe you do. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t even be here right now. And Todo is so in love with Takada-Chan, you feel bad taking this rare opportunity away from him. After all, he did look rough today. Maybe you have just a microscopic soft spot for him. Maybe.

His mouth opens in shock as Takada-Chan squeals and exclaims, “Oh my gosh, you two are soooooo cute! I can’t!” She scoots over to the edge of the couch to accommodate Todo’s very large body. He looks nervous, giddy, and baffled all at the same time.

Sensing that Todo is too thrilled to speak, you initiate conversation with Takada-Chan, thanking her first for this very intimate Meet and Greet, and asking her questions about being a pop idol, which she kindly answers. She asks you about your “relationship” with Todo, which you do a lot of quick thinking and lying to answer. Basically, the story is that you’ve been together for four years, first meeting at a university party. You were attracted to his huge muscles and “quiet” personality, he was attracted to your quick wit and charm. He got into Takada-Chan only because of you and often praises you for being her #1 fan. Now you both live in studio apartment together in Tokyo with a pet turtle named Nobu.

If you are going to lie your ass off, you might as well milk it for all it’s worth.

When it gets closer to 1 PM, Takada gets up and goes over to her dresser. She signs a poster with both yours and Todo’s name on it, and writes, “To my favorite couple! Can’t wait to see you both at the next event!” She finishes it with a giant heart and her signature.

“Let’s take a picture before you two leave!” Takada-Chan stands in the center as you and Todo squeeze on either side of her. She puts up a peace sign, to which you both follow. Todo, who hasn’t said a word this whole time, holds out his arm with his phone in hand and takes the picture. It turns out to be a very cute photo.

You say your goodbyes, Todo blushing and still unable to speak, then the security guard walks you out through the back exit. You lead him towards the same bench area you found at the last event and sit down, still buzzing with excitement. You just spent twenty minutes alone with Takada-Chan. It’s like a dream come true!

The sound of his voice startles you. “That was crazy.”

You giggle, turning to face him. “She knows our names.” You unravel the rolled-up poster that she signed and stare at the message she wrote. It’s so surreal!

You’re both quiet for a few moments until Todo clears his throat. “Thanks. For doing all that. I don’t know exactly what you said to her, but whatever it was, it worked.” He pauses before asking, “Why did you do that?”

You shrug your shoulders and reply, “She asked where my boyfriend was, and I just came up with something. I don’t think she would let me into her dressing room alone. Unfortunately, we’re a packaged deal now.”

He chuckles. “I guess so. I just can’t believe I sat next to her. Our knees touched!”

“Why didn’t you say anything? She was sitting right next to you; I feel like I did all the talking.”

“I was so nervous. I couldn’t believe we were in her dressing room. I didn’t know what to say. You really held it down for us.” He looks at you, smiling. It wasn’t the shit-eating grin or cocky smirk you’ve seen from him before. It’s a friendly smile. A genuine smile. 

It catches you off guard. This might be the first time you and Todo aren’t bickering with each other. The first time he’s not being a cocky asshole to you. You stare down at the poster in your hands, debating in your head. Deciding, you hand it over to him. He doesn’t take it, he only gives you a curious look and says, “What are you doing? You should keep it.”

“No, it’s okay. I shamelessly used you today. Doesn’t feel right to keep it.”

“I don’t mind if you use me,” he says in that low voice. And there’s that smirk again.

Rolling your eyes, you say, “Just take it, okay? I’ve already made up my mind.”

He continues to look at you oddly. “Seriously, why are you doing this?”

“Does it matter? Take the poster. It’s really not a big deal. Just send me that picture and we’ll call it even.”

“Fine, give me your number then.”

You recite your phone number to him. After a few seconds, you feel the vibration of your phone. There it is, the picture. And his phone number. For some reason, you feel nervous having his phone number. Like a line has been crossed. There’s a noticeable difference in the energy between you two now. It’s weirdly peaceful.

After a few moments of silence, Todo huffs and cross his arms in front of his chest. “This doesn’t change anything, just so you know. I’m still her #1 fan.”

Never mind. Hostile energy is back.

“Aww, and just when I thought we could be friends,” you retort, rolling your eyes.

He looks at you with an eyebrow raised and grins. In his low voice, he says, “I don’t think we’ll ever be friends.”

You watch him as he walks away, signed poster in hand. His words seem harsh, but you can’t help but feel like there is a hidden meaning behind what he just said.

[junhui-png]

puppy love ⌦ .｡.:*♡

mingyu x reader x scoups? (Still figuring it out LOL)

pt. 2

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summary: first year of college, you literally knew no one and you planned for it to stay that way but damn were you wrong

notes: part 2!!! I hope y’all like this, I read back on pt 1 and realized I made some grammar errors and it was lowkey just ass in general…So I hope part 2 is a lot more enjoyable as I put a little more thought into it ! 💕

genre: seventeen college au, love triangle between scoups and Mingyu, Mingyu being on a football team, financial major scoups, angst??, fluff, cute friend ships, Hoshi, Joshua, Seungkwan, Minghao, and Wonwoo r your besties, Also besties with Yunjin (Le Sserafim) and Minnie (G-IDLE), other seventeen members are mentioned?? Childhood friends, cursing, drinking

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"its been awhile" the man chuckles. Choi Seungcheol. You're first every friend. You had met him on the first day of 2nd grade and had stayed friends till middle school until he moved away. You tried looking up his name on insta but nothing every came up, So you just gave up in finding him. "This is crazy" you let out an airy laugh "its been like what, 10 years?" Seungcheol asks, taking a seat next to you "Yea maybe" you felt awkward but so relieved at the same time, it really was nice seeing him after so long "sooo how do you to know each other again? Soonyoung ask "Childhood friends" Seungcheol responds, taking a bite from one of appetizers that were brought up "Wahh~ what a coincidence" Seungkwan says in awe and you both nod "Are you folks ready to order?" the waitress comes around "Yeah I think so?" Wonwoo tells the waiter.

