#i would sit in high school english and there was a poster of him

[girlcored]

idk i was watching the new defunctland about disney animatronics and i realized i'd never seen the hall of presidents. which then i watched and it made me pissed about FDR again. most of the presidents in that show get their COMPLETELY fair criticism but no one ever wants to talk about japanese internment. the white washing of his presidency gets done too easily around here just because of the new deal and the allies winning the war...girl the atomic bombs

[pottersfia]

study buddy

summary: classic study "date" fic, rodrick desperately needs help in english and y/n is happy to help. lots of fluff in this part. both 18

the end of senior year was quickly approaching and rodrick was sick and tired of his parents bugging him about his grades. it was the third quarter of the school year and senioritis tended to affect many people around this time but rodrick had been a victim since the day he stepped foot into high school. 

"if you want, we can work on this together?" rodrick looked over at you who was sitting next to him in his art elective class. you had been talking about your english assignment which, despite you being in honors english and him in regular, was the same. the book they read for the quarter came with study guide questions for each section of the book which eventually would help for the final book report. 

"you'd help me with that?" he asked you. you smiled and nodded.

"sometimes working with another person makes it easier." she replied. he smiled back and the deal was set. you would go over to his house 2 hours after school and start your assignment.

these 2 hours consisted of rodrick frantically picking up in his room, taking an abnormally long shower, considering it's rodrick, and begging his family to not say or do anything weird or embarrassing. a pretty girl was coming over to study with him!! suddenly as he applied deodorant for probably the 10th time already, he heard the doorbell. 

"i got it!" he yelled and rushed downstairs. he quickly caught his breath and looked through the peephole on the door to see you patiently waiting for an answer. he sighed and opened the door. you smiled as you looked up at the boy. 

"hey, y/n." he said. 

"hi, rodrick." you replied. the two of you stood in a few moments of silence stupidly smiling at each other. just as rodrick opened his mouth to break it you were interrupted by a sweet lady who cheerfully greeted you. 

"you must be y/n! come right on in." she smiled and made way for you to step inside, you did so.  "i'm so glad you're here to help rodrick, he's been struggling for quite some time."

"mom! can you please stop talking." rodrick loudly interrupted her, making you slightly laugh. 

"she is a guest in my house, rodrick, i want to greet her. my name is susan, honey. if you need anything i'll be right down here." you smiled again at her. 

"it's nice to meet you mrs.susan, thank you." you replied. 

"ok we have to go, bye mom." he walked towards the staircase and turned around to you. "you can follow me." you nodded and waved bye to susan following rodrick to his room. 

"keep that door open!" she said. rodrick groaned and you laughed again. 

"she's really nice." you said.

"annoying is what she is." he let you walk into his room. you looked around and smiled to yourself as you realized his room screamed rodrick. there were band posters everywhere, dark bedsheets, the floor was cleared off but magazines and comics, a few water bottles, and forgotten school books were scattered around his bedside table and desk. 

he closed the door quietly and sat down on the edge of his bed saying, "you can sit down i have my stuff," he reached to his backpack that was on the floor and pulled out his notebook and the book you were assigned.  you nodded and sat down on the desk chair that was right across from his spot on the bed. you pulled out your stuff too. 

"so i guess we can just start with the questions, do you need to review what we read today?" you asked. he nodded. you smiled and continued on explaining the events in the book.

rodrick was so mesmerized by you. he appreciated your want to help him with his work but how could he focus on anything academic with you right in front of him? he stared at the way you fidgeted with your fingers as you talked. he stared at how perfect your hair looked. he stared at your lips and thought about how good they would feel to ki-

"rodrick?" your voice snapped him out of his trance. 

"what?" he kinda shook his head as he regained focus sending a fluttery feeling to your stomach.

"i uh, were you listening?" you asked.

"oh yeah. i heard everything you said." he tried to lie but you saw right through him. 

"really?" you asked again. he lifted his hand to rub the back of neck a bit.

"i heard maybe half of what you said?" he replied, pretty unsure this time. you smiled and laughed.

"what are you so distracted by?" you asked. it was you. you were distracting his focus from the work but how could he just say that? he shrugged and turned his head away looking at absolutely nothing on the right side of his room.

"maybe if you sat next to me it would be easier." he said and turned back again to see your reaction. you were a little confused or taken aback maybe but nonetheless you stood up and joined him on the bed. 

"is this better?" you looked right at him and he looked back. you gave him a small smile and despite his heart feeling like it was beating out of his chest, he smiled back.

"yeah, i think so." he practically whispered sending another flutter to your heart. 

the two of you continued with the review. laughs and smiles were exchanged constantly and it was probably the most you've ever enjoyed doing school work. 

"you're doing really good rodrick, you just needed to focus some more." you smiled after he got another question right. 

"it's definitely because of you." he replied. you playfully bumped his shoulder and looked for another question to ask. 

"ok let's do another one." 

"i think i should get something for doing so good now." he said. you gave him a questioning look.

"like what, candy?" you replied. he shrugged. then you had an idea. it was a very corny idea but an idea nonetheless. the two of you were having a good time and it wouldn't hurt to ask, yolo right? "what if i give you a kiss?" you kinda cringed a bit at your words but tried not to let it show, anxiously waiting for his response.

the boy was stunned. his eyes widened and your words replayed in his head over and over. "a kiss?" he asked. "really?" 

"only if you want though. it's pretty dumb i don't know." you looked down at the paper in your lap but his words made you look back at him.

"no, it's not dumb. um. yeah, that would be great motivation." he nervously laughs. you laughed back.

"but it has to be after getting 2 questions right." you said. he agreed, and for sure, he got 2 questions right. 

"you've turned me into a genius, y/n." he smiled. 

"you're definitely reaching nerd status." you laughed.

"well, you gave me the best motivation ever." he replied. now it hit you, you actually had to kiss him. you tried to hide the nervousness from your face. there was no turning back now. you turned to face him, crossing your legs on the bed, and placed your hand on his shoulder as you leaned in and gave him a quick peck. he looked at you as you leaned back.

"how was that?" you asked. he was quiet for a moment a little shocked that this was happening with the girl he liked but then he snapped out of it.

"i-i don't know. maybe you should uh, do it again just to be sure." he answered, making you smile.

"if you insist." you leaned in and let your lips meet again. this time it was more than a peck. his hands rested on your cheeks and yours around his shoulders. you melted into the kiss taking in the moment as the butterflies that you constantly felt seemed to go crazy. 

once you finally parted for a breath the two of you couldn't stop smiling at each other. 

"yeah, that was pretty good." rodrick said. you gave him another quick kiss but just as your lips touched the door opened. 

"hey kids, do you want- oh." it was susan and you instantly jumped away from him. "didn't i tell you to keep the door open?" 

"mom! just go away!" rodrick stood up. 

"ok ok, sorry." she walked out but made sure to leave the door very much open. as soon as you heard her footsteps fade away you couldn't help but laugh. rodrick turned to you. 

"sorry, that was a lot." you said. he laughed too and sat back down next to you. 

"i know i'm sorry." he said. 

"it's ok. i just need to make sure to kiss you when there aren't any family members around." you said.

"i agree 100%."

[five-rivers]

Cracked Clay Cup Chapter 3

Short one! @greatbigolhampuckjustforme

.

She was doing it.  She was doing it.  She was convincing him.  She’d been dubious about the whole endeavor.  Dubious about its necessity, dubious about her ability to pull it off, dubious about basically becoming Danny’s parent, everything.

But, well, if it was what needed to be done, it was what she would do.  

She’d freaked out at first, of course.  Hearing about it.  Hearing about how many people wanted to take Danny, who’d take advantage of him like that.  Hearing about what she’d need to do to keep that from happening.  Maybe she and Danny joked about her raising him, but it really wasn’t true.  

But then it was happening, regardless of whether or not Danny or Jazz wanted it to happen.  And their parents were… Well, they hadn’t been disqualified, but Jazz knew they took a lot of getting used to.  She didn’t have high hopes that they would be Danny’s choice.  

Jazz, then, would offer another option.  Even if Danny picked randomly, two ‘safe’ choices were better than one.  He wouldn’t pick randomly, though.  He might be exasperating at times, but he was a decent judge of character.  She was sure he could sense her intentions, mentions of mad science labs aside.  

Considering those questions, her parents definitely wouldn’t be getting him again.  It was fine.  It was all for the best, really.

Really.  Things would be better.  After.  After all of this was done.  

She smiled at herself in the bathroom mirror.  No need to bother Danny with her brooding.  He’d been here for a week now, and things were going great.  

She walked out, stopped by her study, then swung by her study to pick up a few papers before going to the kitchen.  Danny was sitting at the table there, working on schoolwork.  It’d do no good if she got custody and everything turned out alright on the Danny custody front only for him to completely fail high school!  

Okay, that wasn’t entirely true.  

Still.  She didn’t want this to set back his education.  

“Okay, once you finish the English, I have the social studies.”

Danny looked up at her.  “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m always going to take your education seriously, Danny.  It’s important that you stay on track to graduate.”

“I still think that’s sort of redundant for a ghost.”

“Half ghost.”

“I still haven’t seen any evidence about that by the way.”

“Well you would if you transformed.”

“And I’d do that, if you actually describe how I’m supposed to do that.”

“Well, you sort of just did it.”  Danny had never given her a lot of details about what being half ghost felt like, or how it worked mechanically.  Even though she’d asked.  It was awfully inconvenient of him.  

Danny shook his head and looked back at his homework.  He tapped his pencil on the table a few times, then looked at the top page of the social studies work.  

“A presentation?” he asked.  

Jazz nodded.  “It can be in poster form if you’d like.”

Danny sucked in his lower lip and nodded.  “But this is it, right?  This is all you want me to do?”

“Well, that and the English essay you have under here.”

Danny pulled out that sheet of paper and grimaced.  “You– That’s really– No.  No.  Nope.  No.  This is way too much.  You can’t expect me to do all this, this much every day.”

“It’s a totally normal high school workload.  Seven classes–”

“Doesn’t that normally include PE?  And, like, a study hall?  Or something fun?  Maybe?”  He ran his hands through his hair, which had a really strange and fascinating effect on his ears.  

“You have astronomy and science, you like that.”

“But I still need to use my brain for it.  I’m talking about things I can turn my brain off for.  Or whatever it is that ghosts think with.  Whatever it is, it’s making my head hurt.  I can’t keep going at this pace.  I’ll lose it.”

“Don’t be so down on yourself.  You can do this.  And you do have a brain.”

“You sound very sure of that.”

She’d walked right into Danny’s mad science paranoia again.

“Humans have brains.  It’s common sense.”

Danny’s eyes flicked down Jazz’s carefully formulated English assignment once again, and he shook his head.  “No.  I can’t do this.  Not any longer.  It’s been a week.”  He dropped the paper.  “It’s been a week, and there are six other people to talk to, so, thanks for the cool bedroom and not dissecting me but–”

“Danny, wait–” said Jazz, seeing where this was going a split second before Danny raised his hand to the pocketwatch.  

She was too late. Danny clicked the button, and he was gone.  

“Well,” said Jazz.  She sat down at the kitchen table, feeling heavy.  “Crap.”

[beybaldes]

LOVE your writing!!!!! maybe something with warren where you're the dunne sister and not musically talented so you kinda feel like the forgotten one in the family, but he always pays attention to you and hangs out with you cause he really likes you

Thank you for the request anon. I hope you enjoy <33

the lovers, the dreamers and me

Warren Rojas × Fem!Reader

djats masterlist

word count: 1.6k

Warning!! I have not read the book or the show!!! All info I have gathered has been from other x readers I have read. sorry in advance if I have butchered vour fav show/book because I have plainly made shit up in favour of satiating my own need for more warren fics xoxo

Being the youngest Dunne had its downsides more then it's perks. You loved Graham, and Billy less so, endlessly, but you were sick of the image they had pre-carved for you.

It seemed you were doomed to live in the shadows of your brothers for eternity.

Their names loomed over you like a storm cloud constantly. When you started high school people only referred to you as 'Billy Dunne's little sister' - him having made quite the name for himself in his time there - and now that the band was taking off things only got worse.

'The Dunne brothers' was quite the name considering the majority of the members had no attachment to it, and it only have strangers more reason to refer to you as the 'other dunne.' Even Eddie and Chuck - who you'd known practically since birth - had taken to calling you 'little dunne' and it drove you insane.

There was only one person you could think of that'd ever really treated you like your own person.

Music was playing softly through the closed door as Warren slowly approached it. He was meant to be on a bathroom break from rehearsal, but your door at the end of the hall had been too much of a temptation for him to pass up on. Gently, he knocked against the wooden door, waiting anxiously outside it with his hands tucked behind his back, the drumsticks he'd shoved into his back pocket poking at his fingers.

"Oh, Warren, hey." You stumbled through a sentence as you opened the door, surprised to see  the curly haired drummer on the other side of it. You quickly ran a hand through your hair in an attempt to make it look neater, having just stood from laying in your bed. "What's up?"

"Just passing by, y'know. Wanted to see what you were up to... I can go-"

"No. No. Come in. Please." You didn't know what you'd done to deserve the drummer in your room, but you were suddenly very aware of everything inside of it. From what was playing on your record player to the posters on your wall; it all seemed wrong and childish. It wasn't like he hadn't been in here before, but each time still made you very worried about what he would think of it, of you. Warren didn't seemed to mind though, placing himself in the middle of your bed and right on top of your English homework.

"Ringo?" Warren asked, sitting up on his elbows as he stared at the new poster you'd put on the back of your door.

"Yeah. I picked it up with the new record I got." 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' was playing over your record player, the music loud enough that a gentle sound could be heard from the other side of the door, but only you could really make out the words.

"There's no way he's your favourite, right?" Warren was trying to hold in a smile as you sat down next to him, shuffling himself get a better look at you. "No one's favourite is Ringo."

"I like him." You answered, staring fondly at the mop of brown curls that had blocked your vision of the poster, Warren standing in front of you but quickly moving closer to the record player you had in front of your window. "He plays the drums good."

Moving to stand next to him at the record player, you turned it to a stop, picking up the needle and bringing it back to edge of the record, starting from the first song yet again. After a few seconds, the drums came in, you turning up the volume to enhance the listening experience.

Warren hadn't been paying too much attention when the drums came in, until your grabbed his hands, his head wrapped around the fact that the thing you liked the most about Ringo was that he played the drums 'good.' He could play the drums more then 'good' and as far as he was concerned, this was a clear sign from above that he had a chance.

Finally coming back into the moment at the way your cradled his hands so gently in your own, he let you swing them back and forth, pulling him into a hesitant kind of dance with you. Warren was quick to take you up on the opportunity, moving one of his hands to the small of you back and using it to swing the two of you around in time with the beat.

As the song came to an end and 'with a little help from my friends' started up, the two of you moved into more of a slower swing, still dancing about quickly until you were out of breath. Warren's hands continued to rest against the small of your back as you danced around your room, laughter bubbling out of the room and under the door with each time you stepped on the others toes or looked into each others eyes for too long.

The slow start of 'lucy in the sky with diamonds' met your ears and you let your head fall to Warren's shoulder, one of your hands still clasped in his while the other rested on his other shoulder.

"This is nice." Warren murmured into your hair, taking a chance a pressing a kiss into your hair line. "I like spending time with you, y/n."

Pulling your head from his shoulder, you met his eyes, the two of you far closer together then you'd expected to be. "I like spending time with you too, Warren."

Warren suddenly felt extremely nervous, something that didn't happen often but always seemed to happen around you. His knees felt weak and he found it hard to get the words out without a blush coating his cheeks - not that you ever seemed to notice.

But then his eyes flickered to the poster of Ringo Starr covering the back of your door. Oh, you were totally into him.

That seemed to be all the reassurance he needed, his usual, confident self coming back in a matter of seconds. He let his eyes meet yours, then fall to your lips, pulling his own lip between his teeth as he thought about what he was about to do.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked, a whisper in the room under the Beatles song that you couldn't really hear anymore over the loud beating of your heart in your ears.

"Please." You begged, standing on the tips of your toes to meet him halfway in a soft, slow kiss. Warren wasn't going to rush you into something he didn't know if you knew how to do - he didn't know how you liked to do.

He was convinced that there way no way you'd never kissed anyone before, not when you looked like that and not when you were kissing him like that. Your hands were fisted into the material of his T-shirt, pulling his closer and closer to you with each movement of his chapped lips against yours. His hand on your lower back pulled you flat against him, chest pressed to chest as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue past your lips and into your mouth.

"Little Dunne!" Eddie shouted through the door, knocking loudly over the music that was blasting in your room. "You seen Warren? He's gone missing."

"No!" You shouted back, ignoring the feels on Warren's lips pressing into the hot skin of your neck, trailing kisses from under your ear to your collar bone. "I'll send him your way if I see him or anything."

Your breath hitched at your final word, Warren hitting a particularly sensitive spot on his journey to kiss every part of you he could reach now that he'd confirmed his theory that you were totally into him.

Coincidentally, he was totally into you too.

"You okay in there, little dunne?" Eddie shouted through the door, twisting at the handle to your room.

"I'm getting changed!" You shouted in response, the handle quickly snapping back into place, and Eddie's footsteps telling you he'd backed away from the door.

You smacked at Warren's shoulder, his head coming up to face you with a dopey smile on it. "You're skipping out on practice to be here?"

"I'd rather be here anyway." Warren tightened his hold around you, shuffling the two of you closer to you bed now that Eddie had left you alone. "I'll just tell 'em i got sick and went home, thought I'd told them but must of hallucinated it in my fever-ridden state."

You hummed, pressing your chin to his chest to get a better look at your favourite brunette. "That could work. I need to do my English homework though."

"That's my ideal date, actually." Warren pulled you back to your bed, settling himself in your pillow against your headrest then pulling you between his legs, his arms wrapping tightly around your waist and his head resting gently on your shoulder.

You pulled the booklet you were 3 pages from finishing into your lap, shuffling deeper into the warmth Warren was radiating and picking up your pen.

"You sure this is what you want to do?" You asked, chewing your bottom lip between your teeth nervously. "You don't have to stay, I won't be offended or anything."

"I just like spending time with you." Warren answered honestly, pressing a quick kiss to you lips. "Doesn't matter what we're doing."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. But hurry up, I'm gonna sneak us out of your window when your done and take you out for a movie and dinner."

You don't think you'd ever completed a homework packet faster.

[lululawrence]

Sus' 40 to 40 Countdown: 27 Days

After learning I apparently have never written about otters and only incredibly rarely about putters and flowers, I finally was able to make a rec! Today's theme is...

Fics That Include The Random Word @sadaveniren Chose (glasses):

I Remember (the Distances We Covered) - Harry/Louis (famous/non-famous, meet cute, flirting, trains)

@ColleenisStylish: @LouisTomlinson my dad thinks he’s sat next to you on a train from Edinburgh right now, so if you could confirm that would be amazing. His name is Harry and he’s just had white wine and says you’re on red x

Louis glanced at the glass of red wine in his hand before taking a quick look around those nearest him on the train. Just across the aisle in a seat facing him was a man with graying, curly hair falling into his face yet somehow staying above his glasses. He was reading a book as he tapped his foot, seemingly oblivious to everything around him, and there sitting on the table in front of him was a half glass of white wine.

Hold Me Tight and Don't Let Go - Harry/Louis (Marcel, hurt/comfort, high school, friends to lovers)

The one where Louis is barely holding himself together when he meets Marcel and an unexpected friendship might be just what both of them need.

Stealing Flowers - Harry/Louis (Brooklyn, humor, fluff, pining)

The one where Louis pines after the Sexy Stranger on the Subway and almost asks him out. That's when the strange posters start showing up around Brooklyn.

I Found A Love - Harry/Louis (famous/non-famous, clueless Louis, nerd Louis, fluff)

The one where Louis is a nerdy English major who may just run into his happily ever after while working his shift at the local library.

Something Classic - Harry/Louis (uni, meet cute, fluff and humor)

Marcel did not peak in high school. High school was full of dress codes and bullies and he never would have made it through if not for Zayn and Liam.

College has finally arrived, and Marcel is excited for his chance to finally be able to express himself in ways he wasn't able to before. He never could have accounted for how leaving his high school uniform in the past could change everything.

All 40 to 40 Countdown Posts

[cagesofgold]

connie springer headcanons <3

🎵 ivy-frank ocean 🎧

- Connie once a month takes his little sister, Sunny, out on pretend dates to ensure that she knows she should be treated to a good meal and flowers at the door. Connie won’t be letting any little punk date his bundle of joy.

- is actually a decent cook, surprising i know, but he spent a lot of his childhood watching his mother’s careful hands as she crafted various meals, and managed to pick up a lot of things.

- he loves to drive, blasting music, a hand on your thigh and his fav sunnies on, what is there not to like?

- let’s you dye his hair all types of fun colors or some design you saw off of Pinterest. He has good style but he doesn’t take himself serious and doesn’t mind if he has to walk around for two months with smiley faces all over his head. In fact, he loves it. He even let Sunny and Martin draw all over his head like a canvas with hair dye pens, he had unicorns and ninjas embedded in his hair for weeeeeeks.

