#it’s almost an even split for what I’ve seen and what I haven’t so I can’t speak to the mood of all the scenes

[strangeconnoisseurhologram]

Make the sweeping edits you want to see in the world

[astroismypassion]

Astrology observations 🌊🐟🌊

Credit: @astroismypassion

🌊 Cancer Sun men (some other Cancer placement can be that as well like Cancer Venus, Cancer Mercury) are I noticed veryy indecisive. But they are masking that indeciveness behind “oh I just haven’t met the right person for me yet”. As partners they tend to get lazy, more controlling with time, but paint a very very almost this ideal picture in the beginning. You might not be able to find anything bad, because they seems so ideal on paper. They could be cheap too. They also dislike paying, prefer to split 50/50, but make sure that they are spending LESS than you, so they still feel taken care of. They pay only what is theirs and if something is shared between both of you, they expect you to take care of it.

🐟 A lot of Taurus Sun people are gym/workout freaks secretly, but can be inconsistent with it, so you might never openly know this about them.

🌊 I find it’s a slight, small and funny difference between Scorpio Moon and Scorpio over the 4th house native. Scorpio Moon is so secretive, private and doesn’t disclose information easily. You might be their best friend, but still don’t know their family situation to the full extent. But with Scorpio over the 4th house I noticed can kind of be oversharers?? It’s harder for them to keep a secret and when they vibe with someone in a nice conversation, they end up overspilling information.

🐟 Your partner can be a mix of your Juno, Jupiter and sign over 1st, 4th and 7th house. 1st house because there could be found people that are so “in your face”, because you were literally meant to meet them in this lifetime, 4th house is people you introduce to your parents, take home and 7th house are people that are similar to you, yet different enough that you feel they complete you and that you can learn from them.

🌊 Your IC sign shows some of the deepest parts of you that have been instilled in you and have been in your family for generations and generations. It is also what you know best, what already comes to you naturally. For example: Aries IC you are unafraid of conflict, you are not scared to be confrontational.

🐟 I noticed Taurus over the 12th house or Taurus Lilith are more prone of wanting to steal something material from you, like a material item, if they feel you hurt them emotionally. Watch out for Taurus Lilith especially, because they feel like they are never abundant enough, I noticed there is something missing when they are around you, like you might start missing your umbrella or something little and mundane.

🌊 I still think about 8th house Synastry that usually both people need to change. So it’s not about pointing fingers that planet person or house person. It’s usually not enough just one doing the changes and the other not, for the connection to run more smoothly.

🐟 I noticed Composite Libra Rising couples really struggle with other people. Usually the only conflict these two have is about other people. You might not even complain about each other, but when there is tension, it is about other people. Like your/their friends, how much time they are spending with certain other people.

🌊 Composite 1st house shows the things you liked about each other in the beginning, but these are the very same things that you resent with time or dislike later on and complain about. For example: Composite Aquarius Rising: you will like that you are still able to be with them and chase your dream goals, you like that you still are able to have your independent life besides them, that they give you enough freedom and personal space. But later you will start noticing that you “drifted apart/didn’t take enough time for each other”.

🐟 Taurus Venus natives really crave a partner that pays for them. But I noticed once they get older, it reverses from what I’ve seen? They are usually the one getting taken advantage of and paying eveything or a lot of the things for their partner.

🌊 Venus in the 8th house in Synastry chart gives energy of “We are not in a partnership, but I also don’t like you trying to date other people”. 😅

🐟 Composite Pisces Mars, Mars at 12 degrees or Composite Mars in the 12th house will really hold you accountable, even when you will be trying sweep thoughts, feelings, conversations, under the rug.😩 Like yes, it is known for sweeping topics under the rug, giving too many chances, forgiving. But you will notice things go wrong or poorly/bad in the connection when you just let it slide. Like the universe won’t allow you to do that, if it’s not genuine. You might not vocalize certain of your genuine thoughts, ideas, feelings for the sake of keeping peace in the connection that one time, but it will blow up in your face later all at once, because the universe won’t let it slide. 😬

🌊 Often when people say “Oh my partner did that for me in the beginning, but they don’t do it anymore now”, I suggest look at your partner’s Venus sign. This is how they behave towards you to attract you. This is “the attractive you” you are usually in the beginning, early stages of getting to know someone or when you are going in for y job interview. For example:

Aries Venus: they will asking YOU firstly jokingly “Are you trying to flirt me?😂”, they can slide this one casually in the conversation.

Taurus Venus: buy you a little gift (but usually great great quality), treat you to a meal out or sharing snacks with you. might also gift you clothing for the very first birthday you have, which is their way of telling you they like you.

Gemini Venus: helps you out a lot (sometimes forces their help onto you😅), pays for drinks, seems like they will help you or be there for you if anything happens every day out of the week.

Cancer Venus: they usually potray themselves as the emotional one and describe people around them are all “so stone cold”, they are more emotionally open in the beginning to lure you in, but later you realize they are quite stoic actually or even nonchalant.

Leo Venus: gives a lot of attention mostly in the beginning. because later they wanna experience being the one that is the center of attention in the relationship.

Virgo Venus: will text you consistently and always make sure that they are there for you, also the one to likely help you out, but with ulterior motives😅

Libra Venus: another one that pays for your meals, they will take you out, wine and dine you, you will feel like they know all the good restaurants.

Scorpio Venus: now, this one is hard. it’s usually in their stares. If it’s there, it’s already in the EYE CONTACT. If you don’t know what I mean by eye contact, then the sparkle is not there. but quite soon, they will have a a little, but manageble jealous episode, when you mention your female/male friends and that is how they reveal themselves that they care about you.

Sagittarius Venus: oh this one will take you places, organize that bike trip, show you a city they know really well and take you around, feed you with their stories and impress you with their many life experiences.

Capricorn Venus: acting too busy, burdened with duties, but actually hanging with their parents in the free time or playing video games. oh gosh, they give such air of being on their own constant strict schedule, that you will feel like they don’t have time for you, so that when they give you their time, you will think it is special.

Aquarius Venus: this one is unique, will likely organize a set up, group situation with a few of their trusted friends with you going for a drink/meal, but it’s a test try, to see how well you would merge in, another type is acting super busy and productive with you, but actually hanging with friends, partying.

Pisces Venus: lure you in by giving you things, items for free or impressing you with their musical talent, sing you a song, make you homemade art, treating you to a nice sweet homebaked treat, they will give the impression of being naive, but that’s quite far for it.

🐟 You might argue less with people how have Saturn on your Ascendant, because you will feel like you need to level up mentally and act more mature when you are around them, so you are likely to avoid petty fights, but only when you are with this person.

🌊 We often watch TV series, films with actors who share the same Moon sign as us. For example: I noticed Sex and the City TV series is very popular among Aquarius and Capricorn Moon people (also Sagittarius Moon to certain extent) and main actresses have these Moon signs too.

🐟 Aquarius Mars people are few of the actors who actually don’t mind being known for THAT one movie/TV series role and don’t try to run away from that image, they instead embrace it. For example: actress Eva Longoria (Aquarius Mars) who still to this day doesn’t mind being asked about her well-known and iconic role as Gaby Solis in TV series Desperate Housewives.

Credit: @astroismypassion

[miniwheat77]

Lies. (Captain Price x Reader.)

!SHORT FIC, nsfw, smut, price being a meanie, p in v sex, unprotected sex, pregnancy, MINORS DNI!

“Why don’t you have any kids Cap?” Ghost asks.

“Ah, old man’s been shooting blanks since his 20’s.” Gaz smirks. “Christ Garrick.” Price rolls his eyes. “He’s not wrong but.. I’m unable to have kids.” He sighs. “I’m sorry to hear.”

“It’s alright. After I broke up with my high school sweetheart, I didn’t want any.” He laughs. “Why not?”

“Terrible break up, didn’t want to go through it again.” He sighs. “Understandable.”

That's also what he told you when the two of you got too drunk at the bar. The entire task force had gone out drinking. Those are the words he whispered into your ear when you whined about him finishing inside of you.

Neither of you know how it happened, too much to drink. Shared glances. It led the both of you to being in the pub bathroom. Luckily the music was loud enough to conceal the sound of the two of you in the bathroom. You shouldn't have trusted him about it, but he was your Captain after all. You trusted him with your life.

He had a death grip in your hair, your face pressed up against the wall as he hammered his hips into yours. “Wait- you don’t have a condom on Captain.” You hiss. “I can’t have kids, just trust me.” He growls.

“Fuck!” You hiss. Tightening around him.

———

A few weeks later, you're approaching him. You've got the stick behind your back.

"Y/N? What can I do for you?" He asks. The two of you hadn't spoken about what happened that night. You'd kept it to yourselves and returned the professional relationship the two of you shared before.

“Just had a question. Are… are you sure you can’t have kids?” You’re standing in front of his desk. He's looking at his laptop on the other side. “Yeah. Why?”

“You’re completely sure?” You swallow hard.

“Yeah, the girlfriend I had in my 20’s made me get tested, opened the envelope herself.”

“Hm..” you mumble. “What’s going on?” He asks.

“I think she faked your results sir.”

“What? Why do you say that?” He puts his pen down, finally looking at you. “Because. You’re the only person I’ve slept with and I’m very pregnant.” You raise the pregnancy test. He freezes up. “What? Y/N… that’s not possible.” He sighs. “It clearly is. I haven’t slept with anyone else.”

He shakes his head. “Y/N. I don’t know why you’d lie about this. But it’s very out of character.” He sighs. Your eyes widen, you can't believe him. "You're joking. I'm not lying about this."

He shakes his head. "Excuse yourself from my office please." He sighs.

You can't believe this.

———

It's a few weeks later.

John decides to confide in Gaz about it. He talks to him about how he thinks it's best you're removed from his base and relieved of your duties on the task force, seeing as you're pregnant. Gaz approaches you and knocks at your door.

You answer it, seeing the look on his face.

"What's going on Gaz?" You ask.

He sighs. Pushing past you. "He... he told me about what happened. He sent me here to... tell you that he's taking you off the base."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No.. sorry Y/N." He mumbles.

"Okay. Whatever. Nothing I can do to change it."

"Is it really his?" He asks. You look at him, bewildered that he'd even ask that. "Yes. It's his. I haven't been with anyone else in years, you know that Gaz. We were drunk and..." You trail off with a groan. "I can't believe him." You sit down on your bed. "Could always prove it to him with DNA." He shrugs. "I guess so but obviously he doesn't want this so I guess I'll figure things out on my own. Thanks for stopping by Gaz. How long?" You ask.

"He said he's starting the paperwork today. A month at most." He nods.

You turn your back to him and he feels bad. He doesn't know what to believe.

———

A couple weeks later, John is in the grocery store.

“John?”

He turns to look at her, he hasn’t seen her in years. Not since they’d split up in his 20’s.

“I almost didn’t recognize you.” She smiles. “Oh. Hey.” He nods.

“Still in the military I see.” She smiles. “Uh.. yep. Captain now.”

“Married? In a relationship?” She asks. “Oh uh.. it’s complicated.” He laughs. “Really.” She smiles. “I figured you’d be married with kids by now.” She laughs. He freezes. “Uh.. yeah."

Kids? Why would she say kids?

"I actually had a question I’ve been waiting to ask.” He throws the box of granola bars into his cart. “Did you fake that paperwork all those years ago?”

She laughs. “I did. Yes. I wasn’t ready for kids and didn’t know how to tell you.” She laughs. “You.. did know that. Right?”

“Yeah, course I did. I’ve got a baby on the way.” He mumbles. “On the way? Jesus.” She laughs. “Late.”

He nods. “Yeah. Very late.” He laughs. “I’ve.. I’ve actually got to get going.” He turns away. Leaving the cart behind.

He has a fucking baby on the way.

She thinks it’s weird, but John was always secretive.

When John is out of her sight, he’s in a full sprint to get to his truck.

He reaches the base, surprised by the fact that he doesn’t get pulled over on the way with how fast he’s going.

He gets inside, hurrying down hallways. Nearly running right into Gaz. "Captain? What's going on?" He asks. He takes a deep breath. Wiping his face. "I'm an idiot, that's what. I just ran into my ex-girlfriend and she told me she faked those results all those years ago and that fucking baby is mine. Do you know where Y/N is?" he asks. He's out of breath. "I think she's just getting ready to leave, Captain. Better hurry." He smiles. He watches him rush down the hallway to your room. A story he didn't expect he'd ever tell between the two of you.

He should knock but forgets completely, barging right into your room. A gasp leaves your lips and you scramble to cover yourself. “Shit! I- sorry.” He should cover his eyes but doesn't. Shutting the door behind himself. “Christ John! What are you doing?” You throw a shirt over your head, but not before John sees it. Your growing baby bump.

He feels like such an ass.

“Y/N…” he sighs. Before you even have a chance to put pants on, he’s closing the gap between you. He grasps your hand, forcing you back into the bed behind you. You sit down on the edge and he drops right to a knee. He kisses the back of your hand. “I owe you… the biggest apology.” He sighs. “What? What’s going on?” You try to stand but he doesn’t let you. “I.. I found out that she did fake it. That.. I can have kids.”

He clenches his eyes shut, holding your hand to his face. “And I am so sorry for how I’ve treated you.” He breathes.

You don't know what to say. You just look down to where he's got your hands. You still don't have pants on.

"You should be sorry." You breathe. "I'm leaving tonight, thanks for the apology."

"You can't leave. Not yet."

"You signed that paperwork. You can't take it back now."

He shakes his head. "Yes I can." He stands.

"Why would you? You don't want this." You look up at him.

"This is my fault. I'm the one who..."

You look up at him, a sly smile on your lips. "Who what?"

You cross your arms. He raises his eyebrows. Surprised smile on his face. "Oh it's like that?" He laughs. "I'm the one who told you I couldn't have kids and came inside you."

"Yeah. I trusted you and you treated me like shit and called me a liar. You were gonna take me off your base."

"I swear I thought you were lying, I believed her when I shouldn't have. That fucking... snake." He sits down next to you. Pulling you into him. "I'm sorry darling. I am so fucking sorry." He sighs. You rest your head on his shoulder. "I'll forgive you but you better make it up to me." You roll your eyes. He laughs. "Anything you want doll. Swear on it."

"For now uh.. can I put pants on?"

He laughs harder than he should. "Yes. You have my permission to put pants on."

You punch his shoulder playfully. "I know exactly what I want, too."

"Yeah, what's that?"

———

"This is really what you wanted?" Gaz looks at you, leaning forward from the middle seat where he sits in the back.

You look happy as a clam in the passenger seat of your Captains truck. Mouth full of fries.

"Mhm."

You've got a McDonalds bag in your lap, having convinced John to take the entire task force to get McDonalds.

"Christ you're adorable." Gaz laughs.

"Maybe he should get her pregnant more often, since we get stuff out of it." Soap laughs. He's holding a burger in the back seat next to Gaz and Ghost. Gaz sits between the two of them. "Agreed." Ghost laughs. He's got his mask pulled up just enough to eat his food.

John rolls his eyes in the drivers seat. "Christ. Didn't even need to physically be able to have kids to have them."

He raises his own fries to his mouth. Each of you laughing.

———

“Oh. Hey again John.” She smiles. It’s the same store, a different isle this time. He glances at you, seeing you approach. “Oh um.. is this… your niece?” She asks. “No. This is Y/N. My wife.”

Her eyes nearly bulge out of her head. “Jesus.. didn’t realize you liked them so young John.” She laughs. “This her?” You side eye her while looking at him. He nods his head. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She laughs nervously.

“Oh.. nothing. He just mentioned something about a woman he’d had a past with. Something really fucked up she did where she told him he couldn’t have kids and he believed it for the longest time. Is.. is that really you?” You scoff. “I.. I mean I’ve done some fucked up things but that… that takes the cake.” You laugh. “I.. I was young and stupid-“

“Yeah. I mean. I have to thank you, it really worked out. I mean. John can really lay it down.” You cross your arms with a smirk.

“He has kids you know.” She mumbles. “Yeah. With me. And he’s a great dad.” You smirk. Stepping to the side. She can see your little girl sitting up in the cart. She’s chewing fiercely at her dad’s jacket. “Well.. congratulations. I have to get going.” She turns away.

He smiles. He liked seeing your aggressive side.

The both of you make your way up to check out, pushing your daughter in the cart.

"You alright?" You ask him. "Mhm." He sighs. Wrapping a hand around your lower back, tugging you closer to him.

"I'm gonna fuck you so hard for that." He growls into your ear.

"Jesus!" You laugh.

[dollarbils]

call me maybe | b.eilish

billie eilish x fem!reader

context. your ex situation-ship knows how to manipulate herself back into your life, her motives however are masked by her nonchalant demeanour.

warnings. nonchalant billie, making out, confusing storyline lowk, haven’t started pt2

masterlist

- 2 years ago -

her eyes had been what captured your attention throughout the night. her gaze seemed to linger longer than it should, indicating her interest and therefore sparking curiosity in you. and something you couldn’t deny; she was gorgeous.

“where’s your friend?” her smooth voice pulled you out of your thoughts, bringing you back to your ongoing conversation.

“she ditched like twenty minutes after we got here, i haven’t seen her since.” you put it almost humorously, anticipating a full recap of her night when you’d call her in the morning.

“you’re not worried?” the girl seemed genuinely curious to know, clearly taking interest in the dynamic of your friendship, in the events of the night, in you.

“i was, the first time. i’ve gotten used to it. she’ll get home in one piece and rave about her night tomorrow morning.” she smiled at the fact you could foresee the outcome of your friend’s disappearance in the club, almost as if it were a habit.

“it’s kinda shitty that she ditched you, not a very good wingwoman. though i doubt you find it hard.” she subtly hinted at real reason behind her interest. it was easy to tell with her, there was no doubt in your mind that she’d be into girls. but you wondered if she’d assumed the same about you.

“what? like getting girls?” you’d given her the confirmation, to eliminate any uncertainty. and for a split second, you could swear you saw a small smile creep onto her lips.

“girls huh?” she put it as if she was somewhat surprised.

“what?” you questioned the look on her face.

“i just didn’t think id get that lucky.” she smirked and you felt your insides flutter.

“what do you mean?” you asked her to clarify, really just wanting her to put it into words.

“i know i just met you,” she paused for a second, pulling out her phone, “but here’s my number.” she tapped her phone against yours to transfer your contact, and you turned it on so that you could accept it.

billie eilish, that was her name.

- present -

it was her eyes that had been the main point of recognition. they were unmistakable, cold yet sultry, a perfect combination for a perfect disaster. you’d known it all too well.

“billie.” her tight lips turned upwards slightly, pleased with your greeting. after all, it had only been a few months since you’d broken things off with her. and somehow, you ended up missing her.

“babe, this is a surprise.” she never could remain serious, and you’d been grateful in the moment as it eased the awkwardness you’d been anticipating.

“yeah, i didn’t expect to see you here.” you were awfully bad at small talk, and she chuckled, likely recognising this.

“you make it sound like something bad?” she pouted dramatically and you couldn’t help smiling, blushing even.

“no, no it’s a good thing. it’s good to see you.” she bit her lip, as if pondering on a comical response.

“oh yeah? how good?” she smirked and your breath hitched.

“stop it.” you looked away from her but she reached for your face and pulled your chin up, to meet her eyes again. those fucking eyes.

“stop what?” she was grinning, a smile so wicked it made your insides burn.

“we tried, we don’t work.” your rational thoughts finally made an appearance with your confrontation.

“that’s where you’re so wrong.” her face was dangerously close to yours. her lips almost brushing yours.

“billie.” you tried to interrupt her actions, you were obviously heading in a direction you’d find difficult to navigate out of.

“shh.” she pressed her finger up to your lips, her ring resting against the skin of your chin before it disappeared, and her lips were on yours. her hips pressing against yours as the cool metal of her rings returned, resting on your neck this time.

“bil-” she didn’t let you pull away, wouldn’t let you speak. and when her hands traveled down to your ass, and her tongue met your own, you snapped back into reality.

“billie.” you were breathing heavily.

“what?” you were shaking your head, backing away from her.

“i can’t do this again.” her brows let their furrowed state and she moved to place her hands back on your figure, gently.

“sure you can. we can do it right this time.” her words were so promising you almost fell for them. but you didn’t reply, just escaping her grasp and turning away.

“where do you think you’re going, baby?” the term of endearment stung, an unpleasant twinge in your heart you couldn’t quite place.

“call me.” her smirk, dripping with confidence, aggravated you in a way no one else could. she’d leave you thinking about her for days to come, and she knew it. you could still feel her on your lips.

“maybe.” her eyebrows raised at your response, but you didn’t stay to hear her, no doubt, witty response.

taglist: @adinda-eilish @ijustlovemaths @sweetcherriexs @jaxon-nathaniel-drake @mybluebossanova @diceroll65 @tothediner @st0nerlesb0 @bilssturns @london-uhmye @bxllxebxtch @tan1shere @babybornbluenow @greenbttrflyy @asterisk-eyes

[goldfades]

joe seems like the kind of dad who would absolutely lose it the first time the baby says ‘dada’ instead of ‘mama.’ like he’d be trying to act cool, but he’d immediately whip out his phone to record it and text everyone he knows. meanwhile, reader’s just rolling her eyes like ‘okay, joe, don’t act like you haven’t been secretly bribing them to say it first.’

this is the cutest concept ever i can’t 🥹🥹

you were folding laundry on the couch when you heard it for the first time—clear as day, that tiny, sweet little voice saying the word that would change joe’s life forever.