Everyone's food had arrived and we were all eating peacfully, talking about school drama and whatever. But you were defiantly talking to Seungcheol the most, I mean how couldn't you? You had just met your childhood best friend after 10 years. Your phone lights up on your lap and you see a text message from Joshua "Don't you think Mingyu's been awfully quiet" read the text from Joshua. You shot your head up from your phone to look up at Mingyu, who was across from you. He was in fact a lot quieter than he normally is and he even looked a little pissed? You look over at Joshua and he simply gives you a shrug "He looks mad, right?" you whisper to Joshua "He does..." Joshua whispers back. "Can i get these plates out of your way?" the waiter asks and Soonyoung and Wonwoo help collect the plates to hand them over to the waiter "I'll be back with the bill" the waiter smiles before vanishing into the swarm of people.

"That was good, right nini?" Seungcheol pats his stomach a bit and you giggle. Nini was a random nickname Seungcheol had given you when you were both about 7. The whole backstory behind it was that, Seungcheol could never get your name right, but he did remember you by one of you favorite snacks, called "NINI" and eventually, even after he learned and memorized your name, he still preferred calling you nini “Nicknames? Really?” Mingyu scoffs, stuffing in hands into the pockets of this jeans “What’s up with him today?” Seungcheol asks but no one has the answer “maybe he didn’t like his food” Soonyoung suggests. You all stop once you’ve reached the parking lot of the restaurant “We’ll go first, see you guys tomorrow” Soonyoung and Seungkwan both bid there goodbyes, then shortly after Wonwoo and Joshua also left for there dorms, leaving you, Seungcheol, and Mingyu by yourselves. “Do you have a ride nini?” Seungcheol asks you and you shake your head “There’s probably no Ubers around at this time, it’s like a 10 minute walk anyways” you state “I can-“ before Seungcheol can finish his sentence he’s interrupted by Mingyu “I can walk her back to her dorm, you can go home it’s late anyways” Mingyu finishes Seungcheol’s sentence. “Alright if you say so, I’ll text you later y/n” The man scoffs before turning his attention to you “get home safely” he waves goodbye and both you and Mingyu begin to walk towards your dorm.

“I didn’t know you were so close to coups” Mingyu says, so quietly you can barley hear him “I mean I guess we’re good friends” you shrug “ just good friends?” Mingyu says, he’s tone filled with sarcasm. “Yes, just good friends” you say, returning the sarcastic tone. There’s awkward silence but the silence doesn’t last very long “ let’s play 20 questions” Mingyu says suddenly, breaking the silence “So suddenly?” You chuckle but he ignores you “I’ll go first. Favorite artist right now?” He asks “Wave to Earth” “ok ok, now you go” “uhm I don’t know.. favoritee~ video game?” “Call of duty” “cool cool” “Why does coups call you nini?”. You were taken aback just a bit by his question, you thought it was just some stupid Q&A game Mingyu wanted to play to pass the time “he also had trouble memorizing my name, so he started calling me “Nini” because I was always eating those Nini snacks at school” you still answer his question. Mingyu nods but doesn’t seem very satisfied by your question “how long have you been playing football?” “5 years” “dam ok” “What do you like about coups?. Once again, Mingyu brings up Seungcheol and you just didn’t understand why, I mean you didn’t really mind but it was just werid. “Uhm he’s nice??? And he really thoughtful and pays attention when I talk and is just really sweet” you answer Mingyu’s werid question anyways and yet he still looks unsatisfied “Favorite class your taking?” “Photography.” “I didn’t expect that from you” you mumble and Mingyu nods “ a lot of people say that”. “Do you not think I’m nice?” Mingyu suddenly stops in his track and turns to you “what??” You turn and stop to face him “I mean you said you liked coups because he’s nice right?? So am I not nice??” You couldn’t tell if this kid was pulling at your leg or was being dead serious “I mean I barley know you” you stutter out “I mean you said you hadn’t seen him in 10 years! How do you know he hasn’t changed?” Mingyu lowers his head slightly, watching his feet as he kicks a few tiny pebbles lying on the floor “Mingyu. You realized YOU are the one that invited him, I think you would know if he wasn’t a good person” you continue walking up the side walk and Mingyu follows you “so what do you think of me?” Mingyu asks “not your turn, it’s my turn to ask questions” you correct him “why are you asking so many questions about Seungcheol?” You ask “I’m just curious” he shrugs “about what?” You try and ask but Mingyu stops you “Not your turn” he smirks and you just scoff at him. At this point you were both in front of your dorm building complex “Do you think I’m hot?” Oh my god this kid and his fucking questions were gonna be the end of you “I mean.. yeah” you simply state, slowly going up the stairs with Mingyu trailing behind you “Your skincare routine?” “Don’t got one” he shrugs. You give him a dirty look because you know dam well there ain’t not way his skin that clear without at least a cleanser. You know we’re standing in front of your door “go out with me.” Your mind went completely blank “what.” “You heard me”. You did in fact hear him but the words definitely were not processing “you said it yourself, you said I’m nice and hot so why don’t we go on a date?” You were trying your best to avoid eye contact but that man was making it basically impossible, staring right at you without even blinking “well I mean I don’t know” you try and push him away, realizing he was basically pining you up against the wall because of how close you two were “text me then.” He said, backing up just the slightest so you would breathe “ok. I’m going now. Goodnight get back safely” you quickly enter your apartment before even letting the poor boy respond “what the actual fuck..” you mumbled to yourself. “DING” you phone screen lights up and you see a text message from the one and only Mingyu “postist art museum, 3:30 tomorrow” reads the text he sent you with a wink emoji “this kid” you sigh. Though you though he was ridiculous you caught yourself smiling at his text message.