- his number one priority within dating you, apart from you of course, was to ensure your family liked him. He is extremely family orientated and is most happy when he is surrounded by loved ones. Your family absolutely adored his hilarious self and from there forth he was best friends with your parents.

- wants kids when he’s older, and would be the best girl dad.

- loves movies. He isn’t a guy who would sit and explain the plot of the godfather to you for hours on end but he does insist on decorating your shared apartment with various movie posters. His favorite is “Stand by me”

- would be absolutely heartbroken if you ever watched an episode of a show you were watching together without him. Like genuinely wouldn’t speak to you for a good hour.

-this mf is clingyyyyy, he needs you at all times and has never had the urge to utter the words “i need a little space”, you’re an extension of his personal space, let him stuff his face into your neck in peace.

-loves showering with you, not even in an inherently sexual way, he just adores how intimate it is and the feeling of you gracing his scalp with your nails.

-definitely has tats. In high school he and Jean purchased a tattoo gun and would tattoo people behind the bleachers, but for practice they’d use Connie’s body. Like i said, this mf does NOT take himself seriously and doesn’t care if he has a cartoon dick n balls on his thigh when he’s 80 and sagging.

-is slightly frightened of balloons but pretends he isn’t.

-has two piercings on his ears, his lobes and cartilage.

-absolutely LOVED the barbie movie and was kitted out in full pink. Took you and Sunny to the cinema the night it came out and also paid for dinner after.

- he also took Sunny to a store to pick out a barbie doll.

-english smart, failed every math test he ever took. He still can’t add a fraction…(neither can i)

-loves to press kisses to the side of your face, arms wrapped around your waist and his chest at your shoulder blades.

-will eat cereal at any point, whether it’s morning or not. Would eat it for all three meals.

-despite the fact he can cook and seems to be well adjusted he is unable to survive on his own from the sheer lack of common sense…

-cartwheels when he’s drunk. (and when he’s sober to be honest)

-LOVESSSSS THE CLUB

-doesn’t really get jealous over you, he trusts you and thinks you’re absolutely beautiful, why wouldn’t someone hit on you?

he will however get pouty if he’s literally RIGHT there and the person still hits on you.

-would kill every plant you brought in the house, listen, it’s not his fault he’s got 80 million different thoughts bouncing around his head at all times.

-is more of a dog guy but he wouldn’t argue if you were to get a cat, he loves them too.

-sings everywhere he goes, under his breath waiting in line, in the car, as he cleans, cooks, showers, he never stops, it’s like a continuous string of songs escaping his lips at all times.

-but overall, he’s the best boy friend you could ever have, and he’s already decided he’s spending the rest of his life with you. <3

[therulerofallpotatos]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

Curious what ur fav fics of yours are? 👀🖤🩷

Like ever?Like my five favorite fics of ever? oh boy ok lemme pull up the list

Well immediately I Bit Him so He's Mine is coming to the top of the list which isn't even done yet but is sitting rn at around 40k, is my longest project ever and officially novel length. Between the writing a murder mystery, writing a low fantasy adventure, the gothic/fairytail romance, the hyde wednesday/hyde tyler scenes, the subplots, and the fact that I'm not able nor do i want to rely on psychic visions for information, this is the most involved and exciting project I've probably ever done. Before Wednesday, I hadn't really sat down and written a proper drawn out mystery plot and this is the first where there were no psychic visions either. It's also officially longer than my Absolution novella which is not on this list just because that fic was one of the first I ever wrote and it shows. (though it is special to me because of that)

2. I'll add Wandering in the Dark because it was born of a prompt that my hs senior english teacher gave the class for a project that'd been anticipated (or dreaded depending on who you were) all semester. Basically, we all got to draw a disease (chronic I believe or at least mine was) out of a hat and then just do whatever we wanted writing a story with it. He gave me complete creative freedom. I wrote steter fanfiction which is also why it reads for someone who isn't familiar with teen wolf. I got an A.

3. My Lost Soul (Lead Me to Redemption) was my baby for a long time. It was one of the first pieces I ever wrote in a creative writing class which I then rewrote as sterek fanficiton and evolved into a whole series with Derek, Stiles, and Peter becoming the Hale Pack again. My writing style and quality drastically changes from beginning to end and there's something special about getting to see that firsthand reading this series. I'm sure it would only have continued if I hadn't lost steam for the story.

4. This is not a fair game. I'm not even left my teen wolf list yet.

4. I suppose I'll put Have You Seen Me? because idk I just like it. I like it a lot. I like exploring Tyler immediately after the cave. I like the title and the way the summary is just Tyler's wanted poster. I like how it leads into Wednesday going to Nevermore and I like how they interact with each other and Tyler being an Addams

5. Hold Me Close and it's sister fic Pin Me Down (to be posted) will have to take place as well. I'm counting both because I love them for the same reason. I've been writing officially since 2016 and for at least as long I always knew that I would eventually write my own fuck or die/sex pollen fic and that I'd take the approach of approaching the potential trauma and very present vulnerability present in the premise. Plus, the sex marathon aspect was a good writing challenge to stretch out the sex scene long enough to actually feel like a marathon reading it. Hold Me Close's sex scene was around 3000 words. Pin Me Down's sex scene is 3455 words long.

Honorable mentions for an abandoned multi-chap from high school that I hadn't thought about for years solely because I recently went to a convention where I met a lot of local authors and talked their ears off about writing and the genres we do and our current projects (and I had plenty due to wyler week and the bingo) and this one author recognized my ao3 alias and loved the fic in question. Mark Me an Angel for the hannigram fandom which also is a good example of why you plan a basic plot/direction when you start something.

[smolwritingchick]

The Bangtan Gal Chapter 36- My Ideal Type

Chapter Summary: Throwback chapter for Episode 95 of After School Club while they promoted Danger, Jennie shows off her guitar skills, reveals fun facts such as her ideal type, first kiss and the high expectations & insecurities with her anticipated DJ skills.

Words: 4,000+

Author's Note: English is in Italics. 

----

With Eric Nam and Jimin as the MCs for this episode of After School Club, they happily announce BTS to come on stage. The members of BTS were all in their Danger outfits, promoting their new album Dark & Wild.

"Aye! What up! What up!" Jen happily greeted with a mic in her hand. Suga started to lay on the ground, posing coolly while Jimin kneeled next to him. "And let the goofiness begin." She laughed at the members lying around the set. She decided to sit with Jimin on the yellow box afterwards, while the rest of the members lay around the other seats.

"Okay, so they're lying around." Eric watched them.

"Okay, I think BTS is the first group who has...okay and now they sat on the MC chairs." The female Jimin looks around.

"What is going on?" Eric laughed. After they finally regrouped, BTS stood with the MCs. "We finally have Bangtan here in the studio. Nice to see you guys."

"2! 3! Bangtan! Hello, we are Bangtan Boys!"

"Woo! Yes, we have them here and it's really, really great to see you guys again." Eric says as Rap Monster recalls being on the show around 8 times. He discussed that it's been around three months since their last appearance and he's the second person to be on ASC the most and hopes to make the show more enjoyable.

"We have the energetic, charismatic, talented BTS here, in the studio. Please tweet us your requests for BTS with the hashtag, ASC, pretty please!" Eric announced.

"And BTS will be reading your names and doing your requests so tweet us now." Jimin added.

After a commercial break, BTS was seated with the MCs. Jen sat behind V, next to Jin. "Please introduce yourselves." Jimin gestured.

The camera panned to Taehyung. "YO! V!" He screamed and threw up a peace sign. "HI!" He grinned, waving the peace sign. Jennie let out a soft laugh at Jimin and Eric Nam's reaction because of how shocked they were.

"Ah, that scared me." Eric laughed, still startled.

"RAP MONSTER!" Rapmon shouted.

"Okay." The female Jimin chuckled.

"Chim! Chim! Hello!" Jimin introduced himself.

"SUGA!" He shouted.

"I'm your hope! I'm engine! J-Hope!"

After Jungkook and Jin introduced themselves in Korean, the camera panned to Jennie. "Aye~! It's your girl Jennie!" She waved and blew a kiss to the camera with both hands.

"They're all hyper today." Jimin applauded. "And I'm kinda getting small, right now."

"It's okay. Hey, you know you have a song with his name in it." Eric pointed out, glancing at Suga.

"Give me some Suga~" The MCs started singing and dancing in their seats.

"Suga! Suga!" The rest of the members started to sing and dance in their seats.

"Anyways, we have people that have been waiting for hours." Eric pointed at the screens to a variety of BTS fans with posters, and other merch. 

Then he goes on to say that there are two Park Jimins. The one in BTS and the MC that sat next to him.

"I'm younger than him though, so I'm the second Park Jimin." The female Jimin informed.

"Shall we switch seats?" Jimin suggested as everyone let out a laugh.

"As we mentioned in our opening, BTS has been on the show the most often. Most frequent out of all our guests, so I'm sure they feel a little more comfortable and its more family like. How do you guys feel?" Eric asked.

"Of course, it's like family like, I see you like more often than my mom." Rapmon answered with a smile. Afterward, the members explained what they've been doing abroad from going to Germany, to America for a reality show.

"Did you learn any new English?" Eric questioned as Jen laughed at the random English words the members would shout out.

"What's up?"

"What's poppin'?"

"Turn up!"

"Church!"

"All right well we have a lot of fans that's excited to see you guys here on today's show, so we're gonna go straight into our pretty please corner." Eric announced as he and Jimin headed to the screen to check out the tweets.

The first tweet was from DyoQueennie, tweeting, 'Hi BTS I'm Queennie from BTS. I would like V to sing a song for me. I love you ❤.'

"Queennie, hello!" V waved and started to sing briefly, winking and calling her baby.

The next tweet was from piquantstyles. 'Can Jungkook sing Haruman to me and say "I love you, Esmeralda.'

After Jungkook sang a snippet of Just One Day, the members and MCs praised him for his angelic, smooth voice.

The next tweet was, 'Jennie, who is the idol you want to meet the most?'

"AILEE!" She shouted loud and proud, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Fangirl!" Suga teased

"I love her. She's so dynamic. If I could meet her, collab with her, or even be on the same stage as her, I would die. Like if I meet her, I will probably shout, 'This is not a drill! I am with Ailee!' Man, my life would be complete."

'ERIC. DANCE BATTLE WITH JIN' Was the next tweet read by the MCs.

"WOOOOOOOWWWWW!" The members shout, turning to Jin. Some of the members were shouting, "Jin! Jin!" while gesturing for him to dance.

"Oh, I have GOT to see this." Jen got comfortable in her seat.

Eric and Jin dance to Girl's Day's Darling as the MC Jimin and Jennie cringed. "Oh, I'm so embarrassed." The MC, Jimin looked on. Afterward, they have J-Hope and Jimin dance to Sistar's Touch My Body. "Wow!"

"Let Jennie dance! She's our guy group dance expert." Jin called her out.

"Yeah, let's let Jennie dance." Eric beckoned for her to come over.

"Jennie! Jennie, Jennie, Jennie, Jennie~!" The rest of the BTS members sing and chant while clapping their hands, encouraging her.

"Hahah, all right, all right." She got up from her seat and walked to the front of the studio. "Any requests?"

"Let's just put on a random song," Eric replied as Got7's Girls Girls Girls blared out. "Are you familiar with this?"

"I got you." She gave him a thumbs up, getting in position as the instrumental continued to play. But as soon as JB started to sing, she rocked back and forth, powerfully, smoothly dancing the choreography.

After she finished, she was applauded and praised for her dance skills. 

"My question is, where does she have the time to learn these dances!?" J-Hope exclaimed.

"That's my secret." She grinned.

While watching her dance, fans tweet:

'My weave has been snatched!!'

'Stop-sleeping-on-Jennie!'

'DAMN! Go, girl!'

'Did she just smirk at the camera!? Rude!! Stop killing me!'

'Ahhhhh I love her!!'

Back to the questions, Jen was asked another question with the tweet saying, 'Jennie! You are the only BTS member who has yet to dye their hair! When are you going to dye it?'

"Hahah, I love this question. Everyone asks me this. My hair will be dyed when you least expect it. Patience is a virtue. I already know the color, just not sure what the style is. But it won't be anytime soon, unfortunately. But it will be worth the wait." She reassured the fans.

As they answer more tweets, Jen is asked another question with the tweet saying, 'Jennie! When are you going to show us your DJ skills?'

"Ah...I get so shy about it. I dunno...Suga has been asking me almost every day to show him me DJing in front of him instead of a little snippet of what I've played around with. He told me that he might want me to help make music for BTS or maybe use it for a concert, but we'll see. I just get so insecure about my DJ skills. Everyone keeps asking and then the high expectations. I'll admit I'm a little scared to show it off to the public. I'm not gonna say I'm not good enough but I'll just say that I don't feel like my skills are that level for me to showcase my potential for it. So, I'm still practicing alone, trying to keep away from Suga because he always tries to catch me practicing. One day I'll show my skills. We'll have to wait maybe a few years before I'm ready. Just like with the rapping which he's currently teaching me."

After a few more tweets, they all gather back in their seats for the pretty please requests as they reveal the winner's tweet for a special prize. 

"Jennie, Rapmon do one of you want to read it?" Eric gestured as the two members glanced and smiled.

"I can do it," Jen spoke up as Rapmon nodded in response. "Okay, this tweet is from Sara Sarah. Say hi to Canadian A.R.M.Ys and please come here soon. Love you!" She read. "Aw, so sweet. What's up Canadian ARMYs!?" She waved.

"What's up!" Rapmon spoke up. "I like Toronto, I like Vancouver. I like everyone in Canada. I like the nature, I like the mountains, so I love you."

"He's just rapping." Eric exclaimed while the MC Jimin tried to mimic Rapmon's wording. "But his is so much cooler."

"O-kay." Jimin looked back down at her cards.

"I totally will make sure to try to make a trip up to Canada. I have yet to see the sights and I absolutely want to enjoy all the beautiful attractions there. So, shout out to all the Canadian ARMYs. You'll always have a special place in my heart." Jen eagerly said, making a heart with her hands.

"So, we gotta talk a little bit, it's been a busy few months for Bangtan. They've been overseas for a long time and they've been preparing for their new album that finally dropped. How's that been? How's that been going for you guys? You guys have been super busy. You guys doing okay?" Eric questioned the members.

"Ah...not okay." Rapmon let out a low chuckle. "It was busy but I think being busy is the best thing because I think it's better than not being busy. Having no schedule, ASC doesn't call us." He playfully rambled on.

"Oh really?" Jimin asked while Eric let out a laugh

"We rest, we've been getting fat." Rapmon went on.

"So, I've heard that your practice videos are a really big hit right now." Jimin went on and started doing exaggerated movements with Eric. 

Once she stopped, Eric kept going and she tried to stop by placing a hand on his arm. His actions caused the members to laugh once again.

"So, this is BTS' first full length, so we want to ask what it means to BTS," Eric stated.

"It's our first official album and compared to our other singles and mini albums that was simply a warm up. This 14-track album is amazing." Suga explained.

"What's your personal favorite song?" Jimin asked.

As Suga said Let Me Know is his favorite since he produced it and it's different from other BTS songs because of the emotion, he decided to show everyone the high note.

"Everyone you may want to plug your ears." Eric joked.

"GIRL LET ME KNOOOOOOWWWWWW~" Suga suddenly sang and fell off his seat.

Eyebrows raised and jaw dropped, Jen stared at Suga in disbelief. "Oh hell no." She exclaimed while Eric approached Suga to ask if he was okay, while he continued to exaggerate the high note. 

Afterward, Jimin stated that Danger is his favorite song. Rapmon said 24/7 Heaven is his favorite song, demonstrating singing the song.

"Okay, I'm a rapper, but I just did some melodies on that song." He explained, preparing to sing. "All night girl. I think about you all night girl. naeirimyeon geudael boge dwae. And I don't know what to say."

"GIRL LET ME KNNNNOOOOWWWWWW~" Suga overdramatically sang in a high pitched voice, again.

"Oh, mah gosh! Suga!" Jen laughed with the rest of the members. 

V, of course, said that Cypher:Killer was his favorite as he eagerly performed it for the show.

"I ne beonjjae aelbeom jeonggyuui gwanjeom!"

"Cypher!" All the members shout, dancing around in their seats, getting hyped.

"I teuraegi naomyeon Haterdeul wanjeon!"

"Amjeon!"

As V went on, Jen hyped him up even more by shouting, "AYE! AYE! OKAY! OKAY! UH! UH! KILL EM! KILL EM!"

After settling down, it was finally Jen's turn to reveal her favorite song. "Okay, my favorite is War of Hormone because this song is very different for me. It challenged me because it made me portray a sexy persona for this song. I was so reluctant to even do it, honestly because I get embarrassed with sexy personas. I'm not used to it, it's not my favorite concept but I'll do it if you want me to. It made me try a new persona and I think it went well with my voice."

Jin's favorite song is please turn off your phone, while Jungkook's song is Rain and J-Hope's is Hip Hop Lover. Next up was a pop quiz, the question was how many times did the scene of Jimin hitting the sandbag appear in the music video? In the meantime, they reveal the fans for the Hangout session.

They reveal the first person, Anja from Serbia. She explained she went to their showcase and was on the plane for around 24 hours to Berlin, enthused that BTS is amazing, while the members and MCs were in awe.

"Dedication. Fans are amazing." Jen smiled.

Anja showed some of her drawings, mostly of Rap Monster while Jin asked where were the rest of the members. Her request was to see V dance the choreography for Danger. Then Eric requested for all the members to dance. 

Next was Kasey from the U.K. She said that she went with her best friend to Berlin to see BTS and it was amazing. She thanked BTS because seeing them so passionate and hard working and talented inspired her to work for her dreams. After Rapmon translated, the members were touched by her kind words and her request was for Jimin and J-Hope to have a dance battle.

Next was a girl from America, whose name was Taylor. "Jennie! Jennie, you are my favorite member, and you inspire me to achieve my dreams, no matter where I go. I love you so much! You slay my life!"

"Aye! Thanks, girl! I love you, too!" Jen grinned happily. "It's fans like you who keep me going. Thank you for always being so supportive."

"Of course! So, my question for you is, what are your struggles while performing here and what do you want to improve?"

"Okay, I cannot for the life of me dance cutely. I can't do cute dances. I'm more into the badass concepts and powerful dances. I'll try my best to work on that, though. I want my high notes to improve. I feel as though my voice isn't strong yet, so I'm also working on that with vocal lessons. But I also want to try to sing different genres of songs and see what my strengths and weaknesses are. So, to help with that, I want to start working on covers to post on the BTS SoundCloud near the end of 2014 when I have some free time from the promotion, so keep a lookout, for that."

"And what is your request?" Eric asked Taylor.

"So, since you said you want to start working on covers, can you sing a little bit of one of the songs you want to cover?" She requested with an eager smile.

"Yeah, of course!" Jen beamed and began to sing a snippet of Amerie's Why Don't We Fall in Love. "So many things I'm goin' through. So much that I wanna do. It startin' to become so clear to me. Tomorrow ain't really guaranteed. So many days I've thought of you. It's about time you knew the truth. Got to act quickly, you and I. We fall in love, so many reasons why."

"Oh, my gosh!! I cannot wait until the full version! That was so good! I love your voice!" Taylor started fangirling on camera, earning a shy giggle from Jennie. She thought she was cute for freaking out like that, as she thanked her, while the MCs and members of BTS praised her for the song.

"I could hear the love and passion in her voice. Is there someone special in your life?" Jimin asked her. "Is Jennie in love?"

"Hahah, not yet." Jen waved away their funny accusations.

"How long have you been practicing?"

"I haven't practiced yet but since this song is a throwback, I already know the lyrics. But once the promotions die down and I'm not working on anything, I'll be practicing and preparing to record the cover."

After revealing the winner of the pop quiz, they go back to hanging out with the fans. A fan from China appeared as she was greeted by the members and MCs.

"Jennie, I have seen these questions all over the internet for some time now and wanted to ask them, so I hope you won't get too shy about them. Us ARMYs would love to know what was your first kiss like."

"Oooohhhhhh." The MCs turned to Jen while she buried her face in her hands, laughing. As soon as Rapmon translated the questions, the rest of the members yelled uncontrollably and eagerly awaited her answer.

"Ah, my first kiss...it's a very interesting story might I add. Shocking and off guard but somewhat cute. Well, it all started with a box of pocky. Or pepero as it's called in Korea." She began to explain. She tried not to laugh at the focused stares the members were giving her.

"You kissed with Pocky?" The MC, Jimin asked. "Aw, that's cute. Were you playing the pocky game?"

"Yeah. Remember when we filmed Rookie King?" Jen turned to the guys as they laughed and remembered the wild memories. "I hope he doesn't mind me sharing this out to the public, I don't think he knows this either but Jungkook was actually my first kiss since you guys wanted to smash our heads together during the pocky game." She shook her head.

Jungkook felt his stomach drop when he heard Jen say his name and saw her point at him. Then when she gestured about smashing heads together and said Rookie King before that, he had figured out what she said in English, immediately looking down at his lap, shyly. His face began to warm up as he tried to fight the growing smile on his face.

