#it's not even a take i see anymore. instead it's replaced with another stupid take of ''ermmm genderbends r transphobic'' which is also-

[namelessgakusei]

A Whisker Away

Mark Grayson reader

Warnings: family problems(? Did I tagged that right), pining, miscommunication, slow burn that it made me nearly fall asleep

Notes: A purely self indulgent fic. I can't decide whether I'll write about something like One Kiss or Rewrite The Stars. Brought to you by a very very tired Gaku. I really should start writing on my laptop. Woah this turned really long, might cut this in parts.

Synopsis: After a chance meeting with a strange talking cat who sells masks, you gain the ability to turn into a cat! Using it to your advantage, you discover your effect on people, and your importance to a certain childhood friend.

It started with a fight against your parents. They were chastising you over your choice of major for college, saying that it's better to choose something practical for your career instead of prioritizing your interest.

It was nothing new, you fight with your parents almost every day. But their words just struck something hard, making you storm out of the house in anger...? No, hurt. Sometimes, you're fairly sure they're trying to live their dreams through you.

Usually, you'd go to the Grayson's whenever you want to sulk, but you have a feeling that your parents will search there first when you take too long to come back, and you really didn't want to come back, at least for the night. The image of Mark pouting after finding out that you didn't came to him made you chuckle through the stream of tears rolling down your eyes. Stupid Mark, he'll definitely get worried once he knows you ran away.

You didn't strayed that far anyway, only a couple blocks away, in the rundown playground that you and Mark used to play in when you were kids. The thought of Mark makes you want to go back, to knock on his window after scaling his house, crawling through his sheets and sleeping beside him when he lets you in, you bit your lip. You miss Mark.

But does he? He's been getting distant lately. Your normal hangout time is replaced with him awkwardly trying to make an excuse to leave, promising to make it up to you next time. Whenever you two were out, he's suddenly ditching you without an explanation, only with a text of an apology and another promise to make up. He doesn't even let you in his room anymore. You're not stupid, you've seen his injuries, despite him trying to hide it. You've noticed him changed, even if he swears he didn't.

He has the right to keep secrets, but you feel left out. Left behind by the only person making it worth it to live.

A puff of smoke snaps you out of your pity party. When you turned to see the source, your face fell. It's... a big cat... dressed in traditional Japanese clothes. ...Huh? You know that there are weird things happening in the world, there are super powered heroes and villains, and you're fairly certain that your school janitor is a vampire with how much he loathes light. But, a human sized cat, smoking from a pipe and smiling at you?

Did you died on your way here?

"Fancy a mask?" The feline seller grins at you.

Mark's panicking. You ran away from home? At this hour?! What were you thinking?! It has been a few hours since before your parents asked for his family and the neighbors' help. Should he ask for Cecil's help? No, Mark doesn't want to involve his personal life in his hero work. He doesn't want his family, nor you to get involved and possibly be put to danger because of it.

Why didn't you came to him? He'll always listen! He'll let you sleep over! Mark thought that you weren't fighting with your parents anymore since it's been a few months after you last went over in the middle of the night. ...Or was he just took busy to notice? Mark frowns at the thought and searched up in the skies for any signs of you.

You were last sighted going over here so... Oh? A cat? Mark lowers down to the ground, nearly startling the kitten laying in the swings, its head looks up at him and it reminded Mark of your own expression when he sneaks up on you, it doesn't help that its eyes look the same as yours.

Did you stopped by here? "Have you seen them?" Mark reaches out to pet the feline and it nuzzles to his touch, purring beneath his hands. He smiles at its actions, debating on whether he brings it with him or not. Maybe it'll serve as a good bait for you to come out?

It was a ridiculous idea but with how the kitten follows him after he stood up, it made him consider it. Scooping the feline to his arms, he flew above the skies again.

Mark can fly?!

You can only gape as Mark scoops you to his arms and fucking flew above the houses, looking for you. What. Since when can he fly?!

Then again, since where were you a cat? The mask seller gave you a mask for free, saying something like keeping his customers' good faith on him or something. You tried it on, not knowing that you'll turn into the cat you are now. How can you change back? Just pull the "mask" off! But you can't really do that now, can you? Not when you're 50ft above ground!

You need to find a way to distract Mark, or find an opening where you can change back into being a human without getting caught.

Thankfully he brought you home after the unsuccessful search for you. You quickly took off your mask when he turned around to talk to his parents, acting as if you snuck inside his room the whole time. Mark hugged you tight when he saw you and made you almost feel bad for lying. But hey, he didn't told you he could fly, so you're even!

You felt giddy for the following days, it's like sharing a secret with him! But he doesn't really know he's in it. Is this why he's been avoiding you? Was he practicing his flight? Why didn't he tell you? You won't judge! You'll find it really cool! He's like Seance Dog now!

Maybe if you tell him that you can become a cat, he'll fess up? And then maybe things will go back the way they were?

You tried approaching Mark to talk, but kept getting apologies and the same promises to make up for lost time again. You start to wonder if the way he looked for you that night was because of not of worry but obligation. If the way he clung to you when you were found holds any meaning.

It's wrong, you think, when you come to him as a cat. Mark recognizes you to be the same one as before and lets you in, petting you while he does his homework. At least in this form, he isn't pushing you away. Basking in the warmth of the makeshift bed he made out of his used hoodie, you wonder when you last hung out around each other.

It has been so long.

You wonder why Mark didn't told you about his powers, were you not that trustworthy enough in his eyes? Now that you had the time to actually look at him, he looks exhausted. Why? You don't know. What, is he secretly a hero who fights the villains you see at the tv everyday? You laughed— purred at the thought, catching his attention. Mark sighed and smiled, plopping his head on his desk and absentmindedly petting you.

"I miss them."

Who? You'd ask if you could speak, but he already answered it a moment later.

"I miss (Y/N)."

Mark groans and closed his eyes.

[infinitatis-ink]

Ocean Meetings

Dragon!Gojo x Ama!Reader

Summary: The first time you encounter Gojo, even the divinity you can feel radiating from him doesn’t stop you from threatening to kill him if he took any of the day’s catch.    

A/N: This is one of the more self indulgent ideas I had floating around my mind when I first got into JJK. There's still a lot I'd need to flesh out, but might as well put this idea out there first!

Other Notes: An ama usually refers to a woman who freedives to harvest seafood such as abalone. Later, they would also be known for pearl diving.

CW: Near death by drowning

MNDI. MINORS AND BLANK/AGELESS BLOGS WILL BE BLOCKED

The first time you encounter Gojo, even the divinity you can feel radiating from him doesn’t stop you from threatening to kill him if he took any of the day’s catch.    

You spend your days as an ama, diving for abalone and other shellfish in the ocean to eke out a meager living for yourself. It’s a hard life, especially when more experienced ama have claimed all the best spots, and a recent string of bad harvests means you can’t pay someone to take you out into deeper waters with more to catch. Now you’re stuck diving from the shore where the competition's keener, frustrated and fiercely possessive of whatever you can get.

So when you see this white haired stranger in luxurious clothes you’d never be able to afford poking around your meager catch, you snap. You must’ve looked ridiculous in his eyes, yelling at him to back off from your earnings or you’d gut him like a fish while wielding a tiny knife. It’s stupid and reckless, but you don’t care anymore. You’re not going to starve just because some stranger thinks he can simply take what’s yours, consequences be damned. 

But the stranger doesn’t get angry. He’s not even offended.

Instead, he laughs and tells you not to worry, because he was just curious, that’s all.  

Your anger’s suddenly doused by his words, replaced with unease and confusion. Now that you’ve got a cooler head, there’s a strange aura coming from this man. It sinks into your bones with a deep thrum, accompanied by the heavy scent of a stormy ocean. You even swear you can hear the faint crackle of thunder in the distance.   

Everything about this man demands reverence, and you’d spat in his face with your defiance. 

“What’s there to be curious about?” you ask, before hastily adding, “Sir.”

“Oh, there’s no need for honorifics,” the stranger replies, still smiling. “I’ve never cared for them. So, what is it that you do anyways?”

Shocked, you don’t know what else to do but answer him. And strangely enough, he listens with rapt attention as you give him clipped explanations of your job, from the tools and tricks of your trade (“You only wear a loincloth?” he asks. You don’t miss how he glances at your bare chest for longer than you’d like), to the stiff competition you face from other amas (“Fight back,” he simply says, but you shake your head. You can't afford to alienate your community when you have nobody else, as tenuous as the relationship was). 

Something about the attention the man gives you puts you at ease the longer you talk, until you’re telling him that you’ve had to fend for yourself ever since your parents died. You stop then, embarrassed that you had said too much. He doesn’t pry, and gets up instead.

“I like you,” he declares. “I’ll come back another day.”

You nod mutely, still taken aback by his directness. But as he turns to leave, you suddenly realise you never got a name.

“Wait!” you call out. “May I at least get your name?”

The man gives you a bright, sharp smile.

“Gojo,” he replies, and the sound of his name echoes in your mind long after he’s left.

True to his word, Gojo continues to show up before your work day, either to pester you with questions about your job and life, or with some nonsensical story. At first you indulge him with brief answers, but you soon find yourself waking up earlier and earlier to meet him by the shore. He's carefree, talking about anything that comes to his mind, but with a surprisingly sharp memory when it comes to you, and time passes by so fast when you’re with him.

You don't know when you began to fall in love with Gojo. Maybe it was when you'd agreed to watch the sun rise with him, and saw the way years fell from his face as he basked in the sun's rays, his lips twitching up to a tender smile. Or maybe it was during one of your many conversations with him, and you'd watch him laugh at his own joke and thought you'd never heard anything more beautiful in your life before that. One thing's for certain; around him, you remember how it’s like to feel loved.

But Gojo's reluctance to say anything about himself makes you hesitant to want more from your relationship with him. You notice he’ll have a bitter expression whenever you talk about the festivals your village holds, honouring their patron deities of the ocean. And any questions you’ve asked about him are deflected with jokes and long silences too. Once, you'd asked about his childhood, and Gojo had given you a confused look, like you'd started speaking in a different language. 

“I didn't have one,” he finally tells you hesitantly. It's the most honest he's ever been about himself.

Really, the more you see Gojo, the harder it is to ignore his uncanniness. His insistence on meeting at isolated spots on the shore, and refusal to be seen by others. Smiles that reveal glimpses of too-sharp teeth, the way his vividly blue eyes sometimes turn snake-like, how the air grows heavy with rain whenever he’s around. 

(And when you're in deeper waters, you swear you can see streaks of white shimmering in the distance.)

The strangeness doesn’t stop at him, either. Wherever you go diving now, the seabed is flush with abalones and sea cucumbers, more than you can carry and sell in a day. Unusually long periods of calm waters and fine weather. Fresh fish washing up on the shore, always right next to the tub with your day’s catch. You even found a large sea bream once, and when you cut it open, gold coins spilled out of its belly.

It all comes to a head one particularly windy day with rough, but swimmable waters. It happens so suddenly; one moment, you spot a large cluster of abalones in some deeper waters, and the next, you’re being pulled by strong current into the darkness below. You’ve always known that being an ama comes with the risk of drowning, but nothing could prepare you for how swiftly it comes, choking your lungs with seawater as your strength gradually fails you. 

Ah, so this is it, you think as your vision fades away. I’m sorry, Gojo, for leaving so suddenly…

The last thing you remember seeing before you black out is a flash of pearl white scales rushing towards you—

The first thing you notice when you regain consciousness is the feeling of sand against your bare back, and the distant rumbling of thunder. The second is the dragon in the water, a mass of white scales and gold claws as it restlessly circles the shallows, its blue, serpentine eyes constantly darting towards the shore.    

You only need one glance to know who it is.

(And everything makes sense now.)

When you step into the water, Gojo freezes, and for the first time since you’ve met, there’s no falsity between the two of you. 

You break the silence first, approaching him with your hands held up. You’re not angry, you say, and you know he has a good reason to not tell you about this side of himself. But if he was willing, could the two of you start over?

The silence after your question is palpable, and you think you’ve made the biggest mistake in your life.

But when Gojo glides towards you, scale and claw giving way to a human form, and he offers his hand to you, you know you’ve chosen right.

