#is this a friendship i think its a friendship we're starting to talk a little about nonrugger things amongst the rugger drama

[lupismaris]

When you and your teammate are some of the only sober reasonable adults with emotional regulation skills and common sense on the squad and may now be building a quasi friendship out of semi-regular bitching sessions to determine how to sort shit out amongst the children or if we should just let it combust organically

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

i've mentioned this a lot on discord before, but i feel like the fact that wigfrid's in-game alias is 'the performance artist' really... i don't know what the word i'm looking for is. but i feel as though it did a pretty big disservice for her character.

like, yes, she is a performance artist. but when she was first introduced through hamlet- before she had much room for characterization beyond the base game and the two dlc- it wasn't immediately obvious she was an actress. it was pretty clear to some extent she was pretending, but the concept of acting- of the artistic undertones, of the motif of the performance- could only be found in a total of like. four quotes. and three of them were from shipwrecked.

i feel as though if that was kept hush hush, it may have convinced more people to engage with her... digging around in the quotes, finding the odd ones out, coming to a collective conclusion on the secrets of her identity. it probably wouldn't even be something casual players would know, if they didn't experiment with her.

i guess the part i find the biggest shame is that since it's so obvious to the community that wigfrid is an actress (you know, because the game literally spells it out for you), they forget that it's not obvious for. the rest of the survivors, maybe. even if wigfrid was popular, it's unlikely anyone other than maxwell would have known or heard about her. but there's so many fics i read where there's just this precontext that it's obvious that shes acting.

it's obvious that she's pretending. but pretending and acting are very different things.

[uravichii]

"best friends who kiss?"

character/s: bakugo katsuki

summary: recently, your best friend has been kissing you at random times. you have no idea why because he refuses to talk about it. either way, you're not about to let this to ruin your precious friendship.

genre & trope: fluff, best friends to lovers, angry confessions, reader is terrified of love but bakugo wants them so bad 😁, tw kind of ooc bakugo

a/n: i've been watching a lot of pride & prejudice and bridgerton scenes n i'm now obsessed angry confessions 🤩 + this is heavily inspired by that scene in little women :) ALSO i haven't posted in a year 😟 so pls be nice ik my writing's rusty in this :'D

the first time bakugou katsuki kissed you, he pretended he never did.

"what... " you brush your fingers against your bottom lip, your whole face hot. "what the hell was that for?"

"what?" bakugo shrugs, feigning innocence as he takes a swig of his soda.

you try and trace back the events that could have led to the kiss.

you said something along the lines of: "i wish i had a boyfriend. i could definitely pull a cute guy off the street."

then you heard him scoff and say: "no man's sane enough to put up with your insufferable ass." ーor something more insulting than that.

you can't remember what you said in response, and you rack your brain to figure out what prompted him to grab your face and kiss you. it's impossible when all you can think about is the unexpected supple feel of his lips, its faint ghost still lingering on yours.

"that kiss, katsuki! you violated my mouth!"

"dunno what you're talking about. you hit your head or something?"

you blink and second-guess yourself for a second.

"okay, no. you're not gonna gaslight your way out of this." you swat his arm, earning an irked glare from him. "why the hell did you kiss me?"

"you're imagining things, idiot. this stupid game's givin' ya some serious brain damage for sure."

he stands up and swings his bag over his shoulder.

"where are you going? we're not done yetー!"

and he's out of the door.

was he drunk off his soda? maybe he kissed you to mess with your head. he's not that cruel though, you think. maybe he couldn't think of any other way to shut you upー that was something he always struggled with after all.

at least the second time bakugo katsuki kissed you, he was kind enough to warn you.

after enduring the most awkward hour-long study session with him, you decide to put an end to your agony by wrapping it up. you start gathering your things when he stops you with a calloused hand on your wrist.

"what?" you turn to him, your cheeks already heating up from his touch.

there are no thoughts you could read behind those vermillion eyes, and all of a sudden, you don't know your best friend very well anymore.

he walks some tentative steps closer to you until the back of your knees hit the table. he cradles your jaw with such delicacy you didn't even know he was capable of. he slips past your awaiting lips and presses his nose on the side of your head, his warm breath kissing your flushed skin.

"punch me in the face and scram if you don't want this, got it?"

you gulp and forget to answer if not for the gentle squeeze on your wrist. "y/n, you got it?"

"s-sure."

when you two kiss, it's different from last time. it's unhurried, curious, and so intoxicating. the kiss speaks: 'i want you. i want you. i want you' but whose thoughts are these?

he groans into your lips as if to urge you to keep up with the sheer hungriness that has consumed him. you try your best to do so as he deepens the kiss with a palm on the back of your head and practically drinks you in. he doesn't pull away until he hears the tiny whine that escapes you.

"shit, sorry." he mutters, avoiding your stunned gaze.

"t's okay."

"did i hurt you?" the quiet lilt of his voice surprises you.

"no, no. i'm okay, but why'd you kiー"

"bye." he blurts out as he turns to the door and leaves, as if he didn't just invaded your mouth and permanently tainted the years of friendship you two have had. you click your tongue as the heat subsides in your cheeks.

"son of a bitch."

the third time bakugo katsuki kissed you, you let him, and he didn't stop.

you had barely escaped death when you lost your footing while sparring with todoroki. naturally, bakugo yelled the poor guy's ear off and would have murdered him if eraserhead hadn't interfered at the last second.

now, you find yourself heaving in your bed. you don't know whether your hastened pulse is from the adrenaline rush or from the fact that bakugo is all over you right now.

he's planting feather-light kisses all over youー your cheeks, your nose, your forehead, your eyelids, your hands, and your wrist, as panicked murmurs spill out of him in between kisses. 'you scared the hell out of me. you have no idea, fuck. are you okay? are you really okay? tell me you're okay, y/n.'

"i'm okayー" you barely manage to gasp before he dips his lips into yours, desperate and frantic. tremulous hands find solace in your hips as he holds you, gentle enough not to mar your injuries but snug enough to assure his restless heart that you are safe.

your head feels hazy. your limbs ache and lie motionless, and though your lips could barely move to reciprocate his kisses as much as you wanted to, bakugo didn't stop. you tried to ask him about it the next morning, but of course, he ignored you and walked away.

you don't know when he stopped kissing you that night. all you know is that there was a line that was crossed, and your friendship was never going to be the same again.

bakugo katsuki is going to kiss you again. your heart thrums incessantly. whether it's dread or anticipationー you don't know.

you think about the sensation of his lips that's become so familiar to you that you've learned to crave it. it shouldn't be familiar to you, and you sure as hell shouldn't want it. so you do what you think is necessary.

you kick him in the shin.

"motherfー!" sure enough, he's pissed. "what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"i was going toー"

"no! you're not gonna kiss me again and walk away and pretend it never happened. you're messing with my head, katsuki! it's not funny!"

"wasn't trying to be funny!" he barks back.

"okay, so what exactly are you trying to do? what is this? i meanー" you stammer, struggling to find the words. "katsuki, what are we?"

he sighs and shifts his stance, his discomfort apparent. when the silence lingers on for too long, you speak.

"well, whatever it is that you want from me, we're going to stay friends. nothing more, nothing less. that's it." your breath hitches, and you don't know why you feel like crying as you speak. "... so i don't want your stinky mouth anywhere on me again."

silence weighs heavily between you. sometimes you wish you didn't know him too well, then the hurt he veils in his eyes wouldn't be so plain and vivid to you, and you would have walked away by now without an ounce of remorse.

"i like you, y/n." is all he could say when he finally speaks.

you shake your head. "no, you're just confused."

"i'm not confused. i like you."

"katsuki, you've been bitchless all your life, and i'm just the closest thing to a s/o. maybe go take a walk or something."

"i like you." he persists. "i've liked your stupid ass forー"

"stop saying that. you don't."

"i do, and you like me tooー"

"what?!" you laugh incredulously.

'who does this dumbass think he is?' is he right? surely, he's not. then what are you so afraid of in the first place? why have you been counting down the days until he kisses you again? why do you yearn for his touch as if it's something you own? why do you feel so infuriated and so tormented when he leaves the room after kissing you?

you do what is necessary again.

"you're delusional!" you yell at his face, a childish shrill that's awfully familiar to your childhood best friend.

"jesus christ." he inhales sharply in frustration. "you're a fucking pussy, y/n."

you clench your jaw and match his glare. anger surges in your chest and bleeds into your voice.

"i'm not the one who chickens out after kissing their best friend! you can't even acknowledge the fact that you kissed me because you'reー!"

"do you think i want to chicken out? why do you think i run away after kissing you?! if i stayed and confessed all this shit the first time, you would've refused to hear it like the damn coward you are!" he leans close to you, his voice lowering into a ragged snarl that quickens your pulse. "and you're just proving it right now, y/n. you're always going to shut this down and deny your feelings because you're a fucking pussy. you're terrified of relationships, and it's dumbest shit ever. pathetic, really."

you rear back from his words. if anything, you always thought it was katsuki who was afraid of love. now, you can't help but feel small and vulnerable underneath his searing gaze.

"it's not dumb..." you shuffle uncomfortably. "what, i'm supposed to ruin our friendship for a relationship that we're going to break off anyway?"

"we're not going to break it off."

"how do you know that?"

"because i'll be the best goddamn boyfriend in the world!"

"first of all, gross." you scoff. "second of all, it's never gonna work out! you're going to get sick of me in three days max."

"i've known you since we were brats, and i still want you."

"you literally said no man's sane enough to put up with my obnoxious ass."

he smirks. "i said 'insufferable ass'."

"katsuki!" you fight the urge to strangle him and punch that stupid smile off his face.

"wasn't even serious that time." he grimaces and reluctantly continues. "you know damn well you can pull any guy you want, and he'd be the luckiest bastard on earth."

if it were any other day, you'd grin at him and say 'i told you so,' but your lips remain unmoved, and your eyes stay dim. you're afraid you'll never go back to being the same katsuki and y/n again.

"this is pointless, katsuki. i mean, look! we're already fighting." you grouch and tell yourself you don't want this. "i still don't want us to happen so while this friendship is still salvable, let's agree to stay friends, and whatever sappy shit you feel for meー suck it up."

in one swift motion, he closes the distance between you, his face hovering dangerously over yours.

"suck it up?" he breathes, his face taut in frustration. "restraining myself from you is the hardest shit i've ever had to do. it takes everything in me not to kiss your stupid face!"

he shudders, weakly resting his forehead against yours as if this conversation alone has exhausted him. still, he goes on.

"and everytime i failedー everytime i kissed those lips, it was... a moment of weakness, but that's the fucking problemー you're just..." he buries his face into the crook of your neck, a desperate attempt to escape your wide-eyed gaze. "i'm weak for you, y/n. every second. and it drives me fucking insane that you keep running away from me."

he rises to meet your eyes again. the cadence of his voice changes into something weak and desperate, stripped of all the pride and anger he's ever known.

"i love youー fuck. i love you." he lets the words hang in the air, letting the words hear itself spoken because for once, you're not stopping him. "i love you, so please... let me."

after much thought and another agonizing minute of silence, you lean in to kiss bakugo katsuki.

he kisses back almost instantly and revels in the way you wrap your arms around his neck and bear your weight on him completely. he kisses back ardently, his pent-up desires and years of longing etched in the way he seeks your lips, kiss after kiss after kiss.

when you finally pull away, you're met with a devilish smirk, his begging eyes long gone. you wonder to yourself when you'll see those eyes again.

"took ya long enough." he kisses you again. he raises a brow at the way you're caging him in your arms. "jesus, no one's gonna snatch me from you."

"i'm making sure you don't run away again, dumbass."

"i won't." he says earnestly as he props his forehead against yours. "and you won't either. i'll make sure of that."

you nod your head with a giddy smile as he pecks your lips again.

"so..." you say as you exaggerate a pensive look, a cheeky grin spreading across your face. "we're best friends who occasionally kiss?"

he rolls his eyes. "you're impossible."

"recite that speech again, and i'll consider calling you my boyfriend."

"fuck off!"

TAGLIST [1/2] @uxavity @joy-the-reader @kiiraes @escapenightmare @afk-dreaminq @avocamich @theboredvee @wonderwrench @ur-local-simp @p-ol @x0xuglyh0tgrl2005xoxo @cosmonettica @melin-oe @mitzi127 @lilac-o @r2katsu @bakucumsackslut @idunnomynamesince2005 @astralwaifu @taurus852 @creepyproxies @maycat-19-142 @stella-fleurets @veenxys @devilgirlcrybabiey @drawingaddict @kageyama-i-want-tobiors @lexiv-web @angelshimaa @izukus-gf @christiansdior @homosexualjohnwayne @uwiuwi @hirugummies @cupidines @loveisningning (bold couldn't be tagged)

[personasintro]

A part of Mutual Help series!

pairing: mh!jungkook x reader

warnings: explicit language, Kiko is mentioned (this deserves it's own warning)

genre: fluff

word count: 1.8k+

a/n: Merry Christmas! ♡

Mutual Help Series

.

.

“Oooh, what could be in here?” Taehyung muses, pursing his reddened lips that has gotten its own intense color thanks to the cold weather outside. 

What was he doing outside when you've been at this place for around an hour? Flirting, of course. 

“Knowing you, probably tons of condoms.” you answer, causing Taehyung to stop shaking the present he's just gotten from Jimin. It stops rattling under his grip as he shoots you a glare across the table. 

Unfazed, you reach with your chopsticks for a piece of meat before you put it in your mouth. Next to you, Jungkook cackles under his breath and Jimin looks proud by your little comment. 

“Well, miss I-don't-need-anyone, we all like to have our fun. Maybe you should try it.” Taehyung bites back. Though his tone sounds serious and deep with his thick accent, there's a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. 

You know how far you can take it to joke with each of your friends. Taehyung's got a thick skin and there's only so little you could actually say to offend him. Not that you would ever want to. Taehyung loves jokes and fun, he loves teasing and most of the time he's the one who takes it too far but never to actually cause a damage to your friendship. Whatever he says, you know should not be taken to heart literally. Therefore, no matter what he says about your single life – you don't take it as an insult. 

“Hooking up with a bunch of strangers? No thanks.”

He grins, “Maybe you should try it.”

“You offering?” you shoot right back, Jungkook choking on his soda as Jimin laughs out loud.

“You know what? Once you grow up a little, text me.”

You snort, “Stop acting as if I was a child.”

Taehyung shrugs, “No, but you're the baby of our group.”

Groaning, you frown. “Don't call me that.”

“Deny it all you want, Y/L/N but we all know the truth.”

“You guys scare almost every guy that looks at me. It beats the point of having fun.”

“Don't say shit like that, now! I'm all for you exploring and having fun.”

“Our point of fun is slightly different than hers, Tae.” Jimin comments, putting more meat to your plate as you thank him with a grateful smile. For the meat, of course. Although, he's not that off about the entire fun topic. 

“We all know what kind of fun we're talking about.”

“Alright, let's move on, yeah?” Jungkook calls, shaking his head at Taehyung.

“Here we go, protective Jungkook.”

“Why do you always somehow bring up sex in every conversation?” Jungkook scolds him.

Taehyung gasps, feigning offense as he points his finger at you. “First of all, she started talking about condoms!”

Jimin laughs out loud while you shoot him a glare for being too loud. God, you hope the owners won't kick you out. Talking so publicly about sex is often frowned upon. No one who wants to enjoy their meal wants to hear someone talking about sex from the other table. Unless those people are… open like Taehyung. He's always been a bit shameless. 

 Jungkook glances at you upon Taehyung's finger that's directed toward you. You shrug innocently. “So what? You automatically got into it.”

“You know it doesn't take too much for me.”

“That's true.” Jimin nods along with Taehyung's response. 

You laugh, “Just open the goddamn present, Tae.” 

He cracks a grin and starts laughing before he rips the package open. Surprisingly, it's not condoms – you would seriously laugh your ass out if it were – but it's a box of popular male fragrances in smaller versions. You recognize all of them, silently praising Jimin for this year's present. 

You all exchange presents for each other. There was an idea coming from Jimin, you think, last year to pick up a secret Santa for each year. But there's something special and thoughtful about buying everyone a gift. And it makes a slight burden to all your wallets, but nobody said the presents have to be expensive. Yet, they're always meaningful and nobody gives shitty presents here. 

You meet every year before Christmas since all of you spend it with your families. You've decided to make your own and celebrate it together, even if it's beforehand. This year it has to be because you're flying back home sooner than usual. 

They were kind enough to meet no matter what, said it wouldn't be the same if you weren't here. 

After that is done, Jungkook is the one to take you home since Taehyung came to pick you up. There's fog everywhere with snow sitting down and not melting anytime soon. You love when there's snow around Christmas time.

On your way home, it's not that late by the time you arrive. Jungkook helps you with your presents upstairs and accepts a cup of tea you offer him with a stern look. You're quick to shed the layers of clothes and make yourself more comfortable. You bring Jungkook his tea and make a hot chocolate for yourself.

