#just awkward silence instead until she said 'too much on ur mind that's ur problem' lmaooo

[yagirlyacchan]

A colleague n I were jokin around bc we've both minorly messed up things lately (ordering books we already have), she was like 'well i'm going senile what's your excuse' and the absolute goddamn willpower it took not to blurt out 'adhd, duh'

[lririx]

hii!! if ur still taking reqs, may i kindly humbly respectfully ask for some fools gold x hunter reader? like, probably insane, bloodthirsty, maybe a cunt too cuz lowkey, we kinda need more mean and/or hunter y/ns n i rlly like ur demi x lady D write up <333

but bein frfrfr we need someone to match FG's freak and i will stand on this hill till someone hits me with a shovel or something. enewayz!!! yeah, that is all, ty!!

much loves ❤️💖💘💞💘💞💝💖💘💞💝❤️

Fool's Gold, one of the most brutal hunters in the Manor. No one thought there would be anyone worse than him. But they were wrong.

You came to the Manor. An even crazier hunter. A complete psychopath.

Your first interaction with Norton wasn't the best. He acted arrogant towards you implying how good of a hunter he is.

You didn't like him. So you decided to show him who's going to be the top hunter from now on.

In your first match no one thought you'd win. But you won. With a four kill.

Everyone was surprised. Norton hated you however. Well you did take the tile and the glory he had.

Because of this you two turned into enemies. Every day in the Manor was chaotic.

You two insulted eachother every day.

One day Keigan had to cover Robbie's ears because of all the thing you were saying to eachother.

One time you and Norton ended up together on duo hunters.

You started to steal eachothers downs.

Teamwork? What's that? You two sabotaged eachother instead of helping eachother.

Some survivors could run away because of this but not for long. Most of them needed up spraining their ankles when they saw you two dash towards them at full speed.

You two ended up completely breaking one of the buildings in Eversleeping Town when you were racing to down Aesop.

Then you just started to fight and argue with eachother.

While you were shouting your lungs off Fiona got the crowbar and slowly opened the dungeon. Then the last five remaining survivors escaped which made you lose but neither of you cared since you were so annoyed with eachother.

Both of you were prohibited from attending any matches for two weeks.

This went on for quite some time. Your attitudes towards eachother got even worse.

Mary was finally done with your shenanigans. No one had peace because of you two.

She dragged both of you to the lounge and threatened you to fix your problems or else. Then she left and locked the door.

There was an awkward silence between you two but Norton broke it with saying how it was your fault that you ended up in this situation.

This caused you to snap back at him and you two started arguing for a while until both of you were tired of it.

You decided to make a deal. A deal to not try and murder eachother. To only compete with rank levels and to not disturb the others.

This was the first time both of you agreed on cooperating with eachother.

Your relationship wasn't any different at first. In fact you didn't talk to eachother that much since you didn't banter anymore.

It was nice at first. The Manor was quiet and you had time to relax. But after a while it felt like something was missing.

You should be grateful that Norton doesn't bother you anymore. Norton should be grateful that you don't sabotage his matches anymore.

But it didn't feel right.

Why couldn't he take his eyes off of you? Why did he feel excited everytime you won a match?

That bloodthirsty expression of yours.

That sadistic look on your face.

Those crazy laughs you blurt out during matches.

Why couldn't he get these thoughts out of his mind?

One day you were frustrated because Servias kept tricking you in the match which caused you to lose.

You heard someone knock on your door.

“Are you in there?” Asked Norton.

“Piss off.” You hissed at him.

He ignored what you said and let himself in your room.

“I told you to p-” He threw a bar of chocolate at your face.

“Eat up.” He said. “It'll make you forget how badly you lost.”

You threw a pillow at him and he just laughed and threw himself on your bed.

“What do you want?” You asked him.

“Nothing just thinking how embarrassed you must be feeling right now.” He said as he grinned widely.

“Dickhead.”

“Is that a new ni-” You shoved a piece of chocolate in his mouth to shut him up.

After that your relationship was…weird?

You didn't act like life long enemies. Instead you were like close friends who bickered all the time.

If you were under the weather he'd grab you and not let go until you begged him to.

If he wasn't feeling well you would go and make jokes until he laughed.

Both of you had your pride so you didn't let the other person win that easily either.

This made you become closer with eachother. Close to the point where he'd come to spend time with you if he had nightmares. Close to the point where you would let him hold you if the thoughts of your past wandered through your mind.

All of these had led to today.

You have a duo hunters match with Norton.

Both of you were pretty excited since you can cooperate with eachother quite well and have a fun time in the match.

The match went on smoothly but there were times you'd mess up. I mean the way Norton timed his skills so perfectly to prevent a rescue.

The way he psychotically dashed towards survivors.

The way you sometimes caught him gazing at your direction.

All of these made you distracted.

There were only three people left. You were chasing Evelyn when Norton accidentally dashed infront of you which caused you to trip and fall.

“Watch where you're going dumbass.” He snickered and offered his hand to help you get up.

“YOU watch where you're going.” You scoff. “And stop following me would you?”

“Who said I was following you?”

“Why do I see you everywhere then?”

“Maybe because you're so fond of me that your eyes find me all the time.” His grin grew wide.

“Don't flatter yourself. It's you who can't spend an hour without me.” You try not to blush.

“I think you're talking about yourself love.”

“Don't make me do something I'll regret.”

“What are you going to do? Come on show me wh-”

You grab his face and kiss him so quickly that he doesn't process what happened for a minute.

You're screaming on the inside. What did you just do? Why did you do that? He's probably so pissed right now.

You try to pull away but he grabs the back of your head and deepens the kiss. He doesn't want to let go and neither do you.

[totallytododeku]

☁ studying together ( x reader hc's) ☁

characters: midoriya, bakugou, todoroki, kirishima, yaoyorozu, uraraka, + ashido

genre: fluff  <33

☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁☁

I. Midoriya 🌳🍀🌻

this poor boy is so excited to be spending time with you

but he will not take his nose out of his textbook

he can't help it

he's so happy to be in the hero course he takes his schoolwork a little too seriously

however, you can use this to your advantage ;)

normally you're almost as invested in his journey to becoming the next Symbol of Peace and achieving his dream as he is

and you would never dream of doing anything that could jeopardize it

So you were silently bouncing off the walls with glee when you realized he was impervious to distractions when it came to studying

literally anything is fair game

which is why studying with him is your new favorite time of day

pet his hair

kiss his cheeks

climb into his lap

pat his head

hold his non-dominant hand

hug him from behind his chair

rest your head on his shoulder and take a nap

do whatever you want

you can basically do anything to him while he's studying without having to worry about distracting him

he will blush a little bit of you kiss him but but you think it's adorable

lol turn on whatever tv or music you want

but only if you're done with your work!!

hes very adamant that you keep up with your work as best you can do you can graduate side by side and be pro heroes together someday

K. Bakugou 💣💥 📢

he would totally be the one to invite you to study and he would probably want to study in his dorm

it's super quiet and nobody will bother you guys because they know it's that spiky gremlin's room

overall his room just has a really relaxing atmosphere

you love being near him as much as possible

and he's much more affectionate in the comfort of his dorm room

but that doesn't mean he's gonna go easy on u ;-;

he still has his gruff attitude and will make sure you're studying every day

or else he will call u baka and force you to sit down and study until you know all your material

he's actually a great tutor tho

he writes out all the work for each problem and explains them thoroughly

all while holding in you in his arms while you sit in his lap

sometimes you can convince him to play a game with you where every time you get an answer right he gives you a kiss

but you whine when you get one wrong and he won't kiss you

he huffs before giving you a kiss while still trying to look annoyed

stupid girl he mutters

but he pulls you a bit closer to him to hide his blush and moves on to the next problem despite your giggles

S. Todoroki ❄🔥🍜

he doesn't really need to study but he doesn't know how to just .. relax

like he doesn't know how to not do what his dad tells him to do

and his dad wants him to study

it's just easier for Todoroki to do what his dad wants than to rebel

that is, it was

Until he met you and the dekusquad

obviously everyone cares about their homework and wants to graduate well and go Plus Ultra!

but study sessions with Todoroki usually end up just being you guys trying to help him be less hard on himself while you have him as a captive audience

he doesn't really mind, though, especially when it's just you two

the intimacy of studying together in comfortable silence and just

enjoying each other's company

makes his heart go (*￣∇￣*)

like i said he doesn't really need to study so he'll just end up helping you review material

please just ... hold his hand :)

after you're done studying for the day just pull him into a hug and over to your bed

he needs a nap

you feel warm fuzzies inside from how caring he's been to sit with you while you finished your homework and bring you warm tea

you don't even think you just

Time for cuddles :3

it becomes your daily ritual to study together and then cuddle

he always falls asleep in your arms with a small smile

E. Kirishima 🗿🗿🗿

(HAHAHSHNSJ THE 🗿 EMOJI OMG I'M LITERALLY SO FUNNY LOL I'M CRYING)

"Okay, Y/N, let's study hard and do our homework like men!" *fist-pumping the air and grinning like an idiot*

"...what's so funny? "

he doesn't care if you're not a man it's his trademark

he likes to study at his desk because he says it's "important to stay focused and work diligently"

generally he is the least focused person, ever. besides kaminari.

however, he's so energetic and enthusiastic that once you sit down and start studying he'll be able to keep your motivation up until you've finished all your homework

