#it’ll just be something that goes together with an outfit of theirs

[tariah23]

Oh brother

[leviiattacks]

How about Levi x reader, where they get set up on a blind date by their friends as a prank, but actually end up liking each other

note :: honestly not my best at all but it was cute i guess T___T kinda an opposites attract thing also it’s a modern au !!

for some reason hange and sasha wake up one morning and decide they want to wreak havoc

it’s not peculiar coming from them

after all they are always up to something

like the one time sasha purposefully trapped herself in an elevator with a hot guy

or the time hange tried to make coffee with an energy drink mixed in it??

OR-

okay you’re getting sidetracked

but the point is they have no real reason for this new venture of theirs

when do they ever have a reason though?

somehow today their scheming has led to them begging you to go on a blind date

“he’s not my type i mean he’s old and whatever but you would like him” sasha’s stuffing her face with a buttery croissant

she doesn’t sound very convincing

then again, you have no objections to the idea

you’re single

you’re lonely

if it doesn’t end in love well ??? guess you could fuck

and if you don’t fuck well ?? you got to go outside and get some fresh air

BUT

the idea of blind dating makes you squirm

the uncertainty which comes along with the situation is intimidating

honestly, part of you is worried you’ll end up making a mortal enemy at dinner, not a lover

the other portion is petrified you’ll end up on a date with a murderer

what if it ends up like that one netflix show and you end up getting stalked????

you shudder at that thought

BE OPTIMISTIC Y/N!! YUP YUP OPTIMIST ERA!!!

levi feels the same way but his version of nervous is very different to your own

his fears are very different

what if his date appears prim and proper but it’s really just a huge facade hiding how their house is a pigsty?

imagine the third date in is a movie night in and he walks into a landfill site...

what if his date chews their food obnoxiously loud?

what if they just dislike him?

that’s why ideally he would prefer dating someone he knows beforehand

but there’s no one he knows already that he’s interested in

that’s exactly why when hange calls levi and asks him if he’s willing to go on a blind date on such short notice he scoffs and tells them that maybe if they got a life they would know that his answer is a straight no

he’s used to people not pairing well with him

he guesses it’s because of his sardonic personality, maybe it’s his occupation - he is constantly busy after all. perhaps it’s his foul mouth

erwin told him the last time he had a date that he should probably ease up on the cursing but it’s levi...

he isn’t going to change for anyone.

and really if him being little mean is that much of a deal breaker he won’t bother looking for anyone

he’ll go it solo he supposes

“LEVI. PLEASE. you both would fit together like jigsaw pieces.” hange is practically begging

then they stop for a second and wiggle their eyebrows “that can have many alternative meaningssss~”

levi purses his lips and shoots them a hard glare

“shut it, i’m not going. i’m busy.”

“busy doing.....?”

“cleaning i need t-”

“NO??? do it some other time please they’re smart, fun AND not boring at all.”

hange gives him a pleading look then explains how his mystery date has already agreed for sasha’s sake and he really can’t stand you up

“you want me to go on a blind date with one of SASHA BRAUS’ friends????”

he looks at hange in utter disbelief because that means you just have to be loud mouthed and annoying like jean or connie

or just be as stupidly unfunny

he shakes his head rejecting the idea completely

“i enjoy sophisticated people.”

hange sighs heavily

“give it a chance! c’monnn what if i bribe you?”

little does levi know hange and sasha have purposefully picked you out because of the way you’re both polar opposites

where levi loves order you’re disorderly, where he follows his own rules you don’t follow any at all, where he is disagreeable you’re agreeable in every way of the word

where he is cold, you are warm, he’s a night owl, you’re an early bird, you’re day and he’s night

everything about the two of you is different

that isn’t necessarily bad, but sasha and hange find it hilarious enough to set you both up on this date

if it fails it’ll still be funny

you’re rummaging through your closet looking for your favourite perfume because to be frank you are NOT showing up unprepared

like?? what if he moves in to hug you and he smells the scent of the chicken you were cooking today

yeah you did have a shower but sometimes you wonder if the smell lingers

you KNOW it doesn’t but it’s a matter of principle

imagine he leans in and smells marinated chicken

you think you’d die on the spot if that were to ever happen

shoving a pack of mints in your purse along with your emergency pepper spray you give your outfit a once over

it’s nothing too extravagant but it’ll do the job

at this point, everything is great! you’re walking out of your door and you’re pumped up

you’ll be early for once and there’s a spring in your step

making a good first impressions is key here

you’re so close to your uber BUT

then you hear it

it’s almost inaudible but you’re sure you hear a mewl come out of the alleyway to your right

you’re about to ignore it because you aren’t even sure if you’ve heard it correctly

and it’s late you don’t feel like wandering into an empty alleyway

but the sound only repeats itself

fuck.

cautiously venturing inside you see it.

eyes softening you look at the stray kitten in front of you and bite your bottom lip and scoop him up in your arms you’re debating if running back to your apartment and leaving him there is the best option

what’s the other option?

well you could bring the cat along with you...

it would be a funny story for the future if the date goes well

now. unlike you levi is nowhere near late

in fact he’s ten minutes early waiting promptly outside of the restaurant in his white button up

he fiddles with his collar and wonders how the actual hell he got talked into doing this

hange offering to buy him cleaning supplies free of charge is probably it

8:15pm, you were meant to be here five minutes ago

if you’ve stood him up he’s going to end hange for wasting his precious free time

especially when he rarely interrupts his schedule for anyone.

a few moments of silence pass and he thinks

how do you look? 

not like it matters to him

but he’d just like to know

okay, so.

it’s 8:30pm now

levi is royally pissed off that you even have the audacity to show up

you’re holding your knees as you puff in and out

“I’M SORRY. i know i’ve wasted all your time but i saw a stray on my way here and i couldn’t leave him”

the updo your hair is in is disheveled and fly aways stick out

you’ve ran here after your uber broke down that much is obvious.

to be fair, your explanation is believable and he would have let it slide if and only if

you had NOT brought the fucking cat along with you???

he’s eyeing it with disgust as it purrs up against you and you coo at it stroking its fur

“you want to sneak a cat into the restaurant?” he asks in pure disbelief

sheepishly grinning and scratching the back of your neck your response is “well i know we can’t but if you tried to i wouldn’t mind because i really like this cat :-(”

when hange said he’d have fun they were lying

but at least they didn’t lie about you not being boring.

he picks the cat up with one of his hands

looks it in the eyes

sighs then places him carefully into your purse

“don’t let him be seen.”

you light up and try to hide the grin forming on your face

he isn’t that bad

he’s a little too serious for your liking but you can handle that.

the two of you walk into the restaurant and fuck you because the cat has to start mewling and screeching

coughing rather aggressively to cover it up it miraculously goes unheard

he shoots you a sturdy glare because he’s able to hear the muffled sounds

luckily, no one else is standing near you or is within earshot.

gulping you realise this is not a good first impression at all

late to the date, bringing a cat with you, begging him to help you sneak the cat in

you feel guilty, he probably expected way better

“oi, move your ass” he snaps

you look up realising you’ve been too lost in thought to see levi walking in front of you

“sorry” you mumble

he doesn’t respond but he does look back at you

you can’t gather anything from his face because it’s either plain or he’s got his brows furrowed

currently it’s showing no signs of distaste so he must be accepting your apology

he’s kind enough, steps out of the way to offer you the space to sit down first

he sits after you and you have no idea where to look

then the cat cries again from your purse

“lucifer, shhhhh”

you’re patting him and try to silence him

“you’ve named it already?”

laughing to yourself you’re happy he’s initiated the conversation first

“he’s a little sneaky so i called him it. do you have any other names you’d like?”

“why would my input in this matter be relevant?”

“you’re basically his family now!”

he’s covering his mouth with his hands and you swear you can see the pink tinge of a blush creep upwards and flood his cheeks

but this man doesn’t seem like the type to blush over anything.

composing himself he sticks a hand out and finally asks “what’s your name?”

coming back to your senses you realize it’s been twenty minutes since you’ve met and you haven’t even had the manners to ask his name even after arriving late

“Y/N!! what’s yours?”

play it cool!!!

he doesn’t respond instead stares at your purse and points with his index finger

lucifer has escaped again and now you really are regretting bringing him along with you

whilst you’re grabbing the cat and hushing him your date hums “try to guess it.”

well, that’s spontaneous, he doesn’t seem like the type to entertain himself with games

you think hard, he’s serious but he is kind, you guess that’s why he reminds you of sebastian from the little mermaid

get it? because he’s sweet but he’s a crab so he’s crabby??

god that joke is AWFUL because it doesn't even take into account the actual character of sebastian the crab

but you have no other guesses available.

“hmm... sebastian?” you jokingly ask

“it’s levi.” he deadpans.

oh wow you couldn’t be more far off

playing around with your fingers in your lap you fidget nervously looking around for a waiter to interrupt the conversation

levi has to sense your unease because his tone loosens up

“...do i really look like a sebastian though?”

looking back up at him your bite your lip keeping a giggle in

you can sense the ghost of a smile on his face

“yeah like the crab from a little mermaid”

at that he scowls but he inquires what exactly that means

the rest of the date goes without a hitch, sure there’s a few moments where lucifer attempts to sneak away but levi has no problems stopping him

it takes a while but the conversation flows easily after the awkward barrier from before is broken down

it’s lighthearted and calm.

he’s humorous in a way you can’t describe

levi’s mannerisms are cute, everything about him is endearing despite the serious front he has

and you can’t quite put your finger on it but his demeanor is charming

overall you find yourself enjoying the date even more than you expected

now the two of you are walking away from the booth and the fresh night time air hits your face as you step outside

turning to him you smile radiantly and without allowing him to get a word in you take your opportunity by the reins

“second date?”

you don’t normally make the first move but you’re eager

and to your surprise he’s just as eager as you are.

it doesn’t even look like he stops to think before he nods and agrees to meet with you again.

exchanging numbers with him you wave as you and lucifer part ways with levi feeling satisfied

and to his shock after you leave it settles, levi thinks he just might enjoy your presence

well, that’s a first for him.

he guesses what they say about opposites attracting is true

[burnedbyshoto]

bakugou katsuki alphabet hc’s

a/n: just a little something something for me being swamped with final preparations and my wip being nowhere near completed!!!

SFW

A = Affection (How affectionate are they with an s/o?)

Bakugou is not that affectionate, hate to tell you guys that. He’s a cat through and through. He’s someone who touches you when he wants to, not when you want it. Sometimes it varies, but most of the time it’s him giving you a look, after all, he will never outright tell you to touch him. But you can see it, the slight eyebrow lift, the curl of his lip because you’re not being affectionate with him. It happens both in private and public, but there are moments in private where he just is clingy, not in an overly clingy way, but a: let’s hold hands while being on our phones sorta way.

B = Breath (What could their s/o do to take their breath away?)

There is not much in this world that will take Bakugou’s breath away. He’s just that sort of guy that even when he’s caught off guard, you will never ever know it explicitly. That being said, there is one thing that does take his breath away. Arguing with him

Now, I'm not talking about crazy psycho bitch arguing where the both of you are going through some world war with each other. I’m talking about an argument where he comes in knowing he’s in the wrong but him not knowing what to do. Argue your side, explain why he’s doing things wrong, how it’s wrong, and how to improve. Taking his insecurities and his inability to do things correctly isn’t something he enjoys being attacked about, but when you take it in, absorb it, and help him it just steals his breath away because holy hell, you respect him, you love him, and he feels the exact same way.

C = Cuddling (Do they cuddle? If they do, how and when do they cuddle?)

Bakugou does cuddle, but oh boy does it take a long time for him to be able to allow this to happen. 

Bakugou is a little spoon. now shut up and listen to why. When your relationship first begins, he is not open to showing his affections, and would turn onto his side before ever asking to hold you. So you have to take it up to yourself to snuggle into his back side, nose buried into his spine. With time, and with Bakugou finally opening up and expressing his feelings, and his ability to be as vulnerable as he can get, most nights it's with him laying his head on your chest, his body draped over yours. He likes this position because he feels like he’s protecting you. if anything happens at night, he’ll be the first to be hit, and that’s all that matters.

D = Dream (What do they dream of doing with their s/o?)

World domination, easy.

Bakugou isn’t someone who allows for intimate relationships like picking a penny from the penny jar. He is a tiny bit arrogant and thinks he deserves the best, so when he finally chooses you to date there’s a 99% chance it’s ending in marriage. He wants the both of you to succeed. 

Whatever it is in life that you want to do, what you dream to do, it automatically becomes his dream too. He’s going to support you and help you get there or his name isn’t Bakugou Katsuki.

E = Effort (How much effort do they put into a relationship?)

All things considered, especially what people would most likely think, he puts in a lot of effort.

Again, you aren’t some casual relationship, if he’s dating you that means you’re endgame in his eyes, congrats!

He may be an angry tsundere the entire time, but he remembers everything. Every important date in your life you better remember, because this asshole will then ask you seven years into the relationship about how you remember the outfit you wore on your first kiss and if you say no he’s gonna both yell at you and hold it above your head for all eternity.

He puts in effort!!!!

Sure, sometimes you might not be priority number one, but you never fall off the top ten list and he always makes sure to make it up in some sort of way if you feel negligent because of this.

F = Fear (What do they do if their s/o is scared? How do they handle it?)

Bakugou is someone who talks you through it.

Why are you scared?

Is there something you can do about it?

How can I make it better?

He’s all about prevention, improving, helping. He wants you to feel better and he’s always been better with his words over his actions when it comes to aiding. It’s not to say that he won’t comfort you, because he will definitely touch your head and bring it to rest against his shoulder only after he’s done helping you out. He feels like he can help you through your fears and merely hugging and saying it’ll be better isn’t the way to help.

G = Gifts (What type of gifts do they give their s/o? Do they want a gift in return?)

Bakugou remembers everything about ya, he’s going to get you the gifts you really need.

Yes, need, not want.

Oh you want a whole new makeup collection? Uh no, what you need is a whole new ass vanity and make up organizer because he’s seen those same damn colors you want in your collection but you don’t have shit organized so you don’t know!

Oh you want a new video game? Uh no,,, okay fair, he wants it too, so you both need it for date nights.

Bakugou absolutely hates getting gifts in return, for some reason he thinks its atone to charity work or like guilty gifts. If you want to give him a present, he might allow it, but do not and I mean DO NOT give him a gift for what he gives you (outside of appropriate holidays of course).

H = Hugs (Do they hug their s/o? How often?)

Bakugou hugs you, that’s a given. But how he hugs is pretty dependent on mood and where the two of you are.

When it’s in public he’s a major fan of the one armed hug, the typical “we besties but not like that” hug. Never ever think it’s because he’s embarrassed of you, he’s just… emotionally constipated and he can’t fathom hugging you while everyone watches because he gets nervous. But there are times, in public, where something happens. Something that causes him to worry for you, and he’ll be on you in an instant, his arms slamming you in. One on the small of your back, the other between your shoulder blades. He loves you and only when he’s not in control does he forget his boundaries.

In private though, it’s another story. He’s the person who has their arms wrapped loosely around your waist, his hands holding onto your hips ever so softly. He buries his face into your neck and just breathes. Sometimes he likes to sway with you in his arms, other times he likes to carry you too.

I = Intimacy (How romantic are they? Do they have problems with intimacy?)

He’s definitely an… acquired taste of romance. Nothing he does is outside the spectrum of what is considered to be romantic! If he had done it with a sugary sweet ‘im so in love with you smile’ no one would say anything, but he does these things in a Bakugou way where people are like: “ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH THAT MAN?!” and then look over at you who’s crying because you think he’s the most romantic person in the world. 

Oh he has hella problems, just because you’re it for him doesn’t mean he knows how to behave correctly. He goes through self reflection because of this! He needs to figure out what intimacy means for him, and how to express it to you while also keeping your ideas of intimacy in hand. It always works out though, he will always put together how to make it work.

J = Jealous (Do they get jealous? How do they act when jealous?)

Surprise, surprise, Bakugou Katsuki is a jealous man :)

The worst part of Bakugou’s jealousy is that he knows that he has no reason to be jealous. There are only a handful of people Bakugou feel inferior to, like truly and honestly inferior to. He knows he’s not always the best, no matter how hard he tries, but he knows where he lies in the world. So when he sees other people flirting with you he knows right away that there’s no reason to be jealous. But that doesn’t do anything to the instinctive monster in his mind that tells him to murder the random extra for even considering you to be on a level similiar to theirs.

He storms over, fury and murder in his eyes, parking himself right behind you, eyes glaring at the person who is flirting with you because on god he’s not going to say shit until he has to. If the person doesn’t understand that their presence isn’t welcomed, then Bakugou has no issue twirling you where you stand and shoving his tongue in your mouth. In fact most of your public kisses have stemmed from situations like these.

But the dangerous jealousy is the one where you invoke it. The eyes on him the entire time you’re flirting with him, fueling the fires of his jealousy and irateness. There’s nothing stopping him from going over there, but in this? This is a competition for him. Who’s breaking first? He’ll grab someone nearby, eyes on you while he flirts himself. Although it’s not really flirting he can’t understand anything the person he grabbed is saying, he just enjoys the anger in your own eyes until one of you -- most of the time him -- snaps and storms over.

K = Kiss (Are they a good kisser? Do they like to kiss? How often do they try to kiss you?)

Hohohoho, Bakugou Katsuki is initially the worst kisser in the entire WORLD.

His kiss is like slimey, too much saliva, sweat pouring from his face because he’s nervous. He won’t touch you because if he did he’d leave handprints on your clothes. He clumsily clashes his teeth against yours, and oh god is this the appropriate amount of tongue to use?

Just teach him

Bakugou is a lowkey sucker for kisses, he enjoys nights where you poke him in the face obviously wanting a kiss from him, but he can’t help but make it difficult for you. He’ll face poke after poke until he gets up, face trying to stay angry until you pull him into a kiss. He’s much better at this point, he likes holding your cheek with his right hand, his left hand either grasping your wrist or holding your hand. He’s into the slow and languid kisses, the ones that keep you shut up for moments to come because he enjoys blue balling you. 

Bakugou will kiss you every day until the day he dies, even if he’s mad at you or something, no day is passed without a kiss in the morning and at night.

L = Love (When do they say they love you? How often do they say it? Do they prefer to say or show it?)

Bakugou Katsuki is a hard one for this. 

On one hand, I can see him not being the first one to say it. Bakugou being the first to admit to something as deep, as soul revealing as being in love with you? It can happen at anytime during the relationship, but he will first murmur it when he swears you’re asleep, and then again when you ask him.

But on the other hand, I can see him saying it first. Bakugou isn’t an idiot, he knows you won’t say it in case he doesn’t return your feelings, but the thing is Bakugou has been in love for quite some time so he’ll say it out of the blue. Not in the middle of silence but during a conversation that you don’t register until he’s glaring at you for ignoring his statement.

After all, Bakugou doesn’t lose. ;p

M = Marriage (Do they want to get married? If so, what kind of ceremony?)

Bakugou isn’t dating you just so he can say he’s dating someone. Hell nah, if he’s dating you like hell he isn’t gonna have you take his last name so he can show you off to the world like some toy he had won. It’s not done in a bad way, just a smug ‘I married the best person in the world’ sorta way.

Bakugou is a small and intimate most likely modern sort of party. There is no free bar, like hell he’s going to let people get wasted through his money on his day. But it definitely becomes his favorite day in the entire year watching you come down the aisle and getting to dance with you.

N = Night out (What type of dates do they like to go on? How often do they like to go on them?)

Bakugou enjoys date nights at home.

He likes coming together with you to prepare dinner, chucking food at each other when someone messes up. Then the food is taken to the living room where he threatens not to mess anything up or feel his wrath. After the threat, you sit between his legs and the two of you go ham on video games or watch a movie.

Other than that he likes amusement parks, museums, hiking, and camping trips!!

O = Out of the Ordinary (What’s something they don’t normally do with/for their s/o?)

He will not lie to you to make you feel better. Don’t go to Bakugou expecting a cheerful pick up when you’re in the wrong because he will not allow you to believe that you’re in the moral high ground when you’re wrong. This also means you can’t give him half explained stories, don’t start something with him expecting him to support you when it’s questionable if you’re in the right.

P = Playful (Are they playful in a relationship? If so, how do they play around/mess with their s/o?)

Oh he definitely is.

Every day comes a new sort of competition, some sort of race where the both of you need to express how the other one is better. Sometimes it seems like a fight match between the two of you, but you both know that it's all fun and games. He respects you and thinks of you highly so will always give it his all. And if he learns how to manipulate your body to get where he wants to be, so be it.

Q = Questions (Do they ask their s/o their opinion on things? Do they share theirs?)

Bakugou 100% asks for your opinion on things. If he’s sharing his thoughts that means he fully expects your opinion on it and ten reasons as to why you believe it. Your opinion is valued to him and he’s not arrogant enough to forget that your voice matters as well. 

And Bakugou will always share his opinion, even sometimes when you don’t ask for it. He’s open and honest and always willing to give you the feedback you need. He respects and loves you too much to let you get away with a lie from him.

R = Random (How spontaneous is their relationship? Do they do things on the spot or plan ahead?)

Bakugou isn’t a spontaneous person, but life is just so out of control for him that most things while originally planned, end up being on the spot.

Like oh, our date night at this restaurant we planned was ruined because I had a last second call into the office that I couldn’t say no to, there's this little hole in the wall three blocks away if you want to go there instead?

He likes having an agenda, okay?

S = Sleep (How do they sleep with their s/o?)

On his own, Bakugou is a sprawler in his sleep. He turns left and right, flipping under the covers and kicking them off. He warns you of this well before sleeping in the same bed together, but when you finally get the chance to do it, he calms completely. He lays on his stomach, his head pressed into your stomach, an arm securely wrapped around your waist while he remains still at night. He’s a bit of a holder, even if he won’t admit it.

T = Trust (How much do they trust their s/o?)

Bakugou would not even admit to liking you should he not trust you.

Trust is the most important thing to Bakugou, if he can’t trust you then there’s no reason for him to be dating you. 

He would willingly let you choose the fate of his life if that was an option.

U = Unique (What makes them unique as an s/o?)

He’s a complete novice to everything when you date him. You have to teach him a lot of things because he never really grew up with it and well, his parents have a very unique style of love so he thought that you would be dominating in every aspect and he had major qualms about that.

He is also somehow willing to try out everything with you without needing to be asked. So those sexy ballroom tango classes you saw one day? He’ll bitch the entire time before the class but will be the first out of the door to go to these events. 

V = Vulnerable (How long until they can be vulnerable around their s/o? What are they like in this state?)

It takes awhile. While Bakugou trusts you completely, being vulnerable just isn’t him. He doesn’t like being vulnerable, so it takes a lot for him to just… break down and split open showing everything about him to you.

In this state he’s emotional and somehow emotionless. Tears soak his cheeks, his lips red and raw, hoarse voice, thick words. He looks like a mess and you don’t know how to fix it, but you guide him through it. He might not acknowledge how he was in this state later on, but he will thank you quietly one night.

Remind him that it’s okay to be vulnerable, he needs to be reminded.

W = Wild Card (Get a random domestic headcanon of the character of your choice)

He enjoys it when you do any of the boyfriend challenges from tiktok. Oh yes, this boy is well updated with the trending challenges thanks to Kaminari and he just waits around daily to see when or if you’ll do it to him. If not he’ll ask you why you aren’t doing it to him yet, and you just kinda ‘:O you want me to do that?!’

He also is super into spa nights. He will paint your toe nails, massage your body (as long as its reciprocated), and lounging with you with big fluffy towels, eating cucumbers with lemon and chile, and face masks on!

X = X-Ray (What would they do if their s/o got injured?)

Bakugou is a scary nurse. He just screams at you the entire time as to how stupid you are for getting injured, but will take care of you perfectly. And don’t you dare smile at him while he fluffs your pillow and make sure you feel 100% okay because he is MAD at you and you can’t be happy because he was scared shitless earlier! Oh yeah and you’re an idiot, and he made the soup slightly warmer than needed because he was so angry so let it cool down before you eat it, unless you want to burn yourself, which wouldn’t surprise him!

Y = Yuck (Do they have any pet peeves about their s/o? Are there any habits that might bother their s/o?)

When you don’t speak up. He doesn’t like it when you hold your opinions to yourself, he finds it aggravating and annoying. Speak up if things bother you, don’t be spineless especially around him.

He hates uncleanliness and lack of personal hygiene. Brush your teeth every day, shower when you need to! CLEAN YOUR DAMN ROOM!

Z = Zeal (Are they passionate as an s/o? Do they want or like passion?)

Bakugou Katsuki is in fact a passionate boyfriend, he just has his unique ways of showing it. He never wants you to feel like he doesn’t love you, or doesn’t feel so deeply about this relationship because he would damn the entire world for you. And yeah, he likes and wants the passion, but give him some time to be comfortable and adjust to your ideals of it!

NSFW under cut:

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Bakugou cums for the final time and he’s a panting shaking mess for a few minutes afterwards. He lays there in the cum, sweat, and other fluids while looking you in the eyes, his eyes heavy with exhaustion and love. He’ll press a kiss to whatever’s nearest before pushing off the bed to grab towels. He cleans himself off, and depending on how you’re doing will either clean you off or make you clean yourself off. Sometimes he takes you to bathe and other times he says goodnight, wraps you in your typical sleeping position and knocks out.

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Bakugou's favorite body part of his (outside his cock) is definitely his arms and his shoulders. He’s got powerful arms and shoulders, they’re wide, sturdy, and thick. They look good, they’ve always looked good. But they look so much better with your desperate hands clinging onto his shoulders like some lifeline, his skin permanently scarred from your raking fingers when you cry his name… oh yeah, its definitely that.

Bakugou is a cultured man who loves tits, ass, and thighs equally. He loves seeing your breasts squeezing around his cock as he’s strapped to the bed, your mouth in a sly smirk because you won’t suck him off. Your ass? He really fucking loves slapping your ass as you lay against his lap, counting the number of spanks he’s given you. He loves how soft and how much it bounces with every smack. And your thighs? He loves when you’re riding his face or the way they tighten so powerfully around his waist.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

Bakugou’s cum is as good as cum gets, if you ignore the weird spicy aftertaste to them on the occasions he eats spicy food. He loves having it splattered against your face, the thick milky liquid just dripping from your face while you look up at him with shining eyes. He also admits to enjoying kissing you after oral sex, the taste of intermixing cum and spit overwhelming him.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Bakugou is a panty thief, well really, anything he can get his hands on (even when you’re dating). He enjoys seeing you wandering around the room without your matching panty or bra, desperately trying to find the other set. It’s most definitely in his pocket at the time you can’t seem to find it, the fabric running between his fingers while telling you to just wear a mismatched one because he’s the only one gonna be seeing it anyways. Who you trying to impress???

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

VIRGIN BAKUGOU VIRGIN BAKUGOU VIRGIN BAKUGOU VIRGIN BAKUGOU VIRGIN BAKUGOU VIRGIN BAKUGOU VIRGIN BAKUGOU VIRGIN BAKUGOU

He does not know what he’s doing, but he’s a fast adapter. He’ll be a complete booty for the first round and you can laugh for ages about it, but afterwards he’ll know what works and what doesn’t -- though sometimes…. Lol nvm

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying.)

Anything that shows off his strength. 

Against the wall, wheelbarrow, anything, anything, anything that can show he’s sooo much stronger.