[adelheidvonschicksal]

Hcs for Itadori x reader, who distances themselves from him and avoids him, because they have feelings for him and are scared, because they don't know how to behave around him and are scared of rejection please?

Itadori is the best person you know. He’s kind and empathetic, always willing to listen to others, and has this endearing positivity about most things. He may not be the brightest person but he’s quick to learn when given the chance. He’s also strong and handsome.

Likewise, people could list positives about you; but in this situation, when you think about what you have to offer in return, all the positives you’ve heard, you still can’t see what is so special about you that someone like him would accept your feelings. You feel inadequate.

You’re don't think you're pin-up model pretty like his posters, Itadori likes tall girls with big asses, he claims, and there’s nothing about his behavior that would insinuate that he likes your personality more than the rest of your friends.

You can’t take another day without telling him, feeling the need to scream out that you like the boy every time he gets too close, touches your arm too readily, calls out your name to back him up in whatever dumb arguments he would have with Kugisaki, or save you a seat right next to him.

You’re terrified that you might accidentally let it slip, and he’d reject you because there isn’t a good enough reason for him to like you as much as you like him. And if your words didn’t make him realize it then your actions would give it away eventually.

Fortunately, Itadori isn’t very perceptive when it comes to romantic feelings towards himself. What he can notice is when one of his friends seems troubled, and he can notice even more that he hasn’t been seeing you around as much lately.

He notices things like you don’t sit next to him anymore at meals, you don’t seem to want to hang out together as much (and when you do you always ask if the others coming too), or when he’s reading a good manga and wants to show you a panel you’re not there.

Itadori thinks he’s done something wrong to make you angry at him, and the guilt of not even knowing what he did wrong starts to preoccupy his mind. Maybe he took one too many snacks out your “secret” snack drawer (shit, did I forget to replace it?) or maybe you didn’t like the way he’d play with and squish your plushies when he’d hang out in your room (they never complained about it so how was I supposed to know!), or maybe you didn’t like his humor (But you laughed at his jokes a lot. But what if it was those awkward uncomfortable laughs and he didn’t notice!)

Itadori is pulling out his hair trying to figure it out. He considers you one of his best friends, and it’d be awkward to be classmates and work together if you hated him.

He gets all desperate about it, annoying Fushiguro and Kugisaki to help him figure out what he did so he can apologize already because every time he tries to ask you swear you’re not mad at him!

He wants to make up already and go back to arguing about stupid things instead, like whether purple or pink hair would suit you the best. He becomes hyper-aware of the pinch in his heart when he thinks about the two of you possibly matching and now you keep avoiding him.

Either Fushiguro or Kugisaki is going to try to force you to talk to him because the tension is getting annoying and a bit sad with how pouty Itadori gets and to tell him that you have a crush on him already. That you’re already pushing him away and losing him by hurting his feelings.

Before you can, Itadori is already onto his next move, buying anything to make up for what he thinks he did wrong: new snacks; new plushies; new novelty socks from when you loaned him a pair and they got ripped up during a mission; that hoodie of his you’re always complimenting? Yours, you can have it. He doesn’t even like hoodies anyway!

He’s going to show up at your dorm door, apologizing. He doesn’t know exactly what he did so he is going to simply apologize for everything. He really hates fighting with you because he really likes you, and it’s killing him not to have you like him, too.

You end up having to apologize to him and explain that you’re scared to be around him because you have feelings for him and didn’t want to be rejected, that you want to be friends with him even if he doesn’t have those feelings back for you, and you were afraid to lose him as a friend.

It takes him a minute to process everything you said. He’s trying to think of a world where he could ever reject you. You’re so pretty and talented and smart, and you did nothing but occupy his mind over the last couple of weeks and even before then he’d think about you a lot. You’re dazzling.

He explains all that to you so sincerely, with the smallest hint of shy embarrassment as he puts the words together, that it makes you feel stupid for even thinking he’d reject you and not realizing that he could hold the world with the amount of feelings he has for you.

Of course, you accept.

Itadori laughs and shuffles all the items he got for you: he guesses this means he prepared the s/o hoodie too early?

[bitchinbarzal]

It’s ok I’m ok | O Wiesblatt

inspired by “it’s ok i’m ok” by tate mcrae

summary: he’s moved on and you’re fine, she can have him.

-

You saw them before you even stepped into the bar. The way she leaned into him, her fingers skimming over his forearm like she had a right to. The way he smiled down at her, the same easy grin that used to be yours.

It stung for a second, maybe two. But you forced yourself to shake it off, rolling your shoulders back, lifting your chin. He was just another person now. Just another face in a crowd full of people you didn’t care about.

Your best friend shot you a look, waiting to see if you’d crack. You weren’t going to. Not over him. Not over Ozzy.

“Want to leave?” she asked, soft enough that no one else could hear.

You took a deep breath. Let it settle in your chest. And then you exhaled, giving her a small shake of your head “No. We’re here to have fun”

Still, your gaze drifted back to them, to her, to the way she looked at him like he was the best thing to ever happen to her.

Maybe that’s what you thought, too, in the beginning. That he was special. That he meant something different. Maybe he did, once.

You made your way toward the bar, keeping your back straight, pretending like you didn’t notice him—like you didn’t notice them. But you weren’t stupid. You knew Ozzy saw you. Could feel his gaze on your skin, burning like an old memory you wished would fade faster.

It took less than five minutes for her to find you.

“He’s so perfect”

You almost laughed. Almost. Instead, you tilted your head, giving her a tight-lipped smile, one that didn’t quite reach your eyes.

“What version?’”

The words came out before you could stop them, and the way she blinked, caught off guard, made something in you settle. Maybe it was petty. Maybe you shouldn’t care. But you did. For just a second.

And then, you didn’t.

Your fingers curled around your glass, the condensation cool against your skin “Take him. He’s yours”

Her lips parted, surprise flickering across her face before she schooled her features. Like she wasn’t expecting that response. Like she thought you’d fight for him. Maybe once, you would have.

Not anymore.

You turned back to the bar, swallowing down the last sip of your drink. It burned on the way down, but not nearly as much as it would’ve a few months ago.

Not nearly as much as watching him walk away had.

But then you felt a familiar presence behind you, the air shifting with his nearness.

“Can we talk?”

Ozzy’s voice was low, hesitant. You clenched your jaw, fingers tightening around your empty glass before slowly turning to face him.

“Talk about what?”

His expression was unreadable, his usual confidence replaced with something softer, almost regretful “Us”

You scoffed, shaking your head. “There is no us, Ozzy. There hasn’t been for a long time”

He exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck “I never meant to hurt you”

You let out a dry laugh “That’s the thing, though. You did. And now you’re here, with her, and I’m supposed to what? Pretend like it doesn’t matter?”

His jaw clenched, his gaze flickering between you and his new girl across the room “I just… I wanted to make sure you were okay”

Something in you softened, but only for a second. You swallowed down whatever lingering emotion threatened to rise and met his eyes head-on.

“I am okay”

And you meant it.

Maybe there was a time when hearing his voice would’ve shattered you. When seeing him with someone else would have made you question everything. But now? Now, you felt free.

You smiled—genuinely this time—and stepped past him, making your way back to your friends. And for the first time in a long time, you didn’t look back.

[lani-heart]

|| series masterlist || next // previously

parings -> ( eventually ) enhypen x reader genre -> soulmate au, fantasy au, angst warnings -> angst, rejection word count -> 2.2k

abstract -> misunderstandings built on lies from...

niki’s perspective

Sooha rejected them all… 

Heeseung was hurt but he didn’t show it… Sunghoon was hurt the same way… but his eyes wandered to a witch instead. Jay was hurt but he tried talking to Sooha…

Jake… was the worst of us all.

Jungwon was happy… he would happily be by y/n’s side getting her favorite breakfast in the council room… helping her with paperwork. He was happy and fulfilled.

Sunoo was happy… he would constantly go with her group of friends and talk to them. He got her snacks and made sure she was eating enough and sleeping well.

I was happy… I told Jungwon and Sunoo that I officially accepted y/n and they were proud of me. She would always take her time with me to joke around and would even seek me out for free periods to relax and just talk. I made sure she was okay… that she would have a distraction from her responsibilities by making her laugh.

Everything was all over the place.

“y/n!” I heard as I saw K… y/n lift herself up from the bed of grass we laid on to just take a much-needed rest from class, but he appeared…

“EJ needs confirmation that the school will take proper steps for the eclipse tomorrow,” he said and she nodded. She looked at me and smiled softly… apologizing silently for having to leave. 

“Make sure to not overwork yourself,” I said and she giggled. “I know Niki… I’ll see and the others later,” she said and I nodded as she left with the werewolf…

I wonder if he knew Sooha liked him?

I made my way to the council when I heard yelling… 

“How can we work as a council when we can’t agree?!” Jake yelled at Jungwon who looked frustrated… Heeseung didn’t help, not even Jay who would always help Jungwon…

I looked at Sunghoon who was looking at me… “You shouldn’t be wasting time with her if you have responsibilities here,” he said and I scoffed. 

“I’d rather be with her than here,” I muttered… “Then don’t be a part of the council,” Heeseung said with a serious look on his face and I looked at Jungwon who was gonna say something but… “Yeah, he’s been distracted recently! Both him and Sunoo '' Jake agreed and I was shocked at how they were just blaming us for something we didn't do… there's no planning to do…

“Then I won’t be a part of the council… replace us,” Sunoo said as he walked away. “He’s been so childish recently. '' Jay muttered and I scoffed. “We’re being childish, the four of you are and you’re supposed to guide us not confuse us,” I said and they scoffed and rolled their eyes… 

“Jungwon, we all have responsibilities… even if you are forgetting you’re president–" "Then I quit, Heeseung I’m not gonna argue with you. So congrats… you're president, let's go Niki'' he said as I followed Jungwon…

Were we even friends anymore?

“What do you mean you quit council?!” she yelled at us while her entire council started even some Riverfield council members…

“You guys are idiots… and you can’t just barge into here!” Wonyoung scolded as Jungwon rolled his eyes… the two didn’t get along. Which was why Sunoo joined them for lunch and not the bratty ex-president.

“Come on… Wonyoung if you need any help call me” y/n said and she nodded. “You’re lucky we don’t have anything important to plan!” The vice president scolded me and Sunoo apologized.

“I’m sorry, y/n,” Jungwon said and she sighed. “Another fight?” she asked and we all nodded… “It doesn’t help that Sunghoon is gonna have to deal with the eclipse today” I said and she looked guilty…

“Which has nothing to do with you” Sunoo said and she nodded.

We cared about her from the beginning… they were just being stupid.

sunghoon’s perspective

The medication worked but I felt restless almost like I was gonna get a fever all day. I also felt guilty… I shouldn’t have said that to Niki I was just jealous… Jealous? No, why would I be jealous… 

I’m jealous that Sooha likes K… why him?

I couldn’t help but feel like everything is falling apart… my friends are against each other, and what am I doing? Why am I fighting them?

“I still don’t know what you did to deserve kindness from the little witch” I heard as I saw EJ… he had a vial from y/n?

“She should hate you… but you’re lucky she wants to help you” he said and I sighed as I took the vial… “She’s helped us a lot… she really is a kind person who didn’t deserve what the four of you have done to her” he scolded and part of me agreed with him…

“What Jake did–” “Was stepping the line… but you used her. You were gonna use her just because she’s the only witch that can help you because she’s your soulmate. The worst part is that you were always gonna reject her but because she did it first she destroyed that ego of yours” he said and everything was true…

“Take it when the eclipse appears, y/n said it should stop the transition,” he said and I sighed. I’m sorry Solon… 

“Hiding forever though… it won’t make you feel better” I knew he was right… but I didn’t want this… “Don’t you ever feel like you should do everything you shouldn’t?” he asked and I was confused…

“That’s my advice for you… grow up Sunghoon”

The eclipse was beautiful… 

I was walking across the shoreline thinking if I should drink the potion… it made me feel slightly happier than I have been recently that she’d still help me.

I knew though she hated me.

“Sooha…” I heard and saw K and Sooha together… She liked him. So why wasn’t I bothered? 

“I like you K!” she confessed and he sighed. “I like y/n,” he said and I felt my heart drop. What did he just say?