GREAT at studying for tests and quizzes (in theory)

he will never give up

like I said he could keep studying for hours once he sets his mind to it

So you have to compromise and get him to study in short bursts throughout the day to help him have a better chance of remembering anything ;-;

his memory is not great but it's kinda cute

you, being the smart cookie that u are, realized the best way to help him memorize things was to study with flashcards frequently throughout the weekend while doing other activities

so you plan to hang out together and do something fun every week while having your study material on index cards in your back pockets

it's a literal study date.

a weekly date out to the mall or the park or a little coffee shop but with math trivia thrown in randomly throughout the afternoon!! :D

Of course he was ready to turn it into a game he's a literal puppy

he just wants to show you you can be proud of him

you giggle lightly when you hear him say that and let him know that you'll always be proud of him, no matter what

M. Yaoyorozu 👑🏆☕

studyblr wants what u have.

studying in momo's room makes you feel like a Victorian young lady studying moral philosophy, writing poetry about the mourning doves outside the garden window, and waiting for her husband to come home from sailing the seven seas

it's your Belle moment where she's in the royal library except it's every day

stacks of beautiful, old books

the smell of the crisp, white pages

soft classical music floating through the air

the window cracked open slightly

and you are the luckiest student in all of UA because you get to study with the smartest girl in the whole school

she's also gorgeous and sweet and perfect which def doesn't hurt

u know that joke that ur teacher can spend a year explaining something and u never understand but then a random indian guy on YouTube explains it in 2 minutes and you finally get it

she is that random indian guy

you will never struggle with a single concept after you start studying with her

And she's so proud of you for every little question you answer correctly

(even thought she's the one that explained it all so well in the first place)

it's the definition of comfortable silence

she insists that neither of you study too hard and that you take lots of breaks to stretch

she says its to help you stay concentrated but really she just wants to feel your gentle hands on her shoulders as you massage out the knots

you take turns kneading the tension out of each other's shoulders

you feel a pleasant tingle down your spine at the feeling of her soft breath on the back of your neck

She pulls away and you share awkward smiles, neither of you realizing the other one of blushing, too

(((*≧艸≦)ﾌﾟﾌﾟｯ

O. Uraraka 🌜🚀🙏

ur actually super productive study buddies

Like u started studying together and then all of a sudden you were almost at the top of your class

she's just so sweet that being with her gives you the energy you need to write that essay all in one sitting instead of procrastinating like a normal person

Shows up at your dorm with snacks and drinks to keep your energy up!! :D

even though she's still going to end up getting sleepy anyway later in the afternoon

You get most of your studying done at the beginning of your study date so it's not really a problem

you know she doesn't have a lot of money to be throwing around so you pay for dinner every night

It's usually takeout but sometimes you guys make your own dinner for fun!

it always turns out almost inedible and burned because neither of you were paying attention to the stove

don't let baku see it or he'll start screaming about how you need to try your best at everything so he can beat you fair and square and that includes cooking too

neither you nor uraraka can handle spicey food so you never eat what Bakugou cooks for the class

You grab a few bags of chips and some sushi and shut yourselves in your dorm to pull an all-nighter study session about once a month

it should make you tired but, again, studying with her is so enjoyable that you don't mind

u two enjoy each others company in studying so much that you sometimes read ahead in your textbooks just to be able to study more

overall, hanging out with her is just lighthearted and filled with giggles

and you just so happen to get all your homework done along the way

M. Ashido 👾👽🚿

"studying" with her is so much fun

Hanging out with Mina in general is so much fun

it's impossible not to smile when she's around so even if you have a huge exam tomorrow, all your worries fade away just from being with her

She is pretty distracting in cases where you actually wanted to get stuff done

But you don't care

Change of plans

you're doing mani pedi's with Mina

No more studying

it's not as bad as it sounds though

You're not slacking off or anything and you can still keep your grades up with help from your other friends like Momo and Iida

you guys are just goofing off in the privacy of your dorm room when you should be studying

"It's not a crime to be young, Y/ N ;)"

she's just so energetic and happy like a little pink ball of sunshine

you can't help but laugh at her silliness and cute antics after a long day of classes

she makes your heart beat faster like you're on a roller coaster but without the nerves

somehow you feel giddy and comfortable in her presence at the same time

it doesn't matter what you two are doing, you always have fun

make sure she goes to bed on time, though, or she might end up baking a seven-tier cake at 3 am and Bakugou will scream at you for waking him up

don't feed her after midnight lmao

i started writing this after i almost died of boredom in my online calc class. my senioritis is already kicking in and it's still September (｡-ω-)  

[poguesofthebau]

Hey! I was wondering if i could get a ship? I’m 5’5, a saggitarius and I’m 16 years old! I’m in theatre, i love hockey, writing, history and concerts! I’m super shy when you meet me but when i get to know you it is OVER, i’m loud, outgoing, as well as the group therapist. I love being able to make people feel loved and supported. I’m a harry styles, niall horan, why don’t we , ruel, and 5sos stan as well as I love show tunes, country and classic rock ! Thank you 🥰

i would first and foremost like to applaud and publicly appreciate ur stanning harry niall and 5sos bc after the falling of 1d i thought i was the only who still loved all THREE of them hoes. bless up. now back to ur regularly scheduled shipping :) (also this is one of my fave blurbs i’ve written so i hope u like!!)

i ship you with john b!! (honorary mention: the amount of mothering you would force on jj... like the ‘mama’s mad’ thing that he said about kie that one time? yeah, like that but times a million bc you were always being jj’s mom and it would be wholesome as fuck bc you’re the only one that child will ever actually listen to)

you would definitely have grown up a pogue. you would’ve gone to middle school with john b and jj back in the day, and the three of you would be a trio that nobody really saw coming. you��d be that one girl in fifth grade that everyone just thought was quiet and liked to keep to herself because you never really went out of your way to make close friends. your not being a part of a clique would be what brought you and the boys together. one day, some group of girls would take their usual table that they ate lunch at, so they’d wander over to the one you were sitting alone at, dropping their trays down with awkward smiles and even more uncomfortable body language. you’d smile back at them, not giving them much attention as you went back to the homework you’d been doing. when you made it clear that you weren’t going to bother them even if they were at your table, the boys relaxed and continued their conversation. the situation at hand would definitely include jj being pissed off and wanting to fight someone, along with john b trying to calm his friend down so he doesn’t get in trouble again. soon enough, you’d finished up all of your homework, shoved all your books back into your bag, and started eating doritos out of the bag while blatantly listening to the conversation going on before you. things seemed to be coming to a head, and the low voices between the two were getting louder and louder. eventually, jj would yell something like “shut the hell up, john b!” and earn himself a very dirty look from the teacher currently on lunch duty as well as a whack on the head from john b. rolling his eyes, jj appeared to be deep in thought as his eyes started scanning the room quickly. suddenly, his head was snapping to you, and your eyes widened when you were addressed. “what do you��think?” stammering a bit, you glanced nervously between jj and john b. “wha-- what do i think about what?” jj sighed, turning in his seat to fully face you. “c’mon, you have to know what’s going on, don’t you?” john b would nudge jj then, giving him a face that told him to take it easy on you. “what? you think just ‘cause she’s quiet, she’s deaf too? i just wanna hear an outside opinion, john b.” surprised at jj’s (correct) assumption about you noticing the things that happened around you, you coughed. “um, i actually have heard,” you interjected, pulling a cocky smile out of jj. “told you, bro.” “but, no, i don’t think you should fight anyone, if that’s the question.” john b’s turn. he scoffed, looking jj in the eye. “told you, bro.”

after that one interaction, john b and jj basically took you under their wings. it was never a big deal. you just started hanging out with them-- when you were waiting for your ride home, they’d stand outside the school with you until your mom pulled up, only walking back to The Chateau when they knew you were good. they’d meet you at your lunch table every day after the first time, a tradition that would continue on through high school. they’d stand next to your locker, bickering over what the plans for after school were, while you swapped out books and laughed at their arguing. when pope and kie came into the picture, your two boys forced you to stay out of your shell, to let the new pogues get to know you like they did. before you could stop and realize it, john b and jj and kie and pope would come to know everything about you, and you them. and even though you knew all of them so well, there would sometimes be things that they kept from you-- including john b and jj. you’d catch the two of them whispering during keggers, or staring at you from across the room as you stood chatting with kie. after a few months of this sneaky behavior, you convinced yourself that one of them was into kie. you had the idea so deeply engraved in your mind that, soon enough, no other explanation seemed possible to you. that’s what you told pope one night at john b’s, when he’d come out to the hammocks, where you’d been swaying alone, to ask what the problem was. figuring it couldn’t hurt to talk things out with pope, you told him the truth. the day after you confessed to pope that you ‘knew jb had it bad for kie’ and he deciphered that you had feelings for john b, things got weird. you’d call jj that morning to see if he knew what the plan for the day was, and all he was able to do was stammer and stutter through your conversation. when you called pope to see if he’d need a ride to The Chateau, it was the same thing. so instead of trying with john b or kie, you simply made your way to the house. 