The blaring sound of you alarm pierced through the morning silence of your dorm. You let at a groan as you shifted around in your bed before grabbing your phone "2:01" read the time on your phone "SHIT" you immediately rise from your bed and rush towards the bathroom where you brush your teeth and wash your face. Even though your "Date" with Mingyu was at 3:30, you normally took 2 hours to get ready. As you rummaged through your closet, trying to settle on an outfit to wear, Minnie strolls in "You got a date?" Minnie smirks "Actually, yes I do" you dont bother to look up at Minnie but you have already pictured her shocked face "Damn really? Who?" Minnie leans on the door frame, getting comfortable as you begin to speak "Remember that guy that dropped me off when I was drunk?" You stop looking through your closet and take a seat on your bed "The super hot one?" Minnie asks and you nod "Well, last night he asked me out on a date and I dont even know what I was thinking but I said yes" You sigh, getting back up to continue looking for an outfit "When'd ya'll meet" Minnie asks "Soonyoung's party, so like almost a week ago?" You shrug "You just met this guy and your about to spend a whole day with him?" Minnie questions. I mean she was right, you'd only known this man for less than a week "He wouldn't hurt a fly, I think" You pull out a pair of washed jeans and throw them on the bed "Great! just dont let him kidnap you" Minnie says, sarcastically "Thanks for being such a protective roommate" You give her a fake smile before turning back to look for a top "When are you leaving?" Minnie asks picking up her phone "I wanna get out at 3:00 so id better hurry" you pull out a white square neckline top with a cute lace bow on the neckline "you got like 45 minutes you better hurry" Minnie taps at your door frame, signaling shes going back to her room "have funn!" she calls out "thanks!" You reply, wasting no time to quickly change, put your shoes on and run out of the house.

You do your makeup on the way there and you reach the art museum at exactly 3:30. As you walk off the bus, you almost immediately spotted Mingyu. He was sitting down on the staircase leading up to the museum with a small pink bouquet in his hands. He was wearing a button down loosely with a pair of grey washed jeans and a black leather jacket. You couldn't deny that man was fine, and looked even finer today, especially in that outfit. "Mingyu!" Mingyu shots his head up and looks around before finally locking eyes on your figure. He starts to stand up as you approach him "You look beautiful" He smiles, handing you the pink bouquet "Thank you, you looks nice as well" you take the flowers, examining them carefully "Just nice?" Mingyu cocks his eyebrow up and you scoff at his sarcasms "What did you want me to say?" you and Mingyu start to walk up the stairs, leading to the art museum "I dont know maybe, breath-taking? Ravishing? Stunning? Out of this world?" Mingyu shrugs, you roll your eyes in response "Thats too much" You chuckle.

You and Mingyu begin to walk around the art museum, admiring the art hanged along the walls. "You know, a lot of girls at campus would be jealous of you right now, Going on a date with Mr. Campus crush" Mingyu teases, his lips forming into a cheeky smirk "Dont let you ego get the best of you, Kim Mingyu" You teased back. As the two of you strolled through the museum, admiring the beautiful pieces of art on the wall, Mingyu unexpectedly shifted from his usual playful banter to a more serious note. With a curious glint in his eyes, he turned around to face you and asks "So, what exactly are you looking for in a guy?" The question catches you off guard in the mist of you admiring one of the paintings on the wall, and after a brief pause you begin to state some "Someone who's genuine, I guess? Who's nice, good sense of humor, respects himself and others, and can cook" Mingyu, with a sly smirk, retorted "So basically me?" His comment sent you into laughter, though you weren't necessarily laughing because you thought what he had said was funny, but to try and hide you face that had probably turned as bright as a tomato and heart that was going at 200 BPM. "Well," you replied, finally calming your heart beat down by the slightest bit "Maybe minus the cockiness" You chuckle.

As you and Mingyu continue to walk around, making small comments about some to the paintings on display, you had noticed that Mingyu's banter had changed once again to quite a tense one, almost like he was dying to ask you somthing "You and Coups. You two seem basically inseparable" He asks, his casual tone barely concealing an undercurrent of tension. Suprised by the sudden focus of you childhood friend once again, you nodded "Yeah, Seungcheol. We're close. Why?" Mingyu's gaze lingered on a painting, his questions become more pointed. "What makes him you like him so much? I mean, did you guys share secrets and stuff when you were little or was it just the usual camaraderie?" Mingyu's eyes glancing towards you but stay glued on the painting in front of the two of you "We had a crazy strong bond when we were little, shared a lot of memories. Why are you suddenly curious about him anyways? You were like this yesterday." Mingyu was the one who invited him, he probably knew Seungcheol better than you and longer than you, so you were confused at the mans sudden interrogation. Mingyu's respone was a vague shrug, which left you in an even more confused state "Wanna get out of here?" Mingyu slightly signals towards the door and you nod "Sure, I'm hungry anyways" You both start to walk towards the exit, Mingyu looking through his phone looking for a place to grab dinner at.

You guys walk down the street to a nearby Italian restaurant that Mingyu said he's been wanting to try "I'll trust you judgment" You laugh, walking into the restaurant. You two are seated and begin to pick up you conversation. As Mingyu took a sip from the glass of water left on the table for the two of you, he turns to you with a sudden hopeful gleam in his eyes, almost like a puppy. "You know, you should come to my football games. Its a blast, and I think I'd really love to have you there cheering for me." You chuckle, "Im not really a sports person. The only thing I'd cheer for is not spilling my popcorn all over the bleachers." He grinned, undeterred, "Come on, Its not about the game. Its about the experience. You might enjoy it, I mean who wouldnt if I'm playing in it" You raised an eyebrow "First of all, not everyone goes to watch you" "And second are you trying to recruit me for the team or something?" Mingyu grinned "Well, maybe. But mostly, I just think you'd enjoy it, Plus, you'd get to witness my incredible skill firsthand." Before you could come up with a comeback, the waitress arrived to take our orders, in which we gave and the waitress simply nodded before taking the menus from in front of us.

"Like i was saying" Mingyu begins but realizes your not fully paying attention, but the person to your left. You Ex. There he was sitting right across from you on his friend "Do you know him" Mingyu speaks up, knocking you out of your trances "Yeah, sorry what were you saying?" You tried to get back on track "Who is that?" Mingyu asks "My Ex." "Oh. sorry." "Its fine, it sure is a small world" You chuckle, trying to lighten the mood "We can go somewhere else if you want" Mingyu suggests but you turn the offer down "its fine, we already ordered, and he hasn't even noticed me anyways" Well he didnt notice you 10 seconds ago but he defiantly has now. "Y/N" The family voice sends chills down you spine. Mingyu watches you, waiting for your response but you dont move. Your ex-boyfriend, Jaemin, seized the opportunity while there was silence to approach your table. "Hey" he greeted, a unreadable look in his eyes "Its been a while. I've missed you" Before you could come up with a response, Mingyu, sensing the discomfort, stepped in "We're having a private dinner here. I think its best you leave us be," he states, a subtle intensity in his tone.