"No way! So that's why you had your head down for so long." Rapmon remembered clearly, ignoring the members but Jungkook questioned what Jen had said.

"Wow!" Eric Nam said, pleasantly surprised as he had a smile on his face, thinking it was cute.

"Aw! That's adorable!" The female Jimin smiled sweetly as Rapmon translated the bombshell to the members.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaa~!" The members but Jungkook start to yell and freak out in their seats. Jen tried not to laugh as J-Hope started screaming, running around the studio with Jimin and Tae. Suga had fallen out of his chair yet again while Rapmon shook his head at the chaos.

"Jungkookie?! OUR JUNGKOOKIE!?" The male Jimin pointed Jungkook out, who still shyly had his head down. "What is going on!?"

"What!? WHAT!?" Jin shouted in mother mode.

"Oh dear, I didn't think it would cause so much commotion." Jen rubbed the back of her neck. She avoided turning around to see Jungkook's reaction. 

She hoped he wasn't mad at her.

"Jungkook, what is your reaction to that?" Eric questioned, turning his attention to the Maknae.

Feeling bold from an unknown source of bravery, Jungkook looked up, speaking in English, "Not sorry.", causing the guys of BTS to laugh.

Widening her eyes, Jen turned around, meeting his stare, taken aback at his reaction. He smiled at her as she turned back around, feeling her face heat up. 

So, he wasn't sorry for giving her, her first kiss? He wasn't mad?

"Do you regret the kiss? How was it?" The female Jimin asked, wanting all the details. Everyone has their full attention on Jennie.

"Regrets? Honestly, I don't have any but if I'm nitpicking...I just regret not being a good kisser for him, to make the kiss more enjoyable, even though it was unintentional. So, I'm sorry that my kiss was terrible and sloppy, haha. But all jokes aside, no, I don't regret it at all."

"She's very considerate." Eric Nam pointed out.

As Jennie turned around to look at Jungkook, she decided to translate her statement for him instead of Rapmon, as she smiled at him, apologetically.

'But you have nothing to apologize for.' Jungkook thought to himself.

Next was Ardina from Indonesia, using a hangout free pass. She explained that watching Jimin dance made her go to dance school, and she danced for them, wearing the Bulls Jersey that Jimin wore.

"Yassssss! Go girl!" Jen looked on. She had some moves, it was amazing, and the rest of the members were blown away by her performance.

"Adina, I think you're better than me." Rapmon smiled.

Next was Olga from Poland, who asked Suga where she got his inspiration for his songs. The MCs translated that everyday life inspires him. She says she's supported them since debut and loves their meaningful songs. Her request was to ask Rapmon what his favorite method of learning is because he's one of the smartest students in Korea.

"Actually, it was computers. Playing games and yeah." He answered, shooting up a thumbs up.

Fanny from Belgium was next to talk to the group. She announced that she was going to show a drum cover of Danger. "Hey! Jen and Fanny should collab. Jen plays the guitar and fanny plays the drums!" V pointed out.

"That'll be nice!" Jen agreed. As they watched her play a small portion of Danger for the group, the members were in awe at her performance. "That was sick!"

After saying goodbye to Fanny, Rapmon pointed out, "We actually caught Jennie playing a guitar version of Danger."

"Putting me on blast!" She teased.

"Oh, are you planning on making an acoustic version of Danger?" Eric asked

"You never know." Jen shrugged.

"Can we see a demonstration?" Jimin asked as Jen was handed an acoustic guitar.

"I wonder if this was planned. You magically just had a guitar waiting for me, huh?" She teased the MCs who laughed in response. Making sure it was tuned up, she prepared to play. "Chorus. Five, six, seven, eight!"

A loud, strong strumming sound was heard, sounding just like Danger as the members swayed and bobbed their heads along to the music.

jangnanhae neo? dodaeche naega mweoya?

manmanhae Uh? nal gatgo noneun geoya?

neo jigeum wiheomhae wae nareul shiheomhae?

wae nareul shiheomhae? hetgallige haji ma

jangnanhae neo? dodaeche naega mweoya?

manmanhae Uh? nal gatgo noneun geoya?

neo jigeum wiheomhae wae nareul shiheomhae?

wae nareul shiheomhae? hetgallige haji ma

neo ttaeme neomu apa

neo ttaeme neomu apa

neo ttaeme neomu apa

hetgallige haji ma

neo naege neomu nappa

neo naege neomu nappa

neo naege neomu nappa

hetgallige haji ma

"Woo! Great job!" Eric applauded with Jimin. "Is that a full song? The acoustic version? It sounds so good."

"Nah, I was just playing around," Jen answered, placing the guitar down.

"Playing around? That needs to be recorded!" Jimin demanded.

"That's what I'm saying." Rapmon chuckled. "We'll think of something."

"I wouldn't mind playing the guitar more for our songs. I'm down for acoustic versions or even electric. We'll see in the future." Jen reassured.

------

And the last person was a guy from the Philippines, who happily greeted BTS. "I've been waiting so patiently because I really wanted to speak with Jennie."

"Aw, thank you!" She smiled and placed a hand over her heart.

"I wanted to tell you how much I admire you in BTS. And I also wanted to say that you are my ideal type."

As soon as she heard him say ideal type, she pointed to herself, stunned at his statement. "M-me? Really?"

"She's really surprised, haha." Eric looked on.

"I love your personality, you're so down to earth. And you have a pretty smile. You and Jin are my favorite members. Now, there are some male ARMYs around and I wanted to ask this question for them and for myself. Jennie, what is your ideal type?"

As soon as the MCs translated, the members of BTS turned to Jen, awaiting her answer.

"First, I'm shocked that I am your ideal type, like wow. You're the first that I know of to call me that and I am touched, so thank you. That just made me really happy. Like honestly, I'm not used to that and I'd feel left out since I'm never described as someone's ideal type here. I recall myself as a singing and dancing potato." She joked.

"A very beautiful potato!" The guy countered with a genuine smile.

"Hahaha, he's charming." Eric laughed.

"Thank you." She smiled. "Now, I don't have a specific person as an ideal type, like with Rapmon, who likes girls with red converses, though I personally prefer Nikes. And with Jungkook head over heels for IU."

"But to answer your question, my ideal type..." She paused for a moment. "Well, some things I would like is someone to be patient with me. Sometimes I'm not going to get things right away, but I would love for whoever I date in the future to just help me and be there for me and work with me through any struggles. Uh...someone to make me laugh, I love hugs so I would love to have someone to always be open to hug me and even cuddle. Am I getting too cheesy?" She looked around and got laughs in response from the MCs while Rapmon translated what she said.

"I do enjoy skinship, so hugs, or piggyback rides, anything. I tend to focus more on the personality, not the looks. I want someone that makes me happy and respects me. I'm outgoing so, if I date a shy person, I will do everything I can to bring them out of their shell. Everything." She shot the guy a thumbs up. She continued, "And another thing, to the fans and anyone in general, please don't change who you are to fit someone's ideal type. We're all different, we have different personalities from others. And I know what you're thinking. How can anyone want someone so skinny and bony like me? Or someone so chubby like me? Flat chest, big chest, skinny legs, thick legs, or I have acne on my face, scars or stretch marks, or whatever. Love comes in all shapes and sizes. There is someone out there for you."

"Sadly, there are people who don't understand that. And I think media can also be an issue because of that. Oh, I gotta look a certain way for this person and that person to notice me," she added. "Like no, don't do that. Keep doing you and be yourself. That's attractive to me. Let me see who you really are, behind any makeup and behind the scenes. And don't get upset when you're not like someone's ideal type. I'm guilty of this, I've had a crush on some K-pop idols before when I was younger. But remember that there's someone out there for everyone and someone will love you for who you are, no matter what you look like or what you've gone through. Just gotta wait. Love is patient. Love is unpredictable."

"I don't see myself dating anyone here since I don't really fit anyone's ideal type around here and besides, I always imagined myself dating someone in America, anyway. But you never know, someone might come in and change that. I think it's a beautiful thing, how love can be so unpredictable in the craziest ways. And whoever my special someone is, I hope that they are eating well, are happy, and are getting enough sleep. And I hope they're thinking the same about me. And...I just rambled. Sorry, heheh." She looked down, feeling her face heat up.

After Rapmon translated, Jungkook gazed at her. 'Love is patient and unpredictable.' He repeated in his head.

"That was inspiring." The female Jimin applauded with Eric. "I'm getting emotional."

"Did I answer your question?" Jen smiled at the guy on the screen.

"Very! Thank you for giving me hope! That was a passionate response." He smiled.

On the Twitter live feed, fans tweet,

'Yo...we ALL have a chance to date Jennie!!'

'Does she like girls!? Because I have a MAJOR crush on her, she's so damn beautiful!'

'Well she did say they instead of specifying a guy.'

'We don't deserve this girl!'

'Protect her!'

'I knew it! First kiss with Jungkook!? AHHHH! DATE!'

'We ALL have a chance with Jennie. She's so cool!'

'She just made me feel so much better about myself.'

'Do you think she'll date one of the members??'

'Well she did say she doesn't see herself dating in Korea, but in America.'

'Yeah but remember, she said love is unpredictable!'

'I bet her special someone is closer than she thinks.'

'I still ship her with V!'

'Nah, JenKook!'

'Um, no, JenMin!'

Before they could go to the next person, the MCs announced that they were out of time. They finally take their ending shot. "All right, thanks for joining us, we'll see you next time on ASC!" Eric closed the show.

[nurmiiii]

Okey so I've struggled a little (a lot) with an essay that I had to present for high school as a literature contest. Every year there is a theme and we have to compose from it, the thing is that this year we have to write a text from this sentence: "and explained to them". This is the result. I don't know what to think to be honest. On the one hand I like it because it's quite different to anything I've written before but being so impersonal and superficial... I don't know. That's why I'd like you to give me your opinion of it.

If I'm honest I'm a bit nervous because I've always been very sceptical about letting people read what I write because I'm very critical and perfectionist about my work so I tend to compare it to other people's work and I never see it as good enough. I have mixed feelings between fear and the desire to publish something of mine. Since I found this application I have seen other people who have dared to publish their texts sharing a little piece of their mind and soul in them and this has given me the confidence to get here: the day when I will publish something of mine. Although it has its flaws, I think it can help me to begin to open up to other people's opinions. That's why I ask you to be totally honest with your opinions, I've decided to share it in order to improve and your opinions can help me a lot to improve :)

But well, I'll stop procrastinating and I'll put the text here :)

One last thing, the text is not originally in English so here I wrote a translation of it so it might have some grammar mistakes, sorry for that😅

In a hospital room, there were three people. The first sat behind a desk with the computer on, constantly displaying tests that make your blood run cold. She had her legs crossed, one on top of the other, and was moving one foot rapidly, in an attempt to expel all that she was feeling at that moment. Her heart was racing with each passing second and he felt a peculiar shiver run down her spine, she knew well that what she would say next to the people with whom she shared that room would change their lives.

On the other side of the white desk, like the rest of the room, sat the other two people. The man was sitting in the chair closest to the wall and was perfectly aware that something was wrong. He had been staring for some time at a foot that seemed to keep dancing under the table. Inevitably, he couldn't help but think the worst, no matter how hard he tried to shake off this bad feeling that seemed to be gaining weight on his shoulders as time passed by.

Next to him was a woman with whom he shared a ring on his ring finger. She, however, was too nervous about the silence that pervaded the room to notice the tiny detail of the foot. Although the room was completely silent, questions echoed in her ears at a deafening volume. Why doesn't she speak? Why is she constantly looking at his computer? What's going on? And so, at this very moment, the two people sitting next to each other came to the same conclusion without needing to speak.

It was then, when the posters that filled the cold, white walls of the room with pictures of babies, laughing mothers and fathers, seemed to drown them out. The dummy hanging on the white shelf behind the third person seemed to intensify its bright colours to scream for their attention.

As the young woman trying to hide behind her computer saw a tear fall down the cheek of the woman in front of her, she took one last look at the evidence that the child inside this woman was no longer alive. She took a deep breath, and explained to them.

Well that's it... What do you think??

[owlyflufff]

Akaashi Keiji has always been good at keeping his workspace clean.

Though he has a plethora of notebooks filled with poetry and half crafted thoughts of the day, numerous pens with spilled ink and books of different genres, he keeps them in a tidy manner. His room, for one, has always been modest and free of mess. The desk in his room most especially had been simple, no figures or posters found and everything had a container and respective space. Even his desk in Mori Middle School had everything only Akaashi deemed necessary for school, all in a way he can access them easily with the surface being scribble free. It’s true and as expected and natural as it can be for someone like him, Akaashi has always been the best at keeping his workspace clean. 

Yet by the time he takes his first steps into Fukurodani High school, his desk has been, in a sense, an atrocity. Underneath, his books and notebooks shared a space with little gifts and small bento boxes filled with his favorite food. His pencil case and even locker was filled with sticky notes with messy handwriting, messages only Akaashi can understand. If one looked close enough, there were little scribbles all around the surface of his desk, of hearts and owls and short sweet quotes that had been enough to take Akaashi for a helpless romantic.

That much is true, Akaashi is helplessly in love, has given his heart to one person. 

At this rate, Akaashi’s desk has been a shared space between him and Bokuto. Being seated right outside of the door has it’s perks as it means Bokuto can easily slip into his classroom during breaks without garnering too much attention and slipping little gifts for Akaashi. Underneath, Akaashi Keiji keeps every little one, genuine pieces of sentimentality that he often looks at when he feels down. Whenever Bokuto would come during breaks, he would sit beside Akaashi and the two would study even for a brief moment, scribbling math formulas, scientific terms and difficult English words Bokuto needs to remember. At the same time, Bokuto would scribble cute drawings on Akaashi’s desk, sweet messages and quotes he found where he would always explain, “it reminded me of you!” 

Even Akaashi’s room, throughout the years, has grown to be quite a mess, evidence of Bokuto’s love and presence found in every nook and cranny. Plushies laid on Akaashi’s bed, some won by his partner during their arcade dates, others from birthday and “get well soon” gifts. His college materials have been mixed with keychains and scented candles, of odd items and figurines all from Bokuto. Every sticky note Bokuto has given is no longer kept in the confines of his pencil case but proudly displayed on Akaashi’s newly hung corkboard on his desk. 

If his workspace in his room has been bad, then his workspace once he gets accepted as an editor is just as horrendous. There was a slight ounce of professionalism in it but even that has been overrun by the amount of souvenirs Bokuto has given him from his international competitions with at least a new bouquet of flowers in Akaashi’s vase every 2 weeks. 

It’s all a little stunning, especially to Udai who hasn’t expected this from someone like Akaashi, so as he makes his way up to him with a small chuckle and says, 

“Your desk is quite the mess Akaashi, you sure you don’t want to clean it up a bit?” 

It’s true, the younger version of Akaashi would have been suprised at this apparent change. Though having known this whirlwind has been from Bokuto who had given color to his life, who in his pursuit of giving so much to Akaashi, has started to make his place feel not like a house but home, who had given not even one, but tons of reminders that Akaashi is loved, Akaashi responds with a smile,

“Admittedly Udai-san, I wouldn’t change a single thing.” 

[house-of-galathynius]

Every Step of the Way

Based off the prompt sent to @rowaelinprompts from @morganofthewildfire

“I don’t know what to do.” // “We’ll figure it out.” 

I thought I’d keep in line with a lot of the fics I’ve been seeing about Rowaelin pregnant and it was making me want more of them, so I couldn’t help myself but write a little pregnancy one-shot! Mostly fluff 😊

Word count: 2k 

~ 

Aelin hadn’t been able to look at it any longer. She had given the test one look and walked straight out of the bathroom and then paced the length of her bedroom before finally sitting on the edge of her bed. 

The test haunted her as she glanced every so often into the bathroom, seeing the little white stick sitting there. She had been unable to call Rowan or go downstairs to face her parents— because they would know something was wrong as soon as she went down. So instead she remained hiding in her room until she could pluck up the courage to do something.

She couldn’t pretend to be shocked or clueless about how this had happened. She knew very well how she had gotten pregnant. In fact, she was almost ninety-nine percent certain she could recall the exact night it had happened. Her parents had been away on a business trip and she had thrown a party— at first it was just a few people— but then somehow there were plus ones of plus ones and her house had been thrown into chaos. But Aelin had never been one to shy away from a good party, so she had continued to supply the drinks and the music and let her hair down. You couldn’t celebrate your final year of high school every day, after all. 

Rowan had moved to Orynth midway through the school year. He had been a broody, hard-to-read guy who had mostly kept to himself. Aelin never really conversed with him, not until they were made to be partners in English and had consequently become friends— of a sort. Aelin kind of liked his quiet, broody nature. It was so different to her own, but in a weird way it made them all the more compatible. The project had lasted only two weeks, but even after that Aelin started to seek him out to talk about the band they both loved or their favourite TV show, the both of them slipping seamlessly into a friendship. And that’s all it had been. Friends. 

Until the party. 

Despite the alcohol, Aelin wasn’t drunk. She usually left that to Aedion or Lysandra. She had really spent most of her evening conversing with various people and trying not to let her eyes wander to him. 

Rowan had been hiding in a corner all evening, judging everyone. Especially the girls who were desperate for his attention and affection. She’d caught him staring at her a few times and had eventually motioned for him to follow. 

Aelin had led him to her room, where the music was muted and she could hear herself think. It was the first time Rowan had been inside her house and her room, and she watched him with interest as he wandered around, picking up things and then putting them down, smiling at pictures she had stuck to her walls and rolling his eyes at band posters and merch that dotted her shelves. 

“You know you’re eighteen, right? This stuff is marketed to kids.” He had said to her, laughter in his voice. Aelin had rolled her eyes and strode over to him before yanking the little figurine from his hand. She remembered the moment that their hands touched, the feel of his calloused skin, the way his fingers had curled over her own as she had tried to take the figure from him. That moment was like a burst of realisation that this person was starting to feel like more than a friend to her. 

The feeling had been so out of the blue, hitting her like a ton of bricks that Aelin had staggered back a step. Perhaps it had been the alcohol or it was the dim lighting of the room… but Rowan had followed her every step, and with such gentleness, placed his hand on her cheek. His thumb stroking across her skin and she shivered at the touch, but unable to look away from his eyes. His beautiful green eyes. 

She remembered the quickness of her heart and the heat in both their eyes as Aelin had moved in close to him and rose on her toes to place a soft kiss on his cheek. Then tilting her head in offer. Can I kiss you? 

And that had been that. Rowan had devoured her in the bed, and then on the floor and then in the shower. The two of them utterly obsessed with the taste and feel of each other. They explored all of the other, kissing and licking, laughing… and in the morning she had woken with Rowan’s arm draped loosely across her hip, her body curved into his. 

She didn’t regret it at all. In fact, that night had spurred on the greatest relationship she had ever had— and hoped she would ever have. It had taken only weeks for her to fall in love with him. He was the brightest part of her day, the person she craved to be near all the time. She loved every second of being with him. He was the other half of her heart and she could not imagine wanting anyone else the way she did him. 

But now, sitting on her bed, she wasn’t sure if Rowan would feel the same. 

They were eighteen. They had plans for their lives: university, travelling, finding a career. Rowan had been accepted into one of the most prestigious universities in the country, he had internships lined up… What teenager would sacrifice all of that for a whirlwind romance? 

Aelin supposed she would get her answer in the next few moments as she heard the familiar sound of Rowan’s voice and her father welcoming him in. Even when she hadn’t spoken to him, he always knew when something was wrong. 

Aelin took in a few shaky breaths and stood. She smoothed down her clothes and then rung her hands together nervously as she waited for him to come in. 

The door opened slowly and he entered, a smile on his face. “Hey, Fireheart.” 

It took her a moment to summon words, but eventually managed a smile and a quiet, “hey.” 

Rowan noticed the subdued tone, and dropped his bag on the floor, coming over to her in two strides and cupping her face. “What is it?” 

Aelin stepped away from his touch and shook her head sadly. “Rowan…” She wiped a tear from her cheek, the reality of the situation hitting her. “I—“

He waited for her to speak. But no words good enough would find her. She opened her mouth and closed it before she ran a hand down her face and attempted to regulate her breathing. 

“Aelin, you’re kind of scaring me.” 

She closed her eyes and tried to silence the intrusive thoughts. Trying to find some semblance of calm. “We need to talk.” She said eventually. 

It was Rowan’s turn to look slightly afraid and he furrowed his brows in worry. “Are you breaking up with me? Because if you are, you don’t need to say it. I can just leave.” He rambled on. 

If Aelin wasn’t feeling so sick to her stomach with terror and worry, she might have been able to laugh at his jumping to conclusions. Except all she could manage this time was a shake of her head, “no. I’m not breaking up with you.” 

He sighed in relief. “What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

“Sit down.” She said, “please.” 

Rowan did as she asked and perched on the edge of her desk chair.

She knew she was going to tell him, but she hadn’t exactly figured out the precise words. Considering she had only found out herself less than two hours ago, it was no surprise he was struggling. But no matter what she thought of, nothing seemed to fit right. Just blurting it out was too impersonal— too abrupt. But telling him the story about their first night together was too much like she was explaining how making babies worked. The problem was that Aelin knew it didn’t matter how she told him, that had never been the problem. It was that she had no fucking clue how he would react, and that scared her the most. 