when you pulled up to The Chateau, parking in your usual spot next to the van, confusion flooded your body. jj’s bike was nowhere to be found, and neither was kie’s car, which was supposed to have brought her and pope there. you made your way into the house, finding john b putting beers into a cooler. “um, hello there? is there a reason our friends are not here like i was told they were?” john b would smile quickly at you, picking up the cooler and nonchalantly grabbing your hand to pull you along with him as he walked out of the house. “just us today.” your eyebrows would raise at that, not seeing why your friends had lied about the day’s plans so you could be alone with john b. “what do you mean, just us?” john b ignored you completely, quickly moving in and out of the hms pogue a few times as he packed it with the day’s supplies. “john booker,” you’d call tightly, getting his attention right away. he’d look up at you, still bent over from putting down the cooler on the boat, eyes wide. he knew that tone. “don’t yell at me. please.” you’d slit your eyes, arms crossed as you waited for an explanation. john b would sigh, stepping out of the boat and pacing in front of you a few times with his hands rubbing repeatedly over his face, clearly thinking about how to begin as you watched. “are you okay?” he stopped at that, staring at the ground as he replayed your words in his head. “john b. are you okay?” he’d turn to you, expression like a deer in headlights. “i’m in love with you.” you’d squint suspiciously at him again, arms falling to your side. “don’t-- don’t fucking look at me like that! i just said something very, very chillingly groundbreaking, okay? so don’t give me that look. i’m panicking, okay? you think i like this feeling right now?” you couldn’t help but laugh at that point, taking a step toward him and putting your hands on his shoulders. “john b, i can’t believe this is finally it. i mean, i knew you were gonna crack eventually, but... today? you’re choosing today, to have your psychotic break?” he’d shake his head, trying to cut you off but not getting the chance as you continued. “seriously! i just wanted to relax for five minutes. but i guess we can go back inside and handle your unstable mental state. no problem--” all of a sudden, john b’s hands had found their way onto your face, palms pressing against your cheeks as he pulled your face into his. he was kissing you. john b routledge. he was kissing you. when john b pulled back after a few moments, you were essentially stunned into silence. “hi. hi, it’s me. john b? remember?” john b was waving his hand in front of your face nervously, and you caught him by the wrist, stammering over a few words before he spoke again. “okay, sooo words seem to be kinda hard right now. that’s fine,” he’d chuckle, moving his hands to rest on your shoulders as he hunched down a little to get to your eye-level. “do you wanna get on the boat with me right now, or was that not okay, that i just did that?” you shook your head, trying to clear some of the love fuzz out of it. john b, misunderstanding your response, dropped his hands from your shoulders and took a step back, panic resurfacing in his body. “hey,” you’d call to him offendedly. “what are you doing?” “what am i doing? what are you doing?” you’d laugh then, slipping your arms around john b’s waist and hugging him when you closed the distance again. “so, that was actually okay?” “yes, idiot. that was perfectly okay.” john b wrapped his arms around your back, smiling and releasing the breath he’d been holding in. “cool. cool. so, we getting on the boat or what?”

[tosskah]

Pom Poms and Votes Chapter 4

It’s time for Azula to turn the tables on Ty Lee!

Chapter one, two, and three.

Ao3 link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/15499431/chapters/50926165#workskin

“Well, are you gonna kiss me, or are you just gonna stare?” Ty Lee challenges.

Azula chooses the former option without a second thought, and leans in to close the distance between them. Her fingers thread easily into the other girl’s silky hair and the soft heat of her mouth feels more wonderful than she could have imagined. The cheerleader’s body melts against her, hands roaming. One kiss folds into another, and another, growing hungrier. Azula slips an arm around Ty Lee’s waist and holds her near, urging her to continue. Their kisses break at last, and Azula’s lips trail her throat instead. She has never heard anything like the breathy, needy gasps those kisses entice, and takes it as encouragement. Her teeth scrape experimentally against the pale skin offered to her, and she is rewarded with a moan that sounds like her name.

“Azula…”

The girl wakes with a start, her dream punctured by the shrill insistence of her alarm. Her heart is hammering, and she is as breathless as she was in her imagination just a moment before.

That felt so real , she thinks, knuckling her tired eyes savagely, as if that could dispel those images from her mind. Her other hand fumbles and silences the alarm. She must have stayed up too late last night. Her body feels like someone has replaced her bones with cement. She allows herself one more minute under the warmth of the blankets before hauling herself up to prepare for the day.

________________________________________________________________________

The morning air has an autumn bite, and she quickly pushes through the trickle of students on their way into the school. Sleep still weighs heavily on her as she spins the combination on her lock. The rest of the students seem to feel equally sluggish, and chatter around her is minimal and muted. That is, until Ty Lee sidles up.

“Good mooorning Miss President!” she sing songs. Azula freezes in the act of hanging up her jacket. Her first thought is of her dream, and she feels her face reddening.

“Morning,” she manages, unable to meet the cheerleader’s eye. Did we really go on a date last night, or did I dream that too?

“Sooo last night was pretty fun, huh?” Ty Lee giggles. Azula finally makes eye contact and regrets it. It’s almost like she knows what she dreamt!!

“Uh-- yes, actually. It was fun.” The word feels unfamiliar in her mouth. She takes out the books she needs in one hand and closes her locker with the other before turning to walk toward her first class. The other girl falls into step beside her.

“And what are your big plans for your first official day as president, huh? Any decrees for your subjects?” Despite the early hour, Ty Lee is absolutely chipper. Azula wants it to annoy her, to grate on her tired nerves, but it doesn’t. In fact, it’s infectious. She feels her own spirits lifting at the silly question. A flash of inspiration accompanies it, and she feels her pulse quickening at the thought.

“Our first student council meeting isn’t until the end of the week, so I’ll have to hold off on sweeping policy changes until then. I… do have one decree for today, though,” she pauses, taking a moment to gather her courage, “And it’s not for all my subjects. Just one of them, actually.” At this, she stops walking and fixes Ty Lee with a direct look. “I think we should go out again. Let’s go see a movie tonight.”

“Really?!” Ty Lee squeals, face brighter than the morning sun. A few curious students turn to look. “Okay!!” The girl enthusiastically wraps her in a tight hug, and Azula stiffens instinctively. It’s too much like her dream, the sensation of Ty Lee’s body pressed so perfectly against hers. She feels her face heating up. The other girl pretends not to notice her awkwardness and withdraws at last, still beaming. Whatever she is about to say next is interrupted by the morning bell. “Oh!! Gosh, I’m gonna be late-- text me the plans, okay?? I can’t wait!!” As she departs, she squeezes Azula’s hand and tosses one last smile over her shoulder before joining the swell of students.

The teenager is dazed. She must be doing that on purpose , she reasons, trudging along to class, Touching me all the time to keep me off balance. She has had the upper hand for too long. Tricking me into a date when I thought it was a political meeting, now this? Ty Lee is much more dangerous than I could have believed. I can’t afford to continue underestimating her.

The class passes by with an uninterrupted drone of the teacher’s voice. Azula doesn’t hear a word.She is too preoccupied with reliving the morning’s interactions over and over again, gauging how she left herself vulnerable to the clever cheerleaders machinations. I must anticipate that she will try to get in close. I need to stop her before she can put her hands on me. Or hug me. She suppresses a shudder. Remembering the hug is too much like remembering her dream, and her thoughts keep drifting to those phantom sensations……The bell startles her back to reality.

“Azula, are you feeling well? You look flushed,” the teacher remarks as students make their way to the door. Azula doesn’t answer, and hurries out faster.

The movie tonight is her chance to turn the tables. Ty Lee will have very little time to prepare. Clearly she had been plotting to ask her out to coffee for some time, but she won’t have the element of surprise anymore. Just thinking about it makes Azula crack a smug smile. As she moves through the hall, she pulls her phone out to check her messages. There are four from Ty Lee. Seeing her name on the screen makes the girl’s heart and stomach contract in painful unison.

Can’t believe I’m nervous over a stupid text message , she chides herself, opening the text.

Hey ur honor~~👀😉

💁🙇I was sooooo excited that i forgot to mention i have cheer tonite until 5😅⏰

👀🎥Can we still see the movie????🎬👀

🍔Also i get suuuuper hungry after practice~!!! 🍕😋

Azula scoffs at the cheerleader’s blatant attempt to control the situation. She thinks she can dictate the time? Fine, let her think she has won that battle…. But the victory tonight will be mine!

The last comment of hers is strange, though. Why should Azula know when Ty Lee is or isn’t hungry?? She puts the thought aside for the moment and works on her response:

No problem. If we meet at the theater at 6, would that give you enough time to eat? We can catch the 6:15 movie.

Satisfied, she sends it and tucks her phone away.

The rest of the day passes by too quickly. Her classes continue to run together in monotonous fog. When she checks her phone again at another break, she finds a reply from Ty Lee indicating that the plan suits her, although there is a noted decrease in the amount of emojis. She makes a mental note of her decisive triumph. Despite this, she feels the return of the almost familiar heart-pounding that keeps occuring when Ty Lee is involved. It must be because she has finally found an opponent worthy enough to keep her on her toes.

_______________________________________________________________________

When the final bell rings at dismissal, Azula bolts to the parking lot. Part of her is worried she will run into the other girl, even though she knows Ty Lee will likely go straight to the gym to practice. It is unsettling, though, that she always seems to know where to find her. I must learn her schedule so she can’t keep surprising me , the teenager notes to herself as she pulls away from the parking lot. Her mind quickly turns to the night ahead of her, already calculating her plan of attack.

Not to be outdone, Azula digs in her closet to find her most form-fitting clothes. Now that she knows she is going on a date, rather than a meeting, she chooses a clinging black long sleeve shirt. The neckline dips enticingly low, and her blood colored jeans cling to her like a second skin. Her hair takes longer to put in order. Since she normally wears her hair up at school, she opts for a half down style, held up with a delicate gold clasp. At last, she deems she is ready, grabs her coat, and leaves. As she climbs into the car, she realizes it is later than she had thought, and weaves anxiously through traffic to make it to the theater on time.