“What you got in there?” you ask, plopping next to him as the warmth and scent of home hugs you. 

“A little something,” he says with a cheeky grin. 

Spotting the same Christmas wrapping paper he has used for all his presents, you give him a knowing look. You're about to protest and scold the shit out of him when he shakes his head with another grin. 

“Stop.”

“No, you stop!” you whine, “You already gave me your present.”

And it was great. Jungkook has given you two tickets to a water park that's located on Jeju Island. That alone tells you it wasn't quite cheap.

“It's not much, I swear.” 

“But why? We all decided on one present.” 

Grateful that he's so thoughtful, you're slightly annoyed that he broke the rule that perhaps never was so serious but it makes you feel bad. 

“Just because.”

“That's not a valid reason.”

“Sounds very valid to me,” he sings out, teasing you a little further as you both giggle. “You'll understand it once you open it.” he finishes it with that, urging you to open it.

Hiding the heat in your cheeks, you playfully roll your eyes and start unboxing the little box he has managed to sneak in his jacket. Curiosity and excitement takes over you because Jungkook's presents are always something else. You rip the package and gasp as soon as you recognize the familiar box.

“Kook!”

“You told me you ran out the other day.”

“Did you–”

“Bought it when Jimin bought Taehyung's present? Yeah.” He answers, already knows what you were about to ask. But you're too stunned to scold him for interrupting you.

You open the box and pull out your favorite perfume. A few weeks ago, you don't even know how that conversation came up but you mentioned to him that your perfume is running out indeed. It wasn't anything intentional of course, more of a whine when you were about to spray a tiny amount as you were about to go out. You thought he was barely listening to you, urging you to rush out your ass outside. His exact words. 

But he's always listening. 

“I think I'm gonna be more careful what I'm about to say in front of you. You're gonna buy me everything I mentioned.” you chuckle, taking a good inhale of your favorite flowery and powdery scent. You mostly use it during warm seasons but it's a good one even in the winter.

It's your staple scent. Everyone knows it. It's special. You were using it back at home and it not only smells incredible, it also holds a certain emotional attachment you have with it. 

“Don't worry about that, you're out of my budget.” 

You kick the side of his thigh as you cross your legs under your butt, carefully placing the bottle on the table next to the ripped wrapping paper. “I wanted to buy it after Christmas.” 

“You don't have to anymore.”

You give him a look, questioning his answer for everything as he simply justifies his thoughtfulness in the most basic manner. He always brushes it like it's nothing. But it's very special to you. He is. 

In seconds, you wrap your arms around him and hug him tightly. He lets out a surprised gasp, a low chuckle escaping his lips as he hugs you back. He's warm, smells like a mixture of his wooden cologne and winter air. 

“Thank you.” you mumble into his shoulder before you slowly pull away. “But seriously, you should stop spending so much money on me. Don't you have a girlfriend to spend money on?”

As far as you know, she's fine with it but who knows. Jungkook isn't the type to let anyone get into your or guys' friendships. But he's also in love and people in love tend to be slightly blind, if you must say so. Not that you speak from your own experiences but well, it's quite known. And Jungkook is definitely in love. 

“Don't worry about Kiko,” he assures you, “She'll get a good amount of presents too.”

“Well, I hope she loves you for you and not for your bank account.”

He scowls, causing you to give him a childish toothy grin that acts innocent. “She's not like that.”

“But I'm serious, you should stop spending so much money on people. Especially on me.”

“I spend my money however I want and you know what?” he asks with a grin, leaning closer to you as you watch him with wide eyes. “It's none of your business.” he flicks your nose with his thumb causing you to cuss him out as you push his forehead to get him away from your proximity. 

“So really, just accept it.”

“You're stubborn.”

“You're telling me?” he laughs out loud as if you just told him the biggest joke.

Rolling your eyes again, you purse your lips. “I wanted to be nice, you moron.”

“Be nice by just accepting it. And the simple thanks is just enough, not needed though. The hug was very nice.”

You slap his arm in a teasing manner which causes him to laugh even more. “I'll hug you for the rest of my life.”

“Promise?” he smirks. 

“I promise.” you giggle, nodding.

“Well, then Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas, Kook.” you smile, the warmth spreading all over your heart. Even though this year hasn't been all rainbow and sunshine, it's alright as long as you have these people right beside you. 

Who cares about presents? They're nice and show the thoughtfulness behind them by each of your friends. What you need the most is just them. And the special relationship you have with each of them will hopefully last your lifetime. Because if it doesn't, nothing will ever be the same. 

Without them you would feel lost. At the moment, you're anything but lost. You have your second family, hoping this tradition between you never dies and will continue years and years.

[miyaren]

What I Like | Osamu Miya

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✪ Osamu smut 18+ minors PLEASE dni

CW: manipulation a teensy bit , thigh riding (ゝз╹), one friendly clit slap (we're so back), unspoken pining , its kind of tender ok

When your fwb cancels on you, your best friend Osamu kindly offers to help you out with your problem. And in a crazy turn events, you agree.

an: I promised this fic a year ago 💔. That's not to say it took a year to write but that it's just been collecting dust in my docs. I love this one, it's my favorite flavor of friends to lovers and I might have to do a part 2! If you enjoy it, I would love to hear what you think xoxo

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“I’ll do it.” Osamu offered to you nonchalantly. 

You nearly spit out your drink. This was Osamu, your best friend since you both started college, the one who had introduced you to his brother in the first place.

 Atsumu was the guy you hooked up with semi regularly, who ruffled your hair and called you pipsqueak and acted like he hadn’t just rearranged your guts only minutes before. It was unserious in every sense of the word. 

Your friendship with Osamu? Serious. And important to you. Maybe you had stroked out. Maybe he had.

“What are you saying ‘Samu?”

He shrugged like the two of you were discussing the weather, “You seem upset Atsumu flaked and I'm offering to help you take care of it.” 

“Stop saying it like we’re talking about my dog. You’re talking about fucking me!”

Osamu’s calm expression broke into a cheshire grin, “It's a generous offer, you know. You should be grateful.”

“How are you so blase about this?”

“Y/n, you have been telling me how horny you are for the last twenty minutes, you can’t tell me this is phasing you.”

“But still-”

His laugh cut through your strangled words, “Such a big baby.”

Your ears heated up as he said it. He always called you that starting back to your freshman year when he found out you were an only child. He had mumbled that it made a lot of sense, and you had promptly swatted his arm. Just like then, it riled you up now. He knew it would. 

You pushed out of your seat to stand, “Alright. We’re going to my room.”

Osamu’s expression flashed with surprise, but it was gone as soon as it came. Wordlessly, he followed you into your room and closed the door.

The two of you stared at each other for a good minute. 

He tsked, “Y/n, don’t make this awkward.”

“I’m not. Just take off your clothes.” You directed as you pulled your shirt over your head. He moved to do the same.

“You’re making this clinical.” As he pulled his shirt off you saw the wry smile playing at his lips. 

You started unbuttoning your pants, “I’m not. Order is good, rules are good.”

“Any more rules before we start?” His hands were making quick work of his belt. 

Did you really need rules with Osamu? Obviously he’d never do anything to hurt you. But still. There was another potential issue. “No kissing. It's too intimate.”

He looked like he wanted to argue the point but he held his tongue. That lasted for only a second though. “I’m literally going to be inside you.”

“Potatoe potato.”

“The big baby that you are.”

You couldn’t waver on this, “Them’s the rules.”

He nodded with understanding and moved to take his boxers off. At the same time, you stepped out of your panties and unclasped your bra, letting it fall to the floor. 

When you looked up, of course Osamu was staring at you. And of course you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. He was perfectly sculpted all the way down to his V line. And he was big. It was a little weird to compare him to Atsumu, a little weird that you were going to have had sex with both twins in general. But he seemed bigger than what you were used to.

“You’re gorgeous.” Osamu’s eyes were unabashedly trailing up and down your body. You wanted to brush him off, and tell him he was being stupid. But your cheeks were flushed and you found yourself at a loss for words. 

He has said to not make this awkward. But how could you not? He was your best friend, so attractive that you had to pretend he wasn’t to function normally. And he was looking at you like that. 

Your mouth was open and you willed words to come out. He beat you to it.

“You have condoms? And lube?” Of course you did.

He took a seat on the edge of your bed as you dug through your drawers and fished the bottle of lube out. A condom following shortly after. 

“Here.” You handed him both. You wanted to finally touch him. Your palm landed on his chest and trailed down to hold him there. 

Osamu caught your wrist and mumbled, “Not yet. C’mere.” He beckoned you to climb into his lap and ushered you on top of him-hovering above his thighs-, the heat of his hands searing on your hips. Opening up the bottle, he poured a little out onto his thigh.

Your brows pinched, “What are you-”

“Ride my thigh.” His eyes bored right into yours.

“‘Samu, please I just want you to-”

One of his hands ran up the inside of your thigh before carding his fingers through your folds. You almost jolted at the feel of his cold fingertips. With featherlight pressure, he teased your clit, “Can you please just let me take care of you?”

He started to draw circles and you nodded dumbly as you sank down further, pussy bare against his thigh. Sliding his palms down to your ass, he guided you forward and then back and then forward again. When his mouth found your neck, an uncontrolled sound left your lips. 

You could hear him laugh but you didn’t seem to care as you rutted against him. The slick of the lube had you gliding along his thigh, the friction just right against your clit. 

All the while Osamu was littering your neck with red purple marks, one hand abandoning your hip in favor of rolling your nipples between his thumb and index. He pinched and watched you suck in a breath. Really, he wanted to hear you. He pinched again. 

You whined as you rode him, “‘Samu, please.” 

Smirking he pulled your nipple into his mouth, sucking and circling with his tongue. Osamu’s mouth paired with the delicious friction between your legs had you soaking his thigh. 

“You’re so pretty like this.” He whispered at your ear.

Your hips stuttered at the praise. As good as you were feeling, you felt you could never get close enough to his thigh, even as you ground against it. Your hands found purchase on his shoulders and you moved faster, harder. Not enough. “Osamu, please. I need more.”

He nipped at your neck before pulling back to watch you, “What do you want, Y/n?”

“Touch me, please. Like before.”

With a nod, he brought his fingers against you, “How does this feel, baby?”

Like he commanded it, your heart thundered and your clit pulsed at what he said. You swallowed hard, “So good, ‘Samu.”

He gave your clit a pinch and impishly smiled when you yelped, before kissing your neck in apology and circling one finger gently to soothe the sting, “Do you like it like this? Or like this?”

Instead of gentle, now he deepened the pressure on your clit and sped up with precision. In his lap you jolted, the tension in your body stacking. 

“Tell me, baby.”

You took a breath, “The second one.” He continued and licked up the column of your neck and you knew you were a goner. “I’m gonna cum, I-”

All at once, his fingers were gone from your throbbing core. Oh this was sick.

“Osamu what the hell?”

Both of his hands slid up your stomach to grope your tits, his thumbs rolling your nipples simultaneously, making you shiver, “I’ll let you come but. . .”

“But what?” 

Skimming his hand back down your body, his eyes flickered to your puffy cunt before he moved and cupped it gently. His hand was unmoving, but you could feel yourself throbbing in his palm. 

When he looked up his eyes met yours and though he had called you a big baby your entire friendship, he’d never seen you this needy in your life. Osamu’s face leaned closer to yours, “You have to kiss me.”

100% he had expected you to hesitate, definitely you were going to argue the point. Nothing could have prepared him for the way your small hands grabbed his face and you pulled him closer still, the way you kissed him like you might die. 

He moved his fingers back to where you needed most and he touched you the exact way you liked. As he sped up, you moaned into his mouth and Osamu’s tongue brushed against your bottom lip before you greeted it with your own. 

The dam inside you was so close to spilling over. Osamu’s fingers were unrelenting on your clit, tight little circles that never stopped. Hungrily, his tongue stroked against yours and you felt your body seize up, stars bursting behind your eyes. You were lost to the high of your release and you had to break apart from your kiss to writhe against his shoulder. He didn’t stop, rubbing you all the way through your orgasm with consistent pressure, not stopping even as your pelvis jumped against hand.

All through your cries he continued, finally stopping when you bit down into the crook of his neck. 

You stayed silent in his arms, your body rising and falling against him like you had just run a marathon.

Subtly you lifted your chin to peer up at him and found him watching you. You rolled your eyes, “I think you broke a rule just then.”

He smiled before stealing a chaste kiss from you, “And I think you liked it.”

You couldn’t argue the point, your lips were still tingling. Really the whole thing would have your mind spinning for quite a while. If you thought about it-

“Aghh.” Your back arched when Osamu gave your cunt a light slap. He was grinning down at you.

“I said don’t make it awkward.”

“I’m not.” You frowned against your will.

Osamu huffed out a laugh as his hand trailed down the love bites he left on your neck, “Such a big baby.”

Against your will, you shivered against him, remembering the way he had spoke to you just minutes before. Of course he noticed, he noticed everything about you. He leaned down so his mouth was at the shell of your ear and his thumb was stroking back and forth as he cupped your cheek, almost like he was holding you there so you couldn’t escape. 

“You like it when I call you baby, huh?” He whispered to you.

Undoubtedly you did. More than you should. 

But you needed to keep things normal. The two of you were best friends and you had to stay that way.

Don’t make it awkward. 

You could do that. 

You smacked his hand away from your face, “You gonna fuck me or are you gonna keep talking?”

The corner of his mouth pulled up into a smirk, “There she is.”

Before you could blink, he was tackling you down to the bed.

[lemoncrushh]

MASTERLIST

>> Learn a little about me and my writing here <<

>> Check out all my old fics on Wattpad (2015-2022) << * I am currently reposting old fics here since Wattpad decided to delete some. *

Everything is in order from oldest to newest. You will see me adding more links to the top as I'm reposting old fics.

Show Me Your Texts, or It's Over Harry finds out you've been in contact with your ex and gives you an ultimatum.

Just for the Record After returning home from a concert with Harry, you share a smoke and a bed.

Scars You have scars and are hesitant about letting Harry see you naked for the first time.

I Miss You You’ve grown frustrated and lonely because Harry is always busy.

Best Friends You and Harry are best friends, but he would love for it be more.

Rooms On Fire (The Morning After) You meet Harry Styles at a party and have an amazing night.

Slave 4 U 2 Harry is ready to take you home for a little role play.

The Opera You and Harry can’t keep your hands off each other at the opera.

My Home You and Harry visit his family, but you have to stay in Gemma’s room.

A Night Out with Harry You take care of Harry after a drunken night out.

Back For You Harry is in town, and you go visit him at the hotel.

Melt A sexy evening with Harry.

Heartstrings You become One Direction’s new guitarist and you and your best friend Harry realize you have feelings for each other.

What's It Like You can’t sleep and decide to pay Harry a visit in the next room.

The Lucky One Harry is not too pleased when you run into your old high school crush at a restaurant.

Too Long It’s been too long since you and Harry have had sex.

Anniversary Pancakes Harry and his daughter make breakfast for his wife on their anniversary

We're Gonna Have a Baby Telling Harry he’s gonna be a dad.

Lyrics and Melodies: AM A very smitten Harry takes Julia back to his place for drinks and more music.

Claiming His Territory Harry gets jealous when he thinks another guy fancies you, and he decides to claim his territory.

This Is Me You're Talking To You and Harry are divorced, but you both still have feelings for each other.

Meeting Harry Styles After actress Mia Tangelo meets Harry Styles at a One Direction concert, he surprises her by showing up at her film premiere.

Kiss Me Kiss Me Samantha and Harry’s story of young romance and a first kiss.

Sweat Some post-workout sex.

Saturday Night Harry needs comforting after his performance on SNL.

Live From New York Harry’s on SNL and he gets a little jealous when he thinks you’re not there for him.

Leather and Lace The night Harry sang with Stevie at the Troubadour.

I Wish That It Could Be Like That An affair with Harry has taken its toll and is no longer enough.

Faithfully Harry shares the story of how you two met and fell in love.

Running On Empty An unfortunate incident at the gym.

Sometimes It Be That Way Soon after a breakup, Lilliana met Harry…but their relationship may have been doomed from the start.

Stones T-Shirt Commenting on Harry’s Rolling Stones shirt at a party leads to going to a concert with him.

Carrot Cake Harry has something he’s been wanting to ask Y/N, but the timing is never right.

Kinda Perfect It’s a girls’ night out and Harry shows up, but you decide not to let your new friend Tiffany know that Harry is your boyfriend.

What Happens In Vegas... Your Vegas trip to celebrate your friend’s birthday turns into a night you hadn’t expected when you meet Harry Styles in the casino.

Easy Like Sunday Morning It's your last day with Harry before he leaves.

Connect Not wanting to lose their connection, Lily takes a surprise trip to see Harry.

Comfort Food Jessica, a self-proclaimed foodie, helps her classmate Harry study for their Biology test.