He also likes missionary too, he’s just the type okay??? Plus perfect access to his shoulders.

Reverse cowgirl.

Doggy style.

Anything where you’re pressed chest to chest, it just brings up the level of intimacy for Bakugou.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

This is serious.

Bakugou isn’t a joking person to begin with, and he doesn’t magically evolve a humor boner while he’s slamming into you. 

I mean sure, the two of you can breathlessly laugh at things, but it’s not because you’re exchanging jokes -- you tried once and he just sorta… glared at you. If he wanted to laugh during sex he would rather die, this is serious to him, so be serious too. 

H = Hair (How well-groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

His pubes are darker than his hair, but they’re in the same blond family.

They are also very well-groomed. He thought it was appropriate to make sure he wasn’t a wild untame bush before fucking you because he wasn’t sure how you liked it. He also likes it well groomed because less chaffing in his costume.  

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) 

Bakugou is someone who thinks highly of sex, so he is 100% focused in on it while fucking you. There’s nothing on his mind except getting you to cum a big scream of his name. At times he can be romantic, he’s done the flowers on the bed before and thought it was completely fucking stupid. You know he loves you so, and if he loves you dearly why does he have to change the way he behaves during sex?

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

Bakugou is an angry masturbator.

It was a great way to find release before you, long days at work crumbling over the second he was in the shower. But when the two of you finally do start dating and having sex he believes that it’s best to masturbate when the two of you aren’t in contact.

He unashamedly will call you and tell you talk, jacking off to the sound of you telling him about your day, unaware of what he was doing.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Switch - Bakugou will sub or dub

Brat - when Bakugou is a sub, be ready to tame him at all costs. He’s not an easy sub to handle before being tamed, but once you have him, he’s easy.

Degradation - he enjoys it both ways, he likes hearing his natural language bleed into the bedroom and seeing how it finally gets to you in a way that benefits him. But he also enjoys hearing the curse words used against him, done in the same manner and tenor only someone who knew everything about him could do.

Spanking/hitting - Its a time he can use his quirk, he enjoys seeing your bruised skin burning in ways that have you panting for more.

Sensory deprivation - forcing you to succumb to him entire, trusting that he does whats best is a head rush to him.

Sounding - ...he’s a bit of a masochist.

Biting/marking - he likes making sure everyone knows you belong to someone

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

Dining room table.

Hallways before the room.

The bed.

Midoriya’s bed.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Good god, just stroke this man's ego and his boner will be flying sky high. 

Gently run your fingers against his shoulder, whisper into his left ear while talking about trivial things, whatever you do, don’t let it on that you’re horny. Scrape your fingers against the nape of his neck, lips brushing against his raising skin. 

This man is head over heels for you, and when you are so comfortable you are your true self around him (including wearing any sort of lingerie in the colors black, orange, or geen ((bonus points if its inspired from his hero costume))) he’ll be ready to bounce.

Calling him your hero.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

Whining.

Do not whine.

Now I don’t mean in a ‘you whined for his cock while he pulled away from your shuddering hole, you wanted him more’ but more like a ‘Katsuki please fuck me!!! You haven’t fucked me in so long and I need you cockkkkk!’ sorta way.

Its pathetic, he fucks you enough, stop that.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

Short kings like Bakugou have to be good at eating out, it’s the law, congratulations.

He grows to be good at it, and loves to have you writhing in his arms, or better yet, have your fingers yanking at his scalp while you ride his face.

He kinda gets overwhelmed when you suck him off, years of screaming suck my cock just sort of desensitized him to the power behind the words, especially when its your mouth around his aching leaking cock. He loves having you meet his eyes, the threat of what’s to come if you look away bubbling in his veins while he presses his fingers to your throat, to feel his cock stretching that out

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

You guessed it, he’s a middle kinda man. 

He spans on both ends, most of the time leaning towards the fast and rough sex because that’s his personality, but there are more than enough times where its slow and sensual that you remember.

He enjoys having you crying out a lot, sure, but there's more than enough instances where he enjoys having you pressing gently into the bed, fingers grasping your waist, cock pushing into you just enough to create the friction that you crave. Your fluttering eyes, soundless gasps, and sweaty foreheads pressed against each other.

Yup, yup, he likes that so much better but won’t admit it.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Doesn’t enjoy quickies, he feels like they’re half-assed versions of sex, sure, its exhilarating to see how fast you can possibly make each other cum, but it’s not as fun. Not enough moaning, contact, or pleasure that presents itself in quickies as a proper sex session gives.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Bakugou doesn’t mind experimenting, he’s super big on the ‘try it once to see if you like it, go on from there’ sort of mentality so he’s tried it all. Something are a bit of a long term discussion, anything ass play took some time for him to consider, and then allow you to try out in bed. But he does try anything you’re up for as long as you give the same energy back about the things he wants to try.

Risks… depends on what you consider to be a risk.

Fucking in public? Hell no, Bakugou aint gonna fuck you in public, risking his reputation and yours, just so you can milk him of his seed.  

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Stamina for fucking days son.

One round is a warm up for him. He’s used to sweating, used to fighting with every ounce of energy in his body for up to thirty minutes and walking away without so much as a sore shoulder. Fucking you is like a typical patrol without villains for him. He can go plenty upon plenty of rounds. Although, he is pretty easy to make cum.

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

Toys were sort of a weird subject to bring in, only because Bakugou insisted that he could do everything that a toy could do and better. After a month of arguing that no, he could not do what a toy could do, you finally caved and went to a sex shop.

He was mistaken, he can’t do everythiing a toy can do, and good god do you guys own literally everything on the planet.

Toys are meant to be shared, even Bakugou isn’t that stingy to implement that!

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Bakugou hates hates hates being on the receiving end of teasing. Okay, ‘not like don’t ever do it’ hate it but in a ‘i hate what it does to me’ hate it. He hates feeling inferior, on his knees begging for you to do something more than just teasing while his cock throbs on his stomach.

But oh does he love teasing. His thumb pressing down on your bottom lip, watching while your eyes are hazy in need, babbling words pouring from your mouth while he teases the shit out of you until finally giving you what you need, what you want.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Bakugou is not quiet outside of the bed, and he is definitely not quiet in bed.

He’s definitely someone who makes the rougher noises in bed, the throaty growls, puffing breathes. He’ll moan in your ear, growl by your throat, hiss against your skin. He makes every noise in the world he isn’t afraid of shit. He feels good and the entire fucking world will know if he has to.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

Bakugou is a bit of a masochist, like a slight, slight masochist. 

He enjoys when you're sadistic with him, pulling his hair, and sounding. Tear at his skin, make him bleed, make him beg. He’s a hero because he can stand back up even after being hit, he must like it just the tiniest bit.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Six inches soft, seven inches hard. Thickiest fucking dick you’ve seen though, that shit be like |||| thiccc ya feel? Curves upwards, and lots of veins on dat bitch.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Definitely not as high as everyone wants it to be.

His sex drive is actually pretty average, not too high, not too low. He does get horny pretty quickly because you know how to work him, but he doesn’t walk around being half hard all the time.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

Bakugou is most definitely asleep five minutes after climaxing. Most fuck sessions happen after dark so it works out just fine. In the rare times it happens in public, or in the morning he won’t fall asleep but he’s a bit spacey for about thirty minutes.

[the-midnight-feline]

¤¸¸.•´¯`•¸¸.•..>> So this piece is actually part of the Piliin mo ang Pilipinas Collab event hosted by @lumpiang-toge, you guys should seriously check this out since the works posted there are such good reads ❤️️<<..•.¸¸•´¯`•.¸¸¤

this is the first time i've joined a collab, (ngl i thought i was waaay in over my head lol) i'd like to thank a friend of mine, Dylan, (won't tag his blog just cause, loves you for reading it !) thanks so much for the encouraging words ❤️ and of course Mama Rae (@hq-girl-next-door) for the advice on the banner**❤️

**For the banner I did, I took the image from pinterest, if you guys know who the artist is, please let me know so I could properly give credit to them :)

Tags/TW: Mutual pinning-ish, friends to lovers, fluff to angst, Cheating, swearing (I think theres one or two in there)

(A/N: Please don't get too confused /-\, the italic parts is you recollecting the past, it comes and goes (。♡‿♡。))

WC: 3.8k ;-; didn't know it get that long

Pairings: Tendou Satori x fem!Reader

Summary: It all started with a simple crush, you wouldn't have guessed that it'll be more than that, It was a dream come true to loved and be loved by the person you loved, but not all dreams end good, some end as a nightmare.

“You like the Guess Monster, like THE Guess Monster?!?!” your friends shouted in unison, looking at them frantically as you’re in the gym watching the guys warm up for a practice match and the way they shouted had the sounds of balls hitting the floor just below where your group sat, you willed yourself to look at the who were the people below you guys trying repress the blush you feel creeping on your cheeks, swallowing that lump on your throat as you peaked just a little over the ledge and saw his red hair. Internally cussing out your so-called friends, you tired to act like you calm and collected as he was looking up at the bleachers, maybe trying to guess which one in your group, who was also looking over at whoever heard them, liked him, shaking his head, chuckling toward Ushijima and Semi who was already making their way to the court to get this warm up started.

A single tear began rolling down your cheek as you remembered how it all began, your friends’ sudden outburst in the gym gave you the opportunity to talk to the guy you’ve been crushing on when you first saw him in the opening ceremony just something about him drew you to him and you were adamant on getting to, at the least, know him. Sitting on the floor of your shared bedroom, opening the memory box you and your husband made a few months after you started dating.

Semi knew your friend, he actually liked her and from that outburst of theirs at the gym, he 89immediately thought of a way to hit two birds with one stone. “hey, y/f/n, I heard you guys at the bleachers, sooo” scratching he neck out of shyness “which of your friends like our Tendou? Maybe we could setup a date or something?" He really liked your friend and would honestly do anything to get her on a date, she pointed to you, the quiet in of the group, usually the source of rationality and guidance, the one that acts like the mediator of the group. You really always kept to yourself, didn’t really want to attract attention towards yourself. Semi was skeptical at first, you the quiet, shy girl of the class liked that loud ass friend of his? Maybe y/f/n was pulling his leg, she can’t be serious.

A bitter laugh escapes your lips as the memory of your first date comes crashing on you as see the pressed flower from the little hole in the wall café near the school, Semi was the one that found that café and planned every detail of the date.

As you and your friend were walking towards the café Semi told her about, you were itching to just keep hitting your friends back “why the hell did you fucking agree to this?!!” you hissed at your friend, you were practically shooting daggers at her for saying yes on your behalf and you didn’t even know what she agreed to but she told you to get dolled up, silly you, thinking that it’ll be just a girls day out, but peering over her shoulder as your guys walk out of the dorm, you see her texting Semi, thinking maybe it was him asking for notes since they were in the same class. She led you to this small café and you guys sat at a corner booth, making you sit inside by the wall, you really thought nothing of it, until you saw that distinctive red hair bounding towards your booth. Your palms got a tad sweaty, nerves getting the best of you, a million thoughts racing in your mind that you didn’t notice that the Tendou Satori was there taking the seat opposite of you in the booth, the ever infectious smile directed towards you and you alone. Seeing as you and Satori were basically having a silent conversation with just your smiles, Semi and your friend made a discreet exit and left you two be. Little did you know, he often saw you around, he knows you like shounen jump as much as he does since he sees you go to the store he usually goes to, he knows what snacks you liked since he usually goes out at the middle of the night to get some snacks of his own at the convenience store around the corner. He sees you in the library with your nose buried in some book when he follows Semi there just to annoy him. Tendou didn’t tell anybody about the girl he liked from afar, he knew he’d scare you off, no one wanted to date a Monster, or that’s what he thought.

Looking back, that impromptu date was what started the relationship with Satori, a soft sob escapes your lips as tears gently fall on the first picture you have together, he suddenly rang you up and asked you to go to the mall with him. In the picture, he had his arm wrapped around your shoulder while you were hugging his waist tightly, seemingly scared that being with him was a dream you don’t want to wake up from.

Getting out of the shower, you hear your phone ring from under your pillow, confused as to who might that be since it was an unknown number calling you, curious you answered it. “hey y/n! I know it’s kinda out of the blue but, you wanna go to the mall with me?” shock was evident in your body, it was Tendou! Your thoughts was scrambling, you know you didn’t get a chance to give him your number before you guys parted ways on your first meeting since Coach Washijo made Ushijima contact both guys for a weekend practice. You knew the coach was a hot head and would make anymore run 50 laps if they were late and that was a few weeks ago, a worried Tendou called out to you again “uh…y/n? If you have other plans I totally under-“ blinking back to the present “I’d love to go! Lemme get ready and I’ll meet you down” you cut him off midsentence hearing a small chuckle at the other line “don’t make me wait too long ok?” he said in a teasing tone which made you giggle on the line “yes, yes Satori, I’ll hang up so I could get ready ok? See you!” it took every ounce of self-control to not shriek the whole conversation, once he hung up you were practically jumping on your bed out of pure joy, but then you remembered that he’ll be waiting, you quickly snapped out of it and looked through your dresser for a decent outfit for going out with Tendou, you quickly settled with a simple get up of a long sleeved shirt and pants with some sneakers on, you excitedly exited your room, to meet up with Tendou, hoping you haven’t made him wait too long, turning the last corner you see him outside your dorm, almost wearing the same thing as you, even the color of your shoes match, biting your lip to stop a stupid smile from taking over you walk up behind him, gently poking his side, his sudden jump made you giggle as he took in all of you, a smile makes its way on his lips and eyes as he himself lets out a chuckle. “y/n? Are you copying me?” shaking your head, letting a small laugh out “Satori, please you’re the one copying me here” he just shook his out of amusement when he saw the glint of teasing in your eyes before he offended his arm to you like a gentleman would, the small action made you faint blush.

You two spent the day just walking around the mall, just browsing from store to store, having just a blast at all the random comments he makes, the last stop you guys make was the arcade, you guys played all sorts of games, air hockey, tried your luck at a pachinko machine and Tendou even tried the basketball game, which he surprisingly good at that he won a lot of tickets getting you a small rubiks cube, but near the back of the arcade something caught your eye, a purikura, Tendou saw where your eyes went and with a small smile he took your hand and walked towards the machine, and ushered you in the booth, he felt at comfortable around you, he would’ve never guessed that you were a crack head like, random outbursts of ideas and thoughts spouted from you made him laugh as you spent time together. He quickly wrapped an arm around your shoulder, pulling you close to him, a flash went off, that was the first shot, with the blush creeping on your cheeks you hid your face under your hair and hugged him another flash went off, that was the second shot, he tipped you head up, making you look at him, his infectious smile directed at you as another flash went off, and the last shot was of him kissing your forehead. You were left speechless after that whole scenario, seemingly in a dazed as he guided you out and grab the prints of the photos. That’s how you guys ended the date, he held your hand in his all the way back to the dorms, placing a chaste kiss on your cheek as you parted ways.

Rummaging further through the memory box, you see all the mementos you both kept from your dates, a few fallen leaves, a couple of pretty rocks, stickers, napkins, flowers, pictures, the cork from the bottle of champagne you drank at your wedding. More tears fell from your eyes as you dug through all the stuff in the box, who knew you both collected a lot of things in just a couple of years. What made you sob so hard was the acceptance letters you both got when you were selected as the few students for the incoming year.

A few months before graduation, you both got accepted into a culinary school in Tokyo, you were ecstatic as this means you and Tendou could get a place together since your parents already gave you two a small amount to get a place near the school so you two could still practice and create new dishes together, it was really no surprise to your friends or the whole volleyball team that you two would get into culinary school, you’ve always had a thing for cooking, you’d often come their practices with some bento boxes for all of the guys so they don’t have to go out and spend for food, on the weekends, the kitchen was his domain he’d let you watch him bake and oftentimes let you help him out. It’s often that the whole group get together during the weekends, you cooking for them while Tendou makes that dessert. For some reason, they got jealous of how your relationship started, it was as if all the pieces just fell into place at the right time, you two together just seemed right like you two were always suppose to be with each other. There’s always been a carefree air around him, it calmed you down so much that it helped you be more open or that’s how you saw it. You were the opposite of him always worrying, always, over thinking, being overly critical of your actions and how you overwhelmed with everything so you turned to anything that’ll help you divert your mind but once he was in your life it just got easier. He voice would immediately calm the voices spewing negative thoughts I had your head.

Looking around your room, you see pictures of you together, your graduation picture, the picture of you guys on the front of the school, the picture of your guys graduating culinary school, a photo of you two at the restaurant where you two both apprenticed and next to that was the candid shot of his proposal there, a mix of joy and hurt shoot through you as you the memory come rushing back to you.

The way he sheepishly confessed that he asked the manager if he could do his proposal there and invite your family and friends for that surprise. “Hey y/n, come with me, a customer just complained about the sauce you made being too salty, I’m not taking blame for that!” an angry chef came shouting at you, shocked and anxiousness dunning through you, you timidly follow behind him, thinking how you could screw up a simple sauce like that, your thoughts were everywhere, but once you stepped outside the kitchen you noted that the dining area was dimmer then usual, but maybe that’s because you’re used to the bright lights of the kitchen, you hear a soft melody playing, it’s one of your favourite songs ‘I Choose' you’ve always related that song to your relationship. On the far wall you see photos of you together, looking around you see familiar faces, his and your parents, your friends, the Shiratorizawa boys were there even the coach came!

The euphoria you felt from having everyone who had been part of your relationship through the ups and downs just had you in tears, your head was fuzzy with the mix of a dozen emotions swirling in you, through a blur of tears you see him kneeling in front of you, he let out a huff of breath to calm his nerves before asking you the question “y/n, my love, my baby, my better half, my paradise. You’ve stuck by my side through my highs and lows, loved me unconditionally, took care of me whenever I got sick, urged me to follow my dreams, guided me into being a better guy, especially with my chocolate making you supported my dreams like no other can, you, you made my world complete, you made me feel things I haven’t felt in a long time, you gave me your heart to cherish and protect. You made my life whole” the words flowed out of his mouth so freely, every word making more tears come out of you, every word so heartfelt, with shakey hands we presented you a pear cut yellow emerald ring “My Paradise, would you do me the honor of being my paradise for eternity?” no words could express how happy you were nodding your head, trying to stop happy tears from falling a hushed ‘yes’ slips past you lips as he stands to slip the ring on your left hand, pulling you in for a tight hug, whispering endless I love you’s and thank you in your ears as the people around you cheered for the newly engaged couple.

Biting back another sob, you feel fresh tears streaming down your cheeks as your eyes land on your wedding photo above the bed, he loved you enough to marry you, he was yours and you were his, you can’t help but stare at the framed photo, he had that infectious smile of his that made you fall from him the day you saw him. He has you up in his arms as your arms were wrapped around his neck, pecking a sweet kiss on his cheek. You asked him many times if he’d like to blowup another photo from your wedding, he simply shook his head and wrapped you up in his arms “you’re perfect in any picture of us, but in that one you look like the most perfect human being in existence and I’m just lucky to have you in my life” you basked in his love and affection on those simple words pulling him closer and burying you face on his chest, inhaling his sweet scent “I’m lucky to have you Tori, lucky to be called your wife” placing a chaste kiss on his chest as you look up to him with love-struck eyes. This was it you guys moved countries after your wedding to France since Tendou was offered a job at a famous pâtisserie there, all you wanted was your husband happy, wherever you guys may be.

You never really cared where you two were, as long as you were together, you could get lessons on the French cuisine as Tendou works, that was the plan before you guys flew out. You worked hard to learn the basics, you’d often have Tendou taste test all your creations and you’ll you the same for him since he likes to experiment with different flavor combinations, things were great the first few months of moving cross countries, you enrolled in a cooking classes there to build up your repertoire and after a few weeks of learning a few new techniques you've decided to look around for places you could work at just to keep your body busy again. You've decorated the apartment the way you liked it and how you think Tendou would like it, just adding different odds and ends giving it a familiar vibe. This place was your starting ground.

When you got a job at the nearby bistro, Tendou didn’t really mind it, since he’d often come home a bit later then usual saying something along the lines of making things in the experiment lab with the other chocolatiers at the shop to have something new for the upcoming season, in turn you thought nothing of it since you do work nights after getting a gig in a restaurant in town as well, it also means you could still have time to make his dinner and keep it warm for when he gets home. You two actually got into an argument when you got that gig since Tendou was adamant about keeping you in the apartment after the morning shift at the bistro so you don’t work yourself too hard, he wanted to start thinking about getting a kitten to keep you company when he’s out working but you argued back that you didn’t wanna feel like mooching off of him even though he said it was fine, he loved coming home to a warm meal that you made with love and gets more time to spend with you, but he did cave in after a few bats of your eyelashes.

It was perfect, you both were doing what you were passionate about, you two scheduled your offs near each other’s so one could take care of each other after a long day. But there was this weird feeling creeping in you but you simply don’t know why it was there, you and Tendou always kept communication open since you two do work different shifts and that itself puts a strain in the relationship but you two made it work. You loved him. So you would really sacrifice anything for him, he had have a rough childhood, he was bullied cause he looked different, acted different, but he wasn’t like that for you, he never was, even though he had a wicked sense for things which really surprised you, you can’t even hide a gift from him cause he knew what you’d get him or more likely sense what you’ll give him.

You don’t tell him that you swapped shifts with someone so you technically have a day off so you decided to drop by the pâtisserie where Tendou worked with some home made Pan Bagnat since it was nearing lunch, as you were close to the shop you saw his figure near the window placing new confections on display, but something made you stop, another person, a female chocolatier, was hugging him from behind and not in a friendly way, there was familiarity to it, it looked as if she’s been hugging him for so long, like she’s always hugged him, you didn’t notice that you’ve dropped the basket you were holding on the sidewalk, the glass bottle shattering on impact, the sangria spilling on the pavement, the sandwich you made, making a mess, the fruits you packed rolling in every direction. People around gasped at the scene, some tried to help in picking up the fruits that escaped, your mind in thought again, maybe you just interpreted it wrongly they’re just so so close, like a brother and sister kinda way, since they both work in the shop, you simply jumped to conclusions too fast, those thought completely vanished as the next sight you saw.

She kissed him. SHE KISSED HIM!! Your mind played that in your head like it was a song played on a loop. That was what made your heart break, that was the tipping point, he didn’t push her away, it was the opposite, he pulled her closer, the way he held her mirrored how he would hold you when he came home from work, people around you were asking you things trying to snap you out of your trance but you paid no mind to them, your legs moving on their own.

It was as if you were on autopilot, you got home, your mind racing with so many thoughts, how long had that been going on? Is she why he’d come home later than usual, is she the reason he had woken up earlier to get to work everyday? Did he spend his days off with her when you suddenly get shifts? Walking into your apartment, you didn’t know what to think, how to feel, how to make sense of things more questions come into your mind. Does he bring her here? Did they do anything sexual in the place you called home? What places were safe? Did she please him better than I did? You walked into your bedroom where the memory box laid in the middle of bed. It was your first wedding anniversary, did he really forget? Your anniversary was engraved on your wedding rings with your initials on it.

A scream of agony escaped your lips as everywhere you looked at it was all you and him the very place you thought was the safest of all was not. It's tainted with infidelity, your heart broke even more as you took the box from the bed with shaking hands contemplating on whether to open the box or not, he loved you with every part of him didn’t he? You were enough weren’t you? You made sure he was satisfied right? You gave him all the love you could and even more right? Didn’t he promise you that he’d protect your heart? You're still his paradise right? He loves you right?

Maybe opening the box, and finding something that you both placed in there would make him rethink his choices right? With broken sobs and uneven breathing, your fingers shaking as you pulled the pretty red ribbon that held the lid shut, looking at all the things that you both collected that reminded you both that you loved each other you broke even more. Every one of them held the promise of love, of fidelity, of trust. But now, a part of you is doubting every word that passed his lips, every kiss that landed on your skin made you feel dirty, every I love you's he uttered seems like a lie. You didn’t want to feel that way, you love him with every part of your being, you’re THE Mrs. Satori Tendou, no one else but you had that title, just you, it was only you right? You were his paradise for eternity right? Right?

★──────────★───────────────★─────────★

I hope you guys liked this, I actually really liked working on this one(played my brokenhearts plays it nonstop for it) , but I do have another one coming so...yeah!

Song inspiration :Anong Nangyari Sa Ating Dalawa by Aiza Seguerra

Song used in the proposal I Choose by Alessia Cara

[spices-and-cherries]

Nailpolish Headcanons:

Benoit Blanc, Joe Bang, James Bond, Jake Lonergan, Prof. Fluke Kelso

I got the idea in my head not too long ago and this was the end product. I hope you enjoy!

I did not reference race, gender, sexuality, or physical appearance. If I missed something, please let me know so I can change it!

Masterlist:

Benoit Blanc:

Color: mustard yellow, baby blue

- He’d let you do it only if you’re really bored and he has nothing better to do.

- He’ll let you choose which color because he trusts your judgement and wants to be surprised.

- The first time you do it, he messes it up almost immediately because he didn’t realize how long it would take to dry. He apologized profusely and asked if you’d “be so kind enough as to fix it” for him.

- Absolutely coordinates his ties with his nails for the rest of the week.

- He will gush inside if you paint his nails so they match with yours. 

- If anyone has any rude comments, he just chuckles as he tells them that his lovely darling did them for him. If he gets any compliments, he’s sure to pass them along to you. 

- However, for the sake of being professional, it’s super rare that he’ll let you do his hands - but his toes are free real estate!

- Not surprisingly, he does your nails perfectly on the first try. He’s more than happy to do your toes during the few lazy days you have together. He finds that it’s both a great way to unwind and spend quality time together.

10/10 - You’ve bonded a lot and besides, nothing’s wrong in enjoying the simple pleasures together, is there?

Joe Bang:

Color: dark blue glitter, white

- He was a bit hesitant at first when you said that he’d have to let them dry, but he quickly forgot about that when he saw how many colors you had to choose from.

- When his restlessness starts to annoy you, he tells you that if you sat on his lap, maybe he’d learn to sit still. The trick is actually to turn on the TV because he’ll be too busy paying attention to that than you.

- His brothers got both super excited and jealous when they saw his nails and practically begged you to do theirs. Joe wasn’t very happy when you agreed to do them. 

- By the end of the first week, it doesn’t matter if it was his toes or nails painted because they’re so chipped, it’s worrisome. 

- Within days, he’ll have figured out how to make a bomb in three different ways with polish, but gets super pouty when you won’t let him sacrifice your collection in the name of science. 

- It takes a lot of time and determination on his part to learn how to paint your nails reasonably well. But you don’t mind because - not that you’d ever tell him - but he looks adorable when he concentrates so hard.  

- If you match your nails to his, he’ll get so cocky you have to threaten to wipe it off if he doesn’t keep it in his pants.

6.5/10 - The polish never lasts and is a big baby about the whole thing. At least he lets you do his hands?

James Bond:

Color: black, ruby red

- The first time you ask, he chuckles, genuinely amused by the idea. When you pout, he somehow convinces you to let him do yours instead. Of course, the first time he tries it, it’s perfect. Turns out, he’s done it before. 

- It’ll take a lot of convincing for him to give in and let you have at it. Jokes on him, he actually ends up liking the end product a lot more than he thought he would. 

- It takes you a while to convince him to let you do it yourself and not a professional. Though he will insist on taking you anyway.

- Instead of matching his clothes to his nails (like Blanc), he matches his nails to his clothes. 