On time, of course, means 15 minutes early. Azula scans the lobby of the theater, but doesn’t recognize anyone. She breathes a sigh of relief. So far her plan is on track. As the time inches closer to 6, her nervousness builds - but with it is a growing sense of excitement for the next stage of whatever game Ty Lee is playing. As 6:00 comes and goes, however, she feels her stomach churn. She hadn’t even considered the possibility of the cheerleader standing her up, and yet it would be the perfect move to claim the advantage.

I can’t believe she has outplayed me again , Azula fumes, scanning the lobby one last time before making her way to the doors. As she opens it, however, she runs full force into a breathless Ty Lee.

“Azula!!” she squeaks, recovering her balance. “I am! Soooo sorry!!! Practice ran long and one of the girls had to give me a ride and on the way here, her car overheated or something because a bunch of black smoke was coming out and we had to pull over and no one would stop to help us!! And then her dad came and said he couldn’t fix it and they had to call a tow truck, but I begged and begged and begged him and he gave me a ride here!! So now I’m here! We can still see the movie, right??”

While her story is impressive, Azula is not swayed by it. Sure, Ty Lee is selling it. Her hair is loosely falling out of the quick ponytail she must have thrown it into after practice. She is wearing the same outfit from this morning because she hasn’t had time to change: blue jeans with large white polka dots, and a bubblegum colored long sleeved crop top, with a pink jacket draped over her shoulders. The girl is out of breath, as if she has run from wherever this other cheerleader’s dad has dropped her off, with her backpack hanging off one shoulder to complete the look of Girl In a Hurry. If nothing else, Azula admires her commitment. She realizes that in all her time scrutinizing her date, she has not answered.

“Yeah, we can still see it,” she replies cooly, not granting the other girl the pleasure of seeing her unsettled.

“Great,” Ty Lee breathes, anxiety loosening as the pair moves away from the doors.

“I got tickets already, since I was here on time,” Azula adds pointedly. The cheer captain winces slightly, but tries to hide it with a smile.

“Wow, that was really thoughtful of you! Like I said, I am really really sorry I was late-!”

“It’s fine,” Azula replies, shrugging, and pulling the tickets out. The frail, uniformed employee rips the stubs for them and allows them through. The silence that stretches between them as they approach concessions is prickly with awkwardness, and Azula basks in it. Finally, she is not the one on her back foot! As she stops walking, her companion does, too. Another victory.

“Do you want to get popcorn or anything, since you just ate?” she asks, gesturing lazily to the counter in front of them.

“Um— well, I actually didn’t have time to eat before we got here- because of the car, so….” Ty Lee replies uneasily. She fidgets with the pink hem of her jacket and adds, “But if you want to just get seats, it’s okay! It’s my fault for being late-”

“No, it’s fine. Pick whatever you want— I’m buying. We’ll just miss the first preview,” Azula answers smoothly. Her smugness is starting to radiate from her now. It doesn’t matter what the cheerleader chooses to order, because all the time she spends eating will be a reminder that pretending to be late was a misstep. That Azula wasn’t rattled by it. And that is worth the few dollars spent on concessions. To her credit, Ty Lee responds as if she has no notion of the magnitude of her crushing defeat.

“Oh!! Really— are you sure? I— that is so nice of you!! You’re the best!” she stammers, glowing with excitement as she surveys the posted menu.

You’re right about that , Azula smirks, stepping up to the counter. She looks to her companion, giving her permission to order whatever she wants.

“Okay, ummmm, could I get, please, a soft pretzel aaand a medium popcorn? And a drink?... Is that okay?” This last question is posed to Azula, apprehensively. Her reply is a true grin, reveling in her achievement.

“Sounds great,” she assures, fighting to keep her smile from overtaking her. Easy now , she counsels herself, Don’t get too confident and give her an opening . Her expression folds into something more demure. Once again, Ty Lee refuses to react to her setback, and instead erupts into an enormous grin.

“Thank you!!” she squeals, bouncing with excitement. Azula offers the cashier her card for payment, and the food is quickly supplied. “You look amazing, by the way,” the cheer captain continues, scooping her treats off the counter and blatantly letting her eyes roam. When Azula is too startled to respond, she adds, “Sorry I couldn’t dress up, but it’s a good thing you look good enough for both of us!”

Compliments on her appearance are rare. How is she supposed to respond? Her face feels hot. Damn , guess she saw an opening after all .

“Thanks,” Azula replies at last, though she sounds uncertain. Ty Lee giggles at that, like something is funny, and leaves her feeling more unsure than ever.

As they enter their theater, the lights have dimmed. They pick two seats on the end of an aisle and get settled. Ty Lee glances at her nervously and seems about to say something, but stops herself. She instead gets to work on her snacks. She must not have been joking about how hungry she gets after practice.

The screen in front of them is flooded with light and the sound kicks in, almost too loudly. Azula relaxes in her seat, picking at the popcorn. So now they just…. Watch the movie, right? Together? Seems easy enough , she assures herself.

Unfortunately, the movie can’t really hold her attention. It keeps drifting over to the girl beside her. It is much more fascinating to watch her watch the film. Ty Lee reacts as though the events are really happening before her, complete with gasps, shouts, and peals of laughter. How strange! If Ty Lee notices her observer, she pretends not to. The snacks do not last long between them, leaving the cheerleader’s hands free to shield her face when the tension is too great, or clap them together in delight when something goes right. Watching them in motion sparks an idea.

It’s true that Ty Lee often puts her off balance with her casual, unanticipated touches. This is Azula’s chance to turn the tables on her! She waits for a lull in the movie, when the other girl’s hand is on the arm rest between them, and carefully slips her own palm into Ty Lee’s. Ty Lee instantly looks over at her, but she is beaming, not alarmed. She is unflappable ! Azula curses, though she doesn’t withdraw her grasp. No need to concede defeat, after all.

Holding hands is….nice. It is pleasant, although she knows her own palm is starting to sweat just a little. When she feels sure Ty Lee can sense the moisture too, she gently tugs her hand out of reach and discreetly wipes it on her pant leg. Now she is torn. Does she attempt to go back for another round? The first try did not seem to shake her. Maybe it isn’t effective.

As Azula deliberates, she notices the music is swelling. The movie must be ending, coming together in some contrived closure that she can’t be bothered to pretend to care about. No sense holding hands, then, since they’ll be leaving soon. She can work out a stronger plan of attack for another time.

The lights come up, and Ty Lee is bursting with opinions on the movie. Considering Azula didn’t really watch it, she cannot contribute, and simply listens as they gather their things and head for the exit. As soon as they return to the lobby, Azula realizes something.

“Do you need a ride home?” she asks, pulling her keys out of her jacket.

“Oh! Well- I can just call my sister to come get me, I don’t want to be any trouble-”

Azula waves the pitiful struggle aside dismissively. “I can take you.” Her tone makes it clear that the matter is closed.

“Thank you!! You really are the best!!” Ty Lee gushes.  

Considering this was likely her plan from the start, she hides it well , Azula thinks to herself, impressed. They exit the theater into brisk evening air, and both shiver. Ty Lee steps closer and slips her hand into Azula’s. It takes all her will not to look startled. It feels just as nice as it did in the movie theater. Her free hand curls into a frustrated fist. How is it that Ty Lee can unbalance her so easily? It’s not right.  

When they reach her car and their hands part, the night air feels colder, somehow. Both girls are quick to scramble into the car and adjust the heat so it can wash over them. The warm air is met with twin sighs of relief.

“So you liked the movie, then?” she asks, trying to create a distraction as she once again places her hand on the passenger seat to reverse out of the parking spot. The action puts her so close to her date. The one that she was dreaming about kissing.

“Yes!! It was so good! And the snacks were sooo yummy, thank you again for buying them!! And the tickets! Do you want me to pay you back??” Ty Lee starts to unzip her backpack.

“No need,” Azula replies, returning to her seat, well within the boundaries of her own personal space. “My treat.”

“You’re sure?” Ty Lee presses. When Azula nods, the other girl zips her backpack. “That’s very sweet of you!”

The drive to Ty Lee’s house passes quickly, mostly full of chatter about the movie. It feels like they arrive too soon.

“This was fun,” Azula declares, “Thanks for going with me.”

“I had fun, too,” Ty Lee answers, unbuckling her seatbelt. Instead of gracefully exiting the car like last time, she leans in a little closer. Azula feels her breath catch in her throat. It feels like a signal of some kind, like she wants her to lean in too, so she does.

“Can I kiss you?” Azula hears herself ask, though her voice sounds far away. Ty Lee’s gaze drops to her lips before returning to her eyes with a smile.

“Mhmm,” she nods ever so slightly.

Azula’s heart has never hammered so hard. The idea of kissing her in real life is dizzying. And yet… she wants to. She wants to know if it will be like her dream. She leans in closer, tipping her head ever so slightly. Ty Lee tips her head, too, and her eyes flutter closed. That wasn’t in her dream, but it’s a detail that thrills her. Her own eyes close an instant later, and there is an endless, waiting moment before their lips finally brush against each other.

The sensation is almost startling enough to make her pull back, but she holds firm. The kiss is soft, and, if she’s honest, wonderful. In truth, she hasn’t kissed anyone before, not really. There was the time she was dared to kiss a boy on the playground back in the early years of school, but that was nothing like this. This kiss is like floating. Weightlessness. Like everything else has faded away, other than the two of them, in this moment.

It’s unclear which of them pulls away first, but suddenly Azula finds her eyes open. She can’t seem to remember how to form words. And what would she say? What could be said, after something like that?

“Goodnight,” Ty Lee says, her voice breathless in a way Azula hasn’t heard before.

“Goodnight,” she replies, just as short of breath. Ty Lee flashes a smile and slips smoothly out the passenger door.