Her Album Harry has finished recording his album, and he wants her to hear it. [in Harry's POV]

Ruin the Friendship It’s Ella’s birthday, and her best friend Harry plans to tell her how he feels about her.

You and I Alyssa always wanted Harry, so every time he called, she was there waiting for him at the bar. But one night, things shifted between them.

Rain Rain Lexie is on her way to visit her sister, and she’s taking Harry on the road trip with her, planning to drop him off at his friend’s house for a wedding. But the weather has other plans.

That Sunday, That Summer Kelly’s roommate Bianca talks her into participating in a celebrity charity scavenger hunt that Harry Styles surprisingly attends.

Friends Don't Harry and Gabriella have been good friends for a few years. But neither of them knows the feelings the other has.

Dressing For Revenge // Part 2 Still heartbroken from finding your ex cheating on you, you go to a nightclub with your friend Kelsie, where not only do you run into your ex, but also a handsome gentleman who’s willing to help you get over him.

Kiss Me Deadly The annual Halloween party at the local pub has Y/N excited when she decides to invite her boss at the University, Mr. Styles. But she soon begins to second guess her decision when Harry starts acting odd. Is Harry Styles really who she thinks he is? Will this Halloween be a fantasy come true…or the kiss of death?

Through the Wall Harry is your handsome neighbour, and you keep hearing him through the wall.

bad idea harry styles is back from uni and he looks better than you remember. problem is, he's your ex's brother.

break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored part 2 of bad idea - after that one night with harry, you can't stop thinking about him...but things don't exactly turn out like you'd hoped.

Touch You’ve been having a hard time getting yourself off, so your roommate Harry offers a hand.

Filthy Cute You and Harry are in a secret relationship, and you get a little jealous when you think he’s flirting with your friend.

Out of Bounds After a few years of being a housewife, Tisa Jordan decided to go back to school. Hoping to find inspiration and a new direction in life, she didn’t expect to meet Harry Styles, a handsome British twenty-year-old. [39 chapters, reposting daily]

Cubicle  I’m Harry. I have a mundane job where I sit in a cubicle all day. But things just got better because the hottest babe just started working here. And I’m determined to make her mine, even if just for one night. I’m Roni. I just started this new job, but all I can think about is the hottie in the corner cubicle. I think he likes me too. [22 chapters]

Fratboy Harry Harry Styles was a boy with a reputation, one that you couldn’t care less about. Yet one night at a frat party changed everything. [10 parts]

The Entertainer Set in the 70s, Sky Jones, a young woman from L.A., meets Harry Styles, an up-and-coming musician and frontman for the band Wildfire. Told in first person from Sky’s point of view, she shares her journey and what it’s like to fall for a rockstar. [10 parts]

Too Far From Texas Stacey Barnett is a writer and a single mother. Her hands full with two daughters (one with special needs), a newly published novel, an extroverted best friend and a controlling ex-husband, the last thing she expects is to meet an international pop star. [33 chapters]

Seven Six Five They met once seven years ago. Now music has made them cross paths again. (Real Harry x Plus Size OC, enemies to lovers) [6 parts]

Tattooed Heart You are a cocktail waitress at a swanky lounge. Harry comes in one night, and you instantly dislike him. But another encounter eventually changes your opinion. (Tattoo artist!harry x waitress y/n, enemies to lovers) [6 parts]

The Entertainer II * Updates will be sporadic * What if it wasn’t the end? What if Sky did actually see Harry at the Forum in the early 80s, and he saw her too? What if fate took hold of them both, and they realized their journey was not over? Set in 1981, Harry and Sky’s story continues with more music, more romance, and a few more twists and turns.

Wild Horses * Updates will be sporadic * Amber Crosby didn’t end up with the life she’d expected, but that didn’t keep her from following her dream. A young, up and coming country recording artist, she and her band set out to do just that. Trying to leave her past behind, it wasn’t until meeting Harry Styles that she realized just how her life could take a turn and alter her future forever.

Ko-fi (if you're feeling generous and would like to support me)

Inbox (for requests, feedback or general chat)

divider credit

[leah-lover]

Crossover. Leah Williamson x reader.

Based off this request. Thank you.

Exiting, that's how you would describe your life as a model. Yes there were the occasional hiccups but you mostly got to do very cool stuff and hang out with cool people. Your work took you everywhere but your home base was London. You started your career there and a large number of your followers come from there too.

The thing you loved the most about your job was the parties. They allow you to meet very interesting people, pick their brain and develop interesting g friendships.

Today was no different. Nike had a pretty high budget launch party for their new show line and you were invited. These parties were a little less formal than what you were used to going to, so you decided against a suit or a dress and settled for a black strapless and backless jumpsuit, a pair of black heels and some gold accessories. Your make up was elegant and your signature red lip was at its center.

Nike as always sent you a car to your house and you headed to the location of the event on time.

Upon arriving there you said hi to some people, talked to others, took some pictures at the event with some guests and drank champagne. The night was as regular as most of most launch parties were. Suddenly you were approached by one of the managers of the event.

“ Hey, so I wanted to introduce you to one of the faces of this launch. Miss Leah Williamson.” he says.

“ hi, nice to meet you, Miss williamson.” you say offering her your hand.

“ Hey, just Leah please.” she answers, shaking your hand

.” a fellow Brit I see. I haven't seen many of those tonight.”

“ glad i was among the few.” she answers. You two talked for a little while over a small table, each one of you nursing a drink. You both were making jokes trying to get one another to laugh or at least smile. There was definitely tension in the air and you both were flirtatious with one another.

“So Leah this has been one of the best nights I have had for a while. Thank you “ you say, squeezing her hand gently.

“Yeah it was fun for me too.” she responds with a disappointed tone. “Let me walk you to your car.”

While leaving the venue you hear a photographer say “ Miss Williamson would you like a picture?”. She looks over to you and you get into your usual pose instantly. While getting ready her hand slips perfectly on the small of your back applying the right amount of pressure.

While the photographer's flash was blinding you, you looked over to Leah and she did the same to you. You stood there getting your picture taken with a hot blonde after flirting with her all night. She made you feel safe with her hand on your back which you appreciated.She then walls you too you car.

“Tonight was fun.” You say leaning on the door.

“We should do this again sometime soon.” She replies with a small smile on her face.

“House about you come to one of our games. We will play in the Emirates soon. I think it would be a good experience.” She added.

“ Maybe.” You respond before getting in your car.

This night was gonna be unforgettable.

—----------------

Fact forward a few weeks you were back in England after being in Milan, Paris, and Japan for work. Well there first two were work , the last one was for fun since the F1 Japan grand prix was one of your favorites on the race calendar. You could say that that weekend was well spent. You hung out on the Ferrari paddock and did a lot of social media work. This work backfired on you because all people were talking about the whole weekend we're done moment that happened between you and a driver. Romers never bothered you, now it was different. Leah had followed you on Instagram after the event and you worried that she would believe them. As a result you decided to go to the arsenal game she talked about. Getting tickets was a Hassle because they were all sold out. But you managed to find a seat right next to the bench, very close to the field.

You showed up to the Stadium early. You hair was down, your makeup was simple, you wore jeans, a black button down and a Jersey over it, one that says Leah Williamson on the back, and you added a few gold accessories again.

Like Leah said the atmosphere was electric. You went to the VIP section first, got some food and a drink then you headed down to your seat. Leah didn't know you were coming; you wanted it to stay a surprise.

As soon as the players appeared on the pitch the whole strain erupted into cheers and chants. Those cheers only got louder when Arsenal scored 3 goals in 20 minutes which you were told was impressive.

After the half time break some players were running up and down the field. That's when she saw you. She held eye contact with you for a long time, a wide smile planted across her face. She had a look of pride, joy, and reassurance. You smiled back at her, clapped as she came on and sang and chanted loudly.

After the game was done the players were doing a lap around the pitch and when she saw you again. Another wide smile was painted on her face. She looked happy to be there and happy that you were there too.

She was then signing autographs, taking pictures and genuinely talking to people. She grew immensely in your eyes because of her thankful and humble demeanor. She then asked for you to follow her inside the stadium which you did.

“You clean up nice. I like your shirt “ she said with a cocky expression on her face.

“Well I saw a charming young lady at an event a few weeks ago and she hadn't left my mind ever since. I missed her and I thought I would come and see her. Turns out she is the best person in the world.” You respond.

“ Well I hope this girl gets to go have dinner with you because you two sound formidable.” She added

“ Maybe.” You respond

You wait for her to get ready and get out of the locker room. When she gets out, a few girls follow her and appear to be teasing her.

“ I swear if I hear from anyone you shit heads you won't like practice anymore.” She said to them. You simply wave to them as you two walk by then to Leah's car too which she opens the door.

“ Such a gentleman.” You exclaim.

“Well I have competition. That girl you were talking about is a catch.” She joked.

Leah was fun. She made you feel at ease and safe.

This was going to be a fun adventure.

[thatdammchickennugget]

Finding Home

pairing - remus lupin x fem!reader

summary - remus finds solace for himself and little harry in the warm embrace of a quaint supermarket and its resident cat. as they navigate grief and newfound friendship with the store's owner, their bond deepens amidst the aisles, offering a glimmer of hope and the possibility of love

warnings - mention of death, grief, harry lives with remus instead of the dursleys, muggle!reader

wordcount - 5k

a/n - I made myself sad thinking about this, oops.

The small bell above the door tinkled softly as Remus stepped into the quaint little supermarket, cradling little Harry in his arms. The toddler's cries pierced the stillness of the shop, echoing off the shelves stacked with goods.

Remus scanned the familiar aisles, his tired eyes searching for the one thing that seemed to soothe Harry like nothing else could - the resident feline, a sleek brown cat named Chocolate Chip. The mere sight of her often had a miraculous effect on the inconsolable child.

Remus had noticed Harry’s amazement with the animal the third time he had taken him here. No other cat seemed to have that effect on him, most of the cats passing by their backyard went completely ignored, but this one, for some reason, was the one sure way to calm him down when he was upset.

"Shh, Harry, we're here," Remus murmured softly, his voice gentle as he navigated through the rows of merchandise. Harry's wails seemed to escalate with each step, his tiny fists clutching at Remus's robes. 

Finally, they reached the corner where the cat usually lounged, her amber eyes glinting in the dim light. As if sensing their presence, she stretched lazily, arching her back in a graceful curve before shooting up and out of her little bed of blankets and zooming straight towards Remus’ beat up boots.

"Look, Harry," Remus whispered, his lips curling into a tired smile as the elegant creature approached, purring as she pushed herself along his legs. "It's Chip."

Harry's cries began to ebb, replaced by curious gurgles as he fixed his wide, emerald gaze towards the ground. Remus carefully lowered him down, allowing him to stumble towards the cat with clumsy, unsteady movements.

The cat regarded Harry with a calm indifference, allowing the toddler to pat her silky fur with chubby fingers. Remus watched with a mixture of relief and affection, his heart swelling at the sight of Harry's fleeting tranquility.

"Thank you, Chip," Remus murmured, reaching out to stroke the cat's fur as she purred contentedly. "You always know how to calm him down."

As Harry babbled happily, Remus couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude towards the owner of the store, whose kindness had become a lifeline in these turbulent times. He craned his neck over one of the shelves, trying to catch a glance of the pretty woman usually sat behind the counter.

Remus had been coming to this little store ever since he moved into the neighborhood, appreciating that most of the time, he appeared to be the only customer. The trip here was easier to stomach than the bigger bustling store in town.

The first time he had been here, the store had been manned by a gruff looking elderly man. He wasn’t big on conversations or small talk, which Remus welcomed with open arms. A couple weeks ago however, he was surprised to step in and be greeted with a cheery “hello!” and a bright smile.

He had shot the girl an awkward little smile before shuffling off to fill his basket. But when he came back to the counter, he was horrified when she started chatting as she got to work ringing his items up. She asked about his day, told him she liked his jumper and had fawned about weather outside, asking if he had any plans on a day this nice.

He had to disappoint her, as his plans had been making himself some pasta - maybe even sauce if he felt fancy - and then throw his aching body into bed to hopefully get a couple hours of sleep before he had to get up for work again.

In a probably obvious attempt to steer the unwanted conversation away from himself, he had asked where the owner of the store was. He instantly regretted the question as the pretty smile on her face faltered for a split moment. He cursed himself for being so insensitive when she told him that the man was her father and he had unfortunately passed away, leaving the store in her hands.

That day, he had left the store thinking he might never show his face there again. The girl probably thought he was rude and weird, avoiding her questions and then bringing up her dead father. What a way to make a first impression.

But the next time he dared to step into the store again, she was back to her cheery self again and seemingly not put off by him in the slightest, as she kept trying to talk to him.

It eventually became a regular occurrence when he ventured inside, until it became almost routine. And he didn’t mind all that much. Sure it was uncomfortable at first, but he quickly found himself looking forward to their little chats.

The counter was empty today, and he almost jumped when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Remus turned to find you smiling down at Harry petting the cat at his feet.

“He’s having one of those days again?” you asked him, squatting down to pull a face at the child, earning a giggle as he excitedly waved in your direction.

“Sorry to bother you again,” Remus stepped a little closer to you, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “Nothing else has been working lately. He won’t calm down until we come here.”

“Well, the two of you are always welcome. It’s a treat getting to see you, really.” Harry’s focus had already moved on from you again, his little hands back in the cat's fur as he pushed his cheeks into Chip’s fluffy side.

You had been insanely patient with them ever since he started bringing Harry along. It was a huge change for Remus, taking the toddler in after James and Lily’s tragic death just a little over a month ago. He had just started believing he was becoming a great uncle to Harry, but being the sole person taking care of him was a whole other thing.

And you had been a helping hand every step of the way, helping him pick out baby food, going over his list to make the house baby-proof and just generally offering an open ear and advice. But above all, you had managed to make these grim weeks feel a little lighter.

As Harry giggled and played with Chip, Remus found a brief moment of solace from the weight of his worries. Yet, beneath the surface, the gnawing concern about providing for Harry gnawed at him relentlessly.

"I... I can't thank you enough for letting us come here all the time," Remus began, his voice heavy with gratitude as he turned towards you again. "I have to admit, it's been a struggle lately. It’s just a lot. And I really appreciate everything you’ve done for us. I hope we won’t be bothering you for too much longer, though. I promise, as soon as I find someone to take him for a couple hours a day and find somewhere new to work we’ll be out of your hair."

Your heart went out to Remus as he spoke, his vulnerability laid bare before you. You could hear the desperation and exhaustion laced heavily in his words.

"I can't even begin to imagine how tough it must be," you replied, your voice soft with empathy. "But you're doing an incredible job, Remus. You're there for Harry when he needs you most, and that's no small feat."

Remus managed a weary smile, a glimmer of appreciation shining in his tired eyes.

"Thanks. That means a lot, especially coming from you."

A thoughtful silence settled between you, the weight of Remus's words hanging in the air. Gathering your courage, you broached the subject that had been weighing on your mind.

"Remus, I've been thinking..." you began, your voice tentative. "I could use some help around here, and... well, I know it's not much, but it could be a start. And you could bring Harry along, of course. We'll figure it out together."

Remus's eyes widened in surprise, a mixture of emotions flickering across his face. "I don't know. I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I don't want to impose on you. And Harry... I can't just leave him with anyone."

You reached out to gently grasp Remus's hand, offering him a reassuring smile. He felt his ears heat up at the touch, not expecting it at all. "Remus, you're not imposing. We're friends, aren't we? Friends help each other out in times of need. And as for Harry, he's always welcome here. We'll make it work, I promise."

Remus's gaze softened as he met your eyes, a sense of relief washing over him. He felt a little dumb at the way his face flushed when you said you were friends. He had been talking to you almost daily, it wasn’t that weird. But then why did it feel like such a huge thing to him?

"Okay," Remus finally relented, a genuine smile gracing his lips. "Okay, I'll do it. Thank you... thank you so much."

ੈ♡˳

The following days found Remus settling into his new role at the store, his presence becoming an integral part of the daily routine. With Harry happily playing behind the counter, Remus found himself working alongside you, the two of you falling into an easy rhythm as you tackled the tasks at hand.

As Remus stocked shelves and organized merchandise, you moved about the store with a grace that never failed to captivate him. There was a certain lightness to your step, a warmth in your smile that made the mundane tasks seem almost enjoyable. He watched in awe as you easily talked to the customers coming in, always managing to make them feel at ease and brightening up their day with your cheery attitude.

From time to time, Remus would steal glances in your direction, admiring the way you effortlessly managed the responsibilities of running the store. He couldn't help but feel a swell of pride whenever you praised his efforts, your words serving as a source of encouragement amidst his lingering doubts.

He was especially nervous the first time he had to miss work due to the full moon, being aware of your worried glances during the days leading up to it as he seemingly showed up to work more exhausted and pained every day. 