“What?” Sooha asked and maybe we just misheard. “I like y/n and–” “But she’s with–” Sooha and K stopped when she grabbed his hand… 

“I’m sorry Sooha but I can’t be your soulmate”

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please don't be a silent reader !! reblog, comment, and like <3

[necromiku]

Snow glazed donuts..

🍩 • • •

ending!Duncan x romantic partner!reader [M4A]

note: there will be no smut here, I dont feel like writing one for my first tbh X). Camille exists here as your friend and you're Duncan's bf/gf. Same AU as the show, setting is right after the tragedy. PLUS. I am a beginner, Obviously I'm not so poetic for a writer. I think this'll be a short comforting ones instead of the heavy romantic soo.. Enjoy!

this story took place in the 2010's

After all the things Duncan went through, he managed to get a partner.. Never thought the Black Kaiser would get a romantic partner would he(?). Well to replace the word 'get' more like he 'found' one. Camille knows you too, matter fact you both blended quite well. Went grocery shopping together, maybe even watch or take pictures of animals while Duncan watches from afar.

The activity today was done, you head back to his car and put all the groceries in the backseat. Seeing Duncan pay for his groceries made you wonder, where did he get all those money?.. Scratch that, your mind went through a way different path. goddamn he's so fine. you thought to yourself.

When he turn back to the entry door, you snapped back to reality. Distracting your gaze to the car control, stabbing the aux cable to your music player. Playing your favorite artist, it was laggy at the start and finally the speakers played lady gaga.

"I know that we are young, and I know that you may love me. But I just can't be with you like this anymore-"

The intro part of Alejandro, by lady gaga in her album The fame monster.

"You're dramatic." He muttered as he entered the drivers side. His eye patch slipping up a little bit give you the urge, to tug it down and fix the position.

From your eye he already knew what you're up to. He fix it and shrugs. What a wonderful man.

You look at the time. 18:19. Not bad.. You look at the sky and its a Shade of peachy orange and pink. or some stupid buffoon will say golden hour, which isn't precisely golden hour right now.

Your stomach rumbled from hunger, before he spoke the usual, 'You're hungry.' You decide to outrun his mouth before he interrupts.

"I'm hungry." - "You're hungry."

You both spoke at the same time. The old man ket out a low chuckle, you can hear it that came from his chest. compared to yours, to the soft spoken words and giggles.

He lower down the speeds down and asks, "Want sone donuts?"

"No, I'll get fat." You replied, he parked anyway and looked at you.

"No you don't." His face the usual, and he cocks his eyebrows.

He watch you pinch your belly, the soft plump you got on your lower stomach. He sighs showing his slight frustration from the comparison. He pinched his belly too and he is much bigger than yours.

"Look. One or two donuts wont get you fat. plus those are enough to fill your stomach since you dont eat like a builder's portion." He added and tilt his head.

You didn't give a single reaction and just look at him. "Alright."

He pulls out from the parking space and you immediately stop him. "No!- no- no- no no no-. I want some donuts." You cuts and he stops, he only move the car a few inch but enough to tell like we're about to leave.

"there you go." He said and you unbuckle your safety belt. So as he, You went down and looks at all the sugar. The toppings, glaze, and the warm looking donuts that made your mouth water.

As you both entered the store, the warm air conditioner embraced you both, rising your body to a comfort temperature. Its still snowing here, Thick, layers are still on the surface. We're surrounded by broad mountains, of course there will be snow.

You look at the display case, where they warm the freshly fried donuts and toppings. Duncan already chose which he wants to buy, plain and caramel, and a coffee. While you were gazing out to the toppings.

Your worry lingers as you kept staring at the glaze. Theres another side of you thats scared of sweets, cause it may ruin how you look. And theres another one that makes you happy. Its a great dilemma to you.

"A few wont hurt. Come on. Pick." He spoke, his voice soothes you. Bringing comfort and reassurance.

"right.. one with vanilla glazing and the other with the jelly filling.." The woman packs four donuts for you and while your pulling out your wallet for a card, Duncan. Beats you again. He's too fast and he always pay stuff for you.

"Dont worry. just get the donut." He spoke, a slight dissapointment crossed you face. Oh you wanna pay soo bad he didn't let you. How cute.

You proceed to grab the box you grab one in the process. Biting one while both of you walk to a nearby table.

till the time you both sit down and relax. You can see the sun sink behind the Mountain, really slowly. You look at Duncan and he bop his head up. Your eyes darts up to the sign.

"Dunkin Donuts.." You muttered.

He wondered what were you thinking about.

"Dont you think it rhymes? Dunkin and Duncan." He chuckles and shake his head.

"I dont know." He said then repeats it.

You both sit there as the snow falls down. A snowflake fell on your donut. Now your donut looks like a snow. You kept it to yourself and eats them anyway. Probably heading home as soon as it gets dark. You take a sip at the coffe, the warmness spreading through your chest remind you of how Duncan hugs you.

• • •

I should learn to put more in depth explanation xwx. I appreciate that you reached this part of the story, which is the end. Thankyou!! Love ya. toots.

[eliteseven]

Any headcanon for Tav and SH's first time? SH confidently dragging her to her tent and totally out of her mind after the group's flirtatious attempts would be... hilarious. Not to mention Tav, who has no idea what's going on but is just happy to spend time with SH (even if she doesn’t know where the night will take them).

I imagine it as something that started out of comedy and led to a sincerity and vulnerability that... oh girl, give me three cups of that. Probably, the nonexistent expectations both had about being able to make love would make the encounter better than expected, despite it being their first time together.

And hey, the room for improvement is always a great incentive to practice ;)

Btw, SH telling Tav she didn't expect Lae'zel to kiss her.

Well, I think their first time officially in NLS is still “building sandcastles” on the beach, after Shadowheart leaves Shar.

But this could be what happens before they slip away. I could see Shadowheart trying to work up the courage but the camp intervenes bc she’s taking a while and everyone can see it between them 😅

I think, at first, Shadowheart is obviously a little miffed. I mean, she did just watch everyone in camp flirt with Serena 😭 and Lae’zel’s searing hot kiss, ofc. Who could forget that?

It starts out comically. Shadowheart is understandably frustrated and curious as to what in the hells she’s just witnessed. And Serena is just giddy to be alone with her 🥹 Shadowheart is affronted, demanding to know who her apparently new “bosom companion” is. She WILL have answers. Is it Lae’zel, of all people??? Because of that kiss??? Is it Wyll with his infernal little dances??? She thought she was the special one in Serena’s life.

(And tbh it’s all made funnier by the fact that Tav’s heart is RACING bc Shadowheart is so CLOSE in her interrogation, and she is so blatantly obviously in love with her 😅 she keeps staring at Shadowheart’s lips even though she’s trying to focus…)

And tbh I think her stupid spacey smile will infuriate Shadowheart further in her jealousy, and right as she feels her heart breaking, realizing Tav might have feelings for someone else, Tav probably just mumbles something incredibly intimate. Out of the blue. Just a simple “you mean everything to me.” Just whispered, confessed, bc she simply cannot resist telling her anymore.

Ugh, the way Shadowheart would stop in her tracks and just blink at her. For all her bravado, she is riddled with self-doubt. We’ve all seen it. To hear it confirmed that she is the one Serena daydreams about????? To be chosen first by someone, after Shar’s rejection??? To be the reason behind the romantic sparkle in Tav’s eyes???? 🥺 she’s never felt that in her life.

So Tav says it again. And again. And again, as she dabs at Shadowheart’s tears with her thumb. Again, as Shadowheart yanks her close and kisses her until they’re both crying. Again, as she does away with Shadowheart’s clothing and replaces every inch with kisses instead. Shadowheart is coming off the loss of Shar, but she’s gained a soulmate. She’s not alone, and won’t be, as long as Serena lives.

Their first time is beautiful: it’s awkward, they ruin half their kisses with laughter and smiles, they both shake a little in their nervousness. But it’s oh-so intimate. They’re comfortable with each other, despite the nerves. They’re so eager to please one another. They cuddle for hours, well into the early morning. Shadowheart thoroughly claims her woman, this time 😅

Serena isnt all that surprised when Shadowheart wants to revisit the subject of that smooch from Lae’zel, tho. 💀 she will have her vengeance

[dreamiestsremade]

2025 is definitely starting off way differently than I thought, and I can't say it's in a bad way.

My resolutions weren't many, but I seem to have created new ones I wasn't expecting.

Deleting my social media off my phone wasn't something I was expecting, especially since it really did have its hooks into me. TIKTOK ESPECIALLY! I would easily spend up to 4 or more hours a day on that thing!!! I really had a problem. The seemingly imminent ban of Tiktok really started this domino effect for me. In my mind I was like "well, it seems like the ban is serious this time, maybe I need to start cutting the cord with it and dealing with whatever emotions that brings now instead of the day of." So I deleted it.

At first, embarrassingly, I found myself immediately swiping over to its former spot in my socials folder to open it, despite it not being there anymore. But as the day went along, I started feeling better quicker than I'd thought. I quit wanting it. To be honest, ditching cigarettes felt similar. Once I'd removed my access to it, I didn't want it. Part of it might be a weird sense of laziness. I don't want to go into the app store and redownload that and re-log in. I don't want to take that trip to the convenience store to spend money on another pack of cigarettes.

Next I deleted things like Bluesky. I just wasn't using that enough to warrant the storage being taken up on my stupid little brick. Twitter came soon after that. That one, I was slightly less addicted to than the cursed clock app. But addicted nonetheless.

Soon enough, I only had Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Discord, and Tumblr.

Tumblr soon replaced Tiktok in terms of my mindless scrolling. To be fair, I had been completely hooked on it since I was 11 going on 12. So it was just going from one addiction to a more familiar one of the past. I'd scroll ALLLLLL the way down until I was seeing old posts from several hours ago, refresh, then repeat.

I realized this was a problem at 2am when melatonin decided it was finished keeping me asleep through the night. I couldn't get back to sleep, so my brain thought its only option was to do the old Tumblr song and dance.

I then asked myself what the hell I was doing scrolling and scrolling and whatever at 2AM. I know it's pretty much normalized nowadays to throw away your sleep schedule for Tumblr and TikTok like a snot rag, but I really just had to ask myself "You're really doing this instead of AT LEAST closing your eyes?" Getting some form of rest? Tumblr is the first thing you reached for?

SO I set up a queue long enough for 50 days, and deleted Tumblr too. Then I said "oh what the hell, let's go with almost everything else too."

SO I got rid of everything except Instagram (it has been impossible for me to become addicted to that app. It really just cannot get me for some reason. I like checking it every now and again, but meh), Discord (I only have that for family and one or two friends to be entirely honest. And even then it's days or even weeks in between replies), and Pinterest (love Pinterest. Social media without the social. Just pretty images).

I didn't expect to love it so much immediately. I wasn't expecting to feel better so soon. Sure, I still swipe for that little blue square to open every now and again. But life is so much better like this. Life is so much better when the Internet is pretty much going back to being that one special place allocated to one area of your house, where you get to leave it pretty much all behind once you step outside that room, outside your house.

I still have YouTube, and plan to stop watching stupid slop content. I want to shift to more beneficial content like self help and learning new things. But that's about it really.

I can't wait to leave more internet behind me.

[buddywellls]

eavesdrop + riley

“I can’t do this for much longer, Buddy.”

Those words from a cancer patient should have struck fear in his heart by nature alone — but Buddy knows his father’s warnings aren’t about chemotherapy or the road ahead, they’re inspired by the sound of The Weeknd filling the car around them.

“I can’t do anymore Sinatra.”

They compromised how they always did on the long drives to August’s treatments.

( With Sinatra playing. )

The crooner was singing about his adoration of New York, New York, his father’s humming along with it soon silenced and replaced with spoken word.

“I always loved New York, it was always hard to feel old there, even when I was old.”

Buddy smiles faintly at that, though there’s a truth that neither of them wanted to acknowledge sitting so prominently it may as well have been taking up the backseat.

August Wells wouldn’t make it to see New York again, not with how his body was responding to the treatment.

“You used to love it too, didn’t you? I always thought it was nice when you’d go out there and see Iris. I worry about her being so far away.”