[selfships-in-spanish]

I’m gonna harass u with aus until the day I die ur welcome also here’s a new one wizards Not like Harry Potter type but entire universe is super magical and almost everyone knows how to do magic and those that don’t are kinda second class citizens??? And one if these magicless people is Ona and idk she bumps into Connor and Richard???

YOU’RE WELCOME TO HARASS ME WITH AUS FOR ALL ETERNITY. BRING IT ON.

omdfghdjkhfk okay this is a lovely concept!!!

Connor and Richard being high class wizards, very powerful ones with a very important role wherever they go... and they bump into this magicless, pretty girl, who fell flat on her bum. On a rainy day. Oh well, she can do a little spell and she’s going to be dry and clean in no ti–

Wait.

Something is... off. Why isn’t she drying herself? Why is she staring dumbly at the floor just about to cry or no wait, maybe she’s actually cry–

Oh. She’s one of them.

They normally don’t do this. They pay no mind to those who aren’t born with the gift, so for them to stare at her crying in a puddle while rain pours down, thinking of ways to make it up to her...

“...this was my best dress”.

“Pardon me?” Connor wasn’t sure he heard right.

“This was my best dress! How can I go to that interview now?” her face was wet and red, hiccuping now and then. And angry, so angry. “What am I supposed to do now?!”

Connor’s first response was to say “what do I care?”, but something made him shut the hell up, take that answer and kick it into the sun. Instead, he opted to look like a fish out of the water, mouth open and still trying to think what to say to an enraged, magicless woman who is also tiny and very, very cute. He really shouldn’t go chasing that thought.

She stood up on shaky legs and tried in vain to keep her drenched hair out of her face. The boys bet it would have been a a fluffy mane of hair, judging by the curls that fought against the water.

Richard took a handkerchief off his pocket. To this day, he still doesn’t know what the heck compelled him to take off a handkerchief and offer it for the girl to dry. It’s pretty much kind of useless, given the pouring rain. He never saw someone look at him as if he was fucking stupid. 

“Really?” even if she had hair in her face, her glare was fierce.

“Uh...” Richard took it back, feeling self-conscious of how stupid this it was.

Connor looked at her, looking so miserable and wet, and he felt sorry. It really wasn’t his business, he was an important wizard with important things to do and places to be, he had no time to spare to a magicless girl like her. But... his heart felt a pang, he didn’t know why and wasn’t sure he wanted to think too much about it, but it felt as if some strings pulled at his heart. He glanced at his brother and saw his conflicted expression, not knowing what to do.

It wasn’t their problem. She wasn’t their problem. She...

“Let us make it up to you.” Connor didn’t know if Richard was in the same page, but Connor had a hunch he did.

The girl stared at them as if they suddenly grew a second head.

“...What.” the girl squinted her eyes, a tad suspicious about them both. They were clearly wizards, judging by their expensive clothes and air of superiority in them. They never mingled with those who weren’t magical, even viewed them as inferior beings. So, she had her suspicions, why the hell would they help her out?

“Let us make it up to you, miss...?” Connor tried again.

“Ona.”

“Miss Ona!” Connor offered a smile, making room under his cape and floating umbrella. The girl took prudent steps, not really trusting them. But, what could she do right now? Either way, she’s screwed. “I’m Connor. This is my brother Richard.”

Huh, the names ringed a bell.

“Please, allow me.” Richard took a step towards Connor and Ona, and with a flourish of his hand, she felt and saw the water float away from her clothes, hair, body... and then join the rain. She was still cold, though. Less wet but cold.

“You may not be used to this, so please hold tight on me.”

Ona looked at the one who introduced himself as Connor, frowning. What did he mean by–

She let out a scream followed by colourful curses in another language Connor and Richard vaguely recognized.

Ona found herself in the very private and enormous home of two of the most important wizards that walked the earth, making her a warm cup of tea while her clothes were being cleaned and mended by some sort of spell. She sat in a plush sofa with borrowed clothes far too big on her petite form.

The tea was delicious, though.

“So, interview you said?” Connor tried to make small talk, taking a sip of his cup.

“Well, I can say goodbye to that and to my chances of being hired.” She was so late for it. Goodbye to her chances of working in the big city and earn a decent enough pay.

“Oh, so you’re looking for work?” 

“...Obviously?” was the blue-eyed brother and idiot? 

It seems he realized his words and looked a bit embarrassed by his lack of thought.

“What kind of work?” Connor tried to divert her attention from his brother.

“Honestly? Anything. Right now I’d do about anything.”

Richard had an idea. It would be crazy, even more knowing she was not one of them, but... It seems today fortune smiled on her.

“Are you any good with plants?”

“Well, I worked at my grandma’s florist until she was forced to close it down.” It was a bittersweet memory. She loved working there, she loved the plants and flowers, the calmness and feeling the earth on her fingers, walking around to see the plants green and healthy... only to be taken away.

“How so?” the blue-eyed brother, Richard was it? Spoke to her, seeming concerned. Why would he be?

“You can guess it just fine, seeing I’m not gifted as you are.”

“...Oh.”

“Oh indeed.” She took another sip from her cup. She’d love to know which blend was it. “So yes, I know my way around plants.”

Richard hummed and glanced quickly at Connor. They had the same idea.

“What would you say if we offer you employment?” Connor set his cup on the table, crossing his legs and putting his hands on the raised knee. Richard kept drinking, staring intently at the girl.

“I would ask if this is a joke and if I can go home, because it’s not funny.” The brothers stared at her in confusion.

“We offer you accommodations, food and a salary.” Connor tilted his head to the side, pursing his lips.

“Your job would consist on tending to our garden and greenhouse, since we cannot do it due to our busy schedules.”

“...but?” This was too good to be true.

“But? No buts. You take care of our plants, we pay you for it.” Connor was frowning now.

There was an awkward silence. Ona was thinking about how crazy this was and how there should be something, a red flag somewhere. There was a ruffling sound that distracter her from her thoughts, and saw her clothes floating to her, neatly folding themselves on her side. They were the cleanest she has ever seen them. She was afraid to touch them in case she dirtied them again.

“Think it over.” Richard took her out of her reveries.

“Uh, well...”

“Contact us with your answer.” Connor stood up, smiling, and with a snap of his fingers he opened up a portal. “This will take you home. Go on!”

Ona felt herself be pushed to it, trying to make her mouth and brain coordinate to say something. Just on the final moment, turning away while feeling the portal suck her up, she had time to spit out something she hoped the brothers would understand.

“But how am I supposed to contact you if I’m not–”

And the portal closed. Ona found herself on her front door, arm raised and her clothes smelling of lavender. Once she stepped in, she went to sit down on her tattered sofa, leaving her clean clothes next to her.

A week passes and the brothers were annoyed she didn’t reply, so of course they go to her. She owed them that much! 

They follow the path she did on the portal and step on her front door, ringing incessantly her doorbell. When she opens the door she almost falls on her ass, again. They looked angry and when a wizard was angry at a non-gifted, that only meant trouble.

“Are you incapable of following a simple request?” Connor’s foot was tapping at the floor, clearly annoyed. Richard had his arms behind his back, spine straight that made him appear bigger.

Ona gripped the handle, but fuck it if she wasn’t gonna go out leaving a piece of her mind.

“Are you two deaf or just plain stupid?” both brothers looked greatly offended at her words. How dare she!

“Listen, you non-gifted–”

“No, you listen you stupid wizard,” Ona puffed her chest out. Fuck it. “What part of “how am I supposed to contact you” do you not understand? I have no magic in me, no training, no idea, nothing! How do you think I’m going to be able to send a message or something if I have absolutely no idea to reach you?”

The brothers were taken aback by her outburst. 

“Did you seriously expect me, a non-gifted, to send you whatever the fuck you wizards use to send messages?” She pointed her finger at them, poking their chests. “For all those airs of grandeur you give yourselves, you’re so fucking dumb.” 

At least they had the decency of looking ashamed.

“And for the record, I would have said yes.” She took big breaths after giving them a piece of her mind. After a big sigh, she opened her door further. “Do you want a cup of tea?”

Ona never thought she would have two powerful and important wizards on her tattered sofa, looking like two scolded kids and trying so hard not to anger her further.

And also, she never thought she would be working for them after all that happened. Fortune smiled at her, indeed.

[killingxrangers]

It Started with a Like

Instagram wasn't something Trini really messed around with before meeting Zack Taylor, more importantly known as the most annoying human in the world. He made one for her one night when the two of them were hanging out for the single purpose of sending her "quality" memes, and now she found herself on it frequently. Rarely did she post pictures of any kind, and her follower and following count was less than ten each, but the explore page did offer some nice videos to scar Zack with.

Today though she was feeling somewhat good about herself and the recent picture Zack had taken of them up in the mines. It was trespassing to go there, but it had a little bit of sentimentally to it for the both of them seeing as they'd met there. It was a simple photo, just the two of them sitting on the old train Zack favored, Zack holding the phone and Trini in the foreground, but the lighting was nice and she actually looked happy, so she decided to post it. It was the seventh photo she had posted, with the others being either her brothers or Zack. It was actually the first picture she had up of herself that wasn't her profile. Unsurprisingly, only two people liked it, one being Zack and the other being a boy in her science class. Not that it mattered to her who liked her photos, and she forgot all about posting the picture until she got a notification nearly an hour later.

k.harteyes liked your photo.