You surprised him by not only telling him to take as much time as he needed, but also insisting on taking Harry off his hands for the night. You were a godsend, really, and he couldn’t ever return the abundance of favors he owed you by now. But you just waved off his thanks, muttering about how lonely it was up in your apartment above the store all by yourself and how a sleepover with little Harry was just what you needed.

In between moments of work, there were snippets of laughter and playful banter, the air filled with a sense of camaraderie that seemed to deepen with each passing day. Remus found himself sharing stories and anecdotes with you, his laughter mingling with yours as you exchanged tales of past adventures, coming dangerously close to revealing secrets he couldn’t let slip.

You had a talent for getting him to open up, having him eagerly talk about his days at school. He had to thread carefully as he talked about his time with his friends at Hogwarts, the threat of saying something wrong always around the corner.

One afternoon, as you and Remus took a brief break from your tasks, Harry toddled over to join you, a mischievous glint in his eyes. With a mischievous grin, he reached out to grab a handful of colorful candies from a nearby display, his giggles filling the air as he proudly displayed his spoils.

You and Remus exchanged amused glances, unable to suppress your laughter at Harry's antics. It was moments like these, simple and carefree, that reminded Remus of the joy that could still be found amidst the chaos of their lives.

As the day drew to a close and the last of the customers filed out of the store, Remus found himself lost in thought, the events of the day playing over in his mind. There was a warmth in his chest, a sense of contentment that he hadn't felt in a long time.

And as he glanced in your direction, watching as you carefully closed up shop for the night, Remus couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps, just perhaps, there was something more between you than mere friendship. But he shook that thought away quickly. 

He couldn't afford to entertain such notions, not when his primary focus was on providing for Harry and even if Harry wasn’t in the picture, he just couldn’t. Not only was he keeping secrets and miles below your league, he was also a werewolf for gods sake! He couldn’t put that on you. He couldn’t live with himself if he ever ended up hurting you.

Besides, he reasoned, it was likely just wishful thinking on his part, a product of the comfort and familiarity that had developed between them. There was no way you actually returned his affections.

Yet, despite his attempts to push aside those lingering thoughts, Remus couldn't help but find himself drawn to you in ways he couldn't quite explain. There was a warmth in your presence, a kindness that touched him deeply and made him long for more than just friendship.

As the days turned into weeks, Remus found himself growing more attuned to your moods, more aware of the subtle shifts in your demeanor. So when he walked into the store one morning and found you sitting behind the counter, a faint smile playing at your lips but a heaviness in your eyes, he knew something was amiss.

"Morning," Remus greeted softly as he approached, Harry cradled in his arms. The toddler waved eagerly at you, his face lighting up with excitement as he caught sight of Chip lounging nearby.

"Hey," you replied, your voice tinged with weariness as you glanced up at Remus. "How was your night?"

Remus hesitated, sensing the weight of unspoken emotions hanging in the air. "It was... fine," he said carefully, shifting Harry in his arms. "Yours?"

You offered him a small, forced smile, but Remus could see through the facade. "Just another night," you replied vaguely, averting your gaze. "Nothing special."

Remus frowned, a pang of concern tightening in his chest. He knew better than to push, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was troubling you.

"Is everything okay?" he asked gently, reaching out to place a comforting hand on your arm. The contact sent a jolt of warmth through him, and he couldn't help but notice the way your breath caught at the touch.

You hesitated, your gaze flickering back to meet his. "It's just... one of those days, you know?" you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "I miss him."

Remus's heart clenched at the mention of your father, the sorrow in your eyes mirroring the ache in his own chest. He knew all too well the pain of losing someone you loved, the emptiness that lingered long after they were gone.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice thick with sympathy. "I know it's not much, but... if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I understand more than you know."

You offered him a grateful smile, your eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Thank you, Remus," you whispered, your voice trembling with emotion. "That means more to me than you'll ever know."

In that moment, as you sat together in the quiet solitude of the store, Remus felt a bond forming between you, a connection that transcended words. And as he looked into your eyes, he knew with a certainty that he couldn't ignore: he was falling for you, more deeply and irrevocably than he ever thought possible.

But for now, he pushed those thoughts aside, focusing instead on offering you the comfort and support you so desperately needed. And as he held you in his arms, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope stirring within him, a hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for something more between you after all.

The morning passed in a subdued atmosphere, with Remus keeping a watchful eye on you, offering gentle words of encouragement whenever he could. Despite the weight of grief that hung heavy in the air, there was a quiet comfort in the shared understanding between you, a silent acknowledgment of the pain you both carried in your hearts.

As the day wore on, Remus found himself drawn to your side more and more, seeking solace in your presence as much as he offered it. There was a sense of companionship that blossomed between you, a shared bond forged through the trials of loss and sorrow.

And as the final rays of sunlight streamed through the windows, casting long shadows across the shop floor, Remus knew that he had found something precious in you, something worth holding onto amidst the chaos of his life.

As you closed up shop for the night, Remus lingered by your side, reluctant to let the moment slip away. "Thank you," he said softly, his voice tinged with emotion. "For everything."

You offered him a weary smile, reaching out to squeeze his hand gently. "Anytime, Remus," you replied, your voice barely above a whisper. "Anytime."

And as you bid each other goodnight, Remus felt a flicker of hope stir within him, a hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for happiness in the midst of their shared grief. And as he stepped out into the cool night air, cradling Harry in his arms, he knew that no matter what the future held, he would always be grateful for the light you brought into his life.

ੈ♡˳

As the evening sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the quiet streets, Remus found himself pacing anxiously, his heart hammering in his chest. Little Harry lay in his bed, his feverish breaths the only sound echoing through the dimly lit room.

Remus had called you in a panic earlier, his voice trembling with worry as he described Harry's symptoms. You had instantly reassured him, promising to come over right away to help. And true to your word, you had closed up shop early and rushed to his side without a moment's hesitation.

Now, as Remus waited for you to arrive, he couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude for your unwavering support. Ever since James and Lily's death, you had been a constant source of comfort and solace, always there to lend a helping hand whenever he needed it most.

But as much as Remus appreciated your kindness, he couldn't shake the nervous fluttering in his stomach as he waited for you to arrive. He had never been one to let people into his home, always preferring to keep his distance and maintain a sense of privacy.

And so, he had spent the past half hour frantically tidying up his small home, trying to make it look presentable for your arrival. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach.

Just as Remus was about to give in to his rising panic, he heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching his door. With a shaky breath, he hurried over to greet you, his heart pounding in his chest.

As you stepped inside, a look of concern etched across your face, Remus felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Thank you for coming," he murmured gratefully, stepping aside to let you inside.

You offered him a reassuring smile, your eyes flickering over his tense features. "Of course, Remus," you replied gently, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "How's Harry doing?"

Remus's gaze drifted towards the bedroom door, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "He's not doing well," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "His fever's been getting worse, and he won't stop crying. I don't know what to do."

You nodded in understanding, your expression softening with sympathy. "Let's go check on him," you suggested gently, guiding Remus towards the bedroom. "Maybe I can help."

Together, you entered the room, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting a warm light across Harry's flushed cheeks. Remus hovered anxiously by your side as you checked on the sleeping toddler, your experienced hands gentle as you felt his forehead and took his temperature.

"He's definitely running a fever," you confirmed softly, your brow furrowing with concern. "But it doesn't seem too high. We'll keep an eye on it and make sure he stays hydrated. He should start feeling better soon, but if it keeps going up we should take him to the hospital."

Remus let out a shaky breath, a sense of relief flooding through him at your words. "Thank you," he murmured gratefully, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I don't know what I would do without you."

You offered him a comforting smile, reaching out to squeeze his hand gently. "You don't have to thank me, Remus," you replied softly. "We're in this together, remember?"

As the evening wore on, Remus busied himself in the kitchen, the rhythmic clatter of pots and pans filling the air as he prepared dinner for the two of you. The savory aroma of herbs and spices wafted through the small apartment, mingling with the soft glow of candlelight to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.

You watched from the doorway, a soft smile playing at your lips as you admired Remus's culinary skills. Despite his initial nerves, he moved with a sense of purpose and confidence, his hands deftly chopping vegetables and stirring pots with practiced ease.

"You're quite the chef," you remarked with a chuckle, stepping into the kitchen to lend a hand. Remus glanced up at you, a sheepish grin spreading across his face.

"I've had plenty of practice," he admitted, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Lily used to joke that other than her I was the only one of us who could boil water without burning down the kitchen."

You chuckled at the memory, the sound warm and melodic in the quiet room. "They sound like wonderful people," you commented softly, a hint of sadness creeping into your voice.

Remus's smile faltered slightly, his gaze drifting towards the stove as he stirred the simmering pot of soup. "They were," he replied quietly, his tone tinged with a mixture of fondness and sorrow. "They were the best friends anyone could ask for."

You reached out to gently squeeze his shoulder, offering him a wordless gesture of comfort. Remus leaned into the touch, his eyes meeting yours with a mixture of gratitude and longing.

"They would have loved you," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "They would have been so grateful for everything you've done for Harry and me."

You felt a lump form in your throat at his words, a swell of emotion rising within you. "I wish I could have met them," you admitted, your voice thick with unshed tears. "They sound like incredible people."

Remus nodded in agreement, his gaze turning towards the window as he fought to contain his emotions. "They were," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the crackling of the flames. "They were my family, my home. And losing them... it was like losing a part of myself."

You reached out to gently take his hand in yours, offering him a silent gesture of solidarity. Remus squeezed your hand tightly, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"But you've been there for us," he continued softly, his voice choked with emotion. "You've been our rock, our guiding light in the darkness. And I can't thank you enough for that."

You offered him a watery smile, the warmth of his hand in yours filling you with a sense of comfort and belonging. "You don't have to thank me, Remus," you replied gently. "I care about you and Harry more than you'll ever know. And I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Remus's eyes met yours, a flicker of gratitude shining in their depths. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "Thank you for being you."

And as the two of you sat down to eat, the soft glow of candlelight casting shadows across the room, you felt a sense of peace settle over you. In that moment, surrounded by the warmth and comfort of Remus's presence, you knew that no matter what the future held, you would always be grateful for the bond you shared, for the love and support that had brought you together. And as you reached out to take his hand in yours, you knew that together, you could face whatever challenges lay ahead

ੈ♡˳

The soft jingle of bells echoed through the air as you put the finishing touches on the holiday decorations adorning the walls of the store. Harry toddled around you, his chubby fingers reaching out to touch the colorful ornaments hanging from the branches of the Christmas tree, his laughter filling the air with joy.

"You're doing a great job, Harry," you praised, your heart swelling with affection as you watched the toddler's eyes light up with excitement. "You're the best little helper anyone could ask for."

Harry beamed up at you, his dimpled cheeks flushed with pride as he continued to explore the wonders of the holiday season. It had been weeks since you had extended your invitation to Remus to work at the store, and in that time, the three of you had settled into a comfortable routine, filled with laughter and warmth.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the last of the customers filed out of the store, you found yourself lost in the magic of the season, the twinkling lights and festive decorations filling you with a sense of joy and wonder. You hummed along to the cheerful Christmas carols playing softly in the background, your heart light with the spirit of the holidays.

"Looks like we're all set for Christmas," you remarked with a satisfied smile, surveying your handiwork with pride. Harry clapped his hands excitedly, his eyes shining with delight as he admired the twinkling lights and colorful baubles.

"Christmas!" he exclaimed, his tiny voice filled with excitement. "Santa!"

You chuckled at his enthusiasm, ruffling his hair affectionately. "That's right, Harry," you replied with a grin. "Santa will be here before you know it."

As you turned to lock up the store for the night, you felt a warm hand on your shoulder, causing you to turn and meet Remus's gaze. He smiled at you, his eyes sparkling with affection.

"You've really outdone yourself with the decorations," he commented, his voice soft with admiration. "It looks beautiful in here."

You returned his smile, feeling a surge of happiness swell within you. "Thanks, Remus," you replied, your heart fluttering at the warmth in his gaze. "I wanted to make sure it felt like home for the holidays."

As you exchanged smiles with Remus, a playful voice interrupted the moment. Harry, who had still been toddling around the store, suddenly stopped in his tracks and pointed excitedly at the sprig of mistletoe hanging above the doorway.

"Kiss, kiss!" he exclaimed with glee, his little face beaming as he clapped his hands.

You felt your cheeks flush with embarrassment, realizing that both you and Remus were standing directly under the mistletoe. You exchanged a nervous glance with Remus, both of you unsure of what to do next.

Remus's cheeks tinged pink as he glanced up at the sprig, then back at you. "Well, it seems Harry's quite the advocate for tradition," he remarked with a nervous chuckle. “I wonder who he gets that from.”

You couldn't help but laugh at the situation, knowing damn well that you had been the one quietly squealing in excitement every time customers got caught underneath the plant and had to share a kiss. But you couldn’t help and share Harry’s excitement, feeling a mixture of amusement and nervousness. "Indeed he is," you replied, your heart racing in your chest.

Harry continued to clap and giggle, his excitement infectious as he urged you both to kiss. Remus hesitated for a moment, his gaze lingering on you with uncertainty.

But then, with a shy smile, you leaned in and pressed your lips to Remus's in a sweet and tender kiss. It was brief, just a fleeting moment of connection, but it sent a thrill coursing through both of you.

As you pulled away, you found yourself lost in Remus's warm gaze, a rush of emotions swirling within you. For a moment, the world seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of you standing beneath the mistletoe.

"Wow," Remus murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "That was..."

"Unexpected," you finished for him, a shy smile playing at your lips.

Remus nodded, his cheeks still flushed with embarrassment. "Yes, unexpected," he agreed, his gaze flickering with uncertainty.

But then, as you stood there together in the quiet stillness of the store, a sense of warmth washed over you. Despite the awkwardness of the moment, there was a spark of something more between you, something that left you both feeling breathless and alive.

As Harry continued to babble excitedly, you and Remus exchanged a meaningful glance, a silent understanding passing between you. And in that moment, you both knew that something special had begun to blossom between you, something that had the potential to change everything.

But for now, you simply smiled at each other, the warmth of the moment wrapping around you like a cozy blanket. And as you locked up the store for the night and headed to his home to cook dinner together, you couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement for what the future might hold.

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[animezinglife]

Hot take:

What I like about Elucien is that it's not the scorching, fire-hot chemistry that's overwhelming either or both of them. It's not those charged interactions that make you think they're going to tear into each other at any given moment.

They don't know each other well at all. There's deliberate distance; hesitation and control. They're a bit shy around each other and definitely awkward. It's such a far cry from that snarky, silver-tongued, sassy emissary in Lucien we're used to, and Elain's essentially having to start her life completely anew. They both have a long way to go, and they both have a lot of healing to do.

He never pushes her. He doesn't "prowl" towards her, loom over her hitting her with the kind of look inviting all kinds of temptation, or even hint at any sort of dominance with her.

Because that wouldn't be right for Elain. Not right now or anytime soon, at least.

He's trying to get to know her as a gentleman would: talk with her, learn a bit more about her. Get a sense of her interests/hobbies and things that make her happy. He keeps his distance when he knows she's not comfortable, and he doesn't cross that line. He buys her an achingly thoughtful gift, but doesn't insert himself into the equation and merely leaves it for her when things get tense with Feyre.

Yes, we all love to joke about that a fire in his blood and all its burning implications, but to me, it's his mind and self-control that make him so sexy.

I love that Elain--who's more shy and uncertain of her agency than her sisters ever were--doesn't have to contend with someone who's constantly undressing her with his eyes or making every excuse he can to touch her. He looks at her, sure, with sadness and "longing," but there's a gentleness to it and how he is with her that makes both him and them as a potential couple refreshing and all the more "earned."

It's different for this series. Slower and sweeter. It's also achingly painful as a reader, but the potential for something beautiful to form is addicting.

I just think it would make it all the more powerful when--if--they do finally truly choose each other. That foundation could become so incredibly strong, rooted in deep understanding, then friendship, then love.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not downplaying the potential for some excellent spice, but I like to think it'll play out very differently with a little sweeter meaning. I'm convinced she'll be the one to unravel if they ever share so much as an otherwise-innocent kiss.

But right now? Lucien's basically doing the equivalent of giving a girl his number so she can call him when she's ready to talk and go out.

Do I think her sisters treat her with kid gloves? Sure. Do I think they underestimate her and what she wants out of life? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean she's still not a little more reserved than they are (and likely always will be to some degree).

He'll meet her halfway and is allowing her to choose where that point is.

[cinnamontoastcrunch-15]

Happy Anniversary?

Marlene's the first one to bring it up.

Remus is just sitting, trying to do his transfiguration homework in the common room when she pipes up.

"Hey, Remus, isn't your anniversary soon?" That's enough to draw his attention, head snapping up with a confused frown. "Any plans?"

"...anniversary?" He asks. Marlene looks at him like he's just spoken another language, or that he's magically turned into a brick wall.