Jaemin, now growing upset "I just wanted to talk, catch up. Is that too much to ask?" You look up at him in disgust. How can you try and "catch up" after what he had done to you. he cheated. gaslight you. and now he wants to "talk?". Mingyu catches the look you gave him and returns to Jaemin, his gaze hardening. "Look, she's moved on. Maybe you should to instead of being a dick. Respect her boundaries" Mingyu spits and you can see Jaemin getting progressively angrier. The tension escalated quickly, creating an uncomfortable silence. You apperciated Mingyu stepping in, but it might have made the conflict worst. "Jaemin. Just go." You try and say sternly but you end up sounding like a 6 year old "Why? I know you miss me" you scoff "Me? Miss you? Never. Nobody wants you here so leave." You say sternly, keeping eye contact with him "Whatever, you're gonna come back crawling in a month anyways" Jaemin rushes out of the restaurant leaving you and Mingyu together once again "Sorry.." you mumble "Dont be. He's the one who should apologize for causing such a scene" Mingyu tsks, leaning back in his seat.

The waiter brings you your food, which you both enjoy while talking about all sorts of thinks, and at the end of the day you ended up agreeing to going to Mingyu's next football game "I'll save you the best seats, where you'll get to see the best view of me" Mingyu smirks "Thanks, want me to bring anything?" you walk up the stair of your dorm "Like?" Mingyu asks and you shrug "flowers? somthing to celebrate your win?" You suggest and Mingyu lets out a little laugh "What?" You turn to face him now that you've reached your door "You're so sure I'm gonna win, huh?" Mingyu teases and your face gets a little hot "What? are you not gonna win for me" You tease back "Oh trust me I'll make sure I win" You'd never truly noticed how amazing Mingyu was. Spending the whole day with him really changed how you saw him, he was caring, protective, defiantly a flirt, but you knew that even before you got to know each other, and funny. "Thanks for today, really" Mingyu smiles warmly "Me too, How about we plan something again sooner?" he asks "I'd like that" You smile up at him. "Get some sleep, i'll see you tomorrow" Mingyu backs away from the door and begins going down the stairs "Goodnight" you call out "goodnight, my love". You're left standing there, feeling all warm and fluffy on the inside because of this new nickname. You quietly enter your dorm, removing your shoes and going to get read for bed. Once you had changed into you pajama's you flopped onto the bed and opened your phone to see your lockscreen full of notifications from one person "Na Jaemin." The warmth Mingyu had left you with suddenly disappeared as you read the texts he had left you "Baby, I'm sorry I got mad." "How are you feeling? Do you want me to drop off some food for you?" "Who was that guy you were with?" "Baby??" "Honey?" "answer me" The text trail went on and on "I still have your stuff, you should come by and get it" "I miss you baby please dont be stubborn with me" This man had the audacity to text you such things and try and call you. You take a deep breath, now frustrated by the whole situation "I'll just deal with this tomorrow" You mumble, pushing away your problems like you normally do. You take one more deep sigh before turning off your lights and going to sleep. You thought you ex was just acting up. Kind of just stuck in his feels or whatever, but you had no idea the lengths this man would do to get you back.

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

previous / next

next chapter coming out 2/3/24 or 2/4/24 😸😸

[sariixxx]

𝐌𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐁𝐎𝐘 ꨄ

𝗠. 𝗙𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗼

____________________

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗲!

𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗳𝗳 ღ

____________________

You were chilling in your dorm, bored as hell.

Nobara and the others were already sleeping, which you had been waiting for.

That meant you finally got to hang out with your lovely boyfriend, Megumi.

_______

'Gumi <3

'Gumi <3

Will you come over now or what?

You

Aw are you missing me that much? 😻😻

'Gumi <3

😐

You know what I take it back. I'll lock my dorm door.

You

NOOOO MEGUMII PLS I WAS JOKING 😭😭😭😭

'Gumi <3

😐😐😐

too bad

You

🥹🥹 pls

'Gumi <3

fine be quiet thi

*tho

You

Alr see you in 10

'Gumi <3

Why so long?

You

I can't just straight walk to the boys's dorms idiot. Gojo will make me run laps around the whole school 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️

'Gumi <3

Ugh fine, hurry up tho

You

Awwww you do miss me

'Gumi <3

Start moving idiot <3

______

A slight grin makes its way to your face as you see Megumi's last message.

Should I change before going over?

You think about it for a second but then decide that the sweatpants and oversized T-Shirt will do it.

Your head peeks out of your room as you watch the empty hallway.

Then you close the door and try to walk as quiet as possible.

After some minutes you arrive at your destination and knock on the door quietly.

Soon after Megumi opens, immediately pulls you inside by the arm, and picks you up in an embrace.

Your eyes soften at the sweet act.

Normally he was more closed off and had a hard time showing affection but today was probably your lucky day.

You hug him back until he places you on his bed, gently.

"What took you so long??", he murmured against your chest, him kneeling in front of you while you sit comfortably.

"Well I had to pick a route so nobody would see me... Also I kind of stole some snacks from the kitchen.", you grin and shove your hands into your pockets.

"Here you go!", you hold out your hands and he just smiles and shakes his head, "Unbelievable."

He takes one of the snacks and lays down on his bed.

"How was your day?", he asks, gesturing you to lay down beside him.

You do as he tells you and say, "Meh I trained with Maki today. She was ruthless, but it was still cool. Ohh and Gojo told me soon I will go on a mission. With Inumaki!! Isn't that cool?"

"With Toge? Since when do we carry out mission with 2nd years?", he raises an eyebrow.

"Well Gojo said since I'm a grade 1 I could easily take part in more advanced missions. So he set me up with Inumaki, since he's the highest ranked right now.", you say while munching your food.

He nods, a little in thought, "I see."

"Is that a problem?", you ask tilting your head to the side.