She'd never seen the username before, so she clicked it, admittedly surprised to find it belonged to the one and only Kimberly Hart. Trini knew Kimberly in the way everyone at school who weren't friends with the girl knew her; co captain of the cheer squad, dating a football player, and a complete bitch. Well, Trini wasn't sure if that last one was true, since she's never actually had a conversation with Kim, but she can only assume. They did share biology together, a class that Trini loathed more than anything, though Kim answered enough questions when called on to seem as if she reasonably understood it.

k.harteyes commented on your photo: You look really good!

It only took a second to click 'reply' and respond with 'Thank you.', and not even a minute later Kim was commenting again, a smiley face with the heart eyes that had Trini setting her phone down with a frown. That wasn't flirting, was it? As far as she knew, Kim Hart was that ideal small town girl; hot and straight and completely out of anyone's league. Trini thought she was cute, gorgeous even, but she hadn't given her much consideration outside of those few thoughts. And as far as she knew, Kim wasn't even aware of her existence. She was about to force any other thoughts from her mind when her phone dinged again, and she was honestly afraid it was Kim again, but thankfully it was just Zack.

Zack: yo dude Kim hart liked ur photo

Zack: she flirting

Zack: what if she wants to fuck

Zack: she fucks girls u know?

Trini: Shes dating Ty Flemmings dude

Zack: I'm telling u she sets off my gaydar

Trini: I didn't even set off your gaydar

Zack: we aren't talking about you

Zack: we're talking bout Kim hart wanting to fuck u

Zack: I say go for it

Trini: You give horrible advice. Kim is straight with a boyfriend. I'm not into her. We don't know each other

Zack: so talk to her

Zack: talk, flirt, fuck

Zack: then u have a gf

Trini: I'm going to bed

Zack: try not to have any wet dreams of Kim!

Kim didn't say anything as Amanda rolled off of her and laid on the other side of the bed, the blankets long since having been kicked to the floor. They were both sweaty and naked, marks on both of their bodies as Kim’s chest heaved up and down from the orgasm Amanda just gave her. The silence continued as Amanda stood up and jerked her underwear and t-shirt over her head, forgoing the bra and pants altogether as she looked to Kim and and finally said, “You should head home before my dad is back.” 

It always went this way with them, though Kim wasn’t one to complain or take offense. Especially on nights like tonight when Ty was expecting her over once his parents were asleep. He had clue about the truth to Kim and Amanda’s relationship and that’s exactly how Kim wanted to keep it. Her relationship with Amanda was purely physical anyway; she didn’t love Amanda in the way she loved Ty. And she did love Ty. Amanda just satisfied more of her physical needs than Ty could. 

“You’re probably right.” Kim followed Amanda’s lead and sat on the side of the bed, pulling her own clothes on as well. Nights like these happened frequently enough, especially given that Amanda’s father worked late most nights. If it wasn’t Amanda texting Kim to come over it was Kim texting Amanda asking if she could. The change in their relationship happened almost a year ago, right around the time Kim started dating Ty. The three of them were drunk at a party and Kim found herself alone with her best friend in a bedroom. As it happens, they started kissing and fell into bed together. Instead of their friendship ending or becoming awkward the following morning, they continued their affair behind  whoever Amanda was seeing and Ty’s backs. Its worked well ever since, and Kim would continue to let it happen for as long as she enjoyed it or Ty found out. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Amanda.” 

Amanda didn’t offer to walk Kim out and Kim didn’t ask as she grabbed her phone and keys and started the short walk back home. The two girls lived in the same neighborhood, less than a five minute walk between houses, and it was a nice night out, so Kim moved slowly as she walked down the sidewalk. She scrolled through Instragram as she went, liking most of the photos of either fellow cheerleaders or football players.

When her main page got too boring she switched over to the explore page just for something new. It was mostly beauty videos, a few memes, some suggestions to follow this person or that, and Kim ignored most of them. It wasn’t until a page  appeared for a girl called Trini did Kim stop walking. The first thing that popped into Kim's head was 'who was this girl?', and the second was (upon clicking on the page and finding only seven photos) 'this girl is really pretty'. The user name was Trini_Gomez, and Kim thought the name was somewhat familiar, but not really, and so Kim looked at all seven, four of which were what she guessed to be Trini's younger brothers, and two of a boy who looked somewhat familiar to Kim but she couldn't place his face. In both photos the guy seemed to be goofing around, one in which he was hanging upside down from an old and rusted train shirtless, a dark beanie on the dirt next to his phone and wallet, and in the other he was in the back of a pick-up, a game-boy in one hand and a Popsicle in the other.

Kim barely looked for longer than a few seconds at the guy or Trini's brothers, focused completely on the one of Trini herself. The same guy was back in it, in a pair of tan jeans and white v-neck, a discarded jacket thrown behind him as he stood on the top of the train from the previous pictures, and Trini stood a few paces behind him, a pair of guy's sunglasses over her face and her jacket also thrown to the ground. She had her tongue sticking out, showing her teeth as it seemed the guy took the picture mid laugh, and was doing the peace sign. Overall it was an adorable and quirky photo that Kim liked right away, and also found herself commenting that Trini looked really nice.

Trini responded only a few seconds later, nothing more than an appreciation of the compliment, and Kim added another comment, this one being an emoji. She's not sure why she did it, but something about this girl caught Kim’s attention, and she couldn’t stop staring at the photos. Trini didn’t acknowledge the most recent comment, and Kim slid her phone into her back pocket as she walked into the front door of her house. It was quiet in her house, not unexpected given the time of night, and she had hoped she’d be able to just go to her room quickly to change before leaving for Ty’s, but was stopped by her parents. 

Both Kim’s father and mother were sitting in the living room when she climbed the steps, and they stopped their hush conversation to stare at Kim. She knew she was in for it, especially when her dad crossed one leg over his knee and scowled at her. “And where have you been all night, Kimberly Ann?” 

“At Amanda’s. I texted Mom earlier that I was heading over there to study.” Kim stood with crossed arms before her parents, silently begging her mother to back her up, but to no avail. Ali Hart had a glass of wine in hand, and seeing as it was close to ten at night, Kim would bet money it wasn’t her mother’s first glass. She’d be of no help against Kim’s father, and said nothing as Kim kept talking. “I wasn't aware I couldn’t leave the house. I’m at Amanda’s all the time.” 

Kim’s father nodded, looking thoroughly displeased as he said, “That’s exactly the problem, Kimberly. You seem to never be home. Is there an issue you would like to discuss, seeing as you’d rather be at Amanda’s home than your own.” 

“Seriously? We were doing homework, dad!” Kim rolled her eyes as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, guessing that most likely it was Ty urging her to come over now for a booty-call. She definitely was not in the mood for that now. 

“Raise your voice under my roof one more time and it will be the last time you find yourself in this house.” Roger Hart was standing up, his face red with anger as he too started to yell. Kim’s mother continued to sip and look between father and daughter as she sipped her wine, still maintaining her silence. Not surprising. Kim and Roger came to blows frequently and Ali has never once stepped in to intervene. “Go to your room now. I don’t want to see you for the rest of the night.” 

Kim said nothing as she turned and stomped to her room, slamming her door harder than needed as she knew it drove her father crazy. She hated him, hated her mother too. Hated everything about her family and was counting the days until college so she could leave Angel Grove behind her. Once she was out of this town she was never looking back. There was nothing that could possibly keep her here. 

She could hear her parents downstairs: her father’s loud ranting about how much of an annoyance Kim was, and her mother moving from the living room to the kitchen, probably in search of another bottle. Ali’s voice was too low to make out, but Roger stayed loud enough, continually screaming how Kim took too much for advantage and was ungrateful. From his point of view, he could did nothing wrong, and his actions towards his daughter were justified. 

Kim hated her father more than anything. 

The urge to leave her house was nearly overwhelming, suddenly feeling too confined in the tiny bedroom. She couldn’t keep listening to her father rant about how much of a disappointment she was, but knew leaving would make things worse if they came to check on her. So she stayed, curled up in a ball on her bed. There was nothing else to do but check Instagram once again, though she went straight to one specific profile. Seven posts, four followers, and following twenty-nine people, and right under that information was ‘Message’. Kim hesitated for only a moment before she clicked it and her screen immediately switched to the DM page. 

She started to type ‘hey’ then erased that, before typing ‘hey its Kim hart. just wanted to say you looked really nice in that pic’, and then replacing that with ‘Hey!’. That last one was too energetic for having never talked to the girl before and was promptly removed as well. Finally, Kim settled for a simple hello and introduction of herself. Her heart beat too quick in her chest when she sent the message, though she couldn’t grasp why, and a large part of her wanted to click unsend when given the option. Just as her thumb held down the message and she went to click ‘unsend’, the worst possible thing appeared under the message. 

Seen. 

“Fuck me.” Kim shouldn't have sent that fucking message because now she was coming off as a creep. She’s already liked and commented twice on a photo, she shouldn’t have gone and messaged the girl. Besides, what if Trini wasn’t interested in girls like that? Was Kim even interested in Trini like that at all? Sure, she was hot, gorgeous even, but Kim had Ty and Amanda, did she really need to add another person to that mix? Kim had no fucking clue what she was doing and really was just regretting her entire existence when she saw that Trini had begun typing, and then her message popped up. 

Hello. 

thank you for taking the time to read this! its my first time writing fan fiction at all really but ive been reading for years now. id really appreciate it if you could let me know how you felt about it? any suggestions? thank you so much for reading this! theres definitely more to come of this story! 

[littleladymab]

(looks at wrist) it’s still valentine’s somewhere, right? 

no?? 

well. shit. 

this is for @timetoboldlygo who asked for cass and mako sharing a box of chocolates and i’m sorry i caught the depression bug and couldn’t get cards out but at least i finally finished this for you ilu 

(also i’ll eventually make progress on a september!au but until then have this in that vague sort of timeline I established with that other fic... whenever that was....)