"Yeah. Are you doing anything for it?"

"I have no clue what you're on about," he says simply, expecting that to be the end of that. However, a knowing smile finds its way onto Marlene's face, and she nods.

"Ah, right. I get it," she says with a wink, only befuddling Remus more.

Still, he doesn't think anyone else is going to bring it up.

As it turns out, everyone seems to think he has some big anniversary coming up. Lily congratulates him, Mary says she "always knew it was going to last forever", even Edgar Bones nudges him and whispers a quick "well done".

Somehow, and Remus has no clue how, he did something noteworthy a year ago. He's also completely unaware as to what. Nobody answers him when he asks, so he simply starts offering a polite smile and moving on with his day. There's some strange misunderstanding happening, and it'll probably blow over soon.

Probably.

It takes reaching the 'anniversary' date to figure out what the fuck is going on.

He's finally gotten some time with Sirius after he's been stuck in back-to-back detentions, walking down to the Black Lake together and just... chatting. It's really nice being able to spend time with Sirius outside of his classes again, even if it sends his stomach spinning and diving. As they talk, they pass Dorcas, who turns and calls to the two of them.

"Happy anniversary, guys!"

She's gone before they can ask any questions, leaving Remus with the same confused feeling as before. He opens his mouth to explain the situation to Sirius, only for Sirius to beat him to it.

"That's been happening all week," he says, puzzled, which stops Remus in his tracks.

"It has?"

He isn't walking anymore, and Sirius stops with him, elaborating with a frown.

"Yeah. Everyone's been going on and on about some anniversary. I don't know what-"

"They've been doing it to me too," Remus interjects quickly, almost under his breath. Sirius catches it though, eyes widening as he reaches the same conclusion as Remus has at the same bloody time.

It's them.

It's all about them.

All of the knowing glances, the congratulations, even the weird fucking winks. They all think Remus and Sirius are dating. Not only that, but they've thought that for a year? The thought sends too many emotions running through him. Shock, confusion and, oddly enough, bitterness. He's fallen asleep every night for months with Sirius on his mind. The thought of kissing him, being with him, belonging to him. He's spent too long biting back his confessions, the very obvious and frustrating fact that he's in love with Sirius Black, because he doesn't want to destroy their friendship, and his friends have just swooped in and made things so much more difficult!

"It's our fucking anniversary, isn't it?" Sirius says quietly, before glancing behind him. "Hold on," he says to Remus, turning right back around and going in the same direction Dorcas has just gone. He seems to involuntarily grab Remus' hand, Remus having no choice but to follow him helplessly.

They get to the Great Hall in time for lunch. Remus is a little pissed that everyone's weird obsession with their imaginary anniversary is interrupting the picnic they had planned.

"Guys." The two of them stop on front of the group, Sirius doing the talking, thank fuck. To be perfectly honest, Remus feels pretty speechless. "D'you lot think Remus and I are dating?"

"Yeah?" James says simply, wrinkling his nose like it's just a fact of life. "Everyone knows you're together."

"...we're not," Sirius says slowly, carefully, sending the group lapsing into silence, exchanging confused glances.

"Okay, that's doesn't make any sense," Lily says, everybody else nodding in agreement. "You're literally together all the time."

"Because we're friends," Sirius explains, and Remus really isn't sure what to say. Good thing he doesn't have to, because the back and forth doesn't stop.

"If Remus is in the hospital wing, you're there until Madame Pomfrey kicks you out," James offers.

"I care about him!" Sirius argues, but something about what James has said has hit him in a strange way, Remus hears the shift in his tone, feels the slight tightening of his grip on Remus' hand.

"You're holding hands right now," Mary says pointedly, and Sirius looks down at their connected hands like he had forgotten it had happened. Still, he has a reason for that one too.

"I hold everyone's hand."

He really doesn't want people to think he's dating Remus, does he?

"Not that much," Peter mumbles under his breath, and Remus almost wants to laugh.

"Sorry, does nobody find it strange that we've never kissed, then?" James shrugs.

"Not really. Figured you didn't like PDA."

"Okay, then... we've never called each other boyfriends, never been on a date-"

"Right, that one's just not true," Marlene says with a snort. Remus frowns, confused. Have they been on a date? Surely he'd know, right? "You go to Hogsmeade together all the time, you run off to 'study' every chance you get, and you're picnicking today."

"We're friends? Friends spend time together," Sirius says quickly, and Remus is really starting to struggle. He doesn't want to stand there while Sirius explains how ridiculous the concept of them dating is.

Instead of putting a stop to the conversation, Remus takes the coward's way out. He pulls his hand free from Sirius', turns, and walks away.

"Moony, wait-"

Remus pointedly ignores Sirius' call to him, aiming to get to the dorm and just wallow in self-pity for fifteen minutes. That way, he can act like he's fine and just go to the bloody picnic.

His hip, however, has other plans.

It twinges right as he reaches the stairs, forcing him to a halt with a sharp inhale. His hand involuntarily goes to the bannister at the bottom of the stairs, trying to get some of the weight off it. Unfortunately for him, it means Sirius catches up too quickly. To be honest, he hadn't even realised that Sirius was following him, but he arrives at his side in a matter of seconds.

"Moony, are you alright?" Remus lets his eyes sink shut for half a second, frustrated. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise they were upsetting you that much."

"It's not- it's just- it's nothing, I'm fine," Remus settles on, offering Sirius a tired smile.

"Moons, s'fine. I know how stupid you think it is." Sirius takes another step forward, acting as though he hasn't just confused the fuck out of Remus.

"What d'you mean? That's not why..." he trails off, not sure how to verbalise any of his thoughts without telling Sirius everything. Sirius fills it in for him, though.

"It's okay, really. You don't have to spare my feelings, or anything. I know you don't feel the same way," Sirius says with a shrug, sending Remus' mind reeling in a matter of seconds.

The same way.

The same fucking way?

Just like that, Remus is malfunctioning. Firstly, when the Hell did Sirius start liking him back? He's spent months having to reel in his own emotions, spending time with Sirius and accepting the sad reality that he's never going to be with him in a romantic way. Finally, just finally, he's started to come to terms with his own unrequited emotions, accept and embrace his friendship with Sirius, and they're not even bloody unrequited?

Also, when did they talk about it? How has Sirius come to the conclusion that Remus doesn't like him? Christ, Remus is fucking in love with him!

That's enough to spur Remus to talk.

"What?"

Okay, maybe he can't form full sentences right now, but he'll get there. Hopefully. Sirius just scrunches his nose up, confused.

"Moony, I get it, it's honestly okay. You don't like me, and didn't want to hear them all jumping to conclusions," He explains, and it only throws Remus more.

"No, that's not it," Remus says quickly, stunned that any words are coming out, even if they're pretty unhelpful words.

All he can do is look at Sirius. Beautiful, amazing, kind Sirius, who crushed his own feelings because he thought they were upsetting Remus. Merlin, he can't take it anymore. Clearly words aren't working for him right now, he has to try something else. Something that will express every single emotion that he has bottled up since he first went tripping and falling head over heels for his best friend.

His solution? Kiss the prat before he has a chance to second guess himself.

With that, he reaches out, grabs Sirius' jacket with one hand, pulls him in, and kisses him. At first, Sirius freezes, stunned, and Remus has an awful panic that he's gotten everything all wrong. Luckily for him, Sirius finally registers that Remus is kissing him and kisses him back.

It's...

Christ, it's everything Remus has ever imagined and more. It's like time stops as Remus' stomach swirls. Sirius' lips are soft against his, and his kiss is explorative, fucking mind blowing. He wraps his arms around Sirius' waist, feeling Sirius lean into the touch as he reaches out and cups Remus' cheek.

After what could be an hour, a few minutes, even a few seconds, just definitely not enough time, they both break away. Unfortunately, breathing exists, and Remus kind of needs to remember how to do that. Almost in unison, their foreheads press together, and Remus can feel a smile making its way onto his face.

"Well," Sirius starts, amused, "I guess this is our anniversary, then."

[genericpuff]

Familiarity in the Unknown - The Book Written by Tiny Paws

So there's this story you may or may not be aware of. It's about a rat who, despite being a rat, expresses a deep love for creating and cooking, often through unorthodox means and yet - throughout the unorthodox - compels us to think about the virtue of art and our own place in the world.

I know, completely absurd concept, why would a rat be cooking? It's ridiculous - but absolutely beautiful in its execution and simplicity. Our main character exists within a world that is treacherous, endlessly massive, occupied by strange creatures that could hurt him - even kill him - where good food and joy is hard to come by and living for oneself is against the tenets of his society's herd-mentality - but he is able to persevere and break through the difficulties of this world through his joy for food, for cooking, for the fire and smells, for satisfying his curiosity of the unknown, for expressing himself through the creation of art and, subsequently, for the love of the community and friendship that only grows in response to his sincerity.

Who am I kidding though, you know who I'm talking about, I don't need to keep patronizing you with wordplay and flowery descriptions. I'm obviously talking about The Book Written by Tiny Paws-

The Book Written by Tiny Paws isn't really a comic that I found so much as it found me in my daily scroll through my feed of notifications, featured in a user-submitted post to the /r/webtoons subreddit, discussing their newest update. There are a lot of comics that get promo'd in these communities and for the most part, none of them really ever compel me to read them, usually due to elements outside of the creator's control - they aren't a genre I'm interested in, the art style isn't gripping me, I'm just not in the mood to pick up anything new, etc.

But every now and then, something breaks through my own mentally enclosed barrier and reaches the innermost parts of my brain. And strangely enough, this time around, it was this little guy:

I did not know his name. I did not know what species he was supposed to be. I mean, he looks like a rat at first glance, but he also has little webbed feet like a platypus. I didn't even really pay much attention to what he was saying at first - all I could look at was his sincere little face. And once I snapped out of the cuteness hypnosis and read his dialogue, I suddenly found myself already hooked even before I read a single page. I wasn't sure what to expect, just so long as I could see more of this cute little guy.

By the end of the 9 episodes it had available at the time, not only was I more in love with this tiny creature than I was when I started, but I had the realization that this was going to be one of those rare, magical occasions when a piece of work would grab me and refuse to let go.

The Book Written by Tiny Paws is, to put it simply, a story about a creature known as "Firemaker" trying to find his way back to his herd after being separated from them during a flood so devastating that it drowns the earth beneath its waters. We are shown immediately the nature of this world - barren, bleak, cruel - but Firemaker describes it with the curiosity and wonder of a child experiencing all of it for the first time.

We're also immediately introduced to another core character - a stranger named "Vagabond" who does not seem to belong to a herd.

From its first two pages alone, The Book Written by Tiny Paws exceeds in what many comics struggle to do - it not only introduces us to its main character through his personality alone, but presents us the creator's approach to storytelling and worldbuilding: familiarity in the unknown.

Throughout each episode, alongside Firemaker, Vagabond, and the others who come and go throughout the world, we learn about how this world operates, and how they have been surviving in it. We learn that the flooding is actually a regular enough occurrence that creatures like Firemaker count their ages by how many rains they've survived. We learn that there are other creatures described only by their physical traits, and are left only with our own assumptions based on their word choice and imagination as to what they're referring to. There isn't any sign of human life, but human-like intelligence is present as creatures like Firemaker and Vagabond are able to communicate, count, multiply, use tools, and, as we see above with Firemaker, make logical connections between cause and effect (even if they're initially wrong).

Many of these concepts are familiar to us, if not absolutely mundane and outdated, but through the eyes of Firemaker and Vagabond, we get to see those same concepts re-contextualized in a world that is unlike our own. In this way, The Book Written by Tiny Paws asks us to re-explore the mundane through the eyes of creatures that rely on our privileges for their survival.

And when it's not re-contextualizing, it's introducing us to new concepts entirely that make this story and its world feel wholly unique. One such unique concept is the way in which they count - a system of multiplication through simple geometry.

It should be mentioned, before I get in any further - the creator of this work, Nolinno, proclaims themselves as "more of a physicist than an artist", and while I do believe they're not giving themselves enough credit for the art (which I will get into soon), their passion for physics shows immensely, showcasing not only their love for learning, but their affinity for teaching as well. It takes someone who really knows their stuff to be able to explain it as simply as possible for the layman such as myself to understand - and even then, not everyone who is well-trained in their field of study can necessarily teach it well - and yet Nolinno has done an extraordinary job so far of explaining their story's concepts in ways that are both simple to grasp and rewarding to master. Specifically, they reward the readers' ability to retain information and engage with it through their own conclusions, largely by creating opportunities in the text for that information to become relevant.

One of the earliest examples of this is when Vagabond initially reveals his age to be what first-time readers will assume is the number '11', and from there we can assume that '11 rains' must be significant as Firemaker seems astounded by this.

But then, we immediately find out that Firemaker himself hasn't learned to count that high, prompting Vagabond to teach him how to count higher than 3, which is when we get to learn the actual details of that aforementioned counting system built on multiplication and geometry.

It's through this explanation that we learn that Vagabond isn't 11, but the text doesn't explicitly tell us - it asks us as readers to instead follow along with Vagabond's teachings and come to our own answer.

And so, I'm not going to tell you the answer here either! There's a top comment on this particular episode that's gotten it right (as confirmed by the creator like a very proud elementary school teacher, awww), but consider that more of an answer key if you want to know if you got the correct answer. And if you feel like Vagabond's explanation here is too limited or you want more examples, nothing to fear - Nolinno has given us a study guide!

What I adore about this is that as much as I'm intimidated by mathematical concepts like this, I genuinely appreciate when a creator puts in the effort to establish ground rules like this, and in such a natural, sincere way. It challenges you just enough to compel you to try, but not so much that it's completely alienating or overwhelming.

And thanks to Firemaker's characterization, we don't feel so alone in learning these concepts, either. Firemaker's own inexperience on account of being only "three times three" years old (he's 9!) he makes a perfect surrogate for the audience to learn about the world through him. This isn't an uncommon storytelling trick, but can often come at the expense of the character's own personality - after all, if a character is constantly having to be a surrogate for the audience, it can lead to them becoming more of a blank slate without any voice - but Nolinno has accomplished that balance perfectly through Firemaker's curiosity and vulnerability. Firemaker being 9 years old and still inexperienced doesn't rob him of his own skills - more so, it's clear that he's fulfilled a specific role for his pack, and now that he's been separated from them, he's now having to learn the skills that were likely reserved for other members of his pack.

This also makes him a perfect foil to Vagabond, a creature whose past is still shrouded in mystery but is clearly experienced and can act as the parental figure or "older brother" to Firemaker - but we're always left wondering why Firemaker has left his pack, and whether or not those survival tactics were taught to him through his pack or learned the hard way after leaving. It ultimately leaves us wondering what Vagabond's true motives are, and whether or not he can be trusted as a role model to Firemaker. Fortunately, nothing so far has made me or even Firemaker doubt his capabilities or motives, even earning himself a new name-

-but in a world so unpredictable, who's to say that Vagabond's own motives are entirely pure?

After all, as we soon learn, not all creatures are kind in this world.

Again, in case it needs reminding - Firemaker is nine. Though 9 years old for a rat-platypus creature may not be equivalent to 9 years old for a human, it is still very much communicated to us through the narrative that he is a child and, as such, is going to have his safety threatened in this world the same way a child often would in our own - through the cruel actions of untrustworthy adults.

But, as I mentioned already, Firemaker is never made to be the constant ball and chain of the pair. Though he may just now be learning how to count and multiply higher than 3, he's earned his name through his own particular skills that can be used to not only save himself from starvation, but save others from ambush through the use of smoke signals.

Of course, as much as I can gush about the narrative, I also wouldn't forgive myself if I neglected to mention its art style which, despite being created by one person who claims to not be much of an artist, wonderfully complements its theme and tone. I would go so far as to argue that this is one of those stories that just simply wouldn't work as effectively as it does if it had a full color art style. The contrast of black and white between the environment and its characters, as well as the simplicity of the character designs against the more detailed designs of the architecture and props, makes for a brilliant visual presentation that - like the worldbuilding - expresses itself clearly without overcomplicating anything. Through its art - just like through its writing - it asks us to try and find familiarity in the unknown.

And best of all, when things do get complicated-

-it harshly reminds us how quickly a simple and beautiful thing can turn ugly and cruel.

Even though it was initially Firemaker's cutesy little face that suckered me in, the worldbuilding that Nolinno has expertly crafted through their own knowledge and affinity for teaching others has stolen the show. And that's a quality that I find is quite rare in fantasy works nowadays, but just like the culinary arts of that other rat who's far more well-known, it came from a completely unexpected place.