- His female co-workers immediately notice the difference and are intrigued. He just passes it off as normal. 

- Sometimes, you’ll do your nails together - especially when the two of you are getting ready for a party and you don’t have time to do his as well. He prefers it when you do it though.

- If your nails don’t match on dates, he gets a bit worried that you’re mad at him. He understands that red doesn’t match with any of your outfit, but why aren’t you wearing it anyway?

- As soon as a nail chips, he acts like a big baby and makes you fix it. 

- Someone talks shit about the nails you did for him, he will make them regret it vehemently whether it’s with a witty remark or a bullet in their head (depending on who it was).

9/10 - He gets too pouty and possessive, but it’s still endearing. 

Jake Lonergan:

Color: clear, maroon

- He literally will only let you do it with color on his hands once. If you insist on doing his finger nails again, he wants the polish to be clear. 

- He’s a bit more lenient when it comes to his toes. 

- If there’s one thing he doesn’t mind, it’s sitting still, but heaven forbid he actually waits for it to dry. He simply has no patience for that. 

- He enjoys playing with your hands, so he prefers painting your nails instead of the other way around. He finds it super relaxing and he gets very good at it very quickly. 

- If you do your nails in his favorite color or if you match your toes, he gets super smug. 

- Most of the time, he’d rather enjoy watching you paint your nails because then he can have his arms wrapped around you without worrying if he’s going to mess them up. 

- If someone were to say anything about his nailpolish, he’d reply with a shrug and something about how his partner did it for him.

3/10 - He just doesn’t want his nails done. 

Prof. Fluke Kelso:

Color: forest green, clear

- He only want color on his toes - he’s just more comfortable that way. 

- At first, he doesn’t like it, but as time goes by, he prefers having his toes done to not. 

- He hates the smell with a passion, which was one of the reasons why he was dubious about it at first.

- When he goes to a salon for the first time, you had to drag him there. He loved it so much that he ends up dragging you there the second time. 

- When he discovered nail art, his world transformed. He physically can’t go to a salon and not ask for a fun design. 

- He’s a bit clumsy at doing your nails. The end product always looks great, but he has a lot of cleaning up to do. 

- For the holidays, he gets you whatever colors you know you’ve been wanting or have run out of. He might even get you some stuff to the nail art with. 

- If someone has something to say about his nails, he’d reply by saying how lucky he is to actually have someone in his life, much less who’d do his nails. 

10/10 - His curious nature got the better of him and how he’s hooked. It’s adorable, really. 

I had a lot of fun with this, so I hope you all enjoyed reading it!

- Simpy

[plush-rabbit]

SFW Alphabet - Atsuhiro Sako

A: Affection (How affectionate are they with a s/o?)

Atsuhiro is quite affectionate. He constantly has a hand on his significant other commonly located on their hand, back and even thigh if they’re sitting close to each other. He’s a gentleman; if you’re cold- he’s draping his jacket over you and brining you close to him. He loves to peck at your cheek and nuzzle into the curve of your neck.

B: Breath (What could their s/o do to take their breath away?)

Since he lost his arm in a rather gruesome way moments after witnessing a close friend get murdered, he often times has nightmares and phantom pains. He’s absolutely going to go silent and possibly stop breathing if you were to wake up and comfort him. It’ll take a long time of trust and partnership but if you were to massage at the residual limb or rub oils on it, he’s going to fall deeper in love.

C: Cuddling (Do they cuddle? If they do, how and when do they cuddle?)

He’s okay with cuddling. He either likes to stretch out or lay completely still in his sleep so cuddling kind of messes that up a bit. If he were to cuddle, it would be right before bed where you’re curled up on his side or he’s resting on your chest. Cuddles are usually most prominent after nightmares or before or after missions. He mostly prefers to stay awake and admire you.

D: Dream (What do they dream of doing with their s/o?)

He dreams of one day to just take you out to a really nice restaurant. Those types where you have to make reservation and everything on the menu is overpriced but it’s fine because he got to take you out and treat you to something that he’s been planning since you two began dating. He just wants to make you feel good for at least a night where he can stare at you and eat.

E: Effort (How much effort do they put into a relationship?)

He puts in a fair amount of effort. He does his best to get you gifts that he knows you’ll like or need. He wants to make sure that you know you’re loved and will you remind you every time you happen to be feeling down. Often times, he’ll even go old school and get you flowers and a box of candy that you like.

F: Fear (What do they do if their s/o is scared? How do they handle it?)

You help him out during his bad dreams- he’s going to do his best to comfort you. He’s a showman at heart, exaggerated and talkative. He’s going to just talk until you fall back asleep. He’ll talk nonsense most times, trying to get your mind off of the fear, but the further you go into the relationship and sleep- he’ll talk about himself and his dreams. If the fear is something tangible, he’ll do his best to take care of but if it’s an emotional of psychological response to a trigger, he’s removing you from the situation.

G: Gifts (What type of gifts do they give their s/o? Do they want a gift in return?)

His gifts are old school, most often flowers and a box of candy, making both items appear out of thin air and he has this wide, arrogant grin when he hands them to you. Sometimes, he’ll also get you things that you need or were eyeing earlier. If it’s a big date, he’s going to make you something or give you something of great value.

H: Hugs (Do they hug their s/o? How often?)

Atsuhiro hugs quite often but only in private areas. He’s going to have a hand on you and often kiss you in public but hugs to him are bit more intimate. He likes to lean on you, and press his face into your shoulders or crook of your neck and just rest there, taking a moment to just breathe.

I: Intimacy (How romantic are they? Do they have problems with intimacy?)

He’s fairly romantic. He knows when to turn on the charm and smile wide with his pearly whites showing. He always tries to put his best foot forward with you and will never come off as crude. He likes to think he does well with intimacy. He isn’t all that frightened of it but he is cautious of it and little gestures speak much louder than larger ones.

J: Jealous (Do they get jealous? How do they act when jealous?)

He rarely gets jealous. He trusts you enough to know that you wouldn’t chest on him. He’ll only get jealous if someone seems to be a bit too close to you- whether they’re flirting or teasing you, it’s all the same in his eyes. He immediately interjects and if it’s someone that has no real significance to what he does, he’ll marbleize them. But if they are part of the cause, then he’s just removing you from the situation or marbleizing them but placing them in a different room.

K: Kiss (Are they a good kisser? Do they like to kiss? How often do they try to kiss you?)

He’s a good kisser. He’s attractive and was able to keep a low profile for some time that allowed him to date and whatnot. He loves to kiss, loves to peck or pepper, loves to hold you close while he his tongue peeks out and licks at your bottom lip. He kisses often, public kisses are chaste while private kisses are slow and sensual.

L: Love (When do they say they love you? How often do they say it? Do they prefer to say or show it?)

The word appears later in the relationship. Possibly comes after you help him out of a nightmare and it’s whispered out in the in between of sleep and consciousness. He says it quite often, picking you up and peppering you in kisses and prefers to show it with gifts or little reminders that he knows- favorite popsicle flavor, favorite chip brand, etc.

M: Marriage (Do they want to get married? If so, what kind of ceremony?)

Maybe. He doesn’t necessarily want it since he loves you and is confident that the relationship doesn’t need something legal to recognize it but he does like hearing the term “husband” roll off your tongue. If he were, the ceremony would be small but extravagant. And brightly colored.

N: Night Out (What type of dates do they like to go on? How often do they like to go on them?)

He likes to keep dates relatively simple. If it was an important occasion, he’s going to put effort into it. He’ll probably cook something and serve it at candlelight and gift you something during it or make sure that you’re dolled up. He likes to go on them at least twice a month. They don’t have to be anything big, simplicity works fine since he just wants to spend time with you.

O: Out of the Ordinary (What’s something they don’t normally do with/for their s/o?)

There isn’t anything he isn’t willing to do for you, if you ask and jut your bottom lip out; he’s going to say yes to whatever you want. He will probably have limits early on the relationship but he’ll still try to make you happy to the best of his ability.

P: Playful (Are they playful in a relationship? If so, how do they play around/mess with their s/o?)

He’s quite playful. He loves making you laugh and will often tease you by marbleizing or hiding something of yours. He’s quite tall so he’s also going to hold things over your head and tease you. Be prepared to hear jokes if you’re feeling or looking a bit glum.

Q: Questions (Do they ask their s/o their opinion on things? Do they share theirs?)

It’s expected that you’re going to offer your opinions to him. He wants to make sure that whatever he does- whether it is using his quirk, an outfit, or anything new that he’s trying, he wants to make sure that it’s satisfactory. He’s going to say his opinions if you ask. Sometimes they’ll just blurt out but for the most part, he’ll wait for your approval.

R: Random (How spontaneous is their relationship? Do they do things on the spot or plan ahead?)

There are moments in the relationship where it can become spontaneous. He prefers to plan dates ahead but in his line of work there’s only so much planning that can be done. Spontaneous dates are fun because they just happen and you two will usually use that time to just be together.

S: Sleep (How do they sleep with their s/o?)

Atsuhiro sleeps one of two ways; he’s either sprawled out on the bed or sleeps on his back which means you’re either curled up at his side or you’re sleeping on him because that’s the only place you can fit. If you sleep on him, he won’t move and will throw an arm around you in the middle of the night.

T: Trust (How much do they trust their s/o?)

He places a lot of trust in you the longer the relationship lasts. He’d place his entire life in your hands and would have this earnest look as he says it. The trust builds up gradually, at first it’s just him removing the mask and then the balaclava mask and then letting you take care of him during a nightmare to massaging at the residual limb.

U: Unique (What makes them unique as an s/o?)

Given who he is and his quirk, it’s very useful at getting you gifts that you like but are unable to get for various reasons. He likes to surprise you and will be giddy about it but will still try to make you guess before he reveals what he got you. He’s still a showman after all.

V: Vulnerable (How long until they can be vulnerable around their s/o? What are they like in this state?)

It takes a long time- about the same time as saying “I love you”.  He’s a bit sensitive and doesn’t necessarily want you to see him in agony- both mentally or physically. The nightmare was just a slip that he hadn’t expected but you seeing him without the prosthetic or seeing his downplayed personality is less common and only done when he wants to be taken care of for a bit.

W: Wild Card (Random headcanon)

A lot of his jokes are puns are dad ones. He’s funny but it’s also the sort of you’re-the-worst type of laughter where you’re clutching your stomach and it’s just so unbearably funny but also not.

X: X-Ray (What would they do if their s/o got injured?)

If his significant other were to be harmed, he’s immediately nullifying the threat. He’s quick on his feet, almost managed to get the jump on Overhaul if he weren’t injected with the drug. He’s calm and thinks clearly. And he’s silent. That’s probably the most noticeable change to him, not a single taunt is uttered as he goes straight for the kill.

Y: Yuck (Do they have any pet peeves about their s/o? Are there any habits that might bother their s/o?)

You need to have manners and good personal hygiene. He understands if you have a mental illness that gets in the ways of that but he’ll still try to make you take care of yourself. For you, it’s more so that he’s exaggerated. There’s nothing wrong with it and you love his quirks but he can’t ever seem to find the right time to tone it down until it’s too late. If it gets in the way of missions, you’re usually the one who has to pull him back on the right track.

Z: Zeal (Are they passionate as a s/o? Do they want or like passion?)

Atsuhiro is rather passionate. He wants you to know that you’re loved and will show the zest as much as he’s able to. He’s true to you before and after the vulnerability, confident in what he does and how he treats you. He always tries to make sure that the relationship doesn’t lose that zest.

[lovelyirony]

Teacher AU + Established Relationship with WinterIron?

Every single year, there was one notable relationship that caused multiple news articles to be written, memes to be created, and eyes to roll, and that was the rivalry of one Tony Carbonell and Bucky Barnes. 

It had started when Tony had transferred from a fancy school to theirs, and had surprised everyone by being outlandishly funny, refusing to follow any sort of rule that he didn’t like, and annoying the hell out of Mr. Barnes. 

This included: 

Stealing all of Mr. Barnes’ good Expo markers and replacing them all with only yellow ones. 

Waiting until Mr. Barnes left and completely switching their classrooms around, leading to a week of confusion and desks to run into. 

Moving Mr. Barnes’ desk an inch a week, until it was nearly at the front, and Mr. Barnes didn’t notice because he’s the most unobservant man you will ever see before coffee. 

Rating Mr. Barnes’ gym outfits on a scoring system of one through ten, and it is likely Highly Inappropriate but everyone finds it hilarious when Tony gives an interview to the student news crew about why some outfits received low scores. 

It was a rivalry, from the way that Mr. Barnes would yell “Tony!” after finding something in his office to the way that Tony would hang off of his shoulders, saying “well honestly darling, you do love me, don’t you?” 

Some students are convinced that they would actually make a remarkable couple, and in fact, it is the goal of a group of seniors. 

MJ Watson, Peter Parker, Harley Keener, Ned Leeds, and Betty Brant are all quite convinced that Mr. Carbonell and Mr. Barnes just need a relationship. 

Well really, exclude MJ. She’s just there for the entertainment of it. 

It’s senior year, which means they have a limited time window to get their plans to fruition. They will also need help of teachers, maybe. 

“No, they might report us for misconduct,” Betty says with a frown. “Plus, what if they find our attempts entertaining and tell them?” 

“You are the smartest person I know,” Ned says, grinning. “You’re incredible.” 

“Can you. Maybe. Stop being so sappy on main?” Harley asks. “But fine, no teachers. What’s our first plan of attack? I vote for a lock-in at the gym office. I have it with Peter third period, I say I need to get something and go back and lock them in.” 

“Sounds good,” Peter says. “But what happens if they just fight?” 

“They won’t,” Harley says. “It would be unprofessional.” 

- 

They do not count on Mr. Barnes knowing how to kick down a door. 

“How do you know how to do that?” Peter asks, awe in his voice. 

“Classified,” Mr. Barnes answers. “Now, I don’t know who did that…” There’s a direct look to Harley, but nothing else, “but do not try to lock me into my own office or anyone else’s. There’s only so much you can do if you don’t like me.” 

“What, feeling bad that you got trapped with me?” Mr. Carbonell asks, batting his eyelashes. “You could’ve just said you wanted a more secluded place, darling.” 

“Not in front of the kids,” Mr. Barnes says roughly, but fondly smiling. 

Fondly. 

Peter writes that in his notebook. Betty and MJ will most definitely want to know this. 

- 

The next plan also fails, unfortunately. 

Ned has the idea of having them volunteer on a senior trip, because they would be the best chaperones possible. 

At least, until they both gang up on the group and yell at them for trying to dump Flash in the lake. 

“What are you, crazy?” Mr. Barnes yells. “He could’ve been seriously hurt!” 

“He would’ve been fine,” Ned whispers. 

Mr. Carbonell is trying very hard to quell the situation, and utters the one thing that he never utters: 

“James, enough,” he says sternly. Expression devoid of any joy or amusement. “They know better, and now we just need to focus on finding some extra clothes for Thompson here. Let’s go.” 

There’s silence for a moment until MJ looks up from her most recent read. 

“Your first name isn’t Bucky?” 

That diffuses at least some of the tension, and Ned shoots Harley a look. 

There’s more to this that they don’t know about. 

- 

There is a break where they do not attempt anything, and this directly is because of break coming up. 

The year still goes on, with many botched attempt. 

Then it’s their last chance: The End of the Year Senior Treat. 

Their school throws it every year, and Mr. Barnes and Mr. Carbonell go every single year. No one knows what happens besides maybe a water slide and dinner is provided. 

“This is our last shot,” Peter says. “It’s either that or we visit after graduation, and I’m not dedicating myself to that.” 

“So what’s our plan?” 

“We be honest,” Peter says. 

“That’s the worst plan in the history of plans,” Betty says. “Who the hell wants anyone to be honest?” 

“It’s not like we’re running a political campaign, it’ll be fine,” Harley responds. “Now, let’s plan.” 

- 

They don’t need a plan. They have one, but they don’t need it. 

Because at the very last day, it is revealed that a.) the two teachers are married. 

b.) It’s to each other. 

“What?” Peter says. “How? Why? When?” 

“Slow down, you might choke on air,” Mr. Barnes says. “Is it really so surprising?” 

“Yes,” MJ says, not even looking up. “You always have an exasperated look on your face.” 

“It was to keep himself from laughing,” Mr. Carbonell says, grinning. “This guy is a soft teddy bear.” 

“I wouldn’t call an ex-Special Forces man a teddy bear,” Harley says, raising an eyebrow. “So why not just tell people?” 

“It’s the best way to surprise the seniors,” Mr. Barnes answers. “Plus, we enjoy the antics of you guys this year. Nice touch on the interviews, Betty.” 

She goes scarlet. 

- 

In retrospect, they can see it. The way that Mr. Barnes never really scolded Mr. Carbonell for anything, the way that they would always be in each other’s spaces at any school event. 

They also drove together to school unless Mr. Barnes brought his motorcycle. 

“It was in front of us the whole time,” Ned says, eyes wide. “Oh my god.” 

Peter looks towards Mr. Carbonell and Mr. Barnes at graduation, who are talking to someone’s relatives. He smiles. 

“Who wants to bet that next year’s seniors will have a plan like ours?” 

[idnek83]

Can u write something about soudam wedding?

I’m sorry this took like 3 weeks to answer, but here you go: 4.3k word worth of Soudam wedding ramblings.

(This is for a western style wedding by the way)

Wedding Planning

Neither of them know what they’re doing, cus neither of them ever really spent much time thinking about weddings growing up, much less their own weddings lol

So one day, after they’re engaged, they’re just hanging out with some friends. They’re on a couch, Soda’s laying with his head in Gundham’s lap, just vibing, then their friends start asking about what they have planned. They both kind of look at each other and shrug, cus they have planned literally nothing, they just know they kind of want to get married on their anniversary, but that’s really all they’ve got lol.

Sonia like presses them for ideas cus they must have at least some idea of what they want, right?

Soda looks up at Gundham and is like ‘probably lots of black stuff, yeah?’

Gundham nods and looks down at him ‘perhaps with vibrant accents in your preferred colors as well?’

Soda’s like ‘Oooh and we could have like an animal theme maybe?? OH! OR A ROBOT ANIMAL THEME????’ and Gundhams just like ‘whatever makes you happy’ and they throw out a couple more terrible ideas while Sonia silently suffers lol.

Eventually they’re laughing at their own stupid ideas and Sonia is just glad they actually realize their ideas were dumb and they didn’t seriously want a goth robot hamster ice sculpture lol. They admit they don’t super care how it all goes down, they both just want to get married and have fun with all their friends at the reception.

Sonia offers to take care of the planning and stuff with her team of professionals (Yes she has a team on wedding planners okay, she’s the kind of person who has been planning her wedding since she was 9 and also she’s a princess so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). She seems really excited and Soda and Gundham really don’t know what they’re doing so they agree to let her handle it as long as they get the final say on things. She immediately starts rambling about all her ideas and Soda and Gundham just kind of chuckle and smile at each other.

 Suit shopping

Fuyuhiko takes them suit shopping. They go together, they aren’t too concerned about keeping their outfits a secret from each other and they figure it’ll be fun to watch each other try on all kind of different things. Sonia comes too of course.

They start kind of idlily browsing sample suits (they’re getting custom suits made, Fuyuhiko wouldn’t hear otherwise) and Sonia asks what kind of suits they’d like to see each other in. They both stop and look at each other, and Fuyu rolls his eyes cus they’re just blatantly checking each other out lol.

Eventually Soda shrugs and is like “I don’t really care. As long as I get to see Gundham looking hot as hell in a tux I’m good with whatever” and Gundham kind of tilts his head and is like “So you would prefer me to wear a tuxedo?” Soda is dumb as hell and doesn’t realize Gundham is not using ‘tuxedo’ as a synonym for ‘suit’ like he was, so he gets super blushy and is like “Oh. I-I mean if you were thinking about a dress instead that’s cool too.” And Gundham’s eyes just widen a bit because he was not thinking about wearing a dress but now he’s thinking about Soda in a big, white, full skirted wedding dress. Soda is picturing Gundham in something a little more fitted with a high slit. They’re both just blushing and staring at each other until Fuyu clears his throat and tells Soda that a tuxedo is a type of suit, and he’s pretty sure that’s what Gundham meant. Soda just hides his face in his hands and apologizes. Gundham comes over to kiss his forehead and tell him it’s okay, and eventually they get back to looking at suits lol

Gundham’s done pretty quick. He does end up picking a tuxedo, and I’m not great at fashion but Just picture something black, very gothic, and a tiny bit extra haha. Soda super excited to see it once it’s done being made, cus Gundham already looked amazing in the sample suit. He maybe gets a little emotional looking at his fiancé all dressed up knowing it’s for their wedding, but nobody says anything and Gundham just smiles at him softly.

Soda has a lot more trouble. He doesn’t want to ruin their wedding by wearing something tacky so he’s trying to stick to traditional black. But every time he comes out and looks at himself in the full length mirror he can’t help but feel uncomfortable. He doesn’t look like himself,  he thinks he looks like some kid borrowing his dad’s suit for prom.

He’s on like the 12th sample suit, he’s trying all kinds of styles and different lapels and undershirts/vest combos but he still just feels like trash in all of them. This suit fits him like a glove, accentuates all of his best features, and he honestly looks so good in it. Sonia and Fuyuhiko are telling him as much, along with whatever staff are around.

But Soda still doesn’t feel like himself. And Gundham can tell.

Gundham comes up behind him and wraps his arms around his waist and they both just look at themselves in the mirror for a moment. Gundham makes a point of frowning as he looks at the suit and Soda laughs at how obviously exaggerated it is. It’s the first time he’s genuinely smiled in at least an hour.

“What’s wrong, babe? Don’t like it?”

“Hmm… perhaps if it was yellow… maybe blue?”

Soda laughs but he feels a little self conscious. He really doesn’t want to make their wedding tacky, but he just doesn’t feel right in such… boring colors. He tells Gundham as much. Gundham hums and kisses his cheek, still holding him from behind, and asks to see color samples for the suits materials while Soda insists he’ll be fine and he’ll just get used to the black.

Someone brings Gundham a collection of cloth samples, and he finally separates from his fiancé to stand in front of him and hold them up, one by one. Soda is insisting black is fine the whole time. Eventually Gundham stops, holding up a sort of deep red, and tilts his head. Soda looks at the color; he likes it, but he’s still worried it would be kind of tacky. Gundham asks for someone to bring him a jacket in that color.

He puts it on Soda and grabs a black suit jacket and a red tie for himself, before standing next to Soda and linking their arms. Soda looks in the mirror and, hey, that’s not too bad, the red actually looks pretty classy, and paired up with Gundham’s tie it looks…

He starts crying, but it’s mostly relief and happiness. Fuyu laughs at him but tells him he looks good and Sonia just smiles while Gundham pulls him into a hug. They order the 12th suit in red, and every time Soda tries t apologize for being so difficult Gundham just shuts him up with a kiss lol.

Wedding Traditions and Stuff

They start talking about wedding traditions one day after having a conversation with Sonia about how the wedding plans are going. The first thing that comes up is the whole ‘bride walking down the aisle’ thing since, obviously, there isn’t gonna be a bride. Gundham suggests they both just walk out together, but Soda kind of wants that moment where he’s standing at the alter and gets to watch Gundham walk down the aisle towards him. Gundham just smiles and kisses him and says he’s like that too.

Soda suggests they take dance lessons or something so they can have a cool first dance. Gundham says they can if he really wants to, but he would rather just be able to hold Soda close and sway to the music without having to worry about memorized steps. Soda blushes and agrees, he mostly suggested it cus he thought Gundham would like it anyways.

Neither of them really care about name changes. They both offer to change theirs, but in the end they just decide to keep their own names.

Sonia (jokingly) mentions being disappointed because there won’t be a bouquet toss, and Chiaki (also jokingly) responds that Gundham should just toss a single rose into the crowd like tuxedo mask. He agrees to do it (not jokingly)

They both write their own stupid sappy vows, it’s not even something they have to discuss.

Hajime is Soda’s best man, Sonia is Gundham’s. She insists on being called ‘best man’ instead of ‘maid of honor’ or ‘best woman’ because she likes the way it sounds lol.

They pick a very classic décor theme, but add in a lot of black accents for the aesthetic✨

They decide to do that thing where they spend the night before the wedding apart and don’t see each other again until the actual ceremony.

Bachelor Party

Soda wasn’t planning on having his own bachelor party, he figured they could just have like a joint bachelor party at their house or something because he loves his fiancé and prefers to party with him lol. But then Fuyuhiko, Hajime, and Nekomaru are carrying him out the front door while Gundham casually waves and tells him to have fun lol (They absolutely got Gundham’s permission before kidnapping his man haha).

(Gundham invites Sonia over for wine and calls it his bachelor party. They watch the bachelor and laugh about how funny they are.)

Soda is thrown in the back seat of one of Fuyu’s fancy cars with blacked out windows and yells at his friends for like the whole trip while they just laugh at him lol. They eventually get to a bar and Soda is just super relieved it’s not a strip club, Hajime tells him it’s cus Gundham wouldn’t let him, but Fuyu and Nekomaru insist it’s cus they have more class than that. (Whose lying? You choose lol).

They get a table and a round of shots as soon as they get inside. It’s actually pretty laid back as far as bachelor parties go, they mostly just sit and talk, and get Soda gushing about his soon to be husband lol. At one point, after a couple drinks, they do like a chugging contest for the first time since they graduated uni and Soda wins. Fuyu is just like ‘wtf when did you get so good at this?” and Soda is like “Well, thanks to Gundham I’ve gotten really good at swallowing” and everybody just fucking groans while he loses his mind laughing lol

As the night goes on Soda just gets sappier and sappier and starts complaining about how much he misses his boyfriend. Nekomaru pats him on the back and is like ‘he isn’t even your boyfriend anymore, he’s your fiancé’ and Soda just light up like ‘yeah… I’m so lucky…’ before he stops and his eyes go wide. The other guys kind of look at each other, confused, before Hajime’s like ‘uh, you good dude?’ and Soda’s just like ‘oh my god, he’s my fiancé! We’re gonna get fucking married next week!! Holy shit that means he’s gonna be my husband! I have to tell him!’ and the guys just laugh while he dials Gundham.

Gundham is surprised to get a call from Soda and gets a little worried, so he answers like ‘is everything alright, my paramour?’ and Soda is just like ‘Holy shit Gundham! Did you realize we’re gonna be husbands??!?’ and Gundham just laughs and relaxes while telling Soda that, yes, he did realize they were going to be husbands lol

Soda just rambles away on the phone about how excited he is to marry Gundham and how he promises to be a good husband and how much he loves him. The other guys roll their eyes and decide it’s probably time to call it a night lol.

When Soda gets home he immediately attaches himself to Gundham and tells him how much he missed him lol. Gundham just pets his hair and gets them both ready for bed as he asks if Soda enjoyed his bachelor party. He says his favorite part was when his fiancé kissed him good night, and Gundham just rolls his eyes and does it haha

The Wedding

Soda is super nervous the night before (not in a ‘I’m not ready for this’ way, he’s just excited and scared he’s gonna say/do something dumb or that something terrible is gonna happen and ruin the whole thing) and he ends up calling Gundham from his hotel room at like midnight and talking about all his worries (“What if I say ‘I don’t’ by accident and we have to do the whole wedding again?” “What if I have to pee in the middle of our vows?” “What if we get to the ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’ part and like, Nekomaru suddenly decides he’s in love with you? There’s no way I could take him in a fight!”). Gundham smiles as he reassures Soda that whatever happens, they’ll get through it, and that he doesn’t really care what happens, as long as he gets to call Soda his husband by the end of the day.