At the mention of his cousin, Buddy’s hand leaves the wheel, scratching behind his ear with the nail of his thumb before he returns it to where it had been, his eyes on the road to save from having to tell him that he and Iris didn’t speak much at all those days.

“It’s not like Iris hasn’t been far away before,” Buddy says passively, referring to her year in the country that no one seemed to ever like to talk about.

( Standard Wells practice. )

“Don’t be like that. I hate when you’re like that.”

Buddy doesn’t need him to elaborate and August doesn’t, the long stretch of road in front of them would feel endless if they kept accidentally upsetting one another.

Another ten minutes worth of driving is behind them as Frank moved on too, no longer content with New York, his sights far greater as he longed for flying to the moon.

That one seems far more implausible, which he suspects is why it’s August’s favorite.

He always did believe in the impossible — radical good, radical change.

While Sinatra deals in other words, Buddy feels compelled to make use of his own, lowering the volume slightly so he could.

“Do you think that one of the worst days of your life can also be one of the best nights of it? Doesn’t sound right, does it? If you asked me that I’d say that sounds stupid. It’s one or the other. Then I had one of the worst days of my twenties in Central Park and one of the best nights of them in Brooklyn. Same day, same time frame.”

“I don't see how it couldn't. What changed?”

“I did,” Buddy says honestly, wondering if he sounded as strange as the recollection felt every time he revisited it — and he often did, “At least for those few hours. I met a girl and she turned it all around.”

His day, night, some long dormant part of him he had let fall to ruin along with the future he thought he was going to have.

There’s a knowing smile on August’s face as he folds his arms across his chest loosely, engaging with his son like he was a deer in what he suspects might be a dear moment with him — tentatively but curiously, not wanting to spook his sharing away.

“That’s how all the best stories start.”

August Wells — consummate optimist.

“And end.”

Buddy Wells — combative pessimist.

If they both hadn’t been cursed with undeniable awareness of the dwindling clock looming large over the older of the pair, they would have argued their individual opposing points of view all the way there and back for good measure.

“That's a matter of opinion. Who's the girl?”

“Couldn’t tell you,” Buddy says, not being deliberately difficult for once, speaking facts instead. “I didn’t get her last name. She didn’t get mine either. Didn’t feel right to at the time.”

He had wondered at the time if he would regret that, years later it’s no longer a thing to be wondered about, he regrets it plenty.

“I don't even know why I'm telling you this, or what made it cross my mind. It’s just an odd feeling that I get sometimes. This visceral awareness that there’s someone out roaming in the world who knows more about you than most of the people in your day to day life. If I think too hard about it, I’ll start thinking it wasn’t real.”

“Like a mirage?” August asks after a pause, which gets both a disbelieving laugh and a confirming nod from the driver.

“That’s not a word I’d have gotten to on my own, but yeah, I think you nailed it. Like a mirage but one you know is real.”

It’s August who’s reaching for the radio then, quieting Frank to a mute in a surprising show against his favourite singer.

“Does the mirage at least have a first name?”

“Yeah, Riley.”

August manages to make the two syllables sound melodic when he repeats them over the click of the Buddy using the blinker.

“There’s plenty of road left ahead, tell me about it.”

send me   “eavesdrop”   and my muse will describe your muse like they’re talking to a third party. // @rileyxmaddox

[sapper-axtual]

I hear what you're saying- and you're right, but...

Lance missed Keith first.

The Keith before the Blade of Marmora. The Keith that was easy to rile up, moody and edgy, but malleable and open-minded. The Keith that would play along with his teasing and give his attention back tenfold to whatever stupid way he was trying to get under his skin.

He wasn't distracted and burdened, scared of who-what he was, and what that meant for the team. The Keith that was accepted by Allura uncritically as the hero he was without any question to his heritage, that needed Lance's level-headedness and strategic thinking to help keep him balanced, that wasn't pushed into a premature position of leadership to fill the role of his beloved mentor and brother who was believed dead.

Lance missed the Keith that he caught up to. The boy he had chased for years and finally found level ground with before it all shifted out from under them.

Lance missed the Keith that he could follow- that he could protect- before he ran off with a clandestine organization of space recon operatives that could easily sacrifice their own members and would leave Keith behind without batting an eye about it.

Lance missed the Keith that was on his way to being more openly-vulnerable and trusting, that would've hugged him after two years apart instead of closing off even more.

The Keith that could admit Lance's plan was better. The Keith that would hold his hand and smile so softly at just the idea of being a team.

The Keith that would race him in a blind nosedive just to see who could fall faster...

Because Lance really hadn't expected Keith to pull up first- he probably hadn't even noticed how fast they were falling until he was suddenly on his own with the truth of it and that had to sit so sickeningly heavy while Keith was gone with the Blade- to who knows where.

He pushed it down, refused to look at the wound that caused- didn't confront Keith about it in the aftermath of everything because Keith wasn't the same person- was barely recognizable. Focused and balanced without needing his help, but also- cold, standoffish (and not in a fun way), closed-off again tighter than ever.

"You ran away!"

Well- what did he run away from, Lance?

The responsibility? The pressure?

Or you.

Lance knows it's not just him that Keith left behind- but that doesn't stop it from feeling that way. Feeling like something important- something vital and fragile was severed when Keith walked away from Voltron, something he can't replace- doesn't have the tools to rebuild.

They never mapped out where they were going to be able to retrace those steps.

Every time they interact, they clash or miss. Their fractured ends were chipped in new ways while they were apart and the jagged pieces just don't fit anymore.

So- is it any surprise he fell into Allura?

When one door closes another one opens and who could blame a guy for falling for her? She needed to be loved by someone who valued her and he needed his love to be valued, so...it worked. While it lasted.

But, she had a part to play for the universe and he'd never hold her back from it, so he was alone again and...resigned to loss.

But, maybe it wasn't the loss that changed him...because he'd been here before: he knew what it felt like to watch someone he loved walk away from him...

But, Keith only sees the change now...

After he's grounded the team and refused to let the paladins take any missions on Atlas' voyage home; cleared their schedules and reserved time with the ship's counselor for each of them. He only sees Lance's mourning after he's decided Lance is mourning...

Maybe it's the way Keith looks at him like he's changed. Like he expects Lance to fall apart any second. Like he's fragile.

And he is, but...

he was mourning long before Allura left.

Can you imagine how deeply Keith misses Lance post war?

But not the Lance of that moment, no.

The Lance of before the war ended. The one that was his right hand/co leader, the one that kept him afloat when shiro went missing again, the one that he'd grown close to.

Because now all he sees when he looks at the boy he loves, is a shell.

In his dreams it's always the Lance without the marks, the Lance that had a smile actually reach his eyes, the Lance that would laugh genuinely and so bright.

Keith goes on a mission to find some lost object and it leads him to a woman known for helping do just that.

She throws Keith and his team into a blank dreamscape saying the guardian of lost things will take shape of ones deepest trust. Ones deepest love, ones deepest wish.

The gaurdian takes the shape of Paladin Lance. The one that used to confide in him, the one that used to spend so much time with him.

Keith is frozen still as he looks at a Lance that's so happy, so playful. Nothing at all like the Lance he'd grown used to seeing now.

The guardian dances around him teasingly with Lances voice, with his smile, with his laugh.

Someone asks why it's Lance and the gaurdian chuckles in a way Keith hadn't heard from real Lance in years.

"because..." Those blue eyes focus in on Keith with the brightest twinkle "Keith missed me the most~"

The guardian steps closer running a hand across Keith's arm as he walks around him in observation. "I simply took the appearance of his heart, he trusts this face so I will Keep it as I guide you."

No one says anything else and Keith's eyes never once leave that face. No Altean markings, no visible depression, no dulled skin.

He's so unfairly alive it hurts. Keith never thought he mourned someone still living so deeply but he did. He was mourning a Lance that no longer existed.

Once the objects location is shown to them the gaurdian turns to Keith for the final time. This time he wears a gentle smile, eyes soft and filled with worry "you love him don't you?"

Keith doesn't even have to think "I do."

The gaurdian is silent for a moment as if milling over its options "speak to him, he is lost too."

And they wake up with the missing object sitting safely in Keith's hands.

All he can think about though is Lances face, young and free.

[amarantine-amirite]

Happy Graduation?

My father let me watch Junie B Jones: The Movie when I was about to go into first grade.

It seemed innocent enough, but Mom said I started to regress in my speech. Both Mom and Dad warned me never to watch it again.

It seemed easy enough, but I didn't get to finish the movie. One night, after my parents went to sleep, I snuck down to finish watching Junie B Jones.

They soon found out I finished Junie B Jones behind their backs. It was my turn to put the dishes away and I couldn't reach the top shelf. What would happen was that I'd leave the dishes on the counter and Dad would put them back, but he'd put them away in the wrong order.

Mom looked at the disordered dishes and shook her head. "you've been having a lot of trouble putting the dishes away when I ask you to. What's the problem?"

"Can you stop putting everything on the top shelves?!" I whined.

Mom shrugged. "It's not like we have a choice," she said as she took the dishes down so I could put them back properly.

I knew what that meant. The house we lived in was given to Mom instead of a cash bonus. Every room had been intentionally designed in a way that's user unfriendly. It meant either you paid the money to renovate so the cost of the renovation served as a whip for you to keep working or you lived at the office. Either way, there's nothing we can do without getting rid of the escape hatch Mom needed to get away from the bullies at work.

I knew we couldn't replace the cabinets, but we did have a hutch that sat unused at the end of the kitchen. "That doesn't make sense," I said pointing to the hutch, "Why can't we put the dishes on the hutch?"

"We just can't," mom responded. That didn't explain anything

"Why are you mad at me for not putting the dishes away? you know I can't reach"

"Because you need to learn not to slack off"

"Then why are you giving me chores that I can't do?"

Mom slammed the counter. "Because I can't do it myself! I'm too busy!" she shouted.

I didn't think it was fair that Mom asked me to do chores that I couldn't do, but I couldn't verbalize a solution. I thought about the Junie B Jones movie. In the movie, Lucille had to have all her chores done before 6:30 before she could go to prom. I said, "But if my chores aren't done before 6:30, I can't go to prom."

Yes, it was nonsense I parroted from a movie, but it was something I could verbalize.

Mom sat me down and said, "Angela, the people that wrote that stupid Junie B Jones movie were harkening back to when they were young. Not even high schools these days have proms anymore."

"Why not?" I asked.

Then came the speech. Schools across the country stopped having prom because kids can't afford to buy expensive dresses and suits, go to a restaurant, and take someone out. The price of admission makes the prom available only to the kids whose parents have more money than God. Movies are the reason why it lasted as long as it did because it used to be universal enough to use as a backdrop without explaining anything.

I stupidly responded with, "I can put you in an old folk's home, you know." I used another line from Junie B Jones. I thought it was something funny to say based on Meanie Jim and Jose's laughter when That Grace said it to Gus Valloney.

Mom got very upset. Even now, she's angry with me that I watched Junie B Jones behind her back after being told not to.

I learned three important lessons that day. Movies and TV are largely set in a world that doesn't exist anymore. Kids today don't recognize this because they either do not remember or never saw the world that TV and movies occupy. Also, Lucille's storyline was a knockoff of Cinderella.

Expecting something to be like it is in movies and TV probably caused this little fuckup during sophmore year.

If you watch any high school film or TV show, you will see the main characters wearing costumes to school on Halloween. Those of us in Mr. Gracey's last period economics class couldn't do that. We had a class presentation on Halloween. It said specifically on the assignment sheet that if we wore a Halloween costume during the presentation, we would get zero.

I desperately wanted to wear a Halloween costume to school, but didn't want to fail my presentation. I figured Mr. Gracey would make an exception for his no costumes during presentations rule if I made the costume relevant to my presentation.

Since my presentation was about hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, I dressed as a hyperinflated Zimbabwean dollar. My peers, a few of whom actually are from Zimbabwe, thought it was hilarious. Mr. Gracey begged to differ. Not only did I get an F on the presentation, I was ordered to undergo sensitivity training.

Just because I was ordered to do sensitivity training doesn't mean I completed it. I didn't skip sensitivity training on purpose, they had three teachers in a maximum class size of 18 kids. One of the teachers got in a car accident and died. All the kids that were in her section, myself included, didn't get a spot in the sensitivity training. It never seemed to matter that I didn't finish sensitivity training. It never got brought up again.