Nolinno has accomplished what I find a lot of budding fantasy writers struggle with - they have successfully created a world that is full of its own unique qualities, and communicated it clearly to their audience in a way that is both engaging and rewarding. Unlike others who often put the lore before the story - usually by dumping every bit of exposition, conlang definition, map and political chart on their readers before they've had a chance to even read the first page or know the main character's name, often out of fear that all their prep work will have been "wasted" if they don't reveal all of it immediately - Nolinno simply shows us their world and its inhabitants as they are, without the need to justify itself, and invites you to join along at your own pace, with helpful little bits of knowledge communicated through the narrative to help you find your way. It's okay if you're not entirely certain of how this world works, because you're not travelling alone - so too are Firemaker and Knower finding their way.

As someone who was raised on the works of Jeff Smith (BONE) and Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), and even found their own passion for fantasy writing through both comics and video games like The Legend of Zelda, I have a lot of appreciation for stories like this that can be appreciated by all age demographics, and I've found myself almost disillusioned by the current landscape of conveyer-belt media today that often fails to live up to even a fraction of what we remember existing 20 years ago, existing only to pad a rich executive's bottom line. This has only been further exacerbated by the advent of generative AI that's now threatening the integrity and livelihood of artists both within the industry and outside of it.

Suffice to say, just like the world that Firemaker inhabits in The Book Written by Tiny Paws, our world is very bleak right now. Even still, its characters still find their moments for joy, for rest, and for play, and the comic in and of itself reminds me through its existence that there are still wonderful works being made that are capable of making me feel as curious and excited as I did when I was reading BONE cover-to-cover at the age of 12.

Those moments and those stories feel harder to come by than ever, but I'm happy to say that The Book Written by Tiny Paws is one of them, new memories that I'm happy to have made and am eager to continue to make - familiarity in the unknown.

[cure-typhoon]

please please please talk more about the beta troll’s friendship 🙏

You have summoned me in my favorite subject: 🎉🎉🎉🎉 FRIENDSHIP!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Take a sit because this is going to be long, so long i may end up dividing into different posts!

Okey so sadly we don't have a lot of info of the full group dynamic besides some clues and what we know is them literally at their worst thinking they we're going to die in a meteor,after a full one month campaign in the game they had won yet was taken from them being chased by an undefeatable enemy that destroyed their planets and probably their lusus too. And at the end three of them going on a rampage and killing the rest of the team

So not the most reliable info of how their normal dynamic as a friendgroup would be, but tbh it could never be "healthy friendgroup" in a human sense because, well, they live in Alternia.

But even in hell, the flower of friendship can blossom, so lets talk about the fucked up friendship between these kids:

We know little about how their friendship started, contrary with the Beta Kids that we know because of June's birthday presente for Jade arriving in the past to young Jade with her pesterchum and her probably looking at the clouds in Prospit and seeing there the pesterchum of Rose and Dave following suit

Because the Beta Trolls are a much bigger group and we dont really know if they actually celebrate their wriggling days, as none of the trolls mentioned it but it could also be in part because of Karkat's disdain for the celebration or them maybe not knowing because he is a very private kid after all

Maybe Kanaya was the first troll that befriended all of them, like Jade was and both of them being the assigned Space player of their group and the first ones to wake in Prospit, but i also doubt that considered she didnt went through the birthday gift shenanigan that young Jade went through

So what most likely happened: The trolls who we're closest to eachother (Equius and Vriska, Eridan and Feferi, Aradia and Tavros, Terezi and Vriska* (not totally sure about that one) and maybe Sollux and Aradia/Feferi) befriended eachother first and meet the rest (Karkat, Nepeta, Gamzee, Kanaya) online and just shared their info between eachother.

I honestly wonder who thought of the idea of all sharing their Trollian between eachother, maybe Feferi? maybe it just happened overtime? but what matters right now is the

F R I E N D S H I P

So today we will talk about the underrated friendships between the group

Starting with Aradia and Tavros! Both members of Team Charge, i see very few people talk about them as friends even though they were obviously very close considering they we're part of a Flarp campaign together.

Both seem to match pretty well personality wise, both adventurous and wanting to have fun in the game, Aradia knows that Tavros picked a hard class for himself yet she still encourages him and tries to cheer him on and advice him in the case of Vriska trying to get under his skin.

When Vriska starts to surrond him, she tries to communicate with her first, but sadly she and terezi where distracted by Doc Scratch, so he gets paralized

Side note: After Aradia and Terezi, his third option for asking for help is Karkat, which is...interesting, they dont talk a lot but when they do its Tavros trying to get advice/help from him (2 out of 3 convos), so either Karkat and Tavros have more convos besides the ones showed (very likely) or Karkat just having a reputation of helping with issues that he is the first one who comes to Tavros's mind

also Karkat calling him bro is so fucking funny cdbhd, idk if its sarcasm or if its genuine like with Eridan but he seems worried for a little before going on a rant about how stupid this is, only to come back trying to advice him to do this in private (also he winks at him as GTavrossprite but thats smt for the Tavkat shippers)

Anyway, back to Aradia, after her death we dont know about their relationship that much, we know that the whole reason that this whole revenge cycle was because Aradia wanted to avenge Tavros

But after her death, we don't know if they talk or if Tavros even knows she is dead, as it was mostly secret that only Sollux, Vriska, Terezi and Equius seem to know,

What we know is that Aradia keeps Tavros close to her heart, as the only reason she didnt straight up kill Vriska is

Because he was there to see it

And thats all the info we have of their relationship while Aradia was a robot, is more than likely Tavros confronted Vriska (besides creating Bec Noir) because Aradiabot had just exploded and he was blaming her for that too (especulation)

Their post-death/revival shows them having the same relationship pre-aradia's death, after they find eachother in the afterlife

Theyre big pals :)

Staying with Tavros, another friendship people dont seem to talk a lot about is Kanaya and Tavros, which tbh, we dont have a conversation on screen between them, but we know they talk and Kanaya tries to mediate to help him when Vriska is bullying him

And also, even after she cut Vriska out because of the whole ''Having a crush on her but finding out she has a crush on Tavros'' (probably because she was sulking) she seems to have a fine relationship with Tavros, as she made a Tinkerbull plushie for him

To other friendships, Kanaya and Feferi! Another group of trolls with very few coversations, but we can easily tell in those that they cared for eachother

They have a lot in common, being of the few trolls who woked up in their moons before the game, having a huge responsability as their lusus can either kill or revive their entire civilization, being in a unhappy moiralliagance (with their cases kinda mirroring eachother, with Feferi not wanting to be in any quadrants while Eridan wants to change them, while Kanaya wants to change quadrants while Vriska seems to be fine with where they are) and knowing their lusus were going to die when they were 13

Feferi and Kanaya seem to have very a similar relationship as Karkat and Eridan, where they advise eachother about their moirals + possible romantic relationships. And their very contrasting personalities helps them balance eachother out

Feferi is even comfortable enough to invite Kanaya to the horn pile and knowing Kanaya's expressions enough to guess that she is nervous about coming off as meddling with them

After Feferi gets killed off, Kanaya is already ready to attack, only waiting to see what Eridan is planning to do, attack her first or trying to escape

If it weren't for Kanaya distracting herself with the matriorb, and Eridan inmediately picking on this opportunity

To piss her off enough to set her off and attack him first

So she is an easier target that he can kill her off without a fight

Speaking about this two, next time we will to talk about the complicated (annoying) friendship between these two, why next time? because this post is already getting to fucking long!

Come here for Part 2 -> Here! (when its done this will get updated with a link lol)

[risswirly]

Unexpected Chemistry

SYNOPSIS: After transferring to Blackwell you're quickly adopted into the vortex club. However, in search of something less superficial, you find yourself drawn to your lab partner GENRE: fluff NOTE: I rarely see the reader in the vortex club so let me know if you want me to write another with this trope! WORD COUNT: 1.7k

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It had only been a week since you started attending Blackwell yet your life was already being turned on its head.

A girl named Victoria Chase had been your tour guide during your first few days and despite being a little shy you somehow made a good first impression and she'd decided to adopt you into her clique. The vortex club was far from your usual scene. Parties, constant drama, alcohol and drugs were not things you particularly enjoyed and in all honesty, the effort it took to keep up with their rapid-paced life was exhausting. However, you played along with it all, despite being unable to stand half the club's members you quickly discovered the power these people held and decided the pros of being in the "popular" group outweighed leaving. 

You sit alone on a desk near the back of Ms Grant's class, fidgeting quietly with the lab equipment in front of you. Despite the decent size of the vortex club, none of them shared this class with you, which you honestly preferred. It gave you a few hours a week to escape their constant fussing, even if it did mean having to be alone. 

Ms Grant leans on the front of her desk and students hush as she begins the class, "Alright, today we're going to be doing an experiment based on what I covered last lesson. So you know what that means, partner work!" She claps enthusiastically with a grin while the class perks up at the mention of an experiment. "I'll walk around and hand out these instruction manuals for you to share with your desk partner." She states before grabbing a stack of sheets and begins passing them out. 

You sit silently as you watch your classmates break out into chatter. As you observe them joke and enjoy each others company you feel a twang of sadness knowing you don't have the same carefree and comfortable friendship with any of the vortex club. Deep down you yearn for a genuine connection that isn't just fuelled by shit-talking and partying. 

"Ah (y/n), you don't have a desk partner do you?" Ms Grant snaps you out of your train of thought with her question. You shake your head with a weak smile looking at the empty seat beside you, not that you minded all that much. She shakes her head and places her hands on her hips "That just wont do will it." she jokes trying to lighten your mood a bit before scanning the room quickly. "Ah yes, you can partner with Warren! He's usually the leftover student but since you've joined we now have an even number." With a fond smile she points to a boy sitting alone a few rows in front of you. 

You quickly gather your things, holding your items close to your chest before making your way over to the lonesome boy. You place your books down on the empty side of the table prompting him to look up from the instruction sheet.

Once his head turns toward you, you're finally able to actually get a good look at him. His fluffy chestnut hair hangs down in front of his face slightly, while his brown eyes look back up at you. He's wearing a dorky graphic tee that sits loosely over his lanky frame. You feel your face warm up a little as your eyes trail over his features. 

Damn, he's cute. 

You ignore the thought and pull out your new chair. "Hi" you greet him with a small wave, putting on the confident act you've been keeping up all week "I think I'm your desk partner now" You add on as you take a seat. "Oh hey" He smiles softly, his eyes linger on you for a second longer as if lost in the details of your face, before he quickly glances away. "I'm Warren" He introduces himself sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck a little embarrassed for staring at you.

"Im (y/n)" you smile back warmly. Maybe this could be a chance to make real friends! Friends away from the Vortex Club and its reputation.

"Yeah I know" he chuckles quietly to himself as he begins to set up the lab equipment. "Pardon?" you ask with a furrowed brow, not exactly sure what his comment is meant to mean. His gaze flickers back to you and his eyes widen as he realises how his words may have come across "OH, no no, I didn't mean that in a bad way. Its just, I think practically everyone knows who you are by now" He trails off. 

Well there goes that hope.

"Ive only been here a week?" You laugh lightly, taken slightly aback by his remark. God damn it, just how popular was this stupid club?  He laughs along with you at the absurdity of it, "I mean, people spend months sucking up to Victoria and Nathan trying to be apart of their group." he says with a slight look of distaste at the mention of the two. "You just sort of waltzed right in. People wanna know who the mysterious, pretty new girl is and how she got into the vortex club in just a few days." 

You pause for a second, reflecting on his words before speaking again. "I didn't exactly ask to be in their little club" You mutter just loud enough for Warren to hear. You didn't like the thought that so many people had already formed opinions on you simply because of who you'd become friends with and you felt a need to disprove these assumptions. 

He stops setting up for a moment, looking at you with a raised brow, "What do you mean by that?" he asks softly. You study his expression for a second and instead of being faced with judgement you see not only curiosity but also genuine concern in his eyes as he awaits your response. 

You take a deep breath, well here goes nothing. "Victoria is the first person I'd met, and since she added me to her group so quickly I haven't exactly been given much chance to make other friends." You look down at your desk, avoiding his eyes. You sigh before adding, "The vortex club isn't my crowd... but it seems like everyone else has made up their minds about me". This was the first time you'd actually been able to tell someone that, it felt like a weight had been lifted off your chest and you breath a little easier. Now there was actually someone that knew you, someone that you had been honest with, that had allowed you to open up and express yourself.

But now there was a deafening silence and you immediately cringe to yourself as you realise how pathetic you must seem to him. Maybe you'd gone a little overboard with the confession, I mean this was literally the first time you'd even met the guy. You turn away from him trying to hide your embarrassment. 

He takes a moment to think about what you've said before leaning over the desk slightly, trying to catch your gaze, "Well... Im talking to you now aren't I?" He answers softly. 

You meet his eyes, he looks back at you with a gentle smile, his gaze filled with understanding and optimism. You feel a smile tug at the corner of your own lips after seeing his doe-eyed look, "Sooo, you don't think I'm a stuck up rich kid?" You chuckle with a sarcastic tone. He leans back slightly after seeing your mood lighten back up. You notice his eyes soften as they trail over your face again, as if he's taking his time memorising your smile.

"Perhaps I might've before, but, I see now that I was wrong.. I mean half the vortex kids wouldn't be caught dead talking to me in the first place" He adds, seeming more amused than ashamed. As the two of you joke and tease the vortex club for its elitist ways, you mentally capture an image of his wide grin and note how his eyes sparkle as he beams and you realise just how much you missed genuinely laughing with someone.

You take a long sigh to you catch your breath and smile to yourself in a moment of comfortable silence, "Mysterious, pretty new girl huh?" You ask glancing back at him with raised brows and a smirk. You watch as his smile falls and his eyes widen, his face turns a shade of red as he remembers what he'd called you. He clears his throat and averts his eyes trying to cover up his accidental slip from earlier "So erm, my friend is having a small get together this weekend, would you um maybe wanna come? I can introduce you to some people.. help you make new friends?" He asks shyly as he rubs the nape of his neck. You giggle at his less-than-smooth topic change but smile even wider at his offer. A chance to expand from the vortex club, a chance to express and be yourself without the pressure of needing to always look cool.

"Yes! I'd love to go!" You smile widely, not even bothering to try and hide your excitement. Warrens face lights up as he mirrors your own enthusiasm "Great! I'll send you the details, here-" He quickly pulls out his phone and hands it to you with a blank contact for you to fill out. Your heart flutters slightly as you type in your details and his little smile as he looks over them after you hand him back his phone only fuels the feeling even more. "I'll message you tonight. Um about the party of course! U-unless you'd like to talk about other things too?" He stammers awkwardly, a little nervous after getting your digits.

As he runs his fingers through his hair, trying to play it cool, Ms Grant passes by the front of your desk looking at your lack of experimenting. "Look, I'm always glad to see students getting along but this experiment is important." She reminds the both of you then walks off hiding a pleased grin. The two of you sheepishly smile realising how sidetracked you'd gotten before eventually getting back to work. 

For the rest of the class the two of you practically refused to shut up, joking, laughing and talking about almost everything. It felt like you'd reached a light at the end of a tunnel, finally basking in the sun after the storm that had been the past week. As you watch Warren struggle to wipe the grin off his face you think that perhaps, just maybe, this school wasn't as bad as you thought.

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[poetryandfluffycats]

Confessions

A/N: this was meant to be for a request but I went off the rails a bit, hope you all still enjoy! I also tried something new with the photo on the top, not sure if I like it

Pairing: Tsukasa Suou x fem!reader

Warnings: none, just wholesome bliss, arashi has screentime

Content: The press has been obsessed with your friendship with Tsukasa lately, which is crazy. Your crush was completely one-sided!... right?

Words: 1.6k

Oneshot under cut!

"So, how's your boyfriend?"

Arashis words nearly gave you a heart attack. You whipped your head around, staring dumbfounded at the blond woman as she raised her eyebrows at you. The two of you were in the Knights dressing room putting some last minute additions onto a new outfit for their next performance. They had asked you to help Arashi sew the puffs onto the sleeves since most of the members were busy, which you had happily obliged to. Who wouldn't want to hang out with Arashi? You were starting to regret your decision.

"B-boyfriend!?" You stuttered out, your face turning as red as a tomato. "Who are you talking about?"

The model rolled her eyes. "Don't be coy with me, I see the way you look at him! You can trust me, I won't tell~" She leaned over to you, resting her chin on your shoulder. "I can just see it now, Knights king and queen of the stage! Tsukasa Suou and (name) (last name)!"

You shoved her way, a very obvious pout on your face-although you tried to hide it. Of course she was talking about Tsukasa. Anyone with a brain would be able to figure out your little crush. It wasn't your fault, he was just so cute! And strong, and so talented! He was the most amazing person in the world-

Dear lord, you had it bad.

"We're not dating! He's a friend, nothing more" You lied through your teeth knowing damn well Arashi could see right through you. Turning your head back to your handiwork, you continued to stitch the sleeve, trying your hardest to ignore the eyes burning into you.