They fall asleep telling each other how excited they are.

In the morning their respective best men wake them and help them get ready. Gundham styles his hair up and Soda puts his in a low ponytail, and they both put on their fancy new custom suits (They both got ties to match each other’s suits too haha). They’re both a little nervous but Hajime and Sonia are ready with all kinds of compliments and reassurances, and they get both grooms out their doors and on the road right on time.

Gundham gets to the venue first, and he’s a little taken aback by how good it looks. Sonia gushes about all the little details while Gundham just half listens and thanks her. He’s looking at the flower arrangements sitting in classy black vases, the chairs covered in white cloth held in place with black ribbon, and noticing all kinds of subtly gothic touches Sonia added to the décor. Soda may have been worried about making the wedding tacky with his suit, but Gundham had been worried about making it tacky with shitty gothic decorations. He’s amazed with how well Sonia managed to pull it off. He grabs both her hands and sincerely tells her that he loves her and that she is, and always will be, his dearest friend. They both get a little teary and hug it out haha.

Then Hajime ruins it by kicking in the front door and saying something like ‘Gundham you look hot as fuck, but get out of my sight right now so I can bring your stupid ass fiancé in. Also, hey Sonia, great job decorating.’ Lol

Sonia and Gundham head off into a little room to wait for the ceremony to start, and Hajime heads back out to get Soda. When Soda gets inside he’s just as impressed by the décor as Gundham was. He thinks it’s all very Gundham and he loves it. Hajime tells him he tried to get Sonia to throw in some hot pink roses for Soda and Soda is just like ‘thank god Sonia didn’t listen to you.’ Lol

Soda just heads right into the main hall, just taking in all the amazing décor until his eyes land on the wedding arch. He stares at it and it just really hit him that this is happening. He’s about to marry the love of his life. He’s about to be able to call Gundham his husband. He’s about to be Gundham’s husband. He starts tearing up and Hajime pats him on the back, smiling ‘Come on, ya big sap, lets get you married’

Hajime gets Soda up to the front to take his place under the arch and Sonia comes out to see how things are going. Everything is pretty much ready and the officiant is ready to go, so Sonia heads back to Gundham’s room and the officiant signals everyone to take their seats so they can get things started. Soda’s regained his composure in the tie it took everyone to settle down, and Hajime gives him one last pat on the back before he takes his place to the side and the music starts.

Soda looks up as the door opens and he sears the image into his mind immediately.

Gundham looks amazing, he always does, but there’s just something extra to it in that moment. He’s glowing, Soda decides, and as their eyes lock he feels himself tearing up again. It only gets worse as Gundham gets closer, it’s not long before he’s full on crying. He’s jut so overwhelmed with love and happiness, and he almost wants to sip all the vows and wedding rites and just be married already.

Gundham’s not doing much better. He’s vaguely aware of their friends and family waving to him and complimenting him or congratulating him as he passes, but he’s way too focused on Soda to really care. He looks so handsome in his deep red suit with his hair tied back, and he’s frozen, clutching his hands in front of him nervously the way he had been when Gundham entered. Gundham want’s to run to him, sweep him off his feet and just declare them married himself, but he manages to hold himself back. He doesn’t hold back his tears nearly as well though, and a few roll down his cheeks before he makes it to the altar.

When Gundham gets to Soda he immediately pulls him into a tight hug, Soda wrapping his arms around him just as quickly, and then they’re both laughing through their tears. Gundham gently strokes Soda’s hair, careful not to mess it up, and kisses his forehead. Sonia scoffs to let Gundham know he’s on thin ice for that, she’s very into wedding traditions, but lets it slide since it technically isn’t a real kiss lol.

They eventually pull themselves away from each other a bit and try to wipe away each other’s tears at the same time. It’s a little awkward but they’re happy and don’t care, they just keep staring at each other as they finally step back, still holding hands, and signal to the officiant that they’re ready to start.

Soda says his vows first, it’s on purpose, he wanted to go first cus he knew he would be too busy crying after Gundham’s vows haha. He’s like shaking really hard when he starts, cus he hates public speaking and he’s embarrassed to be so sappy in front of all their friends, but as he talks he watches Gundham light up and it just gets easier and easier, until he’s only shaking from the effort it’s taking not to kiss his groom.

Everyone is expecting Gundham’s vows to be long winded and extra extra, but to their surprise they’re pretty straight forward. Gundham explains, as part of his vows, that he doesn’t need extravagant metaphors to express his love and he wants to speak plainly and clearly, in hopes of expressing how clear his feelings for Soda are (he said he doesn’t need metaphors, nut technically the whole thing is a metaphor lol). Soda is in fact crying well before he finishes, and the only things that stop them from kissing once Gundham stops talking are a stern cough from Sonia and a disapproving tut from Hajime lol

The officiant does their thing, Soda and Gundham requested a shortened version of the usual spiel cus they didn’t want to have to stand through a stupidly long ceremony, but even that feels way too long to them haha. When they get to the ‘speak now or forever hold you peace’ part, Gundham raises a non-existent brow at Soda before gazing pointedly at Nekomaru for a second. Soda snorts and laughs and nobody else gets it, but no one speaks up either haha

Gundham is the first to say ‘I do’, then Soda nearly cuts the officiant off with his own ‘I do’ before they can even finish the question haha. The officiant basically steps out of the way while saying ;you may now kiss cus they can tell these two have no patience lol.

They both lean in before the officiant even finishes speaking. Their lips meet and Soda wraps his arms around Gundham’s neck while Gundham pulls him in by his waist. Their friends are cheering and clapping and both of them are crying again.

They both smile and laugh as they part and make their way back down the aisle, thanking all their friends and family, before heading outside to get some photos taken.

Photos take literal hours (wedding party, friends, family, just them, each of them separate, each of them separate with friends, separate with family, now each individual family member with both of them and each of them separately, etc, etc), and they’re both pretty tired by the end of it. They end up heading back to Gundham’s little waiting room to take a nap together.

Sonia sends Mahiru in to get a picture of them cuddled together on the little couch. Both of them have their suit jackets off, their ties loose, and a couple shirt buttons undone. Soda is lying between Gundham’s legs, head resting sideways on his chest and drooling a little. Gundham as his arms wrapped around Soda’s back and his cheek is pressed against his hair. One of Gundham’s legs is dangling off the front of the too narrow couch, along with one of Soda’s arms.

Despite how sloppy they both look, it’s one of their favorite pictures from their wedding day.

The Reception

When Soda and Gundham wake up from their nap like an hour later, they spend like a solid 20 minutes just tenderly making out being all ‘hey you’re my husband now and I’m gonna keep saying the word husband until we’re both sick of it’ haha (neither of them get sick of it). Eventually Sonia and Hajime come get them, Hajime makes a comment like ‘haha save something for your wedding night guys’ and Sonia is just bluntly like ‘yeah, you two will have plenty of time to fuck later’ lol

They all grab something to eat before the reception because Soda and Gundham have barely eaten anything all day.

Their first dance is literally just them holding each other and kissing and swaying to the music, and Soda is so glad Gundham didn’t want to take dance lessons cus he doesn’t want to do anything but hold and kiss his husband in that moment. After the first dance the champagne starts flowing freely and formal atmosphere dissolves pretty quickly lol

Gundham and Soda have both ditched their jackets and are alternating between chatting and laughing with their friends and rocking out on the dance floor (they’re terrible dancers but it’s their wedding and no one is allowed to judge them lol). They’re both kind of acting like they’re drunk but they haven’t actually had that much to drink, they’re just stupid happy. They keep sneaking off to make out, only for Hajime or Sonia to drag them back lol

By the mid night Gundham has lost his tie (They threw it on the ground during one of their make outs and both of them forgot lol) and Soda has some fresh hickies on his neck, and Sonia and Hajime decide they’ve fulfilled their socialization quota and finally release them lol. They thought about getting a hotel room, but they both agreed they would rather just spend their first night as a married couple in their own bed.

The Wedding Night 👀

(suggestive but not explicit)

They start making out the second they get in the limo (courtesy of the Kuzuryu family) to take them home. They can’t keep their hands off each other, but they manage to keep their clothes on for now haha.

Once they make it home they’re stumbling over each other to get to the door, but then Soda freezes when they get it unlocked and Gundham is just like ??? Soda looks at him wide eyed and is just like ‘I want to do the thing’ and before Gundham can figure out what he means, Soda literally sweeps him off his feet and carries him bridal style into their home. Gundham just laughs and lets it happen.

Soda throws Gundham onto the bed and jumps on top of him, resuming their earlier make outs for  bit before Gundham pushes him back. Its Soda’s turn to be like ??? but Gundham just says he has a surprise for him and heads off to the bathroom.

Soda is 100% expecting lingerie, but when Gundham steps out in a lacy white baby doll with matching white panties and stockings he nearly dies from joy.

Gundham says he noticed the way Soda had reacted to the idea of him in a wedding dress during their suit fitting and went out to buy this outfit pretty much right after. Maybe it wasn’t quite a wedding dress, but it definitely had a bridal feeling to it.

Once some of Soda’s blood makes it back up to his brain, he smirks and points out that Gundham doesn’t really qualify for the whole wearing white on your wedding day thing’ and Gundham’s like ‘hmm, really? Better make sure, just in case’

It’s all really tender, filled with reverent kisses and I love you’s and a couple of happy tears, and by the end of it both of them are completely naked and cuddled up, smiling as they look at the new matching gold rings adorning their fingers.

They both fall asleep thinking about how excited they are to spend the rest of their lives together.

[thelarryficrecplace]

Larry Fics Masterpost - Christmas Edition 2019

Merry Christmas people!! It’s this time of the year again! Following my previous masterpost, I’ve decided to make an updated one!

Here’s some more of my absolutely favourite Christmas fics:

Home for the Holly Days by LadyLondonderry:

Summary: Or, Louis’s participating in the Secret Santa exchange between all the Hogwarts professors stuck at school over the winter holidays, and the Sorting Hat may fancy itself a bit of a matchmaker.

Word count: 2,421

Do Not Falter (There's a Star Ahead) by LadyLondonderry:

Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and every single one of Louis' family members are crowded inside his little flat. Really, what more could he ask for on his birthday?

The present he never knew he wanted - in the form of an omega from his past - might just make this his most memorable Christmas.

Word count: 2,853

You Should Be Here With Me by dimpled_halo:

Summary: Louis is finishing the last touches of his outfit when the doorbell chimes downstairs. He freezes midway through buttoning his shirt. Again, if he’d known what was going to happen today he’d have brought a better outfit, but it’s whatever. He holds his breath, hearing as the door is opened and some murmurs Louis can’t quite make out. He doesn’t miss the deep rumble of Harry’s voice. Louis may not be able to understand what is being said from up here, but that deep voice is unmistakable. It sends shivers through his body.

Louis is home for the holidays and doesn't expect his mum to invite his ex and his family over for Christmas. All the feelings he's had bottled up since breaking up with Harry before going to uni come back in full force.

Word count: 3,000

Snowdrops and Mice Pops by OhHarold:

Summary: The boys are stuck at Hogwarts over Christmas incapable of taking the Hogwarts Express back to London. A botched together friends Christmas would have to do.

Word count: 3,300

Make The Yuletide Gay by hollytabatha:

Summary: Louis has a disdain for Christmas songs and ugly Christmas sweaters, but maybe spending a night with Harry will change that for good.

Word count: 3,411

One Week, Eight Hours by daggerinrose:

Summary: or: a production assistant with no experience in front of a camera interviews a rockstar with old shoes and a distasteful attitude.

Word count: 3,560

Unto You by LadyLondonderry:

Summary: Louis is a lamplighter celebrating the saturnalia season in his own way.Harry is heavily pregnant and new in the city.The holiday of Christmas is yet to be created.

Word count: 3,671

pull your-elf together by EmmyLouWho:

Summary: Or: Santa's Winter Wonderland is a great place to fall in love.

Word count: 3,947

Santa's Lap by larryatendoftheday:

Summary: A Christmas story about unexpected gifts, featuring Harry as a mall Santa and Louis as a great big brother.

Word count: 4,227

Is that a candy cane in your pocket? by kingsofeverything (FullOnLarrie):

Summary: Louis accuses Harry of shoplifting. Harry was definitely not shoplifting.

They work it out.

Word count: 4,868

i'll be yours for christmas by rina_a:

Summary: My family invited you to join our holiday meal as an obvious setup and i’m so sorry.

Word count: 4,874

since we've no place to go (let it snow) by midnights:

Summary: ft. harry flaunting his cooking skills, crying at classic christmas movies, and a dog named george bailey.

Word count: 4,759

Set Your Heart A-Whirl by QuickedWeen:

Summary: Harry comes home for his family's big Christmas party and learns something surprising about his past.

Word count: 4,975

In this light (I fell for you) by Larryfissure:

Summary: Christmas AU where Harry is going to perform his very first concert and Louis is his mute (and very supportive) boyfriend. Also lots of kittens, bad puns and boyfriends being cute.

Word count: 5,334

Sympathy For The Devil by taggiecb:

Summary: Or the one with Santa Harry and Satan Louis and a series of misspelled letters to Santa.

Word count: 5,412

I'll Wait Up For You, Dear by dimpled_halo:

Summary: After not being able to afford to go home for the holidays, Louis is resigned to spend Christmas alone. When he stumbles upon his neighbor, Harry, he realizes he might not be so lonely after all.

Word count: 5,753

I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by haloeverlasting:

Summary: Or, Louis' heat is out, Harry's a terrible upstairs neighbor, and an empty Christmas tree is the perfect excuse to fall in love.

Word count: 7,477

You're Never Alone with a Moon this Bright by HelloAmHere:

Summary: Louis was a monster. But sometimes, even monsters get a Christmas.

Word count: 7,619

Rated R by cherrystreet:

Summary: Louis gifts Harry with a surprise sex tape, and it accidentally makes its way into Harry's family Christmas party. Ridiculousness ensues.

Word count: 7,635

A Story For the Ages by FallingLikeThis:

Summary:  He should have known it was coming. After seven months of pretending to have a boyfriend in order to keep his mum from meddling in his love life again, he should have realized he’d have to actually introduce her to someone eventually.

Word count: 7,706

Moon Wrapped in Gold Paper by larrymylove:

Summary: The first time Louis meets Harry, several things go very wrong.

Word count: 7,932

A Christmas Wish by Snowy38:

Summary: "So when are you going to tell him?"

Louis pursed his lips at his sister, his Skype video call relaying his thoughts on that subject perfectly.

"Next question," he mused.

Lottie rolled her eyes.

"It's your birthday in four days, Louis."

"What difference does that make?" He scoffed.

She shrugged.

"You can get drunk and confess how you feel and take it back afterwards if he doesn't feel the same."

That might work if Louis wasn't in love with Harry. But Lottie didn't know that and she didn't need to find out.

"Thanks Lots," he said anyway.

"Seriously Lou what's stopping you?"

Louis sighed.

"Fear mostly."

Word count: 8,780

Meet Me Underneath The Mistletoe by 4ureyesonly28:

Summary: Louis flies out to Chicago for business just before Christmas... His flight home is cancelled because of a snow storm and he ends up going to his colleague Niall's Christmas party where he meets the most gorgeous man he's ever seen. And if they end up under the mistletoe within less than an hour then that's nobody's business but theirs.

Word count: 8,831

There's really nothing better (than a beautiful boy in an ugly Christmas sweater) by we_are_the_same:

Summary: In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Louis takes on a few more shifts at his part time job to be able to buy Christmas presents for his family and friends. In comes Harry, who might be everything Louis had never asked for. Featuring ugly Christmas Sweaters, too many Christmas songs, and not enough snow.

Word count: 9,087

you've set my soul to dreaming by we_are_the_same:

Summary: Or: Thirty year old Harry Styles goes to bed single on Christmas Eve, only to wake up on Christmas morning with a husband in his bed and a son down the hall.

Word count: 9,279

Make The Yuletide Gay by flowercrownfemme:

Summary: A Christmas In Connecticut AU in which Louis is a mommy blogger, Harry is a pop star, and nobody's really what they seem. Featuring a lot of lying, tons of domesticity, some badly faked heterosexuality, and a few Christmas kisses.

Word count: 9,769

sidewalk angels echo hallelujah by nooelgallagher:

Summary: When Louis' dog goes missing 7 days before Christmas, he doesn't have much hope for a Christmas reunion. But miracles come in all shapes and sizes, and Harry just might take the form of his.

Word count: 9,978

Brighten My Northern Sky by twoshipstiedup:

Summary: Harry, Louis, a phone number and fate

Word count: 10,030

make my wish come true by flicker_album:

Summary: Or the one where Louis starts decorating for Christmas in November and Harry indulges him.

Word count: 10,137

The Clock Strikes Christmas by jacaranda_bloom:

Summary: OR the one where Louis needs someone to love, Harry needs a miracle, and sometimes, wishes really do come true.

Word count: 10,498

Candy Cane Eyes by larryent:

Summary: It’s the Christmas season in New York City. There are far too many mistletoes hanging in Harry's apartment building and there is a pair of mischievous candy cane blue eyes who is responsible.

Word count: 10,703

and marshmallows by BriaMaria:

Summary: The one where Harry has a personal attachment to Louis' house, and Louis can't stop picturing the beautiful stranger dancing in his kitchen.

Word count: 10,729

Take Your Time by Layne Faire (HisDarlin):

Summary: When Harry finds himself in the middle of a messy break-up with no place to live, Louis offers a spare room in his flat. Unbeknownst to Harry, Louis has been infatuated for years. Over the objections of their friends, who know the truth, Harry accepts. Can Louis survive Harry moving into his home…and closer to his heart? Will Harry see what's right in front of him?

Word count: 11,556

Maybe I'm Crazy To Suppose by twoshipstiedup:

Summary: A breakup before Christmas sends Harry back to a place he'd been avoiding for years.

One night with a stranger makes him want to stay.

Word count: 12,665

If the Fates Allow by afirethatcannotdie:

Summary: Louis yells at a stranger in a shop and a few days later, needs his help. Desperately. Then he discovers he’s kind of in love with him.

Word count: 13,039

The Christmas Lift by homosociallyyours:

Summary: Louis lies about having a boyfriend to avoid being set up on a blind date by an overzealous co-worker, but now he's in desperate need of a fake boyfriend for his office holiday party. He’s complaining about it on the phone to Liam when Harry, his unknown but hot neighbor, overhears him in the lift and offers to help.

It doesn't take long for Louis to realize he wishes things weren't quite so fake, but he's afraid it'll take a Christmas miracle to make anything happen.

Word count: 13,150

Christmas, Baby by nikogda:

Summary: Or, The one where the exact thing that Harry thinks is derailing his life plan might be exactly what he needs.

Word count: 13,191

Wrap me up in your Love by wickedarcher_08:

Summary: Or the one where Louis is pregnant and keeps getting interrupted in the most obscure ways every time he tries to tell Harry.

Word count: 13,223

to the light by fondleeds:

Summary: AU. Harry is a mermaid lost at sea and Louis is a boy determined to make his first Christmas a memorable one.

Word count: 13,304

Moments Stay When People Leave... by lovelarry10:

Summary: Harry gets lost in the memories of the best relationship he'd ever had, and then threw away, breaking two hearts. He makes a decision just before Christmas, and can only hope Louis feels the same...

Word count: 13,855

All I Want Is You (This Christmas) by Dont_Stop_Larry:

Summary: Harry broke up with Louis early in 2014. Louis is trying to figure out life without Harry. Being stuck together on a Christmas vacation might just mend everything.

Word count: 14,019

Come What May by sincewewereeighteen:

Summary: The one in which Harry and Louis have been separated for almost a year, but their kids ask Santa to bring them together again.

Word count: 14,049

Made From Love by lovelarry10:

Summary: It's almost Christmas, and amongst the preparations, Louis' realised something about his husband Harry.

Harry, however, seems to be oblivious.

Louis' determined to open Harry's eyes and make him realise the real magic that's happening this Christmas...

Word count: 14,690

This Winter's Day by QuickedWeen :

Summary: Louis is Harry's stablemaster, and when he falls ill and his mother turns to Harry to help her try and find someone he can settle down with, it's only natural that Harry suggests himself.

Word count: 14,871

The Lights Will Guide You Home by Dont_Stop_Larry:

Summary: The one where two oblivious men haven’t quite figured it out yet - but it may be too late for them.

Word count: 16,916

Christmas at the Holly Lodge by lululawrence:

Summary: Or the one where Louis is the owner of the Holly Lodge, Harry is an investment advisor, and maybe Christmas miracles really do exist.

Word count: 17,387

Make You Feel My Love by rainbowslovehl (Larrymateforlife):

Summary: Harry decides the best way to go about telling his best friend that he's in love with him is to catch him under a conveniently placed mistletoe but that's not what happens.

Word count: 17,442

My Only Wish by rainbowslovehl (Larrymateforlife):

Summary: Or an Secret Santa AU where Louis doesn’t know how it works and keeps giving Harry gifts and being not so obvious about his flirting.

Word count: 17,918

An Aurora Grove Christmas by dandelionfairies:

Summary: Harry gets lost on his way to St. Louis. The roads are horrid because of the snow and he ends up spinning into a ditch. Lucky for him, he finds a cabin nearby, as well as a cute blue-eyed man who immediately helps him. Unfortunately, his car is stuck for the night, but at least he has a place to stay with Louis. With the snow continuing to fall and another storm front coming through, will he ever make it out of Aurora Grove? Does he even want to?

Word count: 17,930

Holiday Greetings (And Gay Happy Meetings) by 2tiedships2:

Summary: Or the one where Niall's dead car and and a foot of snow conspire to force Louis into spending time with an alpha he hates.... or does he?

Word count: 18,474

Part 2 here

This Winter Dream by hopeneverdies:

Summary: Louis Tomlinson is on his way home from New York City to spend Christmas with his family, but his trip is temporarily halted when his car breaks down in a small town upstate. A lonely barista, named Harry, offers him a place to stay for the night. It doesn't take long before Louis wants to offer something to Harry in return.

Word count: 19,065

Reindeer Games by Throwthemflowers:

Summary: Louis is a disgruntled elf and Harry is one of Santa’s reindeer. Featuring classic miscommunication, heaps of unrequited pining, gratuitous smut (with a bit of, shall we say, horseplay), a pinch of NYC holiday magic, and a sickening amount of Christmas Spirit.

Word count: 19,639

Six Weeks by LadyLondonderry:

Summary: When Harry takes the afternoon shift at the cafe, he meets a boy who drinks a lot of tea and never remembers his umbrella.

Word count: 20,023

All I Want For Christmas (Is Lou) by wickedarcher_08:

Summary: Or the one where Harry and Louis are each others Secret Santa

Word count: 20,550

So Put Your Hands In (The Holes of My Sweater) by Kat_rawr:

Summary: Harry and Louis go on a lot of not-dates.

Word count: 21,355

Better Not Pout, I'm Telling You Why by runaway_train:

Summary: The one where Harry still believes in Santa Claus and Louis doesn't want to be the one to burst his bubble.

Word count: 24,545

Lovin' you is a gift by messofgorgeouschaos:

Summary: With his 28th birthday approaching, Louis was looking forward to celebrating in New York City with an all-expenses paid trip. He just didn't expect to spend it with an escort when he suddenly finds himself single a few days before it. A Pretty Woman AU.

Word count: 25,462

Waited All Year To Be Near by lovelarry10:

Summary: Harry’s preparing for the holidays at home with his four children while Louis is deployed. All he wants is his husband home for Christmas. But Louis’ half a world away...

Word count: 27,399

Let It Snow by crescentmoonshine:

Summary: Four years, four disastrous Christmas parties, four disastrous attempts to get it right.

Word count: 27,858

Like Candy In My Veins by littlelouishiccups:

Summary: Basically the A/B/O, enemies to lovers, fake relationship, Christmas AU that nobody asked for.

Word count: 31,880

From the Start by Anonymous:

Summary: Louis has no idea that one act of kindness will cause his life to spiral out of control. But that's what happens when his new friend fake proposes to him and a video of it goes viral.

Word count: 32,185

Frosted Kisses by bromanceorromance:

Summary: Harry and Niall run a bakery called Sweet Cheeks. Louis is in line to become the next Santa Claus, but his best friend, Zayn, is the only one that knows. Louis wants Harry as soon as he sees him, but he's not ready to interrupt Harry's life with the "I'm the next Santa" news until it's almost too late.

Word count: 34,135

Latching Onto You by reminiscingintherain:

Summary: Or, the one where Louis wants to book Harry Styles to perform at his best friends' wedding.

Word count: 34,313

Find You Home by kingsofeverything (FullOnLarrie):

Summary: When Louis lies to his family and says he’ll bring his new boyfriend home for Christmas, his best friend and roommate Harry agrees to play the part. It’s that, or be left alone over the holidays.

What will happen? No one knows! Perhaps Santa will swoop in with a Christmas miracle.

Featuring lovesick idiots, kissing and cuddling, pies and Christmas clichés.

Word count: 35,388

Feels Like Christmas by lovelarry10:

Summary: Harry Styles has always loved Christmas - it’s his favourite holiday, but there’s always been something missing.

Louis Tomlinson has been running from his pain, and is determined to ignore the holidays once more, choosing to spend them in solitude.

When they meet - entirely by chance - it could be just what they both need this Christmas...

Word count: 49,630

the impossible now by stylinsoncity:

Summary: A wish on Christmas Eve sends Louis to an alternate dimension where Harry is a member of One Direction.

Word count: 64,839

[thegizka]

Rumors

ShikaTema Week 2020 - Day 3 - Outfit Swap

The premise for this is kind of whack, but I had a lot of fun writing it!

Genre:  Fluff

Word Count:  2,069

Read it on Ao3.

“This is probably the dumbest plan I’ve ever been part of,” Shikamaru groaned.

“It’ll work, though,” Ino promised, lounging on her couch and flipping through a magazine while her teammate paced around her living room.

“There are a thousand ways this could go wrong.”

“Hey.”  She shot him a pointed look.  “Do you want to be able to walk around with your secret girlfriend in peace or not?”

He sighed.  He and Temari had started dating a few months ago, stealing moments alone during official visits and joint missions.  Their positions in their respective villages made things complicated, so they’d agreed to keep a low profile.  Unfortunately that was easier said than done.  There were already more rumors about them swirling around Konoha than Shikamaru was comfortable with.

“You could always be open about it,” Ino had suggested.  “People are going to know eventually.”

“People knowing will be troublesome,” Shikamaru grumbled.

“It just seems like you’re putting a lot of work into something that will be irrelevant in a few months anyway.  But if you’re set on pretending your relationship is some scandalous secret, I guess I’ll help you out.”

Shikamaru didn’t want to admit that part of his motive for keeping their romance on the down low was selfishness.  He was falling in love, and it was exhilarating.  Those stolen moments with Temari were theirs alone, and he wanted to keep them to himself for as long as possible.  Plus it gave them time to work out how they would navigate their two lives in two separate villages.

“You guys should leave soon or you’ll run out of time,” Ino said loud enough for her voice to carry down the hallway to the room where Temari was changing.

“You just want us out of your hair so Sai can sneak in here,” Shikamaru teased, though he had been thinking they ought to head out soon, too.