“Aelin?” 

Okay. She just had to do it. “I took a test earlier.” She paused to see if he caught on, but nothing had seemed to have registered yet. “A pregnancy test.” She confirmed. 

His eyes went wide, “a pregnancy test?” 

She nodded. “I’ve been feeling weird the last few days. Nauseous, headaches…” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Aelin shrugged again. “I didn’t think anything of it at first. But then I checked my period tracker this morning and, well,” she sighed, turning to walk into her bathroom and picking up the test. She returned to the room and handed it to Rowan with shaky hands, “it’s positive.” 

Rowan didn’t say anything for a moment. He just stared at the test; at those two little pink lines that have just changed the course of their entire lives. “How accurate are—“ 

“Rowan, I’m almost one hundred percent sure that it’s correct.” 

“Fuck.” He murmured. 

Aelin stepped back. Her chest constricting as his response sunk in. She didn’t know what she had been expecting. It wasn’t like she had hoped there would be some big declaration of love, or a spur of the moment marriage proposal— not that she really wanted that now anyway. But she had hoped for something more… comforting. And it was probably the hormones and the shock, but she fell back onto her bed, the tears starting to come faster now. She put her head in her hands and sniffed, trying to calm her erratic breathing. 

“I’m sorry.” She sobbed, “I’m so so sorry.” 

Rowan was on his feet in seconds, coming to kneel in front of her. “Hey. No. Don’t do that. Do not apologise. I’m sorry, Aelin.” He took her hands, pulling them gently away from her face, “I didn’t think of what I was saying… I just, this is a shock.”

Aelin nodded. “I know. Gods, I know.” She cried. 

Rowan wiped her tears away. “It’ll be okay, Aelin.” 

“I don’t know what to do.” She whispered. 

“We’ll figure it out. Together.” Rowan replied softly. “I don’t know if you know this, but I’m like super in love with you, Fireheart. You will never ever be alone, I have no plans on ever leaving you. And if you choose to keep this baby I will be here every single step of the way. And if you choose to not… even then. We’ll figure this out.” Rowan kissed her hands and smiled encouragingly at her. 

“But what about uni? What about all the plans—“ 

Rowan kissed her palm, “I have savings, we can get an apartment off-campus. I can work on the weekends. If you want to have this baby then I will support you. There are options, Aelin.” 

“I can’t do that to you.” 

Rowan shook his head, almost in anger. “That’s not for you to decide. I want to help. So let me.” 

Finally, she nodded. The anxiousness and terror that she felt was still there, simmering beneath her skin. She knew that the future would be hard, that having a kid so young would bring about countless hardships— but Rowan was there, he was going to stay. Though their relationship was new, she felt it deep in her bones that he would never betray her, never lie to her.

“Okay.” 

Rowan smiled then, relieved. “We can get married if that’s what you want. I’ll start looking at apartments and jobs and—“ 

Aelin chuckled, “how about we start with telling our parents first?”

Rowan ran a hand through his hair and laughed nervously. “Probably a good idea.” 

“You’re sure about this?” She said going up to him and winding her arms around his waist. 

Rowan mimicked her movement and then kissed her forehead. “I know that I want to be with you.” He smiled, “and if that includes having a little version of us… then I say bring it on.” 

~

Tag List: 

@morganofthewildfire @tomtenadia @fredweasleyhasadhd @luckyrunawaycheesecake @live-the-fangirl-life  @fireheart-violet  @charlizeed @scarblx @xo-fangirl-xo  @wordsafterhours @jesstargaryenqueen @sailorsassley @sjmships @endlessdaydream @aflickeringsoul @tillyrubes10 @rowaelin-cressworth @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @rowaelinismyotp @rosegoldannie @maryberry @viajandosinalas @becarefuloflove @allthebooksunderthemoon @sheharahu @swankii-art-teacher @superspiritfestival @becarefuloflove @tanvee1231 @viajandosinalas @backtobl4ck @emily-gsh​ @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart​ @becarefuloflove​ @goddess-aelin @thegreyj​ @leiawritesstories​

[honeypiehotchner]

winter love (all i want for Christmas is you) -- Hotch x Fem!Reader

Hi hi hi!! I have literally been writing this on and off since September, and now I finally get to share it!! A few quick things: this fic has very much Hallmark vibes but does have a good dose of angst too; for the sake of this fic, Aaron was born and raised in Virginia; and Jack was never born (sorry buddy!).

I listened to Michael Bublé’s songs “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “Cold December Night” a lot while writing this, so feel free to play those while you read! xx.

(The gif is from google because once again, my gif search is broken on here because apparently this post is too long?? Rip me)

Summary: You’ve returned back to your hometown after leaving to get your education, but you didn’t expect to run into your childhood best friend (and first love). 

Word count: 9.4k

HOTCH MASTERLIST || MAIN MASTERLIST

If you told yourself a few months ago that you’d be moving back to Virginia, you would’ve scoffed and probably laughed -- loudly. Your mom, on the other hand, would’ve been elated, and swore she knew it.

Like she’s doing now.

“I’m just so excited to have you home again,” she gushes, helping you carry boxes of your clothes up to your old childhood room.

The room needs some work, like taking down all these embarrassing posters and changing the sheets to something not so cringe-worthy (thankfully, it’s a full-size bed instead of the old twin you grew up sleeping on). But it’ll be fine for the time being. It’s not like you’re going to find an apartment right before Christmas, or that you even want to. It’s been a while since you’ve spent a full Christmas season with your mom.

You’ve been studying out of state for the past six years, working to get your masters and doctorate degrees — which you’ve completed. But now you need a job and a new start, which is why you decided to come home.

You’ve missed Virginia a lot more than you’ll admit. It’s hard not to miss your hometown when you’re gone from it for so long.

“We need a Christmas tree,” you say, as you come back down the stairs. “Christmas is next week, how do you not have a tree up yet?”

“I wasn’t going to get one without you,” your mom says like the fact should’ve been obvious to you.

You laugh as you plop down next to her on the couch. “I know. We should go tomorrow.”

“Whenever you want to,” she smiles, squeezing your arm. “Have you been to your coffee shop yet?”

“My coffee shop?” You raise an eyebrow. “Since when has it been mine?”

“Since you practically lived there during high school,” your mom counters.

She has a point. “Well, no, I haven’t. I just got here.”

“You should go.”

You raise both eyebrows this time, turning your entire body to face her. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you trying to get me to go back there?”

“Why don’t you want to?”

You give her a look. “You know why.”

“I don’t.”

She does. She knows exactly what happened there.

“I’m not repeating it,” you mutter. “And I’ll be finding a new coffee shop, thank you very much.”

“Oh, you can’t let one bad experience stop you from going there!”

“So you do remember!”

“How could I forget? When you were a wreck for months after. I still never forgave him for that, you know.”

You shake your head, settling back against the couch pillows. “It’s been long enough now that I think forgiveness won’t hurt anyone.”

You say that, and yet you don’t want to step foot in that shop ever again.

+++

It was the summer before your junior year. Aaron was a rising senior, so there was the weight of it being his last year already hanging in the air. Especially when he was already looking at a pre-law track for college — meaning he’d be insanely busy after graduation with not much time for you.

Unfortunately, you didn’t realize that his being too busy for you would start before then.

You were a year younger — technically almost two, but the way your birthday fell, you were only one grade younger — but that didn’t stop Aaron from being your friend. At first you thought he had ill intentions (as most older boys in high school did), but he didn’t. He genuinely enjoyed your company, and you genuinely enjoyed his.

More than genuinely. You say now that you don’t believe in love at first sight, but you know that’s because it already happened for you, and you believe it to be a one-time deal.

That one time was when Aaron sat across from you at the lunch table.

You were alone and reading a book. You were a freshman then, and being an extra year younger didn’t exactly help in the whole making friends department. Especially when a lot of your peers were already aware of your age.

But Aaron wasn’t aware, nor did he even care.

He saw that you were alone, and reading, and he decided to sit with you. He wanted to read too, anyway, but he knew he didn’t always like being alone when he read. Something told him you were the same way.

He was correct.

It took almost the entire fall semester before either of you said one word to each other. Sometimes you’d be too engrossed in the book you were reading to even notice he’d sat down in front of you. And when you would finally notice, he would be the one with his nose too deep in the book to notice.

But eventually, you started sharing book recommendations.

Which eventually turned into helping each other with homework. You were always better at math and Spanish than he was (you were already in the sophomore levels of these classes as a freshman), but he was always good with history and English. He must’ve noticed you were in freshman English and history, but he never commented on it — at least not in a way that said he was bullying you.

That winter break was when you started going to the coffee shop together. It was within walking distance of the high school, so the two of you would go at the end of the day until your parents could pick you up. Sometimes your mom would drive him home, or vice versa.

And when Aaron got his license, he’d drive you both there and drop you off at home.

The two of you were inseparable. Almost literally.

Until Aaron met Haley.

Haley was in theatre. She was everything you weren’t. Aaron’s age, pretty, funny, outgoing, and worst of all: popular.

You watched your best friend fall in love.

And that wouldn’t have hurt as bad as it did if it wasn’t Haley he was falling for.

You kept your feelings for Aaron quiet, even to your mom — though you found out later that she always knew. You had almost thought he felt the same, or that he might be beginning to, and then suddenly he was talking about some girl named Haley.

Only she wasn’t just “some girl” to him, or even to you. Everyone knew Haley Brooks.

Slowly, your lunch table conversations were less about what the two of you were going to do the coming weekend, and more about Haley. How he was going to get her to notice him (join theatre, even though he never liked theatre before her). How he was going to ask her on a date (it wouldn’t be a date at first, just dinner after theatre rehearsal, that ended up being with the entire cast, but he sat next to her). How he was going to win her over (he brought flowers to the first performance and surprised her backstage). How he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend (that was the same night as the flowers, completely unplanned, but she said yes).

How he thought he might want to marry her one day.

The last hurt most of all. He confessed it to you one night out of the blue as he was driving you home after school. You knew you could handle him being in love with someone else. Some sick part of you knew — or hoped, rather — that the relationship wouldn’t last. What high school relationship lasts longer than a few months, anyway?

But when Aaron fell for Haley, he fell completely. And hard.

He started cancelling plans with you to spend time with Haley — before they were even dating. When they were dating, he stopped making plans with you altogether.

Then came the summer before his senior year.

It had been months since you saw him last. You had a new lunch period the second half of the year because one of your favorite teachers asked for help during the period, which meant you didn’t have lunch with Aaron — but you don’t even think he noticed.

June came and went. The two of you barely saw one another, barely talked when you did. But when you did, you clung to those moments like they were your only lifeline. In a way, they were.

July finally came and he actually made plans to see you. He said he wanted to get coffee again, catch up, hang out for a few hours, sit in silence, even, whatever you wanted. You were excited.

Some part of you thought that he had broken up with Haley — wishful thinking, but you were sixteen and in love, what else were you supposed to think?

But he hadn’t broken up with her. They were very much in love. You know. You witnessed it.

Apparently, Haley didn’t like the idea of Aaron getting coffee and lunch alone with a female friend. So, she took it upon herself to tag along.

You saw them sharing a kiss through the window, Aaron’s back facing you. When they pulled away, Haley’s eyes caught yours, but she said nothing to Aaron, just pulled him back in for another kiss.

You didn’t go into the shop that day. And you haven’t since.

The last time you saw Aaron was the day before he moved to college. He was stopping by to say goodbye to you.

You were reading a book in your room, and your eyes caught the movement on the driveway. You told your mom to say you weren’t home.

You watched him leave from your bedroom window, hands stuffed in his pockets.

+++

You heard that Aaron and Haley got married. Not because you wanted to hear, but because your mom told you. She probably meant well, but you drank an entire bottle of wine that night. You weren’t even 21 yet at the time.

Of course, it’s been years since then. You’re all fine now, and you’ve got the student loan debt to prove it.

But even with three degrees, job hunting can be a bitch. Especially this time of year.

You need coffee.

You blame the fact that this coffee shop is the best one around. And the fact that it’s Christmas season, meaning they have your favorite drink again.  

Dark chocolate peppermint mocha. It’s a godsend. And you haven’t had one in years.

Well, you have. But they haven’t been from here. They haven’t had this shop’s specially made peppermint whipped cream, or the peppermint stick that can be used to stir.

You hate how much you have to psych yourself up before you walk inside. You don’t even know where Aaron is these days or what he’s doing. He could be halfway across the country for all you know.

So, with that fact in mind, you walk inside. You embrace the familiar sight and smells, remembering what it felt like the last time you were here.

You move toward the counter, falling in the short line to the register. And your stomach flips when you see a familiar face standing in front of you.

Well, his back is facing you, so you don’t see his face, but you know it’s him. There’s this thing about first loves. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since the last time you’ve seen them. You’ll always recognize everything about them. The back of their head, their shoulders, their hands, the way they walk.

Their voice. Even if it’s deeper than the last time you heard it.

Maybe he won’t recognize me.

But what you don’t know is that no amount of time could pass to make you unrecognizable to Aaron.

Or that he saw your reflection in the glass case next to him when you got in line, and he’s been internally trying to figure out what the hell to say to you since.

If it hadn’t been for his voice, you wouldn’t have recognized Aaron at all. A black coffee? That’s it?

The barista pours it and slides it over to him before he’s even done paying. He’s at a coffee shop -- this coffee shop, and he orders a black coffee?

Who is he?

You step up to the register as he steps away, and you swear you see him looking at you through the corner of your eyes. But you must be seeing things because why would he do that?

You focus on ordering -- a medium peppermint mocha, complete with the whipped cream and peppermint stick. After paying, you step to the side to wait for your coffee.

You nearly knock right into Aaron, but you stop yourself, well aware of his presence.

Another thing about first loves: you’re always painfully aware of their presence.

“Hi,” he says, awkward and fumbling even though it’s only one word. He’s wearing a stuffy suit and tie, which seems odd, but you’re positive that’s just normal lawyer attire. He probably lives in a suit these days. His hair is shorter than it used to be and he looks older, but so do you. Despite all of this, he’s still Aaron. He’s still the same Aaron Hotchner you fell in love with at sixteen.

“Hi,” you return the awkward smile, tugging on the strap of your purse. After a beat, you nod toward his drink. “Black coffee, huh?” You try to tease. “Who hurt you?”

He laughs loudly then, shoulders and head shaking. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, Hotchner,” you murmur, wrapping your arms around yourself.

The conversation dies for a moment, so you busy yourself by looking at the different cakes and pastries in the glass case. You probably should’ve gotten one, but maybe another time.

Another time. Fifteen minutes ago you wouldn’t be caught dead in this shop and now you’re already thinking about another time.

“Are you busy?” Aaron suddenly asks, prompting you to look at him with furrowed brows. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” you smile gently, knowing you might regret this later. But it’s been over a decade since you’ve seen him last. One coffee won’t hurt.

And I’m over him, you remind yourself, no matter how untrue it might be.

Once you have your peppermint mocha -- finally, you think, it’s been too long -- you walk with Aaron to find a table. A lot has changed about this shop, but one thing that hasn’t (because there isn’t much that can be changed) is the seating.

Aaron leads you to your old table. The table the two of you practically lived at.

It makes your heart warm and ache all at once. The drink you decided to order isn’t helping matters either.

“So…” You pause, shifting in your seat. “What are you up to these days?”

“You stole my question,” he jokes.

“Tough,” you smile into your drink. “I asked it first.”

He chuckles, but answers anyway. “I’m working for the BAU now.”

“The B-A-What?”

“The-- FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.”

Your eyes widen. “Did you… Did you really just say you’re working for the FBI?”

“I think so,” he says. “I’m the unit chief.”

“You’re the-- Okay. So, you don’t work for the...the BAU, they work for you.”

“We’re a team,” he offers.

“Said every boss ever,” you quip, taking a long drink of your mocha. You take the peppermint stick in between your fingers and stir, eyebrows furrowing down at the swirl of coffee and whipped cream. “So...what do you do exactly?”

He opens his mouth to answer, then stops, hesitating. “Do you really want to know?”

You give him a look. “Of course I do.”

“It’s not great.”

“Aaron, just tell me, or I’ll start reciting my dissertation word for word.” Your statement stuns him to silence, so badly that you almost laugh. “That’s boring. Working for the FBI can’t possibly be boring.”

“Oh, it’s never boring, that’s for sure,” he mutters. “We profile serial killers.”

“You what?”

He laughs. “We look at their behaviors and crimes and build a profile, what they might look like, their age, that stuff.”

“Intriguing.”

“I can’t believe you’re interested.”

“I can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t be,” you counter. “You know I thrive off this stuff.”

“I remember,” he says quietly.

And just like that, you remember, too.

It’s so easy to forget about all the hurt he caused, all the pain he left behind. Especially because you know he never intended to hurt you. He would never do that, not to you, not on purpose. You never told him how you felt. It’s not his fault he couldn’t read your mind.

“Well, you’ve got a doctorate,” he says, shifting the conversation. “What else are you up to?”

“How did you know it’s a doctorate?” You raise an eyebrow. “Are you profiling me? Did I use that correctly?”

“Yes,” he smiles. “And no, not intentionally. You said you’d recite your dissertation. Those are normally written to get doctorate degrees. You always wanted one, I assumed you met your goal.”

“You assume correct,” you nod. “I’m back to start job and apartment hunting, but after the new year. I wanted to spend some time with my mom.”

“How is she doing?”

“She’s good, she--” You pause, shaking your head with a laugh. “She actually brought you up yesterday.”

“Me?” Aaron looks genuinely shocked.

“Yeah, you,” you knock your foot against his leg without thinking, but you pay no mind, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to it. “She’s actually the one who put the bug in my ear to come here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I haven’t been back here since…”

It takes him a moment, but he nods slowly. “Right.”

“Yeah,” you draw your legs closer to you on instinct. “But that was a long time ago. How are you and Haley?”

You don’t expect the way his face falls. You glance down at his left hand. No ring.

“We got a divorce a few years ago, split up about a good year before that,” Aaron explains. “She’s good, last I heard. Remarried already.”

“Wow,” you murmur, not knowing what else to say. “What-- I mean, what happened?” When he hesitates, you backpedal. “Sorry, I shouldn’t even ask, it’s probably a sensitive question.”

“It’s okay,” Aaron chuckles. “I don’t mind talking about it with you.”

That sends a dangerous flutter through your stomach. “Okay. Well I’m all ears.”

“Oh, it’s not a long story, it was just my job,” he shrugs. “I took the unit chief position and she was happy at first. But then, there was a period of time where we had what felt like case after case after case.” He shakes his head. “I was barely home, but I was barely in one state for long, anyway. It was a stressful time. We were everywhere at once.”

“That does sound stressful,” you frown. “Has it slowed down now?”

“Kind of, it has its moments,” he admits. “But being gone so much, it took a toll on her. She wanted to start a family, but said she couldn’t do that if I was never there.”

“But I mean she had to have known how your schedule would be with the new job, right?”

“Yeah,” he says, then shrugs. “It’s been so long now that I stopped trying to understand her thought process.”

“I get that,” you say sincerely. You understand not wanting to waste energy on something like that anymore. Sometimes you just have to give it up and have peace with the fact that you’ll never understand.

“What about you?” He asks suddenly, catching you off guard. “Seeing anyone?” He adds it quietly, like he’s shy.

Aaron Hotchner. Shy. Around you.

“Oh,” you nearly laugh at the prospect. “No. No, I’m not. Do you really think I would be if I was moving back in with my mom?”

He laughs, bringing his coffee to his lips. “You have a point there.”

A comforting silence settles over the two of you after that.

You shouldn’t feel slightly giddy that his and Haley’s relationship didn’t work out in the end. You’re over him by now, anyway. But something about being right has you fighting a smile. You smother the urge, though, knowing he probably doesn’t want to hear anyone, let alone you, say, “I told you so.”

You do feel bad for him, genuinely. Divorce is never easy for anyone, and you hate he went through that. Especially like that. Haley knew his work schedule would change. Why would she act supportive if she knew this in advance? Just sits uneasy with you, that’s all.

Of course, you feel that overprotective-best-friend nature coming back to you.

“What plans do you have now that you’re back?” He asks, keeping the conversation up, but you can tell he’s earnest — which makes you smile.

“Nothing, really. My mom and I are getting a Christmas tree later, but that’s all I have on my schedule.” You pause, giving him another look. “We both know you were my only friend in high school. Who do you think I’m going to see while I’m here?”

“Hopefully a lot of me,” he replies easily, smiling around his coffee.

And for once, you don’t hesitate to reply. “I hope so, too, actually. I didn’t think you were still around here. And I really didn’t expect you to be working for the FBI.”

“This might be presumptuous of me, but what are you doing this weekend?” He asks, quickly adding on, “A good friend of mine is hosting a Christmas party for the team, and I’ve basically been threatened to bring a plus one.”

“Threatened, huh?” You raise an eyebrow.

He nods seriously. “They won’t let me inside without one.”

You gasp comically, keeping up the act. “Well you can’t miss the party!”

“I know,” he sighs, propping his head in his hand.