“dada.”

you looked up, laundry forgotten, to see hayes sitting on the floor with joe, one of his soft, crinkly toys clutched in his chubby hands. joe froze mid-reach for the toy, his eyes going wide like he couldn’t quite believe what he’d just heard.

“did he—” he started, looking at you with so much excitement it was almost comical.

you nodded, already smiling. “yep.”

“say it again, buddy,” joe said, his voice a little higher, a little more eager. “say ‘dada.’”

hayes giggled, clearly pleased with the reaction he was getting. “dada!”

joe practically launched himself backward, his hand flying to his chest like the word had physically hit him. “oh my god,” he said, his voice full of wonder. “he said it. he said it!”

you were still grinning, watching as joe scrambled for his phone, nearly dropping it twice in his haste to open the camera. “say it one more time, hayes,” he coaxed, holding the phone up. “come on, buddy. one more ‘dada.’”

and, of course, hayes delivered.

“dada!”

joe’s reaction was immediate and completely over the top. he let out a whoop, fist-pumping the air before scooping hayes into his arms and twirling him around like he’d just scored the game-winning touchdown. “that’s my boy!” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “you’re a genius, kid. an absolute prodigy.”

you couldn’t help but laugh, shaking your head as joe plopped back down on the floor, still recording hayes. “you’re unbelievable,” you teased, tossing a balled-up sock at him. “don’t act like you haven’t been secretly bribing him to say it first.”

joe looked up at you, mock-offended. “i have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, even as hayes reached for the half-eaten cracker that had mysteriously appeared in joe’s hand.

“oh, please,” you said, crossing your arms. “i’ve seen you slipping him extra snacks when you think i’m not looking.”

“that’s called positive reinforcement,” joe shot back, his grin still so big it threatened to split his face.

“you’re ridiculous,” you said, but there was no heat in your words, just affection.

joe shrugged, looking back down at hayes, who was still babbling happily. “ridiculous or not,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of hayes’ head, “i’m officially the favorite now.”

you rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t stop smiling as you watched them. joe might’ve been a little ridiculous, but moments like this? they were everything.

[soleilapproves]

ex-convict!sukuna gets into a bar fight for burnt out reader but she’s embarrassed of being seen with him. For more context, read this prompt.

main masterlist

There’s a fine line between procrastination and being burnt out, and you weren’t sure which part of the spectrum you belonged to. However, you could blame part of your confusion to the toasty bitter liquid in front of you. Condensation collecting around the large jar. College bars weren’t exactly crowded during finals week, but the bartenders were glad to have you there as you single-handedly kept them in business after downing drink after drink.

Your friends had long ditched you to catch some sleep before their study session the next the day—an event you weren’t invited to because you simply slept the entire time, not being much help with memorizing naming reactions in organic chemistry.

Your notes from the first half of the semester were still incomplete. Forget revising for the final. You were fucked, winging your past quizzes and exams by getting Cs.

Life felt stationary. No internships, no friends you could actually rely on, car broken down, and no boyfriend.

Boyfriend. Funny word. The closest thing you had to one was the older man you were messing around with. To make matters worse, he was an ex-convict without a job.

His truck, however, said that he had enough money to spare. His apartment? Not so much. Heat pooled between your legs as you thought about his room. His bed. A Pavlovian response. You only went there to momentarily forget about your struggles after all.

“You’re looking worse for wear,” a smooth, rich voice calls out from beside you. Geto Suguru—English Literature major. Honors student. Persistent ex-hookup from your second year. You were surprised that you were even able to recognize the midnight-haired man. He eyed your figure—slouched and red (courtesy of the alcohol).

“Need me to drop you home? I live nearby.” You knew he meant well. But a small voice deep in the corners of your consciousness told you that you were most likely going to invite him in. Finding solace in one man’s arms were enough. You were not going to split your loyalties. At least for the time being. You were too mentally exhausted.

Also, you weren’t sure how Sukuna would react knowing that you were sleeping around with other people.

His angry grunt after you asked if he had been hooking up with other girls was enough to tell you that your arrangement was exclusive. It was a good thing that you asked him while he had you sheathed around his dick. Who knew what he would’ve said if he was in his right mind?

“I’m alright, Suguru. Thanks for offering,” you slurred out. He wrapped an arm around you, probably to shield you from the leering eyes of the other drunk patrons at the bar. “It’s just colder than usual here. And you don’t have a jacket.” You simply nod at his reasoning. Relishing in his warmth and the smell of his subtle cologne. Much tamer than Sukuna’s and even then you’re able to sense his heavy natural musk.

Maybe it was because you’d been intimately entwined with him more times than you could count. You couldn’t even remember what Suguru’s scent reminded you of. All that clouded your mind was that darned tattooed ex-convict.

“You know, I’ve been watching you around campus for a while. I can tell you haven’t been feeling well for a while and—“ Suguru sighs before tightening his hold on you “—if you ever feel like you need to talk to someone, please know that I’m always there for you.” His warm smile almost feels fake. You couldn’t remember the last time someone showed you genuine kindness. Save for Sukuna immediately replying to your text where you’d told him you needed to let out some steam.

“Thanks,” you choke out, a singular tear falls down and for the first time in a while you see something other than pity in a peer’s eyes—concern. True and genuine concern. You felt cared for. Your tears began to flow out your eyes yes and you sobbed uncontrollably, unsure if it was the alcohol or the shred of kindness you were just shown.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he said as he rubbed his arms up and down your shoulders. “It happens to the best of us. You’ll be ok-“ You’re suddenly left cold without Suguru’s warm hold. You turn to see his hand in the grasp of another man’s.

Sukuna. He was in front of you.

“Get the fuck away from her,” he spat at Suguru. “If you know what’s good for you.”

Suguru ignored the older man’s imposition and turned to look at you. Eyes softening again. “You know this guy?” Your tongue was too thick for your mouth to answer him.

What could you say? If you agreed then all the people in this bar (who were in your university) would know that you liked to mess around with strange men. If you said no then you’d have Sukuna’s supposed wrath to deal with.

You didn’t even know what he went to jail for.

Too overstimulated and confused to answer, you simply glanced around the bar. All eyes were on you three. An unwanted spotlight.

“Tell him you know me,” Sukuna’s red eyes bore into your delirious state through a frown. “At least I know where you live.”

You felt conflicted. On one hand, you had a man who was genuinely concerned for you and was explicit with providing you with support. On the other, was a man who knew about your emotional state and didn’t let you feel afraid to put your guard down despite never asking you about your troubles.

“That doesn’t matter. She didn’t say anything about knowing who you are. Hell, I haven’t even seen you around campus. Are you even a student at our school?” Suguru snapped. You were grateful that a mere acquaintance was so protective of you, but at this moment, everything felt uncomfortable.

Cold sweat prickled the back of your neck as you watched both the men raise their voices with each insult thrown at one another.

And to your horror, both the men started fighting one another. You looked away, shielding yourself and cringing. You heard a distressing crunch and didn’t want to guess whose nose had gone bust. It was all so embarrassing. Your friends always joked that you had the worst taste in men and they were right.

Humiliated, you ran out the bar, too frantic to pay your tab. The fight had gotten so bad that you could hear the faint sirens of the local police patrol cars driving towards the bar.

The bus ride back home was as excruciating as ever. Its rockiness and constant bumps on the mussed streets made it a nightmare to hold your bile in. The acidity of it had travelled up to your mouth, and you were grateful for the bathroom being in close proximity to your front door.

A few uncomfortable belches and spurts of vomit later, you dragged your dehydrated and exhausted body to your couch, scrolling through your phone to order hangover soup for the next day.

But your finger stopped before you could tap anything because a text had popped up.

11:27 pm | Sukuna Ryomen: are you okay

—

No part two for this. The “storyline” (?) is more focused on reader’s unhealthy coping mechanisms, and how sukuna affects her life 🥸

[realityinsuspense]

one step closer | chapter 3: a broken bowl

--summary: "me and him? in one apartment? yeah, right. nothing is going to happen." ~~ two strangers living together. not talking and just going about each other’s lives. that was your plan. that’s how you’ve always done things, and you’ve gone far doing so. so when you have to suddenly move into a new apartment with your new roommate, you expect almost nothing. almost.

--pairing: mingi x fem!reader

--genre: strangers to lovers, fluff, a little angst, #mingi is cold and standoffish, #eventual mutual pining

--a/n: hey all!! sorry for the slowest update in the world ahfdkafkdj but here is chapter 3! enjoy, and if u would like to be part of the tag list pls let me know :) i just started one hehe

words: 5.2k

~

chapter 3: a broken bowl

Life at the apartment continued on as usual. With the now split chores and clear communication between one another, you and Mingi settled back into that routine. And it was great! Peaceful—just how you liked it. And you’re sure Mingi liked too.

It was Wednesday evening. You were back at the apartment after another busy day of work and you were absolutely exhausted. You were also starving as well, so you headed to the kitchen to prepare an easy meal for dinner: instant ramen—the spicy kind. The thought immediately made you salivate. As you gathered two packs of Indomie from the pantry, you felt your phone vibrating in your pocket: an incoming call from Hongjoong.

It’s been a while since he’s last called you, and you missed him, mentally noting that you had to get lunch with him soon. It was an easy decision—you wanted to talk with your best friend. But before pressing the green answer button, you glanced at Mingi’s door from the kitchen. He’s home early today surprisingly. Knowing he’s behind that door and could possibly enter the kitchen at any moment, you quickly run to your room and grab your headphones; you wanted your conversation to only be heard by you of course.

You pressed the button, and you were greeted excitedly by your best friend.

“Did you get San’s invite to his birthday party?” Hongjoong asked immediately. You grabbed a big pot and filled it with water.

“Yes. Trust me, the amount of times I’ve heard about this party already,” You smile to yourself and adjusted your headphones.

“Ah, this guy…I am looking forward to his birthday nonetheless,” You could tell Hongjoong is also smiling on the other end. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen him too.”

Funnily enough, Hongjoong was also friends with San and Yeosang. He happened to attend the same University as the best friend duo, where they were all classmates for four years. It was only a coincidence that you all so happened to become friends. What a small world, you remind yourself.

“Oh you know San, he’s doing great! Yeosang too…And what about you? How’s your friend?” You teased. The last time you spoke with your best friend, he admitted he was slowly developing a crush on his long time neighbor. It excited you—romance gossip was always the best. You couldn’t help it, as a hopeless romantic yourself.

“Oh stop! Nothing much has been happening,” He laughed . “But I would say, we’ve been talking more and more.”

“What if you invite him to San’s?” You suggested. “I would love to meet him.”

“Ahh, yeah, but I think it’s maybe too soon for that,” Hongjoong said. “But I do want you to meet him one day. He’s great…”

“I can’t wait!” You exclaim. The water on the stove is boiling now, so you dump your noodles in and start separating the packets of seasoning.

“Well, what about you? How’s your life these days?” Hongjoong’s voice rings through your headphones as you carefully stir in the noodles.

“It’s been going good,” You chirp. “Nothing much going on either.”

“Hmmm…how is your roommate by the way? You haven’t told me much, except that he’s a mess.” He chuckles.

“Well that situation has been fixed, but honestly…” You ponder this. How is Mingi?

Ever since the chores incident, life at the apartment has been sailing smoothly again. In fact, you might even think the conversation even improved the atmosphere of the apartment. It felt a little bit more comfortable living there. Moving pasts the silence and nods, you guys now greet each other with a “hello” or ���good night” here and there. The air feels less awkward and less tense. Both your schedules still work out, except you notice that recently, he’s been coming and staying home earlier than his previous hours…But you don’t think about it too much. You guys still manage to work it out! Again, you guys still keep to yourselves. Everything is still separate and unknown. Strangers, but not really strangers. Unraveled mysteries. Roommates. That’s what it feels like.

“He’s okay. We really don’t talk much though. We kinda just focus on our own things, you know?”

“Mmm…” You hear Hongjoong’s tone shift slightly. You could tell that it’s his turn to do the teasing now. “That sounds so boring!”

“Hey!” You chuckle. You turn the stove off to the perfectly cooked noodles. “It’s fine by me. I’m just here to live okay.”

Now, where is that strainer?

“Interesting,” Hongjoong says. “So… is he cute?”

“What?!” You exclaim a little too loudly after opening up the cupboard above you. You spot the large silver straining bowl, all the way on the top shelf stacked on top of your other large bowls. Did I really put these here? “What’s up with that? San asked the same thing.”

Hongjoong laughs in response. “Well, you are a single woman living alone with a man. That’s like a couple living together, no? And God knows how long you’ve been single for. I mean-wait, is he single too?”

“I don’t know about all that!” You quietly “yell” into your phone, your voice a low murmur. This is the last type of conversation to have especially since Mingi is just a room away. You glance at his bedroom door again, happily still shut.

For some reason, you feel your face flush. You felt a little embarrassed at the mention of your almost nonexistent love life once again, this time a bit more direct. And to have this thought about Mingi? Of all people! It was absurd. While you loved romance gossip, it wasn’t an exception when it came to you. Now you were finding yourself giving this little speech of justification once more. “Co-ed roommates exist you know? Besides, maybe he does have a girlfriend. But anyway, me and him? Nothing. Nothing is going to happen. And even if there was ‘something’—which there won’t—that would compromise our contract. I’m just here as his roommate to live in.”

You gently push yourself up onto the kitchen counter, your eyes locked on the stack of bowls.

“Relax, I’m just joking,” Hongjoong defends, but you could hear him grinning like crazy. “But, I don’t know…shouldn’t roommates at least bond?”

“Bond over what?” You were leaning over the cupboard, with your arm almost reaching the bowl. If you knew any better, you probably would’ve gotten a chair to help you instead. But you were too distracted, and for some reason, willingly determined, as if you knew that it was entirely possible for you to reach such height. Your fingers just barely brushed over the cool bowl holding the strainer. What you should know, was that willingness did not always equal logic.

And your desperation for reaching for the bowl at the top shelf backfired. Your fingers tried to grab hold of the bowls, but the weight made you feel unsteady, slipping out of your grasp.

CRASH

“Fuck!” You ducked just in time. But the stack of bowls toppled over and shattered on the floor, a big pile of broken ceramic pieces scattered everywhere. And of course, the strainer lying on the floor as well, perfectly unharmed.

“What happened?!” Hongjoong’s voice rang through your headphones. You carefully landed both your feet on the floor, worried of stepping on any broken glass despite the house slippers.

“Oh shit,” Your eyes went wide after scanning the broken pieces—intricate designs of blue were shown throughout. “Ugh…this isn’t good. Hongjoong, I’ll call you later, okay?” He obliged, and you promised to update him. You stood in shock at the mess in front of you.

These bowls weren’t yours.

They were Mingi’s.

And you broke them.

A million thoughts were bursting and running through your mind. Why did I think these were mine*? Why was I so distracted? I should’ve known better. Maybe I’m just really exhausted? Ugh. No excuses. Oh he’s gonna kill me. These looked really expensive. What do I say to him?*

Hurriedly, you begin to sweep the damage that had been done. But barely just starting to clean up, you hear the sound of his bedroom door opening. Fuck. At that moment, you so badly wished his life schedule didn’t change all of a sudden and that he wasn’t home. But there’s no point in hiding. He was going to find out eventually; it’s time to face it.

Your heart rate picks up as you hear the shuffle of footsteps get closer to the kitchen; you painfully continue sweeping the broken mess.

“What was-” Mingi begins as he enters the kitchen. His relaxed face turns tense at the sight of the scene before him, looking down at the broken bowls. “What the hell happened?”

You jolt up and duck your head down in apology. You suddenly feel his eyes glaring into you.

“I’m so sorry, it was an accident! I-I thought that the bowls were mine and I stupidly tried reaching for them and then I..dropped them.” Your words felt pathetic, your body feeling hot with embarrassment. You gingerly lifted your head to make eye contact with him.

You were scared out of your mind for some reason, that same intimidating feeling returning.

Silence. You scan his face for something. But his expression remains tense and indifferent, his dark hair falling just above his dark eyes. It’s hard to know what he’s thinking. But there’s no doubt in your mind—he has to be pissed.

“I can buy you a new set, I-” You blurt out at an attempt to break the painful silence.

“Don’t bother,” He says coldly, his tone full of anger and disappointment. “This further proves my point. I know we live together, but we really can’t bother with each other. Otherwise shit like this happens. The chores was already enough, and now you’re breaking my stuff.”

The words slap you in the face, and you can’t help but feel silenced. It was an accident! You wanted to yell, but you couldn’t find the courage to. You would never break those things on purpose. He must be upset; they must’ve been important to him. But even so…

Even if he was speaking the truth, it still felt mean.

It still hurt.

Mingi picks up some remaining scattered pieces where he stands and throws them in the trash bin. You continue to clean up as well; it feels like you’re holding your breath the entire time until both of you finish cleaning the mess. You were ashamed.

After you hear his bedroom door shut, you let out a heavy sigh, feeling a mix of disappointment and anxiety. Your noodles have gone cold.

—

That entire night, you were fueled with guilt. It makes sense to be upset about broken dishware, but it’s not like you were completely ignoring the problem. Nor were you were trying to break them on purpose. You took responsibility, apologized, and offered to purchase a replacement. Yet, Mingi refused. You began to feel worse after realizing how well you two were finally cooperating, and that living together became easier and more comfortable. He even made stronger efforts in keeping the apartment clean.

The next morning before you left for work, because you couldn’t go on without action, you slipped a small envelope of money underneath his door. It was for the bowls.

Mingi’s being upset with you bothered you to the core.

Well rightfully so, you did just destroy a very nice ceramic set of dish ware. And it didn’t look cheap, so it must’ve costed a fortune. Maybe that’s why he seemed to mad.

It only makes sense to replace it then. Besides, it would be rude of you not to. It was a gesture in your nature and out of courtesy. It was something you could do to fix the problem. But you were unclear of what Mingi wanted. What could he possibly want? What could I possibly do to fix this?

And as you were on your way to work, you felt your phone vibrate. While you were expecting a text from Hongjoong (who you updated on the situation afterwards by the way), you were surprised to find a new message from your roommate. What great timing, you thought to yourself.

song mingi (roommate): don’t need the money.

Well that was fast. But the text made your stomach churn. Seriously, this guy is so blunt. You chose to ignore the message, guilt creeping into you once again. Your thoughts followed you to work, clouding your upcoming busy day.

“That’s weird,” Yeosang scrunches his eyebrows together. “Who gets that upset over a set of bowls?”

Once again, you confided in your work friends. It was lunch time at your guys’ usual table, and you were stirring the spoon in your bowl of soup mindlessly. You were relieved it was finally lunch time, because the whole incident and text message was bothering you all morning.

“Agreed, that was totally unnecessary,” San says, eyes glued to his phone.

“Just forget about it y/n. It was clearly an accident! You’re too nice for your own good.” Yeosang presses.

“Yeah y/n, don’t stress about it too much.” San added.

“But I can’t!” You groan and throw your head into your hands. Yeosang sighs seemingly in defeat and takes a bite of his burger. “I feel guilty out of my mind.”

Just when things were starting to feel okay. Just when Mingi showed some kind decency towards you, it had to go south immediately. Things were just starting to feel comfortable and at ease. You two were finally cooperating as roommates, greeting one another, and being accommodating to one another. It was a peaceful coexistence that has once again been jeopardized—this time by you. Who would’ve thought living would become even more difficult.

“Well, if you feel that bad. I think you should just get him the new set.” San says, finally looking up from his phone, his expression bright and gentle as always.

“Should I really?” You ask weakly. It was just the push you needed.

“You really don’t have to y/n…” Yeosang smiles his comforting little smile. “But we know you, and you probably will anyway.”

My friends know me well.

—

You head back home after stopping by the market after work. Luckily, it was still open, and you picked out a similar looking set—a porcelain white set, except with tiny green floral detailing this time. It was cute, but not as beautiful as the original. The reminder made your stomach sink.

You’re sure this wasn’t as expensive as the original either, despite the sales lady claiming its value. But, you hope that it’s the thought that counts—this was your apology gift. Whether he’ll accept it or not. You only feel right doing this. And it was your fault, so you wanted to take responsibility.

Despite your fears to face Mingi once again, you knew you had to muster up the courage to properly apologize to him. Otherwise, you both couldn’t go on living this way—all tense all over again. Disrupted peace. Awkwardness, discomfort. A step backwards.

You wanted to resolve this as smoothly and quickly as possible. And enough with the overthinking!

We’re roommates for crying out loud, you thought, trying to hype yourself up as you head up your apartment building. Again, you feel your heart beating loudly in your chest. Be more confident, y/n. You’re gonna apologize properly, and then he’s going to take this damn set of bowls whether he likes it or not! You’ve been agonizing in guilt for the past few days, so he better accept this apology!

We WILL be peaceful roommates again!

After opening the apartment door, you hear sounds in the kitchen and make your way there immediately. He’s home.

“Mingi!” You bravely announce, entering the kitchen. You felt a little stupid, but you couldn’t stand the tension. “I-”

But before you could even continue, your eyes land on your roommate leaning against the kitchen counter, and you suddenly feel your face grow hot.

Shirtless?!

Mingi looks up at you with a questioning look, his pink lips pouted. “Hm?”