"Huh- no no of courso not! Just... be careful.", he mumbles.

You chuckle a little, "Oh come on that's not all, is it?"

Mehumi groans and puts his arm over his face, "I'd rather have me going with you."

You blink, twice and then smile so bright, you can't hold it in.

"I want to kiss you so bad right now, you have no idea Megs.", you whisper.

He blushes, hard, "What the hell why would you randomly say that-"

You cut him off by hovering over him, put your hands beside his head and kiss his lips.

You could swear you heard him whimper so you grin into the kiss.

"You're adorable, you know that? And sooo pretty, you could be a super model! Like so beautiful, literally my pretty boy!", you blabber while putting butterfly kisses all over his face.

If he wasn't red before, he definitely is now.

Cheeks so dark you think he'd faint any point and lips glistening as if he just made out with you for hours.

"Stop.. you're so embarrassing..", he mumbles trying to cover his face.

You giggle and hold his hand form in place and kiss him once again.

His arms wander up your waist as you sink down on him and breathe heavily.

"But like- I really mean it Megumi. You're the only one for me. You really are my pretty boy.", you say after ending the kiss.

And somehow he can't tell you to cut it out, because for some reason, his heart never beat faster than right now.

Knowing that you thought of him so highly, thought of him as your pretty boy.

That alone made him feel the happiest he's ever been.

[wheels-of-despair]

Eddie Munson and the Best Anti-Valentine's Day Ever Pairing: Eddie Munson x You Summary: Eddie hated everything about Valentine's Day… until he met someone who hated it more than he did. Contains: Female reader, first Valentine's Day together, high school bullshit, alternative V-Day plans, awkward jokes and excessive sarcasm, director yelling "cut!" before the good shit. Words: 2.8k-ish

This is a sequel to Eddie Munson and the Worst Valentine's Day Ever. You can read that first, read that after and pretend it's a flashback, or fine, be that way, don't read it all, see if I care. (Please read it.)

Eddie Munson hated Valentine's Day.

After an unfortunate incident in the 2nd grade, Eddie did his best to avoid the stupid non-holiday, but he was never successful. There was no escaping it. It was everywhere. He scowled when the stores would turn an entire aisle red and pink. He glowered at the ridiculous decorations littering every hallway and classroom at school. He rolled his eyes when jewelry ads took over every commercial break. He hated that people lucky enough to have someone to love waited until that one corporate-approved day to show it.

Yes, Eddie Munson hated Valentine's Day.

Until he met someone who hated it more than he did.

You hadn't been together very long. He'd been so worried about getting your first Christmas together right - which he did - he'd completely forgotten about Valentine's Day. When he realized that it was right around the corner, and he finally had someone who would expect him to acknowledge the occasion, he panicked.

Does he buy flowers or chocolate? Flowers and chocolate? What kind of flowers? What if they didn't have your favorite kind of chocolate in a heart shape? Is regular chocolate okay? What about the teddy bear situation? Would you swoon and fall into his arms, or laugh at him? Should he just tell you why he hates Valentine's Day and hope that you understood? Why was this so hard?

He expressed his concerns to Wayne, who knew how Eddie felt about the holiday. He'd caught on pretty quick to Young Eddie pretending to be sick every February 14th so he wouldn't have to go to school on Valentine's Day. Wayne had laughed at him, in that loving you're being an idiot, but I love you anyway way, and told him that "It doesn't have to be flowers and teddy bears, son. Just do something she'll like." That was not helpful, Uncle Wayne.

And then one day at lunch, about two weeks before the dreaded non-holiday, something happened that confused Eddie even more.

A cheerleader was making her way from table to table, selling chocolate roses for some dumb fundraiser. Eddie half-expected, and fully hoped, that she would just pass on by the freak table. But since the universe had it out for Eddie Munson, she stopped.

"Hi! I'm Tanya! Would any of you like to buy a chocolate rose for Valentine's Day? It benefits the basketball team's new uniform fund!" The Hellfire Club was so stunned that there was a cheerleader in their vicinity, everyone suddenly forgot how to speak. Eddie bit his tongue, trying to think of a nice way to dismiss the bubbly blonde. Until you did it for him.

"Nope, I think we're good." You picked the tomato off your burger and plopped it on Eddie's tray without looking up.

"Are you sure? It's only $1 a rose! You just fill out a card and write the name and homeroom of the person you want to send it to on this," the cheerleader shakes her hot pink clipboard, "and we'll deliver it on Valentine's Day! Everyone's doing it. It's a great way to show your friends you care, or let someone know you have a crush! And the basketball team gets new uniforms! Everybody wins!" Tanya giggles.

The Hellfire Club, finally coming to their senses, begins to shift uncomfortably. But Tanya and her dumb-ass clipboard weren't going anywhere. You turn to her and offer a tight-lipped smile. "You know what, that sounds great. Why don't you let us talk it over, and if we decide to buy, we'll come find you?"

"Okay!" she giggles again. "But make sure you buy from me! We're having a friendly competition to see who can sell the most, and nobody else wanted to ask…" Her face falls. Your gaze turns to steel.

"Ask what?" Your voice holds a challenge. The freaks? The weirdos? Eddie is stunned, not sure what the hell is happening. The rest of Hellfire remains silent, watching with wide eyes.

"N-nothing, I've gotta go meet my friend, please come find me if you decide to participate!" She vanishes quicker than she appeared. The tension in the air is so thick, Eddie could cut it with his pocketknife.

You survey the awkward teenagers surrounding you. It's the longest you've ever seen them quiet since you moved here.

"Oh, I'm sorry," you begin with a mock sincerity that quickly turns into a decent impression of Tanya, "did you guys wanna, like, support the basketball team by purchasing overpriced candy from the only cheerleader brave enough to speak to the freaks and weirdos? 'Cause I can call her back!" No takers.

"Wouldn't want anyone to feel left out when they're the only person in class who doesn't get a ten-cent chocolate rose during this month's popularity contest." You were going for sarcasm, but the way your voice softens toward the end of the sentence gives you away. Eddie feels a tightening inside his chest. Had you gone through it too?