“Oh please.”  Ino rolled her eyes, but she also didn’t deny his suggestion.  Shikamaru wouldn’t be surprised if Sai was already hiding somewhere in her apartment just waiting for them to leave.  Secrecy came naturally to him, and though Ino didn’t make any significant effort to hide their relationship, they largely remained under the radar of the village gossips.  Shikamaru was a little envious.

The sound of a door opening interrupted his thoughts.  A moment later, Temari stepped into the living room.  Shikamaru blinked, his eyebrows pulling together of their own accord because this was just...strange.  He knew Temari was standing in front of him.  The suspicious look she was giving him was certifiably her.  But he also had to remind part of his brain that she wasn’t Ino.

“What?” she demanded, troubled by his confused expression.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he responded.  He made a conscious effort to relax his features while his mind untangled itself.

“He’s just tongue-tied because you look amazing!”  Ino set aside her magazine to get up and circle the other woman, inspecting her work.  “How does it feel?”

“It’s a little tight in some places.”  Temari pulled the crop top and rolled her shoulders.  Shikamaru tried not to inspect the places where it hugged her body too closely.  “This skirt is super comfortable, though.”

“I know, right?  I love it.”  Ino adjusted a few strands of Temari’s hair.  “What do you think of the wig?”

“It’s a lot of hair, but I can work with it for a few hours.  Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Oh yeah,” she laughed.  “Half of the village thinks Shikamaru and I ought to be dating already.  It’ll take some scrutiny off of you and Sai, which works for me.”

“You’ve always been an attention hog,” Shikamaru sighed.  She just stuck out her tongue at him and returned to the couch.

“Go on,” she said.  “You kids have fun.  Be responsible.  I’ll come pick up my clothes sometime tomorrow.”

“You have fun, too,” Temari called as they left.  “She was definitely telling us not to come back here tonight.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to see what she and Sai get up to.”

“You have no real idea of what they do together,” Temari declared with such confidence that he wondered how she could see straight through him.  “Otherwise you wouldn’t be so scared of finding out.”

“I’m sorry, would you want to walk in on one of your brothers passionately making out with someone--or worse?”

“No, but they wouldn’t allow themselves to get caught in such a situation in the first place.”

“Ino and Sai are skilled enough not to get caught, but I know Ino has less shame than you think.  I mean, she walks around in that outfit almost every day.”

“What’s wrong with this outfit?” Temari demanded, hands on her hips in a challenge.  It brought his attention to the smooth skin of her exposed abs.  Funny how it captured his attention now while it had never interested him when Ino wore that crop top.

“Nothing,” he gulped, forcing himself to look away.  “Come on.”

“You’re terrible,” she sighed, but she followed after him, slipping her hand into his.

“Hey-”

“What?” she challenged.  “The purpose of this getup is to be able to go around more freely, right?”  Temari leaned towards him to whisper in his ear.  “Let’s start a few rumors.”

“I’m the one who will have to live with these rumors,” he grumbled.  He was starting to think she was enjoying this a little too much.

“That’s the price you pay,” she grinned.  “Come on, let’s see how this goes.  It’d be a shame to let all of this effort go to waste.”

“What a drag,” Shikamaru muttered, but he didn’t pull away.

The success of this date depended on how precisely they could walk the line of being seen but not letting anyone get too close.  He had carefully planned a date that would let them make a few appearances at some public but less frequented locations.  Assuming they weren’t unlucky, they’d have just enough privacy to enjoy their time together without totally hiding.

They opted to grab dinner at a little food cart tucked just off of the main street.  Neither Ino nor Shikamaru frequented it, so they were unlikely to be particularly memorable.  The plan was to grab food and eat on a previously scouted rooftop so they could enjoy the sunset.  After the sun went down, they could wander the village or return to the Nara estate for the rest of the evening.

“Got everything?” Shikamaru asked, balancing a sandwich and both of their drinks.

“Yes, thank you.”  Temari grabbed a few extra napkins and then took her drink from him.  “Where to?”

“The school.”

“The school?  How romantic.”

“You’ll think so once you see the view.”

“Believe it or not, I have been on the Academy roof before.”

“But were you with such charming company?”

“We were planning the chunin exam, so-”

“Shikamaru!”

They had just enough time to exchange a surprised glance before turning to greet an enthusiastic Naruto with his wife just a step behind him.

“Hello Shikamaru.  Hi I-Ino?”  Hinata’s voice rose in surprise.  She looked between them, confused, but neither had time to explain before Naruto spoke.

“What are you two up to?”

“Just grabbing dinner,” Shikamaru said carefully.  He could tell Hinata had seen through them, but he wasn’t sure whether Naruto had caught on.

“We just got done at Ichiraku.  I’m stuffed.”  He laughed, and Hinata glanced at him with an amused smile.  They had only been married a few months, but there was a new brightness to them when they were together.  Nothing significant had changed between them, but there was a palpable difference.  It made Shikamaru wonder if he and Temari would get to experience that part of their relationship.

“Hey, where’s Chouji?” Naruto asked, glancing around.  “You three are always together.”

“He’s on a mission to Kumo for a few days.”  He’d been taking a lot of missions to Kumo recently.

“So it’s just you two.  That must be kind of weird.”

“It’s fine, actually.”

“Are you sure?”  Naruto turned to Temari with a significant look.  “Ino, you’re being awfully quiet.”

“I’m just hungry.”  Her voice was elevated from nerves or an attempt to mimic Ino, but she sounded strained.  Naruto frowned.

“Naruto,” Hinata said gently before he could comment further, “we should let them eat.  Besides, you wanted to look for some dessert, right?”

“Oh yeah.  Sorry Hinata, I forgot.  See you guys later!”

Shikamaru mouthed a “thank you” to Hinata as she and her husband turned to leave.  She just smiled before walking away with a final confused glance.

“Come on,” he sighed, heading towards the school again.  Temari giggled behind him.

“Naruto can be really dense, can’t he?”

“Lucky for us.”

“We’ll have to explain everything to Hinata, though.  I can only imagine what she thinks we’re up to.”

“Let’s just hope we don’t run into anyone else.  That was a bit too close for comfort.”

“I bet it’ll get a few rumors started, though,” she grinned as they climbed up onto the school’s roof.

“Only if Hinata doesn’t run interference.”  Shikamaru picked a spot near the western edge of the roof and sat.  Temari settled beside him, and they delved into their food.  A few moments of silence stretched between them while the sky was painted in gold and lavender.  A few clouds blushed in the setting sun.  They watched a pair of birds diving through the air in the distance.

“This is nice,” Temari sighed, leaning against him while she sipped her drink.

“Yeah.”  He wrapped his arm around her but flinched when his hand met the bare skin of her waist.  She just laughed.

“You’re so jumpy,” she teased, grabbing his hand and holding it in her own.  “Relax.  Enjoy the view.  Cuddle your girlfriend.  Take it easy like you always say you want to.”

He hummed and tried to just enjoy the moment.  That was the purpose of this whole charade, right?  Temari seemed to have no problem with it.  But every time he glanced at her, he had to look away.  It was just too uncomfortable.

“Is it really that bad?” she asked, jostling him with her shoulder.

“I can’t even look at you.  You don’t look bad,” he added hurriedly.  He had seen her covered in dirt and sweat and blood, and she still looked beautiful.  She always looked beautiful.  “I just get a headache because you’re not actually Ino and the dumb part of my brain thinks you are.”

“Oh my gosh, are you attracted to Ino?”

“No!  Definitely not.  But I am attracted to you, and right now you look a lot like her.”

“So you are attracted to her.”

“I’m not!”

“I’m just teasing you,” she smirked.  “To be honest, this is all a bit too strange.  It was funny to see Naruto’s reaction, but it’s not worth it if you’re not comfortable.”

“It’s not all bad,” he admitted, kissing her exposed shoulder, the closest he could bring himself to admitting that he liked the way the crop top fit her.  She cocked her eyebrow at him.

“Do you want to expand on that?”

“Maybe at home.”

“Alright then.”  Temari stood and stretched, giving Shikamaru a moment to admire the way the late evening sunlight struck the skin of her exposed stomach.  “Can we grab some dango on the way?”

“You don’t want to watch the rest of the sunset?”

“I’ve seen better.”

“So much for trying to be romantic,” he grumbled, gathering their food wrappers.  She turned and surprised him with a kiss on his cheek.

“It was a good date,” she said with a charming smile.  “Now come on, let’s see if we can start another rumor or two before it’s over.”

-----

“I can’t believe you two!” Chouji cried.  “I’m gone for five days and you break up with Temari and Sai and start dating each other?”

“You were dating Temari?”  Naruto blinked.

“Uh,” Shikamaru stuttered, and Ino burst out laughing.

“I don’t think you should laugh about this,” their teammate frowned.  “You should be ashamed for moving on so quickly after breaking their hearts.  And not telling me about it yourselves!  I had to hear it all from Naruto.”

“Sorry Chouji,” Ino giggled.  She shot Shikamaru a triumphant look.  “I’m just happy everything worked like it was supposed to.”

Shikamaru sighed.  “What a drag.”

[artificialqueens]

One Direction (To Your Heart), 3/6 (Methessence) - Cheetah

Summary: Jaida will share two tattoos with her soulmate: one will be her own first tattoo, whilst the other will be theirs. And if there’s anything Jaida knows about her soulmate, it’s that they love One Direction - why else would it be written out on her skin?

What Jaida doesn’t expect, though, is that she’ll meet her soulmate during the final week of preparation for her first big fashion show, or that it’ll be the bubbly, blue-haired artist she’s working with.

Maybe it’s time she learned to embrace the unexpected. And One Direction.

Chapter Summary: Shenanigans ensue as Jaida and Crystal spend another day together. There’s M&Ms, Mexican food, and for Jaida, a realisation.

A/N: Alright, my schedule has gone out the window, but I hope y'all like this chapter nonetheless!

Thank you so much to @dollalpaca​ for betaing!

Ao3 || my blog

~

Falling

It’s nine in the morning, and Jaida has a long shopping list and each of their several stops mapped out. Crystal is waiting outside the building for her, leaning against her car in a blue plaid button-up and jeans. She has her face tilted towards the morning sun, rays of gold light dancing through her cerulean hair.

“We’re going shopping!” Crystal sings when she sees her. “You got the list?”

“Hello to you too,” Jaida replies. “It’s right here.” She pats her bag, unable to stop a happy grin from spreading across her face. She’s looked forward to seeing Crystal again; so far, working with her hasn’t felt like work. It’s fun. Crystal is fun.

“Sweet, let’s go.” Crystal bows as she opens the passenger door for Jaida. “After you, m’lady.”

Jaida laughs. “Why, thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

A moment later, Crystal is sliding into the seat beside her. She’s as cheerful as ever today, and Jaida immediately feels lighter.

“Are we gonna listen to One Direction again?” she asks, her chest warming when Crystal giggles.

“You already know me so well.” She grins. “We can play something different, if you want. Actually, Widow’s been getting me into Chaka Khan lately, if that’s more your style.”

“Hell yeah. I love Chaka.” Jaida can’t help but think back to Jan from her college days. Jan always refused to play one particular Chaka Khan song because it reminded her of “that time my dreams were crushed, Jaida. Crushed!”

“Chaka Khan it is then!” Crystal beams. “Widow is going to be so proud of me, listening to her music without being forced to.”

“Can you put on This is My Night?” Jaida asks, remembering how she used to play it just to annoy Jan, who would flop back onto the nearest soft surface with a melodramatic sigh. The memory still makes Jaida laugh.

“That is such a good song,” Crystal says, tapping her phone one more time before the familiar music hums from the car speakers. “I think Widow would like you a lot, Jaida.”

“That’s great, but… who’s Widow?”

“Sorry, I thought I already told you about her,” Crystal says sheepishly. “She’s my best friend. And she’s working with the light and sound department for your show.”

“Neat. So I’ll get to meet her in a couple days?”

“Yeah! I assume so, anyways.” Crystal shifts the car into gear and begins driving. “We’re going to the supermarket first, right?”

“Affirmative.”

They lapse into silence as Crystal drives. Jaida sneaks glances at her out of the corner of her eye; Crystal looks just as stunning as she did the day before, with her ocean-blue hair spilling over her shoulders, tanned skin shining gold in the sunlight beaming through the windows. She’s still wearing a ridiculous amount of necklaces, and clad entirely in blue - the amount of blue she wears should be overwhelming, but Crystal manages to look effortlessly gorgeous. Especially today, with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, form-fitting jeans accentuating the curve of her hips. Jaida feels strangely grateful for the fact that her tattoos are covered.

“You good?” Crystal asks, jolting Jaida out of her reverie.

“Uh - yes. Yes. I’m great,” Jaida stutters, desperately hoping Crystal doesn’t see the blush permeating her cheeks.

Crystal just giggles, light and airy, and doesn’t comment further.

~

“Alright. So.” Crystal glances at the shopping list, reading off the items in order before she bursts out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Jaida asks, confused.

“Jelly babies!” Crystal howls. “Why in the world does Bianca want jelly babies? What’s she going to do, stick them on an outfit or something?”

Jaida snickers at the idea. “Nah. She just likes to eat them while she works.”

“Huh. I never would’ve expected that from her,” Crystal says. “Not that I know her very well or anything, but… among our team, she does have a bit of a reputation.”

“No kidding. Bianca has a reputation with everyone.”

“And now,” Crystal continues, “she’ll also be known as the boss that eats jelly babies on the job.” She halts in her tracks, realisation dawning on her face. “Oh my god, stop. She eats babies. How did I not realise this sooner?”

Jaida bursts out laughing before she can stop herself.

“You know what, child?” She wheezes. “You might be onto something.”

“I’m always onto something.” They’ve reached the candy aisle - Crystal grabs a packet of jelly babies and chucks it in the trolley. “Hey, if Bianca gets to have candy, we should have some too. What do you think? A couple extra packets won’t hurt.”

“Only if the money comes outta your pocket,” Jaida replies sternly.

Crystal rolls her eyes. “Right, strict boss, hoarding all the candy. I forget.”

“You wanna get some or not?”

“Obviously.” Crystal briefly pores over her options before adding a couple more packets to the trolley. “Sugar makes everything better.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. In fact—” Crystal grabs a tube of M&Ms from a display and holds it to her face like a microphone. “—I, Crystal Methyd, declare that sugar is officially the solution to every problem, ever. And glitter. Oh, and maybe weed.”

“I wish,” Jaida snorts, bemused. Crystal looks so ridiculous - and weirdly adorable - standing opposite her, speaking into the figurine of the green M&M that crowns the tube of chocolate.

A moment later, the plastic toy is directly in front of Jaida’s nose, and she quite nearly goes cross-eyed looking at it. She glances back at Crystal, who is grinning at her impishly.

“Jaida! Do you have anything to add?” Crystal asks, trying - and failing - to sound like a news reporter. She sounds more like she’s on the brink of uncontrollable laughter.

“Uh… don’t smoke at work. But definitely wear more glitter, it’ll piss Bianca off when it gets everywhere.” She arches a brow, unable to stop herself from smiling at Crystal’s antics. “You gonna buy that?”

“Now that’s a campaign I can get behind. And also…” Crystal draws her arm back, clearing her throat. She doesn’t break eye contact with Jaida as she raises the M&M figurine to her face, her expression gravely serious despite the playfulness shimmering in her eyes.

“No,” she says simply and, in one swift movement, swings her hand behind her to put the M&Ms back in their display.

Except she misses, and knocks the entire display over instead.

“Shit!” Jaida yelps, running to catch the stand and push it upright again. “Careful, Crystal!”

She’s a little too late. There are tubes of M&Ms rolling across the ground now, having flown out of the display before Jaida caught it.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Crystal gasps, bending down to clean up her mess. “I hope I didn’t break anythi–”

“What’s going on here?” an unfamiliar voice snaps from a short distance away, and Jaida whirls around to see someone who might be the store manager, marching down the aisle and straight towards them. Her face is thunderous, an expression of irritation and anger so strong it could rival one of Bianca’s.

Jaida panics.

“Uhh… look over there!” she yelps, pointing in a random direction before bending to help Crystal clean up. To her utmost surprise, the trick works, and by the time the woman turns back around, they’re putting the last of the M&Ms away. The woman offers them both one last venomous glare before turning around again, and Jaida breathes a sigh of relief, returning to their trolley.

Crystal tugs at the front of it, pulling Jaida to the back of the supermarket. They dart down the aisle together, breathless with barely-stifled laughter, until Crystal is finally assured that they’re far enough away from the manager.

“Jaida!” Crystal squeals, her eyes shining as she clutches at Jaida’s arm. “‘Look over there!’ That was gold. I can’t believe she actually fell for it!”

“Child, I fully panicked,” Jaida admits, her veins still crackling with adrenaline. “But hey, somehow it actually worked! That was insane.”

Crystal swats her lightly, her face lit up in a grin. “You’re insane. That was so funny! I bet she hates us.”

“Whatever,” Jaida says dismissively, unable to stop a smile from tugging at her lips. “She didn’t come and yell at us, so I say that’s a win.”

“Yeah,” Crystal agrees, nodding seriously. “Hey, you know what– look over there!”

Jaida whirls around, startled. “What?”

Behind her, Crystal shrieks with laughter, and Jaida realises - too late - that she’s been tricked. Fooled by her own game.

She spins back around, an amused smile on her face and a smart comeback on the tip of her tongue, but the words die in her throat the second she sees Crystal.

She looks like she’s been lit up from the inside out; like her laughter bubbles up in sparkling silver and gold, breathing lively colour into her cheeks, her freckles dancing across her skin like fairy lights. She’s beautiful, when she laughs like this.

Crystal looks up, her brown eyes flickering with fragments of light. Maybe Jaida’s smile is a bit stupid, softer at the edges, because Crystal grabs her hands and grins up at her like Jaida’s smile means the entire world.

Jaida isn’t sure what happens. One of them starts snickering, and suddenly they’re giggling like schoolchildren, faces flush with warmth. Jaida can feel Crystal’s touch spread through her body like fire, crackling beneath her skin. Her heart skips a beat, maybe two, when she looks at Crystal again.

“You are so funny, Jaida,” Crystal giggles. “I can’t believe you fell for your own trick.”

Jaida huffs out a laugh. “I can’t believe it either.”

“Don’t worry,” Crystal assures her, squeezing Jaida’s hands. “It was super adorable.”

Jaida’s heart does a weird flutter in her chest that she opts to ignore. “Thanks. You are too.” She says it like it’s an offhand comment, but finds that she truly means it.

Crystal’s smile shines brighter than the moon. “Thank you,” she replies cheerfully, opening her mouth to say something else before her grip suddenly stiffens on Jaida’s hand. Jaida blinks at her in confusion as her gaze darts towards the ceiling.

“What is–”

“This is one of my favourite songs!” Crystal squeals, pulling away from Jaida and twirling past their shopping trolley. Jaida watches, amused, as Crystal begins lip-syncing in the middle of the aisle, throwing her arms out dramatically as she dances around.

“Is it One Direction?” Jaida jokes, even though she can quite clearly tell that the singer is a woman. In fact, she recognises the song: Nelly Furtado’s I’m Like a Bird. It’s fitting, for Crystal.

“Oh my god, no,” Crystal laughs, bouncing back over to her side to swat her lightly on the arm. “This is Nelly Furtado, you dingus.” She takes Jaida’s hands again, sending that now-familiar warmth shooting up Jaida’s arms, and pulls her into a haphazard twirl.

“Child–” Jaida stumbles, only just managing not to step on Crystal’s feet.

“Come dance with me!” Crystal encourages her, grinning wildly, tossing her head as the music picks up. She lets go of Jaida’s hands to return to her spinning and dancing, giving Jaida room to decide whether or not to join her.

Jaida isn’t about to remind her that they’re still in the supermarket, and that they’ve only found half of the items on Bianca’s incredibly specific list. Crystal’s excitement is a breath of fresh air; it’s infectious, and Jaida soon finds herself dancing around the aisle, side-by-side with Crystal. They’re alone, tucked away near the cat litter, and free - for the moment, at least - to be as obstructive as they want.

The mood splinters when Crystal seizes Jaida’s arm in a vice-like grip, bringing their dancing to a jarring halt.

“Look over there,” she whispers, her gaze trained on the other end of the aisle, and it takes Jaida a moment to realise that this time, she’s deadly serious. Jaida glances in the same direction and startles.

It’s the store manager again, looking ever the more like she’s just swallowed a crab. Jaida can almost see the stormcloud hanging over her head.

“Do you think she’s come to kick us out of the supermarket?” Crystal whispers, squeezing Jaida’s arm.

“I hope not,” Jaida whispers back, as the woman fixes them with a venomous glare. “If word gets back to Bianca, she’ll whoop my ass.”

“Oh, shit.”

The manager stops to talk to an employee, and Crystal takes the opportunity to dash across the aisle and grab the biggest bag of cat litter she can find. She waves Jaida over and shoves the bag into her arms; it’s heavier than Jaida expects and she grunts, struggling to get a good grip on it.

“Tic Tac shits so much, we’ll need two bags of this stuff,” Crystal proclaims loudly, right as the manager walks past. Jaida hugs the cat litter to her chest, locking eyes with the woman for the briefest of moments. Jaida can’t tell if she’s angry at them, or if her face is just permanently fixed like that.

“Afternoon, ma’am,” Jaida says awkwardly. The manager turns away with a stiff nod and continues walking without a second glance, and Jaida lets out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. She passes the cat litter back to Crystal, who nearly drops it before she unceremoniously returns it to the shelf.

“You are officially the craziest person I’ve ever met,” Jaida tells her. “Is Tic Tac even a real cat?”

“Yeah. You should meet her someday,” Crystal replies with a shiny grin. “Wasn’t that genius? She didn’t even want to talk to us after hearing about my cat’s made-up shitting problem.”

“We also could’ve greeted her politely, apologised for earlier, and let her go on her merry way, but…” Jaida shrugs. “Whatever works, I guess.”

“That’s the spirit!” Crystal says brightly. “Well, I guess we should get back to it.” She pauses. “Our actual job, I mean.”

“That would probably be a good idea,” Jaida agrees, laughing. She doesn’t think she’s had this much fun grocery shopping since she was a little kid, and the world seemed so great and wild. Crystal seems to bring that magic with her wherever she goes.

Jaida could get used to this.

~

“Hey, sorry I couldn’t eat lunch with you yesterday,” Crystal says, after they’ve delivered the shopping to Bianca. “I don’t have anything on today, so… maybe we could grab something to eat together?”

“Sure. I usually hang out with the models, if–”

“I have a better idea,” Crystal interrupts, her eyes shining. “The Mexican place I used to work at is just down the road, and I’d love to treat you to some of my home cuisine. If you’re interested.”

There are a lot of things going through Jaida’s head in that moment, but the first thing that comes out of her mouth is, “are you Mexican?”

Crystal laughs at her surprise. “Yeah, I’m half-Mexican, so most people don’t realise until I tell them. Or until they hear me having a conversation in Spanish. I’m not very good at speaking it, but it’s still fun to shock people like that.”

“Huh. Nice. All the Spanish I know is from watching Dora the Explorer with my little cousins.”

Crystal snickers. “Vámonos!” she says, winking, before taking Jaida’s hand in hers and leading her back to the car. It doesn’t take long for them to get to the restaurant, and Crystal links her hand with Jaida’s again as they walk through the doors.

“Welcome,” she says, gesturing expansively with her free hand. “This place is like a second home to me. Isn’t it so lovely?”

“It is,” Jaida agrees, taking in her surroundings. The restaurant is cozy, washed with warm gold lights and alive with the sound of friendly chatter. It feels homely, comfortable, and it smells amazing. Crystal falls into an easy conversation with the staff member that greets them, and she doesn’t let go of Jaida’s hand until they’re taking their seats at a table.

“Qué lugar tan encantador para una cita,” the staff member comments cheekily as he distributes their menus, and Crystal’s cheeks immediately flood with red.

“¡Ya quisiera!” she replies, looking flustered. “Estamos trabajando juntas.”

Jaida simply sits and listens despite not understanding a word; she loves the lilt of Crystal’s voice as she speaks Spanish, the gorgeously accented edge to every syllable. Crystal may not think her Spanish skills are great, but Jaida thinks she sounds beautiful.

“What was that about?” Jaida asks once the staff member has left. She’s beyond curious as to what could possibly have been said to make Crystal go red like that.

“Oh, nothing, nothing,” Crystal replies quickly, waving her away. “He just asked what we were doing here.”

“Alright…” Jaida doesn’t believe her, but she lets the subject drop. For several silent moments, they both sit reading their menus, but Jaida is distracted, her mind constantly darting back to the dappled rose of Crystal’s cheeks.

She can’t stop her gaze from returning to Crystal, who she finds is already looking back. A soft flush rises to Crystal’s cheeks when she realises Jaida has caught her staring, but neither of them look away.

And when Crystal smiles, Jaida feels herself slipping, deeper and deeper into sandy freckles and earthen eyes. They shine like fragments of honey and topaz in the hazy lights of the restaurant, and it is nothing short of mesmerising.

Jaida finally looks away when she realises she’s definitely staring. Across the table, Crystal giggles, and Jaida’s gaze snaps right back up to her face.

“You’re really pretty, you know,” Crystal says, and Jaida can’t quite tell from that sparkle in her eyes whether she’s being playful or genuine.

Maybe it’s both, she resolves, feeling a hot flush creep up her neck.

“Thank you,” she stutters. “You’re - you’re very pretty, too.” She could use a hundred different adjectives right now, but they’re muddled and heavy on her tongue, so she chooses the simplest.

Crystal offers her a dazzling smile in response. “I know.”

And now Jaida is chuckling again, all awkwardness forgotten. She’s comfortable, sitting here with Crystal, even after their odd staring contest. Jaida peruses the menu again, about to open her mouth to ask Crystal what her recommendations are, and–

Wait.

Is this a date?

The realisation descends on her like a bolt of lightning. She glances over at Crystal again, still innocently reading the menu. Her lips are quirked in the tiniest of smiles, and it’s adorable.

Jaida shakes the distracting thought away. Surely this isn’t a date. She must be overthinking it. They’re going to be working together, just the two of them, on a lot of things this week - and what’s a lunch between friends?

But she could have agreed to have lunch with Nicky and the other models, a tiny voice whispers in her head. And yet here you are, alone together in one of her favourite restaurants.

No. It’s not a date, she insists to herself, before casually clearing her throat.

“I - uh, I don’t eat Mexican much,” she says. “So I was wondering what you’d recommend?”

“Hm.” Crystal thinks for a moment, resting her chin on her hand. “I mean, we could go basic and just get nachos, or… the tostadas here are to die for, if you want to try those.” She points to a picture on the menu, and Jaida can already feel her mouth watering. “Ooh, or maybe we could have Sopa de Lima? That’s always lovely, too.”

Jaida skims the description of each dish and eventually settles on the tostadas, much to Crystal’s delight.

“This looks heavenly,” Jaida says, gesturing to the image on the menu.

Crystal grins. “Perfect! You’re easy to please.”

“What can I say? The food looks delicious. I trust your judgment, chief.”

“Oh, believe me, it is so good. You’d better leave a five-star review after this.”

“We’ll see,” Jaida says, but she knows she probably will anyways. This place is already tied up with good feelings in her mind, and she’s sure the food won’t disappoint.

She’s absolutely correct.

The tostadas look ever the more appetising in person, and they taste even better than they look. Crystal hums in appreciation as soon as she takes a bite, and Jaida meets her sparkling eyes across the table, trying not to smile around her mouthful of food.