Standing before you, was an even more revealing Mingi. Only wearing his signature pair of sweatpants, his lean and toned physique stood out—defined abs and muscles, and.. you tried not to stare for too long, but it’s so hard not to take in. The sight was…something else.

You feel embarrassed seeing him like this, but he clearly didn’t. You could barely make out your words, the courage and hype you built up all of sudden gone.

“I- uh,” You awkwardly say. “I bought you this for you.” You place the shopping bag on the dining table. Mingi approaches slowly, and you feel your heart beating faster as he walks closer to you. He peers into the bag and sighs.

“I told you, I don’t need-” He starts. ”I’m sorry!” You interject abruptly, finally making eye contact with him. “I’m sorry! I messed up. I broke the dishes. I broke our deal. As your roommate, it only makes sense for me to do this. I’ve been feeling horribly guilty, and I am really truly sorry.”

Mingi remains silent as he glares at you, his eyes unreadable. His dark eyes scan your face, and you hope to god your face doesn’t look as red as it feels. It would be even more embarrassing.

“I-I know it won’t replace the old one, and I know ceramics can be kind of expensive,” You continue on after he says nothing, spilling your jumbled words incessantly. “Especially the ones you had, which I’m sure were so beautiful by the way. So it must’ve been frustrating. I know it’s a hassle to get new pieces like those. And…and this new set isn’t the same, but it still has some little details on it! They’re green though—but still, very pretty! The lady at the market agreed with me. So maybe it can-”

“y/n,” He says sighing, stopping you. “It’s fine.”

“No! It’s not fine,” You grab the shopping bag from the table and try to shove it into his hands, taking a step closer to him. You look up at him now, his eyes wide—probably shocked by your sudden actions. Gosh, you think, unbelievably close to a shirtless man like this. “From now on, this won’t happen again. It was just a stupid mistake, I swear. So please, just take this as my apology.” You bow your head in shame and at an attempt to stop looking at him.

After a beat of silence, you feel him gently take the bag from your hands.

“My mom made them for me,” Mingi says quietly. “Those bowls.”

You slowly look up at him once more, suddenly taken aback by the comment. And most importantly his tone—a tinge of sentiment.

“You’re right. These won’t replace the old ones,” He says before you could even respond. “But they’ll do for now. I accept your apology, thanks..”

Mingi places the bag on the dining table once again, and returns to the kitchen counter to continue preparing whatever he was making.

“O-okay, yes,” You manage to say finally. “Thank you, good night.” ”Night.” He says without looking up.

A wave of relief washes over you, and you silently head to your bedroom. You were glad that he’s forgiven you, but also feel bad to know that you destroyed his mother’s gift to him. Now that you know that fact, it felt strange. Isn’t that even worse? At the same time though, Mingi didn’t seem too angry or upset like he was previously. And talking to him this time felt a little different.

Maybe your apology was so great, he felt compelled to do so. Anyhow, you were sure that things would get back to normal again. But your mind lingered about what he said. His mom?

We don’t usually bring up things like that, yet tonight…

You shook your head, deciding not to read too much into it. As they say, curiosity killed the cat.

In your room, you glance at yourself in the mirror.

Your cheeks were bright red.

Great.

~

next chapter >

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tags: @hwaskookies @chicksmoothie

[clarisse0o]

Camp Wiegman-Part 24

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternative Universe : Military School

Words : 5k

Masterlist

———————————————————————

Thursday, December 17th; 7:00 PM - Ona and Alexia's Room.

I collapse face down on my bed as soon as I step into my room. All I can think about is being on vacation. It’s about to become reality. To be honest, I’m struggling to grasp that starting tomorrow, I’ll be home for two whole weeks. It feels strange, but it’s definitely going to do me good. These last few weeks have been intense, and I really need a break. I have a splitting headache from all the constant studying. It feels like a hammer pounding in my head without rest. I just got back from Bronze after studying for my last exam, which is tomorrow. I’m relieved to see the end in sight because it was turning into a real disaster. The pressure and anxiety of not succeeding took over, and I started working more than I should have. I felt like the study sessions at Bronze weren’t enough anymore. I became obsessed, to the point of breaking curfew multiple times to study late into the night. The lack of sleep started affecting my behavior. I became unintentionally aggressive, which caught the attention of my supervisor. She noticed the bags under my eyes and figured out what was going on. Let’s just say she gave me a good scolding. Her decision was final, no matter what I said. She took all my study materials out of my room to control my workload. She almost punished me, but she held back when she saw my state. Our relationship has taken another step forward. I think she’s changed since she asked me to call her by her first name outside of school. She’s more open than before. Sometimes, I even call her Lucy when our study sessions run late, and she doesn’t mind. It’s become much more pleasant to spend time with her. She’s reached the point where she can tell what I’m thinking or feeling just by observing me. It’s very unsettling to be read like that. When she realized my problem with studying, she immediately found the right words to reassure me. Ever since she took my things on Friday night, she’s been coming by my room every evening to make sure I get back into a good sleep routine. Still, I’m mentally exhausted. All these exams were too much, and I’m starting to miss my family. I haven’t seen them in a month, hence my eagerness for the holidays.

“Are you done with your revisions at Bronze?”

Alexia snaps me out of my drowsiness. I must have dozed off without realizing it because I didn’t even hear her come in. I groan when she flops down on my back without any consideration. She kisses my cheek before resting her head on mine. Without knowing it, Alexia has started to break down my boundaries around physical contact.

“I came to get you for dinner. You’re coming, right? The others are already there.”

“Yeah,” I mumble into my pillow. “I’m starving. But I’m coming back here afterward.”

“Don’t worry, I was planning on coming back here too.”

“Come on, get off me!” I say, wriggling. “I’m starving!”

I laugh as she teases me by pressing down on me even harder. She finally gets up, but not before giving my butt a playful slap.

“Hey!” I exclaim, feigning indignation.

“Oops,” she says with an innocent look.

I smile and roll my eyes. Without her, I would have probably sunk into a deep depression. I was so angry with Lucy that first night she took my stuff that I was mad at the whole world. Alexia was there that night, and since then, she hasn’t let a single evening pass without making me laugh. She helped me think about other things, and that’s how I came to understand Lucy’s actions. To succeed, I also needed to learn to let go and have some fun. And that’s what I’ve been doing with Alexia. We’ve relaxed a lot, and she even took the opportunity to share new stories from her childhood. I took the chance to tell her about my relationship with Mapi as well. I had promised her a while ago that I would talk about it, so I did. Alexia is someone I really appreciate. She’s strong, and she has such a contagious joy. With those thoughts in mind, we head to the cafeteria in good spirits.

“Have you heard from Mapi these last few days?”

“Not really. She’s also busy studying. Why?”

“Just wondering.”

I don’t press further as we enter the cafeteria. We grab our trays and join our friends who are already seated. I greet the people I haven’t seen yet today. Since our day in the snow, our group sometimes expands at meals with the addition of girls who joined the snowball fight the other day. That’s the case tonight with Ella and Alessia joining us. They’ve taken the usual spots where Ale and I sit, but we don’t mind and take the seats opposite them. Over time, I’ve learned that Alessia is actually Leah’s sister. I figured it wasn’t a coincidence that I get along so well with her. Looking back, I realize they have quite similar personalities. They’re both very calm and thoughtful. Alessia once confided that she thought I had a crush on her sister. I quickly reassured her that we’re just good friends and that it would never go beyond that. I focus on the conversation going around the table. It’s about our upcoming vacation. Everyone is really excited. I get it; I feel the same way. I’m starting to get impatient for tomorrow. I can finally breathe and see my loved ones again.

“Do you already have plans for New Year’s, Ona?” Alba asks me.

“Not really. I guess I’ll spend it with Mapi, but we haven’t talked about it yet.”

“See, I told you she’d already have something planned,” his sister comments.

“Well, technically, nothing’s set yet. Why?”

They exchange a knowing look before Leah decides to speak up.

“To be honest, we usually spend it together here in Manchester. We were hoping you’d join us if you didn’t have any plans.”

“Really? Where do you do it?”

“It’s at our place,” Alessia explains. “We live here, and our parents usually go celebrate New Year’s with their friends.”

“I see. Is this the first time you’ve done this?” I ask curiously.

“No, this will be the third year we’ve done it together,” Ale responds. “It’s the only holiday we can all spend together, so we make the most of it.”

I nod, understanding perfectly. This idea excites me a lot. It would be so cool to finally be able to spend an evening with them outside of school. It’s definitely better than spending a drunken night at Mapi’s friend’s place. Still, I don’t want to leave Mapi behind. We’ve barely spent any time together since I’ve been here. Besides, we’ve always celebrated New Year’s together ever since we met. I know she’s expecting us to spend this one together too. We don’t even need to talk about it to know that.

“I would love to come, but I can’t leave Mapi alone,” I share.

“Why don’t you bring her along?” Alba suggests.

“That’s true, it’s a good idea,” Ale adds. “I really want to meet her after everything you’ve told me about her. Do you think she’d agree?”

“I see why you suddenly asked if I’d heard from her,” I say with an amused smile.

“Yes, well,” she rolls her eyes with a knowing smile. “I wanted to know if you’d already talked about it. Seriously, would it be possible? It’s a bit of a crazy plan, but doable, right?”

“I don’t know. It’s going to be complicated. She has a girlfriend, and I doubt she’d want to celebrate without her,” I grimace. “I’ll ask her and see what she says. Anyway, I want to come, but not without her.”

“She seems important to you,” Lotte comments.

“Well… yeah. She’s my best friend, you know. She’ll always come first.”

“See, I told you she’d say yes,” Patri laughs. “It’ll be awesome if you come. You’re part of the group now.”

I smile sincerely at her. It’s true that I’ve really integrated into their group by now. They’ve been very welcoming from the start, unlike me, who only did things my way. Now, it’s very different. A real friendship has formed between them and me. I was about to respond when someone taps me on the head with an object that echoes above me. I instinctively duck my head to avoid the attack, even though it doesn’t really help. When I try to turn around to see who it is, two large hands on my shoulders stop me.

“What has Mapi done now?”

I relax and lean back against Lucy, recognizing her voice. I expected to see her tonight before curfew.

“Nothing,” I giggle. “We were talking about New Year’s.”

“Oh. I thought you’d heard from her.”

“Briefly this morning, to talk about tomorrow. By the way, she sends her regards,” I say, lifting my head to finally see her.

“That’s nice of her.”

“Yeah. Did you want something specific?”

“I wanted to return the pen you left on my desk. It would be a shame to take your last exams without it, right?”

I smile as I take it back when she dangles it in front of my nose. What would I do without her? Probably not much. I can’t say it’s my lucky pen because I don’t believe in that sort of thing. However, I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to change their habits once I’ve found something that works for me. That’s exactly how it is with this pen. I would have been frustrated to have to use another one for my last exam.

“Oh, thanks! You didn’t have to. Are you also returning my notes?”

“You need to stop taking advantage of my kindness. I’ll give them back tomorrow.”

“What kindness?” I laugh. “I’m old enough to manage my own sleep schedule.”

“No, you’re not. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken your notes.”

I sigh, crossing my arms. Well, I can’t complain too much. It’s true that she’s become nicer than before, even though she still treats me like a kid in some ways. It’s really frustrating, but I guess I’m partly to blame. She knows why she’s keeping my stuff. I would have been tempted to study tonight otherwise.

“Fine, I’ve recovered,” I protest.

“Ona,” she scolds. “I should make you run laps to tire you out tonight.”

“Actually, I think I’ll be fine,” I grimace.

“That’s what I thought. Everything will be fine, anyway. You’re ready.”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “If you say so.”

“I do say so,” she confirms. “Alright, I’ll come by your room before curfew.”

“Wait,” I quickly try to stop her.

“What? Hurry up, Engen is waiting for me.”

I turn to see that, indeed, she’s waiting at their table. I’m not used to sitting with my back to them. I like being able to see Lucy when we’re eating at the same time.

“Ona?” she calls out.

“Sorry… Um… Actually, I have a headache. I was wondering if you could bring me an aspirin or something?”

“Is it just a headache?” she frowns.

I smile when she instinctively places her hand on my forehead. Since my withdrawal and the flu, she worries about every little thing I might have. Well, it’s true that I’m still a bit fragile, but not to that extent.

“I just have a migraine. It’s probably from the studying.”

“And you dare ask me to give back your notes?”

“Oh, come on,” I say, feeling my cheeks flush slightly. “Can you bring me something then?”

“I’m not a walking pharmacy, but I’ll bring you something later.”

“Cool, thanks! And enjoy your meal.”

"Thanks, same to you."

She ruffles my hair before heading back to her table. I place my pen on the tray and watch it for a moment. My smile widens at the thought that she really knows me well.

"Well, you've got quite the bond," Patri chuckles.

"Hmm, if you say so," I shrug.

"It's true," Ella insists. "You're the only student she treats like that."

"We also spend a lot of time together," I shrug again.

"That's for sure," Ale laughs. "You're with her more often than with me!"

"Yeah, anyway, can we get back to the New Year's topic? If you want, we can call Mapi together later," I suggest.

"Oh yeah! That's a great idea, that way we can ask her directly!"

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

Even from a distance, my best friend manages to be loved. I'll keep to myself the fact that Mapi was jealous of Ale at first. She joked about it, but I know she was genuinely jealous. Still, I have no doubt they would get along. They're both so wild when they want to be, and it could cause some real chaos.

"By the way, how does Bronze know her?" Ale arches an eyebrow.

I freeze at her question. Damn, I hadn’t thought about that. You can’t really say they know each other. They’ve only talked once when I had a rough night. Otherwise, it often happens that Bronze comes to my room when I’m on the phone with her on the weekends. So, they greet each other, and sometimes they even tease each other (usually about me).

"Oh, well, you know, we often talk on the weekends, so Bronze hears me talking to her," I shrug.

"Hmm, hmm," she replies skeptically. "I must be missing out on some interesting stuff on the weekends."

"Not really," I laugh nervously.

Great, Ona. Very convincing. If she knew I often sneak out of school thanks to Bronze, I have no doubt she’d have something to say about it.

"Well, I’m done. I’m going back to the dorm. I can’t stand my headache anymore."

"Yep, I’ll join you soon."

I nod and wish everyone else a good evening before leaving the table. I clear my tray and then head out to face the cold. I hesitate for a moment to take the emergency exit to get there faster, but Bronze would kill me if she found out. So, I force myself to take the main entrance. I regret this choice when I hear the noise coming from the common room. Someone forgot to close the door. It makes me realize how disrespectful students can be. They struggle to understand they’re not alone. I escape the noise by going upstairs to avoid worsening my migraine. When I get to the room, I decide to shower immediately so Ale will have space when she returns. In the meantime, she comes back to tell me that she changed her mind under the influence of the others and is heading back down to the common room for a bit. At least I’ll have some time alone. Or so I thought until I come face to face with Bronze as I’m leaving the bathroom.

"You scared me!"

"Sorry, I was looking for you," she smiles softly.

"No problem..."

"Here, for your migraine."

"Oh, thanks... Wait, let me find a sweater first, I’m cold."

"You’re not getting sick again, are you? You’re trembling like a leaf."

"I don’t think so. I’m just cold," I say as I grab a sweater from the closet.

The shower had warmed me up, but the room is cold compared to the sauna I created in the bathroom. Let’s just say that shorts and a T-shirt aren’t enough in these circumstances.

"Your lack of sleep probably isn’t helping."

"Stop blaming everything on that. Don’t forget I’ve only lived in hot countries."

"Hmm..." she says skeptically.

"Anyway, I’m on vacation starting tomorrow at eleven. I’ll have two long weeks to sleep."

"That’s true."

I first put down my phone and computer before going over to her to take the pillbox and a small bottle of water she thoughtfully brought me. I quickly swallow a pill with a few sips of water.

"Can I keep them?"

"Only the bottle. You know the rules."

She smiles at me sympathetically. It’s clear that it’s not safe to leave a pillbox with a former addict.

"It’s not like I’m going to get high."

"You could be capable of it. Now, give me the box."

I don’t argue and hand it back to her before slipping under my blanket. Without asking her opinion, I turn on my computer. I squint, noticing that Lucy doesn’t seem to want to leave.

"Are you planning to stay here for a while?"

"No."

She grabs my desk chair and places it between the two beds before sitting down. I look at her skeptically.

"I’d like to talk about tomorrow."

I frown, not understanding where she’s going with this. She leans back in the chair and crosses her arms.

"For two things. First, how do you feel about the exam?"

I sigh and shake my head. She’s not going to let this go. I had a moment of panic, and now she’s back on my case.

"I’m not trying to bother you. I can tell you’re stressed, which is why I’m asking."

"Who wouldn’t be stressed in my position? I’m a little bit, I admit. But it’s not because of the exam. Well, the dice are cast since it’s the last one... I’m scared because I don’t know if I’ve passed or not."

She nods understandingly. I bite my lip and look down. I feel ridiculous for being so worried over something so minor.

"Hey. No matter the result, you can’t say you didn’t give it your best shot. Okay?" she asks, placing her hand on my leg to get my attention.

"A little bit, maybe. I should have worked harder from the start."

"You were lost back then, and now you have regrets. That’s completely normal, but don’t forget that since then, you’ve pulled yourself together. You’ve made the necessary effort to catch up, so let me tell you... You have nothing to blame yourself for, understand?"

I sigh, nodding slowly. She always has the right words, it’s incredible.

"I get it... I’ll try not to torture myself over it anymore. What’s the second thing?"

"Your return home."

"Lucy," I groan. "I’ll behave, I promise."

"I’m just asking you to be reasonable, OK? Don’t feel obligated to go to parties if you don’t want to, and if there’s any issue—"

"I’ll come talk to you, I promise," I finish for her.

"Good," she sighs. "It’s time for you to sleep."

"No, please. I’d like to call Mapi first. I have something to sort out."

"Alright," she concedes. "You have half an hour. Then you turn everything off."

"OK."

"And in case you’re wondering, I plan to stay here to make sure of it."

"You can’t be serious," I groan. "I don’t need a babysitter."

"You’ll have to deal with it. I want to make sure you sleep on time tonight."

"Who says I won’t have a private conversation with Mapi?"

"Is that the case?"

"Not particularly... The others suggested spending New Year’s here with Mapi. I wanted to ask her about it. It’s a good idea, right?"

"Hmm," she says unconvincingly.

"At least you won’t be far if there’s a problem," I tease.

"I’ll probably have something better to do than look after you during that evening, you know."

"True... I thought you’d be happy about it," I say, opening the FaceTime app. "I’m at least reassured that you won’t be far."

"If you’re reassured, it means you still don’t trust yourself. Anyway, it’s definitely better than a party full of strangers."

"It’s not the best, that’s for sure. I’ve never really liked those kinds of places anyway," I shrug.

"Then why do you go? To put on a show?" she laughs.

"I don’t know. To have fun, I guess. Isn’t that what everyone does when they go to those kinds of places?"

"I guess. I don’t know. I’ve always found those parties stupid."

"Is it just me, or does this topic seem to annoy you?"

"It doesn’t."

I lift my head from my screen to smile at her. It does annoy her for some reason. I know she won’t elaborate, but she could at least be honest.

"You don’t want me going to those kinds of parties, do you?"

"I’d prefer you didn’t, indeed," she admits.

"Alright, you win," I roll my eyes. "If I stay in Barcelona for New Year’s, it’ll be my last party. Is that okay?"

"Wasn’t that already the plan? You promised me you wouldn’t go to any more parties after what happened last time."

Thinking about it, I realize she’s right. I’m not supposed to go to any more parties. I bite my lip, wondering how she managed to get her way. She has such an influence on me that it’s becoming scary. However, with her recent reaction, I can’t tell if it’s because she wants what’s best for me or because she has particular issues with parties. Maybe it’s both.

"I still get New Year’s, though... right?"

She rolls her eyes with a small smile.

"I told you to just be reasonable. Isn’t that clear enough?"

"Thanks..." I exhale. "You scared me for a moment."

"Use these holidays to clear your head and stop thinking about school."

"That’ll be hard. I’ll miss your orders."

"Be glad to be away from my demands. I must be annoying to you," she says, making me laugh. "What’s so funny?" she frowns.

- "I don’t find you annoying. You're just straightforward, and I was serious when I said I'm going to miss you. No one cares about me like you do. By the way, I hope I can write to you during the holidays..."

- "We'll see if I reply," she teases me.

A ringtone interrupts our conversation. I frown as I see an incoming call from my best friend. I was about to call her, but it's surprising that she's calling since we weren’t supposed to talk tonight.

- "Excuse me. I have to take this."

- "Go ahead, you’ve got fifteen minutes left," she reminds me.

I nod, pressing the green button and bringing the phone to my ear. With my other hand, I close my laptop, which is now useless.

- "Hey Maps, I was just about to call you."

- "Hey bonita," she replies in a small voice.

- "Oh! What’s wrong?"

- "Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you."

- "Don’t lie to me. I know you."

- "There’s nothing wrong."

- "Okay... if you say so..."

I squint as I see Lucy smiling. I nod to silently ask her what’s going on. In response, she just smiles wider.

- "What?" I say at the same time Mapi sighs.

- "Huh?"

- "Sorry, I wasn’t talking to you," I say, which makes Lucy laugh.

- "Are you with someone?"

- "Yeah... with Bronze. She’s playing babysitter."

- "Oh, I’ll let you go then."