Then came graduation day. My grad ceremony left loads to be desired. They had it in the music room for some reason. We had kids sitting in the hall.

Elle's frustration lingered as she glanced around the narrow hallway outside the band classroom. "This isn't what I pictured," she lamented, "we shouldn't have our graduation ceremony in the hallway outside the band classroom like this."

As tempted as I was to say that movies and TV lie to us, I couldn't help but nod in agreement. "I agree." I added," We have a perfectly good auditorium. Why not use it?"

The kid in front of me passed me a letter. I took one look at the pathetic "explanation" contained therein: We will be hosting our 12th Grade Graduation in Room B1 (the band classroom). Our rationale for doing so is simple. The imagery of formal attire on a stage serves as a brutal reminder of how students living in poverty will never rise from their oppressed station.

That letter did nothing to answer my question as to why they had it in the music room instead of the auditorium. There was enough word salad to make me think that nobody knew what those words were supposed to mean. I took one look at it and said, "A sphincter says what?"

Nevertheless, everyone stared at me. I pointed to the letter. They shook their heads and thought Angela's gone off again.

I got an even bigger rude awakening when they called our row up to cross the conductor's platform in the band classroom that served as a stage. The principal passed me my folder. I nervously glanced inside, expecting to see my hard-earned diploma nestled within. To my dismay, it was devoid of the coveted piece of paper. I turned to Mrs. Paris. "My folder is empty."

She met my gaze with an unyielding nod. "Yes." The principal backed away slowly, sensing that one or both of us would throw something.

A chill ran down my spine as I pressed further, desperation creeping into my voice. "Where's my diploma?"

Mrs. Paris appeared unfazed, her expression bordering on indifference. "What is it?"

I couldn't hide my frustration. "It's the piece of paper the school gives you upon graduation. Where is it?"

Her response was disheartening. "Your diploma didn't get printed."

My heart sank, and I pleaded for an explanation. "Why?"

With a sigh, she explained, "We had some issues at the printer."

This teacher was a known idiot. She once argued with me about there being 52 states because of Alaska and Hawaii. The debate ended with a map of the country and the act of simple counting. I then got suspended for disrespecting a teacher.

Anxiety welled up within me, but Mrs. Paris, my band teacher and mentor, seemed almost dismissive. "Come now, just because your diploma wasn't printed doesn't mean you didn't graduate."

Desperation tugged at my voice as I grasped for a glimmer of hope. "So, are you going to mail it to me?"

Mrs. Paris's response was as sharp as her initial indifference. "I was being sarcastic. If your diploma wasn't printed, you didn't graduate."

"Even if there was an error and it didn't get printed?"

"Doesn't matter," Mrs. Paris blinked and shook her head, "If you don't get a diploma at graduation, you didn't graduate. End of story."

That made no sense whatsoever. It made so little sense it seems like an excuse. I'm pretty sure what happened on Halloween was the reason I didn't graduate and the school just refused to tell me.

I flipped her over the desk and onto the ground, then ran out of the school. I made it halfway to the park before Jill spotted me. "Hey, where you headed?" she shouted from across the park's lush scenery.

My steps slowed as I turned to face her. I glanced over my shoulder, the weight of a trying day etched on my face. "Away from school," I replied with a sigh.

She tilted her head. "Guess you're glad to be done with high school?"

I fixed my gaze on the trees. "It's not just that," I sighed, "Graduation went terribly."

Jill's curiosity piqued. She turned her full attention to me. "What happened?"

I hesitated. I didn't want to tell her that I flipped a teacher over a desk. After I massaged the words in a way that sounded like I wasn't hiding any evidence of misbehavior, I then revealed my frustrating predicament. "They said I didn't graduate because my diploma didn't get printed."

Jill's eyes widened in surprise. But then, her face broke into a comforting smile. "Hey, do you want to do something fun? Do you wanna go to Taco Bell?"

I blinked, momentarily distracted from the crap I'd been through. "Sure," I replied with a small smile. "It'll be easier to get this diploma printing thing sorted on a full stomach."

I'm aware Taco Bell gives me the squirts, but at this point, I don't care. I can't think straight anymore.

It's been two days, and I've received no comeuppance. It's like the whole thing never happened. Life has moved on. Oceania continues to be at war with Eastasia.

Did I graduate high school? I don't really know.

@droptheprompt

[batneko]

Okay I was trying to come up with a sugar daddy bowuigi AU and I ended up spending so much time thinking about the setting that this is gonna be another long one

So! It's modern day, big city. I prefer to think of it as still a world full of magic and mushrooms and monsters but if y'all want to picture this as a human AU feel free. In this world instead of a king Bowser is the third-generation owner of the biggest demolition company in the city. They took a slight dent lately because Bowser doesn't exactly get along with the city planner... but the company is still best in the business and not hurting for work.

Then there's the Mario brothers, who run a tiny independent plumbing company and by sheer coincidence have a phone number exactly one digit off from Koopa Demolition. They're good at what they do but because they can only take at most two jobs at a time they sometimes struggle. And they can't cut costs (any more than they already have) so the only leg up they have on the competition is promising to be faster than anyone else at the same price. It means they have to work a lot harder (and will definitely backfire sooner or later) but right now they're doing pretty well. Reasonably well. They're doing okay.

Having nearly the same number as a different business means that occasionally both groups will show up somewhere thinking they're about to negotiate a contract only to find out they just wasted their time and gas money. Hard feelings build up. Once, when the bros actually managed to convince a building owner to replace the lead pipes instead of tearing everything down, Mario and Bowser very nearly got into a physical fight. (It doesn't help that Mario is dating Bowser's ex though neither of them will admit that's part of it.)

And then one night Bowser goes back to a demo site to check on something, ends up getting hurt, and Luigi happens to be working late on a job nearby and comes to his rescue. He insists on accompanying Bowser all the way to the hospital, and while he's waiting with him mentions that it turned out to be a good thing the van broke down because if he wasn't walking back to the subway he might not have heard Bowser cry out. Bowser asks how Luigi is going to get home now, since it's so late the subway isn't running anymore, and Luigi says "I'll... I'll figure something out." Bowser calls one of his people and makes them give Luigi a ride. It's awkward for everyone.

The next day a tow truck shows up to take the Mario Bros' van to a mechanic. They're like "we didn't order this??" and the driver just says it was paid for in advance. Luigi realizes what happened and, thinking about the bad blood between Mario and Bowser, tells him the client last night was really grateful for him working late. Mario says they should thank him and Luigi says he definitely will.

So he goes to see Bowser, who is still laid up with a broken foot, and brings him a fruit basket. Bowser is like, I will absolutely eat this fruit but fixing the van was supposed to be payment for Luigi's help. He doesn't like feeling indebted. And Luigi says it was too much! There must be something Luigi can do to thank him properly.

Well... there's this stupid local businessman dinner that Bowser really didn't want to go to. Having somebody to talk to will make it more bearable. Luigi says sure, and the day of the dinner Bowser picks him up two hours early to go out and buy him a suit. Top to bottom, shoes and all. Luigi is a little offended Bowser didn't think he had nice enough clothes... but once they get to the venue and see what everyone else is wearing he can admit he did not have nice enough clothes.

The dinner goes well. Luigi IS a local businessman and nobody questions what he's doing there, even if they haven't heard of his company. Talking with Bowser is surprisingly easy, especially since plumbing and demolition have enough overlap that they can chat about work without having to explain much. They have a lot of similar gripes about clients and contracts and tools.

After a pretty nice evening and maybe one too many glasses of wine, it's all too easy to forget this wasn't supposed to be a date-date and fall into bed with Bowser. When Luigi gets home, rumpled and dressed in clothes he didn't leave in, Mario just congratulates him on what looks like a successful night.

A few days later there's a delivery. A brand new set of the power tools Luigi had mentioned he daydreamed about. Luigi calls Bowser and says this is too much, he can't accept it, and Bowser just says, "keep 'em or throw 'em out, I'm not taking them back. Already wrote them off as a business expense."

Luigi keeps them, but he can't explain this one away. He tells Mario that the person he went out with last week is... from a different socio-economic bracket. (Mario is not allowed to judge, Peach pays for most of their dates too.) They both avoid using the S-D words, but Mario says he feels too weird accepting work equipment from a stranger. Better tell the guy to stick to personal gifts.

So with something like brotherly approval, Luigi starts dating Bowser. He gets clothes, a new phone, fancy dinners and nights at expensive hotels. Bowser is not a bad date (except for when he is) but Luigi always feels a little weird knowing that their relationship is transactional. Even though Bowser clearly likes him and wants to make him happy, Luigi feels like he can't speak up about Bowser being demanding or talking down to people. Because if he's not agreeable enough Bowser will just find somebody new.

Meanwhile, Bowser has NO IDEA that Luigi thinks this. Somewhere along the line he got it in his head that his affection is a burden. He hasn't thought about this enough to put it into words, but he feels like he needs to reward people for being around him or they'll leave. He's not even trying to be a sugar daddy, he treats all of the (few) people he loves like this.

It's not until they've been dating long enough for Luigi to meet Bowser's son that anything changes. Luigi immediately sees that Bowser is pulling the old "new toys make up for not actually being around, right?" and can't stop himself from telling him that NO it does NOT make up for it. Your son wants your TIME.

He's extremely surprised when Bowser listens. And after Luigi tells him that asking Junior about his day and his hobbies will make him feel more cared about, Bowser starts making an effort to ask Luigi those things too.

Eventually he starts to think that... maybe? Bowser has just been romantically incompetent this whole time? So he tests it, and the next time Bowser tries to demand he take a week off to go on a boring business trip with him, Luigi (calmly but firmly) says that he can't possibly miss that much work but Bowser can call and talk to him every day. Bowser goes for it. He actually seems really excited that Luigi is "allowing" him to have so much of his attention.

Oof. Now Luigi feels bad.

After a couple more weeks of trying to wean Bowser off buying his affection (except paying the phone bill because Luigi seriously couldn't afford to do that himself) Luigi asks Bowser if he can officially call them boyfriends?

Bowser practically falls all over himself to agree. Everything is good, they understand each other, Luigi even has his own section in Bowser's closet. He could see this relationship lasting for the rest of his life.

Now he just needs to figure out how to tell his brother...

[biscuitblinkeu]

I Hate You [9]

Chaennie x Fem!reader

Word count: 2580

Strong emotions lead you to say hurtful things…

…………………………………………………………………………

“I need you to leave.” Soo-bin says, pointing a finger at Jennie, and you stare— having starred long enough to see the redhead’s face turning distorted. Her smile is clown-like, stretching across her face in such an unnatural way. Her skin turns purple and her pupils grow until her eyes are black. Sharp, long horns grow from the top of her head.

You want to gag.

The girl directs her attention to you. “You, human. You weren’t supposed to bring anyone. It was supposed to be me and you, only.”Irritation was evident in Soo-bin’s voice, along with that darker second voice, echoing around you.

Soo-bin was a demon. Another one of those vile creatures that come after you. You were glad you asked Jennie to come with you. (She would’ve come either way, though.)

In a matter of seconds, the sky has turned dark and the temperature has dropped immensely. Everything has stopped its movement; the cars below, the walking students below, the birds, even the wind. Everything besides the three of you. It’s different from before, you're not moved to a different place. Instead, it’s in your world, your world that’s turned into a grayscale.

“Jennie?” You shivered, stepping closer to her and she softly smiled at you. She’d love to hold you in her arms and warm you up but opted to give you her cloak since she needs her hands free.

“You can’t take her, and you know that, don’t you?” Jennie mused and the demon smiled like the cat who ate the canary. Soo-bin knows, she’s very well aware she can’t fight Jennie, she’s extremely overpowered but...

Jennie wonders why she's so smug. The question is answered when a portal popped up, throwing out a disheveled man. His hair is soaked and he’s covered in cuts from his knees to his arms, he’s trembling. His face is bruised and he’s crying, a thick black liquid drips from his mouth and he coughs violently, making the substance splutter out onto the ground.

Milo.