“Holy shit, child,” Jaida says after she’s swallowed. “This is so fucking good.”

“I told you so!” Crystal looks far too pleased with herself. “This is one of my favourite places on earth. We should come back sometime.” She pauses before quickly adding, “If you want to.”

“I’d love to,” Jaida agrees.

Ooh, second date already, a voice that sounds suspiciously like Nicky whispers in Jaida’s mind. This is soulmate behaviour if I’ve ever seen it.

Shut up, Jaida replies, even though she knows she’s only talking to herself. She sneaks another glance at Crystal, who has returned to eating her food, and can’t help but think that she would go on a hundred more of these dates if she could.

Jaida hastily pushes the thought to the back of her mind, dropping her gaze before Crystal can catch her staring.

~

“And if it isn’t the essence of beauty herself!” A voice squeals as soon as Jaida sets foot in her apartment. She’s barely shut the door before she’s tackled in a hug.

“Heidi!” Jaida yelps, delighted. “Girl, I missed you! How was the trip?”

Heidi draws back, an enormous smile on her face. “It was amazing,” she gushes. “I got to meet Nicki Minaj! She was a little harsh, but you know, at least I can check it off the bucket list.” She laughs, taking Jaida by the elbow and sitting her at the table. “Now, let’s have a catch-up, just like the old times.”

“The old times?” Jaida can’t help but snicker. “Heidi, it’s only been two weeks.”

“Felt like years without you, Jaida darling!”

Jaida laughs as Heidi pours two glasses of wine and sits down across the table. She’s really missed her roommate - Heidi’s been away on a dance program, and the apartment has been awfully quiet and lonely without her.

“It’s nice to have you back,” Jaida tells her honestly, picking up a glass and swirling it around. “Did you buy this just today?”

“Of course! It’s a special occasion,” Heidi says, grinning. “I got it on sale at the airport.”

“Hah! We love that. Cheers.” Jaida clinks the edge of her glass with Heidi’s and takes a sip.

“Cheers,” Heidi says. “So, what’s cracking? Been having fun without me?”

“Mostly work. Bianca’s got me working with this chick named Crystal for the next week. She’s really fun, I think you’d like her.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Jaida can’t seem to stop herself from smiling, but she can’t tell if it’s because Heidi’s back or because she’s talking about Crystal. “We’re just doing odd jobs together, and I thought it’d be crazy boring, but Crystal makes it really enjoyable. Today we were shopping and she pretended to interview me with M&Ms before she knocked the entire display over. And then she made up a shitting problem for her cat so the manager wouldn’t get pissed at us.”

Heidi laughs, her eyes flickering with something Jaida can’t quite read. Curiosity? Amusement?

“She sounds like a nutcase,” Heidi says, quickly adding, “but the good kind of nutcase! Like… a me kind of nutcase. The best kind.” She grins, flashing the gap between her front teeth.

“I guess she is.” Jaida giggles. “She also got me listening to One Direction, if you can believe it.” She leans across the table conspiratorially, feeling like a teenager sharing secrets in the dark. “I even sang along to one of the songs. We had, like, a party in the car on the way home.”

Okay, it wasn’t a party. But it felt like a celebration nonetheless. Jaida still remembers the electrifying delight she felt that afternoon, and her chest warms at the thought.

She catches herself smiling, perhaps a little too fondly, and takes a quick sip of her wine. Heidi is studying her curiously from across the table, dark eyes glittering with mischief.

“You like her,” Heidi comments slyly, like she’s just uncovered a big secret, and Jaida nearly chokes.

“As a friend,” she clarifies.

“No, girl, don’t even try that with me.” Heidi is still smirking devilishly. “I see it in your eyes, Jaida! The love! It’s undeniable.”

Jaida rolls her eyes, but her grip tightens on the neck of the wineglass. “Pff, child, like you know about love,” she says, trying to sound nonchalant. “You haven’t even found your own soulmate yet.”

“Who said anything about soulmates?”

Shit.

Heidi’s grin stretches impossibly wider. “Oh my god, you secretly think she’s your soulmate! I knew it! You might be onto something, I mean, seeing as she listens to One Direction–”

“She’s already tattooed,” Jaida interrupts. “She’s already got two tattoos.”

“Oh.” For the briefest of moments, Heidi looks crestfallen, before she offers Jaida a reassuring smile. “At least she can help you learn about One Direction. Then you’ll definitely impress your soulmate.”

This makes Jaida smile. “I already know all the words to the chorus of one song,” she says. “Pretty good start, don’t you think?”

“Ooh! Sing it!”

“Absolutely not.”

“I see…” Heidi grins again, the glimmer of mischief back in her eyes. “You’re reserving the sound of your beautiful angel voice for Crystal.”

Jaida rests her head in her hands. “It’s not like that, and you know it.”

“Nah, I think I’m right.” Heidi slams her fist on the table emphatically. “I know you, Jaida. You never cared about soulmates. You just like Crystal.”

Jaida digs around in her brain for a sharp retort, but she draws a blank. Instead, all she can remember is the warmth in her chest when she laughed with Crystal near the cat litter, the feeling of Crystal’s soft palm in hers on the way to lunch, and her silent, secret hope that that really was a date.

“I swear, you and Nicky have a one-track mind,” she says with a long-suffering sigh, shoving the confusing mess of feelings away. She can’t help but wonder why all her friends are so dead-set on her being with Crystal. Has she been single that long?

Or is she just that obvious?

Heidi nods approvingly. “She’s a smart one, that Nicky. You should listen to her more often.”

“Well, she’s wrong about this,” Jaida huffs stubbornly, “and so are you.”

Heidi raises a knowing eyebrow.

“She’s my coworker!” Jaida insists. “And I guess my friend, too, after today. But seriously, y’all are lunatics.”

“Speak for yourself,” Heidi laughs.

Jaida swats her playfully across the arm, but her stomach is churning. What if Heidi and Nicky are right? What if that tickle between her ribs in the supermarket, the electricity in the air at lunch– what if that all meant something?

No. Jaida is not going to get into it. Crystal is her coworker. Crystal is tattooed. Crystal can never be hers, and Jaida isn’t about to introduce awkwardness to what is looking like it could be a great friendship.

“Tell me about your dance trip,” she says to Heidi, who raises a knowing brow as Jaida downs the rest of her wine in one go. To Jaida’s relief, Heidi doesn’t push the issue, and begins launching into a captivating story about Nicki Minaj and kale. Jaida sits back and tries her best to listen attentively, but her mind is still a whirlwind of brown eyes and freckles.

~

Jaida is consumed by thoughts of Crystal for the rest of the evening.

It takes her straight back to her college days with Jan, and the gradual fall she felt with Gigi. Except this time, Jaida feels like she’s been hit by a freight train. In only two days, she’s gone from humming One Direction songs on her way home to being overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings and utter confusion.

Stop being so dramatic, she scolds herself. You’re just overthinking it. You’re not in love with her or anything.

Then why does everyone think otherwise?

No. She’s just nice, and fun, and she’s a great friend.

As much as Jaida tries to convince herself, she knows it isn’t true. She’s been fighting this all day. Heidi’s affectionate teasing was the straw that broke the camel’s back and forced Jaida to finally admit it.

Not that she’d ever say so out loud, of course. She’d never hear the end of it.

Nicky, Heidi and Jackie would gang up and create some ploy for Crystal to show me her collarbone, Jaida thinks to herself. And it would be embarrassing for all of us, especially if I’m right, and Crystal’s soul tattoos are really the ones on her arms. And then it’d be so awkward, she’d never want to talk to me again.

Okay, no. Jaida stops herself there. It might have only been two days, but she’s already sure that Crystal’s not that type of person.

Crystal’s the girl who sings loudly along to One Direction in the car. She’s the girl who held Jaida’s hands and laughed with her in the corner of the supermarket like they were the only ones there. She’s not the kind of girl who would just ditch Jaida over one awkward situation, Jaida’s sure of it.

Or at least, she hopes so. She’s only known Crystal a couple of days - perhaps to her, this is just a fun week-long project. Perhaps she never intends to see Jaida again after this.

The thought makes Jaida’s heart ache. A week is barely enough time to spend with Crystal, to get to know what makes her laugh, or for them to go on that second date to the Mexican restaurant.

Second date. There she goes again, calling it a date.

Was it a date?

The thought still plagues her like a thorn in her side. She can’t tell if it was just a kind sentiment, or if Crystal was genuinely asking her out. The lines between colleague and friend already became so blurred today - what if Crystal was blurring them further into flirtatiousness?

This is too much. Jaida sits on the edge of her bed, her head falling into her hands. How could she let this happen? She was going to focus on her work, she was going to make all her dreams come true - she was going to be incredible. But now, all she’s done is fall into a tangle of messy emotions that she never asked for, with a coworker she’s only just met. All her steadfast focus has gone out of the window, and Jaida feels like a fool.

She sighs, reaching for her phone - there’s no harm in listening to a bit of music before she sleeps. She finds herself putting on Chaka Khan’s I Feel For You album before she realises what she’s doing, and soon enough, the familiar opening melody of Through the Fire is echoing through the room.

Jaida relaxes, swathed by the music, letting the soulful lyrics thread through her heart, lulling her into peacefulness.

You tell me you’re gonna play it smart

We’re through before we start

But I believe that we’ve only just begun

It feels just a little bit too real, hits Jaida a little too close to home. But it’s still soothing - reassuring, almost. She finds herself getting to her feet, toes pressing into soft carpet, and she begins to dance.

Through the fire

To the limit, to the wall

For a chance to be with you

I’d gladly risk it all

She dances around her room, carried by the music, gentle melodies and soulful lyrics threading their way through every fibre of her being. In this moment, all she sees is Crystal: she sees the way she smiled when they raced through the aisles of the supermarket, sees the way her hair billowed over her shoulders as she twirled and danced and laughed.

Through the fire

Through whatever, come what may

For a chance at loving you

I’d take it all the way

Jaida spins on her toes, pressing her back to her wardrobe door and pretending the cool metal of its handle is Crystal’s soft palm. She is so wrapped up in her fantasy that she swears she can feel Crystal’s breathy laugh against her neck and the brush of her cerulean hair on her shoulders. It’s almost as though she’s back in the supermarket, when Crystal took her hand and spun her around.

Pulled along by the music, Jaida takes another delicate step, imagining that Crystal’s fingers are twined with her own. When she blinks, she sees the flash of Crystal’s jewel-bright eyes. Jaida can count every freckle dusting her cheeks. She reaches up, pretends she can brush her hand along Crystal’s jaw, pull her soft mouth closer–

“Ooh, girl,” comes a voice from the doorway, dripping in some devious mixture of amusement and pity. Jaida whips around to meet none other than Heidi, her lips painted in a smug smirk. “You have officially lost it.”

Jaida hand flies to her chest, just below her tattoo, where she can feel the erratic hammering of her heart against the ribs. Her entire body is blossoming with warmth, but Jaida can’t tell whether it’s from the embarrassment, or from the fresh bud that’s rooted itself in her chest.

She groans, flopping back onto her bed.

“You know I hate it when you’re right.”

“Sorry, I can’t help being so incredibly smart,” Heidi replies lightly. Jaida feels the mattress dip as Heidi sits down beside her. “Are you doing alright, Jai?”

“I don’t even know,” Jaida sighs. She pulls a pillow over her face, partly so she doesn’t have to feel Heidi’s quiet sympathy and partly because she really wants to scream. “You can say ‘I told you so,’” she mumbles from beneath the pillow.

“Naw, you already know that,” Heidi laughs. “It’ll be okay, Jaida. Do you wanna talk about it?” Reaching over, she lifts the pillow from Jaida’s face, and Jaida reluctantly lets her take it.

She’s silent for a long moment before she says, “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Then…” Heidi pauses, thinking. “Just talk about whatever - it doesn’t have to be about you. Tell me about Crystal, or what y’all did today, or something. Just let all your feelings out.”

“I - okay.” Jaida blinks at Heidi gratefully before pulling herself into a seated position. “Crystal… she just has so much heart, Heidi. She could fill a room with that smile.” She pauses, thinking. “She took me to her favourite Mexican place for lunch and introduced me to her favourite foods. She’s really passionate about everything - her artwork, her culture, her music.”

“One Direction,” Heidi giggles, and Jaida nods, a genuine smile tugging at her lips.

“Child, she cannot sing to save her life, but somehow it’s still amazing anyways,” Jaida says. “She just seems to love life, you know? She’s always so happy. And she’s always wearing a million necklaces, or belting along to One Direction in the car, and she’s got this… this electric blue hair, and freckles.” And tattoos. “She’s really pretty, Heidi.”

Heidi’s face softens. “You’re really smitten, aren’t you?” She murmurs, taking Jaida’s hand and holding it gently. “She must be really special. You’ll have to introduce us someday - I wanna meet the girl who’s stolen my Jaida’s heart!”

“I will,” Jaida promises, smiling. “Nicky and Jackie want me to take her to a strip club. You can come along.”

Heidi shrieks with laughter. “Did Nicky suggest that? See, I told you she has good ideas!”

“Bitch, please, it’s a terrible idea.” Jaida huffs out a laugh. “Besides, I don’t even know if Crystal will want to keep hanging out with me after this week.”

Heidi’s face softens. “What gave you that idea? You said she took you out to lunch. Sounds to me like she wants to get to know you.”

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s this nice to everyone she works with.”

“Stop doubting yourself, Jai,” Heidi says, swatting her lightly on the arm. “You’re so classy and fun. She’d be an idiot to stop being friends with you.”

Jaida sighs, burying her face in her hands. “I just don’t know what to do.” How could she let herself get like this? She had promised herself she was going to keep this professional. That she was going to do her job and do it right.

And yet, here she is, an emotional mess over a girl she’s barely known for two days.

When she opens her eyes again, Heidi is staring at her with a strange sense of melancholy.

“Don’t worry about that for now,” Heidi soothes her. “Just talk to me. You’ve loved people that weren’t your soulmate before - how is this different?”

“Jan and Gigi were my friends,” Jaida sighs. “With Crystal - there are boundaries I shouldn’t cross. It’s work. You don’t talk about soulmates, or dating, or whatever at work. Especially not with your brand-new colleague.”

“Okay, yeah, that’s fair,” Heidi agrees. “But you can still become friends with Crystal, and talk about it with her after the show.”

“Yeah.” Jaida swallows thickly. “That’s… a good idea.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” Heidi says, flashing a shiny grin. “Heidi-gives-advice-y, at your service.”

Jaida laughs, reaching over to wrap Heidi in a hug. “Thanks.”

“You’re most welcome. And, uh, Jaida?” Heidi draws back from the hug, staring sheepishly into her lap. “Sorry for teasing you about this earlier.”

“It’s cool. You were right, anyways.”

It feels nice to have someone to admit that to. Jaida has spent the entire day ignoring butterflies and electric flushes, and acknowledging them feels like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

“I’m always right,” Heidi agrees, “is there anything else you wanna talk about?”

Jaida thinks for a moment before she shakes her head. “I think I’m gonna try and sleep.”

“Okay. Night, Jai,” Heidi says, wrapping Jaida in another hug before she gets to leave. “Good chat. Let me know how things go, ’kay?”

“Sure thing. Thanks, Heidi.”

“Goodnight!” Heidi smiles at her, warm and reassuring, before she shuts the door with a quiet click and Jaida is left alone.

The music is still playing quietly from the nightstand - it’s This is My Night now, and Jaida can’t help but think back to the car ride in the morning. It feels like so much has changed since then.

But it hasn’t, Jaida realises, absentmindedly running her fingers through her curly hair. The only thing that changed is that you realised what you were feeling.

She sighs, turning the music and her lamp off, plunging the room into an eerie, dark silence.

All she has to do now is get through the rest of the week.

She crawls into bed, hoping to sleep and clear her mind. Instead, she lies there for what feels like hours, tossing and turning, her eyes open in the darkness. All she can see is blue.

Crystal is blue like the soothing kiss of water, but she turns Jaida to red fire, scarlet lightning sizzling through her veins. Even now, with all of her blankets kicked to one side, Jaida still feels stifled, too big for her skin, too warm for slumber. The memory of every perfect smile sets her chest alight, crackling with hungry flames.

Fuck. She’s really got it bad.

She hates herself for feeling these things, hates Crystal for not getting out of her head. But as hard as she tries, Jaida can’t push the images of her away.

So she lets herself wonder, briefly, if Crystal has found her soulmate yet. The tattoos on her arms are beautiful, mysterious, and whoever picked them wasn’t Jaida.

The stupid, the fearless part of Jaida imagines that none of those are Crystal’s soul tattoos. That instead, the one mark woven with magic is on her collarbone, just above her heart. Jaida tries to envision the beautiful Arabic words on Crystal’s skin, but the image makes her heart twist in such a way that she hastily shoves it aside.

It’s such a slim possibility, anyways. Jaida knows it’s stupid to let herself hope.

She rolls over, her soul tattoo burning against her skin, and finally slips into a restless, uneasy sleep. Even in her dreams, all she sees is blue.

[deathgasm00]

Then, so be it. - Izuku Midoriya

Izuku Midoriya x Fem!reader

Warnings: Suggestive themes

Word Count: 3811

A/N: This is my first drabble thing, so i apologize in advance if it’s terrible 😅 I can only get better with practice right? I’m also interested in doing a part two if this gets any attention!

It is a reader x Izuku but i don’t like Y/N so i will name the character.

Mizu Iyashi

Quirk: Hydrokinesis. The ability to control, manipulate and alter the molecular state of water, freeze water, or evaporate water into clouds of mist, steam or fog. Also able to heal wounds using water.

~

“Okay! How do I look?” Uraraka asks, tugging her pink shirt down a bit to accentuate her...assets.

You examine her from your seat on her bed, a twizzler hanging from your mouth. Tonight was movie night in the common area, more specifically, the last movie night of class 3-a. Three tough, long years have gone by and you loathed not having everyone around anymore, as being with them has become second nature to you.

“Spanks?” You question her outfit of choice, pointing your twizzler at her pale buttcheeks poking out from under the skin tight shorts.

“Yes, why? What’s wrong with it?” She asks you with worry laced in her tone, her hands touching the exposed parts, turning to look in the full length mirror.

“Nothing. It’s just more showy than anything you’ve worn before, I bet he’ll do the thing where he gets all red in the face and stiffens up. But you have to hold his arm. Put it between ya tiddies.” You laugh into your hand at the thought.

“I hope so! I’ll be offended if he doesn’t. I’m gonna go plus ultra tonight!” She grins, puffing her chest out in the mirror.

“Alright love birds, movie is about to start!”

You look at the doorway to see Mina peeking into the room with a smile on her face.

Everybody would be lying if they said they weren’t sad that this is the last movie night. You all had grown so close together, became a family. Sure, it’s not the last time you’re going to see each other, but it’s most likely the last time everyone will be in the same room. Hero work is busy work.

“Alright, we’ll be down in a sec.” Uraraka chirps while sliding on her socks.

“Are you going to make a move tonight?” Mina whispers excitedly, shuffling into the room with her hands clasped in front of her.

You slightly frown to yourself, looking to Uraraka for her response even though you already know what the answer is. But a girl can dream sometimes, right?

“I plan to. If everything goes good!” She giggles, grabbing onto Mina’s hands while bouncing in her spot.

You loved Uraraka. She was your best friend. The first friend you ever made at UA, so of course you wish her nothing but absolute happiness. And if her happiness was Izuku Midoriya, then so be it. But you can’t help but let the thought of them together tug at your heart strings.

You felt a spark with Midoriya the moment you first healed his fingers the best you could, after his fight with Todoroki during the Sports Festival. The way he stared at the glowing water in wonder, then stared into your eyes and told you how grateful he was and how amazing your quirk is. It almost made your heart explode, never having anyone be so sweet to you like that before.

But you know Uraraka felt something for him the moment he saved her life during the entrance exams. And she saved his life in return, albeit smacking him across the face, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

“Alright Iyashi, are you ready?” Mina turns to look at you as you stand up, adjusting your leggings further down your ankles.

“Yup.” You smile and loop your arms in theirs, walking down the hall side by side. “What about you, Mina? Are you going to make a move on Kirishima?” You tease her, leaning your head onto her shoulder.

She huffs and shakes you off her shoulder, her pink skin darkening at your question.

“No! i-i mean...i don’t know?” She sighs “i think so. I don’t want to miss the opportunity and regret it.”

You nod at her answer, understanding completely. Missing your opportunity is one of the worst feelings, and you would know considering you’ve been missing opportunities for three years.

“I know you can do it. He obviously likes you, so. Nothing to lose at this point…” you grumble while stepping into the elevator and pressing the first floor button.

“Iyashi, is there something you want to tell us? You know what’s weird, every girls night we have ever had, you’ve never admitted to crushing on anyone.” Mina points out, looking at you smugly.

“Are you asexual?”

“Maybe.” You shrug at her with a blank expression, biting back the smile threatening to take over your lips.

“Are you serious?” Uraraka touches your shoulder, her eyebrows furrowing, upset that you may have been hiding your sexuality from her this entire time.

You’ve been attracted to others besides Midoriya, but they never seemed to last. Todoroki for example. You were gonna shoot your shot with him but he was too oblivious to notice your advances. So you gave up.

Smiling, you shake your head, putting your hand on Ochaco’s. “No, i’m not serious. I did try to get Todoroki’s attention a few months ago, but he didn’t notice.”

“He’s so clueless it’s embarrassing.” Mina says, rubbing her forehead in thought. “You should try again tonight. I mean look at you, in your little tank top and leggings, are you even wearing a bra?” She squints her eyes at your boobs.

“No, I hate bras. And honestly I’m not that into him anymore. We’re better off as friends.”

“What about Bakugo? He’s easy on the eyes.” Ochaco says with a laugh, the elevator doors opening to reveal the man in question.

“Took you extras long enough. Hurry the hell up already!” He shouts, his signature scowl on his face. You stick your tongue out at him, ready to push every single one of his buttons before tonight is over. “Shouldn’t you be babysitting Kaminari?” You tease him as you walk out of the elevator, preparing yourself for an explosive smack to the side of the head. “Tch...Idiot.” He mutters, a smirk on his lips as he walks away, Mina following behind him to get to Kirishima.

“No.” You respond to Uraraka. Trying to date Bakugo would be like trying to tame a wild rhino. Impossible and a waste of time. “He’s got a temper that’s only good in the bedroom.”

“Not wrong there.” She agrees, eyeing his retreating figure. “I always wondered what that would be like.” She admits to you with a small laugh, a blush dusting her cheeks from the confession.

“I feel like we all have.” You also eye his figure before smirking at Uraraka. “But at least he’s not nearly as angry as he used to be…” You point out, remembering how bad his temper was the first time you met him.

“Well hello ladies.”

You look to the side then down, searching for the voice. Mineta coming into your view as he leans against the wall, a smug look on his face. “Lucky I ran into you, I put on a special shirt today. Wanna know what it is?” He looks up at you and raises his eyebrows. “Boyfriend material.” He answers, not even giving you a chance to speak.

“Oh really? I thought it was a size T3 from Baby Gap.” You retort, popping the P.

“So mean!” He whines, gripping the shirt in his hands.

“There he is. Wish me luck!” Uraraka whispers and rushes past a snot nosed Mineta, making her way to Midoriya who was standing in the kitchen, having a conversation with Sero.

You lean against the wall beside the elevator and shoo Mineta away as you watch their interaction, watching as she grabs his arm and grins at the two boys.

“What are you doing?” A quiet voice mutters by your ear.

You glance behind you at the face hovering over your shoulder, also looking at Midoriya and Uraraka.

“Just lookin’ around...What’s up Iida?” You ask, looking back over to your two best friends. You frown at how red his face is from his arm being in between her breasts, jealousy wafting off of you.

I wonder how his arm would feel between my boobs...or lower.

Shaking your head as if it will make the dirty thoughts disappear, you turn to Iida who’s staring at you with curiosity.

“You like Midoriya, don’t you Iyashi?” He murmurs, a frown tugging at his lips at your messy predicament.

It doesn’t surprise you that he asked. What does surprise you is that he’s the only one that’s noticed. You’ve never been caught gazing at him during training, watching how strong and skilled he is and practically drooling over his muscles. Or how you’re the first person to run and help him during a battle, ready to heal his wounds and watch his back.

“I do. But i can’t.” You whisper, glancing at Uraraka. “She liked him first...It’ll just be easier to get over him once we graduate in a few days...” you explain, your heart dark and heavy at the thought of trying to get over him.

“I’m truly sorry, Iyashi. Why don’t you come sit down with us? Have an amazing time on our last movie night!” He beams, pushing his glasses up his nose.

You smile at him brightly, warmth blooming in your chest. “Of course.” you whisper, walking beside him to the vacant couch. “Time went by so fast, It’s hard to believe this is the last movie night.” You say, watching everyone grab their snack of choice and make way to the living area.

Flopping down on the couch, you hug a pillow to your chest and scoot over, making room for him. He sits beside you, a solem look on his face as he glances around at his classmates. “Perhaps we could plan a reunion of sorts further down the line. Maybe try to have one every couple years or so.” He suggests.

You nod your head in agreement, relief washing over you at the thought of reunions. “Great idea Iida! That would be amazing, we’ll have to bring the idea up to everyone.” You grin at him, squeezing the pillow tighter in excitement. You’ve always been a very sentimental person so the idea of having small get togethers every couple of years makes you jittery. Every so often is way better than never.

Soon enough everyone gathers around the TV, blankets and pillow forts all around, people stacked on top of others. Kaminari had squeezed himself between you and Tenya, forcing you to just throw your legs over the both of them. The movie menu sat on the screen but nobody moved to press play, chatter and laughter bouncing off the walls.

“I never did that! No I didn't! BAKUGO DID THAT!” Kirishima playfully defends himself, leaning forward and pointing at the stunned blond across from him. Laughter leaves your mouth making him chuck a pillow at your face.

“BECAUSE HE ANNOYED ME!” Bakugo shouts, a vein protruding out of his neck.

“You blasted him so hard his p-pants flew off!” You cry out, holding onto your stomach for dear life as you recall that day. Kaminari had pissed Bakugo off so badly by saying “get rekt” during training over and over, he eventually blasted his ass.

Kaminari blushes at the memory, moving around uncomfortably at the attention he’s receiving. “Come on, guys. It hurt…and Midnight saw my bare asscheeks...” he mutters in embarrassment, covering his red face.

“I need a picture of all of us. Everyone get closer!” Mina demands, setting her phone up in front of the TV and setting the timer to ten seconds. “TEN SECONDS! PLACES PEOPLE!” She shouts, running towards the couch and jumping on Kirishima’s lap, much to his surprise.

You quickly jump to your feet and run towards Uraraka and Midoriya on the floor, squeezing in between them you wrap your arms around their necks and shove their cheeks to yours, a giant grin on your face.

Her phone snaps the picture as the timer hits zero, a flash lighting up the room. You turn to look at Midoriya to make sure he smiled, your eyes meeting his. You gasp in surprise at the close proximity, close enough to see the freckles scattered across his cheeks and how his eyes always seem to glimmer even in the dimmest lighting. You blush deeply and jerk your face away from him, muttering a small apology while removing your arm from around his shoulders. “You two better have smiled.” You joke, shaking off the awkward moment and give Uraraka’s shoulder a playful squeeze.