Mako laid flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, hands crossed over his stomach. “I’m not nervous,” he told himself, though he didn’t really believe it. “I’m totally not. It’s fine. Everything’s gonna be fine. It’s allllll gonna be--”

A knock sounded at his door and Mako’s heart nearly lunged out of his chest.

“Mako?” Shit, it was Cass. “Are you there?”

“Uh--!” And shit, he just said something instead of pretending to hide. “Yeah? Yeah. Give me a second to get decent.”

He could hear Cass’ soft laughter through the door, and they were smiling and saying, “Like you’re ever decent,” as he yanked it open. Something tiny and subtle shifted in Cass’ expression as soon as their eyes met -- the smile still there, still sending a wave of warmth through Mako, but it was something in the eyes. Something Mako couldn’t put his finger on.

So instead he shoved it down and stepped on the thought and raised an eyebrow expectantly. “And how can I help you this fine, fine eve--” He stopped, eyes landing on the box of chocolates that Cass held out in one hand. “Uh--”

“I found these in my student box…” They gave a small half-shrug and rattled the box. The sound of chocolates rattled back.

Mako wondered if the students on the floor below him had found his stomach because it had suddenly dropped out with a dizzying swoop. That was the box that he--

“There wasn’t a card or anything, and a few were already missing? So I don’t know if they were meant for me. It could have just been a mistake.”

It was a miracle, Mako figured, that he didn’t just immediately slam the door shut in their face in shame. Those were the chocolates he had bought. For Cass. And there they were. In their hand. But…

“Oh,” he forced. “I guess.”

Cass hesitated, as if waiting for Mako to pick up on something that he clearly wasn’t. They cleared their throat and said, “Do you want to eat them with me?”

That… was not the request he expected. But at this point, he really had no idea what to expect.  “What?”

“I can’t eat all of them by myself.” Cass tried for a smile, but it didn’t stick too well.

Mako looked at the box of chocolates, wondering if he should just end his own suffering and admit up to the fact that he bought them and wrote a stupidly, embarrassingly sappy card and everything. And that… alright maybe Valentine’s was a bullshit holiday but still. “You don’t have to eat them all in one day, buddy.”

Cass made a small sound and glanced away. “It’s sort of a Pelagios sibling tradition. Inevitably, one of us would get a huge box of chocolates from an admirer or something, and all three of us would sneak out and sit around and make ourselves sick eating all them.”

He glanced up to see the small smile that flitted across their face at the memory. Oh. “So you’re feeling homesick?”

Cass met his gaze through lowered lashes, and fuck but Mako couldn’t be mad. “A little.” A beat, and the smile turned bashful. “But I mean, I would like to sit with you still. If you’re not busy.”

“I’m not,” Mako said without hesitation, stepping out into the hall to join them without even bothering to check if he had his keys or if the door was locked. “Lead on.”

“Where is a good place to sneak out to? I can’t say I’ve had a lot of experience doing that.”

Mako put on a grin and raised an eyebrow in challenge. “I’m corrupting you now, huh? Cool. I’m quite partial to the roof.”

He followed after Cass and, as they walked, accessed the campus Mesh to send a message.

MakoTrig: Yo, dude, wtf TedHorst: ??????? TedHorst: i didn’t do it MakoTrig: No, that’s the problem!!!!!! I asked u to!!!! TedHorst: I really got no clue MakoTrig: The chocolates? For Cass??

There was a break as Mako helped unlock the door to the roof access, and Cass pulled themself up through the hatch with easy grace.

Mako saw the ‘typing’ indicator for Ted, but tried to ignore it as Cass extended a hand down for him. He reached up, and Cass’ cool fingers wrapped around his wrist as they helped hold him steady. Not that Mako needed the assistance -- he’d become an expert at maneuvering his way up to the roof over the last few years, but it was a nice excuse to hold Cass’ hand.

And, still holding his hand, they led him over to the ledge, picking their way carefully around the vents and piping. Cass gave a faint sigh as they dropped onto the edge, kicking their legs out with a degree of carelessness that Mako wasn’t used to seeing.

Without further ceremony, Cass popped the lid off the chocolates and held up the box to Mako. “Sit and enjoy these chocolates with me.”

The sun hadn’t quiet yet begun to set, but it cast a very nice warm glow against the side of Cass’ face that was turned out. It softened the lines, shadows lengthening the planes, and for a moment, all Mako could do was stare.

Not even the notification of a response from Ted got him to look away.

The rattling of the chocolates in the box as Cass gave it another shake managed to snap him out of it. “Earth to Trig. You okay?”

“I think I will be,” Mako said, ignoring the look of concern that passed over their face. He grabbed a chocolate and plopped down beside Cass, kicking the heels of his sneakers against the building as he pulled up the message.

TedHorst: I didn’t manage to get them to their box

Mako frowned, though Cass didn’t seem to notice as they launched into a story about a Valentine past with their siblings.

MakoTrig: explain TedHorst: I gave them to max TedHorst: maxxxxxx uh…. Their friend TedHorst: I don’t remember her name MakoTrig: EX!!!!PLAIN!!!!!!! TedHorst: I don’t know where their student box is!!! I recruited her!!! MakoTrig: THEN WHY DID YOU OFFER TO TAKE THEM?

Cass continued to talk, idly picking at the chocolate. They never had been much of a talker, and right now they seemed to just want to fill the awkward silence before it had a chance to form. But Mako was thankful for their distraction as he went still, mind reeling and trying to will Ted to text faster.

TedHorst: ok u know how i’m suspended from the rose moon library? TedHorst: i thought “well now here is a perfect & beautiful opportunity to help my main boy mako &!!!! Get access to the white star library.” TedHorst: So I got to the library hopin to just find anyone TedHorst: And Max was there and I knew she was a friend of ur fish so I chatted her up and explained the situation and just sort of fogged the machine while I was there to get my stuff printed and she took them and was like “I got u” or whatever and u know that she’s trustworthy so i left it in her capable hands tadaa

Wait. What?!

“What?”

Mako jerked upright, turning to look at Cass with wide eyes. “What what?” Had he said that out loud?!

The concerned expression was back. “I’m sorry… am I keeping you from something else? You don’t have to humor me, you know--”

“You knew.” A hundred different scenarios raced through his head, but none of them made sense.

Cass’ expression flickered then dropped to something resembling guilt.

“This entire time, you knew that I--”

They looked away, casting their whole face into the light so they didn’t have to look at him. “I did.”

A noise kind of like a deflating balloon escaped Mako’s mouth. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I thought…” they started, still looking away. “Well, a part of me thought it was a joke.”

The noise turned to a wheeze as Mako felt the words ram into him like a physical blow. Everything inside him turned hot and cold all at once. “You thought I would send those as a joke?!”

“No. For all the grace of the Eidolons, no, I would never think it was you playing a prank.” Cass reached for his hand, and it helped a little as their fingers curled around his. “From someone else. When Maxine explained that she got them from Ted, well…”

Mako groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, yeah, that wasn’t supposed to happen.” He hesitated, then glanced down at the box. “I didn’t give you an open box of chocolates, I swear--”

Cass shook their head. “No, uh… that was all Maxine. She wouldn’t hand them over and spite-ate a few of them until I told her what was in the card.”

And there went that hot and cold all over again feeling. Mako could feel all the blood drain from his face while simultaneously blushing. “You… read her the card?”

“Fuck, no,” Cass said emphatically, and Mako couldn’t help the choked laugh. “But I think she figured it out from whatever sort of embarrassed face I was making.” Cass sighed and ran a hand back through their hair, finally looking back at Mako. Their expression softened as their eyes met, and their fingers tightened a degree around his. “I know I said that… I mean, we’re not really dating, so we agreed we wouldn’t do anything. But then I got that card, and I just wanted to see you and--”

Mako leaned in to cut them off with a kiss. Cass returned it without hesitation, and much to Mako’s delight, they tasted like chocolate. “So go out with me,” he said without fully pulling away from the kiss.

Cass smiled against his lips, unwilling to pull away either. “But I didn’t get you anything.”

He grinned, pressing his forehead to theirs and giving in to the temptation to give a quick nuzzle -- earning a breathy laughter for his efforts. “If you say yes, that’ll be good enough.”

“Alright,” Cass said with another laugh. “Yeah. Yes. I would like to go out with you.”

Mako kissed them again.

[tyson-berry-blog]

William Nylander #1 - Not What You Think

Anon asked: Yo image idea where ur austons bff but u and nylander can literally not get along at all and everyones always joking that its bc u guys are too similar or theres just so much built up tension u need to hook up or somethin so one day auston takes u to a team party maybe?? and drunk nylander sees u w some other mans and gets jealous so he pulls u aside and starts an argument and it either ends in aggressive smut or him blurting out that he is actually in love with you u decide :)

Here you go anon! This one kind of got away from me and ended up being way longer than I intended. I had a lot of fun writing this and had to restrain myself from making it even longer than it ended up being. I hope you enjoy it!

You shut your textbook in triumph and placed your head in your hands. The library was bustling around you with students finishing assignments in a last minute attempt to boost their grade before school let out for winter break. The last assignment you needed to hand in was a paper for your literature class that only needed to be edited and you had no motivation left to do it. You did have two days left until it was due which is why you picked up your phone and thumbed through the messages you had waiting.

Unsurprisingly you had several from your best friend Auston and all of them seemed to be about some team gathering at Morgan Rielly’s house.

