#like i get it get the athletes their medals but also my god please be considerate of their schedules

[katiesledeckys]

no one talk to me it’s the last day of swimming

[direwombat]

🍧🙈⚾ for Syb and 🍼🕷️🚆 for Etta, please <3 - fourlittleseedlings

ahhh thank you so much!

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

at this point i think everything left from her childhood could fit in a metal lunchbox (also from her childhood). but i think her zippo lighter (something she's had since she started smoking at fourteen) and her saint medal of st. andrew (patron saint of fishermen (among many other things)) her mom had given her after she had dropped out of school and gotten her first job at sixteen working on a fishing boat. she hasn't worn it in years (not since the night her parents died/the night she lost her faith), but she was so relieved when she was able to salvage that little lunchbox after john torched hers and augustine's place in fall's end. the zippo, while she would have been sad about losing it, she'd get over it. but the pendant? she'd be devastated since it's the last physical memento she has of her mother.

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - whats a side of your oc that they don't want to show other people?

ooooh. she does her damned hardest to hide anything that even hints at what she thinks of as a selfish desire. she's under the impression that her time is better spent helping or providing for others, to the point where she feels guilty any time she even entertains the idea of taking care of herself. my girl has a massive martyr complex </3 like there's a point where she's being held captive and being interrogated by jacob and he asks her "What do you want?" and of all the questions he's asked her that's the one that gets her to break

⚾ BASEBALL - can they play sports? what is their best position if they play a team sport? what's their strong suit (speed, power etc.)?

she did track and field in middle school and was hoping to get onto the high school varsity team, but due to life circumstances, she had to drop out before getting there. she kept up with running though and during her time in the military, she had the fastest times of her entire unit. she also enjoys swimming but that's always been a more recreational thing for her. and the combination of speed and endurance are her strongest athletic points. she's strong too, but she employs the "strike fast and outlast" method in combat situations (and because i think jake is a "strength and endurance" guy, it makes their encounters fun because it really is a challenge for them both :)

🍼 BABY BOTTLE - what are their thoughts on children?

lmao she thinks children are gross and really doesn't like them. UNTIL she ends up getting pregnant and having her own son. then, she thinks all children except for him are gross. her little man is the bestest most handsomest and prefectest little boy who she absolutely spoils.

🕷️ SPIDER - what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

god. tbh her biggest fear is being unattractive and -- ultimately -- aging. if she bothered to read it, the picture of dorian gray, she would agree with every choice mr. gray makes in the novel. she puts so much effort into her appearance, and while she mostly killed her two previous husbands for their money, a much smaller (but no less significant) part of her killed them before they had a chance to see her age. It was instilled into her that "wealthy and powerful men only like pretty young things" and she internalized that. if she can't be a "pretty young thing" then she's worthless.

🚆 TRAIN - what is their answer to the trolley problem?

asfldkjadfs she got bored halfway through listening to someone explain the problem to her and stopped paying attention, so her answer is literally just *waving her hand* "just run over whoever's crying the loudest; i don't care."

[irresistiibles]

going for the gold / achilles

i cannot come up with one single sport achilles would do. i could see him competing in archery, some of the athletics categories, the modern pentathlon, rowing, and rugby. javelin throw would be his absolute best like he would demolish but i truly think achilles could succeed in nearly any of them. he doesn't technically have powers i guess but he is an extremely powerful demi god and it would show when he got way more golds than makes sense and is no longer allowed to compete the following year. he is partially really good because he was absolutely raised just to win the olympics, like please he deserves more gold medals my man does not know how to do math, but yeah it's also his lineage. an older achilles would enjoy watching the olympics or coaching, but at this current state in his life i don't think he watches the olympics much. what's the point if he's not out there competing himself? he would obviously compete for greece and i'm going to be so for real he's giving his pin out to like three people max if that. he just doesn't think about it and always forgets to have them. he'd post some pictures on instagram during the games but that would probably be it. he'd still be viral again for winning too many golds and getting banned, i'm just so certain this would actually happen .there is no precedence for it but he would manage to start it. he would try to live in the olympic village to keep up the country moral but he definitely wouldn't be a big fan of it beyond being hyped up, which he could absolutely get behind.