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to come with,” you say, still deadly serious.

But Aaron’s lips split into a grin the same time yours does. “It’s this Saturday.”

“Lucky for you, I’m free.”

He doesn’t stop grinning. “I can pick you up, if you want.”

“Yeah, I’d love that,” you say. “I should probably give you my number, shouldn’t I?”

“I was going to ask,” he admits.

You roll your eyes playfully. “I figured.”

After exchanging numbers, the two of you return to your idle conversations. Only, they’re less idle than they ever have been before.

He vents about still not understanding how people can be capable of the things he sees. How he knows that everyone is capable of unspeakable things, but it’s how they do it that still makes him stumble sometimes. And you try to sympathize, though you know you can’t. But still you tell him not to try to understand.

“You’re a good man,” you say. “You’re not going to understand it because you’re not like them.”

“Thank you,” he whispers. “I know that, consciously. Sometimes it’s good to hear it from someone else.”

Then he tells you it’s your turn, and again, you don’t feel the need to hesitate.

You tell him how you weren’t planning on moving back here at all. But the job market where you were didn’t...fit you, for some reason. You never felt like you belonged, and so maybe that’s why you wanted to come back here.

Because even though you left this place heartbroken, you still felt like you belonged when you were here. You felt like you belonged when you were with him, but you don’t tell him that.

Something tells you he heard it anyway, though. Being a profiler and all. Which you still don’t quite understand, but you’re sure he’ll have plenty of time to tell you in the coming future.

+++

After an hour or two, you decide it’s time for you to head back home. Partly because you need to make some lunch for yourself, and partly because you’ve watched Aaron dismiss at least three phone calls in the last twenty minutes.

But he didn’t say a word each time, so you know he won’t tell you who it is or if he needs to go. It makes your heart warm at the thought that he wants to spend more time with you, but if it’s his job, then he needs to go.

He walks you to your car and you hug him around his neck, unashamedly taking a deep breath of his cologne when you stretch up to wrap your arms around him. He didn’t wear cologne back in high school. But this one smells good.

You mentally prepare yourself on the way home for the amount of questions your mom is no doubt going to ask.

You’re supposed to be going to pick out a tree with her today, which means you were supposed to be home a little earlier than this, which means your mom probably already knows what happened and you won’t even get a chance to explain yourself.

In the end, your prediction was correct.

“How was your peppermint mocha?” You glance over to the couch and find your mom sitting there, idly reading a book.

The question is as directly indirect as they come. You raise an eyebrow and kick the front door closed (yes, she asked before you even stepped foot inside the house). “It was good,” you reply, shrugging your jacket off your shoulders. “Why?”

“Oh, you enjoyed it for almost two hours, so I was just wondering.” Your mom fights back a grin, but she’s not doing a very good job.

You sigh. “Just go ahead and ask.”

She closes her book. “Alright, fine, I will. How is Aaron?”

There it is.

“He’s good,” you answer rather pointedly, making your way into the living room. “He’s working for the FBI now.”

“Oh, I knew that already.”

You plop down next to her on the couch. “Seriously?”

“Of course!” She cries, like it should be obvious. “Small talk happens when you see someone in the store.”

“Right,” you scoff. “Anyway, thanks for not telling me him and Haley divorced.”

She grimaces.

“Yeah, exactly,” you nod at her expression. “That’s how I felt. I bet it was just awesome of me to ask about how him and his ex-wife are doing.”

“I’m sorry,” your mom says. “It completely slipped my mind. It’s been so long since those two split.”

“Why didn’t you tell me when it happened?”

“Because I didn’t want to bring him up,” she answers sincerely. “You seemed like you had really moved on. I figured it didn’t matter, and I didn’t want to make you start thinking about him again when you had finally gotten over it all.”

“Oh,” you murmur. “Well, thank you, then, but...still. I feel like an idiot.”

“Did he seem angry when you asked?”

“No, the opposite,” you sigh. “He explained what happened and I let him talk about it for a second, but he seems mostly moved on from it.”

“I don’t know how he can be,” your mom scoffs. “She’s already remarried, you know.”

“Yeah, he told me.”

Your mom shakes her head. “I should’ve shook some sense into that boy when he came to say goodbye that day.” Then she pauses, poking your leg. “And I should’ve made you say goodbye to him. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

“I didn’t wanna talk to him,” you shrug. “We barely had all year, anyway. And one goodbye would not have stopped him from going to college and marrying Haley, you know that.”

“Yeah, I know.” She sighs. “It’s fun to think about, though.”

“Well stop thinking about it,” you mutter. “We are friends and he’s probably seeing someone by now. I don’t even know how long I’ll be here, so.”

Your mom raises her eyebrows. “I never said anything about what you guys are now.”

Damn. Caught. “I know, but I’m just...catching you before you do.”

“Mmm, more like catching yourself.”

“Shut up.”

She lightly hits you with a pillow. “Don’t say that to your mother,” she jokes. “Especially not when I’m right and you know it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Are you ready to pick out a tree?”

“Of course,” she replies. “Just let me find my shoes.”

While she’s getting ready -- because “finding her shoes” really means fixing her hair and makeup and changing outfits a couple times -- you get a text from Aaron.

Aaron: It was nice catching up with you today

You smile and type your reply. Ditto. We should do it again sometime.

He doesn’t reply, but you figure he’s busy at work, anyway. And you’ve got a tree to pick out and decorate, so you’re technically busy, too.

You try not to think too much about it.

+++

And truthfully, you don’t think much about it, until Aaron finally replies. It’s hours later when you’re decorating the freshly-cut Christmas tree in the living room, with Michael Bublé’s Christmas album playing through the stereo speakers. It’s just like when you were younger.

You check your phone and see that it’s Aaron texting you back, but you pocket it before reading the message. You’re busy.

Your mom notices the change on your face. “Everything alright?” She asks as she places a snowflake ornament on one of the smaller branches.

You nod without thinking, hating yourself for even feeling what you’re feeling right now. A glittery red ornament hangs from your index finger as you try to find the right branch to hang it on -- and while your mind wanders all over the place.

“Clearly not,” your mom replies. “But alright.” She turns and reaches into a different box, picking up one of the golden jingle bells that she always hides deep within the tree each year. When you were younger, she’d hide them without you seeing, and then on Christmas Eve you’d have to search the tree for them before you could open one present before going to sleep.

You snort a laugh, always loving her way of getting you to open up: sarcasm. “It’s just Aaron.”

“Aaron?”

“Texting me,” you explain, looking down at the glitter coating your fingertips from the ornaments.

“Aren’t you going to reply?” She asks, grabbing another jingle bell.

“Technically he’s the one replying from earlier today.”

“Okay…”

You sigh. Time to cave. “He invited me to a Christmas party this weekend.”

Your mom doesn’t even try to hide her excitement or her wide grin. “Really? That’s great!”

Is it? You want to ask, but you stop yourself. “Yeah,” you shrug. “I guess so. It’ll be nice to hang out with him more.” You pause, finally hanging the small glittery red ornament on the tree that you’ve been idly holding for the past two minutes. “Apparently a friend of his is hosting it and basically told him he wouldn’t be allowed inside without a plus one.” You chuckle quietly, knowing Aaron had to have rolled his eyes when his friend told him that.

“So it’s...a date, then?”

“What? No,” you shake your head. “No, no. Not a date. He didn’t phrase it that way.”

“Sweetheart, plus one implies date.”

“Who says?”

“Everyone!” Your mom laughs. “Bringing a plus one to a wedding is usually a casual date, if not bringing your significant other along.”

“This isn’t a wedding, it’s just a Christmas get together.”

“Same difference.”

“Well, I think you’re doing that thing again where you try to plant seeds in my brain for things that are unnecessary,” you raise an eyebrow at her when she avoids eye contact, so you know you’ve caught her red-handed. “All that aside,” you sigh. “I’m over him. It’s been so long. If something was going to happen, it would have already.”

“Whatever you say,” she shrugs indifferently, grabbing the final jingle bell to hide in the top of the tree. For a brief moment, you wish you hadn’t been watching where she hid them, so you could do the search on Christmas Eve one more time.

+++

You bump into Aaron one more time, two days later, at the same coffee shop.

“Back for more?” He teases as he slides into the seat across from you, another black coffee in his right hand.

You’re sitting at the table the two of you call home with yet another peppermint mocha sitting in front of you and your laptop. More job hunting is the task for today, even though you’re ready to give up and just pick it back up after the New Year. It’s not like your mom is making you pay rent, and you have enough in savings to help with groceries (without her knowledge, of course, because she refuses to let you pay for anything) and buy your own coffees. But, you decided to give it one last go today.

That is, until Aaron slid into the seat in front of you. Now, you close your laptop and place it back in your bag. “Just needed some fuel for more job hunting,” you grin. “What are you doing here?”

“I took off for lunch for once and thought I might find you here.”

“Oh?” You raise your eyebrows. “Were you seeking me out, Hotchner?”

“Maybe a little,” he admits with a shy smile. “Are you still good for tomorrow?”

“As long as you are,” you nod. “What time?”

“I’ll pick you up at five, if that’s good?”

“Perfect,” you smile. “Are you ready to introduce me to your friends?”

“Depends,” he exhales exasperatedly. “Are you ready to meet them?”

“They can’t be that bad.”

“They might be. If you aren’t used to them.” He pauses. “They don’t know you’re coming, by the way.”

“What?” You almost laugh. “Why not?”

“I told them I was bringing someone, but I didn’t feel like hearing it all week about who I was bringing.” He pauses again, like he’s holding something back, and then he lets it out. “They know all about you.”

You blink. “They do?”

“Yeah,” he smiles gently. “I talk about you all the time.”

“No,” you shake your head. “No you don’t. There’s no way.”

“You’ll believe it tomorrow,” he chuckles. “I’m sure they’ll try to embarrass me.”

“I-I mean...what do you even say about me?”

He shrugs. “That you were my best friend in high school and...that I missed you and wondered what you were up to these days, and how we used to hang out here.” He looks around the shop, then back to you and your bewildered expression. “What?” He laughs. “You didn’t talk to your friends about me?”

“No, I did,” you laugh quietly. But I said different things. And most of the time I was crying because I missed you, especially my first year of college when my roommate tried to get me to go on a double date with her boyfriend and his roommate, but I refused and had to confess that I wasn’t over you and that you broke my heart, and I was such a mess that she brought ice cream and chocolate back after their date.

But you don’t say any of that. Obviously.

“I just didn’t expect you to even...think about me, I guess,” you finally spit out, still shaking your head. “I mean...we haven’t talked since high school, I figured you’d forgotten or moved on, at least. Especially since you had Haley.”

Aaron’s expression softens and turns sad, quickly. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “I didn’t know you thought any of that.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” you wave his worry away. “It’s years ago. Water under the bridge.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. Then, he says, “Haley was jealous of you, you know.”

You immediately look up from your mocha, your eyes wide in shock. “She was what?”

“Oh yeah,” Aaron laughs. “Devastatingly jealous of you. She swore we were dating or that I was in love with you or something.”

Or something. “Wow,” you chuckle, trying to mask your hurt as much as possible. “Why did she even think that?”

You know why. You know exactly why. Because before her, you and Aaron were attached at the hip. You sat together during lunch, walked each other home, hung out at the coffee shop, went to school functions together (well, you’d actually go with a big group, but you two always ended up together anyway), and so on and so forth. Anyone would’ve been an idiot to not assume you two were dating.

“We were so close,” he shrugs. “She said she was so surprised when I asked her to be my girlfriend because she swore I was dating you. She actually asked me that, when I gave her the flowers. She said, “What about Y/N?” And I said, “Y/N? She’s just my best friend.” And she didn’t believe me.”

“That’s so crazy,” you say, but you’re really thinking back to that day you and Aaron had decided to meet up here and hang out after so long. When Haley crashed the hangout. When she locked eyes with you and smirked before pulling him back in for another kiss.

She was jealous. She was jealous and she knew exactly what she was doing that day.

Aaron’s phone starts ringing and he sighs heavily, pulling it out. He almost declines it, but then stops himself. “It’s the boss,” he says. “My boss. I’ve gotta take this. I’ll text you later?”

“Sure,” you smile, knowing he might forget or get too busy to think about it. But that’s okay. “Good luck with the phone call.”

“Thanks,” he chuckles. “I’ll need it.” And then he brings his phone up to his ear. “Agent Hotchner,” he says, and you hate that you find it so hot.

+++

You almost cancel with Aaron a dozen times before 2p.m.

You blame the conversation the two of you had yesterday. For some reason, the thought of Haley being jealous of you had never crossed your mind. Because to you, it was so obviously the other way around. Of course, you weren’t vocal about your jealousy, but you were certain she knew. Not that it was the other way around.

Old feelings have already resurfaced, which is bad enough, but the talk about Haley and about how Aaron’s friends know all about you made things worse. Especially the latter.

Why would he talk about you so much if the two of you hadn’t spoken in years? Not even years, but like an entire decade. Why would he still talk about you and think about you that much?

You have dwelled over those questions since he left the coffee shop yesterday.

But now, you have no idea what to wear, and Aaron will be here any minute. You’re assuming the attire is casual, not fancy, since it’s just a get together with his friends -- who all happen to be his team of agents. FBI agents. Because he’s just casually the Unit Chief of the BAU.

It still baffles you. He wanted to be a lawyer. Not in the FBI. God.

He’s still your Aaron. That’s what shocks you the most. He’s experienced law school, marriage, practicing law, working for the FBI, becoming a Unit Chief, divorce, and yet he’s still the Aaron Hotchner you were best friends with in high school.

You wonder if you’re still the girl he was best friends with in high school. Or if you’ve changed so drastically that he doesn’t see you that way anymore.

You take a deep breath, going back to digging through the many boxes of clothes that you have yet to unpack. You need a sweater or something. That’s safe enough, right? It’s too cold for a dress, and frankly, you’re not in the mood for wearing one, anyway.

Finally, you find the sweater you were looking for. You tug it over your head, figuring your jeans are fine enough. You’ll wear some low heels to make it look like you put in a little more effort.

Your quick thinking is to your benefit because the doorbell rings almost as soon as you’re done doing the clasp on your second heel.

But because your mom is quicker than you, she’s already opened the door and let Aaron in before you can make it downstairs. And by the time you are coming down the stairs, Aaron is sitting on the couch with your mom, making idle conversation.

“Hey,” you smile at him, resisting the urge to glare at your mom. “Ready?”

“If you are,” he nods, standing to his feet.

When he turns, you shoot your mom a look. “We’ll be back later.”

“You’re not in high school,” your mom laughs. “You two have fun for as long as you like.”

“I know,” you say. “But I also know you’ll wait up until I get back.”

“And you can’t stop me,” she replies pointedly.

Aaron laughs at the two of you, your banter just as he remembers from all those years ago. Neither of you have changed one bit.

After a final moment of bickering, you bid your mom goodbye and leave with Aaron.

In the car, you ask, “Have you told them about me coming yet?”

From the driver’s seat, he shakes his head. “No, so prepare yourself for a lot of questions.”

“I think you’re the one that’ll be in hot water, but alright,” you chuckle. “I can hear them now. ‘Why didn’t you tell us you were bringing her!’”

He laughs loudly. “That’s not a bad impression, actually.”

“Why, thank you,” you smirk. “It’s a hidden talent of mine.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mhm.”

The two of you share a grin as he keeps driving.

+++

After some time -- long enough that you were beginning to wonder where he’s taking you -- Aaron finally turns into a subdivision. But it’s still not what you were expecting.

You assumed FBI agents must make good money, but not this good. This is a mansion. It’s massive. There has to be at least six bedrooms in there, maybe more.

“Is your friend a millionaire or something?”

Aaron chuckles, “Maybe. Probably. Maybe more.”

“More?” Your eyes widen. “Wow.” And then Aaron pulls into the driveway. “Wow.”

He puts the car in park and says, “Try not to look too surprised. Dave won’t shut up about the house if you get him started.”

“What if I want to hear everything?” You ask, scrambling out of the car to look up at the house. “Jesus Christ.” Then you whip your head around to look at Aaron exasperatedly. “Does your house look like this?”

“No, no,” he shakes his head. “No. This is too big. Dave’s crazy for buying it.”

“He’s definitely insane,” you nod. “I mean, what do you even need a house this big for?”

Aaron shrugs. “Christmas parties, I guess.” He pauses, holding out his arm for you. “Ready to face the lions?”

You roll your eyes through a laugh, loosely holding onto his arm. “Quit being so dramatic. I bet it’ll be just fine.”

“Let’s hope so,” Aaron replies. Because truthfully, he is a little worried that they might scare you off. They have a habit of doing that.

The two of you walk up to the front door, and you try your best to act like you’ve been in the general vicinity of a house this big before. Dave must be a really good friend of Aaron’s, because instead of knocking or ringing the doorbell, Aaron twists the doorknob and walks right in with you on his arm.

“Dave’s making pasta,” Aaron whispers, smelling the air. He shuts the door gently, wanting to surprise the team as much as possible.

You sniff the air, too, smiling happily. “Smells really good. Is that carbonara?”

“Good nose,” a voice says from the kitchen.

“That’s Dave,” Aaron chuckles, walking you down the hall toward the smell.

The team’s eyes all widen dramatically and comically when Aaron Hotchner steps inside the kitchen with a woman on his arm.

“Well, hello,” one of them says, sliding off the stool at the counter to saunter over to you. He’s all suave and swagger.

“Derek Morgan, this is Y/N,” Aaron introduces you quickly, knowing the reaction your name will get.

“Hold up,” Derek pauses, glancing between you and Aaron. “Y/N? As in the Y/N?”

“I don’t know about being the Y/N, but that is my name,” you laugh. “Nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Derek says, a hand over his heart to add to the sincerity. “Where have you been hiding all this time?”

“Getting a doctorate,” you shrug, only now realizing that your hand is still holding onto Aaron’s arm, but he doesn’t seem fazed by it either, so you don’t move.

“Oh, alright,” Derek chuckles. “Hey Reid, we’ve got another doctor here.”

The man in question, Reid, looks up from the book he was reading with furrowed eyebrows. “Hi.” He waves.

“Hey,” you wave back. “What’re you reading?”

“War and Peace. In Russian, though.”

“In-- Wow, okay.”

“He’s a genius,” Morgan explains.

“I see that,” you chuckle.

Aaron finishes the introductions for you. “That’s JJ, handles the press for us because none of us want to do it.”

“He’s not wrong,” JJ replies with a laugh. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You too,” you smile.

“You met Reid, his first name’s Spencer,” Aaron supplies, and Reid is too far gone in the book again to notice. “This is Emily Prentiss.”

“And I have been dying to meet you,” Emily says. “You are exactly how he described.”

“In a good way, I hope?” You laugh nervously.

She nods. “Definitely.”

Aaron points to the other woman at the counter. She’s dressed in all sorts of crazy colors with glasses that match her outfit. And before he can introduce her, she says, “I’m Penelope Garcia, technology extraordinaire. I keep them out of trouble.”

“And we love you for it,” Derek adds.

“And this is Dave,” Aaron finishes.

“It is very nice to finally meet you,” Dave says, and actually shakes your hand. “Do you know how to make carbonara?”

“Yes, actually,” you say, earning a surprised look from Aaron. “I went through a phase when I was younger, wanting to make anything and everything that sounded good, so I’ve made this a few times. My mom loves it.”

Dave loves the sound of that. “Would you like to help me?”

You practically light up inside and out. “Seriously? I’d love to!”

“Oh, here we go,” Derek groans. “He’s roped her in.”

You ignore him, slipping away from Aaron to grab the other apron off the hook by the entrance to the kitchen. You slide your head through the loop and tie it at the back in a matter of seconds, too excited to contain it.

“I almost went to culinary school, you know,” you say to no one in particular, but Aaron is listening, and so is Dave.

“Why didn’t you?” Aaron asks.

You shrug. “Didn’t seem practical.” Which isn’t the real answer at all. The real answer is you got your heart broken and needed to do a complete 180 in life, so you did. Culinary school was out. Getting a doctorate was in. You turn on the water in the sink and begin washing your hands. “What do you need me to do?”

For the next hour, you help Dave make the carbonara, occasionally answering any questions Aaron’s friends have for you.

Aaron pours you a glass of wine and sits at the counter, watching you cook. You look more at peace than he’s seen you since a few days ago when he first bumped into you again.

You catch him looking at you more than a handful of times. It feels good. Spending the evening with his friends, his team, with him. You’ve missed spending time with him more than anything else.

Dave serves up the carbonara, telling you to sit down since you helped so much already. You don’t make him ask twice.

+++

After dinner, everyone moves into the living room, scattering on the various couches and chairs. Reid has finished reading War and Peace, so the book sits discarded on one of the coffee tables.

You take the spot on the couch next to Aaron, careful not to spill your wine. Penelope sits on the other side of you, with Derek on her other side, which all but forces you to move closer to Aaron, and something about the look on Penelope’s face tells you it was done on purpose.

You’re not exactly complaining, though. With a full stomach and a fresh glass of wine, Aaron’s presence is even warmer than before. You pay no mind when he shifts his left arm, stretching it over the back of the couch and allowing you to scoot closer, your legs pressed against each other’s.