- "No!" I quickly respond. "It’s not like she can hear you. Tell me what’s wrong. I know something’s up. I can feel it."

There’s a moment of hesitation where she stays silent. She takes a long breath. This is starting to worry me. Lucy seems to understand the situation from the way she looks at me. I suddenly sit up straight when Mapi bursts into uncontrollable sobs. If she’s crying, then something is really wrong. The only other time I’ve seen her cry was when I told her it was over between us.

- "Hey, Maps... What’s going on?" I say softly, not wanting to upset her.

- "Ana," she says. "She dumped me, Ona... Ana dumped me," she repeats desperately.

I part my lips in surprise. I didn’t see that coming... I regret not being by her side right now. Her sobs get louder, and there’s nothing I can do to calm her down. I can’t believe they’re no longer together. I really thought their relationship would last based on how she talked about her. I never really knew how she felt after I left, but hearing her now, I don’t even want to know. I run my hand over my face, trying to keep my composure.

- "Maps, I- It’s going to be okay, alright? I’m coming home tomorrow. I’ll be in Barcelona around eleven PM. You can come with Hector, or you can wait for me at home, okay?"

- "I really thought she was the one, Ona. I finally managed to have a serious relationship again, and she dumped me like trash. Damn it!"

I close my eyes, hearing the loud noise she’s making on the other end. I don’t know what she’s doing, but it doesn’t sound good.

- "Mapi..."

- "What’s going on?" Lucy asks me.

I sigh, covering the phone’s microphone to explain the situation to her. Lucy asks for my phone. I hesitate for a moment before giving it to her.

- "Hey Mapi, it’s Bronze."

I hate myself for doing this, but Lucy is definitely better at handling these situations than I am. I tend to be clumsy with my words and never know what to say. Unlike me, Lucy knows how to handle things. She does it with me, and now she’s doing it with Mapi. She’s calming her anger and reassuring her. It feels like I’m listening to her talk to me when I need her support. Lucy’s words seem to have the desired effect because I can’t hear Mapi yelling from where I’m sitting anymore. She continues talking to her before handing the phone back to me.

- "She wants to talk to you."

I quickly take the phone where I can already hear my best friend calling me.

- "Yeah, it’s me," I reply.

It seems like her crisis has passed. She’s still sniffling a bit, but she’s not crying anymore.

- "I understand why you think she’s so great."

- "I never used those words," I chuckle lightly to ease the situation. "But you’re right."

- "You don’t have to say it. It’s obvious when you talk about her."

- "Let’s not talk about that now. Are you going to be okay?"

- "Hmm," she sighs. "I have to be. I have one of my most important exams tomorrow. I just needed to hear your voice... I’ll come to the airport tomorrow. I want to see you as soon as possible."

- "Alright. I’ll tell Hector to pick you up then."

I see Lucy tapping her watch. She gave me thirty minutes, and I guess they’ve passed.

- "Are you going to stay over?"

- "Of course, if you don’t mind. I think I’ll need your arms, if it’s not too much to ask."

- "Of course not. Go rest now. Bronze wants me to hang up."

- "Bossy, huh?" she giggles slightly, which reassures me about her state. "I thought curfew was at ten PM? It’s only quarter past nine where you are, right?"

- "It’s complicated. I’ll explain when I get back."

- "Don’t tell me you’re having insomnia again?" she questions. "I thought it was over since you hadn’t mentioned it."

- "I was, but not for the reasons you think."

- "Hmm..." she replies skeptically.

Now’s not the time to talk about my problems, especially not in front of Lucy. For now, she’s the one who needs reassurance. I don’t want her to start feeling sorry for herself like I did.

- "I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well, Maps."

- "Goodnight, Onita. Thank you, and thank your supervisor too."

- "I was planning to. Kiss."

I hang up and place my phone on the nightstand. As for my laptop, I put it on the floor, too lazy to get up and put it in the cupboard.

- "Thanks... I didn’t know how to handle that."

- "It’s no big deal."

I don’t have time to reply as the door opens, revealing Alexia. She’s no longer surprised by Lucy’s regular presence.

- "I’m back," she says before grabbing pajamas from her closet. "Are we calling Mapi again?"

- "I just talked to her on the phone. I didn’t have time to ask her about New Year’s."

- "You can chat tomorrow morning. It’s time to sleep now, Ona," Lucy announces to me.

- "I’ll go take my shower then," Ale says. "Goodnight."

- "Goodnight," I reply.

I lie down in bed, looking at Lucy. I think I’m hallucinating when she takes my laptop and phone.

- "Don’t tell me you’re taking those with you?"

- "Yes. I should have thought of this earlier. Have you used them this week?"

- "Of course not," I groan. "You’ve checked on me every day!"

- "Hmm. Come on, I was serious. It’s time to sleep."

- "Are you planning to stay?" I’m surprised.

- "Yes. I want to make sure you sleep."

- "That’s ridiculous," I mutter. "You’re getting too serious about this."

- "Go to sleep."

I roll my eyes and eventually turn my back to her, wrapping myself in the blanket. The good thing is that my headache has finally gone. The bad thing is that Lucy’s presence is unsettling, even when I close my eyes. Sleeping is impossible. Especially with all the noise I hear when Alexia comes back into the room. She seems to be trying not to make any noise, but it’s not enough. I want to complain, but Lucy beats me to it by asking Ale to go to bed. A few minutes later, the light goes out, plunging us all into darkness. I roll over to the other side now that it’s dark and I can’t see Lucy watching me. I know she’s still there; otherwise, I would have heard the sound of the chair. Time passes, and I can make out Alexia’s steady breathing. My mind is too agitated, and it’s starting to annoy me. I sigh heavily, admitting defeat.

- "I can’t sleep," I mutter, rubbing my eye.

- "And then you wonder why I’m still here," she jokes.

- "It’s not funny," I sigh, sitting up.

- "Stay in bed. Curfew has passed."

- "Am I allowed to go to the bathroom?"

She sighs but lets me go. I make sure not to take too long so she doesn’t get impatient. I wash my hands before returning to bed under her watchful eyes.

- "What are you going to do during your vacation?" I murmur.

- "Talking won’t help you fall asleep," she says, annoyed.

- "It might help."

- "No, it just distracts you. We’ll have plenty of time to talk when I take you home tomorrow."

- "You’re taking me to the airport?"

- "Yes, Ona."

- "Cool. I prefer it when it’s you."

- "Don’t get any ideas. It’s just because I’m leaving at the same time as you."

- "Hmm."

I smile even though she can’t see it. Even if it’s the truth, I don’t care about the reasons. I just focus on the fact that she’s the one taking me home, even though she doesn’t have to. I understand now why she wanted to handle my departure reservations. I thought it was to take the burden off me.

- "Thanks," I say.

- "Okay, that’s enough. You’re starting to annoy me by being so awake. If you talk again, I’m really going to make you run laps. Am I clear!?"

- "Oh, come on, calm down," I grumble. "I’ll sleep."

- "I hope so. Goodnight."

- "Goodnight..."

I smile as I finally turn my back to her. I try now to clear my head and pretend she’s not there. This last solution seems to work this time because I finally feel myself drifting off.

[headingalaxys-spicy]

Heyyyy I love ur work so much!!! Can I request an allies x reader in which they go out on shopping and reader has the urge to buy something so ridiculous and maybe childish lmaooo like a figurine or plushie and is kinda embarrassed to admit it lmao I just wonder how the allies would react to their partner ❤️❤️

⭐️✨❤️💗 Fluff 💗❤️✨⭐️

Suitable for all so like yeah.

🇺🇸 America 🇺🇸

“Hey Y/N! Which pizza are you trying to-” 

The sandy blonde looked up from his grocery list to see that you were several paces in front of him, trying to rush off to the other side of the store. You were itching to get past a cluster of people blocking your path. This allowed Alfred some time to catch up. 

“Yo! Y/N! What’s the rush? The freezer section is to the left not all the way in the back!” 

“Yeah, I know…I uh…” Your eyes were estimating how much closer you were to the aisle you were trying to get to. “I just want to grab something real quick. You don’t have to-” 

“Well, I want to come, darlin’; show me what you’re so eager to get to.” 

You bite down on your lip, and your pace begins to slow. Alfred notes this and moves to your side, with the cart still in front of him. 

“Why’d you slow down? You were moving at breakneck speed earlier.” He playfully pokes at your cheek.

“I…..” You still had a little ways to go before you were where you wanted to be. “There this series of plushies I’ve adored since I was a kid & there is this re-release…” Your hands nervously rubbed the fabric of your hoodie. “And I really want one of them that I haven’t been able to find for the past couple of years so I can finally add it to my collection.” 

“Aw, babe.” Alfred pulls you into a bear hug and tousles your hair. “Hop in the shopping cart! Let’s get to the toy aisle ASAP!” It will feel like you’re playing a live-action game of Mario Kart with how he runs and steers the basket. 

🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇦

As Matthew crossed out another errand that needed to be completed, he noticed that you’d been distracted by the directory. As he caught up with you, he couldn’t help but notice the excitement that began to blossom in your (eye color) eyes. His violet eyes trailed behind where yours were concentrating on. They landed on the specialty toy store that imported figurines from all across East Asia. 

“Y/N? Is that where you want to go next, maple?” 

You flinched a little when you realized that he was behind you. 

“Heh. Yeah…..” 

“Is everything alright Y/N?” 

“Yeah. I’m just worried about you judging me…. A little.” 

“Why would I do that, my sweet maple?” 

“Well, there is this one anime/manga series, and I have this collection of figurines that I’ve been trying to complete for almost ten years.” You turn your head to him so you can make eye contact with him. “And I’m just a little afraid you’ll like me less because of it. Or think I’m weird or something.” 

Matthew cocked his head to the side before he let out a polite giggle. 

“Oh, Y/N. I could never dislike you for something that makes you. YOU. Eh! Come on.” He grabbed your hand while he began to lead the way. “ I frequent this import shop. I know for a fact they just got in a new shipment this morning.” 

From there, Matthew will be comfortable enough to tell you that he comes here for all his oversized kawaii plushie needs for his secret room in his house. (He stays there when Alfred is visiting and needs to go MIA due to his social battery being dead.) 

🇨🇳 China 🇨🇳

“Come now! We have to hurry, or we’ll miss the shop before it closes for the evening!” 

Yao’s grip on your hand tightened as you made your way through the congested pedestrian traffic. Your attention was split between trying to concentrate on keeping up with him and seeing if you could spot that street vendor you’d seen before. 

So far, there has been no such luck until you saw it. The unmistakable pastel blues, pinks, and yellows that decorated the cart. 

“There!” You said absent-mindedly as your eyes lit up like a lantern. 

“Hm? Y/N the shop is at least two more blocks upwards.” Yao began to notice that walking with you while holding hands was like trying to drag a boulder. 

“Y/N! If we don’t hurry then-” When he turned around to see what had halted you in your tracks, his amber eyes immediately took note of the iconic pastel sign which read: “Chen Family Fluffy Handmade Companions.” Yao realized the look in your eyes demanded you to go over. He was about to complain about missing the chance to buy the remaining ingredients he needed to make tonight's dinner. He stopped himself when he felt his stomach rumble. 

‘Yeah, maybe it would be better to eat out tonight. I haven’t eaten since breakfast & I don’t have the patience to cook anymore.’

“Come on Y/N. Let’s go see if they have that one sparkly light-up bunny plushie I’ve seen you be mesmerized by a couple of times.” 

“REALLY?!” 

“Yes, Y/N. The last five times we’ve been to the night market together, your eyes have been glued to it.” 

“Is it that obvious?” You blush while evading his gaze to look at other illuminated signs. 

“Yes, but I find it cute. Why not just ask me to get it for you?” 

“I….I dunno….” Red consumed not only your face but your neck too.

“You’re so adorable, Y/N.” Yao removed some of the hair that had fallen in your face and tucked it behind your ear. 

“Let’s go get you that plush, then grab some dinner.” 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The calm early evening atmosphere of the small tea shop temporarily put your nerves at ease. However, the closer it got to 18:00, the more your eyes wandered from your phone to the cobblestone, back to your high tea. Every few minutes, you’d see someone roaming in Brilliant Bright Bee merch. It was a small, internationally known brand of accessories and plushies that you had admired for a long time. 

Your eyes bounced back once more to the grandfather clock that was stationed near the entrance. 

“Y/N love? Is everything alright? You keep spacing out & seem antsy.” Arthur looks up at you from his Earl Grey tea. 

“Yes, I’m fine, Arthur really. It’s just…” Your eyes bound once again to the cobblestone path outside only to spot a cluster of 25-30 people all wearing similar BBB merch, outfits, and plushies. They were all headed in the same direction of one of the three BBB shops in all of the U.K.

‘With that group alone, they may clean out the entire shop….AND take all the Polar Bear n’ Bee  limited edition holiday plush I’ve been pining for since July!’ A frown had anchored itself to your face. 

Arthur’s eyes followed yours to look at the crowd that was beginning to head towards the Brilliant Bright Bee shop. 

“Looking at all those blokes preparing to battle it out over that new holiday collection from that popular indie brand.” As he spoke he noticed how your eyes had widened into cavernous pools of (eye color). They looked eager to join the battle. 

“Alright, love. Alright. But we get to redo high tea at midnight.” Arthur gives you a mischievous grin as he reaches for your right hand and places a scintillating kiss on it. 

“Pardon me, waitress! I need a shot of Expresso. I need to prepare myself for a retail bloodbath! Cheers!” 

[Arthur, my man Alfred’s energy be rubbing off on you. That or you are thinking bout yo pirate days ahahahah] 

🇫🇷 France 🇫🇷

Walking hand in hand with your flamboyant Frenchman through the Parisian streets felt like a romance novel coming to life. 

“So where shall we end the night? By the river? In a late-night wine shop? On the balcony at home?” Francis was shooting off ideas since, thankfully, he didn’t have work tomorrow. 

[A certain British man drank too much booze & needed to get his stomach pumped. JK headcannoning the reason he doesn’t drink caffeine is that while he benefits for the first five hours after having expresso of any kind later on he will be praying to the porcelain god for the next day.] 

You weren’t really concentrating on much of what Francis was chattering about. You’d gotten distracted by an ad that was for these handmade bears that would have a special charm sewn into them said to bring good luck. 

“Y/N, what could possibly be taking your attention away from Moi?” Francis says while playfully snatching your phone. When his blues land on the familiar stitching logo of the toymaker a Cheshire cat-like grin adorns his place. 

“Y/N, you didn’t tell me that you liked patches d’amour (loving patches)! I know some of the people who design and craft the bears….” Francis watched your face transition from shock to pleasantly surprised he knew being flashy in this instance was better. 

“I can pull some strings & get you one mi’amour.” He pulled you in close so he could plant a kiss on your forehead. Brimming over with happiness, you almost knocked Francis over when you thanked him with a big bear hug. 

🇷🇺 Russia 🇷🇺

“Which coat do you think looks better with my scarf Y/N?” Ivan placed one coat over the other as he looked at the floor-length mirror. Originally your attention was completely on him as you helped him find a new Winter coat. 

However, you gradually became more distracted. You continued to roam toward the front of the store & stay there for extended periods of time. Ivan heard your familiar footsteps rush back towards him near the dressing rooms. 

“Sorry about that, Ivan! I was just browning some other stuff that caught my eye!” When you turned the corner, Ivan’s violet orbs landed on your smaller figure. He could see that sweat beads were forming at the top of your forehead due to running back and forth so much. 

“Eye, see what you mean. It must be a ball because you run like dog to catch it.” Ivan says through a bright smile. 

“That's a very fetching joke.” You walk closer behind him. You get onto your tip toes so you can pinch his big nose. “But also, the coat in your left hand is very fetching too.” You rubbed your nose against his, before giving it a quick peck. 

“Thanks Y/N. But, seriously, what are you looking at, sunflower?” 

“Promise you won’t laugh?” Looking at him with a slight pout which Ivan always found amusing. 

“Da. Now tell me.” 

“Sooooo. You know that build-a-bear across the way?” 

“Da.” Immediately knows where you’re going with this. 

“They just dropped the seasonal sing-a-long Holiday Bear & I really want it!” 

Ivan giggles. 

“Hey! You promised not to laugh!” 

“Not at you or in a mocking way Y/N. You are the cuteness just like the things you want. Come.” 

Ivan tossed you over his shoulder. 

“Let me buy my coat & we can go get your bear.” 

[lunaroserites]

Art and Ice - New Perceptions

Pairing: Eventual Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Characters: Natasha, Wanda, Pietro, Loki, Bucky, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, a lot of the avengers cast is mentioned.

Summery: This kinda a filler chapter, some cute fluffy moments between Bucky and Doodle happen.

This might a 2 or 3 parter (it's gonna be more because cannot help myself). College AU, our boy Bucky is on the hockey team, and reader is an art major (because I love that trope and couldn't help myself)

Warnings: Not beta'd! All mistakes are my own. Friends fluff, swearing, mentions of college students being college students. Bit of friendly harmless flirting between friends. Bucky is a playboy. Flirting. Mentions of not eating or drinking for a hours (ADHD Brain)

Word Court: 3539

Likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated! ❤️

Please do not repost, translate or otherwise copy my work elsewhere, without my express permission, thank you! Lunaroserites on tumblr and ao3

Catch up here: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

It wasn’t a surprise that your college finished out the regular season on top. Your college was known across the country for its sports programs. 

It didn’t surprise you when Bucky showed up with a bright cocky smile the day after the last away game. “Ooooh Doodle!” He said in a sing-song voice. 

You looked over your shoulder setting the paint brush down, raising an eyebrow at him, “yeeees Bucky?” You matched his tone perfectly. With all the away games you haven’t seen him since the weekend, you have made some decent progress on the painting of him. You were giddy to show him what you completed in his absence. 

“Guess who scored a date with Mandy, the head cheerleader?” He was beaming. Your heart sank momentarily, your facial expression dropping slightly before you composed yourself and gave him your best dazzling smile. 

“I’m not sure Buck, I’ve always been terrible at guessing games,” you murmured, trying to hide the discontent in your voice as you looked back at the canvas to compose yourself. He didn’t seem to pick up on your change in mood. 

“Ah come on Doodle, I’ll give you a hint. He’s charming, on the hockey team and incredibly sexy,” he sounded so cock sure. 

You turned to face him and tapped the end of the brush on your lip, feigning that you were deep in thought and then a bright smile split across your face. 

“Oh! I know who it is,” you said excitedly. “Sam!” You faked enthusiasm before turning back to the painting but not before catching his face drop for a moment. 

“Pfft, he’s about as charming as an out of tune piano,” Bucky deflected. “Come on Doodle, it’s easy.” 

“They’re easy huh?” You mused. “So must be you then,” you said flatly without missing a beat. He laughed awkwardly behind you. 

“Uh, yeah it’s me,” his cocksure attitude was gone and he sounded a little deflated. 

“That’s nice Buck, have fun,” you said quietly. 

“It’s not until tomorrow night,” he said, “I wanted to come hang out with you tonight,” your heart clenched and you bit your knuckle to stop the pang of hurt that threatened to crush you, you didn’t trust your voice at the moment so you just nodded. 

“How much of the painting have you done?” He asked quickly, changing the topic. You were grateful. “Last time I saw it you just had some base colours on.” 

You had the puck almost done, you were painting as if the puck was being shot at the person viewing it. Slightly different from your original idea, but you liked how it was turning out. Bucky was now standing next to you and you could smell the deep woody and amber tones of his cologne. He always smelled good, even after playing a game or practice. It was something you appreciated about him, Thor would smell like a locker room after practice. It was awful. 

You quickly focused back on the canvas and not how much you wanted to stick your nose into the crook of Bucky’s throat and inhale the heady scent he wore. This little crush was getting out of hand, you needed to squash it quickly. 

“That looks amazing, Doodle,” Bucky said in awe as he looked at the painting. “How do you make it seem so real?” 

“Practice, and a little luck,” you said with a shrug. Bucky moved out of the way when you picked the brush up and started to work on it again. “The inspiration was also a big help,” you looked over your shoulder at him and winked. He gave you a dazzling smile back. “What are you doing today?” He had pulled some books and notes out on the table and was staring down at them. 

“I’m studying for my astronomy final,” he said, his tongue caught between his teeth. His arm crossed over his chest and the other hand held his chin as he looked down at his notes. 

“Mind if I put some music on?” He hummed and you clicked the play button and let the music wash over you. You got to work, getting lost in the music and the brush strokes. 

The soft notes of Work Song by Hozier played soothingly over the speaker and you hummed softly along to the song and swayed gently back and forth. You jumped when you felt Bucky’s hand cup your shoulder and slide down your arm clasping your hand in his. 

“Can’t have a pretty thing like you dancing by herself,” he said softly. He pulled you to him and started to sway you two gently to the beat. Your heart was racing a million miles a minute, your cheeks were a bright shade of red as you hid your face against his firm chest. 

He moved you two effortlessly, he guided you in a small sway. He was smiling down at the top of your head as you leaned your cheek to his chest. His hand held the small of your back gently to him. 

You couldn’t believe this was happening, he was dancing with you randomly. It was completely out of the blue, but you couldn’t bring yourself to complain. He was firm and warm under your touch. He held like you were as fragile as blown glass, his touch feather light and respectful. You usually hated dancing but something about this moment felt right. 