Gareth cracks a joke about ten-cent hookers, and the dark cloud over the Hellfire table lifts. Everyone laughs, and the conversation returns to normal again. But Eddie watches you carefully, more worried than ever about how to approach the V-word with you.

Exactly seven days before the dreaded event, he gets his chance.

"What do you want to do for Valentine's Day?"

You're lying on your back on his bed, head hanging off the edge next to where he sits on the floor. You'd already finished your essay on Romeo and Juliet - wow, Romeo and Juliet for Valentine's Day, how very creative of the Hawkins High English Department - and were on standby to help Eddie with his. The question had come out of nowhere, and though he'd been thinking about it nearly nonstop for weeks, he still had no idea how to answer.

"Uh… I don't know?"

"Very helpful Edward, thank you."

"What do you want to do?" You turn your head and meet his curious but hesitant eyes. You inhale deeply and stare at the ceiling, preparing for a long one.

"I demand flowers and candy and a teddy bear holding a velvety red heart. Balloons are optional, but encouraged. You will wear a suit to school and present me with these treasures in front of the largest crowd possible, preferably on one knee. You will then take me to the Valentine's Day Dance in the prestigious Hawkins High Gym, which definitely won't reek of ball sweat like it usually does. Afterward, we will make sweet, passionate love on a bearskin rug in front of a roaring fire, and you will surprise me with a diamond of some sort." You were impressed with yourself for not breaking your deadpan during the delivery of your ridiculous demands.

You stare at each other for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is the corporate-approved Valentine's Day plan not good enough for you?" you tease, trying to catch your breath.

After the laughter subsides, you flip over onto your stomach to see him better. He's turned to lean his back against an amp rather than the bed, so he doesn't have to turn his head to look at you. Lacing your fingers and resting your chin on them, you change gears.

"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to. It's a dumb holiday. I just thought it would be weirder if we didn't acknowledge it at all."

He fidgets with the corner of a blanket hanging off the bed. You're not sure which one of you is more nervous at this point.

"I want to do something. But not like… a traditional something," he finally says.

"Okay," you nod. "So are we talking like a horror movie marathon, or destruction of public property, or anal?"

He chokes.

After another laughing fit, the two of you make a plan.

The Monday before Valentine's Day, which was on a Thursday, you and Eddie walked into school together and both froze. You took in the sights around you and slowly turned your heads toward each other with wide eyes before bursting into laughter.

It looked like Cupid's elementary-school aged children had thrown up in the halls of Hawkins High. Red and pink hearts made from construction paper were everywhere. And chains! Paper chains! How old did they think you were?

"Hi guys! Do you have your tickets for the dance already?" someone far too perky for this early hour chirps at you from behind a table a few feet away.

"Nope, we have other things to do that night," you inform the girl you've never noticed before, probably an over-achiever on the decorating committee, not wanting to be completely rude.

"You have other things to do the night of the Valentine's Day dance?" she asks indignantly. And to think, you'd tried to be polite.

"Those virgins aren't gonna sacrifice themselves," Eddie says in a low voice, before you can think of a sarcastic response. She gulps. You bite back a laugh and tug him along, to anywhere but there.

You'd decided not to do anything special on the corporate-approved day of romantic acknowledgement. Your plans would wait until Friday: An Anti-Valentine's Day Date. Hopefully the first of many.

The next few days were relatively uneventful. Well, as uneventful as life can be with Eddie Munson as your partner in crime.

On Thursday, the shitty construction paper littering the halls wasn't the only thing that was annoyingly festive. You'd never seen so much pink and red in your life. They must've cleaned out the mall two towns over. Not a fuzzy sweater or a heart-patterned sweatshirt could have survived this shopping spree. You're surprised you haven't seen something about it on the news. Breaking: High Schoolers Clear Out Entire Red-Hued Inventory. Dye Industry May Never Recover. Pastels Definitely In for Easter, Possibly 4th of July.

"God help us," you mutter as you grab Eddie's hand. Two figures clad in black weave their way through a sea of red and pink toward homeroom. He walks you to your classroom and gives you a peck on the forehead. "Homeroom, homeroom! Parting is such sweet sorrow," he quotes wrongly. You roll your eyes with a smile and give him a playful push toward his own classroom, located four doors down.

The student council member with the honor of delivering the morning announcements is bursting with joy as she informs everyone that the cheer squad broke the school's previous fundraising record with the chocolate roses they sold for Valentine's Day. Greeeat, you think. Those will be delivered during this period.

You hate waxy, overpriced candy. You hate the basketball team. You hate the cheerleaders. But more than anything, you hate the thought of your friends feeling excluded. You'd fallen in behind a pair of airheads discussing the number of roses they'd sold in the hall one day last week. What's-her-name wasn't lying when she gave Hellfire her sales pitch. Everyone was doing it.

So you'd found the only cheerleader brave enough to talk to the freaks and shelled out a few bucks to send each member of Hellfire a chocolate rose. You were weak. You were soft. You were hard candy coating with a squishy marshmallow inside. You were hopeless.

As if on cue, a pretty brunette with poofy hair came in with a pail full of chocolate roses. It was a small lump of red tinfoil, stuck on a green plastic stem with a fake leaf or two on it, and a little white card attached with a ribbon. That's all. It was just as underwhelming as you'd imagined.

Instead of watching her make her deliveries, you decided to spend the rest of homeroom writing a dirty, overly dramatic love letter to the Dungeon Master of your dreams. Depending on how filthy it turned out, you might even sign it "Love, Principal Higgins" and stick it in his locker before lunch.

You were adding extra emphasis to the words "engorged member" with a red pen when a rose was dropped onto your notebook. You looked up in confusion, but she had already moved on to the next desk. Putting down your pen, you reach for the card bearing your name, attached to the thin plastic stem with a cheap red ribbon.

"Hail Satan."

The Hellfire Club was practically vibrating at lunch. Nobody wanted to admit that they'd received one of those stupid chocolate roses from an anonymous admirer, or that it had made them all so unreasonably happy. But you knew. You looked over at Eddie. He knew. Despite your attitudes and outward appearances, you were both just mush on the inside. You shared a knowing smile and intertwined your fingers under the table, silently agreeing to never speak of what you'd both done.