The conversation continues, and somehow the subject of relationships is brought up.

“Yeah, why was I the only one asked to bring someone?” Aaron asks. “I’d like to see all of you find a last minute date.”

Another warm rush goes through your body at the word date. This is a date. Alright then.

“I think you did just fine,” Dave says, nodding to you. “Don’t you?”

You shrug, not sure of what to make of it. “I’m having fun, so I guess so.”

“See?” Dave gives Aaron a look. “You did fine.”

Aaron gives his friend a tired glare. “Only because she happened to be back from getting her degrees. Otherwise, I would’ve been stuck.”

“Nah, man, you could’ve called Beth.”

You feel Aaron tense next to you, but you aren’t sure if he tensed up or if you did. Maybe both. Probably both. You weren’t aware there was someone else.

“Who’s Beth?” You ask as casually as possible, ignoring the heated glares Penelope, JJ, and Emily alike are sending Derek. Seriously, Derek would be dead three times over right now if looks could be deadly.

Aaron shrugs before answering you. “Her and I dated briefly last year.”

You nod slowly, trying not to seem hurt or upset or anything by this because it’s ridiculous of you to be fighting back tears, but you can’t help it.

It’s high school, goddamnit, it’s fucking high school all over again.

The topic of conversation shifts thanks to Reid being the endless supplier of random facts. One question about Russian from Emily and he’s taking over, washing the awkwardness away in two languages.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well for you as it does for everyone else.

You set your wine glass down on the table and tell Penelope you’re going to use the bathroom. You have no clue where it is, but she doesn’t know that.

Aaron does. And Aaron hears the tone of voice you use.

He waits until you’re down the hall before he stands to follow you, foregoing any explanation to his friends. They already know what he’s doing.

Aaron’s suspicions are correct when he hears the front door close and sees your coat no longer hanging next to his on the hook by the door. He grabs his and only gets one arm through a sleeve before he’s opening the door, eyes searching the premises for you.

Thankfully, he finds you after two seconds, and his racing heart slows a little. You’re standing by the reindeer lights on Dave’s front lawn. Your coat is only hanging on your shoulders, something you’ve always done since high school when you were upset.

“It feels more like a blanket,” you had told him one day. “Blankets are more comforting than jackets.”

He doesn’t see the difference, but you do, and that was enough for him.

He has both arms through the sleeves by the time he’s next to you. He gently touches your arm to get your attention, adding a soft, “Hey,” for good measure.

You turn your head at the sound, having already known he was coming because you heard the front door open. In the back of your mind, you had wanted him to follow you out here, but now that he’s done it, you aren’t so sure this is what you wanted.

You wanted to ignore the feeling. Get it to disappear on its own. Survive the night, then never talk to him again. You were heartbroken, but it was better when you weren’t speaking to him. At least, that’s what you tell yourself.

“I’m sorry,” Aaron says softly. “Beth and I haven’t spoken since our last date a year ago. It was only three dates. We weren’t serious at all.” He pauses. “I have no idea why Derek said that. He doesn’t think before he speaks sometimes.”

You nod, not having it in you to laugh at Aaron’s small jab, even though he is entirely correct. Derek is a quick thinker with a sharp wit, but you can see how it might backfire sometimes. Like tonight.

You believe Aaron, you really do. But it’s so hard. “Did you love her?”

Aaron is stunned for a moment, but says, “No. I don’t think I did.”

“Okay.” You shake your head, looking down at the grass. “I’m just trying to figure out why Derek would’ve brought her up if...if you guys dated so briefly.”

Aaron sighs. “I don’t know.”

“And is this a date?” You blurt, finally finding the courage to get that one out. “Because if it is, I…I don’t know.”

“Don’t know what?”

You shake your head again, trying to find the right words, but they always seem out of reach. “Just...tell me this won’t be like high school.”

This time Aaron is too stunned to form a real answer. “What?”

“Please,” you sound like you’re about to cry and you feel so pathetic that you wish you had never agreed to come tonight. But you’re here anyway. “I was in love with you then, and I’m still in love with you now, but I can’t do that again. So if this is a just friends thing and always will be, I need you to tell me before I hurt myself all over again.”

Aaron can’t believe his ears. He swears he heard you wrong. He must have. “You were in love with me in high school, too?”

“Yes-- Wait, too? What do you mean too?” Now you’re looking at him, eyes wide in confusion, shock, every emotion possible. “Too?”

“I was in love with you, Y/N,” he chuckles, reaching for your hands. “I thought you just saw me as an older brother. That’s why I never...said anything.”

“What?” You breathe, letting him thread his fingers through yours. “Are you serious? You better not be pulling my leg, Hotchner. Don’t do that to me.” You tug on his hands for emphasis, giving him a stern look.

“I’m not joking,” he says, taking a step closer. “I wouldn’t joke about this.”

“Oh my god,” you say, disbelief a powerful thief of words. “I can’t believe… So you went after Haley because…”

“Because I heard from one of her friends that she had a crush on me,” he admits. “I did love her, but not as much as I loved you. Never as much as I loved you.”

You don’t know what else to do or say. He looks so beautiful in this light that it hurts, and now he’s saying words you never thought you’d ever hear.

“Do you forgive me?” He asks. “For breaking your heart?”

“Only if you forgive me for breaking yours,” you whisper.

He shakes his head. “I broke my own. I should’ve told you how I felt.” He pauses. “I even talked to you about Haley all the time. Is that why you didn’t say goodbye to me?”

You nod. “It sounds so stupid now, but I was so hurt.”

“I’m an idiot,” he laughs. “I’m the dumbest fool to ever walk the Earth.”

“We both are,” you correct him, taking a step closer. It’s cold out here, but he’s warm. He’s always been so warm. Like home.

And you-- you’ve always been who Aaron thinks of when he thinks about being happy. It’s always been you. A moment like this, and a thousand others. He wants them all. And to think, you do too.

His lips meet yours in a long-awaited kiss, cold noses bumping against one another, his warm hands holding your face, your chilled fingers finding their home on his neck, stealing his warmth.

From the window, the team watches, and Emily exchanges money with Derek.

[svchengss]

king of hearts | d.sc

PAIRING. dong sicheng x reader

GENRE. high school!au, fluff, slight angst, kind of e2l

WARNINGS. none (lmk if i missed any!)

WORD COUNT. 6.7k

SUMMARY. sicheng’s subtle flirts are not working effectively but it only motivates him to try and woo you more. the devil sure works hard but dong sicheng works harder.

PLAYLIST. king of hearts

TAGLIST. @floraljae @clovdless @mashiihearts @ndr1271 @kunrengui (shoutout to mashi for being a major help in the process of writing this <3)

// just to let you guys know, reblogs and feedbacks are appreciated !! thank you for reading :D

music was blaring through the multiple loudspeakers scattered around the school grounds, booths of various interests that were set-up by the clubs being swarmed by visitors and ecstatic oohs and aahs from the ones playing games can be heard intermittently. the annual school festival of redlands high, an event that is looked forward to by every single student there. or maybe not, you’re quite unsure of the self-made data.

you immediately made a beeline to the dance club booth which is managed by yangyang, the president also holding the title of your best friend. a cartoonish grin crept up on his face when he spots you walking towards him.

“so, what do you think? looks legit, huh?” he crossed his arms together, observing the design of the booth with a proud smile. the set-up is definitely eye-catching, not much decorations going on, adding to the simplicity of the white theme with gold touch-ups. you browsed through the plastered posters on the board, inviting people to sign up for their upcoming audition. looking up to the signboard hanging outside, you showed a thumbs up towards him, muttering a quick ‘perfect’.

“so what exactly is your booth doing? there’s not much… activity going on?” you scratched the non-existent itch on your left eyebrow. the boy in front of you gave you an eye roll before explaining that there will be mini dance games - or just dance as he worded. an amused sound left your lips as you bent down, dropping your signature in the guestbook on the wooden table.

“are you coming to the stage shows tonight? i heard there’s a new band performing,” your ears perked up instinctively upon hearing the words. after your sister graduated high school, nobody paid any attention to keep the band going. the zikas, a trio that made the music club strive back then. either the newer batches were too lazy to make an effort or too scared if they weren’t up to the already high standards of the school.

“i’m going if you’re going,” you simply stated, which made yangyang flash you the same grin from before. you said your simple goodbyes when people started lining up to try the just dance game at his booth. after he reminded you to wait for him by the statue, you went off to check out the food sales, eager to fill your growling stomach since this morning.

you can do this, sicheng. you can do this.

he made sure to double check the tuning of his guitar for one last time before joining the rest of his bandmates on the stage. his tall and slim physique surely left an impact, seeing that some of the audience suddenly became more invested in the performance compared to the others. he’s wearing some band’s shirt - probably green day since it’s quite similar to your sister’s posters in her room, black leather jacket and his black hair middle parted. not to miss the silver pendant necklace on his neck, sparkling under the spotlight.

the moment he struck the pick through the strings of his electric guitar, the drummer and bassist followed after, producing a melody that is pleasing to your ears. he held the microphone closer to his mouth, singing the lyrics as you bobbed your head up and down to the covers they sang - american idiot and helena are the ones you recognized since you’ve heard the songs so often. yangyang on the other hand kept on sipping the chocolate milkshake in his hand, vibing with the music as well.

the next song was a sentimental one which you assumed is a self-composed one, since you’ve never heard this song before. before you know it, the performance is over and the audience have started packing up their belongings to hang out somewhere else or go home.

“good job everyone, we did well,” yuta, who played the bass earlier, high-fived the rest of the band with a sly grin on his face. guanheng chugged the mineral water down his throat before stashing his drumsticks into the bag while sicheng was lost in his thoughts. he doesn’t know why but you stood out from the crowd, only able to see you just now. he wouldn’t say it’s a crush, not knowing anything about you but it definitely made him feel something. a trigger in his heart, not knowing where it leads to. but what he does know is that you caught his attention.

“and you know what he said? i’ll come back crawling to him just like his other exes. what the heck is even that?” you took out the binders from your locker while listening to ningning rant about her love life. since you haven’t had any relationships before, you’re not really a professional in this aspect of life so you just kept your mouth shut to avoid giving useless advice.

“that sounds so rude, he’s such a jerk,” you commented, taking the first bite of your sandwich afterwards. the tea-spilling session eventually came to an end when she reached her class first and you kept walking to mrs. walker’s, english being your first period. nothing exciting really happened in that class except someone got their phone confiscated for texting in class - just the usual things. classes later, it’s finally recess when you met up with ningning and yangyang in the cafeteria.

“first of all, cut him off. block him. everywhere,” yangyang emphasized the last word, knowing how much of an idiot the guy can be. you just scrolled through your socials, double tapping on certain posts that caught your eye. owning a cat looks fun, you made a mental note to bring the idea to your parents later. the bell rang which signals that classes are starting back soon and the same cycle of events continues before it’s time to go home.

you observed yangyang’s sharp moves, following to the beat of the song echoing in the dance room. it’s currently half past seven and he’s still here, beads of sweat running through his hair. and why would he stay in school so late, you may ask? obviously, he’s here for a reason and it being an upcoming dance tournament is the most accurate one. while you’re here, sitting on the floor, back against the mirror and legs straightened out with your phone in your hand. it amazes you how the goofy boy transforms 360°, being all serious when he’s in his element.

“let’s go home, i’m tired already,” he panted out breathlessly, using a cloth nearby to wipe his sweaty forehead. you wait for him by the glass door as he packs up his things when the lights in the music studio also switched off. you wondered it must be the band guys so you paid no attention whatsoever. of course, your predictions were right when you saw two lads stepping out.

since yangyang is taking too much time tidying up the dance studio and the music studio seems unoccupied, you decided to check it out for a bit. it’s been a long time since you last entered the room, always accompanying your sister for her extra practice when you were younger. not much has changed, except some additions of instruments can be seen. not seeing anything in the dark condition as the room is only illuminated by the faint lights from the hallway, you pushed the switches down only to be met by a gasp.

“what are you doing here?” the tall boy approached you, a stern look visible on his fine features. your eyes scrambled around the room in an attempt to find any logical excuses for your ‘break-in’ but to no avail. your tongue was dry, not a sound escaping your throat when you heard yangyang’s voice, signalling your cue to exit the room and escape from the tension building between you and the boy. he just shook his head, the black hair bouncing left to right as he finally caught on.

it’s you, you’re the girl from the crowd. and your name is y/n.

the walk home was filled with one-sided conversations where yangyang kept on babbling about how he should improve the choreography he created earlier while you only added small comments. your mind is filled with embarrassment, too much that you feel slightly mad at yourself. why didn’t you say anything earlier? now, you look like a complete idiot with communication issues in front of that boy.

“yeah, and remember that pasta? we should definitely try it again, it’s like, so good,” yangyang said, earning a nod from you when you saw the boy from last night’s music studio tragedy approaching your table. you tried to look away but it was too late.

“dude, just wanna let you know that mr. park is seeing us after school,” your grip on your fork loosens up when you realized he wasn’t talking to you. maybe he forgot about the incident? you really hope so.

“yeah, totally. thanks sicheng,” yangyang playfully winked at the latter, earning a disgusted look from him who started walking away. he glanced back at you with a smug smile on his plump lips, making you freeze up again.

he didn’t.

“are you okay, y/n? feeling sick?” ningning furrowed her eyebrows upon seeing your sudden change of demeanor. you shrugged her off and continued to consume the macaroni placed on the tray in front of you, mentally cursing at yourself for the poor life choice you’d made. well, at least you know that his name is sicheng, right?

oh boy, you’re in for a long ride.

you can’t wait to go home and snuggle under the covers, today has been a long and tiring one for you. you had three pop quizzes as if all the three teachers intended so, your class had to run multiple laps during p.e. and so on. you’re already planning your routine in your head, trudging your way to the lockers when you saw him leaning against yours, scrolling down his phone.

“crap,” you muttered under your breath.

there it is, the smirk on his face returns when he spots your figure approaching. oh, how you wish you could wipe it off his face. he moved a couple steps backwards to give you some space to arrange your things before locking it, turning your head towards him.

“i’m sorry, why are you here again? and if it’s because of last night, then i’m sorry if it bothered you or anything,” you huffed out.

“what? i didn’t really care, it’s not like you were stealing anything, right?” he squinted his eyes, eyeing you up and down suspiciously, laughing shortly after seeing you get riled up.

“damn, you really need to learn how to take a joke. y/n, right? i’m sicheng, nice to meet you.”

“why exactly are we having this meet-and-greet or whatever this introduction is?” you crossed your arms, waiting for his response. but he didn’t, immediately turning on his heels and making his way towards the stairs, probably going to the studio.

“jerk,” you cursed under your breath, walking out the school building.

“what? you got accepted? seriously?” ningning’s voice echoed against the cafeteria walls, earning surprised and annoyed glances from other students who were either satisfying their grumbling stomach or simply having conversations. yangyang softly nudged her elbows using his, asking her to lower her voice down before telling you to go on. you were quite surprised as well, the acceptance email was not what you expected to receive. when you filled in the application form, it was just a mere shoot-your-shot agenda to see if you’d make the cut. although this is just a camp, you’re still unsure of what lies ahead.

“yeah, it starts next week. but i’m so nervous though,” you sipped the iced coffee in your hands. you’ve only watched videos of people producing their own music from scratch which you start to take an interest in. however, you’ve never done it hands-on before, only having basic music theory knowledge thanks to the piano lessons your parents signed you up for when you were young.

“you’ll do awesome, i promise,” yangyang gave you a reassuring smile, making you release some tension from the overthinking you’ve had since you received the email last night.

“thanks yang.”

now, here you are on the first day of attending the internship camp. you stood in front of the tall mirror hanging on the wall, straightening your cardigan and applying some makeup onto your face as touch-ups. it’s currently 7:40 in the morning, the earliest time you’ve ever woken up on a saturday. your siblings are still swallowed in their states of sleep. you double-checked the contents in your tote bag, making sure that no important things are left behind. you totally don’t intend on leaving a bad first impression on your first day.

after bidding a swift goodbye to your parents who just woke up, you drove your mother’s old honda to the completely new destination - mbyte studios. the tall building with light grey and blue painted walls definitely made it stand out, a futuristic look catching the eyes of the passersby. taking a deep breath, you entered the main lobby before being escorted to a room on the second floor. you assume it’s a waiting room for all participants of the camp, scanning that majority of the occupiers might be college students. you thanked god that the camp takes place on weekends so your high school senior life won’t be interrupted that much.

DAY 1

your eyes widened when you spot sicheng with the same white and blue tag you’re wearing, seated on the sofa. what the hell is he doing here? you avoided acknowledging his presence, trying to make yourself as unnoticed as possible heading over to occupy the seat farthest from his. after quite some time staring at the paintings hanging on the wall, a middle-aged lady with a petite figure entered the room, making you sit up straight.

“welcome to mbyte studios! i’m the assistant director, mrs. hwang. first and foremost, congratulations on being accepted. it’ a pleasure to witness the start of your musical journey embarking here. i believe that we should know each other first?” she gestured for any volunteers. sicheng stood up from his seat, charisma evident in his stance which left quite an impression on the others. the strong confidence in the way he speaks made the woman smile amusingly.

some names later, it was your turn to introduce yourself. the moment you stood up, he immediately recognized you and you were sure you caught him making some faces. the ice-breaking session went well thankfully, mrs. hwang elaborating on the social rules and the itinerary throughout the whole six days. one that caught your attention was assisting the producers on making a track from scratch, just like you had dreamed of.

when it was finally time for lunch break, you shot up from your seat to get away from sicheng as fast as possible but to your dismay, he beat you to it, jogging up towards your standing position.

“i didn’t know you were into music, what’s the sudden occasion?”

“it’s none of your business actually,” you sneered back, obviously not favouring his attention.

“woah, relax. you’ve got quite a temper, don’t you? by the way, we’re having lunch together,” he placed his phone onto a nearby table, pulling a chair for you.

“just eat on your own, i don’t have the appetite,” you flash a sarcastic grin before disappearing into the women’s restroom. he just laughed bitterly at your response before walking towards the food counter, joining his newly made friend, jaehyun. being the same age, they’re easy to click.

DAY 2

“today, we’ll be focusing on the recording process. you’ll be assigned into groups that will have a tour of the whole department. our staff will facilitate each group,” the manager said loud and clear. you remembered his name was johnny. the tattoo on his shoulder really stands out, considering the fact that he’s always wearing a sleeveless shirt.

but what are the odds when your groupmate is none other than the guy himself, sicheng. it’s like the universe truly resented you for having to be associated with him at any event. your group was escorted to the farthest recording studio on the floor. to say that this was a great experience is truly an understatement, making you observe the gears used in astonishment. you hate to admit it but sicheng has a handful of knowledge on this particular topic, always correctly answering the questions directed by the staff. maybe it wasn’t quite surprising upon knowing that his career choice is a singer, not that you care anyways.

again, nothing out of the ordinary happened today, except that you and sicheng had lunch on the same table. of course, it’s not that you accepted his offer but he welcomed himself to the spot. being the quickly favoured participant among the rest, obviously they welcomed him with open hands. he placed himself among the two guys sitting at the right corner, eyeing you whose eyes are still not leaving the article you were skimming through. with the last spoon of food shoved into your mouth, you quietly excused yourself from the group. sicheng just watched your movements in subtle signs of annoyance.

with the final task of doing microphone check-ups, day two of the camp ended with a breeze. you can’t wait to go home, get into a warm bath and spend the night watching netflix. it was a tiring one indeed but you’re not one to complain. pushing the car keys into the ignition slot, the sound of the engine starting is still nowhere to be heard even after a couple of retries. you rested your forehead onto the steering wheel, cursing silently in your head, having to get a taxi and call your mother about this incident. you’re sure to be receiving a handful from her, not to mention her soft but stingful remarks.

“hey, are you okay?” a deep voice interrupts your stressful state of mind. looking up, it’s sicheng with a concerned look on display. you hesitantly shared your problem, making him press his lips together probably thinking of a solution.

“you know, i don’t really know how to fix your broken engine or whatever but i know someone who can. let me just ring him for a sec. and you’re coming home with me.”

and that’s how you ended up in the front passenger seat, sicheng steering with one hand and the other rested on the windowsill. the faint music from the radio can be heard, probably a song by jon vinyl. you’d steal quick glances to see his other hand dancing in the air, enjoying the rhythm of the song playing. besides that, it was silent as both of you are preoccupied with your own things - sicheng on the road while you on your phone. he tried to make small talk but you would say it’s unrequited, only replying with short sentences. after a good ten minutes drive, the sight of your brown painted gate becomes a sign for him to stop the moving car.

“your car is safe with my friend so you shouldn’t worry about it or anything. also, what’s your number? it’ll be easier for, you know the car business of course,” he reached over to unbuckle your seatbelt, handing over his phone to you after. the close proximity made your breath hitch, the dewy scent of his perfume diffusing into your nose. not too strong, he has a good taste.

“thanks and um, i’ll buy you a drink later. just for today.”

“are you asking me on a date?” there it is, the significant tug on the side of his lips making its presence once again.