As the song came to close and Bucky took a step back from you, you started to miss the contact as quickly as you lost it. He was smiling down at you and kissed you knuckles of the hand he had been holding at the time. “Thank you for the dance m’lady,” he tipped his chin and gave you a devilish smile. You couldn’t find words to express who you felt at the moment. 

“Thank you kind sir,” you stuttered back. He laughed his beautiful rich as chocolate laugh and made his way back to his studying and you went back to your painting feeling lighter than before. The pit in your stomach growing deeper, you could still feel his warm hand on your waist and the way he held you so carefully.

“Loki I don’t know what I’m going to do,” you whined as you draped over his lap dramatically. You had texted him “code red” before you left the art studio, Bucky had offered to drop you off at your apartment but you declined like you usually did. Code red meaning ‘I need you please come get me.’ Which he did without hesitation. 

“Darling you’re being a little dramatic,” he ran his fingers through your hair trying to sooth your nerves. 

“Loki, I’m not being dramatic. We had this whole conversation about just being friends and spending time together without him waiting to get me in bed,” you exclaimed. 

“Which he probably still does,” Loki added, you glared at him. 

“Not the point, how can that conversation mean anything if I can’t even hold myself to it,” you said in an exasperated tone. “Loki, he danced with me, out of the blue. Just took my hand and danced with me,” you peaked up at Loki who was running his long fingers through your hair, he had an unreadable expression. “Who does that nowadays, it’s something my grandpa would do with nana.” 

“Little brother,” Hela’s sing-song voice called as she poked her head into the room. “Oh hello sweetling! I didn’t know you were visiting,” she smiled at you. You had always liked Helena, she was always nice to you. She gave Loki and Thor shit when we were teens and they were acting like typical teenage boys, insensitive and immature. She looked you over, draped over Loki’s lap, your arm thrown over your eyes. You looked miserable, she entered the room further and sat down on the edge of Loki’s bed and gently touched your shoulder. 

“What’s the matter sweetling,” she asked soothingly. 

“Nothing Hela, stupid feelings and a crush a stupid boy,” you whined. She laughed at that. 

“Men tend to be like that, this is why I like women,” she chuckled. “Seriously sweetling, it can’t be that bad, who is it?” She asked softly. Her eyes drifted to Loki for a moment and he made a face. 

“Bucky Barnes,” you groaned. Hela’s eyes widened and she groaned. 

“You’re telling me you’re upset over that overgrown toddler on skates?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, you looked at her, god she was so pretty. You nodded and sighed heavily. 

“I know, I know. He’s just so.... Ugh.” Loki chuckled and Hela glared at him. She grabbed your hand and rubbed her thumb over your knuckles soothingly. 

“You know a couple years back he tried asking me out. I rejected him. He called me a stuck up bitch,” she said, you raised your arm off your eyes and looked at her. “He wouldn’t even let me tell him I had no interest in men, especially younger men.” You nodded and that was what Loki meant when he was rude to Hela. “He later saw me with Val on a date. He felt like an idiot and apologised for how he acted.” 

“He did?” Loki asked, he sounded surprised. Hela nodded. 

“He learned his lesson. Learned a few things too. From my understanding he’s not as pushy as he used to be,” Hela added. “Shame what happened with his girlfriend and her sudden departure to Alaska. He was apparently a lot different when she was here. She broke his heart. It doesn’t excuse his behaviour but it definitely gives perspective.” 

“You know Nat mentioned that he had a long term relationship that suddenly ended,” you said back, thinking back. 

“Val knew her better than I ever did, she apparently just packed up and left. No explanation, not warning. She was just gone. Barnes was devastated,” Hela said thoughtfully. 

“Huh, well that definitely adds perspective,” you agreed. 

“It doesn’t excuse his behaviour though,” Loki reiterated. You and Hela nodded in agreement. 

“What should I do?” You asked Loki after Hela left. He sighed and looked down at you, eyes swimming with uncertainty. 

“I’m not sure darling, if you told him what do you think would happen?” Loki asked softly. 

“He would probably pick up on trying to sleep with me again,” you groaned. 

You ended up spending the night at Loki’s house with him, falling asleep on his bed. 

“You know, it's a good thing you don’t share a bed with anyone,” Loki shoved you away from the centre of the bed. “You’re a fucking bed hog,” you couldn’t help but laugh at his groggy disgruntled voice. 

“Apologies Loki,” you laughed as he huffed. 

“Bull shit,” he exclaimed while standing up and going into his ensuite bathroom. You stood and leaned against the door frame while Loki pulled a brush through his hair and did his skin care routine. “Do you want me to bring you home so you can change and stuff? 

“I would appreciate it,” you smiled at him. 

“Morning Wands,” you called as you came through the front door, Loki right behind you, he grabbed your coat and hung it up as you pulled it off. 

“In here,” she called out as the toaster popped. You and Loki walked into the kitchen together. “Morning Loki,” she gave him a dazzling smile, which he returned. 

“I’m making cinnamon toast and eggs, hungry?” She asked. 

“I’d love some, I’m going to grab a quick shower and change.” 

“Princessa!” Peitro wrapped you in a hug tightly as he walked behind you and snagged a piece of toast off your plate. 

“Get your own,” you batted his hand away. 

“But I want yours,” he teased. You heard Wanda and Loki chuckle at you both. 

“I have a plate for you too, stop stealing hers,” Wanda ushered him over. 

“What plans do you have today?” Wanda asked as she sat down next to you. You looked to Loki, it was his turn to plan the Saturday plans. 

“The new book I’ve been waiting on is finally here so we have to stop by the bookstore in town,” Loki said, “then I think we’ll drive up the coast, we need pictures for our photography class.” You smiled at him, so thoughtful. “Then maybe some dinner and a stroll through the park,” he finished. 

“God Loki you’re making me look like a terrible boyfriend,” Pietro whined, you snorted into your juice and leaned back laughing loudly. 

“Maybe you should take notes,” Loki teased. You and Wanda were laughing together. Loki was an incredibly thoughtful friend. That’s why you adored him so much. But that’s where it ended. You two were the best of friends and that was where the line was drawn  and there was never a need to cross it. It took time for people to understand your friendship and the boundaries you two had in place. 

“Sounds like a fun day,” Wanda said thoughtfully. 

“What about you Wands? Vis is still abroad isn’t he?” She nodded at your question. 

“I’m going to practise with Pietro, it’s a nice day to be out in the sun,” she answered. “Vis gets back next week.” 

“I had fun today,” you said softly as you and Loki walked through the park after having supper at a sweet little Mexican restaurant. Loki had his hand on the small of your back guiding you and keeping you close. 

“I did too,” he hummed. You two walked around a little more, taking a seat on a bench to watch the setting sun. You looked out over the green space and saw some couples sitting in the grass relaxing. One couple caught your attention. 

“Is that bucky?” You said quietly, tipping your head in his direction. Loki squinted and nodded. 

Bucky was sitting a little ways away leaning back on his hands. Mandy sat next to him completely ignoring him. Something twisted in your heart as you looked at him looking up at the sky and she was scrolling her phone. Loki rubbed your shoulder soothingly. Drawn back to him you gave Loki a sad smile. 

“She probably just wants to sleep with him,” Loki whispered. You nodded in agreement. 

“He likes space a lot. He’s talking to her and she is not even pretending to listen,” it broke your heart. Soon his date leaned over and they got up from their spot. He trailed behind her as they waltzed across the green space toward Bucky’s truck. You watched him follow after her like some love sick puppy. 

But then for a brief moment his eyes connected with yours. His eyes narrowed in on you and he paused for the briefest moment as he looked at you across the field. You couldn’t place the look in his eyes, but it was something akin to longing, maybe you couldn’t be sure. As soon as it started it ended and Bucky was gone with Mandy into his truck. 

“Darling,” Loki’s smooth voice filled your ears and you looked at him. “You okay?” You nodded and sighed. 

“I think so,” you mumbled while shaking your head to clear it. 

You didn’t see much of Bucky over the next few days, practice and studying seemed to completely take over his days. He would text you little updates, ask how your day was going, remind you to drink and eat snacks. Your phone going off startled you out of the trance you were in. 

It was a FaceTime request from Bucky. You slide the answer button and gaze at him with a quizzical look. “Hello,” you chuckled, propping the phone on the easel. 

“Hey doodle,” his hair was wet and he was shirtless, you tried to not look at his shoulders. “Miss me?” He wiggled his eyebrows at you. 

“Like a toothache Bucky,” you mused. Your shirt rode up as you stretched your arm to reach up on the canvas. Your phone left you a perfect anglee for Bucky’s eyes to follow the now revealed skin. You didn’t catch him licking his lips at you. 

“I’m hurt doodle,” he feigned hurt and clutched his hand over his heart being dramatic which made you laugh. There was a sudden knock on the art studio door, you looked over your shoulder and then back at the phone. Bucky was trying really hard to not look suspicious. 

“What did you do?” You asked as you grabbed the phone and opened the door, you looked down and he shrugged. Opening the door you were greeted by a delivery driver. You raised an eyebrow and squinted at him. 

“Delivery for Doodle?” The driver said, he looked completely over the day and didn’t bat an eye at the nickname. 

“I didn’t order,” you looked down at your phone and were met with Bucky’s shit eating grin. “You cheeky bastard,” you accused him. “Thank you,” you took the food and sat down at the table in the art room. 

“Thanks Bucky,” you were touched. He had ordered your favourite, everything completely how you liked it. You had only ever ordered this once in his presence, weeks ago. He remembered. “You even remember the extra sauce,” you could feel tears well up in your eyes from how sweet of a gesture it was. You quickly rubbed the tears away and smiled at him. 

Everyone in your life had been so busy you barely spoke to them, Bucky had been the most consistent person by far. You didn’t blame the others, you had barely kept in touch being swapped with final projects and finals. Everyone was just busy. The fact he took the time to send you food, made your heart soar. 

“I figured we could eat together,” Bucky said as he sat up and positioned the phone so his hands were free and you could see his full torso and face. You almost choked on air seeing him. He was fucking hot, you stoped the that train of thought immediately and looked at his face and not his peaks or squishy tummy. He was a big dude, firm but soft looking. You wanted to run your fingers over his torso. 

“I’d like that,” you were impressed with how composed you sounded in that moment. 

“How’s the projects going?” He asked. You shrugged and sighed. 

“They're going. I’m almost done with three of them and I finished the last one this afternoon,” he nodded. Silence fell over you two again but it wasn’t uncomfortable. That was something you noticed shortly after his visits to art studios became more frequent, silence with him was comfortable and you never felt the innate urge to fill it. “How’s studying?” 

“Good, the practicals will be easy. I hate written exams,” Bucky was a kinesiology major, doing astrology classes for electives. What surprised you early on was that he was actually doing well in classes. It made you question those Reddit comments you read saying he cared little for academics. He wasn’t a valedictorian or anything but he was passing with 3.1 GPA overall. You weren’t surprised when he mentioned he wasn't interested in the arts, and that he only did the two mandatory English classes. 

“You got this,” you said to him with a smile. 

“So do you,” he gave you a dazzling smile back. “I'm sorry I haven’t been coming to visit,” he said quietly. 

“It’s okay, we’re all busy right now. I haven’t seen Nat in 4 days, she was hauled up in the dance studio getting ready for her practicals and the final performance,” you shrugged, the performance arts program did a big show at the end of exams the whole campus was invited to purchase tickets for. The funds raised went toward funding future projects. You had your ticket, and an extra because Loki had bought his and forgot to tell you. 

“She hasn’t been at practice either, Barton has been insufferable,” Bucky said with a mock exasperated sigh. 

“I’m not surprised,” you chuckled and smiled at Bucky, he admired the way the corner of your eyes crinkle when you smile like that. 

“You’re still coming Friday?” Bucky asked. 

“Of course,” you nodded. “Actually I have a question to ask you,” he looked at you attentively and waited. “I have an extra ticket to the performing arts final show after exams, did you want to come with me?” You didn’t build your hopes so high that he would say yes. “If you don…”

“Yeah, love too Doodle,” he cut you off. Your face lights up with a bright smile. 

“Awesome,” you cheered excitedly, you wouldn’t soon forget the beautiful smile that graced his face, you both looked into each other for a moment, smiles morning one another. You didn’t want to look away from him, his eyes snapped from yours at the sound of a crash from another room and some yelling. 

“Dammit Scott,” Bucky groaned and looked at you apologetically. “Gotta go Doodle, I’m going to try and swing by the art room tomorrow.” 

“Bye Bucky,” you waved at him as he waved the call ended. You saT back in the chair for a moment before giving up for the night and packing up to go home.

AN: Thank you all so much for reading! I've have been really enjoying writing this series!

Taglist: @vicmc624, @calwitch, @learisa, @aaqua-tofana, @charmedbysarge, @blackbirdwitch22

Feel free to send me a message if you have a request or would like more, or would like to be added to the tag list!

[cambria-writes]

Chapter 3: So I stay the night

pairing: astarion x bard!f!reader word count: 4,646 warnings: swearing, description of a panic attack/autistic meltdown, very murderous ideation

a/n: it has been four months and lemme tell you, it has been a hell of a quarter. i'm super thankful for everyone who's left comments both here and on ao3 because that has pretty much been the only thing that's kept me motivated. the depression has been real, my dudes. anyways as always, let me know if you want to be tagged for upcoming chapters!

Chief among the reasons why you’ve been bathing so often are the myriad unpleasant smells you accumulate during the day. Whether it’s the iron tang of blood or the sickly near-sweet smell of rot, there always seems to be something to wash off. Maybe there’s a little part of you that’s trying to self-soothe at the same time.

You’re thankful for the bright, nearly-full moon in the sky, at least. You may not be a Selunite, but especially recently, with your discovery of Mystra’s unimaginable, unfathomable cruelty, Shar’s atrocious duplicity, and the Dead Three, you’re almost thankful that at least one deity remains… somewhat acceptable. Palatable, at least. Perhaps not good or reasonable, but at least the Lady of the Moon hasn’t seen fit to kidnap, torture, or otherwise mishape any of your friends.

Yet. You cast a wary, narrow-eyed glance at the sky above.

“I’ve sworn to dethrone and kill one of you,” you declare, bringing your waterlogged hair over your shoulder. “I’m not scared to declare war on you, too.”

You don’t get an answer, not that you were expecting one. Typical; when things are the worst they’ve ever been and their devout need the most help they ever have, the gods remain ever as useless.

“Terribly massive threats to make for such a tiny little bard,” you hear from behind you, and your face doesn’t know whether to smirk or scowl.

“Lovely for you to disturb my bathing yet again, Astarion,” you retort, wringing as much water from your hair as you can before you turn around. The water still laps at your hips, and your thick shift, soaked, still clings oddly to your waist and your breasts. You try not to think of how you look. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence this time?”

There’s a venom in your voice you can’t hide, and frankly you’d have been concerned if Astarion hadn’t immediately noticed it. His facial expression may not give much of anything, but the rest of his body does. The way his shoulders hunch up just a bit, the split-second hesitation in his next step, his fingers twitching for a blade he didn’t think he would need to take with him. Not here. Not with you. 

God,s even the spark of guilt you feel at making Astarion, of all people, uncomfortable in your presence doesn’t cut through the seething blood rage that begins to boil beneath your skin. Mystra and Shar and whatever other damnable power-hungry presence out in the world seeking to harm your companions—friends?—are… troublesome, because they are distant and powerful. Though you’ve promised to wring Mystra’s life from her throat with your own two hands, you haven’t the slightest idea how to go about doing that. You will, of course, because you would never make that kind of promise—especially to Gale, right in front of Elminster, because of course as a fucking bard you couldn’t help but to open yout trap—but that’s something that can wait. Because there’s a far more tempting outlet for your violence. One with a known address.

Cazador Szarr. You never thought just a name could inspire such burning rage within you.

“Well, I thought someone should check on our favourite mockingbird,” Astarion says smoothly. He draws his brows at you, and you realize that you have yet to answer and move at all. You can think of all the ways Cazador will bleed later. You can shelve the rage, swallow it down and bring it back up later.

You shake your head and scoff. “Right, yes, sorry,” you reply quickly, making quick work of plaiting your hair and pointedly avoiding looking at the vampire. “Can’t say if it’s real or all in my head, but the smell of smoke and… and burnt corpse has been lingering. I’m guessing I took so long that the others got worried?”

Astarion stares at you with a look that makes you pause, both aghast and confused. You frown and shake your head in confusion back at him. He puts his arms out at his sides, seemingly gesturing at your surroundings, before gesturing at the moon.

You look up, look back down to Astarion, and shrug your shoulders. You still don’t get it. He sighs and throws his hands up in defeat. 

“It’s midnight, and you left camp during daylight, and you think you took too long?”

Your mouth hangs open. You know you’ve had issues keeping track of time before, but normally the literally sun is enough to bring you back to yourself and realize that your body has needs that had been ignored. This feels… different. You don’t remember the hours you’ve spent in the river. 

You look down at your fingers, and they make your grandmother’s face look young and smooth in comparison. You wrinkle your nose and look back up to Astarion.

“Just… wrap up so we can walk back,” he says, and quickly turns on his heel to walk away. You know he won’t be far—likely hasn’t been very far for most of the time you’ve been out here sorting out your own thoughts.

You pull yourself from the river and pull your shift off before wringing the water from it. You quickly slip back into the robes you’d left on a rock nearby, thankful that they haven’t gotten stolen by neither person nor animal. They don’t help the chill settling in, though; whatever heat they might have drawn from the sun has long gone.

Once your boots are back on your feet, you follow the trampled grass to find where Astarion sits, legs stretched out in front of him, beneath a juvenile tree whose tallest branches barely reach over your head. You kick at Astarion’s foot when you reach him.

“Done threatening deities?” he asks, and you scoff.

“For now. I need to write down better speeches. Maybe it’ll be more convincing if I’ve thought about it beforehand.”

It’s Astarion’s turn to scoff. He brushes his hands off on his thighs when he stands. You bite your lips and, before he takes a first step to walk away and lead you away from the river, you grab at his forearm.

“It’s not just gods I’m swearing to kill, Astarion,” you say, and you make sure to wait for him to turn and look you in the eyes. You even implore your cranial roommate to assist you in conveying your candour. “Cazador will die, too. I’m not going to display any favouritism here, Astarion. Zariel and her pawn will die, Mystra will choke on her arrogance, and I will chase the shadows away from the night itself if I have to. Do you understand me?”

You can see Astarion’s thoughts warring behind his eyes; his red irises jumping from looking at you in the left eye, then the right, and back to the left. Trying to suss out some form of deception. You know he’ll find none, but you let him search.

“...and what of the Gith?”

“If the Lich Queen presents herself as a threat,” you start, carefully, minding your words. Lae’zel may not be here to chastise or defend herself and her mistress, but that only gives you all the more incentive to be considerate. “Then she will be eliminated like a threat.”

You release Astarion’s arm and choose instead to start walking, to get ahead of him. You can let him stew in that for a second. 

“That’s the kind of determination I’m bringing into the crèche, trhe Underdark and into the Cursed Shadowlands after that. Come on, before they send Karlach to fetch both of us.”

You’re extremely happy you picked up a song for Heroism; you’re not sure Wyll would have been able to survive an encounter with not one, but two minotaurs without that. 

It doesn’t escape your notice that you first show up in the Underdark in some ruined outpost dedicated to Selûne. You turn back to the gates, after gracelessly hopping over the piled corpses of the minotaurs, staring up at the emotionless depictions of the goddess.

You wonder if she can feel your thanks. And you hope that if she does, she also knows that this does not, by any stretch of the imagination, put her in your good graces.

Then there were the fucking hook horrors. Halsin has a strange look when you mention your profound dislike and disgust with the things, but you quickly chalk that up to being a druid. Surely, he must be friendly with all living things and be a bit prickly whenever someone mentions wanting to inflict violent, bloody pain and suffering upon them.

And then, finally, blessedly, civilization. The rest of your companions are extremely wary of the Myconid colony—and you are wary of Sovereign Glut, yourself—but you are far too enthralled by the way they communicate to care much. You respectfully dim your excitement, of course, when you recognize that the Sovereign has been mourning, as the rest of the colony has.

But you join in, offering a few quivering chords of your violin. Halsin, to your pleasant surprise, hums along to the dirge you play.

You smirk in vindicated satisfaction. Mostly at Astarion, but also at Lae’zel and Shadowheart. The three most likely to judge your lack of ability and dismiss the potency of your playing. All of them look away from your pleased expression.

A self-satisfaction that is short-lived as soon as the Sovereign provides you and your companions with another task and yet more killing.

“It’s slavers, though,” you argue with Karlach as you walk. “They’ve been doing this their whole lives and they’ve never seen anything wrong with it!” 

“I get that, Soldier,” Karlach replies, walking with her arms crossed over her chest. “I don’t know, something feels wrong about killing people just ‘cause of how they live their lives, y’know?” 

“Karlach,” Wyll speaks up, falling into step beside you. “They’re slavers. They steal people from their homes to sell them, at best, for manual labour that will inevitably lead them to an early grave. At best. Do you see where I’m getting at?”

Karlach stops walking and stares at Wyll for a second, then down to you, then back to Wyll. You can see the dots connecting all over the face before a scowl sets in. 

“Nah, alright, I see what you’re sayin’. They’re dying.”

You discreetly high-five Wyll and rush your companions forward. Shadowheart, though she rolls her eyes before turning back forward to keep walking ahead, does not turn fast enough to hide her smirk. There may be progress to be made there after all.