At the realization your feet move before you can think— but you’re yanked back, hard. So much so that you land against the reaper's chest with a thud, temporarily giving you a headache. Jennie’s arms wrap around you tightly, securing you there. You can see that the reaper's scythe is floating next to you; small wisps of black smoke sour round the blade.

You struggle in her hold— kicking, screaming, wriggling, doing anything to get free. It proves much more difficult than you want. “Why are you stopping me?!” You shriek. Your friend is on the verge of death, coughing up black blood. It’s revolting. “He’s going to die if we don’t help him… Jennie, please!” You beg, but your pleads fall on deaf ears.

“She’s using him as bait. You can’t help him.” Jennie says matter-of-fact. She’s becoming irritated. “Don’t you see she wants to lure you in? How stupid are you?” The feline-eyed woman’s once cordial and soft voice is dripping with poison. She doesn't need you running to an early death. She’ll miss you too much.

She should’ve known. A demon with a hostage is dangerous. Soo-bin had this thoroughly planned out. What would’ve happened if she never came with you? You probably would’ve been killed, and your soul would’ve been taken.

But since she came, Milo was your replacement. She used him as bait, to lure you in with the concept of a crush, and bugged him till he couldn’t take it anymore. He was a pawn.

Jennie scowls, such a fowl thing to resort to.

“You’re not about to risk your life for something so…unimportant. I have an agreement with Chaeyoung. I need to protect you at all costs, even if it means sacrificing someone else in the process.” Jennie reminded you.

As if you didn’t know.

You can’t believe Jennie called your friend unimportant. You want to cry; you already are, actually. Fat, wet tears spill from your eyes, sliding down and down and down your cheeks. You cry so much your vision becomes obstructed. You’re angry.

You won’t watch him in pain, you won’t watch him die. You have to do something.

It’s all her fault: Jennie knows you must be thinking. She wants to comfort you, tell you it will be okay— but that’s a lie. It won’t, at least not for your friend. But maybe Chaeyoung could heal him.

It depends, it all depends.

Jennie groans when you refuse to stay still. You keep moving violently in her arms and she has to keep re-tightening her grip to keep you still. The sooner she gets you to stop— which probably won’t be anytime soon, the sooner she can kill that demon.

But you don’t stop struggling, and that’s when Jennie has had enough. She pokes your forehead, and you feel your vision going black. Your legs are weak and you feel yourself slowly losing function. “I…hate you…” You trail off before falling unconscious.

She put you to sleep.

Jennie places you down softly. She grabs her scythe and looks at Milo who is now choking, grasping his stomach in hope of stopping the wound from bleeding more.

She can’t save him, at least not now.

Soo-bin stares at Jennie with her eyebrows raised— shocked that she made you sleep. Shocked, too, at the fact you didn’t come running to your little friend to help him when you had the chance.

“You know, you’re really pathetic for using a hostage. It’s sad her friend has to die for this.” Jennie mutters, watching as Soo-bin’s face gives off the fear she’s feeling. The demon sees a creature, something un-human that’s holding a scythe.

Milo doesn’t know what the hell is happening.

He wants to crawl over to you and help, but he’s in pain. Everything hurts, he’s going to pass out. He’s bleeding out and if feels like he’s dying— he is dying, isn’t he? Only death would feel like this.

Jennie is glad your friend can’t make sense of the situation. If he survives, she’ll simply wipe his memories later.

Once Soo-bin realizes her plan has failed— her stupid, stupid plan, and as an attempt to salvage it, she grabs Milo by the hair, making him yelp in pain. She adjusts her grip to his neck, threatening to snap it. “Don’t come closer.” The demon hisses.

Jennie just laughs, and laughs and laughs till the sound is everywhere and it’s all the demon can hear. It’s such a horrid sound, just like the shrieks and wails from The Void. Despite the demon’s warning, Jennie walks closer and closer to the frightened demon, who used to be so bold, so confident she’d have you. So confident she’d have Chaeyoung’s prized human.

But it failed.

In fear, Soo-bin pushed her nails into Milo’s neck, and that’s when he’s died. At the same moment that Soo-bin’s done that, her head goes flying far off to the rooftop side. Jennie had sliced it. Although she scowls when she looks at her scythe, sizzling with black blood; the cut was messy because she’s distracted.

It’s disgusting.

The reaper walks right over to the demon's body that stumbles without its head, and stabs it one with her scythe. It vanishes. She feels a bit insulted that such a low level demon had much confidence they would be the winner in the end.

Slowly, a red orb comes out, being the demon's soul. She took it in her palm and crushed it. She would’ve eaten the soul, but this demon was abominable, insulting, it would taste horrible. The sky is still dark and everything hasn’t resumed its movement, but she can fix that later.

Glancing at the passed out boy, Jennie shakes her head and frowns as she walks over to you. She needs to wake you up, but she’d prefer not to. With the amount of time Milo has left till his soul dies, she needs to get you to Chaeyoung and have you wished for your friend to be healed and alive.

You will be angry at her for letting your friend die, she sacrificed him for your cause. But Jennie could care less, you're safe, and that’s all that matters. The anger can come another day.

She crouches down and taps on your head, immediately you jolt up, looking around frantically. You spot Milo and tears return to your eyes. You glare at Jennie before running over to him, almost falling because your limbs are still weak.

More tears fall from your eyes as you see how hurt he is, he isn’t even breathing. “Please, please tell me he’s not dead— you can help him right??” You cry, looking at Jennie. You don’t feel his heartbeat. She shakes her head.

“T-This is your fault! You could’ve saved her!” You sob. Jennie can see your eyes are filled with rage, and that makes her regret everything. She walks over and pulls you into a hug, trying to calm you down. Hoping it might help.

Your tears wet her shirt, and you repeatedly punched her in her chest; or any available spot you could in the position. Jennie could hear small muffled, “I hate you— I fucking hate you. So much…” from you, over and over. It’s starting to hurt her.

You should be thanking her that you’re alive— that she saved you. But she gets hate instead— pity and more hate. Jennie doesn’t understand human’s emotions towards another— they care too much for each other.

She doesn’t want to hear anymore of it.

“I…I can heal her, well, Rosie can,” Jennie says, making you look at her. She wants to see you smile at her again.

“S-She can?” Jennie nods. At that you feel slightly relieved, but still ill towards Jennie. You want your friend back.

“I’ll go get her. Just stay here. You’ll be safe.” Maybe if she does this you will forgive her. You nodded and watched her disappear.

…

..

.

“Mother?” Chaeyoung calls as she walks into the meeting room, soon met with the six angels, including Jisoo, Lisa, and Selugi, too. She smiled at them as she walked in, sitting down by Selugi. She suspected they were here to add ideas, and maybe talk about the banquet with her mother.

Her eyes then fell upon her father, who grinned at her sickeningly sweet from across the table. Chaeyoung smiled back in his direction to not be rude, but her eyes lingered on the table, watching Lisa’s fingers tap repeatedly. Something to distract her.

“Now,” Mrs. Park cleared her throat, catching everyone’s attention and glancing between Chaeyoung and Mr. Rose. “You’ve done the banquet training, yes?” She asks. Chaeyoung wants to scoff, roll her eyes even, but it’s not appropriate.

“Yes, so many times,” she answered, propping her cheek on her palm. Meetings with these questions were so bothersome for her, it's the same thing every year.

Go to the banquet, talk to the angel families, get asked to bond with their sons and daughters for a potential marriage— all which she’ll never do. Dance, make an announcement, end. That’s all it is.

“It has to be done. Now on the more important matter…how long will you be skipping family blessings? You need a husband, or a wife for all I care.” Her mother said, rubbing her temples as if it hurt her to say that, but it didn’t.

The angel knows her mother doesn’t care who she's with, she only cares if she loves them or not. She wants her to be happy and that's great. Her father on the other hand wants her to marry someone like Areim, or a pretty high-class angel boy.

Chaeyoung doesn’t want that.

She’ll choose you over anyone. You’re rather perfect for her, and she admits she likes you. Even if it has only been a short while.

Before she could answer, her father spoke up, her expression unreadable. “I have some suggestions, if you don’t mind me talking, dear.” Mr. Rose asked Mrs. Park, who nodded.

“About your guardian job…” He trails off, clearing his throat like a bug got stuck inside, like it was foul to even say. Just the word “guardian” coming from his mouth makes her mad.

“I think she should be promoted, and her human can be looked after by one of our other angels. Chaeyoung could do so much more.” He finished.

“If that’s okay with you Chae—”

“No, father. It is not okay.” She cut in harshly. “How could you ever think I’d want that?” She added, angered. Her father frowned, furrowing his brows and chewing on his lip anxiously. More unreadable emotions flashed across his face.

“What is it with you and that human?? She has no value and takes up your time. Being a guardian is for low angels, and there are other ways to protect the human, other humans too. Why don’t you just change back to your old position, killing— just like that Grim Reaper.” He says, smoothing back his hair. Chaeyoung remains indifferent, further irritating him. “You could easily get a better position! Any if you wanted, just like your mother and me!” His voice gets harsher as he goes on, practically shrieking.

Chaeyoung and her mother exchange looks, and her mother awkwardly adjusts her earring. She waits for Mr. Rose calmed down, the red leaving his cheeks slowly. He himself realized that was unprofessional and felt embarrassed. Seulgi and the others are silent, surprised by his outburst.

After a moment of silence, her father rubs his temples and apologizes. Chaeyoung almost wants to forgive him, since she can see he’s truly sorry, he has outbursts like that and it’s somewhat normal to them, but he involved you. She doesn’t like how he talks bad about you when you have done nothing to him.

“It’s alright, but I don’t forgive you. I don’t appreciate how you talk about my human. (Y/n) is a very respectable person, and she’s…” Chaeyoung stops herself before she calls you cute and maybe a bit more.

“I do like her, if you both must know.” She says slowly, watching her father and mother for any signs of an outburst. Her father’s face falters but he fixes it and nods.

“If you don’t accept my relationship, I will not be a part of this anymore.” She threatened, and her father’s eyes went wide in response. She knows he wants anything but that.

“I-I see. If that’s the case, you won’t want a fill-in then. I understand…” His lip quivers and Chaeyoung can tell he’s trying, trying to understand her. She knows he doesn’t want her to hate him. So he’ll have to comply, for now.

He can’t break his bond with his daughter.

“I suggest we let the human—” Selugi spoke up after a while of silence from Chaeyoung’s confession, only to be interrupted by a crash; something falling on the glass table, but It doesn’t break.

That’s when Jennie appears, right in the middle of the oval table in front of Chaeyoung, scaring everyone in the room. Jennie doesn’t hop off, she stares back at everyone there, specifically your angel.

She’s in a squatting position, knees pulled to her chest, one arm cradling her legs; she bites the nail of her thumb; Chaeyoung can tell she’s upset. She’s pouting, along with the scowl on her lips. “Rosie. I sacrificed (Y/n/n)’s friend and he’s dying, fast. Will you please save him?”

She doesn’t want you to hate her.

Would you like to continue?

“Rosie. I sacrificed (Y/n/n)’s friend and he’s dying, fast. Will you save him?”

She doesn’t want you to hate her.

[radiant-reid]

Beyond Breaking // Chapter Six

Calm

Summary: Spencer has an increasingly rare moment of peacefulness and the answer to the decision he's trying to make becomes clear

Content Warnings: divorce

Word Count: 2.7k

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Spencer knew this place well. He knew it so well he would be able to draw it from memory to almost perfect precision if asked like it was burnt into his mind.

The living room of the house he and Y/n had lived in for years.

In fall, there was always a stack of plastic pumpkins in the corner, pumpkin throw pillows, throw pillows with black bats, and a Halloween-themed banner. Each year, Spencer tried to add more and more decorations.

Although he wouldn't admit it, Christmas time had become his favorite. All the sadness surrounding the big day in his childhood was replaced by the memories of their family. The tree always had to be massive, and in the far left corner from the double doors, something Y/n insisted on so that people could see it as soon as they came in. The tall ceilings meant the tree had to be big, tall enough that Spencer needed to put Maddie on his shoulders so she could put the angel on the top. There were always so many presents, enough that they needed to be stacked on top of each other. She always kept an extra gift for Spencer in their bedroom, so there was still a surprise at the end of the busy day.