“stop being so narcissistic and move along please,” you rolled your eyes before giving him a small wave, stepping into your property. sicheng stared at the numerals on his phone screen, a small, proud grin etched on before driving off the lane.

“how was the camp? met any cute boys?” the first thing you hear in the hue of the blue monday morning is ningning’s chirpy voice. sometimes you wonder how she gets all boosted up at this hour of the day. yangyang is the polar opposite, his appearance as if he just got out of bed, the hood of his denim jacket resting on top of his auburn hair.

“it was good and no, no cute boys. but sicheng was there,” you replied nonchalantly, a mischievous grin crept onto her lips. you can almost predict the words that are going to spill out of her mouth.

“what’s up with her?” yangyang yawned, his eyes lazily gaze at you. you just lifted your shoulders, having no idea whatsoever. a ping sound was heard from your phone, notifying that a new message is received.

unknown: hey sicheng here

unknown: ur car may be ready tmr. want me to drive u there?

listening to your heart, you were about to type ‘no’ but remembering the fact that your parents will be busy the whole day tomorrow and yangyang is coming home late once again, you have no choice but to accept the lad’s help.

now you’re back in his vehicle, the same spot as before. you’ve only noticed now that a musical note charm is hung on the rearview mirror, a semiquaver to be exact. you’d say that it looks authentic, gold specks shining when sun rays hit the surface. observing the interior of his car, there are quite a number of small decorations.

“can we get coffee first? my treat for the car and the ride,” you suggested, looking at him whose eyes are focused onto the road. the traffic is quite pleasing today, nobody honking mindlessly at the other drivers and flipping each other off with the famous middle finger gesture. his side profile does look charming, some type of earrings dangling from his ears. if you’re going to be honest, his appearance does seem to be your type. you’re not one to say about his persona though, always managing to bother you at any time of the day.

“sure, wanna go to the new cafe? i heard it’s good,”. you just nodded while he skillfully steered the steering wheel, moving the car to the new destination. you turned your eyes to look outside from the car window, seeing the one hundred and one manners of the citizens. a mother struggling to take her child who’s having a tantrum out of the toy shop, a young couple having their romantic meal in the french cafe. the motion of the car stopping awakened you who was being distracted by your clouded mind.

from the moment you stepped into the place, the interior caught your attention. the light brown painted walls with black furniture complementing each other perfectly, making a retro-like appearance. the funky song playing faintly in the background surely is a mood-setter, just how you like it. even the barista serving you is being friendly, making a couple of small talk in the midst of operating the machines.

you would say that it was a pleasureful day for you. the exquisite taste of latte washing down your dry throat, getting your car back without too much babbling from your dear mother and the gap between you and sicheng closing in for a little.

the last sentence baffled you for a second.

DAY 3

sicheng’s eyes shot open from the short slumber he was trying to get - failing miserably even, upon spotting you enter through the door. he pulled the chair beside him in hopes for you to get his message and take the seat. a frown made its way onto his face when you just waved at him, making your way to another spot a few chairs to the front. he scoffed, head tilting slightly before approaching you instead. you shot him a puzzled look, roughly translating to ask him what he’s doing here.

“i just want to be close to you. now focus,” he redirected his eyes onto the muscular man who just entered the room. he’s a songwriter - the best one in this company to be exact. you were focused on each point he explained, making small notes on your laptop. it’s not always that you’ll get a chance to be guided by a four-time award winning songwriter, might as well gain some benefits from it.

“another tip i have is to use all types of chords. remember, do not stick to the same ones, you’ll lack creativity. for instance, use major, minor, dominant, diminished, and augmented. i promise you, more ideas will be flowing and better quality songs will be produced. you got me?” the questioned, earning buzzing sounds of positive responses from the hall.

DAY 4

another day of group work, you’re given the task to create a melody according to the themes given - for your group, it’s love. looking at sicheng, he’s already on his electric guitar, strumming mindlessly to find the perfect note to start on. the rest of you are now juicing out some thoughts on this particular sense of human nature.

“love gives us thrill, the feeling of excitement, the feeling when you’re uncertain about something but when you have that special someone with you, you’re sure to wing it all,” jaehyun suggests, earning nods of approval from the rest of your groupmates.

“you’re a pro at this, mr. romantic,” you teased him, earning a soft chuckle. a dimpled smile is etched onto his features, rosy cheeks and his eye smile making you fawn. prince-like visual and a sense of humour? a two in one package, totally.

“not really. i guess i’m a sucker for romance movies,” he rubbed the back of his neck. your small conversation came to a halt when you heard a crooked, loud sound coming from the rough strum on the guitar strings. you turned around to see sicheng gazing directly towards the both of you, a sharp one even. jaehyun just blinked his eyes before catching onto the situation unfolding in front of him while you’re still being completely oblivious. you tilted your head in confusion, unsure of what’s gotten into him.

it’s the day that yangyang has been looking forward to since the past few weeks, his dance tournament. you’re seated with ningning on the bleachers, music from the loudspeakers echoing through the walls. with the cheers of the bewatchers whenever someone captivated them with a trick or dance move, usually the risky ones, it truly is a loud atmosphere.

“now, welcoming contestant number 43 to take the stage,” the host announced, you and ningning clapped with all your might, shouting words of encouragement as well. yangyang took a deep breath before lifting his right hand up, cueing for the music to start playing. just then, there’s the sound of someone plopping down on the hard surface next to you - sicheng. he’s looking casual today, a light yellow hoodie replacing his usual dark clothings.

“what are you doing here?” you shout whispered while ningning raised her eyebrows at you.

“didn’t yangyang tell you? i’m here to watch him dance,” he countered your question before darting his eyes back to the boy who’s busy popping on the dance floor, tinashe’s song playing in the background. he ended his routine with a moonwalk, making his way to the end of the stage. you’re confident that he’s going to win the competition, looking at how precise and clean his moves were. all the late night practices he had eventually paid off when he’s announced as the second placer. nonetheless, he’s still proud of himself, not to mention you and ningning who have been with him throughout his whole journey.

“you did well,” sicheng welcomed him with a fist bump which he reciprocated back. you didn’t know that they were this good of friends.

“i’m starving,” he rubbed his hand onto his stomach, making you remember that your stomach has been rumbling since you only ate a cereal bar that morning. you were about to catch up to yangyang and ningning who were walking fast ahead when you felt a tug on your shirt, looking down to see sicheng crouching down to tie your loose shoelaces.

“you might fall,” he placed his hands into the pockets of his hoodies, waiting for you to come along.

“um, thanks,” you muttered out before catching the glances given by your friends, later teasing you about the scene.

roars of students can be heard coherently, filling the basketball court. the basketball captain, a tall one with black charcoal hair is shooting a three-pointer. the players are then called over to their respective sides for whatever strategy their coaches will be implementing in the third-quarter. the home team is currently leading by five points, knowing that the players wearing the significant red and black jersey have been training their asses off for a while now.

but why exactly did you come to the game tonight? besides from the main event happening in the moment, the other reason is now standing in his position, strumming his electric guitar producing a funky sound that vibrates through the walls - a cue for the start of another buzzing stage. sicheng has been bugging you about watching him perform tonight and after quite some time evaluating, why not? when he finally caught you among the crowd, he flashed you a flirtatious wink. right before the band bowed as gratitude to the audience, he gave you a gesture to wait for him at the back of the gym.

“you came! but seriously, thank you,” he rested the sparkly white guitar against the wall, enveloping you into a hug. this is new, you tried to hide the flustered state of yours as you reciprocated his movement. from the corner of your eyes, you can see a black-haired guy approaching the two of you, followed by one with long, white hair and a bandana nicely keeping the fluffy strands in tact.

“ooh, who’s this?” the first one wiggled his eyebrows, later introducing himself as guanheng, the latter named yuta. to your surprise, the bond between you and them are quick to form with guanheng piloting the conversation. not to mention his subtle jokes making you giggle at times.

“well y/n, your little boyfriend here is getting jealous so we’ll excuse ourselves for now. see you whenever,” guanheng banging his drumsticks into the air while yuta gave you a quick wave before disappearing into the store room of the gymnasium. the nickname they gave sicheng surely made you a bit shy.

boyfriend?

DAY 5

you’re seated in front of the computer screen, your chin resting on the palm of your hands and the tabs of different colours left untouched. you redirected your gaze onto the projector screen, the words ‘arrange, mix, edit and master like a pro’ on it. a long sigh leaving your lips, you try to remember what the producer said earlier.

don’t make the song sound too repetitive

a good buildup promises a good melody

you can have a certain instrument playing only on one part for cinematic impact

DAY 6

“i’m hyo and you’re,” she moved the wheels of her chair to the back a bit to take another look at the clipboard resting on the desk, “sicheng, y/n and jaehyun, right?” the three of you nodded in harmony, anticipating for the next order that will be given.

“okay cool, we’ll be brainstorming first,” and she proceeded to explain what the requirements for this project are. you mouthed out the important points she gave, soft rock, heartbreak and drums. you’re on a roll today, contributing your countless ideas during the first few minutes of the discussion. sicheng just looked at you discussing with hyo, your lips pursed slightly. his gaze seems full of adoration, even jaehyun said so.

“any objections?” hyo looked over to the rest.

“i think she made some great ones. i’m sure this project will come out fresh,” jaehyun voiced out his opinions, sicheng nodding after. he went straight to handling the instruments , you and jaehyun collaborating for the mixing process. hyo eventually chimed in on some times, giving small advice whenever you seem stuck in the brain. with the hours ticking by, you’re feeling more satisfied than ever with your earphones in, listening to the final product created.

all of the participants are then assembled in the hall again, waiting for a final speech by the director which formalizes the end of the camp. sure, you’ve earned worthy knowledge throughout the six days. but if you’re being brutally true to the sound of your heart, it would be how you came to learn sicheng’s true antics. he might be the cocky guy who thinks they have the power to do anything but in truth, he’s just some guy with an honest heart, honest intentions to know you better.

summer break, your most anticipated event for the past few weeks. the moment the last bell rang, that scene in high school musical 2 kept replaying in the back of your head, the students doing a parade in front of the lockers picturing how your little heart is doing backflips in your chest right now. all the beach trips ningning planned is making you feel dizzy. you turned around to a voice calling out your name from the end of the hallway, your eyes catching the sight of sicheng jogging towards your spot. he stopped in front of you, hands on his knees catching his breath.

“are you free tomorrow night? there’s a party at guanheng’s and you know, it would be really cool if you join,” his fingers tracing onto each other, waiting patiently for your response.

you didn’t even have the time to process his invitation when ningning crashed her body against yours, yangyang following suit.

“a party? y/n would totally love to come, right?” ningning nudged your arms softly while yangyang tried to stifle a giggle. you were about to mouth out a ‘what?’ before sicheng cut you off.

“cool, you guys should come too. tomorrow at 10,” he and yangyang exchanged finger guns gestures before leaving the three of you. you just stood there in disbelief, eyeing them up and down before ningning dragged you to the parking lot. a stringful of grumbles escaped your lips, making the guy laugh obnoxiously.

“i can’t believe you guys did that,” you extended the seat belt, buckling it to the slot beside you.

“please. but you do want it, right?” you can’t deny, what she said was true. plus, you should have some fun and distress before having to go back to the usual dull routine of yours.

“how do i look?” you turn around, revealing the baby pink crop top and flare pants on your legs. it’s not your best outfit but giving the cliche excuse - you have nothing to wear, the two articles totally complements each other

“you look hot, that’s all i gotta say. right, yang?” ningning lifted her head from the headboard, glancing over at yangyang who’s going over his messages.

“yeah totally,” he lifted his hands, giving you a thumbs up. you threw a jacket onto your shoulders and grabbed the black purse on your dresser, glancing at the wall mirror one last time.

from the moment you stepped into the venue - guanheng’s place, smells of alcohol lingered around your nose, a group of people cheering ever so loudly over a game of beer pong, some already passed out on the couch. not to mention a brownish stain on the carpet - probably from someone throwing up. the mess would take a whole day to get rid off, you note to yourself. your friends are no longer to be found, both of them getting affiliated with god knows what. your eyes scanned the living room for sicheng but his presence is still nowhere to be found.

you decided to step towards the kitchen bar, pouring a drink for yourself. the mixed sweet and sour taste of it remained on your tongue for a couple of seconds. looking over at the snacks served, you grabbed a strawberry flavoured lollipop from the clear bowl. the crowd is cheering loudly for some type of incident happening at the back of the room, the music has been turned up to be a little louder than the volume before and you’re suddenly getting a little bit overwhelmed. you grabbed your purse and stepped out, inhaling some fresh air and looking up to the starry night sky.

“y/n? where have you been?” sicheng approached you from behind, making you a bit startled.

“sorry, hanging out outside can calm me. where did you go?” you popped the lollipop into your mouth.

“some jerk decided to throw up in front of me,” you pinched your nose with a disgusted expression, making him roll his eyes.

“do you want me to accompany you out here?” he offered. you just nod your head, placing yourself on the patio with him following suit. the sweetening flavour empowering your senses. it’s definitely much more calm out here, allowing you to clear up your mind. it’s not that you hate the atmosphere in the house right now, you’re just not in the mood.

“you know, you look pretty,” you turned around to meet his face. his brown eyes brimming with unconfessed love.

“shut up, stop with the jokes,” you lightly land a smack on his arms.

“what if i say i’m not joking?” he looked straight into your eyes, trying to find any emotion inside you. the sudden seriousness is making you feel much more awkward so you forced out a laugh, turning your attention right back upwards. the stars are shining brightly tonight, you can almost spot a constellation.

“i know what you’re doing, dong sicheng. just stop it already, it’s not working on me.” denial, that’s what you’re experiencing in the hot minute.

a gentle tug can be felt on your wrist, his eyes still not leaving yours.

“didn’t anyone tell you before? you’re really pretty. like, i can’t even describe it to you. you’re just,” he leaned over to caress your cheeks, “pretty,”.

what jaehyun said on the other day is true, after all.

love gives us thrill, the feeling of excitement, the feeling when you’re uncertain about something but when you have that special someone with you, you’re sure to wing it all.

your heart is beating so fast, it could fall out of your chest at any moment now. even the faint music blasting through the speakers inside the house can’t flush down the sound of your heartbeat. you’re not used to this, the sudden need of the significant skin to skin contact that symbolizes love between two individuals.

“can i?” his face in a very near proximity from yours, whispering into your right ear with his honey-like voice. you pulled the candy away from your mouth and nod, giving him the approval he needed before he dived in. heat rose from your stomach to your chest. you could only focus on how soft his crimson lips felt on yours, invading your privacy by all senses. you felt the kiss expand beyond your bodies, whirling you round, swirling you into the stars. he pulled away with a soft smile, you thought you could melt right then and there.

“wow,” that was the only word escaping your throat. your jumping heart still hasn’t settled down yet, your very first kiss still feeling surreal. you could see that sicheng is very much mirroring your emotions, his slender fingers grazing over his lips - the one that has come in contact with yours.

“the strawberry lollipop is sweet,” he commented, making the both of you laugh.

a ping from your phone awakened you from the gushy eye contact with him, unlocking it only to find yangyang’s text message. the second part of it made you fluster.

yang: yo r u coming in or what? and congrats for the kiss, we thought we’d have to wait longer for this

[feiwelinchen]

How Tsukishima would react when you bring home a kitten

Tsukishima Kei x reader (I’m not sure I’m using pronouns, but I wrote it for a f!reader)

Warnings: angst, Tsuki is an idiot; this is my first post, so I don’t know what else I should warn you about; English is not my first language; copy pasted it from Word, sorry if the layout or such is messed up.

Word Count: 2k

I upload it on ao3 as well. Please don’t repost. Reblogs and comments appreciated

I don’t own Haikyuu or the characters

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You heard the click of the lock just before the front door opened and closed. Then the rattle of keys hitting the glass of the bowl by the door.

"I'm home." Tsukishima's voice rang through the apartment. He furrowed his brow when there was no answer. Your shoes were in the small genkan; you should be home. "I said I'm home!" He repeated himself; it wasn't like you not to answer. Tsukishima entered the light living room.

And there you were, sitting on the couch, hunched over and looking absolutely guilt-ridden.

"What did you do?", Tsukishima's annoyance was clear as day. He knew that look on your face. It was the exact look you had that day you broke his favourite dinosaur cup. The same look, when you ate all the strawberry chocolate while on your period, the particular look you wore the day you confessed to him.

 You were still in high school back then, but you had known Tsukishima Kei for a few years already since you have been seated next to him on your first day in middle school. He became your friend first, but after a year of friendship, he became your first love. Your only love, for that matter. You kept it quiet, though. You knew how he could be and how this revelation might alter your dynamic. So you kept your mouth shut as long as you could. But at the end of your second year at Karasuno, you couldn't keep it in any longer. You met him on the rooftop, and he stopped the moment he saw you. Your face was tilted to the left, your lower lip between your left canines. Your brows were ever so slightly furrowed, with your tear trimmed eyes looking upwards directly into his soul.

"Even though this might destroy our friendship", you started, "even though you might never talk to me again after that."

"I-", Tsukishima starts but was immediately interrupted.

"Please." You stammered. "Let me finish before I lose my courage and become the coward I am again."

"You're not a coward.", his voice was stern.

"Tsuki. Please." And to your surprise, he kept his mouth shut. "Even… even though you will probably laugh at me or make fun of me or whatever… I have to tell you because I can't anymore." You took a deep breath. "Tsukishima Kei." He straightened at his full name. "I'm in love with you. And I have been for four years already. And I know you don't like me like that, and that's fine. I don't expect anything, and I really want to stay friends. But if you can't, I understand. I just… needed you to know. I needed you to know how I feel." Your facial expression hadn't changed throughout all of this. "You can say something now, Tsuki." Your mumble barely reached him. "Please say something.", you pleaded after a few more moments of deafening silence.

"I knew you were dense, but wow," Tsukishima smirked. "And a good actress, I might add. Four years. Really? That's an awfully long time for a teen crush. And I would know. So how about we go to your place and talk about how utterly simple-minded you must be not to pick up any signal I send you over the last five years, huh?" At that, you perked up. "I was watching you closely, but you never gave anything away. Not once did you give me any indication you might like me more than just a friend. I'm honestly a bit impressed by all of that. Why the heck did you wait so long?"

"I didn't want to ruin our friendship", you mumbled.

"Yeah, well. Congrats. You will get upgraded to girlfriend anyway. Now come. If we hurry, we can get some strawberry shortcake from the bakery on our way." He turned around and left, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart and force the blush on his cheeks to vanish with sheer willpower.

 He would never admit it out loud, but this look of yours, this very facial expression: Head tilted to the left, bottom lip between your left canines and eyebrows slightly furrowed, this was his favourite demeanour of yours, for it brought him back to the day on the rooftop. When his heart had been beating faster and louder than anything. When you confessed and put an end to his silent misery. When you became his, and he became yours.

So when you were sitting there, all guilt-ridden and lovely, he had to fight down his smile and the blush creeping its way onto his cheeks – just like all those years ago. Just like always when you looked like that. He knew he wouldn't like what was to come, but still, he knew this wouldn't be too bad – nothing could.

"What did you do?" He repeated with an annoyance laced voice. "Just get it over with."

You didn't answer but slowly lifted your hands and a tiny fluffy looking kitten with them. A high pitch mewl escaped the small pink mouth of the little black furball.

"Did you… did you buy a cat?" Tsukishima asked, utterly perplexed. He had some ideas about what you could have done. Getting a cat without even asking was not one of them.

"He is so cute. I was at Yachi's –"

"Was it her idea?" He butted in, in a frighteningly calm voice.

"We were just looking at the shelter's website, and then I saw him, and I immediately fell in love with him and I… I just got him." You cradled the kitten in your arm, and he nuzzled your hand.

"And you didn't think of asking first?" Tsukishima's voice cracked a bit. His temper was coming out.

"You would have said no."

"Of course, I would have said no!" His speech got louder. "We can't have a cat. We're living in an apartment!"

"I talked to the landlord. Cats are ok!" You stated quickly. Hoping to bring some peace to his mind. Unfortunately, quite the opposite was the case.

"So you called the landlord, but not your boyfriend, who will have to live with your decision and should get a say in what kind of animal he is sharing his home with?"

The sound of his voice scared the black cat. He jumped out of your arms, looking for protection under the TV cabinet.

"Kei! You're scaring him!" You fell to your knees, trying to coax the small feline out of his hiding spot. But nothing worked, and the little one stayed put in his place.

"Get dressed and pack him up; we are bringing him back." That was all he said before vanishing in the bathroom.

It took nearly half an hour for the little furball to come out from under the TV. The whole time you pleaded with your boyfriend to just let you keep him, but Tsukishima didn't budge.

"If I wanted a cat, I would have brought it up with you, and we would have talked about it and made a decision together. You know we are supposed to make these kinds of decisions as a couple and not solo, right?" He snarled while fastening his seatbelt. "And stop heaving like a brat. What did you think would happen?" He asked. "That I would come home finding a cat in my living room and instantly fall in love with it?"

"Kind of… yeah." You mumbled, stroking the soft fur between the ears of the kitten in your lap. He purred heavily, not knowing what was happening around him.