You do not enter the forge. There are far too many signs of Sharran occupation. You were never really familiar with Shar and her followers, but the more you find and learn along your travels, the more you’re starting to think that they are, in fact, the evil cult that most people seem to make them out to be. So you send Shadowheart and Halsin back to camp—the druid, blessedly, seems to understand what’s going on and calmly herds Shadowheart away despite her protest. 

Then, after a horrible fight that you only managed to get the upper hand in because of a bribe, you take Nere’s head. You swallow the bile that rises in your throat while you shakily slice through his neck, and make a quick escape. The gnomes are safe and free, and the Rothé don’t have to worry about being harmed any longer. Wyll volunteers himself, Gale and Lae’zel to take gnome and rothé alike to relative safety, and Gale leaves you with a sending stone, just in case. 

Astarion, Karlach, and yourself return to the colony. Once the Sovereign has been given the drow’s head—you think you see some other myconids spreading spores all over it afterward and try your best not to think about why that is—you are not only granted access to their vault, but the Sovereign tells you of a contraption set up somewhere in the Underdark that simply leads Up.

“That sounds an awful lot like an elevator,” Astarion comments as you’re rooting through the chests and barrels in the ‘vault’. “And a wonderful way to get back to sunlight.”

“Yes, I’m sure it’s sunlight you’re excited for, and not the prospect of a fresh meal that hasn’t had the smell of damp and rot sink into it,” you snark, without much bite behind it. You don’t bother trying to stifle the cackle that bubbles up your throat when you hear Astarion gag. “It’s broken, anyway. Halsin checked it out earlier when Scratch mentioned something about a platform.”

”Figures,” Astarion spits. You hear him throwing something back down into a chest before slamming it shut. “This whole thing has been a waste. There’s nothing in here worth anything at all.”

You feel your outrage rip up your spine, and you straighten, taking a deep breath. You exhale slowly, though; if this were anyone else, you might tear into them about how helping people is never a waste of time. Regardless of how much or little you get rewarded for your effort. If you were a pinch more cynical, you might even add that it returns to you in the end either way. If there was ever a time that you needed an ally that can move in places and ways that you can’t, the Myconid would be a wonderful force to call on.

You turn your tongue behind your teeth and say none of this to Astarion. You bite the inside of your cheek and count to ten, ignore how the vampire’s leaning in toward you to try to get your attention. He’s prattling on, yet again, about how your bleeding heart will get all of you killed.

You place a hand on Astarion’s chest for some distance—the bastard loves ignoring the concept of personal space and by the gods even that, you can’t hold against him, and you’re beginning to think maybe he has a point with the bleeding heart spiel—fingers splayed. Wordlessly, with your other hand palm-up, you offer him the amulet you had found.

“It’ll sharpen your silver tongue,” you explain, proud that your voice comes out calm and even. “I’m heading back to camp. Just don’t kill anyone on your way out.”

You turn to leave without looking at Astarion. You’re just… tired. Half your companions constantly question you and needle you for your compassion and yet no one has offered themselves up to take the helm. Astarion’s the most confusing; half the time he seems overjoyed by your direction, and the other half he makes it sound like you’re trying to rip the fangs right out of his mouth.

Sunlight will make things better. Sunlight, and fresh air that hasn’t been recirculating the same spores for gods know how long.

You found the crèche, alright.

Nestled in the mountains and having completely overrun and overtaken a monastery of Lathander. It makes something within you profoundly uncomfortable. You don’t know if you want to ask whether or not there was anyone left to be slayed when the githyanki settled, or if everyone had already passed. You don’t know which answer would be better, if there even is a better answer.

Karlach seems to be sharing in your unease, as does Wyll. Gale seems to be far more fascinated with the architecture and various magical contraptions—including a Guardian of Faith—and Shadowheart makes her displeasure known at every other turn. Even Halsin was uncomfortable enough, though probably because of the proximity to the cursed shadowlands, that he returned to camp. The only one who seems remotely as excited as you, though for violently different reasons, is Astarion.

At dawn the day after your arrival at the monastery, while on your habitual ‘stroll’ about the area around camp, you find the vampire perched, sat on the edge of a cliff, looking out at the rising sun.

You hesitate for a moment but don’t break your casual stride. Astarion’s probably heard you approach, but you aren’t sure if you want to encroach on his privacy. He seems to be rather reserved about enjoying things at all, but even moreso when it comes to the small pleasures of life that he had been robbed of.

He doesn’t turn to look at you, not really. But you can tell even at a distance that his eyes are on you nevertheless. You take it as the invitation it is and slowly trek over. You lower yourself to the rocky ground below and let your legs hang over the edge of the cliff, same as him. Cradle your hands in your lap and simply take a moment to observe the sunrise.

If you didn’t know the decay and corruption that awaited you after this place, you might even be tempted to say this view looked magically peaceful.

You let yourself remain there, with Astarion, in silence. When the sun has finally risen enough to separate from the horizon, you take a deep breath and push yourself back onto your feet. You don’t plan on saying anything, but when you’ve turned and taken a few steps away, you hear Astarion speak, though quietly.

“I’m sorry, for being so harsh.” He’s still resolutely staring out over the land when you turn to look at him.

You take a moment to consider your words. “Thank you,” you start. “I accept the apology.” The rising tension you see going through his spine makes you add, “…and the offer to help me go through our enormous chest of books to sort out what we want to sell.”

Astarion finally turns then, a look of indignation and a protest clearly hanging on his tongue. He shuts his mouth when he sees your smirk, though, and sighs. 

“Ugh, fine. I suppose I’m the one who keeps bringing them back, anyway.”

The kaith’vis—or whatever the whole unworldly hells the “purifying” machine Lae’zel had been lauding as the best and only solution to your involuntary headmate situation is supposed to be called—is useless. Worse than useless, even! You’re seething the entire time the rest of your companions are trying to settle things with… fuck, you can’t even remember the name of the gith who had carefully guided Lae’zel into the contraption that would have, inevitably and infallibly, killed her.

Karlach has a warm, gauntlet-clad hand on your shoulder. It isn’t so much grounding in the way that she’s tethering you to your senses; you’re just lucid enough through the rage to recognize that your emotions will not allow you to think in anything resembling a straight line. Grounding more in the way that she’s placing most of her weight onto the hand on your shoulder to prevent you from moving. Or shaking all over the room. You briefly eye a tapestry that looks awful fun to climb and tear apart.

Wyll very subtly jabs you in the kidneys. You sniff inconspicuously and turn your attention back to the conversation at hand. Ghustil is the woman’s name—and she’s yet again complaining that her contraption has exploded. She’s also categorically refusing to believe that the machine wasn’t somehow tampered with.

She’s not wrong. Not really. Distantly, you get the feeling that your Dream Visitor is awfully smug about the whole thing. You don’t think it should feel any kind of accomplishment from this. Sure, Lae’zel is alive, but blowing up the machine was unnecessary, and the argument between the gith is, in fact, starting to fray your very last nerve.

No, Ghustil is probably right. This… “purifier” probably wasn’t tampered with, and likely was functioning just as expected. You swallow past the uncomfortable lump in your throat at the thought of the amount of people—likely not just the gith—who must’ve been pleasantly led to their death in that chair. 

Well. What used to be a chair, anyway.

“Alright, I’ve heard enough,” you announce, before making your way to Lae’zel’s side as cautiously as you can manage. “I’ll be at camp. Handle this whichever way you think is best.”

Lae’zel’s frown shifts a bit; nothing aggressive, but something closer to confusion. You’re too annoyed and sickened to care. You just want to return to your bedroll, bury your face into Scratch’s fur—and the owlbear cub, if you’re lucky—and hope that tomorrow will bring perhaps something less upsetting.

Once clear of the walls of the… do you call it a crèche, now? Or do you still call it a monastery? Regardless, once you’re finally back outside into the fire-red glow of the setting sun, you feel your chest expanding.

And then, just like that, it feels like your entire torso is in a vice.

The tightness in your chest, the difficulty breathing, your sight swimming behind tears and a headache that begins clawing at the inside of your skull. You haven’t had an episode like this in quite some time, and given the companions you have with you—some of whom will inevitably come check on you with how expeditiously you removed yourself from the room—you find a nearby tree to lean against and try to regain control of yourself.

Your mind screams at you that it’s pointless, that no amount of calming yourself will change anything about the things filling you with dread, but you endeavour to start by finding five things you can see: the sun, blinding as it is; the tree; the grass around it; your gauntlets; and your boots. You whisper the words out loud in an attempt to regulate your quickened breathing without having to think much about it. 

Then you try four things you can touch: the warmed and worn cotton inside your gauntlets; the rough bark of the tree; the uneven ground beneath you littered with rubble and pebbles; and the leather cord around your neck.

You take a moment to try taking a deep breath. It’s not great, not yet, but at least you can take a few breaths without hiccupping. 

You’ve just named one thing you can hear—the wind through the trees—when you hear Astarion calling out for you. Screw your eyes shut against the dread of being seen like this before removing the violin strapped to your back and moving to sit with your back against the tree. There’s no real point in pretending that looking at the sun made your eyes water and your cheeks red, so you don’t. 

You determinedly keep your gaze on the outstretched legs in front of you and mindlessly pluck at the strings of your instrument. 

You decide to school your expression into something more passive, without erasing the upset that clearly had you walking out of the monastery.

“Get it over with, Astarion,” you call out, once you hear the vampire is within a few feet of you. “On with the insults so I can get back to trying to figure out how to save all of us.”

Astarion stays quiet, and you feel your pulse drumming in your ears louder and faster. You hear him sit down, slowly, still a respectable distance away from you. There’s a moment when you feel his eyes on you, but before you’re unnerved enough to say anything about it, Astarion speaks up.

“I know what it is, you know,” he starts, and his cadence is almost... reassuring? Calming? The thoughts humming like bees in your head lull for a second. Kindness and understanding are not what you would have expected from a vampire spawn, but Astarion continues and interrupts your rumination. “The shortness of breath, the lightheartedness, the... inability to think.” He pauses long enough for you to turn your head, just enough to properly see him in your periphery. You think you see him grin. “The crying.”

“...please get to the point,” you ask, but with how tight and raw your throat feels, it almost sounds like a plea.

There’s a sigh—not terribly put-upon as you’d been concerned, but more of a resigned sound—before you hear Astarion stand up, only to come crouch directly in front of you. Cold fingers work around your neck, and for a moment you think you almost feel scared. But then thumbs gently press under your chin to lift your head and all but force you to look him in his deep-red eyes.

“Darling,” Astarion starts gently, and there’s something about his voice that says sincere and listen to me that you can’t ignore, but you also can’t ignore the way it makes you wary.

Astarion isn’t sincere. Astarion’s never sincere. That much you know. 

You open your mouth to speak—though you’re not sure what you even intend to say—but Astarion takes one of his hands away from the too-warm skin of your neck to cover your mouth. 

“Hush. You’re under too much pressure,” he begins, and incrementally, you can see his frown deepen as he speaks. “You’ve been traipsing around the Sword Coast with this grand idea that there’s a way to spare us all from becoming–eugh–illithids. Very well and good. And then you found you had a vampire with a cruel master. A tiefling with a ticking time bomb for a heart, a wizard who got on the wrong side of a goddess, and a cultist who’s been brainwashed into thinking her way is the only way.”

You pull Astarion’s hand away from your mouth. “Shadowheart or Lae’zel?” 

“Yes,” he responds shortly, and withdraws both his hands. “For some reason you’ve had the brilliant idea of assuming responsibility for all our lives. Do you think this is reasonable?” 

It’s not. You know it’s not. It’s absolutely insane, and you’d have said so to anyone else who’d asked the same thing. But your mouth remains open and silent and your throat feels too tight. 

“Right. Glad we agree.” Astarion gets up, and this time you only spend a fraction of a second marvelling at how easily he moves his limbs. Flex your hands and take another fraction of a second to wish you had so much as a quarter of his grace. 

“Who else, Astarion?” you ask quietly, and you shove the butts of your hands into your eyes as soon as you feel the burning. “No one else cares! Gale’s happy blowing himself up for his stupid, insufferable mistress, and Karlach can’t be arsed to care about life or death as long as she just gets to touch someone!”

“Then talk to them.” 

The reply is so short, but spoken with such a lack of venom or frustration that it nearly immediately takes the wind out of your sails. 

“T… talk to them. That’s your great solution?”

Astarion’s back is to you, and his hands are clasped behind his back. He’s staring off into the horizon, the clouds darkening there as the sun sets at both of your backs. 

“Show them that the ones who betrayed them weren’t the only ones who cared,” the vampire says over his shoulder, and swiftly turns on his heels to walk away. He pauses, next to you, but doesn’t look down. “I might even be tempted to say that it’s starting to get to me, too.”

He’s gone before you can process what he’s said, nevermind answer back.

Betrayal, huh.

You gently lay your violin and bow on the grow next to you,  bring your legs up and hug your knees and let yourself cry, heaving and coughing and screaming and all. This time, at least, you tell yourself it’s just to vent. Just to get all the ugly out so you can prepare yourself and your words. 

You would speak to Gale, first. You have no idea when or how—and you’re definitely going to want to write down what you want to say thirteen different times to drill it into your brain and make sure you don’t forget anything—but out of everyone at camp, despite being the one with a literal divine-tier problem…

You think he might listen.

Taglist

@abigailmoment @hfxgamora @gayfiretruck @starryselenaria

[lovelyjasmari]

Twisted Wonderland Reaction Part 17 ~ Special Edition

Hello everyone! 

So…it’s been a while since I’ve made one of these. Almost 2 years to be exact. But after book 5 forever changed how I engage with twst (for better and worse), I haven’t really been up to doing reaction posts anymore. Also after book 5 I actually began focusing more on the jp server since there were many things in the official translation that I found…lacking to say the least. 

But when twst jp released this mv on April fools day, I just knew I HAD to talk about it! I’m actually surprised more people aren’t. Probably the biggest thing about this mv is that in a lot of ways the narrative of book 5’s ending has changed now we have context to how NRC Tribe performed. I’ve seen a lot of posts on the bird app saying things like it makes sense now why they lost the VDC. 

I will say, this is definitely NOT a perfect performance. But as a former dancer with WAY too much time on their hands, I decided to analyze this.

So for context, Ive done a mix of ballet and jazz for eleven years, from age 4 to 15. Even though I gave up going to classes, I still did para para and anime dances with my friends. And in 2017, I decided to return to dance and have been dancing consistently ever since. I’m mostly versed in ballet but I still do some jazz, hip hop and took up kpop last year. To judge this fairly, I watched the MV several times, four times per member, (do the math and feel free to judge me). And with that, here are the things that stuck out to me the most. 

He is beauty, he is grace, HOW HE HELL DID HE NOT KICK EPEL IN THE FACE?!

Synchronization/symmetry 

The lack of synchronization was the first thing I noticed, ESPECIALLY in the first 30 seconds. The footwork is sloppy and Deuce and Ace in particular aren't as sharp with their moves as the other five. Rook seems to be the only one doing the choreography correctly because one point at 0:25 (and again at 3:31) where he bends his knee higher than the others and thanks to those fuckass uggs standing out so much, I couldn’t unsee it. At 1:03, 1:07, 2:07, and 3:00 Ace’s form is noticeably off as well.

And this may just be a personal hangup of mine but I found lack of symmetry between the boys at 1:14 very odd. Like, I don’t know how I can describe it but the way Epel tried to take center stage during his and Vil’s duet gave me the impression that wasn’t originally in the routine. At 1:13 there’s a split second where you can actually see Vil looking down at Epel like “...wut?” I immediately thought about that moment right before they go on stage where Epel offers to take on Vil’s solo’s because he looks so weak but Vil refuses. I wonder if Epel trying to take center like that is a callback to that exchange. Unfortunately, since the boys were perfectly symmetrical for the rest of the song, it stands out as awkward all the more. 

Kalim and Jamil

Lowkey, Kalim and Jamil both carried this performance after Vil. The little magic with the mic was a super nice touch and Kalim shines the most during the dance break. He seems to be having fun with it despite being in agony. What’s interesting is that after Ace and Deuce, Kalim is the most out of sync but he pulls it off well since I can tell he’s been on the stage before. Both he and Jamil are natural performers. 

Vil’s movements

So, this has been something of a headcanon of mine but it seems to have been proven correct with this mv. Vil has always struck me as someone who probably has a lot of classical dance training but little training in other styles like hip-hop or jazz. His movements are very graceful and elegant but almost…too elegant? I don’t know if that makes sense but they seem very smooth for this style of choreography. And because he’s in the center the most, it stands out the most.

AND THAT FUCKING GRAND JETE!!! Absolutely flawless but it feels SO out of place here! I will give him credit though, that is one of the most difficult jumps to pull off in ballet, and the fact he did that in fucking 5-inch heels right after the most mentally and physically traumatic episode of his life, it’s beyond impressive. And the fact he landed perfectly and so seamlessly moved into his final solo is even more remarkable. Still, that was the most jarring element of this choreography and I think it would still be out of place even if this was a “perfect” performance. 

Now here’s where I potentially piss people off

All in all this is a perfectly imperfect performance. Being completely objective and not taking my love for these characters into account, I honestly still don’t see how they lost. Well, I understand why but it still is fucked to me. I can understand Vil feeling like NRC Tribe didn’t perform their best since they were exhausted and hurting from dealing with his overblot. I can also understand that they were probably a lot more polished in rehearsal. But here’s the thing,  for a group of amateurs, I would probably expect this quality of performance even if they hadn’t had to deal with Vil’s overblot.

First off, while the choreography is rather simple from a dancers perspective, it can be pretty complex for beginners. For one, it requires a lot of synchronization to look correct. But as a beginner, perfecting synchronization alone can take months and, in larger groups, sometimes even longer. If NRC Tribe can look like this after only ONE MONTH of training, taking into account only three out of seven of them have dance experience, that’s extremely impressive.

To give an example, last year at my dance school for our end of the year showcase, the K-pop class did a cover of TWICE's Can't Stop Me. Because our class is made up of students with varying levels of experience (some none at all), it took us the better part of eight months to learn. We had to learn everything in groups of three before we could learn and practice together. And even then, we still fucked up a lot because none of us are professionals and some of us were dancing for the first time. Look at this video and tell me if you could learn this in only ONE month. Vil, can you train me please?? XD

And that brings me to the next point, the experience of all the members. Now, in Rook’s most recent birthday vignette, he mentions learning ballet and in book 5 we see Epel and Deuce taking ballet lessons. But in ballet, as a beginner, your earliest lessons are going to be almost exclusively barre work and depending on age, you might not do center work/combinations for weeks. I’m going to assume Vil is really the only one with solid dance training with Jamil and Kalim also having the most experience just dancing in general. As for the others, they were going to need a lot more training if this was going to look more polished. ESPECIALLY Ace and Deuce.

As for having to perform right after beating OB Vil’s ass, again I was expecting to see A LOT more noticeable errors. And knowing what they all just went through honestly makes me admire this all the more. The thing is, it’s easy to be beautiful when everything is right and perfect in your world. But being able to smile even when you’re struggling and your heart is breaking is even more beautiful still. Personally, I don’t think I could perform even half as well if it were me. 

It’s unfortunate that we don’t have a MV of Neige’s performance so I could do a fully fair analysis. But if we look at all the evidence, it seems to me that NRC Tribe still gave a better performance. And I think the true tragedy here isn’t even that NRC Tribe lost since I think that was always a given considering the dynamic NRC and RSA has.

The true tragedy, I think, is that Vil could be convinced that this perfectly imperfect performance was still inferior to Neige’s. But I’ll leave that for another time. 

[judysxnd]

Hiiii!! I have a Pedro request - f & plus size reader if that is okay!

So reader has some friends visiting/staying at Pedro’s place for holiday whilst he’s on a break from projects and they all decide to go out for casual brunch one day. They think they have slipped out incognito however haven’t realised that someone caught wind and alerted the paparazzi (who are outside restaurant waiting to pounce). When they leave Pedro and reader get mobbed by paps (reader is shoved/pushed an gets hurt - grazes, split lip, possible black eye i’ll let you choose). Pedro becomes protective and quickly tries to get them back home. He then tends to the wounds etc and consoles them.

Make it as angsty/fluffy as you like, thankyouuu!! <3

Not going to lie, I delayed this one a little because I wasn’t in a bad mood, like, sometimes I write the ideas when it matches my mood, not sure if it’s good or not but here I am today trying to write this one as I don’t really feel good. I don’t really know how to explain it, and it doesn’t really matter, so there it is!

Also I noticed I’ve never written any story set up during winter, probably because I don’t like it 😂 I’m going to try here. It’s a small detail that will help.

I hope you like it!!!

———————————————————————————

You were the first one to arrive at Pedro’s house. He invented a few friends to his house for the weekend as he finally came back from filming. He was on a break as it was a week before new year’s. Of course he came back for Christmas, but he didn’t get to see you before leaving to spend the holidays with his family and you with yours.

So, he decided to make a new year’s weekend. It was on a Sunday, so it was perfect. He wanted to do a party on Saturday night and a nice brunch the next day to like sober up and start the year with his closest friends. It would be later in the afternoon probably as no one would be up for 12 or even 1pm. So you arrived there first like you wanted, hoping to have a few moments alone with him. You haven’t seen him un months. FaceTime and texts don’t count as real physical interactions. After some time everyone started to arrive, so the party could start.