Suddenly feeling a little too hot, you stand up and rub your chest to try and calm your rapid heartbeat. “I’m going to get a drink, does anybody want anything?” you ask, walking around the couch and set your hands on the back of it.

You hear a mixture of no and no thank you’s, and a small “you” from Mineta, which you ignore.

You walk to the fridge and open it, a smile on your face while you listen to the shouts and explosions going off, sounding like a normal night to you. You grab a bottle of water and shut the door with your hip before spinning around coming face to face with Midoriya.

You jerk back, slamming the back of your head against the fridge and grab it in pain. “You scared the fuck out of me!” You hiss out, repeatedly rubbing the aching spot for some sort of relief.

He grabs onto your shoulder and holds onto your hand that’s now stiff as a rock on the back of your head, goosebumps traveling all the way down your body.

“I’m sorry! I thought you heard me.” He exclaims, but his apologies fell on deaf ears, the only senses taking over being smell and touch. You’re still up against the cold fridge, eye level with his chest. You feel your heartbeat in your throat as you inhale his scent.

Cotton flowers and...bergamot.

You tilt your head back and lean it against the refrigerator, your hand fisting the bottom of your tank top that suddenly feels way too aggravating on your taut nipples which are centimeters away from his rib cage. You slowly open your eyes to meet his beautiful green ones, tears threatening to fall from the frustrating desire flooding your system.

“Did it hurt that bad?” He asks quietly, smoothing your hair on the back of your head in a comforting way, but he doesn’t realize he’s just making it worse.

Tears slide down your cheeks in frustration at your own weakness. You’d do anything to be able to press your lips to his. To run your hands through his soft tresses of hair. At least you think it’s soft…

It looks so soft.

“Yeah, it hurts. It really hurts. I’m sorry but i think i need to go lay down.” Your voice is barely above a whisper, cracking in some spots. He frowns deeply at you, feeling at fault for your pain.

“Let me walk you to your room.” He insists, gently tugging you away from the fridge but you place your shaky hands against his chest and lightly push him back. You can’t allow him to walk you to your room. It’s taking everything in you right now to not cuddle and ride him at the same damn time.

“No. Midoriya...enjoy the movie night please, i’ll be fine. Thank you though.” You say a little stronger this time, ignoring the way his saddened eyes looked you over. You walk past him and towards the elevator, stepping into it once the metal doors open. You click the second floor button before facing the wall and lean your forehead against it, gripping tightly onto the metal bar at your hips.

Finally letting the tears and sobs flow freely once you hear the door close, shutting away your friends laughter. You mentally curse yourself at how weak you’re being. One encounter with him basically had you on your knees. Pathetic.

“I’m so fucking stupid.” You whisper.

“You’re not stupid Iyashi.”

You freeze in your spot. Of fucking course he would follow you, what else would Izuku Midoriya do?

“What are you doing here Midoriya? I told you i’m fine.” Your voice is hoarse yet steady. You can’t slip up now, not after three years of trying not to. 

“You’re not fine. It’s not your head either Iyashi, now tell me the truth, what is wrong? You’ve been acting funny for the past couple months, did I do something to upset you?” He steps forward and places a hand on your shoulder to turn you around, his heart breaking at the sight of your tear stained face. How broken your eyes look.

“...You did nothing wrong but that’s all i’m going to say. You shouldn’t even be here you should be down there with Ura-“

“Is that what’s making you upset? Uraraka?”

You close your mouth in surprise, averting your eyes to your socks. What are you supposed to say? You can’t lie to him, he knows you too well.

“It is. Why?” He says it more like a demand, your eyes snapping up to his in shock at his change of tone. He takes a step towards you and grabs your shoulder before squeezing it. “Iyashi... Please tell me.” He pleads. His eyes look just as desperate as yours, just as desperate to hear the answer as you are to say it. To finally get it off your chest.

“Midoriya I-“ You take a deep breath before slowly releasing it, your body trembling. You feel like you’re betraying Uraraka by muttering these words. Nothing can go back to normal after you say them... “I’m in love with you. Izuku Midoriya.” You choke out, your blood running cold but your body felt like you just ran through the flames of hell.

His eyes widened in disbelief and confusion, struggling to swallow the lump in his throat. “Wait...Wha-“

“This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you! I knew you’d never feel the same. So I stepped back and cheered on Uraraka to go for it...for years I did! But I...I can't anymore Midoriya, it hurts so bad…” You sob, biting the back of your hand to try and silence the pitiful sounds. “To love you, and watch her make constant moves on you, to listen to her say things about you that I could only dream of saying out loud. It kills.”

His eyes fill with tears at the sight. He had never seen you look so broken and it made his heart ache. The need to hold you in his arms grew with every tear that fell down your cheeks and every sob that echoed in his ears.

The elevator doors open and you quickly walk out of them, hastily wiping away your tears, hearing his footsteps follow behind you. You shakily open the door to your dorm room, stopping by the balcony window to stare outside. You wait for him to enter, knowing he’s not going to drop this anytime soon, but terrified to hear what he has to say.

You hear the door click closed and the shuffle of feet getting closer to you. You take a deep breath before speaking up, ready to tell him everything.

“I never told you, because Uraraka, Yes. But also because you work so hard. You’re always occupied with becoming the number one hero, I never want to get in the way of that. You wouldn’t have time for me.”

“How could you possibly know that? Why would you just assume that, Iyashi?” He asks, grabbing your hand gently as if he’s afraid he’ll break it. Caught off guard by his bold move, you turn to him. He’s angry. That much is obvious. His eyebrows scrunch at your silence, reaching forward he grabs your chin between his thumb and pointer finger, forcing you to look into his eyes.

“Answer me.”

“i don’t know Midoriya.” You pout in frustration, knowing you shouldn’t allow him to touch you, but you can’t seem to shake him away. You’re just craving more. “I just do, okay? Am i wrong?”

“You are…-“ He leans his face down to yours, the tip of his nose brushing against yours. “Absolutely infuriating.” He mumbles, his voice low and dangerous as he stares deeply into your eyes, a deep blush across his nose and cheeks at how confident he’s being.

You tremble under his gaze, feeling so open and exposed without having to take a single piece of clothing off. You raise your shaky hands to his chest and fist his shirt, your lips parting in a silent plea to be met with his own.

You stand on your toes and try to lean towards him, tired of waiting for something you’ve wanted for so long. “Please Zuku…” you whimper softly. 

He tilts his head back slightly in surprise at the nickname, his eyes softening as he admires your beautiful features, your half lidded eyes staring into his own with matching desire but also matching fear. This is so new to the both of you, and deep down you’re still thinking about hurting Uraraka. Neither one of you wanted to hurt her, but you can only ignore your true feelings for so long. And if he didn’t have feelings for her, why push him in that direction?

He grabs your face in his shaky hands, goosebumps igniting along his skin when you grip onto his back in an attempt to bring him closer to you.

“For years we both have done the opposite of what we want, just to please everyone else. Just so we don’t hurt anyone else. But we’ve been hurting ourselves the entire time…” He says quietly, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “You think I didn’t notice you always staring at me? The way you’d always run to fight by my side before anyone else? Or how your hands always got to my wounds before I even noticed they were there? I’ve always noticed you...you’re the only one I’ve ever noticed.” He admits, his eyes searching your face for any signs of anger for him not saying anything sooner.

“I just didn’t want to say anything...I was scared I might’ve been wrong, but now I’m starting to regret not speaking up when i should have.” He adds, a coy look on his face as he averts his eyes from yours, his confidents slowly fading every second you stare at him.

You blush deeply as he spills all the things you thought nobody noticed and at his confession of you being the only one he’s ever noticed. But of course he would notice. He’s the most observant person you have ever met. “I was hoping you hadn’t noticed. I figured you wouldn’t or maybe just think I was being a good friend...” You let out a small laugh, your hands absentmindedly rubbing circles on his back.

He smiles softly at you, his thumbs stroking your cheeks. “Why wouldn’t i notice a beautiful woman giving me special attention?” His voice is shaky. He’s nervous, yet so excited to hold you like this. To have you want him as much as he wants you.

Your breath catches in your throat at his words, tears filling your eyes again. You can’t believe he knew everything. You can’t believe he thinks you’re beautiful or that he likes you too. You feel like you’re floating on cloud nine as the wall that you built to keep your feelings for him held inside crumble down around you. With just one touch, he destroyed years of hard work. Maybe you could have him…maybe Ochaco would understand. You’ve understood and kept your distance for years. You always put her first. Why can’t you come first?

“You’re right. I want to put myself first for once. I want you, Zuku.” You say gently, pressing your body closer to his. The feeling of his chiseled body pressed against yours was pure heaven, molding together in a perfect fit. But it still doesn’t feel close enough.

He sets his forehead against yours and gazes into your eyes as he gives you a small nod of confirmation, slowly pulling your face closer to his.

“Then just for once...let’s be a little selfish.” He whispers, the feeling of his breath across your heated cheeks making butterflies erupt throughout your stomach. He runs his hands into your hair, fisting it softly as he leans down to your height and lightly brushes his lips against yours. He smiles softly against your mouth before fully pressing his lips to your eager ones.

You sigh into the kiss, the tears that had built up rolling down your cheeks as you close your eyes and pull him closer to you. Your lips move together in a sensual dance, the taste of salty popcorn salivating across your tongue as he gently strokes his tongue against yours. The softness of his lips mixed with the eagerness of his kiss makes you dizzy with lust and deaf to the sound of desperate knocks on your door.

For once it’s just you two together, in your own little bubble. For once you feel absolute happiness...and if your happiness is Izuku Midoriya.

Then, so be it.

[oldfritz]

this was surprisingly hard because half of them I wanted to throw in f, but then felt guilty about it so here’s where we are. explanations under the cut to be nice (fair warning: I’m writing this while tipsy so this is a journey)

S-tier

Old Fritz: look me in the eyes. look at me. are you looking? good. where else was I was going to put him? where? in C with the other losers? foolish. I am ruining my life for this man, I’m going to go into debt so I can be moderately qualified to write books on him so Tim Blanning and Christopher Clark don’t boo my off the stage. I sit here sometimes and I’m like ‘y’know, I would start a podcast to talk about his life’ as if I’m some straight white guy who thinks any of you want to listen to me for an hour. he’s a bastard, a smug bastard, and is the epitome of self-destructive tendencies. and, honestly, I wouldn’t mind if he wasn’t so fucking misogynistic all the time. ‘oh women aren’t fit to rule’ shut up Fritz before I time travel to fuck your wife and make her have one night where life feels worthwhile. but he’s funny, I enjoy how he does foreign policy, and he’s unfortunately relatable to me. cheers, Fritz. here’s to never being satisfied from one gay disaster with anger issues to another. may we burn in hell together

A-tier

Friedrich iii: “Suzanne, he was only on the throne for 99 days!! how can he be this high up when some of these bastards refused to die?” I hear you, my friends, and I have answers. I’ll tell you two words you’ll be shocked to hear put together: liberal Hohenzollern. a rare breed, isn’t it? imagine, friends, a world where he got over his throat cancer because he listened to a doctor and we get through the 1910s, 20s, even the 30s without Wilhelm II Electric Boogaloo being in power. Prussia is still on the map, the Anglo-Prussian alliance is strong, and I live in peace. but no. this stupid man had to keep smoking. because he’s selfish and doesn’t care about my needs. you know, he actually loved his wife. rare in this family. loved her and wasn’t abusive. the bar is so low, guys. and his wife is amazing too, Victoria. the world would’ve been in competent hands if they’d been in power longer (and Bismarck would’ve been out of a job still but at least these guys are smart. their son inherited grandma Vicki’s IQ). I would sleep with both of them and would thank them for the honor (when it should always be the other way around, remember that)

B-tier

Friedrich I: if your name is Friedrich and only Friedrich, we’re buds. that’s my rule. I have to give him credit where credit’s due. he was the first. while I agree with Fritz in his proscription that he was ‘small in big ways and big in small ways’ (I may have flipped that around), he wasn’t a bad guy. he just was born into the wrong job for him. I appreciate that he rode on his father’s coattails of proving useful to the Habsburgs and did a little himself to get that sweet, sweet kingship. smart move. I also like that he saw Louis XIV and said to himself “I stan, I kin, on God we’re gonna do that’ and tried. only for have his stupid, ungrateful, unclassy son to do away with that. I, too, am a woman of luxury and self-indulgance and if I had all the riches of Brandenburg and Prussia at the time (not much), I would spend them ridiculously on outfits and music and art. now, what did he do as king? what policy legacy did he leave behind? that’s a good one :)

C-tier

Friedrich Wilhelm III: now as a king he sucks. and I stand by this because, you know, he lost to him *imagine me pretending to be short and saying ‘oui, oui’ in a bad french accent*. and as any proper Englishwoman I can’t support a monarch who goes around losing to the French unless their name is Mary I. but, he’s a pathetic little man. he really is. so indecisive, so unsure of himself. what are you doing little guy? you think because your last name is Hohenzollern, God thinks you’re a good king? well it is like 1805 and, while divine right isn’t really being used as much, it’s as good as any reason on why you’re the chosen one and my family is eating dirt in Sicily and on the Scottish border. he’s really just a dude, nothing extraordinary about him except that his wife was the only one with brains and was the first to establish that (sorry Wilhelm I). he cried when he found out that his children didn’t call him ‘papa’ and went into a deep depressive state when his wife suddenly died. he’s an average man, of average abilities, but of big heart. and the big heart is what bumps him up, for me, from his old place as an F to a C. though, his moralizing is tedious

Friedrich Wilhelm II: this man should have partied with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. everyone’s got that one ruler whose all about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. for the US it’s JFK, for the UK it’s Margaret Thatcher Charles II, France has Louis XIV. Prussia has this guy and we should thank him. so many mistresses, so much sex, so much revelry and debauchery and sin! this guy’s personal life is like a treasure trove of political and sexual intrigue. if you’re into that - as I am as a town gossip - you’ll love him. I am constantly amazed by the fact that some STD didn’t kill him. syphilis, herpes, crabs. something, man, anything. but he didn’t. he’s a shit king though. absolutely horrible. all he did was whine that he didn’t get taught anything by Uncle Fritz and, yes, that’s not good if it’s true (but it’s not completely because the treatises are detailed but I guess he didn’t have time to read) but c’mon. actually apply yourself and learn on the job. I know that would’ve required him to not be balls deep somewhere, but unfortunately he’s not Dorian Gray. there’s work that needed to be done and he didn’t do it. boo!!

D-tier

Wilhelm I: apparently he was a good guy, unlike the other 3 who populate the lowest rungs of Prussian kinghood. so I give him that and I can respect that. but what did he do? what were his own ideas? I thought about putting Bismarck as king instead because, really, he was. Bismarck was a minister who ran around the king’s back to set things up exactly as he liked and it fucking worked because he was the brains. his wife was intelligent too, but theirs wasn’t a wamr and loving marriage. and Bismarck worked to get Wilhelm to distrust her because she was liberal and the fact that Wilhelm would listen to Otto even if it meant allowing himself to be drowned in the Rhine is pathetic. fun party at Versailles though. hope it was worth the war reparations

F-tier (bastard time) I’m going in a different order because I want to go from the ones I hate least to most xoxo

Friedrich Wilhelm IV: “I won’t accept a crown from the gutter” then you won’t accept a crown at all, stupid idiot! god, the smugness. the authoritarian impulses. I know it was the cool thing in 1848 to put down any revolts/protests with as much force as possible, but man, at least the Habsburgs were transparent. homie was like “yeah guys lol I’ll make a constitution and it’ll be epic! you’ll have so many rights! xoxo gossip girl” and then...nope. and AND he wanted the Habsburgs in charge of things too! Mr. ‘I’m Nostalgic For When HRE Was Great And We Blew Austrian Dick!’ grow up man. it’s Prussia time buddy, Austria is beginning to fall apart. don’t look to the past, look to the future, but you didn’t have that vision did you?

Wilhelm II: *banging pots and pans* I blame this man for everything! now, intellectually, does Germany take all the blame for WWI? no, that’s foolish and propaganda of the Allies only. if you’re a European power in 1914, you get to share the blame (ex: why did UK need to make this a naval arms race? Austria should’ve declared war on Serbia sooner if that’s what it wished to do. Russia, please stay out of the Balkans then and forever). but does my irrational hatred of Wilhelm blind me to this truth when I see his stupid face and that ugly fucking mustache that I wish to yank off? my god, yes. I see him and Rule Britannia and The Yanks Are Coming start playing so loud in my head and I’m like ‘yeah, the kaiser’s gonna pay.’ I’m sorry that Bismarck’s ego was bigger than yours but did you have to prove him right by getting incompetent buffoons who were playing checkers when he set the board up for chess to replace him? Did you have to prove Freud right by displacing private problems onto public life with your little tit-for-tat with George IV (VI?) because his mummy loved you more? Why did you need to fuck every naval vessel you saw like an inferior of Peter the Great who believed he was Sir Francis Drake? but that’s just the first war and he lived to see things setting up for the second. wasn’t in convenient for you to be close with the N@zis when you thought they might want a king back on the throne and you could reclaim your little tyrant. like every goddamn Prussian conservative or Junker, you thought you could play the tyrannical cockroach. sure, you figured out earlier that he was no pal, but you still collaborated and you still allowed yourself to get played like the weak man of conscience you are. cheers!

Friedrich Wilhelm I: ladies and gentleman, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! the biggest bastard straight outta Berlin, FW1! and who doesn’t love an abusive father? who doesn’t love a man, so insecure and pathetic, that he needs to terrorize children to be able to look at himself and have a little pride. I understand that it was because he wanted his kids, specifically Fritz, to be best. but being best and perfect meant being miniature versions of him and aren’t we supposed to want our children to be better than a carbon-copy of a small man? honestly, I could live with the occasional smack for this time period. it’s within the norm and, while horrible, isn’t irreparably damaging. this guy really had to beat the shit out of Fritz and Wilhelmina and I’m sure Augustus and Henry and Amalia and all the others (so many kids) didn’t get spared either because if you hit one, you’ll hit ‘em all. and I judge them for their flaws all the same but, for some of them, it gets hard to. because what fighting chance did they have when their father was telling them how worthless they were and beating them senseless and threatening death and life imprisonment on some? I’m constantly impressed by Henry and Fritz and Wilhelmina for amounting to any semblance of maturity, even though it’s always fleeting, because this man didn’t give them the tools to be functioning adults. but each of them managed to be greater than their father, as did Amalia managing a really cool coup in Sweden. and what did FW1 get? he built up his army, had a tall guy fetish, increased the treasury, and made the cabinet and executive offices more efficient. there used to be this one guy on here that would argue that that was all a good king made and that this lowlife didn’t deserve the contempt he got by some on here (an obvious vague of me) for his behavior as a father. and maybe I’m a crackpot, but I believe the quality of a man outshines all those other achievements and that that’s meaningless to me, in my personal life. and when I get to hell, before I go to any of these other men, I’ll go to him and ask him how hell’s fires feel because, if his God was real, it would never love him. and that’s beautiful

[397bartonstreet]

Hey @johnny-and-dora this is for you for the fall fic exchange!! This prompt I wrote for was “autumnal walk in the park” I’m really sorry a pre-series, pre-relationship undercover case is probably not what you asked for but it’s what came to me. Hope you like it!

Also thank you @b99fandomevents for organizing this. These types of things always strike excitement and activity in the fandom during the hiatuses. You guys are awesome!!

About a month ago, Detectives Peralta and Santiago made a huge bust of one of Brooklyn’s most prolific drug rings they’d been investigating since the early summer months. And it was awesome. They smashed into the doors of an abandoned warehouse straight out of an 80’s cop movie. All the men and women inside scattered and refused to go down without a fight, but they were no match for the Nine Nine. There were gunshots, screaming, kicking, punches, all the shebang that make these kinds of events extra epic. They got every single one of those sick, surprisingly attractive bastards. And Jake walked out of that place holding two handcuffed men in slow motion, with an ambient orchestra, an explosion behind him, and wearing sunglasses at night. He looked so cool.

Except they missed one dude. The leader of the drug ring. A fearsome man having hundreds of thousands of dollars to his name, elusive in records, and several deaths on his hands. His name… is Frank Smith.

Jake is still bitter about that.

The day before, Jake got a tip that this Anatole Kuragin (he refuses to call him Frank Smith) would be exchanging information with another dealer in plain sight at Prospect Park in the middle of the day. Jake guesses he understands the logic, no one would expect such a wanted criminal prancing around in daylight. But if he were truly smart, he wouldn’t risk it. And you can never tell if strangers walking through the park are also hiding in plain sight, waiting to catch you in the act and arrest you.

Captain Holt gave the orders for Jake and Amy to disguise as a married couple simply taking their child on a stroll through the park. Which is where they were now. Casually walking through Prospect Park pushing a clunky stroller they found in the precinct and wearing probably the dorkiest outfits Jake has ever worn on a case. He’s dressed like a father in suburbia, not a dope ass detective about to make a dope ass arrest.

“This is the worst. How am I supposed to look cool when I’m wearing a sweater vest and khaki pants?” he grunts toward his partner.

“Jake, this is not about looking cool, it’s about making the arrest and making the community a better place,” Amy says haughtily.

“This is like, the 20th case I’ve done with you and every single time you say something lamer and lamer,” he responds.

“I’m not the one keeping count.” Jake ignores her and instead makes his first survey of the park. They were told that the perp would be wearing a golden chain around his wrist to be easily recognized, but so far he sees no intimidating assholes wearing the friendship bracelet. Everyone here seems to be teenagers totally not smoking pot and families that look just like they do right now. They blend right in.

“The tip said that the exchange would be near the bridge. Let’s casually walk over there and take a ‘break’ on the bench and we’ll wait there,” Jake whispers to her.

“Ooh, it’ll give us time to enjoy the view. New York parks in Fall are the best. Everything is all colorful and beautiful, it’s like one of the only good things about this state,” Amy says. Jake switches his view from the people to the trees. It is beautiful, if he took casual strolls - which, who would want to be alone with their thoughts for that long- this would be the perfect time to do it. It’s picture perfect, with the way the leaves steadily drizzle down like rain, and the cloudy sky seems to bring out their vibrant colors. And the slight chill causing a want for warm drinks and comfy sweaters. It’s romantic, and he almost wants to pretend he’s not here for a case, and instead just take in the view. With his earphones in of course, he meant what he said about being alone with his thoughts.

“It’s a shame we’re working, I’d totally challenge on you who can make a bigger leaf pile,” she says with a smirk and he’s pulled out of his thoughts to cast her something impish.

“Oh, you’re on. We’ll come back tomorrow, I’ll even bring a pumpkin pie because I’m going to cream you,” he smirks. They reach the agreed bench to wait out the perp, and Amy struggles a bit to align the stupid stroller when she sits.

“What? That made literally no sense,” she says as he sits down beside her.

“Of course it does. What do you top pie with? Whipped cream and I’m going to whip you into cream, title of my sex tape.” Amy cringes and he can tell she’s resisting the urge to punch him in the arm.

“That’s disgusting, and if you have to explain the comeback then it wasn’t a good one.”

“Whatever,” he says. “Alright, back to business. You watch this way and I’ll watch that way,” he says and points in the opposite directions. All playfulness immediately leaves Amy’s demeanor and she’s back to being completely professional. It’s one thing Jake can admire about her, she’s incredibly dedicated at her job. She can flip the switch from casual to focused in a second, he can’t even do that.

Jake blinks away his thoughts, turning his attention back to his side. A comfortable silence falls between them, the only noise being Amy rocking the stroller back and forth and her shushing at the doll inside.

He’s trying not to show that he’s definitely staring intently at the man sitting alone on a bench, when he feels a sudden weight on his thigh. He looks down to see Amy’s hand opened expectantly. When he turns to her, she’s still just scouring the scene.

“What?” Jake asks. Amy turns back to him and flexes her hand in gesture.

“Hold my hand,” she says impatiently, as if this is just another everyday bit of police work.

“Hold your hand? For what?” he’s incredulous when he asks this, but he still places his hand on top of hers and Amy grips back.

“Because we’re supposed to be married,” she says.

“Isn’t the giant stroller in front of us indication enough that we’re straight smashing it?” Amy flashes him a glare.

“A stroller only goes so far, we won’t be very convincing if we’re stiff as boards.” She has a point, but of course he’s not going to say that out loud. Instead, he tightens her hand around his and pulls it closer to his lap. Out of instinct, of course, because that’s what couples do.

He can’t help but note that it feels kind of nice, her hand a cold contrast to his warm one. He tends to overheat, even in the Fall weather, and her hand provides some nice relief. He doesn’t dwell on that though, he has a case to solve, and it’s the last time he’ll ever hold Amy Santiago’s hand anyway.

Jake tries squinting as discreetly as possible at the wrists of those in his line of sight, trying to spot the golden chain. There aren’t many men lurking around the park, and none of them seem to be wearing any bracelets. Except for one guy, who has his hands behind his back. Jake keeps an eye on him.

“Are you cold, Patricia? You need mommy to give you another blanket?” Amy says loudly so anyone around them can hear.

“Patricia?” Jake asks.

“What about it, Jake” she groans, bracing herself for a round of teasing.

“That’s what you would name your daughter? Patricia?”

“It’s just the first one that popped into my head okay,” she hisses. “What would you name her?”

“Me? I’d probably name her something badass. Like Rogue, or Rebel,” he says, nodding his head.

“Rogue sounds like the antagonist of an awful racing movie,” she laughs. “If I had a daughter, I would probably want to name her something that’s kind of meaningful and touching. I’ve always thought about naming my daughter Carmen, after my grandmother,” she says.

“Aw, that’s actually really nice. Then I’d call her Caramel. Caramel Carmen. Giving your daughter nicknames is Peak dad.”

“Your daughter? Are we having this baby together,” Amy snorts, a mischievous glint in her eye. She absolutely knows that pointing this out will make him squirm, and Jake hates that she’s right.

“What? No! It’s just… the undercover situation that’s all… stop looking at me like that” he says and doesn’t wait for her reply, just puts his attention back to the mission. Thankfully she doesn’t press, just lets him continue the surveillance. What he sees is lots of people that look like them, but then again not really. There’s at least one parent with a kid around them or pushing a stroller as awkward as theirs. And in the park, with the autumn leaves falling around them, and the kids making piles and kicking at them. They’re real, natural, unlike they are.

He remembers having that with his own mom. Whenever his mom found time and wasn’t working, she would take him to the park. And in the autumn months, he’d do exactly what that little kid with the chocolate curls and Ninja Turtles beanie over there is doing. Shoving pine cones into his pocket and then chucking them into the arm to see how far he can throw them. Looking back to his mother for praise.

If he was a dad, he’d be throwing pine cones with him.

And for a moment, he doesn’t know why, he lets himself imagine what it would be like if this was real. If he was sitting in a New York park during its peak season, with a stroller in front of him holding a baby, a real baby that would be his, that would grow up to be like that little boy over there. The hand he’s holding in his lap would be his wife’s, a woman he actually loved. If it were his wife, he thinks, he wouldn’t just hold her hand, he’d lace their fingers together. He does just that, changing positions to demonstrate how he’d do it. He would also stroke her thumb softly, and he gives the hand he’s holding an experimental caress. He looks up at Amy, who is still rocking the stroller and her eyes still focused on what’s in front of her. If Amy were his wife, he’d playfully tug on that strand of hair that’s gotten loose from her ponytail- he stops. If Amy were his wife?