He loved Christmas because they loved Christmas, and he loved them. He loved walking into the house while the freezing cold weather blew gusts of wind and snow fell outside. Inside, their home wasn't only warm physically, the home was emotionally warm, heating both his soul and blood.

He loved how Y/n decorated the room too, and maybe his favorite day of the year was when they decorated the Christmas tree. There was always loud Christmas music, hot chocolate, and someone always got tangled in Christmas lights. He'd held each of his kids up at one point over the years to put on the star tree topper.

The room encapsulated their family, and seeing those three perfect angels sprawled across the couch at the end of a family movie night while he and Y/n cuddled was his favorite way to spend an evening.

The only thing Spencer couldn't remember was why he was there, but when Y/n walked in, the woman he was close to making his ex-wife, it didn't matter. He momentarily wondered whether or not she was real, but his heart was racing in his chest and he could feel her skin against his when she brushed past him.

“Tea?" She offered the cup to him, holding her own with her other hand. The tea cups were a gift from Emily, proper British tea cups with blue designs on them. Y/n had adored them since she got them. "You know you drink too much coffee." She said slightly teasingly.

Spencer couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. His coffee addiction wasn’t exactly a secret, but he was grateful she still cared enough after everything he put her through. “I do.” He agreed, reaching out to take the teacup, and his gaze focused on the steam coming off it instead of the warmth she ignited in him.

She sat down on the couch across from him, crossing one leg over the other. “So, how’s work?” She wondered.

“The reason I don’t live here anymore.” He answered before he could stop himself.

It was another thing he’d lost to the stupid fucking job he was starting to hate. The FBI still hated him, unable to stand the fact he honestly was innocent. They had always loved to give him as little support as possible, from all those years ago with his drug addiction to when he got arrested. 

And he still felt responsible for everything that was thrown the team’s way since they stood by him, even if none of them cared. The thing Spencer cared about more than anything was Y/n, and working for the management that hated him when it was costing him his wife and kids, infuriated him. 

“Spencer.” She said in a half-warning, half-concerned tone, and then she reached forward to touch his hand, and Spencer’s brain almost stopped working. The warmth of her hand on top of his made his eyes shoot up to look at her. “Is that really what you want to spend our time talking about?”

“Our time?” He wondered, unsure of what she was talking about. 

She tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out if he was seriously asking. The sincere look in his eyes made her tilt her wrist to check the time on her watch. “You’re going to have to go soon.”

“Oh, right.” He said in understanding, even though he didn’t. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

Y/n giggled, taking her hand away from his so she could use two teacups on the cup to drink her tea. “When did this become so difficult for us?” She huffed out, looking more heartbroken than he expected. 

“I wish it wasn’t.” He mumbled, sipping his own tea. 

“How are your classes?” She asked, almost like she was pretending he didn’t say anything. 

A smile ghosted his face, and he kept his head bowed down. “Good. The other day one of my students actually got my physics jokes.” He reported. Something about the conversation was so natural, and he loved it. 

She chuckled at that. “I think that constitutes some sort of science prize for how amazing a scientific discovery it is.”

“What’s weird is reading their birth years.” He commented. 

“Oh my gosh, no, do not tell me.” She quickly shook her head.

Each beat of silence that came up between them was awkward. The same tension present before seemed to fall over the room. It was a feeling Spencer was pretty expert in his whole life. 

That time, Spencer wasn’t going to let the silence affect them. “You look pretty in yellow.” He observed, focused on her sunshine-colored top. It wasn’t new, but it was one of his favorites. 

“Are you flirting with me, Spencer Reid?” She wondered, mock scolding in her tone. The sweet smile spreading across her face was a smile he hadn’t seen in far too long, and he could recognize the twinkle in her eyes when he finally looked at her. 

Even if he didn’t want it to, his heart skipped a beat whenever she was near him. Just looking at her breathtaking gorgeousness was enough to have his heart thumping in his chest. 

God, he loved her. “Yes. Yes, I am, Y/n Reid.” And, God, he loved the fact she was still his wife. The longer he sat there making eye contact with her, the longer he realized he’d never be able to go without her. “Did I ever tell you about the day I knew I loved you?”

She giggled like he was serious. “Yes, you did after that discovery came to your head. Also, you told everyone at the bar that night.” She reminded him. “And you tell our kids every chance you get.”

Spencer’s smile saddened. “Laine’s growing out of picture books now.” 

“She’s growing out of lots of things.” Y/n reminded him, pouting to herself as well. “I just know she won’t want me to hug her on the first day of school.”

“Oh, and Bennie going into first grade.” He added, the upset of their kids growing up dampened the conversation. It seemed impossible that they were growing up so fast, and it saddened him to think about all the time he’d lose if they were divorced. “I wish we could freeze them or go back in time.” For more than one reason.

“Well, we do have some pretty amazing photo albums.” She reminded him, playfully smiling. “Plus, defrosting them would be a little messy.”

He laughed wholeheartedly at that. “You’re right. Let’s just keep them as their perfect angel selves.” His eyes flickered to the mantle where their latest portraits were presented. Y/n didn’t care if it was tacky, she loved them in complementary outfits, and the photos all had yellow accents. 

“Those perfect angels can get pretty mad if I don’t pick them up on time.” She steered the conversation, looking at the time once more before standing up. 

Spencer frowned as he watched her, turning around when she took her teacup to the kitchen. “Y/n.” He said, getting her attention before asking his question. “Why aren’t you at work?”

“You needed me.” She answered like it was simple. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.” She urged, and Spencer politely got up, leaving his teacup on the countertop. 

He trailed behind her through the hallway. “We can’t have more time?” There was so much more he needed to talk to her about. 

“Sorry.” She apologized, turning around to look at him. 

Something in his brain wasn’t working, and he wondered if it was because of how tired he was, but he was struggling to find clarity. “Can’t I stay here until they’re back?” He asked because seeing them would make it better. 

“No.” She replied, swinging open the front door. “But not because I don’t want you seeing them.”

Standing outside, He truly felt like an idiot. “Why then?”

“You need advice, don’t you?” She asked, leaning casually against the door frame. Her tone wasn’t filled with anger or confusion, just honestly. “And you know where to go for that.”

“Yeah.” He agreed. Finally, a puzzle he could solve. “I do.”

Y/n nodded, staring at him for another moment. Spencer could see her thought pattern, and it mirrored his own: working out how to say goodbye. She decided for both of them, much to his appreciation. Like it was a year ago, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. His arms snaked around her waist instinctively, holding her body tight to his and thanking his eidetic memory. 

“Now, go.” She instructed, patting him on the shoulder before she leaned up to kiss his cheek. “And decide whether or not you’re coming back to us because it’s up to you.”

Spencer did go, turning back to watch her enter the house again. He didn’t even try to pretend it was to make her safe, even if that thought was constantly on his mind. He watched because he wanted to admire her for longer. And he knew for a fact he was coming back to her. 

Unsure of what was happening, Spencer made his way towards his advice place. It was actually just a bench in the park, but it was always where Gideon took him to talk because of the birds. 

It was a dream-like day and the sunshine felt lovely beaming down on him, something he usually didn’t have the time to appreciate. 

As he walked, he tried to divert his attention from thinking about his wife and kids to thinking about his former BAU Unit Chiefs. Did he want to be another guy in the BAU with an estranged child like Gideon? Or a teenage son that’s moodiness was more related to unresolved abandonment issues than hormones like Hotch?

It didn’t work and he worried about it until he got to the park bench. There, he sat down and waited for the mysterious advice giver who he apparently had an appointment with. 

As soon as the now-solved mystery person stopped in front of him, Spencer jumped up to hug him and exchange greetings. 

It had been a long time since he’d seen Hotch. The last time was when he chaperoned Jack’s 8th-grade field trip to DC. 

Once they sat back down, Spencer started on a line of questions rather than talking about his own issues. “How’s Connecticut? Is that where you’re still living?”

Aaron- as he insisted Spencer call him now- nodded. “We tried Texas for a while, but any place without snow in the winter isn’t worth living. Plus, Jack loves living in the countryside.” 

“How is Jack?” Spencer asked curiously.

It made Aaron smile, something he’d done more during their conversation than he used to in a week. “Really good, he’s got a girlfriend even, and he’s been  begging me to go on double dates.” Spencer’s eyes widened, and he struggled to believe that the little baby Haley brought in so many years ago was old enough to date, almost old enough to drive. “They grow up slower when you see them more.” 

Spencer knew that was true, but it didn’t make it easier to hear. “I still see them.” He lamely defended.

“How are they?” Aaron asked although he wasn’t trying to catch his former subordinate in a lie. 

“So good,” Spencer answered, widely smiling. “Oh, and you haven’t met Wren-Florence. Wait, I’ve got photos.” He quickly reached for his phone and was surprised to find it in his jacket pocket. 11:52.

That was almost 12 hours he was missing, something that hadn’t happened to him since he was using, but he ignored it and found the photo album of his kids.

Aaron flicked through the photos with a smile. “They’re gorgeous.” He cooed, a tone Spencer had rarely heard from him. “She looks more like Y/n, I think.”

“She’s the most energetic person I’ve ever met, and she can talk a million miles an hour, too.” He gushed animatedly. “I love them all so much.”

“Y/n, too?” Aaron wondered, handing the phone back. Even though he was no longer a profiler, he could read Spencer like a book.

He didn’t need to think, but he took a moment while he looked at the lockscreen of the five of them. “Yeah, but it’s not enough at the moment.”

“You've got more than that.” Aaron reminded him after a moment. “I’ve seen you two as a couple, and you just click, you always have. But if the David Rossi rumor mill is still accurate...” He trailed off, giving Spencer the chance to say something about the obvious elephant in the room. 

“Yes, 87 days ago JJ told me she loves me and things have been... different ever since,” Spencer confirmed, although he knew Rossi probably filled him in. “Between me and her, but more importantly, Y/n and I.” Aaron’s silence prompted him to continue. “I know I can be oblivious, so did you ever know?” He had to know, and without dragging any of the remaining team members into it, Aaron was the person to ask. 

“No.” He answered. “I mean, I thought maybe something would happen at the Red Skins game, but after that, I was sure it was only friendship.”

Spencer sighed. “Yeah, me too.” He breathed deeply again, staring off into the park. “What do I do?”

“I don’t know.” It was an unhelpful answer, especially for an advisor, and it made them both laugh. “I think you’ve always been better at that stuff than me. Don’t get a divorce.”

“I think that’s been halted,” Spencer said even though he was uncertain of where they stood. “We were just talking about it.” 

Aaron shook his head confusingly. “That doesn’t count, but you’re deciding now whether or not you’re going back to them even if you don’t realize it.”

Spencer wasn’t in the habit of asking questions that made him look dumb. “Derek’s mad at me.” He revealed a problem Aaron might be able to help him with.

And he got the advice he was asking for. “He won’t be next time he sees you.” The phrasing was odd, Spencer noted, shouldn’t the pronouns have been switched?

Spencer decided it was easier to believe him, and when Aaron checked his watch like Y/n had done, he realized their time might be up too. “Are you staying in the District long? Can I see you again?” He asked. 

“Sorry.” Aaron shook his head. “I’m going home today, but you should come visit sometime.” Maybe, he actually would. “But now you have to decide whether or not you’re going back to Y/n and the kids.”

Spencer knew he was. 