Supporting the basketball team. Honestly.

After school on Friday, the day after Valentine's Day, you and Eddie had gone on a Hawkins-wide store tour and purchased several bags full of discounted candy. Your reward for surviving another V-Day.

You'd also stopped by Family Video to grab a few things to watch during your Anti-Valentine's Day Date Night.

"If you're looking for anything romantic, we're out," the exasperated clerk informed you the second you stepped in the door. Eddie shook his head, laughed, and led you to the horror section. You left with four $1 rentals: Old creature features. Bad ones. The bottom of the barrel. The shittier the effects, the better. You couldn't wait.

That night's meeting of The Hellfire Club went off without a hitch. Progress was made, nobody died, everyone was in high spirits and pumped full of candy. Was everyone's good mood due a great session, to surviving the least awful Valentine's Day in recent memory, or the massive amounts of sugar? Who's to say.

After everyone cleared out and you helped Eddie clean up, he took you home. You'd spared no gory detail when you told your mom everything you had planned for your Anti-Valentine's Day Date, and she'd agreed to let you stay with him for the night. After all, who'd want to get frisky after playing a nerdy game with a bunch of sweaty virgins, filling up on cheap candy and cardboard-like frozen pizza, then finishing the night by watching disgusting monster movies in their rattiest sweats?

You and Eddie Munson, that's who.

The next morning, you woke up before he did, and decided to make him breakfast. Your Anti-Valentine's Day Date was over, so you could do cute couple-y stuff now. You knew Wayne would be home soon, so you made yourself look moderately respectable before heading into the kitchen to forage for food.

Eddie stumbled in while you were making pancakes, wearing nothing but his favorite black sweatpants and a sleepy smile. He saunters up behind you, places his hands on your hips, and rests his chin on your shoulder.

"What, no heart shapes? Just plain pancakes? Some girlfriend you are." You swat at him with the spatula and he laughs, kissing the top of your head and making his way to the coffee maker.

He wants a special pancake? You'll give him a special pancake. Lifting a plain circle out of the pan and dropping it onto the stack of boring pancakes, you get a little more creative with your next pour.

"Will you clear off the table so we don't make a mess of this?" He grumbles and does as you ask, sitting down at the cluttered table to start separating the junk mail from the bills that had been accumulating. You don't care about eating at the table, you just don't want him to see his special pancake yet.

You flip it. It's perfect. When it's done, you plop it onto a plate and grab the syrup bottle, heading toward the halfway-cleared table. You place it in front of him with a wicked grin.

"Is that…"

"Yup."

He tilts his head from his special breakfast to you, an incredulous look on his face.

"That's a dick."

"Yup."

At that very moment, you hear a car door slam. Wayne's home. Shit. You and Eddie are frozen in place; Eddie still shocked by his dick-cake, you panicking about Wayne seeing it.

The door opens. Eddie grins. You gulp.

"Hey Wayne, look at the special Valentine's Day breakfast that--" Eddie's mouth is suddenly filled with a dick-shaped pancake, leaving him unable to finish his sentence.

"Good morning, Wayne. Would you like a pancake?" you ask sweetly, wiping the crumbs from your hand onto your pants.

"Sure, darlin'."

You return to the stove, your face as red as one of those stupid construction paper hearts that were probably still littering the halls of Hawkins High. Thankfully, Wayne thinks nothing of Eddie shaking with laughter at the table, his cheeks stuffed full like a chipmunk's.

Maybe this Valentine's Day stuff wasn't so terrible after all.

Did you read the prequel that reveals why Eddie hates Valentine's Day? Click Here!

[matchingbatbites]

Love Grows - Part 4

This one is a little shorter than the last, because I liked what I had and didn't want to drag it out. The next part will be a little different, so keep an eye out for it sometime next week!

Ao3 | Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 5

July '85

Something is wrong when Steve drops off Rosemary. Eddie takes the ten-month-old baby with a cheery "Hiya, Rosie!" earning him a delighted giggle from the girl, but Steve seems out of it as he sets down the diaper bag. 

"Everything okay, Stevie?" Eddie asks as he settles Rosie on his hip. She reaches out and wraps a hand around his guitar pick necklace but he barely notices, his attention focused on Steve. The younger nods and pushes a hand through his hair, and Eddie silently clocks the nervous habit. 

"Yeah, just- just tired. I, uh, might be late picking Rosie up tonight. I'm closing, and it could take a while." 

Eddie tips his head to the side, he knows there's something Steve isn't saying, but he lets it slide. "That's okay. If you want me to keep her overnight, just give me a call, okay? It's not a problem." 

Steve gives him a tired smile and says "Thanks, Eddie. I really- I really appreciate you. What you do for Rosie. It means a lot to me." 

Yeah, something is definitely wrong. As much as Eddie wants to dig, he doesn't. If Steve doesn't want to talk about it, then he'll leave it alone, but it doesn't erase the worry that settles in his stomach.

"Well, I care about you guys. You and Rosie. I just want to make sure you're both okay."

A soft blush settles across Steve's face and he takes a step back. "Thanks, Eddie. I'll see you tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah. Um, stay safe, Steve."

Steve nods and gives a soft “I will," before heading out of the trailer.

That was July 2nd, and it's now the 5th, and Eddie hasn’t heard from Steve at all. He's had Rosemary for three days, and he would be angry at Steve for abandoning his baby if he wasn't absolutely wracked with worry, the initial low-grade panic only increasing with each passing day.

The only time he can even start to relax is when Rosie gets fussy, and he carries her around the trailer singing 'Love Grows' into her hair, needing to be calm so she can be calm. He can tell that she misses Steve, that she knows something is off, and it breaks Eddie’s heart that he can't do anything about it.

Wayne has taken over Rosie's care this morning, is on the couch with the baby sat up against the cushions as he feeds her bits of plain cereal, and Eddie has only just stopped pacing long enough to eat his own breakfast (the same plain cereal, because he doesn't think he could stomach anything else).

They both freeze when the news cuts to a story about Starcourt, and Eddie's ears start ringing as the news anchor describes the sudden destruction of the mall late last night. 