“Leave me alone,” you typed out. “I’m doing work.”

“False,” came the immediate reply. “You never answer your phone when you’re working.”

You rolled your eyes but knew he was right. It was a policy you put into place much to Auston’s annoyance. You put your phone on Do Not Disturb so you could only be reached in the event of an emergency and as much as Auston begged, you didn’t put him on the list. If you answered him every time he texted, you would get almost nothing done.

Before you could respond your phone buzzed again.

“Please come to Mo’s. It’ll be fun.”

“Will William be there?”

“I don’t know what your problem is with him. Willy is a chill dude.” “I’ll take that as a yes.”

You hesitated. You honestly didn’t mind William, quite the opposite. He was the one that seemed to have a problem with you and you had no idea why. Auston had brought you as his plus one to the first team gathering because out of everyone in Toronto he said that you made him feel the most comfortable. Eventually you started accompanying Auston to most events, even long after he became familiar with the team. As Auston grew closer to his teammates, you did as well. You got to see the guys for who they really were and not who the media tried to make them out to be. They no longer seemed like untouchable athletes, but instead a group of guys who got to do what the loved. With that realization came the feelings you had no control over. William Nylander was no longer a scary, force to be reckoned with but instead a goofy twenty-one-year-old whose smile lit up any room he entered. Except when he looked at you. Any time his eyes met yours it was like someone doused him in water, effectively killing the light. You tried to not let it get to you but sometimes it hurt.

You didn’t realize you had zoned out until your phone vibrating in your hand startled you back to reality. It was an incoming video call from Auston that had you rolling your eyes before accepting. You put your earbuds in and looked at him with your eyebrows raised.

“Please come.”

“Why do you need me there? You’re fine with the team.”

“I know that but can’t I want to have my best friend with me?”

“Don’t let Mitch hear that.”

“Oh Mitchy knows already. No one can replace you.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel guilty.”

“Is it working?”

You sighed, “fine! What kind of party is this?”

Auston whooped, “it’s casual, a barbeque I think.”

“In this weather?”

“We’re in Canada, if there isn’t snow on the ground it’s outdoor weather.”

You looked him in the eye, “you owe me.”

“What do you want?” Auston asked without missing a beat.

“I want to wear your Leafs sweatshirt. The fuzzy one with the - ”

“With the number in the corner, I got it. You know they sell similar ones online, you can just buy one instead of always asking for mine.”

“Ha. Not on my college student budget.”

“They’re not that expensive.”

“Says the guy with the NHL salary.”

Auston chuckled, “I’ll pick you up around five.”

You looked at your watch, “that gives me no time!”

“You better get going then.”

You held your middle finger up to the camera and hung up on him. The girl next to you tried to stifle a laugh. You quickly put your finger down and felt your face blush.

“Boyfriend?” she asked.

“Oh definitely not,” you laughed. “My best friend.”

You didn’t have time to think about the look she gave you as you dashed out of the library and back to your dorm. You had hardly any time to change and cut it incredibly close to when Auston texted you saying he was out front. When you slid into the passenger seat a piece of fabric hit your face.

“Auston what the hell?”

“It’s the sweatshirt you wanted.”

“You’re so annoying. I can’t believe anyone would think I’m dating you.”

Auston looked at you, “wait what? And I’ll have you know, I’m a great boyfriend.”

“Some girl in the library asked if you were my boyfriend after our conversation.”

“That’s funny.”

“I know right!”

Auston paused, “well I can kind of see what she is getting at.”

“What?”

“I mean we are really close.”

“We’re best friends!”

“I know that obviously. I’m just saying.”

“Auston I need you to answer something for me.”

“Yes?”

“You aren’t into me right?”

“Gross. You’re like my sister.”

“Okay first off, gross? Really?”

“You know what I mean.”

“And secondly, that’s good because no offense but I definitely do not like you like that.”

Auston parked and looked at you, “glad we’re on the same page. But wait. Do you like someone?”

“No,” you answered quickly.

Auston narrowed his eyes, “I don’t believe you. You answered way too fast.” You put the hoodie on and refused to meet his gaze.

“You so do! Do I know them? Is it one of the guys?”

“What guys? We know a lot of guys.”

“It is! Is it Mo? He’s a good guy.”

“I don’t like Morgan.”

“Well why not? He’s cool. Okay let me think,” Auston mentally ran the roster through his head. When he looked at you with wide eyes, you knew he had figured it out. “Is it Willy?”

“No,” you answered with too much force.

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

You shoved him, “since when do you know Hamlet? You know what. Never mind. I’m going inside.”

“To your true love?”

“Shut up,” you hissed. “You do not tell anyone. It’s embarrassing.”

“Why?”

“Because he hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you. I don’t think he is physically capable of hating anyone.”

“Auston please.”

“I won’t say anything, I promise.”

“Thank you. Let’s go inside, it’s freezing.”

Auston knocked on the door and it was quickly opened by Jake Gardiner on the other side.

“Glad you guys could make it. Mo is out back with the grill, and drinks and stuff are in the kitchen. Help yourself.”

“Thank you for having us,” you said.

“Someone has to make sure these kids are actually eating stuff besides take out.”

You gestured at Auston who had moved further into the house, “I know this one isn’t a complete failure.”

“Well he has you to look out for him.”

“It’s a daily struggle but I do the best I can.”

“And we thank you for your sacrifice,” Jake joked.

You said bye to Jake and moved down the hall Auston had gone down. In the short span you had been here he had somehow convinced Morgan to let him help out on the grill. You rolled your eyes fondly and went in search for the drinks. You had only been in this house once before so while it was slightly familiar, it had been a while. You grabbed yourself a bottle of water and squeezed past James van Riemsdyk to get to the living room. A few players and their significant others were sitting on the couches while a game played on the television. The only available seat was next to none other than William Nylander. You hesitated in the doorway before squaring your shoulders and walking into the room.

“Mind if I sit here?”

William looked up and just liked you predicted the smile slipped from his face but he gestured to the seat anyway which you took as a sign to sit down. You found yourself sucked into a story Freddie was telling and did your best to ignore the guy sitting next to you. Morgan finally came in to announce that dinner was ready and everyone jumped up to help themselves. You decided to wait a bit for the line to get smaller and remained seated. Slowly the team trickled back into the living room and took their seats. Auston walked in and handed you a plate.

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to. I was about to get up.”

“Well now you don’t have to.”

Auston took the seat next to you that had been previously occupied by William.

William chose that moment to walk back through the door and stopped when he saw Auston in his seat.

“I think William was sitting there,” you whispered to Auston.

“Hey sorry bro. You can have your seat back.”

“It’s fine.”

“Nah it’s cool. I’ll move.”

“Really, it’s fine.” William ducked back out of the room.

Auston shot you a weird look but shrugged and went back to eating.

“I’m going to get some water; do you want anything?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

You placed your plate on the dining room table as you walked by and went into the kitchen. William had his back to the door and didn’t notice it was you when you came in.

“William?” you asked tentatively.

He spun around to look at you, eyes wide.

“Wait!” You put your hands out to stop him from bolting.

“What?”

“Can I just talk to you for a second?”

“What?” he repeated.

“Why do you hate me?” You blurted the words out before you could stop yourself and his eyes widened even more.

An awkward silence fell between the two of you.

“I don’t hate you,” he said quietly.

“Well it sure as hell seems like it.”

“I don’t.”

You crossed your arms and waited for him to continue. This movement brought his attention to your jacket which only made him scowl deeper.

“See that,” you pointed at his expression. “That doesn’t look like the face of someone who doesn’t hate someone.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“You said that already but have yet to prove me wrong.”

“I like you,” he gritted out.

“Excuse me?”

He took a deep breath, “I like you a lot, but you have a boyfriend so...”

“A boyfriend? I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“You’re dating Auston.”

This caused you to let out a laugh that did nothing but bring the scowl back to William’s face.

“It’s good to know you find my feelings funny.”

“I’m not laughing at you.”

“Whatever,” he said clearly not believing you. “Just do me a favor and not tell Auston until I’ve left.”

“William. Willy. I’m not dating Auston, nor have I ever been. We’re just friends.”

“You’re wearing his jacket.”

“That means nothing. This is a high quality jacket that I find very warm and cannot not afford on my college student budget.”

“You guys are always touching.”

“Auston is a tactile person. You should know that, you play with him.”

William was silent for a second, “you’re really not dating him?”

“Of course not. He is like a brother and besides, I like someone else.”

His face shut down again.

“It’s you, you idiot.”

“You better not just be saying that.”

“I’m not.”

This was the first time one of William’s smiles had been directed at you and you were by no means prepared.

“Um so,” you fiddled with your hair. “What does this mean?”

“I think this means we exchange numbers? Only if you want to, of course.”

“I want to.”

Willy’s smile somehow got bigger and you found yourself smiling back. He passed his phone to you and you entered your number. He did the same with your phone.

“I should probably go back. I told Auston I was just getting water.”

He nodded and you turned around to go back.

“Hey,” he called behind you.

“Yes?”

“You might need this,” he tossed a bottle of water at you.

You caught it easily, “right. Thanks.”

“I’ll text you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

You walked back into the living room and sat down next to Auston.

“Geez, did you get lost? I was going to send a search party after you.”

“I just talked to William.”

“Oh god. Did you hurt him? Do I need to send a search party out for him?”

“If you need to find him, I can always text him,” you hid your smile behind your hand.

“Did you get his number?”

You nodded.

“Dude, nice,” Auston high-fived you. “Did you work out whatever problems you had.”

“I think so.”