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[adoringhaikyuu]

they misinterpret your words during a fight and think you want to break up

characters: aone + kyoutani + oikawa + ushijima + (gn!reader)

request: hii can I request saying 'why am i even trying' in a fight n they take it wrong way, they thought u had enough of them but u just mean it like ' why r u even trying to argue' - kyotani, aone, ushi and oikawa... thank you ✨ • by @chibiiichann​

warnings: a lil angsty

notes: i was not sure how to title this well skfjhg + let’s just say everyone lives together in these

aone:

it wasn’t that he was trying to aggravate you

it’s just that he genuinely didn’t understand why you were upset and he was being dismissive without even realizing it

and that is what pushed you over

you were tired, you wanted to go to bed 

and you clearly weren’t getting anywhere, so you were ready to just drop it and go to sleep, hence why you said

“why am i even trying”

aone blinked a few times as he stared down at you, those five words sending a spike to his gut. you tried to move past him, not noticing the panic in his eyes, when he shot his arm out to stop you.

you looked up at him about to complain when you noticed the intense and glassy look in his eyes. he spoke up, his voice small. “please don’t.”

you sighed, “i just don’t see the point, nobu. i’m going––”

“no.” his voice was slightly louder and shaky. “please.” he stood in front of you and placed his hands on your arms as he looked into your eyes. “please don’t leave me.” 

you tilted your head, “leave y––” you shook your head, “baby, no i’m not–” you walked into his arms and he hugged you immediately, his arms holding you tight. “i’m not leaving you,” you looked up at him to find him already staring at you, holding his tears back. you placed a hand on his cheek and he nuzzled into your palm. “i was just going to bed because this argument wasn’t going anywhere. that’s why i said i don’t see the point.” 

he swallowed harshly and nodded. “oh.” 

you smiled sadly, “well now i can’t be mad at you anymore...” 

his hands squeezed your waist, “for what it’s worth...i’m sorry, y/n.” 

you leaned up for a kiss and he met you halfway. “let’s go to bed, okay?” 

he nodded but made no move to let go of you––so the two of you stood there for a while, just holding each other in silence.  

kyoutani:

you and kyoutani didn’t fight often...to be honest you rarely ever fought

but today...

both of you were really stressed out

you started arguing over something stupid, to be honest you couldn’t even remember what it was

it was just a way for you both to get out your frustrations in the end

but your voices started getting louder and you were getting in each other’s faces

and it became too much for you, it was just stressing you out even more

you needed fresh air

you rolled your eyes and stepped back, trying to shove past him. “you know what? why am i even trying here–”

before you could get far, kyoutani grabbed your arm, not forcefully, but enough to make you stop. you looked up and glared at him, surprised to see another emotion swirling in his eyes––sadness?

“you’re fucking joking right?” he never was good at talking through his emotions. 

you scowled, his tone not helping either of your moods at all. “let me go.”

he scowled right back. “no.” 

“kentaro.”

he raised a brow and stepped closer to you, “oh so we’re on a first name basis now? what, y/n?”

you clenched your jaw and looked him in the eye, taking a deep breath. “please just let me go.” your voice was small, defeated, you just needed space. 

his hand loosened but he didn’t let go completely, seemingly battling with himself in his mind. “no...i can’t. i won’t let you leave me.” 

so that’s why he was upset? 

you frowned up at him. “taro. i’m just going for some fresh air. i’m not leaving you.” 

he let go of you and stood straight, his lips parted. “oh.” he clenched his jaw and looked down, suddenly embarrassed by his reaction. you grabbed his hand and started walking towards the door. “what are you doing?”

you looked back at him, eyes no longer blazing, but instead, warm and loving. “we are going to get some fresh air. together.” 

he looked down, suddenly shy, but kept walking with you. “okay.”

oikawa:

oikawa had a bad day and he was more irritable than usual

tbh he was being kinda rude unintentionally

you were eating dinner across from each other and you were trying to talk about how your days were, not having spoken to each other much due to your busy schedules

but he wasn’t in the mood for talking and was just answering you with hums and giving you one word responses

after a while you got annoyed and honestly felt a little hurt

so you sighed and rolled your eyes, getting up from the table to go refill your water, mumbling to yourself more than anything

“why am i even trying”

it wasn’t until you said that that oikawa looked up from his plate, eyes wide, heart beating loudly in his chest. “wait what––”

you were already in the kitchen by the time he looked up and he urgently got out of his seat, almost knocking down his glass and you turned around at the clatter, surprised to see him basically speed-walking towards you. 

“oh now you pay attention to me?” you went to sip your water when he pulled it out of your hands and set it on the counter, ignoring your “hey!-” in protest. 

his eyes were frantic as he looked at you, “look baby i’m sorry i just i had a really shitty day today but––”

you sighed and looked to the side. “and i get that tooru, but that doesn’t give you the right to be a dick, i mean it feels like we haven’t had time to ourselves this week at all...”

he pouted and took your face into his hands, “i know baby and i’m sorry, i haven’t been trying as much as i could have been. but i promise i’ll do better, okay? i know i don’t deserve it but please tell me you’ll keep trying too?” his eyes were suddenly filled with tears and you looked at him in shock.

“hey–what’s wrong?” 

he pressed his forehead against yours and let out a shaky breath. “i just don’t want you to leave me––please don’t. i don’t know what i’d do without you––”

you pulled away as much as he’d let you to look into his eyes. “woah baby what––i’m not leaving you? sure i was frustrated, but i wasn’t going to break up with you.” 

his eyes widened, “really?”

you nodded. “really, tooru i promise.” just from the vulnerable look in his eyes you felt like you could cry as well. you kissed his cheek, “i’m not going anywhere.” 

he sighed, relieved and pulled you into a hug, mumbling his next words into your shoulder. “i love you.”

ushijima:

ushi could be really blunt and straightforward 

and sometimes had a tendency to brush things off, not understanding the big deal

today you were trying to get him understand something that happened at work, someone pissed you off and it really put you in a bad mood for the whole day

and ushi was always there to talk through things with you at night when you got home

but today, he really couldn’t see why you were upset––or rather, why you let it affect you so much, he didn’t see the point

and it felt like he wasn’t listening to you

(granted, you were a little strung up already)

you didn’t want to deal with people anymore so you brushed past him and went to take a shower, grumbling “why am i even trying”

as soon as you uttered those words, ushijima paused, unsure what to even think. you didn’t mean the relationship did you? surely, he thought about how you’d had a bad day, how you were frustrated and maybe you were just saying that in regards to your frustrations...but part of him wasn’t sure. you seemed rather annoyed during the conversation much to his disliking.

unfortunately, he wasn’t able to ask you about it because as soon as he turned around, you were already locked in the bathroom. he sat anxiously at the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees, hands clasped as he waited for you. you were taking your sweet time, no doubt relaxing and decompressing, which he understood, but it was only furthering his worry about the situation. 

it was a good while later that you’d finally gotten out of the shower, steam exiting the bathroom as you opened the door. you hadn’t even noticed ushijima sitting across from you as you got out, still focused on your thoughts, trying to calm down. 

you put your night shirt on along with some sweats, which was immediately a bad sign to him, you almost always slept in one of his shirts, and he loved that about you. 

only when you got on the bed did he speak up, clearly tense as he got your attention. “love...”

you turned and he swallowed thickly, suddenly nervous. “when you said...” he paused, looking down at his hands before looking into your eyes, clenching his jaw almost in pain. “are you giving up on us?” 

you frowned immediately, “what?”

“you...you said ‘why am i even trying’ and stormed off...did i do something? are you not happy?” 

your mouth dropped open in shock, the frustration coursing through your body now replaced with disbelief and sadness. you moved closer to him and put one hand on his cheek, the other other on his shoulder as you looked into his eyes. “what? baby no, i was just annoyed and our conversation wasn’t really helping but it wasn’t your fault! i just needed some time to think to myself, i’m sorry. this whole time you thought i wanted to end things?” 

he nodded once and your frown deepened. “baby i would never,” you paused and pulled him close for a sweet kiss. 

his hands came up to hold your waist and you melted into him, the kiss clearly soothing his worries. the look of relief and love in his eyes was clear as day when you pulled away to catch his eye. 

“i promise i am happiest with you. i’m not going anywhere, unless you were planning on leaving any time s––”

his hands gripped your waist tighter, a fierce look appearing in his eyes. “no. you’re it for me.” 

you smiled, feeling something burst in your chest and gave him another kiss. “i love you.” 

his hands made their way under your shirt and you hummed, pulling away to stop him. “baby i’m kinda tired today.”

he shook his head, a light blush on his cheeks . “i know. i just prefer when you wear my shirts.” 

you smiled and moved your hands away, “oh, okay. then go ahead.”

he smiled back, “thank you.”  

[purposefully-lost]

He did look good. He looked comfortable, which hadn't always been true in all of their time together. He'd spent half their middle school years chasing referrals just so he could stuck inside suspension whenever Sabrina had been pulled aside. Then they'd gotten older and they'd held hands less often, and the days seemed to drag on longer, and the workload grew.

And then he'd been gone. Charlie glanced away to take a drink, trying to hide the fact that his smile had faded. Sabrina had really, truly grown up into himself, and he hadn't been there to see it happen. He'd been so happy to follow him to that first shot, he'd been so excited to start seeing those changes he was waiting on- and he hadn't gotten to see them at all. Only in passing had he gotten to see Sabrina when he'd started to fill out. He should've been there, keeping him company when he worked out or walking home with him every afternoon. He'd still gone to his matches, but he'd never stayed to the very end, so he wasn't even sure if that counted for anything.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a touch that made him jump just a little bit, his eyes wide as he looked towards Sabrina. Then he pressed his lips together and tried not to think about how close they were or how much he'd actually enjoyed the brush against this jaw now that it was gone. He broke into a nervous laugh at the question before he could even think about it.

"No, uh.. no girlfriend," he told him, looking away and taking another sip just as an excuse to get himself back in line. This whole thing had him feeling weird. He should've just denied the company, he thought. Or planned for another time. His heart was racing and he was starting to wonder what kind of hole he was digging himself into. "I- I guess, not anymore. Beth n' I broke up right after graduation, and uh, there hasn't... really been anyone since." He shrugged and glanced at him again. "Just, uh, short flings, I guess? Like, one. But, uh.. not really..."

He could've winced at himself. It was an exceptionally stupid thing to say. He studied him, then looked away, wondering if he should tell him about the more recent conclusions he'd come to. He hadn't told anyone yet, still went back and forth on it some days, but Sabrina had almost been his first kiss. He'd denied him, but he couldn't help but wonder now if he'd have liked it. He shifted and looked back at him again, shoving down the question as hard as he could before it had the chance to slip from his mouth. He replaced it with something easy instead. "What about you?" He asked, glancing him over once more. His face warmed again. "I mean, I- I guess you mentioned that.. coffee date that didn't happen, but.. anyone else had your eye?"

It felt a little weird to be here. He hadn't talked to the Reimes family in a few years, but he wouldn't dream of turning down this opportunity to show them some support. Not after the way they took care of him growing up.

Sabrina paid his respects to Chris and then to Trent and Sandra before shuffling back to his seat near his parents. In the crowd, near the front, he could pick put Drew and Jay. He'd wanted to talk to them too, but there was a heavy guilt in his stomach that kept him put. The only one missing was Charlie. From what he could remember, as the brother closest to Chris, he figured he'd be right there, but he hadn't seen him at all. Sabrina frowned and leaned against his mother's shoulder.

It'd been so long since he sought out Charlie in any way. The two of them used to be very nearly attached at the hip, but he'd gone and ruined that. One small lapse of judgment and years of friendship were flushed down the toilet, leaving him far too ashamed to even look at the other boy. He'd kind of hoped to see him today, even from afar. Despite it all, he held their former friendship close to his heart. Not many people would be open to having such a weird little kid running around their house and playing with their kids, but Charlie and his family had accepted him wholeheartedly. The comfort was even warmer when Drew had come out; it'd been so wonderful to have someone to look up to.

"I'm gonna get up and stretch my legs." He whispered to his mother. The woman nodded and squeezed his shoulder, scooting back a little to let him through. Sabrina moved towards the front room of the funeral home and hid himself in a corner. He snuck a hit from his pen and masked the cough in his elbow, quickly turning his cheek away to avoid any nosy glances. He hated funerals; he had a right to make it a little more tolerable if he could. Shoving the thing back in his suit pocket, he started to move back towards the service room, but stopped as the front door opened.

The young man's eyes widened, and his face warmed. Quickly glancing away, he watched Charlie walk in through his peripherals and let out a shaky breath once he was out of sight. Shit. Sabrina moved to peek through the archway and frowned to himself. Charlie seemed... Twitchy. Anxious. He couldn't blame him. However, he figured he'd eventually find his family and take his seat up front near his brothers. Instead, he was jumping back as Charlie turned himself back around and rushed for the door again.

Sabrina hesitated, but only for a second. On instinct, he stumbled outside after him and reached out to grab his shoulder, his hand gentle. "Charlie!" He managed and stuttered a little, "Are you okay? You leaving?"

@purposefully-lost