The party went great. Music blasting very loud, drinking, dancing, talking, playing games, everything that could be done was done. You all counted down till midnight. Not to forget the tradition, Pedro kissed you went the clock rang. You were blushing as you didn’t expect him to kiss you. You hoped for it, but you’re so used to be private and never do anything in public that it surprised you.

Yes. You’re dating, but you’ve not made anything official. You want to see where it goes before making big commitments, plus you don’t want to deal with all the haters and such. You have other stuff to be focused on. But, your closest a friends know about it, so you don’t have to hide in your own home surrounded by people you can trust.

The party went on until 3/4am. That’s why you only woke up in the afternoon. It was around 12pm, and you were the last to wake up. You were surprised as you thought no one would be up so early, but it was good, because it meant you could go eat at the restaurant.

Going out after that party was risky, but Pedro made reservations in a secluded spot, so you wouldn’t see anyone. He wanted to have a fancy lunch, but didn’t want to have it at home. You tried to come as secretly as possible, in a regular car, almost entering the place one by one. And you did, well at least that’s what you thought.

When you were at the end of the lunch, trying to enjoy your desserts, you all heard voices outside. Not paying attention to it at first, thinking it was maybe a big group at a table in the restaurant, you tried to get back to your lunch. But Pedro had a feeling. He got up and went to the bathroom, making him go through the restaurant. As he did, he caught a glance outside and saw what he feared: a large group of paparazzi trying to get in.

“We have a problem” he said as he came back, looking worried.

“What’s wrong?” You asked him as he sat back next to you, avoiding any eye contact. You put your hand on his thigh. “Pedro”

“Paparazzi” everyone looked at him. “I don’t know how they know, but they’re outside waiting for us”

“seriously” one of his friends sighed

“How?” Another one asked, upset

“I don’t know” Pedro said, starting to get angry too

“Let’s finish our desserts then we will improvise” you said trying to calm him down

“I can’t believe it” he said shaking his head, grabbing his spoon and picking a piece of his cake. “I made a reservation, we arrived in small groups, no one saw us”

“It’s okay” you said “we’ll go out by the back door”

“No it’s not okay. We should be able to leave outside, in peace”

“I know”

You all tried to finish your desserts as relaxed and happy as you could, but it was a lost cause. No one talked, too focused on what could happen next. You all had a reason to fear this moment, making you angrier at each second. At some point you had to leave, so Pedro got up and left the room first. You decided to join him, not wanting him to make some mistake because of his anger.

“Excuse me, I would like to speak to the manager” Pedro said at the first server he saw once he got out. The young man pointed to an older one behind a bar, talking to a lady. You both walked to him, which made him stop his conversation.

“Hello” he said nervously

“Hi, I was wondering if there was another exit to leave because as you can see it’s a little complicated for us to just go through the front door” he said in a dry tone

“I’m sorry but there isn’t”

“What?” You said surprised

“What do you mean there isn’t an other exit?” Pedro was getting angrier

“Don’t you have an emergency exit?”

“We do but it just leads to a backyard, completely closed by walls”

“Shit” Pedro said looking around. “So what if there’s a fire you’re just stuck in there? What kind of restaurant is this?” He started to raise his voice

“Calm down P, it’s not his fault” you said putting your hand in his stomach.

“Yeah by the way, how did they know we were here?” He asked “When I made my reservation, which was made with you precisely, how did it get out?”

“I-I don’t know” he said anxiously. “Only the two servers and I knew about your reservation”

“So it’s the two servers. I would like to see them”

“I’m not sure if it is a good idea” you said, looking at Pedro who was staring at the manager. “Pedro” he finally looked at you, his eyes filled with anger. “I think we should focus on leaving and get home safe, that’s all that matters” he took a deep breath

“Okay. Let’s get out of here” you took his hand and you both went back to the room where you had your lunch. “So, there’s no back door, we’ll just have to confront the paparazzi” he said to everyone. They all started to mumble and swear.

“Let’s go” you said

You took a deep breath as you followed Pedro outside, holding his hand tightly. You barely stepped outside that all you could see were flashes from their cameras. You didn’t realize there were so many people. It was the worst minute of your life and it was going insanely slow. Pedro struggled so much to get through them that you felt like you weren’t even walking.

You couldn’t even hear what they were saying. You just heard words here and there. “Pedro! Pedro! How do you feel being seen with Y/n?” You first heard. “What… think.. her size?” You then heard. They were trying to get any type of reaction. If they couldn’t get a good one, they would search on the negative ones. Sadness, anger, anything that would make a perfect picture. “Defenseless”, “.. heard fat jokes?”, “weird relationship”, “Pedro what do you see in Y/n?” And laughing.

As you thought it couldn’t get worse, they thought it would be funny to start pushing around. As if being verbally mean wasn’t enough, they started to get physical. Pedro always told you to never respond to anyone if they were too many people, to keep your head down and leave as fast as possible. But they were really too many. You’ve ever seen so much people. They probably had no one else to harass. Business was hard for them.

That’s what made them touch you. You felt hands trying to grab your arms. You even felt some touching your stomach. You felt tears forming in your eyes, but you had to hide them, it wasn’t the right time. Pedro stayed very close to you, holding you close to him. He was begging them to stop. The weather didn’t help. The snow on the ground, it was freezing and slippery. As you were being pushed around, you found it hard to walk properly.

You had to look up to see where you were going. But when you did, something unexpected happen. You’ll remember that moment for the rest of your life. You were almost out of the group, you looked up, a little on your right. You randomly looked at a camera, but it was the bad one.

Because the camera went down, not taking you in pictures anymore. You then looked at the person behind. A young lady, she looked younger than you. She was wearing a red beanie and she had curly blond hair. You saw the expression in her eyes: jealousy. She was filled with anger, not sure why at first. But then, you saw that she raised her hand, formed a fist that ended on your face. More specifically in your left eye.

Her action made you fall on the ground, slipping off Pedro’s embrace that was trying to protect you. Once on the ground, it was difficult to focus. Too many flashes, Pedro yelling, his friends trying to gather around you to hide and protect you. Next thing you knew, Pedro grabbed you and helped you run as far away as he could.

Once you finally got to his car, you couldn’t hold the tears anymore. Neither of you said anything. You still in the rush and too scared. Pedro wanted to drive you to the emergency room, just to make sure you didn’t get a concussion or anything. But he knew it would be a bad idea. The paparazzi would know you would do that, and the same scene would happen again.

He could still call a doctor to come home if needed. So he drove home. Once there, he helped you get out, and you both walked to his bathroom. Once you were laying against the sink, seeing you were stable, that’s when he broke the silence.

“Are you okay?” He looked at you, but you couldn’t look at him. You were staring at the floor. “I’m so sorry, I should have protected you more, I-” he stopped talking when you hold his hand. He get you were still shaking. You were in shock. You finally made eye contact

“It’s.. it’s not your fault” you said softly. Your voice was so low that you didn’t even know if you actually said it out loud

“I know but still, I could have done better”

“Don’t feel guilty” you said turning around, looking at yourself in the mirror. Your skin was turning purple around your eye. You barely touched it that it hurt. “Ouch”

“Let me take care of you” he said breaking the space between you two, putting his hands on your shoulders. He then grabbed your hand and brought you to his bedroom and made you sit on the edge.

He held your feet, carefully removing your shoes covered in snow. Your pants were wet because of your fall, and you had snow on your coat. Pedro helped you get out of your clothes and left you in your underwear.

“Don’t move” he said before rushing to the bathroom again. You heard him open the water. Ten minutes later he came out, walked to you, offering his hand. Grabbing it, you both went back in the bathroom. “Get in the bath, I’ll get ice for your eye” you smiled. “We’ll clean those little wounds after okay?” He said looking at the small red wounds you had in your arms and legs. You would definitely bruise there too.

He helped you get in, and left you alone for a moment. You surprisingly felt a little better. The pain started to get away, probably thanks to the hot water that made you forget your own body. You closed your eyes and started to breath deeply, trying to calm down. But it only made you relive that scene again. Your eyes shuttered open when you saw the punch again.

Pedro came back with ice for your eye. He even helped you wash yourself as your body was starting to hurt. After the bath, he cleaned your wounds and put cream on it. He brought your pyjamas and helped you get dressed. The pain was coming back, you could barely move. Your body was stiff.

“How do you feel?” He said holding your face

“Everything hurts”

“What about your eye?” He said looking carefully at the bruise

“Only when I touch it”

“And your head? Do you feel dizzy or anything? Nausea?”

“I’m good”

“I just want to make sure you don’t have a concussion or anything”

“She didn’t hit me that hard” you sighed

“Still”

“I’m fine” you looked at each other

“We don’t have to talk about it now, or tomorrow, but I don’t want you to withdraw into yourself. I’m here okay?”

“Thank you” you said hugging him. You pulled back, looking at him when you realized. “Wait, are you okay? Did you get hurt or something? I didn’t even ask, d-”

“I’m okay, they didn’t get me” you felt better “I wished they hit me instead of you”

“Don’t say that”

“I would rather they hurt me than you”

“Look I’m okay, it’s just a few bruises”

“Are you sure? They said some pretty bad things back there” you didn’t answer right away as you started to remember it. “Shit I made you remember it” Pedro said, realizing what he just did. “But let me make it clear, what they said isn’t true okay? It’s not important what they said, they were just trying to get us to snap. Cariño you’re the sweetest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on” he said, his hands on your face. You felt butterflies in your stomach. You smiled and probably blushed too as you felt your cheeks heating.

“No no yeah I know it’s not true, I know how they are..” you tried to reassure him “let’s just go to bed okay? I just want this day to be over”

“What a way to start this new year” he joked. He was unsure if he should have said that so he was paying attention to your reaction. But when you chuckled he felt better. He saw a small smile on your face. It reassured him.

After talking a little to his friends and saying good night, you both went to bed together, cuddled up. None of you letting go of each other. You spent the night glued together.

[getosugurusbangs]

as snow falls.

tags: some comedy, suguru being angsty, and a fluffy hurt/comfort (if you squint) ending. 2,757 words.

synopsis: satoru has been out on his first more serious solo mission, but as the days pass by, with no sign of him coming back home, suguru starts to get a little concerned. suguru decides to go to shoko, to find solace in her in these trying times.

a/n: so here’s my first genuine fanfic, and yes ofc it’s satosugu. suguru is anxious in this because i love projecting. also despite this being a stsg fic, there’s not a lot of satoru, mostly just suguru and shoko so… do with that what you will! also, this fic is implied to have taken place the christmas eve before hidden inventory arc.

                                                             ☆

satoru had been gone for over a week at this point. everyone was told that it would be a slightly longer mission, but suguru hadn’t expected it to be this long. he really hadn’t noticed how dependent he’s been on satoru, until he left. they haven’t even been friends for that long, yet they were already attached at the hip. of course, shoko was still back at home with suguru, they were still good friends after all, but there wasn’t that same level of understanding there that the boys had with each other.

suguru had been busy studying all day. he felt the need to get work done, despite this being the one time of year he could comfortably take a break. early winter was never a particularly stressful time of year for him, but this time he’s ended up with other problems. he had gone ahead and made sure his parents were asleep before layering on a nice coat he had bought recently, going ahead and putting his boots on too. before he left the house, he made sure to grab a scarf to put on. it faintly smelled like satoru. that bothered him.

walking along the barely illuminated streets, a thin layer of snow and ice crunched under suguru’s feet. he’d never disliked winter necessarily, but snow had never been his thing. he always preferred staying in the warm indoors until someone dragged him out to either play in the snow, or shovel it. 

he turned the corner, and finally saw his destination. suguru walked up to a particularly dull house. almost standing on the doorstep, he debated whether he should actually knock on the door or not. suguru thought to himself— “her family members are probably asleep at this point.. it’s pretty late, so… “ he decided to knock on shoko’s window, giving a smile and wave at her as she peeled the curtain from the glass. 

she opened the window. “who died?” shoko remarked, with a chuckle. but suguru just rolled his eyes at her. “looks like someone can’t take a joke..” she scoffed. “but why are you here, geto?” “just wanted to talk. get some fresh air.” he craned his head a little, trying to peer into shoko’s room. but all suguru got from it was some curtains getting shoved into his face. “i’ll go on a walk, i just need warmer clothes.” she confirmed, scampering off to somewhere in her house.

shoko climbed out of her bedroom window, now wearing some shoes, leggings layered under her nightgown, and an oversized coat. suguru stood up from the bench in front of her house, looking shoko up and down. “did you steal that from your dad or something? i’ve never seen you wear that.” all she did in response was shush him, and shut the window. “it was the first genuine coat i could find, okay?” she said, amidst both her, and suguru’s laughter. 

“so where are we heading to?” shoko asked, zipping her coat up all the way, so it would cover the lower portion of her face. “i didn’t really have any place in particular i wanted to go. probably just walk through the city for a little bit, then we split up and go back home.” suguru responded as they started to walk down the street, going back in the direction he came from. 

“how’s your family doing, shoko?” “same old, you know how they are.” she said, with a solemn tone. “i get it, mine are a similar way. it’s why i don’t talk about them much. they try to be supportive and all, but just get in my way.” while talking, he was looking around at the unfamiliar neighborhood. “was there a specific reason you wanted to talk to me, geto?” she looked over at him, to make eye contact. suguru fidgeted with something in his pocket, uncomfortably. he, for some reason, wasn’t expecting to be asked this question. it felt like a million thoughts rang through his head at once.

“should i be honest?” was at the top of his mind. he figured shoko would end up seeing through him eventually, one way or another.

“…i miss satoru. a lot.”

“…that’s it?” she inquired, with a blank tone. “what do you mean that’s it?!?” suguru was being sent into a state of shock. “everyone can tell. it’s kinda uncomfortable to watch.” shoko continued— “any time gojo gets brought up nowadays, you end up being visibly upset.” “but what if-“ suguru tried to chime in, but she just shut him down. “he’s fine. you, of all of us, should know that best. don’t get me wrong, i find him having been gone for so long a little troublesome too, but you seriously need to relax about it.” suguru was calming down a little bit upon hearing her words. “…i just don’t think he should’ve been sent alone on a mission like that.” 

“listen, i feel the same. but yaga did say how he’s perfectly well equipped for it. it’s not like it’s a super dangerous mission. otherwise you, or one of our seniors would’ve been sent too. i think we should just be patient, and trust in yaga’s judgement.” when she finished, suguru sighed. he couldn’t argue with her over this, suguru knew she was right, despite how he may feel about things, and about satoru. 

“speaking of you and gojo,” shoko started. suguru felt his heart sink into his stomach, waiting for what she was about to say next. “you two have formed quite the bond, huh?” she asked smugly, playfully elbowing him in the side. suguru’s cheeks were already flushed from the frigid, late december air, but upon hearing her teasing, his entire face had turned bright red. he tried to turn away from shoko, to hide his embarrassment. wait, why did suguru find this so embarrassing? 

“do you have a thing for gojo or something?” shoko asked, through some laughter. ‘twas no laughing matter for suguru, though. “don’t you fucking dare tell anyone.” he said, through gritted teeth. “are you serious?!” she was already chuckling, but at this point she was crying laughing. “i didn’t haah think you’d actually admit it…”  suguru was shaking. the best way to describe him in this moment was: mortified. “just… don’t tell anyone. i don’t want that idiot to find out, and have everything we’ve already got get ruined.”

shoko’s laughter had finally settled down. “i mean, i won’t, for your sake, but you really think him learning that would ruin everything? i think he would just laugh it off and keep borderline acting like your boyfriend.” suguru listened intently, but didn’t say anything. his gaze was fixed on the ground in front of him. he kicked a rock that he was about to step on. they were headed into an empty park, where most of the trees were adorned with sparkling white lights. treading along a paved pathway, suguru finally said something again. “you doing anything for christmas? it’s only… tomorrow now, i guess.” he continued— “i left the house at about 11pm, it’s probably about midnight now.” 

“i don’t know, i’ll probably just be at home, doing whatever. you?” shoko was occupied by looking at the christmas lights illuminating the park around them. suguru sighed, speaking in a reluctant voice. “i wanted to do something with satoru, but…” he trailed off. shoko noted how she shouldn’t ask him about his affection any more than she already had. 

“you got a light?” shoko asked, shifting her focus back onto the miserable boy next to her. “should we really be smoking here?” suguru asked, as he reached his hand into his pocket, pulling out cigarettes and a lighter regardless. shoko snickered, “there’s no one around us anyways. maybe a smoke will help you relax.” she teased him. “whatever…” he mumbled before taking a long drag. they both knew they shouldn’t be smoking, both for their health and because they weren’t really supposed to in general. but being a jujutsu sorcerer is a dangerous feat. they were smart enough to know cigarettes wouldn’t be the death of them.

“we need to go shopping together sometime soon,” shoko chimed in. “i still need to get some new winter clothes before the weather gets too bad.” he stared at her, sort of dumbfounded. “…is this not already bad enough for you?” suguru was still shaking, though now it was just the cold, not his nerves. “eh, it could always be worse.” she shrugged. it had been snowing off and on all day, but had started to pick up more after dark.

suguru only left his house once the snow had died down again. he wanted to avoid getting snowed on the best he could. they decided to go ahead and sit on a park bench for a moment, though, only after brushing the layer of snow off the seat. “did you hear there’s gonna be some new students transferring in soon?” suguru asked, taking in their surroundings. “yeah, mei mei told me about that. i guess they probably won’t be showing up over the holidays, though..” 

“i wonder if gojo might be bringing back some souvenirs… since he was traveling a decent ways out for this mission.” when either of them spoke, they kept their voices down a lot more than they normally would’ve. it felt wrong to mess with the state of the night’s comfortable silence, no matter how many things either of them might have wanted to bring up. they just quietly sat in each other’s presence for a couple minutes.

shoko finally broke the silence that had developed. “i think i’m probably gonna be hanging out with utahime later.” she took a drag from her cigarette. “she was pretty adamant about hanging out sometime this week.” “doesn’t she want you to quit smoking?” suguru asked, swearing he heard utahime bring that up recently. shoko got quiet for a moment, looking up at the deep, cloudy midnight sky. “i’ll think about it.” was all she could say.

after a couple more moments, they decided to go ahead and resume their walk. suguru was trying to think of something else to talk about. “oh, i got this new cd the other day, it’s one of my favorite bands’ new album. i need to show it to you soon.” shoko took her cigarette out of her mouth. “oh yeah? was it that band you talk about that has those, like.. deep, poetic, introspective lyrics?” suguru had to fight back the urge to explain the band and their lyrics more than he already had. “at least she remembered them.” he thought to himself, just nodding at her politely.

they had walked into a more open, urban area. “you should probably go ahead and make the trip back home now, huh?” suguru had stopped walking, turning to properly face shoko now. he put out his cigarette, going ahead and tossing it. “yeah, i was thinking the same.” she turned back to the direction they came. hesitating for a moment, she spoke up one last time. “geto. he’ll be back soon, okay? he’s strong, you know… “

“see you later.” shoko waved him goodbye, before heading on her way. 

suguru felt tears well up in his eyes. as they streamed down his face, he didn’t even really know why he was crying. he felt stupid crying about satoru, especially out in the open like this. “god, this is embarrassing.. at least barely anyone is around at this point…” suguru thought to himself. it wasn’t a particularly lively night. he was sort of lucky, in this regard. 

he started to walk back home. it felt ironic to him, how this was such a beautiful night, considering the snow and scenery, and yet it was wasted because of his overbearing emotions. suguru couldn’t even remember when the last time he cried was. “why did this have to happen now?” he pulled his scarf up to cover most of his face, both to break the wind, and to hide his current state.

navigating the icy, desolate streets, suguru finally had stumbled upon some more familiar sights. it’s not like he had gotten lost or anything, he just was heading back home on an unfamiliar route. passing by a cafe he likes, he wondered what he might end up ordering next time. suguru might’ve considered going in and getting something, but he wanted to get back home as soon as possible. and besides, they had been closed for hours at that point.

as he continued walking, snow had begun to gently fall onto the landscape surrounding him. because of that, suguru felt the urge to get home grow stronger. he started finally closing in upon his neighborhood. despite having lived in this area for years now, he still didn’t really know his neighbors that well. he just judged his neighbors from their houses, and the very brief interactions he might’ve had with them. there were people in the area he was more interested in chatting with, as opposed to the old couple next door.

once suguru finally got to his street, he walked with his head down, trying not to get any snow in his face, more specifically in his eyes. he just wanted to get back inside, and not be borderline freezing to death anymore. “maybe i should take a hot bath when i get back… or should i just get straight in bed?” the harder he thought about it, the worse the snow falling onto him felt.

as suguru walked up to his house, a wave of relief washed over him. he was about to reach into his pocket to grab his key, when he looked up at satoru sitting on his doorstep, and was stunned. satoru stood up, with open arms. suguru ran towards him, tackling him into a hug. he could already feel tears streaming down his face again, despite how he had just cried a couple moments ago.

suguru had planted his face into the crook of satoru’s neck. everything rude and brash he had wanted to yell at satoru when he got back, just melted away in his arms. “you’re back…” was all suguru said as he cried onto satoru’s shoulder. “of course i’m back. i’m sorry for making you wait so long..” he ran his fingers gently through suguru’s hair, his other arm wrapped around him.

suguru pulled away from him, looking at satoru with his glossy eyes. “i missed you… you don’t know how worried i was for you.” suguru admitted, playfully shoving satoru’s shoulder. they just laughed. “why would you have to be worried for me? i mean, you know how strong i am!” “that’s what shoko said…” “oh? you talked to shoko about me? what did you talk about??” satoru prodded at him, with a giddy tone. suguru didn’t respond. he just looked away in embarrassment.