He blinks several times, pulling himself back to earth and away from whatever just happened. He even shakes his head a little for good measure, to rid of whatever the hell kind of intrusive thought that was. Amy would be the last person in the entire world he’d marry. He’s known her for a year now and the only non work related thing he’s ever heard her talk about was a seminar for perfecting the art of nonverbal communication. Which is like the nerdiest thing he’s heard anyone ever say. If anyone were to be his wife, it would be the hot, flirty, movie ticket seller that’s always giving him eyes.

He looks down at their hands to see that they’re still joined. Not only joined, but laced together. Not only laced together, but his thumb is still slightly caressing hers, and he quickly lets go like he’s burned himself. Amy doesn’t even seem to notice his internal struggle, or acknowledge the way he let go suddenly. She just puts the hand on the handlebar to aid the other.

Well… he guesses Amy is pretty in that pre-makeover nerdy type before the transformation that makes her popular kind of way. Not that he watches those movies.

But not for him, no way. Not Amy. He doesn’t even know why he’s still thinking about this.

“You want to yell at me for being stiff? You look like an animatronic,” he teases, hiding his awkward cough through a laugh.

“Shut up Peralta. I’m just trying to do my job here,” she says. A shiver suddenly wracks her body. “God, I need this guy to hurry up, I’m freezing.”

“Seriously? You’re wearing a scarf and gloves.”

“I get cold easily, leave me alone,” she says, and another shiver chatters her teeth a bit. It makes him feel kind of bad, the only reason they’re out here anyway is because he didn’t go for the ring leader first like he normally would before getting away. The boss is always the biggest collar, and in the excitement he didn’t think. So, before he can think about it too much, he’s shrugging off his leather jacket.

“Here, take this,” he holds it out for her.

���Oh, no, I’m fine man, I’ll just-“

“It’s fine, you wearing my jacket will add to our undercover look and make us less suspicious,” he says with a lowered voice. Amy purses her lips in contemplation for a moment more before taking the jacket and sliding into it, shuffling a little to make sure her badge, gun, and handcuffs are still easily accessible.

“Thanks,” she says, her voice betraying some shyness and embarrassment, she’s about to say something more when something catches her attention, her brows furrowing and lips pursing. “I found the guy. Gold chain on his wrist in plain sight.”

And just like that they’re back in the zone. Two detectives lurking about twenty feet away from the bastard they’ve got their eye on.

“Alright you get left, I’ll get right. Rosa is waiting for us in a black van over there so we have to grab him and take him to the car. Remember, be as quiet about this as possible, we don’t want to scare anyone.” Amy says. Of course with cases like these they can never be too quiet, but the quieter it is, the less panic there will be.

They both stand and walk the stroller towards the perp, Amy going left and him going right like instructed. Away from the bench they were sitting on, and away from the happy children and parents enjoying the daylight. Away from the little boy with the Ninja Turtles beanie that reminds him a little too much of himself. Away from the fathers he’ll probably never be.

And sure, maybe he won’t ever be a father, or have a wife to have autumnal strolls with. But right now he’s got what he does best. And he gets to do it right now, take down a badass crime boss in… maybe not the most badass outfit. You win some you lose some.

Being a detective is all he’s ever wanted, and he’s totally good with that.

He really is.

He swears.

[unfortunate-stranger-losers]

All Those Things They Couldn’t Say - A Runaway Baudelaires AU

{ao3} {tumblr} {masterlist}

Chapter Three - The Baudelaires break into Lemony’s apartment

Klaus always had trouble sleeping while they were on the move, and the train ride was no different. They’d been on the train a few times; not enough that he could consider it their main mode of transportation- which, honestly, had to be their own feet first and foremost, followed by their Mother hijacking cars- but enough that he could be comfortable knowing their exit routes. If they needed to jump out the window, they should do so while the train was moving uphill, and roll so as not to break bones. They could also run towards the end of the train and leap from there- Beatrice and Bertrand always tried very hard to get them into a compartment towards the back for this purpose. If all else failed, they could draw any attackers towards the engine and push or trip them into furnaces. That was the worst case scenario, though; they should try to avoid harming someone else. They didn’t want to be put on the watchlist of law enforcement. 

The kids had been sitting at a table together, but Sunny fell asleep leaning against Violet’s arm halfway through biting a stick they’d found for her, and Violet had dozed off soon after, her ribbon still dangling in her hair, as she’d been thinking of a way to make a better emergency brake for trains. Klaus was having more trouble sleeping, though, even though he brought some books with him to calm him down. It was a bit hard to carry books from place-to-place, but if he packed one less outfit than his siblings did, he could fit two or three books into the bottom of his bag. They each had a bag for all the essentials, and, well, he considered books essentials. His parents told him that was okay, so long as he didn’t throw away any food. In fact, his father sometimes had books with him, too. And both of them had carried small commonplace books in their jacket pockets for as long as Klaus could remember. Last time they were in a convenience store, he’d swiped one for himself, and it now rested in his inside pocket. He hadn’t written anything inside yet, except the addresses of the safehouses on the second page; he wasn’t sure what else to say. 

Slowly, Klaus slid out of his seat, slinging his bag over his shoulder- don’t go anywhere without it, Klaus, had been drilled into his head, You never know when you might lose it forever. That was also a philosophy that was to be kept with the rest of his  family, but… well, right now the pressing matter was that he couldn’t see his parents.  

There was a small bathroom compartment attached to theirs, and when Klaus looked up from his History of the Roman Empire book, and he’d realized both his parents were gone, he assumed that’s where they would be. They thought he didn’t know, but he and Violet had figured out ages ago that when their parents wanted to have conversations that they didn’t want their children to hear, they’d go into the bathroom, because it was quite rude to try to open a locked bathroom door. Usually, he and Violet didn’t eavesdrop, because their parents told them whatever they were ready for. The only secrets they kept were ones to tell the children later. 

But, well… they might be safe soon. If Lemony, their parents’ only friend, the only person the family could trust, thought he had a way to clear their names… they could stop all of this. Find a place to stay put. No more secrets, ever. 

Klaus didn’t know how to feel about that. He didn’t know what he’d do, just sitting in one place. He’d always be worried that they were going to be attacked- would he ever get it into his head that nobody was coming after them? Would he even be happy, staying in one place? He kind of liked seeing new things. 

He picked up an empty glass from the food tray and pressed it against the bathroom door, kneeling to put his ear to it. If he strained, he could hear his parents. 

“-almost fifteen years now. Do you think it’s any different?” 

“Come on, Bertrand, that city didn’t change at all while we were growing up. I bet some of our graffiti is still there.” 

“Lemony didn’t tell us where we was staying.” 

“He won’t be hard to find. He has his private detective business, we’ll just find out where his office is.” 

“You really think he won’t make that difficult?” 

“He wants clients who aren’t part of VFD.” 

There was a bit of a pause, and then Bertrand said, “We’ll have to try and stay out of sight. There’s probably still a volunteer presence in the city.” 

“I have a few wigs we could use. Kids should be fine, I still think their existence is a secret.” 

“Still, make sure one of them has Sunny with them at all times.” 

“Link arms in crowds.” 

“Stay alert.” 

Klaus bit his lip. Very little of this was new information, he was starting to regret taking the time to eavesdrop. 

Then, he heard his Mother say something, so quietly he almost missed it. 

“We might be almost done. This might be almost over.” 

“Do you really think so?” 

“If Lemony believes… maybe we can have our old house back. It still belongs to me, I think, it’ll need repair-” 

“We can do that. I bet the kids will like having their own rooms.” 

“I think there’s still a library there.” 

“God, it’d be nice to have a… a home.” 

Silence again. Then… “Klaus, darling, I can see your shadow. Come on in.” 

Klaus swore under his breath. Slowly, he put the glass back onto the table, and waited until he heard the lock click before slowly peering through the door. 

Inside, his parents were looking sadly at him. He went over to his mother, and she gave him a side hug, letting him bury his head in her chest. “Can’t sleep?” she guessed. 

“Never can.” he muttered. 

Bertrand put an arm around him, too. “Are you feeling alright?” 

Hesitantly, he nodded. “Just… nervous.” 

“I know. Big cities scare us, too. But you know all the safehouses, and if it gets too loud, you should still have earplugs somewhere-” 

Klaus glanced up at him, and said, “What if you get caught?” 

Bertrand’s face fell, and he shared a look of despair with his wife. “We won’t.” was all he said. 

“What if you do?” 

“Then… then Lemony will take care of you. I promise. We’ll make sure we all know the address before heading out, in case we get split up.” 

Klaus bit his lip, staring down at the ground a moment. Then, he said, in a very shaky voice, “What if Lemony doesn’t like me?” 

“Oh… oh, honey.” Beatrice moved around, kneeling in front of him and putting her hands on his shoulders. Slowly, she moved one palm to his cheek, smiling as he leaned into her. “Oh, honey, Lemony’s going to love you. You’re so alike, in so many ways. He loves reading and research, too, and he’ll help you with your interests. He knows what it’s like to… to talk nonstop about things you love, and to not understand the cues people are giving…” 

“He knows a little about you already.” Bertrand reminded him, taking his turn to half-hug his son. “Anything we could tell him. He’ll be so excited to meet you and your sisters.” 

It was a bit hard, understanding that he was actually going to meet the mythological Lemony. All these years, he’d just been… a figure. Someone to send reports to, get warnings from. Someone their parents laughed and joked about. Not someone you talk to. 

“Are you scared?” Beatrice asked, and Klaus nodded fervently. 

“Well,” Bertrand said, “Remember what Lemony taught us.” 

Beatrice smiled. “Do the scary thing first…” 

“Get scared later.” Klaus whispered. 

Beatrice stood up and gave him a good, proper hug, and Bertrand did, too, and Klaus wrapped his arms around both of his parents and tried to breathe steadily, as the train pushed on. 

Klaus eventually did fall asleep, snuggled against his Mother when they went back to the booth and sat down. Bertrand sat beside his daughters, and fixed Sunny’s ponytail as she snored beside him. He pulled Violet’s ribbon out, tucking it into her pocket, and pushed her hair out of her face as she flopped against the window. Beatrice removed Klaus’s glasses, placing them on the table beside Violet’s bag. 

“We’re almost there, we should wake them.” Bertrand said after a while. 

Beatrice nodded, but neither of them moved. 

After another while, Beatrice sighed and said, “It’s been so long. I can’t believe we’ll be seeing him again.” 

Bertrand smiled a little. “We’re gonna walk in there, and he’ll probably just start rambling about something, like he does when we fluster him.” 

“Bertrand-” 

“It’s been fourteen years. We could walk in there looking like pure shit and he’d still go nuts.” 

“You say that as if we’re not going to freeze up and embarrass ourselves in front of our babies.” 

“Yeah, but we can team up and pick on Lemony for it later. Who’s he gonna team up with?” 

“Bertrand, don’t tease him. At least wait a week.” 

They smiled at each other, and that longing was in both their eyes. It’d been so many years… 

The train started to slow, as light shimmered in through the windows. Bertrand shook Violet slightly and she groaned a little, and then yawned. “Hey. We’re here.” 

She blinked her eyes open, as Beatrice gently woke Klaus. “Really?” 

“Yeah. Get your stuff. Who has the Sunny Bag?” 

“K-Klaus.” 

Klaus sat up, and gestured to his bag, which had straps on the other end, so that Sunny could be strapped on like a baby bjorn. He’d put it on backwards, so that he didn’t lose sight of her. 

“Alright.” Beatrice tried, and failed miserably, to hide the excitement in her voice. “Let’s go get Lemony.” 

Slipping through the city was easier than they’d thought, and Bertrand and Beatrice were over the moon. They pointed out several things to the children as they walked- “Look, that’s the Fountain of Victorious Finance!” “That’s the bank where our money used to be.” “That road goes to Lousy Lane- there’s a horseradish factory there, and Safehouse One.” “Our house might still be down that way.”- and the longer they went on, the more comfortable the children felt. It seemed that their parents had this city memorized; surely no danger could befall them here. 

After a while, Beatrice found a wall of advertisements, and Bertrand found a paper advertising Snicket, private investigator. He traced the paper, almost disbelievingly, and then read the address aloud for them all- The Rhetorical Building, thirteenth floor. They found their way there, and once outside, Violet pulled her hair back, and Klaus straightened his glasses and jacket, and they both whispered to Sunny to be careful what she bit, at least in order to make a good first impression. 

They went up the stairs- hadn’t trusted elevators since Violet spotted a security camera in one- and were relieved that nobody passed them. “This building is probably among the most boring in the city,” Beatrice explained, “So rarely anyone will be here. Good for us.” 

Violet nodded, though in the back of her mind, she remembered something she’d been taught fairly early on- while less people meant less chance of getting spotted, it also meant that there was less chance of getting help if something should happen. 

They made it up to the thirteenth floor, and Klaus unstrapped Sunny from his bag and put her on the ground; while she couldn’t walk yet, she could at least crawl, and maybe take a few shaky steps if Klaus and Violet both held her hands. He slid his bag to his back, and noticed, out of the corner of his eye, his parents taking their disguises off, sliding them into their own bags and running their hands through their hair. 

Carefully, Violet walked up and knocked on the door. She then proceeded to leap back, surprised, when the door swung open. It was already unlocked. 

A flash of worry spread across Beatrice’s face. She carefully pulled the children behind her, and pushed the door open. “Lemony?” she called. No answer. 

“Maybe he’s not home?” Violet suggested. 

“Maybe he went to meet us at the train station and we missed him.” Klaus added. 

Beatrice and Bertrand shared another look of worry, and then she said, “Stay behind us.” 

They crept into the room, and though the kids normally listened very attentively to their parents’ requests, they found themselves wandering around a bit. It was a neatly-kept office, with a desk in the middle of the room, papers stacked efficiently. Several other desks and tables lined the walls, and Violet moved to drawers, opening them to see files inside. There were also several tall shelves lining the walls, filled with books that Klaus immediately gravitated towards. Sunny wandered over to a small mini-fridge, trying to open it with her tiny baby hands. 

The Baudelaire parents, though, weren’t as enchanted as their children. Beatrice went over to the desk, moving behind it and pushing the chair away. She looked over a pile, and said, “He never keeps things this neat.” 

“It’s been fourteen years.” Bertrand said nervously, though he moved to stand next to her. “Maybe he finally picked up some of my organizational skills.” 

“If he didn’t while we were living with him, there’s no way-” 

“Maybe he missed us.” 

“Of course he missed us.” 

Violet opened another drawer. A familiar spyglass- one her parents had, with the VFD eye emblazoned on the cover- rolled around inside, but otherwise there was nothing of interest. She wandered over to a window, peering out onto a fire escape that led to an alley. She then moved over to Klaus, who had pulled The Wind in the Willows from the shelf, flipping through it. “He’s written some stuff in here.” Klaus muttered, scanning the simple substitution cipher. “But it looks like he’s just pointed arrows to animals in the illustrations and labelled them with names, like ‘Moxie’ and ‘Jake.’” 

“Root beer.” Sunny identified, as she looked into the mini-fridge she’d finally pried open. 

Klaus moved over to a door that led to another room, only to find it locked. There was another one across the wall, but he didn’t bother looking at it. He really should’ve, because he would’ve noticed it quietly swinging open. “Hello? Mr Lemony Snicket, sir?” he called into the locked door. 

“Why would he call us here, then not be here when we arrived?” Beatrice’s voice had a tinge of panic to it. 

Bertrand pulled their last telegram out of his jacket pocket, scanning it. “Maybe we missed a message. A meeting spot.” 

“Why would he leave his door unlocked?” 

“He’s an idiot sometimes. Or maybe he’s meeting us here? Being dramatic, you know.” 

Klaus returned to the shelf, sliding the book back into place, while Violet glanced towards Sunny, who had closed the fridge and was now biting into a can of root beer to try and open it. Slowly, she grabbed Klaus’s arm. 

Beatrice pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and said, “Maybe we were wrong.” 

“What else could the message have meant?” 

“Maybe he was compromised. Maybe he was…” Slowly she shook and picked up a small paperweight, shaped like a leech. “I think we need to go.” 

“Oh,” said a chilling, cold voice behind them, “But the fun’s just about to begin.” 

The Baudelaires froze. Violet was the first to turn and stare at the man who’d entered the room from the other door. He leaned against the wall, watching them with a dark look across his face. She noticed his appearance quickly- one long eyebrow, instead of two, with graying hair and eyes that were shining with some kind of excitement. Sunny, who was much closer to the ground, noticed something different first- he was wearing no socks, and had the tattoo of an eye on his ankle. 

He didn’t look at all like how their parents had described Lemony. In fact, he looked very much like someone they were warned away from. 

“Beatrice. Bertrand.” said Count Olaf. “It’s been a while.”

[stateofloveandnegan]

First Kiss - Taron Egerton

I’ve been working on this for the last couple of days and I’m not entirely happy with the ending but I couldn’t come up with something better, sorry :(

Requested by: no one

Charlie: Hey (Y/N), we’re having a little get together at my place tonight, would you like to come as well?

The buzz of my phone startles me a little and snaps me out of my daydream. I grab it and notice the text Charlie just sent me. I smile and unlock it before texting my reply.

You: Sound fun, I’m in. Who’s coming?

Charlie: Taron, Jamie, Richard and Bryce.

You: Alright, what time am I expected?

Charlie: They’re all coming round 9.

You: See you at 9, then!

Charlie: See you, (Y/N)!

I smile and put my phone down. It’s 6:30 now, so I get up and get started on dinner. Fortunately, I had some leftover spaghetti from last night, so I heat that up and not much later I’m having dinner.

After dinner, I decide to take a nice, long shower. The warm water relaxes my body and I wash my hair and body at ease. A good half an hour later, I’m done showering. I dry myself off and walk into the room where I keep my clothes to pick out a nice outfit for the night. There’s no need to dress up very fancy, so I just take out some nice jeans and a black turtleneck.

By the time I’m all done, it’s already 8, and since it’s about a 25-minute drive to Charlie’s place, I gather my things and leave my house.

“(Y/N), it’s so nice you’re here!” Bryce exclaims with a smile after opening the door for me. “I was afraid I was gonna be the only girl tonight.”

We both laugh a little and exchange a hug before she lets me in. I take off my coat and hang it up. “Everyone’s already inside.” Bryce informs me and I nod, smiling as we enter the living room.

“Look who’s here! Now the party can really begin.” Bryce smiles and nudges my arm before walking into the kitchen to get me a beer. I chuckle and shake my head a little, a slight blush creeping up on my cheeks.

Even though most of them are all quite a bit older than me, they act as though we’re all the same age. I’m not super close with them all, but I can definitely call them all my friends, as they call me theirs.

“(Y/N), hey!” Charlie smiles and gets up from his seat, welcoming me with a hug and a kiss on my cheek. “Charles.” I smile at him, as he rolls his eyes with a soft chuckle.

After a minute or so, I’ve greeted everyone and take a seat in between Jamie and Bryce, who has rejoined us with a beer for me. I thank her as she hands it to me, and everyone holds up their drink.

“Cheers!” we all say at the same time, chuckling and smiles on our faces as we all take a sip of our drink.

The evening goes by pretty smoothly and after a good couple of drinks, it’s Jamie who stands up to get everyone’s attention and comes with the idea to play ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’.

My eyes go wide instantly, and I cough softly to cover up the soft red that enters my cheeks, but everyone else seems to like the idea. “But, let’s make it more fun and add spin the bottle to it. You spin twice and whoever the bottle lands on need to go into the closet together!”

More cheers and laughter erupt and soon we’re all sat on the ground in a circle. Much to my surprise and relief, the bottle doesn’t land on me for the first hour. When the bottle does land on me, it’s Bryce who I have to go in with, so relief washes over me as I know nothing awkward will happen.

Bryce and I just talk and laugh, making silly comments and jokes about the others. The seven minutes are soon over, and we join the guys again, taking our seats back on the ground.

After a while, the bottle lands on Taron and I can feel my heart skip a beat. The fact that he’s eleven years older than me has never stopped my crush on him. Pretty much ever since I met him, I’ve got feelings for him.

But who am I to act upon my feelings? Besides the age difference, he’s so out of my league. He’s handsome, cute, adorable, kind, amazing, sweet, loving, caring, helpful, did I already mention handsome?

The bottle spins a second time and I can’t help but feel a little disappointed when it doesn’t land on me. Bryce must’ve noticed my expression fall a little, because she nudges me softly and winks at me, causing me to go slightly red.

“Alright, quick break.” Charlie speaks up when Taron and Jamie return, chuckling. “Let’s all get some new drinks and let me fetch some snacks as well.”

Bryce immediately gets up and tells me she’ll get a drink for me, telling me to just stay put. Funny enough, she says the same to Taron, who doesn’t think much of it. He smiles and thanks her. Jamie and Richard are soon to leave the living room as well, meaning that it’s now just Taron and I left.

“Enjoying yourself a bit?” Taron speaks up after a couple minutes, I look up at him and smile. “Yeah, I’m glad Charlie invited me, it’s always fun with the lot of you.”

We talk about the night a bit longer before everyone else rejoins us, taking their seats back on the ground. Bryce hands me my drink and I thank her with a smile and a quick eye roll, to which she chuckles.

Somehow, during pretty much the entirety of the game, the bottle keeps missing me. Not that I mind, I’d just be awkward if I had to go in with one of the guys, because truth be told, they’re all older and they are all, piece by piece, very good looking.

“Up next is Rich, with…” Charlie speaks, grinning as the alcohol is beginning to kick in. Before I realise what’s going on, Jamie, who’s sitting next to me, cheers and nudges me rather roughly. “C’mon (Y/N), go get it!”

My eyes go a little wide and I let out a soft breath as I stand up, my eyes locking with Richard’s. He grins and reaches out for my hand. I let him take it and we walk into the closet, Richard locking the door behind us.

“I actually really hoped it would land on you.” He speaks softly in. his thick accent, not in a teasing manner at all, but rather sounding genuine.

I turn to face him and raise one of my brows, “What do you mean?”

Richard chuckles softly, “You’re always so happy when you’re around him, or even when someone mentions his name, your face lights up. I was never sure, though. but when Bryce made sure to leave you and Taron be earlier, it just clicked.”

As Richard explains he knows about my crush on his best mate, I can’t help but feel busted. My cheeks grow red and I bite my lip as I look down. “Hey, it’s alright, (Y/N), really.”

I feel a warm and rough, but at the same time very soft and gentle, hand on my shoulder and look up at Richard. “He’s out of my league, Rich. And besides that, I’m sure he thinks I’m too young. You’ve told me yourself, Rich. I’m like a little sister to you, Taron probably thinks that too.”

“But he doesn’t. It’s the small things, (Y/N). Like when you talk, all is attention is on you. Or when we’re simply talking about the cast, he always seems to find a way to talk about you.” Richard says with a warm smile on his face, squeezing my shoulder lightly. “He has never really told me about how he feels about you, but I just have this feeling that he has particular feelings for you.”

I let out a soft, rather shaky sigh, trying to comprehend what Richard is telling me and I can’t help but hope, with everything that I’ve got, that he’s right. I look back up at him and smile at him. “thanks, Richard. Let’s hope it’s true…”

Richard presses a soft kiss on my forehead and I let out a soft sigh, “Let’s get back, the seven minutes are almost over.”

“Richard,” I say and grab his hand before he can leave. “I’ve never kissed anyone before. What if… what if Taron and I have to go in here later and what if what you say is true.. and then what if he wants to kiss me? I have no idea how.. to, you know…”

My face turns red in embarrassment and I bite my lip as I wait for Richard’s reaction, he simply smiles and squeezes my hand. “(Y/N), love, listen to me. It’s definitely not a big deal that you’ve never kissed anybody. In fact, it’ll be so much better if you have your first kiss with someone you actually really care about. If it’s gonna be Taron, he doesn’t even have to know. If you do want him to know, he’ll just be a sweetheart about it, I can tell you that. Don’t worry, okay? Just, just let it happen.”

A shaky sigh leaves my lips before I take a deep breath and nod, “Okay, thank you.” And right at that moment, someone knocks on the door. “Time’s up, you two. Get out!” Jamie’s voice echoes through the hall and the closet before he unlocks the door and opens it, grinning tipsily.

A few more rounds are played before the bottle lands on me again. Richard looks at me and smiles, sending a wink my way. I smile a little and look at the bottle as it spins again, my heart skipping a beat when I see the person it’s landed on; Taron.

Taron clears his throat lightly before moving to get up, “Alright, let’s go.” I get up and follow him into the closet, Richard following behind and locking the door once we’re inside.

At first, there’s quite a lot of tension and awkwardness, but soon Taron breaks the ice and takes a step closer to me. I’m backed up against a wall and I swallow softly as I look into his eyes that are searching mine for some sort of answer.

“I have absolutely no idea how to say this, nor how you’ll react, but I guess I should just come clean about it now that I have the chance… I like you, (Y/N). and I hope that Richard was right when he told me you might feel the same, because that would literally make everything so much easier and better.”

I try to focus on his words as hard as I can, and I kind of do, but my mind is also stuck on his eyes and his lips. I’ve never been so drawn to a person in my life, and it’s kind of scary, but amazing at the same time.

“Richard must’ve had everything planned out all this time…” I say quietly, not even really registering what I’m saying. Taron furrows his brows and gives me a questioning look. “He told me the same about you, that you might have feelings for me.”

Taron’s mouth forms the shape of an ‘o’ and he chuckles. “So, was he right? Do you have feelings for me?”

I gulp softly before nodding, my eyes never leaving Taron’s. “I do, yeah. And you?”

“I do, too.” He chuckles softly, biting his lip ever so lightly as his eyes leave mine for a brief second to look down at my lips. Before I know what I’m saying, I’ve already said it, “I’ve never been kissed.”

Taron looks back into my eyes, which now hold surprise in them. “Really? You mean… never? You’ve never kissed anyone? No one’s ever kissed you?”

“No…” I admit and bite my lip softly as I look down, suddenly feeling very young and stupid, but Taron is quick to gently put his finger under my chin, guiding my face up and making my look at him. “That’s more than okay, (Y/N). In fact, I’d be honoured if I would be allowed to be your first kiss.”

There is hope in Taron’s eyes and it’s the most endearing thing I’ve ever seen in anyone. The look on his face is pure sincerity and adoration. “I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my first kiss, Taron.”

A big, loving smile enters Taron’s face and the hand that was underneath my chin now moves up to caress my cheek, his thumb gently brushing over my skin. “Close your eyes and relax, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ve got you.”

I let my eyes fall shut, Taron’s hand and words relaxing me completely. Absentmindedly, I part my lips a tiny little bit, and goosebumps arise on my skin when I feel Taron’s breath against my lips and before I have the chance to chicken out, he gently presses his lips against mine.

I’ve imagined being kissed, especially by Taron, at least a thousand times, but nothing beats the real thing. His lips are so soft and delicate as they move against mine, guiding me through the whole thing. Taron steps closer to me, his other hand coming up to the other side of my face to gently hold me in place, his chest now flush against mine.

The kiss is rudely interrupted by loud banging on the door and Charlie’s voice loudly telling us to finish up, and then there’s Richard’s voice that hushes Charlie, telling him to let us be for just a little longer.

I chuckle softly, my cheeks red and warm as I look at Taron, who seems to be in the same state as I am. “Was I worth it?” he asks softly, his thumb still gently brushing over my cheek.

I reach my hand up and gently brush it through his hair, “You’ll always be worth it.”