She let out an over-dramatised sigh, standing up from her place on the floor and skipping over to her bag, rummaging through the contents. "Fine, don't tell me! I already have my evidence"

Evidence? What on earth was she on about? From out of the corner of your eye you could see her pulling out a magazine, probably some sort of student-issued gossip rag. The kind that published complete bullshit about the ES idols just to get a quick buck. There was no possible way there was any reliable 'evidence' that you were dating Tsukasa anywhere, especially not in there.

"Here! You two made the front page!" Arashi slammed the magazine down in front of you, a cocky grin on her face.

Your blood ran cold at the grainy image on the front cover. It was from the day you and the redhead had gone out for cake together, and it was angled in a way that made it look as if the two of you were kissing. But that wasn't what had happened at all, it was a simply platonic meet up! Or at least, you thought so? Maybe you should have kissed him? Would he be a good kisser?-

Shit, stay focused (name)!

"I-its just pointless gossip! This isn't even real proof, anyone who thinks so is delusional" You huffed, pushing the magazine away and trying your best to hide the bright red blush that covered your face.

Arashi let out a "Humph!" and pushed the paper back over to you, flipping the page over to another article. "You're missing the best part, they got more"

"More!?" You shrieked, snatching the paper out of the blonds hand, nearly crumpling it in the progress.

The second page was littered with more photos of the two of you. Some taken from Knights live shows, some from public appearances at events, even some taken from within the Knights training room. How this person got their hands on those, you had no idea. The main one that stood out to you however, was a picture from a party that had taken place a few weeks ago. It was zoomed in on you and Tsukasa dancing together, both of you smiling like dorks with crazy blushes on your cheeks.

The headline that accompanied the image just made it all worse.

"Knights star seen getting frisky on the dancefloor!"

Frisky? Frisky!? Were they trying to imply that the two of you had been sleeping together? Sure, you liked the guy, but come on! You'd probably pass out if you so much as held his hand, to even think about doing anything more intimate made you want to jump off a building.

"This is absurd, who would believe this? Its not even true!" You tried to sound calm and collected but it came out more as a flustered whine.

"Oh I know, the media is just horrible aren't they?" The model said in mock sympathy, a shit-eating grin still stuck to her face. "Horrible for you, that is. I'm loving every minute of it"

You scoffed, throwing the magazine back at the girl, only narrowly missing her face. "Go back to work, Narukami, we're not talking about this!"

"Okay, okay! But, you have to tell me. Are those rumours true? Is it true he has a really nice-"

"NARU!"

/----------

That conversation with Arashi still hadn't left your mind by the next day when you were sat in the training room, watching the members of Knights practice their new choreography. You were there to help out and give tips on how to improve, but you couldn't help but feel a little distracted by a certain someone.

Screw that, you were very distracted.

The way he moved so gracefully with each step, how his small but defined muscles tensed up and glistened with sweat, the way he panted softly and how his hair fell out of place-he was perfect. You were a woman possessed, using every ounce of willpower you had to not run up and kiss him right then and there.

You wondered, would he be a good kisser? Would he taste sweet, like the cakes he chose to eat? Or would he taste salty from the sweat that accumulated on his face? How would he kiss? Slow and passionate? Rough and sloppy? Would he take the lead, or would he be more submissive? You wouldn't mind him either way, just as long as you got to hold him and feel his soft, warm skin against yours-

"(name)? Are you okay? Everyone else left already"

Your fantasises were interpreted by a concerned Tsukasa, who was now standing in front of you with a towel wrapped around his neck. The training room behind him was completely empty, leaving only you and the man you had been ogling over for the past half hour. You shook the blush from your cheeks as you stood up to gather your things. Was there a way to say "sorry I spaced out, I was thinking about kissing you" that didn't sound creepy and stalker-like? Probably not.

"Y-yeah! Fine, I'm fine!" You chirped, although it most likely sounded more like a high-pitched stutter. "You must have lots of things to do, right? I won't keep you, good job today!"

Nice. Not suspicious at all.

You turned on your heel, making a beeline for the door. If you didn't get out of that room you just knew you would end up saying something stupid and ruin everything.

Just before you could reach your sweet exit, however, a firm hand grasped onto your wrist, pulling you away from your escape route. You spun around, now finding yourself mere inches away from the redhead, close enough that you could feel his breath hitting your face. A cute blush dusted his cheeks, those big purple eyes staring deep into yours. He was so cute, too cute. He could ask to pull your teeth and you'd still think he was cute.

"Wait, (name), before you go" He paused, releasing his hold on you and clasping his hand together in front of him "I have a confession to make"

A confession? Was this it? Had the moment finally arrived? Was he going to confess his undying love to you and sweep you off your feet? Maybe he was asking you out on a date?-

"Augh! This is so embarrassing! But I-I must get this off my chest!" He cried out, cupping his face in his hands to hide his ever-growing blush. "I've read those articles about us and..."

"And?" You urged him on.

"(name), I think you're the prettiest girl in the world! And I think you're so kind, so wonderful and so talented! Please, I'd be honored if you were to accompany me on a romantic outing-I mean a date! I would like to take you out on a date"

Tsukasa bowed down before you, his face so red it rivaled his hair and legs shaking so hard that he nearly toppled over. After hearing his little speech, you felt as if you had died and gone to heaven. He liked you back, the king of the stage liked you back! Your mind spun at million miles per hour as you tried to think of a decent response. There were so many things you wanted to say all at once that you couldn't find a way to string them all into a coherent sentence.

So, instead of using words, you decided to show him how you felt.

Before the trembling boy could register your actions, you swiftly dropped down to his level and crashed your lips against his. Tsukasas body stiffened at the feeling, but slowly eased into kissing you back tenderly. It wasn't particularly elegant or long, but it got the message across. Pulling away from the kiss, you took in the sight of the now very flustered Tsukasa, his face beet-red and mouth hanging open like a fish out of water.

"I'd love to go on a date with you"

[aihoshiino]

chapter 160 thoughts

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Entirely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: 17

Aqua Hoshigan Status: Incomprehensible

144 held out strong for nearly 20 whole chapters but 160 comes in like a beast to take its crown as Oshi no Ko Chapter That Has Baffled And Confounded Me The Most. The way it talks about the characters and arcs it's trying to convey to the reader is just mind boggling - some of this stuff just feels completely disconnected from the character arcs it's supposedly commentating on. It almost feels like an Oshi no Ko chapter from an alternate universe version of the manga.

I kind of suspect this is actually the case, in spirit at least. Akasaka has previously stated that he's had at least an ending for OnK planned at least since midway through Tokyo Blade based on when this interview was given. You would think the amount of time between then and now would have given Aka the time to organically work towards this but I think the opposite is true here - because the story has organically drifted and grown in the telling, as is natural for a serialized work of this length, the story that Akasaka ended up telling does not naturally lead into the ending he wanted to give it. And rather than compromise he's just… going ahead with it without making any adjustments, which leads to this bizarre sense of whiplash that's come from the last handful of chapters.

It's definitely possible that some of the stuff in here will read better when we're not getting this stuff bit by bit across however many break weeks but… man. I ain't getting my hopes too high.

To my relief, we start off on a note of confirming that Nino and Ryosuke were, in fact, both freaks about Ai way before Kamiki ever got involved with them. Even so, the story's framing of how he influenced them is just… weird. Based on the little flashback panels we see of their supposed friendship I'm inclined to think Kamiki is being truthful here just because whenever we see on-panel flashbacks in this way, they tend to be more-or-less factual accounts of events. Aqua tries to say he's lying, that he definitely intended to do harm but this is really hard for me to swallow, given that this 'intent to do harm' ball would've had to have started rolling back when Kamiki was fourteen at the oldest and long before he and Ai broke up.

Not only that but I have to stress, again; Nino and Ryosuke were already freaks about Ai at this point!!! They tracked down one of her loved ones under false pretenses and entered his life presumably for the purposes of crowbarring info about Ai from him!!! Wil from the OnK Brainrot server pointed out that this comes off much more strongly like Ryosuke and Nino taking advantage of Kamiki's naivety to prey on Ai, which I agree with and think lines up way more straightforwardly with the Kamiki we saw leading up to 154 and its conclusion.

It almost feels like there's two Kamikis; the victim of circumstance Kamiki who embraces monstrousness as an act of reclamation, who knows he can never again be good so he will surrender to being bad and the flatly evil Light Yagami ass Kamiki who's bad because uhhh he just is ok? It probably goes without saying which of the two I find more compelling and overall more consistent with what the story has been building up so far, but the way the story keeps abruptly switching between the two makes it almost impossible to get a coherent read on him.

At the end of the day, I simply find it very hard to swallow the manga's attempt to almost sweep Nino and Ryosuke's culpability under the rug or to transfer the weight of their actions to Kamiki and hold him accountable for them because of this supposed manipulation. A healthy, well-adjusted person with no tendencies towards violent or antisocial behaviour does not suddenly get mindbroken into a misogynistic murderer overnight because they saw that the subject of their parasocial obsession keeps a toothbrush at her boyfriend's house. I can believe that Kamiki certainly didn't help but the idea that he is solely responsible for turning Nino and Ryosuke into violent murderers is a stretch.

I feel like I'm kind of talking in circles on this point a lot because I'm struggling to articulate why it bothers me so much so I'll end this section by paraphrasing a section of Higurashi YouTuber Bess's deep dive post-mortem on the GouSotsu anime duology. that I think sums up where I'm at.

In it, Bess quotes the original author in describing the actions of the overarching antagonist as "giving a gun to someone who is being bullied and getting emotional" and says that she agrees but points out that if the victim chooses to fire that gun, they are the ones who hold responsibility for their actions and that being the victim of manipulation does not suddenly rob them of accountability for their violence, whereas the framing of GouSotsu is that the overarching villain is the sole person who bears responsibility.

I feel like this is the dynamic at play here with Kamiki and Ryosuke/Nino too - except Kamiki, in this metaphor, didn't even fucking give anyone a gun because both Ryosuke and Nino were already armed to begin with. BUT I'LL MOVE ON NOW I SWEAR…

Aside from ^ ALL THAT ^ I also feel like this chapter's attempt to define the white/black hoshigan dichotomy is also just kind of a flop. It's so overly specific that it doesn't actually match with how the black OR white hoshigans have been portrayed symbolically before (was Aqua using his super special dark and evil star powers to dominate and manipulate others when he was eating potato chips and pumping up a pool floatie? come on, man) but it's also just so on the nose and overly dramatic that it comes off as kind of goofy and hard to take seriously.

It's also really funny and kind of frustration to see this dichotomy established seemingly for the purposes of just propping Ruby up some more. Aqua insisting that Ruby is ~just different~ from him and Hikaru REALLY flops because like… IS SHE REALLY THO???

Understand that I don't say this to shit on Ruby but like. Ruby literally had a whole arc about going black hoshigan and using her talent to manipulate and use people for her own benefit! She effectively utilized girl power to put the jobs of an entire TV show's worth of people at risk so she could clout chase a little more efficiently!!! Literally everything Kamiki tries to assert about him and Aqua are also perfect descriptions of how Ruby behaved during that leg of the manga until it flipped off like a switch and she faced literally zero consequences and learned nothing from it.

This is another indication to me that this conversation is an artifact of Akasaka's originally planned ending because this whole bit gassing up how Ruby is just ~so different~ from Kamiki and Aqua simply does not cohere with a story where Ruby had an entire arc of her just being Aqua 2.0 that was never really resolved and she never really learned anything from. If the framing here was just a LITTLE different, I think it could work - maybe instead of Aqua acting like Ruby is just intrinsically, arbitrarily Pure of Heart or whatever, a point could be made that Ruby is actively choosing to be a good and loving person even after all the shit she's been through and especially after an accidental taste of the dark side. But as it stands the accidental implication of the story ends up being that Ruby's BH era was Good, Actually and the actions she took during it were also good lol.

I continue to have all the same issues with the B-Komachi concert as I did in my previous chapter review so I won't repeat myself on that. I will, however, point out that the song Ruby namedrops in this chapter is a reference to Spica (where we translated it as 'When You Wish Upon Your Star'), in which this is a song written and performed by Ai as a message of support for her fans. That is to say, we are once again seeing Ruby, from a narrative perspective, not being allowed to stand on her own as her own idol but relying on the imagery and legacy of Ai's idolhood.

Not only that but… again, I must ask: why is Ruby the center and narrative focus of Kana's graduation concert? Like, obviously, given that Aqua and Kamiki are talking about her the framing is going to focus on Ruby but why is this conversation happening during a moment that had been massively built up to be about Kana? Why is Aqua talking about Ruby as an idol like the rest of B-Komachi just doesn't exist? Why is the narrative unironically indulging in all the same favoritism and coddling of Ruby that, in-universe, tore apart the first generation of B-Komachi?

I guess at the end of the day my problem is that I'm just kind of fed up with Ruby as a character and the way the story has been bending over backwards to coddle her so it's hard to me to get invested when the story goes YEAAAAHHH WOOOOOO RUBY!!!! Especially when, like it has been for a while now, this coddling comes not just at the expense of other characters but also at the expense of Ruby herself and the coherency and consistency of her character arc. It sucks for Ruby as a character and it sucks for me, as a reader, who used to rank Ruby as one of their top three faves but now just feels kind of exhausted with her.

LOOK OUT KAMIKI HE'S GOT A KNIFE

God this whole bit with Aqua getting double white hoshigans while he pulls a knife on Kamiki is just kind of too goofy to take seriously lol. I have some thoughts about how this potentially recontextualizes some of Aqua's actions through the Movie Arc and during the previous confrontation with Kamiki but. I just keep coming back to Aqua being like "white hoshigans means love r something which i'm going to prove by killing you in cold blood" and just shaking my head. It really feels like a moment written just to be a cliffhanger so, like I have with the last three damn chapters, I'll hold back any commentary on it until we get a continuation of this thread next week.

honestly the part of this chapter I enjoyed most was that creepypasta ass full page panel of Kamiki's fucked up smile. that genuinely really alarmed me when i first saw it and even now I don't like looking at it for too long or i get the willies lol. Genuinely fire horror imagery from Mengo as usual. Can she PLEEEEEEEEASE do a horror manga next i'm BEGGING to get spooked by mengo-sensei

no wait i lied. the best part was that cute panel of ai and her babies. <3

justice for memcho and kana, tho, for real

And I'm sure as none of you will be shocked to hear……….. break next week.

[joels-shitty-puns]

The Key To Your Heart - Track 6

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Musician!Reader

Series Summary: After writing your feelings for Pedro into a song, it gains a lot more popularity than expected. Ultimately it brings both criticism and support, with new possibilities around the corner.

Series Warnings: 18+ only (MDNI). Mentions of food, weight loss, weight gain, dieting, weighing, potential eating disorder, food guilt. Potential for puns/dad jokes (name of my blog, and the fic) should give that away. This is my first fic which should be its own warning, lol. Also some cursing. Mentions of masturbation (f) maybe more smut later idk. Sadness, reader is pretty depressed. Poor body image. Rude people. Bullying-ish and just lack of support? Anxiety. Age gap! Reader is in her mid 20's, Pedro is current age (48).

Other stuff: Reader is plus sized. AFAB. Inexperienced. Also has a dog, but you can pretend it is another creature probably. Further, in case it isn't clear, italics almost always are the reader's inner thoughts!

Word Count: 4K

Series List: Here!

Miss last chapter? Here!

This one's a little longer than the last few, but it's one I was really excited to get to for a while. I hope you guys like it! We're starting to get into the nitty gritty! Once again please let me know what you think of it! Thank you all for your support :)

__________

After your emotional conversation with Pedro, you were worried he'd stop talking to you. At least, it seems that's how it usually works. Whenever you try to have a conversation about emotions with someone, it gets shut down. But surprisingly.. it didn't push Pedro away at all. The two of you talk nearly every day on the phone, and when you don't, it's made up for with plenty of text messages. You don't even have to be the first to communicate, either. It just feels natural. It doesn't need to be over-thought.

You keep telling yourself not to get your hopes up, but at the same time, you feel like maybe it's turning into something. Something more than friends. You couldn't help but wonder if Pedro felt the same way, or if maybe he's just a really nice guy.

Despite these feelings, you're still hesitant to tell him you love him. Although he put many of your fears to rest, you continued to be nervous. You were inexperienced. You were significantly younger than him. You led two very different lives. And even though he reassured you about your appearances, it doesn't mean you'd be his type once he actually saw you. Shoot, you don't even know if he's interested in pursuing a relationship.

Plus, now there's the risk of messing up a new friendship. Why ruin it?

How does anyone ever get into a relationship? Others make it look so easy, jumping from relationship to relationship like their heart isn't at stake.

Maybe someday you'd tell him. Maybe someday you'd share these other fears as well. But not yet. You weren't ready.

_____

About a week had gone by since you first talked on the phone, and it was around 1 PM when he called you.

"Hey Pedro!"

"Hey there, songbird," he replied cheerily.

"Songbird?" You giggled.

"If you hate it-"

"No, I love it. It's sweet," you blushed.

"Okay good. But the reason I'm calling is because I saw something on Instagram…"

"Oh yeah? What of?"