He feels a heavy hand on his shoulder and looks up to see Wayne suddenly in front of him. "Calm down now, son. You got that little girl over there who needs you to keep it together until we can find out what happened to her dad, got that?" 

Eddie nods, just now realizing how tight his chest feels, and he takes a few deep breaths until the panic evens out. "Yeah. Okay, yeah."

So Eddie puts on a brave face and pretends like nothing is wrong. When Wayne leaves to run some errands, he works to keep Rosie distracted and happy and for the most part succeeds, until naptime.

Rosie is being extra fussy and Eddie is doing his best, carrying her around and singing softly, but just before she falls asleep she jerks herself back awake and starts crying again, and the cycle repeats a few times. 

Eddie rubs soothing circles into her back, tries to get her calm enough to go down, but he freezes completely when she starts to babble sadly, and the soft “Dada dada…” coming from her little mouth is enough to send silent tears streaking down his face.

His breathing is shaky as he continues to sing, and eventually, finally, Rosie falls asleep. Eddie lays her on the bed and tucks a pillow in next to her so she doesn’t roll off in her sleep, and he barely makes it out of the room before he collapses to the floor. 

He's gasping for breath, panic wracking his frame as he thinks about Steve. Did the guy just cut and run on Rosie? No, there’s no way that’s possible, Steve loves her far too much to just abandon her.  Maybe he was caught up in the shit at the mall? Oh god, what happens to Rosie if Steve is… If he’s…

A knock sounds on the trailer door and it takes Eddie a long moment to pull himself together and get up off the floor, and he scrubs his hands over his face before he goes to answer it. He almost starts crying again when he sees Steve on the other side, still wearing that fucking uniform, his face beaten and bruised. 

“Hi Eddie,” he says softly, and fuck, he sounds wrecked. “Sorry I didn’t call.”

"Fuck the phone call, Steve, your face!" Eddie grabs him, one hand clenching in that stupid sailor shirt as the other hovers over Steve's swollen cheek. "What the fuck happened to you?" 

"Got beat up by some Russians," Steve replies, and Eddie can’t believe he’s cracking jokes while Eddie is trying his best to not have a breakdown. "I'm okay, though. I'm fine." 

His hands come up to grab Eddie's wrists and, oh, Eddie is shaking. He pulls out of Steve's grip and throws his arms around the younger man, pulling him into a tight hug. "Fuck, when we heard about what happened at the mall, we were so fucking worried." 

Steve hugs Eddie back, arms wrapping around him and holding him close, and Eddie relishes in the fact that Steve is here, that he’s safe. “I’m okay, Eddie. Doc said I’ll be worse for wear for the next week or so, but nothing serious.” 

Eddie hums in disbelief and they just stay there, wrapped around each other, and Eddie isn’t quite sure who is comforting who at the moment. They break apart after a few minutes and Eddie pulls Steve inside the trailer.

"Where's Rosie?" Steve asks as he glances around, and Eddie nods towards the bedroom. "She's taking a nap, and I think you should do the same. No offense, Steve, but you look dead on your feet." 

The younger chuckles softly and pushes a hand through his hair, and Eddie vaguely registers the bandages covering a few of his fingertips. “I feel like it. I think we’ve overstayed our welcome, though, so I’ll just get Rosie and go-” 

Eddie shakes his head and starts pushing Steve towards the bedroom. “Nope, no, absolutely not. She literally just went down like ten minutes ago, and it took me half an hour because she was crying for you, and you’re not going to ruin my hard work. I’m gonna get you something to change into and you’re gonna take a fucking nap, okay?”

There’s a mutter of resignation, and when they enter the bedroom Steve melts when he sees Rosie on the bed, tears fill his eyes and he takes a shaky breath. “Fuck, I thought I’d never get to see her again.”

He steps over and brushes his fingers over her little hand, and Eddie looks away from the tender scene to dig through his dresser. He pulls out a pair of sweatpants and an oversized band shirt that he passes to the younger, who gives him a soft "Thanks."

While Steve is changing, Eddie grabs a spare blanket and pillow and drops them onto the floor by the bed. It won't be the most comfortable, but he doesn't want to risk accidentally waking Rosie from her nap, not when Steve needs some time to just crash.

He sits down on the pillow with his back propped against the bed, and then drags Steve onto the floor with him. The younger moves easily, lets Eddie bully him into laying down with his head in Eddie's lap, and Eddie drapes the blanket over him before brushing his fingers over soft but dirty hair.

"You don't have to baby me," Steve says, voice soft from exhaustion, and Eddie hums as he gently scratches at his scalp. 

"I'm not babying you, Steve. You're hurt, and I just… Just let me take care of you, okay?"

Steve makes a soft noise in response, and everything is quiet for a while. It’s just long enough that Eddie thinks Steve has fallen asleep, when the younger speaks again, voice quiet. 

“I watched Billy Hargrove die last night.” 

Eddie feels like he’s been drenched in ice water, his gaze snaps down to the boy in his lap. “What?” 

“He was there last night, when everything went to shit. It was… fucking awful, Eddie.” His hand grabs at Eddie’s pant leg, and he can feel that Steve is trembling a little. “What’s terrible is that I can’t even feel bad about it. Like, I feel bad that someone died, but not that it was him, if that makes sense.”

Eddie feels a little shell shocked at Steve’s admission, and he takes a deep breath. “Billy Hargrove was a piece of shit, Steve. It’s okay to feel empathetic that a life was lost, but that life did a lot of shitty things.”

He’s glad that Steve isn’t looking at him, that he can’t see the way that tears one again well up in Eddie's eyes. “But it’s still really fucked up that you had to go through that. Like, really fucked up. There’s no way I can understand what you’re feeling, but if you want someone to just talk to, I’m here for you, yeah?”

Steve nods a little, and there’s a brief pause before he says “Thank you, Eddie. This- Just being here, being with you helps a lot.”

And that. That creates a whole new wave of emotions that Eddie is severely unprepared to deal with at the moment. He cards his fingers through Steve’s hair again and does his best to keep his hand from shaking. “Glad I could help somehow. Just- get some sleep, Stevie.”

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