“but, in all seriousness…” he guided suguru to face him. “i missed you too.” satoru whispered into his ear, giving him a tender kiss on the cheek. if suguru wasn’t warmed up by being held in satoru’s arms, he was definitely heated up now. he stared back at the smiley boy in shock, due to the expressing of his newfound affection. i mean, satoru had always been clingy and affectionate in the past, but this was very different. he welcomed the gesture with open arms, he was just a little taken aback. 

“hey, isn’t that my scarf? i was looking for that!” satoru gently tugged on the scarf suguru was wearing. “what? i thought it was mine.” “no, i bought it for myself.” “well, it was right there with my coat. if i thought it was yours, i would’ve gotten my own.” “yeah… you’re gonna have to get your own.” satoru settled things, bluntly. “i don’t know why i thought you might be a gentleman about things this time.” suguru rolled his eyes.

“oh, and suguru, do you mind if i stay at your place for the night? i had to take the train back home, and… well, it’s cold and snowy and your house is closer to the station…” suguru just stared at him, dumbfounded at the switch-up in satoru’s behavior during this reunion. “…yeah, i guess you can stay here for the night. if you’re sooo delicate, to the point where you can’t make the loooong trek back home.” “hey! i’m tired, okay?!” 

suguru started to love the snow. even if he only did for that one night.

[xmalfoyweasleyx]

The more that you say, the less I know

Steve x (Henderson!)Reader, based on the song Willow -Taylor Swift --> my Taylor songs masterlist

Summary: Y/N is Dustin's older sister, she comes to town and meets Steve. But it seems the boy has some commitment issues...

Angsty but fluff ending <3 , between 1.5-2k words

I'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night.

Rough on the surface but you cut through like a knife

“My sister is coming to town! I’m gonna meet her here” Dustin said excitedly, hanging on the Family Video counter while Steve was focussing on organizing some tapes. “Wow, wow, wait. I didn’t know you had a sister?” he questioned, looking up from his work for a split second. “Duh, didn’t I mention that?” Dustin answered confused. “No? why didn't you mention such an important family thing but litterally tell me all kinds of other annoying and boring stuff?” the boy complained. “Well, she’s my half-sister and lived with her dad for 4 years now. So I haven’t seen her in ages. But she’s really great and smart.” Dustin talked admiringly with a big smile on his face. “Actually, she would be a pretty great match for you, weren’t you like.. searching for the one or something like that” Dustin suggested. Steve chuckled. “Dude, I appreciate the matchmaking but I don’t think your sister is going to be something for me, no offense” he waved off uninterested while walking away from the counter to stack some shelves.

“Hey dude! She’s kind and like... pretty funny actually, but okay” Dustin said disappointed, following Steve through the store like a puppy. “And by the way, I’ve given up on finding the one, it’s bullshit” Steve sighed. 

That’s when the bell rang, a beautiful girl that looked around 20 years old entered the shop. “Y/N!!” Dustin screamed running to the girl. “My god Dusty you’re all grown up I can’t believe this” she giggled while hugging him tight. Steve looked at her with wide eyes when they approached hem. Never in his life did he expect that Dustin Herderson’s sister would look like that, sound so sweet and cause a weird tingling feeling in his stomach. He was shocked, to say the least. 

“You never told me your sister was going to be so goddamn hot” he whispered in Dustin’s ear. “Ew dude, calm down with those words” he answered. “You must be the guy who’s been babysitting my little brother,” Y/N smiled. “Um - I-well… you could call it babysitting.. but..” Steve stuttered, making Dustin giggle. “I’m Y/N” you interrupted, reaching out your hand. “I’m Steve, nice to meet you” he smiled back.

***

The more that you say, the less I know.

Wherever you stray, I follow

It became a habit, visiting Steve when he had his break. It almost felt like a dream. The autumn sunshine in the afternoon. You and him picnicking under the tree in the beautiful field hidden behind Family Video. Laughing, touching, teasing. In the last 3 weeks, you two became closer and closer. Other people might say it was easy, Steve liked you and you liked him. Why wouldn’t you start dating? At first sight it all seemed obvious. You saw each other almost every day and it had been a while, since Nancy actually, that Steve had been showing interest in a girl for that long. But it wasn’t that easy. And you didn’t understand it at all. It was like you knew two different boys. Every time you got closer, Steve shut down.

It was a wednesday afternoon when you leaned on the counter, nibbling on some sandwich, staring at the boy you developed the biggest crush on. You both sat in silence. “Steve” you sighed. He didn’t look up. “We need to talk about our conversation from yesterday”. You had asked him on a date the other day, finally finding the courage. You didn’t even need that much confidence since you two already acted like a couple sometimes. He changed the subject immediately after you asked. As if you didn’t already go on some kind of dates when you picnick or pick up Dustin together after school. It left you confused and sad.

“What is there to talk about” he snapped. Your heart sank, surprised by the angry tone in his voice. His eyes filled with guilt immediately after he saw the hurt in his eyes. “If I’m that horrible or just some toy to fix your boredom with, you could just tell me” you responded, turning around to leave and go home to be alone. “No, I’m sorry Y/N, I…” he sighed from behind you. “You what? Tell me” you turned around angrily. Steve didn’t seem to know what to say. A doubtful look plastered his silent face. “That’s what I thought” you said disappointed and he watched you walk away.

***

Wait for the signal and I'll meet you after dark

Show me the places where the others gave you scars

Your bedroom was silent, you laying there in your bed, thinking, crying, an ache in your heart. It seemed all very dramatic, you laying there in the dark, not able to fall asleep while the rain splattered on your window. It was almost midnight when you got startled by a silent knock on the glass. Steve stood there. Drenched. You rushed out of your bed to open the window before the boy could fall off the roof or something.

“Steve what are you doing here?! You’re soaked” you were worried, but still angry. “I’m so sorry, it’s just… it’s just so confusing” he said shivering. He looked sad, almost like he’d been crying too but it was hard to see with all the rain on his face. You didn’t answer and grabbed a warm towel from your closet first. “Here” you whispered, putting the soft towel around him, feeling his broad shoulders underneath the material. His features softened when you touched him and he looked comfortable. It was silent, your bodies close. “Why are you here?” You asked softly, trying not to drown in the hazel eyes staring lovingly into yours. You didn’t understand, one moment he snaps at you and acts like there’s nothing between you two. The other moment he looks at you like he’s never been more in love.

“I’m sorry for playing with your feelings.”  He sighed. “I really am”. 

“Then explain it to me, why?” you whispered while he was toying softly with a lock of hair on your shoulder. Your foreheads almost touched. “I’m scared,” he said with a crack in his voice.

He seemed so vulnerable, you had never seen him like this. Little shivers from the cold, his eyes teary and filled with guilt. You stroked his wet brown locks softly and he leaned into your touch, closing his eyes. “Come sit on the bed with me” you suggested.

“The thing is.. I-I’m acting so weird because it’s the first time in a long time I felt this way” Steve confessed. “What do you mean?  Why is that bad?” You asked. “It makes me scared, I have this terrible feeling, that this will fail, that you will get bored of me eventually and.. it’s not going great at home, I know that’s not an excuse but, I’m.. I..” he stuttered, nervously toying with his fingers. You touched his hands delicately, trying to give him some comfort. “I won’t hurt your feelings like others might have done, if that’s your concern, I promise.” You whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “This is what scares me too, the goddamn tingles I get when you do that” he chuckles, being a little more comfortable. “That’s not a bad thing Stevie. I don’t know the details of what happened with you before, but I can tell you, love is not a bad thing” you said. “Love?” he asked. You nod. “Can I kiss you?” he said, moving closer. “Please”

Wreck my plans

That's my man

Kissing Steve Harrington was one of the best things ever. He was tender, yet passionate. You were laying on your bed now, making out with your legs tangled and your hands in his soft hair.  “I could kiss you forever” he sighed while placing soft kisses on your cheek and neck. “So, don’t stop then” you teased. Steve giggled, grabbing your hips and pulling you even closer to him with a soft groan of satisfaction. “Don’t challenge me, baby”.

You fell asleep in his arms that night. Your head on his chest, his chin resting in your hair. His arms were wrapped tightly around you and your one leg was placed on top of his. His warmth and smell made you fall in a deep sleep. Listening to his soft breath. In the arms of your man.

[catlover34]

Aether x Male!Reader

not a request

★⌒ヽinnocent love confessions..

★⌒ヽ word count : 2,836

i procrastinated this shit sm it took so fucking long to finish.

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“Alright, I’ve booked the rooms.” Kazuha announces to the group. “We have to leave by 11:30 in the morning so be prepared to wake up early.” 

“Finally!” Amber cheers, relieved to finally be able to lie down in a bed after sitting in a cramped car for hours. Her cheerful expression dissipates when she hears she has to be up early. “Come on..couldn’t you have made it later!” She whines loudly shaking Kazuha by his shoulders. The group knew amber absolutely despised waking up early, her being late to her college classes daily proving it. 

“If you didn’t stay up late everyday playing video games, you’d actually come to enjoy being up early.”(M/n) teased finding Ambers despair amusing.

Ambers puffed her cheeks as she crossed her arms  glaring at (M/n). “Unlike you, I have things that need to be done!” 

“Oh yeah? Like what, gambling all your money away on gacha games?” (M/n) shot back, a smirk planted on his face. 

“I—Well!-“ Amber’s face bloomed as embarrassment filled her body. She knew (M/n) had a point there so she was unable to come up with anything say. Just like how their squabbles usually ended, with Amber left red faced and speechless. 

“He got you there Amber.” Aether chuckled at their bickering. He was already used to their harmless fights. They were entertaining, and he couldn’t help but want to tease the loosing side of their little argument. 

“Alright, Alright.” Tomo interrupted before Amber got a chance to make another comment. “Enough bickering, we have to get to the hotel before we have less time to rest.” 

They all agreed, beginning to finish the last of their food and ask for the bill. Amber still muttering curses under her breath at (M/n). Tomo took the bill graciously, as he always did. Despite the group always offering to split the bill he never allowed them to. Being the oldest of the group he didn’t want to make them worry about the payments. He really sounded like a middle aged man in times like these,  despite only being 26 years old. They considered him the father of the group, him being the one to make sure they got home safe after a party, or reminding them to eat if they haven’t. 

Immediately when they arrived to the hotel Amber knocked herself out in her and fischls shared room. Not even checking to make sure their room was safe enough to spend the night in. One of her careless habits was that she was too carefree, which meant she would often overlook some pretty serious stuff. Fischl despite being the younger of the pair was considered the more mature one. She never hesitated to check every nook and cranny when she stayed in unknown places. The germaphobe in her never failing to send her nerves to the moon. After checking the room making sure to confirm it was safe to sleep peacefully in she comfortably lay in her bed as her tiredness finally set in and she drifted to sleep. 

Kazuha and Tomo took turns showering before they went to bed. In the group the two were considered the parents. The fact that they were a couple played a huge part in their harmless nickname, but it wasn’t the only factor in it. They took no short amount of effort in taking care of their group. Tomo was the older one, but they made it seem as if him and Kazuha were around the same age. You should’ve seen the look on Amber’s face when she found out Tomo was 26—three years older than kazuha. She still refuses to believe his age despite all of the evidence leading to it.  

After taking turns with their showers, the two changed into their most comfortable clothes and headed to sleep. Of course not before their daily kiss and words of affirmations. This was the part about them the group despised, their clear displays of pda sending bile to their throat. It almost made it seem as if they were a newly wedded couple.

Aether and (M/n) weren’t too far from Fischl and Amber in terms of playfulness, but amber could never compare to the two. They seemed like a match made in heaven the way their personalities aligned almost too perfectly. The two were closer to each other than they were to anyone else in the group. Knowing each other in high school probably played a big role in that but even then, it was hard to believe they only knew each other for a few years. They seemed absolutely enamored with one and other but its not like they would ever admit it. 

“(M/n)? You wanna shower first?” Aether inquired, staring up at (M/n) from his sitting position on the bed. 

“Nah, I’m too tired. I’ll wake up early and shower in the morning.” 

“Mm..Alright.” Aether hummed as silence filled the room once again. 

(M/n) made his way over to their shared bed sluggishly. After finally getting a moment to rest it seemed his tiredness dropped onto him in an instant as he yawned quietly. 

“Alright I’m heading in.” Aether announced softly not really expecting a reply. 

(M/n) hummed in response turning over on his back and looking up to the ceiling. He thought back to everything they did today, as he usually did before going to sleep. His mind drifted to many different things, glossing over interactions he had with people, or how good the food tasted when he ate. After his brain ran out of uninteresting topics to babble about in his head he finally drifted over to a certain topic. His longterm crush as well as his current roommate, Aether.  

Immediately his face bloomed once Aether’s face appeared in his mind. He thought back to when he first began liking all his tiredness immediately washing away. He couldn’t help but fall for him over the few years they knew eachother. During his freshman year he had to be transferred in the middle of the semester which set him back a bit in terms of making friends. No one wanted to be friends with him simply because they didn’t want to go through the trouble of having to get to know someone who they hadn’t already built a bond with. Aether was different, he didn’t care whether or not he transferred when there was only 4 months of the semester left. He just wanted to be friends with him, and that simple action sent his pulse skyrocketing. 

Just the idea of Aether gave him a giddy feeling in his chest as a smile quickly spread across his face. He brought his hands to his face as he rolled over in the bed unable to contain his excitement. He knew he probably seemed like a lovestruck highschooler to others who knew about his crush, but he couldn’t help the way his heart felt. 

“What’s got you smiling like that?” A voice inquired interrupting his train of thought. 

His heart seemed to stop beating as the very subject of his smile caught him acting like a teenage girl. He almost snapped his neck looking over to aether who stood at the shower door, hair which was usually tied into a high ponytail laying neatly onto his shoulder as a towel lay loosely in his hands. 

“Aether! Jesus—you scared the hell out of me.” (M/n) sucked in a breath. His face was still visibly red and he hoped the dimmed lights of the room covered it at least a little. 

“Mmm..” He hummed, brushing off his words. “So? What you cheesin over there for?” He teased walking over to sit down next to (M/n). 

(M/n) chuckled nervously doing his best to get Aether to drop the subject. “Just—Nothing really. I’m just happy to be on this trip with you all.” He smiled at Aether. That sentence wasn’t exactly a lie, he was extremely happy to be going on the trip but that definitely wasn’t the topic of his thoughts.

“Ah really? I was thinking the exact same thing.” Aether replied as it seemed a burst of energy spread through his body. “I was thinking how I really appreciate you all, I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t meet you.” He smiled warmly at (M/n) adoration filling his eyes. 

(M/n)’s face burned red as he went mush. Aether was too cute, and the fact he was the object of his appreciation sent his pulse skyrocketing once again. The loud beat of his heart in his chest was definitely getting harder to ignore. He didn’t know if he was overanalyzing things or if his feelings were blinding his judgment but it really seemed as if Aether reciprocated his feelings in that moment. He almost wanted to confess his feelings right then and there, but he knew it would be too sudden to just confess his feelings with no explanation. 

“Yeah..me too.” (M/n) managed to force out, his brain still trying to wrap his head around Aethers words.

“On the topic of the group, I’m so jealous of Tomo and Kazuha.” Aether sighed laying down on the bed next to (M/n) with his face towards the ceiling.

Still thinking about Aethers previous words the only words that registered in his mind were “Jealous” and “Tomo.” The moment he registered those words his heart sunk into his stomach as disappointment immediately began filling his body. He stayed silent as he listened to Aether’s complains still trying to work out the fact Aether may have had a crush in Kazuha. 

“I’m happy for them definitely,” He paused turning to face (M/n). “But no matter how hard I try, I don’t think anyone could love me like they love each other.” 

“I don’t think that’s true.” (M/n) blurted out sitting up to look at Aether. His heart hammered in his chest knowing there was no way to back out now. “Aether, you’re a great person. You’ve helped me so much throughout the years we’ve known eachother and I don’t know where I would be or what I would be doing without you.” 

“You’re beautiful Aether, inside and out.” (M/n) paused trying to get his words organized and not screw up. “And I don’t know how to express to you how much you mean to me.”

Aether was speechless as red quickly began making his way up to his face. He wasn’t expecting such a heartfelt confession from (M/n) and he sure as hell wasn’t expecting to be this flustered. His heartbeat quickly sped up as he met (M/n)’s eyes. Seeing no trace of dishonesty in his eyes,  made him even more flustered. The moment he began sweating excessively was when he knew it was over for him. You would think someone with hyperhidrosis would sweat profusely in every part of their body, except that wasn’t the case for Aether. When he begin sweating all of the sweat pools in his hands making his hands overtly moist.

”I love you Aether—More than you could ever think.” (M/n) exhaled quickly wanting nothing other than to run away and show his face again. He pushed down those feelings knowing he would never get a chance like this ever again and he couldn’t just give it up all because he was scared. He felt his heartbeat in his chest as his nerves shot to the moon. He tried as best he could to seem stable in Aether’s eyes but he was seconds away from crumbling from the inside out. 

There was silence for awhile, the two of them both trying to process what just happened. Aether was  red as a beet millions of thoughts racing through his mind. He looked up at (M/n) who he couldn’t really see well because he had his head faced downwards and away from him. He swore his heart stopped beating when he noticed the redness in (M/n)’s face. I mean who would have thought? His crush from the moment he began highschool suddenly dropping down a confession on his head? It was unexpected, and he didn’t even have any time to prepare. Still that doesn’t change how happy Aether felt in that moment. He almost burst into tears when he heard (M/n)’s words. 

(M/n) on the other hand was a hot mess. He was full on shaking now the anxiety and worry was hitting him harder than ever and Aether staying silent was not helping his case. He could feel his heart sinking to his stomach as tears brimmed his eyes. Now he thought back to their friendship sure that he ruined everything. So it came as a shock to him when he felt Aether wrap his arms around his torso whispering in his ear how much he likes—no—loves him. 

“(M/n) I love you too..” Aether sighed into the nook of (M/n)’s neck. His face was still burning and he felt mushy inside but there was no way he was gonna ruin this chance with (M/n). He hugged (M/n) tightly as if he would wake up and this would all be a dream. Now the two were sitting facing eachother with Aether cuddling against (M/n) closing any sort of space they had. 

Now it was (M/n)’s turn to be speechless. Sure he had received many hugs from Aether the few years they’ve know eachother but this was different. This time it was filled with love and admiration as well as the confirmation that his confession had been reciprocated. He almost jumped out of his skin when the complete opposite of what he thought was going to happen didn’t even happen at all. He couldn’t help it now, the tears he tried so desperately to hide spilling out from his eyes like a fountain. They were happy tear’s definitely, but all of the emotions (M/n) was feeling all at once needed someway to release. 

The moment Aether heard (M/n) sniffing he snapped his head up to look at him. He almost lost all moral reasoning when he saw how (M/n) face. Somehow even with tears flowing out of his eyes he still managed to look gorgeous. It really seemed as if God himself blessed (M/n). He snapped out of his trance as (M/n) looked at him trying to speak but no words coming out. 

“(M/n)..You look so beautiful right now.” 

(M/n) paused if his face could get any redder it was, he almost felt lightheaded now. “Shut up..No I’m not.” He spoke between sniffles the intensity of his tears pouring out lessening. “..Does this mean we’re official?” He whispers even though he already got Aethers words of confirmation he still had to hear it one more time just to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating. 

Aether smiled nodding his head as he snuggled into (M/n) once again. They sat in silence for a moment as they enjoyed eachothers company. The two cuddled together for about 20 minutes before (M/n) asked the question he had wanted to for so long. He took a deep breath and looked into Aether’s eyes his nerves finally calming down.

”Aether..Can—Can I kiss you?” (M/n) intertwined him and Aether’s hands looking up at his face for any sign of disgust or discomfort. 

“Are you sure? You don’t have to kiss me just because we’re dating now. If you’re uncomfortable please don’t try to force yourself.” Aether looked at (M/n) with sincerity in his eyes a look that never failed to make (M/n) mushy inside. 

 “No..I—I want to.” He mentally cursed at himself for stumbling over his words, red seeping onto his face once again. 

Aether said nothing and nodded his head moving closer to close the space between the two. Once again he looked at (M/n) for confirmation resuming once he earned a small nod from him. Softly, his lips met (M/n) and it was all he’d ever wish for in his life. It felt like heaven he was almost sure he’d never he able to kiss anyone ever again if it wasn’t (M/n). It lasted for ages (M/n) softly biting Aether’s bottom lip as to ask for an entry. Aether gave that entry happily he almost felt drunk on (M/n)’s taste. 

He brought his hands to (M/n)’s waist pulling him closer, wanting to taste more of him. It wasn’t until (M/n) pulled away for a breath of air did Aether realize how lightheaded he was. His brain was mushy as the kiss lingered on his tongue. He didn’t know what (M/n) was doing to him, but he wasn’t protesting. The two were both panting for a breath of air, a new atmosphere lingering around them. 

“I love you so much..”