"Do you even know me? When did I ever fall instantly in love with anything?"

"You instantly fell in love with me!" You retorted.

"I should never have told you that."

The car ride was silent, apart from your sniffles and the mewls of the cat that desperately tried to cheer you up by licking your nimble fingers and purring his heart out.

Tsukishima, at one point, tried to take one of your hands – to hold it like he always did while driving – but you slapped him away.

"Did you name him already?" He asked after a few more minutes with both hands on the steering wheel.

You shook your head.

"Good. That will make it easier."

 He pulled the car into the parking lot of the shelter. It was just before closing. Tsukishima was lucky – you were not.

He looked at the animal shelter and then back at you. You stared at him.

"Kei… please…"

Tsukishima swiped away a stray tear with his thumb and held your face. "Come on. They are closing soon."

He got out of the car, walked around it and opened your door – something he usually wouldn't do, but Tsukishima knew what had to be done to get you out of the car. You left with the kitten pressed to your chest.

You were waiting in the entrance room of the animal shelter. An employee said she would be with you shortly and scurried away. Tsukishima looked around and read a few posters and flyers while he waited. His glance drifted to you every once in a while, observing your interactions with the cat in your arms. He watched how you kissed the little furry head and scratched the tiny chin, and he saw the pink tongue licking your fingers. He pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up while doing so, before shifting his focus back to his flyer.

"Sorry for the wait.", the blonde employee was back. "How can I help you with?"

Tsukishima was at the counter in no time. "My girlfriend adopted this kitten today." He motioned in your direction and waved you over. "And…" He watched you walking towards him and spotted new tears in your eyes. He took a deep breath.

"Oh no. Is your partner allergic?" The employee immediately inquired.

"No… That's not it." Tsukishima said. "I… We…" He looked at you again, then at the kitten in your arms. His eyes fell down to the flyer still in his hands. "Well… this flyer says house cats should better not be raised alone. So we are here to get another cat. Preferably one he gets along with." He pointed at the cat.

It took Tsukishima less than 2 minutes to decide on a red male kitten from the same litter, who climbed up his leg the very moment Tsukishima set foot into the enclosure.

 You were sitting in the car while your wonderful, lovely, and absolutely adorable boyfriend was driving. Two little cats cuddled into each other and sleeping on your lap. You grinned at him.

"Be glad I love you so much, dumbass." He said drily.

"I am, Kei. I love you." You answered and took his hand.

"You're an idiot."

"But I am your idiot." You planted a kiss on the back of his hand, which made him smile.

"We still need names.", he said after a while.

"Ok… How about Hinata for the red one and Kageyama for the black one?"

"We are not naming our cats after my former teammates, especially not after that hyperactive moron Hinata Shoyo, nor his Highness King Kageyama Tobio!" Tsukishima warned you.

"What?" Your eyes were blown wide. "But I thought you chose him because he looked so much like Chibi-chan."

"Absolutely not! And he does not look like that Ginger."

"… well… he does, though."

"He does not, or I turn around, and we return both!" He threatened.

 A week later, you came back from the grocery store when you found your boyfriend on the couch with two sleeping kittens on his chest. You quickly snapped a couple of photos.

"If anyone ever sees these, I'm renaming them to Ankylosaurus and Iguanodon! Are we clear?" He warned you with a dangerous sparkle in his eyes – one that promised much more later on.

"Crystal clear, Tsukki-poo."

He growled at the nickname. But everything was forgiven and forgotten when he saw the strawberries you bought to bake him some shortcake the next day.

[honklore]

would you consider doing an au where dream is a high school teacher (maybe a math teacher or english teacher or something?) and he has been crushing on his colleague, maybe an english teacher or an art teacher, and his friends have been teasing him quite a bit for it since he hasn’t had the courage to ask them out, which is quite weird considering he’s usually so confident, but it’s just a lot of flirting and shyness between the two until he final caves and asks them out? maybe even some of the students had begun to call him out on not acting on it? it’s perfectly okay if you don’t wanna do this but thank you for reading it :))

you + me = <3 | dreamwastaken

(math teacher!dream, gn!reader, dream likes u oooooh, cute kids, writer knows nothing about chess or how chess tournaments work, you requested high school but i can’t read so i chose middle school sorry!! this is literally nothing like you requested pls forgive me but i has fun, proceed with caution)

song to listen to: roadtrip by dream

i am setting the scene to say that teacher!dream is hot!!!! like, rolled up sleeves and leather watch kind of hot !!!!!!!

dream with fluffy waves that he sometimes ties into a bun if it gets too hot,,, brown roots and blond hair, brown eyebrows, forest green eyes,,,,,, freckles,,,,,

teaches middle school math!! very patient w his kids!!! but also has been known to go on tangents so long that they last until the bell rings

he’s the teacher whose classroom the weird/shy kids sit in at lunch

reads up on his students special interests and tries to ask them about it and encourage them

doesn’t make kids write out their entire process during testing bc he understands some students work in their head and can’t <3

works with different methods to help each kid learn math in their own way

the sweetest ever omg i can’t imagine a nicer teacher than dream

has a open-policy snack cabinet in case some of the kids can’t buy their lunch

has rlly cheesy anti bullying posters on his wall but actually talks to his students about it and makes sure they know he is someone they can go to

okay this is supposed to be a love story not an i heart teacher dream story sorry

you’re the art teacher of the middle school!!! you are also one of the favorites when it comes to teachers

dream is sort of a practical logical comforter and you’re a more dreamy, imagination-based comforter

so the kids ofc have their favorites

you’re a wonderful teacher !!!!

you let the kids use art class as a sort of art therapy, giving them time to do whatever they want with colors and mediums of their choosing

and assignments are usually fun!! you make it fun by giving them good topics that encourage them to express their opinions and personalities !!!

dream has the FATTEST crush on you

it’s so big and he’s very bad at hiding it

literally buys an extra coffee friday morning

slips into your classroom like “oh? hey ___ ? didn’t expect you to be here!!”

you: “in my own classroom?”

dream: “ANYWHO!! they messed up my order AGAIN and gave me a caramel frappe instead of a matcha so you can have it”

he does this every week

new excuses sometimes but it’s always ur favorite flavor, sitting right beside his matcha in a lil cup holder

dream is the type of guy to make sure your fingertips touch when he hands you your cup

so he can blush about it later and pretend it means something

any time he needs supplies or something he goes to you first instead of the communal supply closet

during his break he’ll come in and try to talk to you while your kids are painting

you sometimes sit with him during lunch!! and the kids that all sit in his classroom love you, even if they don’t have art

and every time you do he stutters over his own words and his neck gets rlly red

the kids all give each other side eyes when he does this

math kids 🤝 art kids : tired of witnessing dream’s bad flirting skills

dream brings you a cupcake on your birthday and a little necklace w a crystal on it :/

“i googled crystals for protection!! because i want u safe always!! and i made sure it was sustainably sourced!! let me know if you don’t like it!!”

how could you not like it :(

his eyes are wide and almost worried and when you give him a big smile he gets so happy like :((

your students are just. super still behind their easels hoping this is the moment you’ll actually kiss him

but no

it isn’t until a few of your kids come up one day and ask about forming an official chess club

they need at least one teacher willing to supervise and go on tournament trips and stuff

half of the team asks you and the other asks dream

but they don’t communicate that to each other

so it’s a saturday when both you and dream show up to the school in your casual clothes, unlocking one of the rooms for the kids to practice in

you help some kids set up while dream takes a few to the side and begins to teach them the basics, since not everyone who joins is an actual player

some just wanted to be w their friends ^u^!!!

but dream keeps catching your eye over the sea of middle schoolers and it makes your cheeks heat up whether u want them to or not

the two of you becoming the unofficial parents of the middle school chess team; you take turns supervising but usually both go to trips for tournaments!!

there are six students who make up the chess team + a few who just come for the snacks and respite

and your team is actually so good they qualify for state

and it’s going to be an overnight trip !!

some parents have also agreed to come chaperone

the team is so excited!!! the entire team got to go even though only a few are competing

theres a lot of lovely support going around

your kids are expressive and bright, all wearing special t-shirts they made that count as “uniforms”

they are twelve and dgaf about what ANYONE has to say

puffy markers and all

and before the tournament they surprise u and dream with ur own shirts :(( they are so sweet omg

and ofc you and dream wear them!!! fashion be damned!!!!!

the shirts are like MR WASTAKEN LOVES HIS CHESS TEAM

TEACHER ___ LOVES THEIR CHESS TEAM

AND THERES AN IRON-ON PICTURE OF YOU GUYS AND UR KIDS — EVERYBODY IS CHEESING AND ITS JUST SO SO CUTE

man they just look up to you guys so much

they really needed a place to fit in and your club gave them that

even the ones who are HORRIBLE at chess are sitting in the bleachers with you guys, cheering on their friends ><!!

it’s all so wholesome omg

and your team ends up qualifying !!!!!!!! it’s huge !!!!!!! you all go out for celebratory milkshakes sponsored by mr wastaken !!!!!

and everyone falls asleep with a big smile on their face that night

the next day is full of driving,, and you and dream share a lil seat at the back of the bus

all the kids are winding down, listening to music or playing games on their phones

and dream is so warm, shoulder pressed against yours when he hands you one of his earbuds and is like ,,,, do you want to listen to music with me?

and ofc you do

so the two of you take turns picking songs

dream adds them all later to a playlist called ___ and dream’s epic roadtrip playlist

now that interstate is paved with memories amirite?

once all the kids are picked up at the school, you are about to call your roommate to come pick you up

but dream is like. i can drive you home

dream is that guy who drives with one hand and keeps the other on top of the gear shift <3

you’re just excitedly recounting all the kid’s faces and all the silly stories you were told in the hotel when dream is finally at your apartment complex

and he just bursts

“i really like you”

and you’re just. stunned bc you knew he was fond of you but you never thought he’d be brave enough to SAY it

“i like you too dream!!”

“would it be too cheesy to walk you to your door and kiss you goodbye?”

“maybe... but i like cheesy.”

thank you for requesting!!!

[cloudywriter]

promposals

rowaelin month - september 1st

prompt: i just realized i’m desperately in love with you 

hey guys!! it’s finally rowaelin month and i’m literally so excited you have no idea. sadly, i don’t have time to do every day but i’ll do as many as i can. i can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with. happy writing/reading! (this is just some straight fluff) 

masterlist, AO3

~~~

The school was abuzz, anticipation hung thick in the hallways during each passing period. It had been that way for a week or so now with prom on the horizon. Everyone was constantly on high alert for the next promposal, most desperately hoping it would be their own. Girls hung around their lockers inconspicuously for far longer than necessary and boys tried to play it cool while secretly fretting over who to ask and how to do it.

Rowan was over it pretty quickly, but he’d likely have to suffer through the next month of promposal after promposal. Today was no different, there was an asking in the parking lot before school, one in his first-period English class, another in the hallway after. He couldn’t escape it. 

Thankfully, Rowan wasn’t quite as grumpy as he used to be due to a certain blonde worming into his life a few years ago but he was still Rowan. Sullen and reserved as ever. That fateful blonde being the only one to draw him from his shell. 

Rowan sighed, aimlessly scrolling around on his phone. It was the passing period before his 3rd-period class, AP Biology, and Rowan was leaning against Aelin’s locker.

Aelin always stopped by her locker after her photography class to put her camera away and then they’d head to class together. It was their routine, the same every day. Not yet broken during their entire senior year which was quickly coming to a close. That was a subject Rowan didn’t want to broach though.

He cleared his head of those unsavory thoughts. Rowan could tell yet another proposal was gearing up, Ilias came around the corner holding a poster board in one hand and a bouquet of assorted flowers in the other. At that moment too, Aelin turned the corner, giving Rowan a small smile as she hurried towards him. 

Rowan’s cold resting face tugged into a smirk as she approached her already open locker. Rowan always took it upon himself to open it for her in advance, Aelin tended to fumble with the locks that required a specific number combination and artful twisting. 

As Aelin stored away her camera and shut her locker door with a thud, a gasp down the hallway had them both turning around. 

Ansel was there, her hand cupping her mouth, clearly unsuspecting of Ilias and his proposal. They both watched as Ansel excitedly agreed to prom with Ilias and took the flowers from his outstretched hand, pulling him into a hug. 

Aelin turned her attention away from the happy couple and began to walk towards their next class, Rowan following suit. They progressed for a bit in silence until Aelin spoke up. 

“I hope Chaol asks me to prom soon,” she confessed. 

Rowan almost choked, that single sentence baffling him. “Chaol?” He asked incredulously. 

“Or Dorian,” Aelin shrugged, crossing her arms in front of her. Rowan was suddenly feeling very panicked, like a fish that had accidentally discovered land, flopping around in search of water in a frenzy. To say he felt confused was an understatement. Rowan hadn’t given prom much of his brainpower. He hadn’t even considered asking anyone. He’d just assumed he’d go with Aelin. Why would he have thought otherwise? They did everything together; he’d expected prom would be no different.

When they sat down at their blacktop table in biology Rowan silently floundered as he tried to think over this revelation. Why would Aelin want to go with someone else? Usually, before class started, he and Aelin would joke around until the teacher told them it was time to reel it in but today Rowan stared ahead, picking at the skin of his thumb. A nervous tick he’d developed throughout high school. 

Should he ask someone else then? He couldn’t even think of anyone else he tolerated enough to spend the night with. Maybe Lyria? She was nice enough, always sharing her notes with him in English when he was too busy with lacrosse to do the reading. She was quiet, soft-spoken. Absolutely nothing like the girl sat next to him. That thought made him frown. Remelle? No, he could barely stand Remelle, but he knew she liked him so at least she’d definitely say yes. 

Rowan was pretty much out of luck. Aelin and his friend group were to whom his time was devoted to, he didn’t branch out much beyond them. 

He thought of Aelin all dressed up, maybe in a golden gown that catered to her love of theatrics. Possibly in a deep green that complemented her bright eyes and skin tone. He imagined her with her hair loosely curled and flowing down her back. The delicate, golden Kingsflame silhouette necklace he’d gotten her for her 18th birthday clasped around her neck. It was easy for Rowan to conjure up that image but he couldn’t picture her looking like that and holding onto Chaol’s arm. It felt so intensely wrong to even consider it. 

It was always him. He always imagined her with him. They were a package deal in Rowan’s mind, but apparently not in Aelin’s. 

Aelin seemed to be catching onto Rowan’s internal dilemma. Throughout the duration of the class, he could feel her watching him out of the corner of her peripheral, trying to gauge what could be wrong. She stayed quiet though and dutifully continued her notes that mostly consisted of a collection of small doodles. Rowan couldn’t help but watch and wonder how she truly felt about him.

For the rest of the school day, Rowan pretty much blew Aelin off. He sat between Lorcan and Fenrys at lunch instead of the 2 seats on the right side of the circular table that always housed Aelin and himself. He told her not to wait up in the stands during his lacrosse practice and to head home on her own instead. He could tell she was confused maybe even a little hurt but Rowan couldn’t bring himself to push aside his mass of feelings that had him acting strange. 

He wasn’t even completely sure what was wrong with himself. The thought of Aelin accompanying another guy to prom shouldn’t affect him like it was; they were only best friends nothing more. She had free reign to go with whoever she wanted and she could get whoever, Aelin was a beautiful girl he wasn’t blind to that. He’d just thought it’d be him. 

All throughout lacrosse practice, Rowan was distracted, missing the ball or the goal when he had it, a stark difference from his usual skill. His coach had already pulled him aside once and asked if he was feeling okay only to be given a grunted yeah before putting him back in. He only grew more upset with Aelin as he pondered the day’s events instead of keeping his head in the game. Some part of him knew it was irrational but he couldn’t help it. Why wouldn’t she want to share one of their last big moments of high school together?  

And that’s how he continued to feel as he made the short drive home with his hefty lacrosse bag weighing down his shoulder and his school bag heavy on his back. When he finally entered the home he sighed, the scent of his mother’s cooking filling his nostrils. Honestly, he’d rather stay up in his room and stew than sit through family dinner right now but he knew it’d only prompt more questions from his parents. So he dropped his things by the door much to his mother’s chagrin and collapsed into one of the dining table’s chairs. 

“Feeling alright, son?” His father’s silver brow rose, already catching on to his foul mood. 

“Yeah, just tired,” Rowan confirmed, taking a sip of water. 

His mother entered then, a dish of pasta cupped between her oven mitts that she placed in the center of the table. “How was practice?” She asked sweetly, stripping her hands of their cover and sitting down. 

“It was fine.”

Rowan’s mother and father exchanged a look between themselves. He was normally much more talkative, always giving them updates on school, on plays they’d done during practice, on Aelin. Rowan chose to ignore their concerned expressions and instead served himself a helping of dinner silently. 

His phone buzzed then from inside the pocket of his shorts. Rowan pulled it out to check the message and frowned at the screen. 

fire-breathing b queen👑 : r u okay? 

He stuck his phone back into his pocket instead of typing a reply and forced himself to eat the rest of his dinner. He only half-listened to his parents’ conversation about their days and what was going on in his dad’s office. Rowan knew he was stewing again, falling into a spiral of uncertainty. 

“Rowan, honey, are you sure you’re okay?” His mother pressed, worry lining her brow. 

Rowan’s lips formed a thin line. No, he wasn’t okay. 

In a split-second decision, Rowan decided he was done dancing around whatever was going on between him and Aelin. “I need to go,” Rowan said suddenly, standing up from his chair that loudly scraped across the floor. His parents looked surprised by his outburst but didn’t stop him as he grabbed his keys from the little table by the front entrance and left. 

Rowan didn’t even need to look at the road to know the way to Aelin’s house. The route was in his bones now and within a few minutes he was pulling up in front of her large white house. He hopped out of his truck, not even bothering to lock the doors before he pounded on her green-painted front door. 

The door opened with a squeak and he saw Aelin standing there in one of her nightgowns that drove Rowan absolutely mad. 

“You’re not going to prom with Chaol,” he rasped, pushing the hair falling on his forehead back with his hand. 

“Huh?” Aelin was clearly confused as to why Rowan had come knocking at her door without preamble. 

“You’re not going with him,” Rowan once again declared, standing his ground, ready to get everything off his chest before he lost the courage. 

“Ro, I don’t get what you’re going on about. He hasn’t even asked me and if he doesn’t ask me I don’t know who’d I go with,” she admitted, her hand still holding the door open and her mouth in a serious line. 

Rowan surges forward at that, gripping both of Aelin’s hands in his own. “You’d go with me, Aelin. I want you to go with me,” he pleaded with her, lifting her hands up to his chest. “Aelin,” he continued, “I don’t want to go with anyone else but you. I want to do everything with you, go everywhere with you. Gods, Aelin, you’re like my reason to breathe, to get up in the morning.”

“Row-” Aelin tried to interrupt, her blue eyes going wide. 

“No, just let me finish, I- I know that sounds crazy and I know it’s so out of the blue and you didn’t expect me to show up outside your door like this and start professing my feelings,” Rowan was rambling now he knew. Everything he wanted to say to her was running through his mind like a freight train so much so he struggled to express it. The words were jumbled in his mind as if they were a bowl of alphabet soup in a blender. He just needed her to know how he felt. 

“I- I just, I thought about you going to prom with Chaol or some other guy all damn day and I hated it. Gods, I couldn’t figure out why I hated it so much, it just it- it felt so wrong. Fireheart, I want you to be with me. Gods, I think I’m so desperately in love with you I’m going to combust or something.” Rowan was getting flustered now, he knew his face was burning and he was sweating, maybe from the humidity or maybe from the sheer weight of what he was confessing to his best friend.  “Rowan,” Aelin started once again, her face contorted in pure shock. 

“I know you might not feel the same Aelin, I knew I came here risking that, and if you don’t feel the same-”

“Rowan!” Aelin said with more force, bringing her hands to cup his face. “Listen to me,” she pleaded. 

Rowan stopped trying to fight her and looked at her. He felt as though his stomach might fall out. His nerves were so intense as he stared into Aelin’s golden-ringed eyes. 

“You’re just so fucking stupid,” Aelin breathed. 

Rowan’s brow furrowed, he certainly hadn’t expected her to say that. “Wha-” he began. 

He couldn’t even finish his thought before Aelin’s lips descended upon his own. She cradled his face in her hands as her soft lips moved against his in a slow rhythm. Rowan’s brain stalled and struggled to catch up with what the hell was happening. 

He just knew this felt right, this felt so gods-damn right. 

His hands were loosely wrapped around her wrists and they traveled lightly over her arms and moved to rest on her back and pull her into him. 

Her body molded against his own. It felt like the final bit of a 50,000 piece puzzle had finally fallen into place after years of pouring over it. Rowan kissed Aelin back with just as much fever, desperate to keep her lips on his own. He brushed his tongue along the seam of her lips and she pulled back. 

They both stood there, gulping down air as they stared at each other trying to navigate this unimaginable revelation. 

“You’re- you’re not going to prom with Chaol, right?” Rowan finally managed to ask. 

“No,” Aelin breathed. “I’ll go with you, I’ll always go with you.” 

Their lips met once again.

~~~

day one down. stay tuned and have a wonderful day, xoxo