"About you. When were you going to tell me?"

Oh fuck. Oh shit. Oh what? What is he referring to?

You nervously laughed "I… what? Tell you what now?"

"Your album is coming out in a WEEK!??!" He practically yelled with excitement.

Seriously… this guy. Giving me a damn heart attack.

"OH" you replied sheepishly. "You scared me, thinking you heard… I dunno"

"Oh! I'm sorry. No. I haven't heard any information that you haven't told me yourself, nor would I believe it anyway. Other than.. this album!!!" Pedro announced like a gameshow host.

You laughed before replying "yes, yes, the album comes out next week! They just announced it I guess."

Pedro clapped and shouted. "CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I'm so happy and proud of you!!!!!!!!"

You weren't looking in a mirror, and he couldn't see you either, but you could bet money that your cheeks were a bright shade of pink. "Thank you, Pedro!" You giggled, your face beginning to hurt from the large smile he caused.

"How are you celebrating? Is the studio doing anything for you?"

"Well they mentioned an album release party, but being that nobody really knows me I don't know who I would even invite. Plus I'm not sure that a large thing like that is how I'd like to show myself to the world. A little too ceremonious for my liking." You grimaced.

"Well, I happen to think you deserve something ceremonious, even if you don't think you do. And I think we should celebrate."

"We - you - you do? You mean…?" You stuttered in disbelief.

"You and me," he said matter-of-factly.

"You.. and… What did you have in mind?" 

Frankly you didn't know what to think.

"Well. I was thinking… Maybe we could listen to the album together? We could talk on the phone and listen, and it would be like our own little album release party. You wouldn't have to show yourself or meet people. It would just be like our normal conversations. Except I'd get to hear your new music and talk about it with you. If you want," he said, sounding slightly nervous.

Your heart swelled at the gesture and you agreed happily. The two of you made a plan to "meet" at 7PM and listen together the night of your album release. And he promised he wouldn't listen without you.

_____

It wasn't until after you were off the phone with him that you began to overthink the songs on your album. Not unlike your first single, these were also rather vulnerable at times. Sure, he knew a lot, and he'd listen to the album anyway. Probably. But still. To hear it… together? You were starting to feel like you were in over your head.

Nevertheless, the week continued on like normal. Work, talking to Pedro, hanging with Skipper. You agreed to a few more interviews in article or voice format after the release, and signed a few last minute things.

As the album date approached closer, Pedro texted you one day.

"Okay I'm going to ask you something and I want you to trust me okay. I'm not going to do anything that I know you would hate."

"Okay…" what does this man have up his sleeve?

"Can I have your address?"

Why does he want my address???? The panic settled in. But, you did like him; and he hadn't crossed any boundaries yet. In fact, he's been one of the most understanding of your qualms.

So. You sent him your address.

"Thank you ❤️" Pedro replied.

A heart !?! A red one!? 

"You're welcome. Also… I was planning to tell you anyway, but if you're looking for my address I may as well tell you…" you told him your real name. Not your stage name. Not a nickname. But your name. First, Last. All of it.

"Thank you for trusting me. I promise I'll keep it safe," reassured Pedro.

"Thank you, P."

"Of course. You have a beautiful name, by the way."

Your heart did a somersault.

_____

The album release date was finally here and you aren't sure you slept a wink. You were a bundle of nerves and excitement. You loved him and always enjoyed chatting together. This was exciting. But also these songs are so personal. This is a big moment. This was a big plan. And why did he want your address anyway?

~~~~~

Meanwhile at Pedro's place, he was just as nervous. He had started out excited, but then he got into his head. His plans for the evening started feeling too romantic. He didn't want you to get the wrong idea. He liked you, but he didn't want to push it. Maybe he was showing too many feelings towards you. You love someone else, and him not respecting that is rude. All you want is a friend and he's just going to seem like another one of those creepy guys trying to get into your pants.

But it was too late now, the plans were in motion, and maybe you'd enjoy it. Who knows. Either way, he loved your friendship, and friends could do this kind of thing for each other… right??

~~~~~

Throughout the day, you paced your house before finally leaving with Skipper in tow. "We gotta get some air, buddy. I'm losing it over here," you said while clipping his leash.

Stepping out of the house, you two went for a long walk, circled back toward home, and plopped down on your lawn. The house still felt too small in preparation for this evening, whatever it was. Why does it feel different anyway? It's just another phone call..? Unless….

Truth be told, while Pedro had his secret plans, you also had some of your own. Whether you followed through with them or not was up to your nerves.

After some sunbathing with your pup, you both head inside. The sun was starting to set, and you realized it was getting closer to the meetup time you chose with Pedro.

_____

6 PM.

You stared at the TV, not really absorbing anything on the screen, but needing a distraction. This afternoon you opted for a show that Pedro was not in. For once, you needed to not see his handsome face. You needed something else. Half paying attention while picking at a hangnail, you jump out of your skin at the sight of your phone lighting up. Pedro texted.

"Picking out my outfit for tonight! Always important to look nice for celebration."

Shit… he's not coming over is he?! That's why he wanted my address?!

"Wait…" you pondered how to phrase your question without sounding like a panicked asshole, when all you wanted to say was "what the fuck do you MEAN!?!"

I'm not dressed. I'm in sweats and covered in dog hair. I don't have makeup on. Oh no.

"Wait… is that why you wanted my address?"

"Oh. Nooo, no no. No, sweet girl, don't worry. I'm not coming over unexpectedly and interrupting your hiding place. I just think it's still important to dress nice."

"Oh..Okay.."

It was around 6:15 when he texted a picture of himself wearing a white button up with a dark blue suit and matching tie. He wore dark-frame glasses and his hair was slightly tamed, but still showed his messy curls. He looked gorgeous.

But as you scanned his body you noticed that instead of dress shoes, he wore a pair of polka dot socks. He had a goofy grin and his one eyebrow was cocked. You grinned.

"All dressed up and nowhere to go," he said.

"You're a goof, P. But I appreciate the effort."

A pause.

"Also, you look really handsome" you nervously hit send before you had a chance to chicken out.

Bold. Probably shouldn't have said that. But hey, friends compliment each other.

"Why thank you. A big accomplishment like this requires all the stops."

He timed this message right to the minute. As you read his text, your doorbell rang.

You opened the door to find two boxes. One large, one small. A delivery boy was getting into his car. 

"Delivery from your biggest fan. 

-❤️, P"

He… he sent me some kind of care package?? And put a heart? And said he's my biggest fan?

You squealed and carried the boxes into the house. "What's this!?" You texted Pedro.

"Open them and see!"

You immediately open them. Inside the larger box was a variety of items. The first thing you noticed was a small vase holding a bouquet of your favorite flowers. To the right of that was a bag, which you opened and found your favorite meal, from your favorite restaurant. 

Wow, this is elaborate. 

Below the food was another small bag holding your favorite dessert, and finally to the left, your favorite drink.

I can't believe he remembered all of my favorite things.. This is so thoughtful.

When you moved the flower vase, you noticed one more small item. Is that a… corsage?? You texted Pedro the question.

"Yep!" He sent, with a photo of a matching flower on his lapel.

Remembering you still had the small box, you opened the box flaps, wondering what could possibly be left for him to give you. On top of it was another note.

"For a handsome boy.

- ❤️, your mom's friend, Pedro"

Under the note was a jar of peanut butter, a squeaky anchor toy, and…? What's this?

You unwrap a small paper wrapping to find a dog-sized black bowtie. Shut up.

"SKIPPER!!! Look what Pedro gave you, buddy!"

He padded over to you and let you hook the dressy accessory around his neck. With the clip adjusted, he sat back, looking proud of his new fashion. You quickly snapped a picture and texted it to Pedro.

"I can't believe you did all this, Pedro. Not only did you send all this, but you remembered my favorite things? You remembered all the details from when I first met Skipper. My favorite food, dessert, drink, and flower? That's so sweet, this is all too much Pedro..  Nobody has ever done anything like this for me. I.. I don't even know what to say."

You're amazing and I love you. Is what I want to say.

"You're welcome." He texted back. "Like I said, you deserve a celebration. Plus…"

Pedro sent a photo of his table, set up with the same food and drink, with the caption "now it's like we're having a dinner party."

It was nearing the time to meet, but you still had to do one more thing. You had pondered it earlier in the day, but fully decided it when Pedro sent the photo of himself dressed up. It's now or never.

_____

6:45 PM.

Pedro sat waiting for a reply after he sent his dinner photo. It had only been a couple minutes, but his hands were sweaty and his leg was shaking under the table. Finally, his phone went off. You sent… a video?

He opened it and pressed play. There, he saw you rotating your wrist with the corsage on it. The first time he's ever seen your wrist, hand, or arm before. The first time he's even seen your skin tone.

Geez you act like you're in the Victorian ages, pull yourself together, he rolled his eyes at himself for being so overjoyed.

Next, the video panned to Skipper in his bowtie, looking handsome as ever. The camera zoomed in on him and he looked up into the view with his big brown eyes. 

And then…

The camera panned to the side, and showed a mirror. A full length mirror, where you stood. He scanned your body from your perfectly done up hair and makeup, down your body to your dress. You wore your favorite dress, (in your favorite color, he noted) which showed off your body in the best ways. He looked down to the floor and noticed that you too were wearing fun socks instead of shoes. You wore a pair of striped socks and wrote in your caption "all dressed up and nowhere to go."

His heart picked up and he could feel himself breathing unevenly. He finally saw you. And you were gorgeous. He couldn't help the smile that enveloped his face.

Fuck. She's beautiful… I'm screwed. 

She loves someone else. She loves someone else. She loves someone else. Forget your feelings.

Despite his struggle, he knew he wanted, and needed, to tell you how beautiful he thought you looked. This was a big step to show yourself, and he also knew how self-conscious you felt about your body.

"Wow, you're so beautiful."

You blushed, replying with a quick thank you with a heart, then sending a second message asking if he was ready to listen. The video wasn't the only trick you had planned up your sleeve tonight.

______

The clock turned to 7 PM and Pedro hit the dial for your number. You answered the phone and said a quick "hang on" to set up the shared listening party link for your album. Once sent, you took a deep breath and steadied your nerves. Then, you took the plunge.

"Okay I got the link! I'm so exci - what - wait, is this an accident?" Pedro's hand fumbled as he received your incoming video chat request, his heart picking up to a galloping pace.

"Nope! You can answer it. If you want.."

He quickly swiped the accept button and there you were. Clad in your favorite dress, sitting at a table with the meal he sent in front of you. He could see himself in the corner square, dressed in his suit, with nearly the identical table setup and food.

He couldn't help but notice on his own video screen that his cheeks were turning rosy and his mouth curled into a large smile. But he was too happy to be shy about his blush.

"So this is you," he said.

"This is me," you replied shyly, but still with a huge smile and blush plastered on your face, matching Pedro's.

"You look.." he sighed shakily "..wow.."

"You look pretty wow yourself there," you said with a shy giggle.

Both of you let out gentle laughs, feeling a warm glow as your stomachs felt matching butterflies of nerves, excitement, and… maybe something else.

"So should we listen, I guess?" You asked nervously.

He didn't answer. He was looking at the screen, eyes scanning the video. 

Is he blushing? You wondered. But why would he be? He doesn't like me back… right?

He still hadn't answered you when you finally said "Pedro?? Did you hear me?"

He snapped out of it, somehow turning more crimson. "Oh! Sorry… yeah! Let's listen."

Your nerves were off the charts. Some of these songs were so vulnerable. The ones at the end of the album were the most telling of all.

But as the two of you ate your dinners while listening to your new album, you began to relax. The night was filled with him giving praise and you giving background information on the meanings and production of the songs. 

"Are all the different instruments and harmonies played by you?"

"They are! The studio offered studio musicians but I had originally played them all when I wrote it and wanted to keep it a one woman show."

"You're incredible," Pedro said, shaking his head.

You blushed, for the billionth time today.

When it came to "Imaginary Love" Pedro grinned. "Hey I know this one! The one that started it all." 

"Yep!" You agreed and he began lip syncing to the lyrics dramatically. Little did he know, those lyrics were actually about him. You giggled as he acted out a soulful rendition of the chorus.

"You know, this whole journey has been a real rollercoaster and there have been times I've wished I hadn't posted that song..."

Pedro looked at you with that puppy dog look of his and you continued "but then I remember… that if I never posted it, I would've never started talking to you, and it makes it all worth it."

Pedro placed his hand on his heart and pouted his lip. "I agree. I'm glad to have met you. If I didn't love this song already, that alone would be enough reason for me to consider it one of my favorites.

You grinned and looked down at the table, suddenly feeling shy. The two of you continued to listen, having long finished your dinner. Conversation flowed easily, and you couldn't help but feel like you were on a date. Not that you had much experience with that, but from what you'd seen in movies and shows, this felt very date-like. And you didn't want it to end.

But as the album went on, you approached the last two songs. The ones you were scared of most. The most vulnerable of the album. 

The second to last began to play.

'It's hard to imagine craving something that I've never had.

Dumb to be so desperate for something I've gone without.

But when I'm alone and thinking to myself, I need it so bad.

I crave it like a drug, but one I know nothing about.

Your kiss on my lips, or any kiss at all.

It hasn't happened yet, no matter how hard I fall.

The years keep passing, but still no love.

The years go by, but still no kisses.

I keep wondering and praying up above,

I guess I'm unkissable, despite my wishes.'

Pedro furrowed his brow, looking at you, searching for something. He read the title of the song, "Unkissable," and looked up again, opening and closing his mouth to find the right words.

"Do-" he stopped himself and pondered his wording again. "Is- are all these songs true?"

You stared at the table, picking your nail against the wood. "Yes."

"You really believe that?"

"... I mean… I don't know… maybe… I guess…" you avoided his gaze, but could feel it.

"And you've never-"

"Kissed anyone before? No. I haven't."

"But you've wanted to?"

"Yes," you whispered, starting to feel tears prick at your eyes.

Pedro shifted his lips to the side in thought before finally saying "well… you're still young. It'll happen."

"I'm 26, Pedro. Most people have kissed by the time they've graduated high school. I just… missed the boat I guess. It's okay. I'm just being silly. I don't want it that bad. We can maybe listen to something else now."

"Hey, hey. Don't shut down on me," he asked pleadingly. "26 is still very young, and don't worry about whenever everyone else has done things. Everyone does things at their own pace. I'm sorry you haven't experienced it yet, especially when you want it so badly, but I know that when it does happen, it'll probably be better than any kiss you would've had with some 15 year old boy you would've had in high school."

You laughed, breaking your tears for a minute. "Thanks Pedro."

"Of course. And hey, don't think of yourself as unkissable. Any guy should be so lucky to be with you. Maybe the guy you wrote about in your song will be your first."

"Maybe… I hope so. Thank you."

While your heart bloomed at the kind words and prospect of maybe kissing Pedro in the future, Pedro's heart began to ache. Not only was he sad for you when you wanted love so desperately, but he also couldn't help but feel sad hearing you want to kiss another man. He wants to be that guy for you. He wasn't joking when he said any man would be lucky. But especially knowing now your true age, 22 years younger than him, he knew for sure your crush couldn't be him. You were way too young to be interested in a 48 year old man. He was silly for even entertaining the idea.

But at least he had a new friend. And as he thought longer, he thought about his best friend Sarah, and her relationship. They have a huge age gap, 32 years, but they're happy. And he's happy for her. It doesn't feel weird with them. Could he have that with you? Or is he in over his head?

The last song on the album began to play. This one was less vulnerable, but if he decided to look at the lyrics and notice patterns, he'd see it in the chorus. 

'People have a lot to say

Everyone loves or hates me

Don't know what I did today

Right now you're all I can see

Only want to be with you.

Please, love me too.'

You're sure the obsessive listeners will figure out the acrostic, and if Pedro looks up the lyrics, he might too. But either way, it's out there. All you can do is hope for the best and eventually you're sure it'll come out anyway.

 This wasn't one you were sure about putting on the album, but when the studio read through your personal songbook, they went insane over it. They figured it out quickly, and they promised they'd keep it to themselves. Luckily they have so far, but if money came calling, you think they'd sell your heart faster than you could say no.

The song, and album, came to a close and Pedro looked up at the screen once again, staring into your eyes. "Once again your music has blown me away."

Whether he put together the end or not, he wasn't letting on.

"Thank you Pedro. I really appreciate it. And thank you for tonight. It was truly special and I mean it when I say it's the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. You didn't have to go through all that trouble," you said thoughtfully.

"It was no trouble. You deserve congratulations for your album," Pedro replied with a smile.

Right.. it's just a congratulations. Nothing else. You sighed.

"Thank you. I'm really glad we did this. Talk again soon?" You asked.

"Absolutely. It was wonderful to meet you finally," Pedro said, finishing the sentence with your real name and smiling.

"It was great to meet you too, Pedro."

__________

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading.

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