[itsmaddienotmaddy]

I wasn’t planning on my game review because I was late to the god damn party (melly working a little TOO hard last night). But I lack the ability to shut up about soccer SO.

US v Australia 2.0 - the battle for BRONZE

AD mf FRANCH. I love her. Okay? What a hard position to step into and she handled it well. Australia is a tough team and they scored bangers. Huge props to AD for holding it down. That one Kerr save?? HUGE. (Also her hair looked GR8, Tierna did a good job)

Becky. Captain Becky. It’s not like I ever doubt her brilliance and she is so SOLID. It’s genuinely impressive and the way she stepped to the ball all game and the clearances she was able to make, tackles, everything. She’s amazing.

And TIERNA. What a tournament for her. I’m sure she didn’t expect as many minutes with how consistent the Abby-Becky combo has been. But with Abby struggling, T stepped up and did so with confidence and class. Like, last game, the PK, that could have rocked anyone’s mental game. But not Tierna. She showed up. Future star. Already a star!

Crystal Dunn everybody. Hardworking, badass, smart as hell, vision, the footwork, I don’t know! Every wonderful quality you can say about soccer players, she HAS it.

Kelley. The birthday gal. She wasn’t leaving without a medal. That much was clear. Could she stay in her feet more? Yeah, I’d prefer it! But her speed to shut down balls out to Foord and her crosses to the middle were great. Did she really miss marking Foord on that header goal? Also Yeah. But we won so I’m not finding it in me to care very much.

Julie. Um. How’d she go from MCL injury, not playing any minutes to p much a full ninety in every game but one? Can I have her doctors number? Can they fix my knee? Whatever the secret sauce was, that takes some grit. She’s not lollygagging around the field. She’s working her ass off winning balls and directing the team. So so solid.

SAM. Hopefully she’s okay! It always hurts my heart a bit when any of them go down. But before the sub off, more glimpses of Sammy Bananas playing more like herself! Winning headers, as she SHOULD, and positioning her body right to love players off the ball. I hope drunk, Lizzo yelling Sammy made an appearance post-game

Lindsey Bulldozer Horan. Pinoe said it. She had herself a game. The Portland Aussie days came in handy and she said Caitlin and Hayley, you may NOT have the ball if you are in my vicinity. Sorry not sorry. She took a moment to find the right weight behind the ball to serve, but when she found the sweet spot, it was good shit. And I know she gets flack for being as strong as she is and going to ground easy. But this game, THIS game. She showed that when she uses her damn muscles and stays up, goodbye. There were 2-3 occasions where she was just powering through, shaking players off like gnats. More of that please.

Rosie. I love when Rose gets fired up. She’s everywhere and running full speed. In the past, she looked fragile, like the wind would blow her over. Not anymore. Rose will go for the crunching tackles, and she is strong enough to body players away. Her passing wasn’t back to full accuracy yet, but her heart seems to always be in it.

Sonnett - smack dab in the middle of this because she got to play MIDFIELD. She did well for her minutes and had a great save in the box near the end. And beyond that. Her energy on the bench is so positive and joyous. She really seems to lift others up and having that on a team is so essential. Love her celebrations

Press. I think there was a collective celebration knowing that Press finally is getting an Oly medal. It was nice to see her big ole smile during the game again. It would have been poetic to see a goal out of her, but it wasn’t her day for that, shots going a little off Target or not having enough oomph. But some excellent runs, movement with the ball, and defensive work. She was certainly one who, if she happened to lose the ball, she was sure as fuck getting it back. Say thank you to your leggies Christen, they served you well.

Tobin. Happy to see her in another game. Knowing that her injury had the potential to be career ending, seeing her play in games feels like a gift. We didn’t get to see her typical Tobin magic, but watching her play sometimes is enough for me. Though, I could be singing a different song if Carli decided not to try for a hatty and was a lil more unselfish in the box. BECAUSE TOBIN WAS WIDE OPEN.

Alex. My heart hurts for her too. To have limited minutes and get hurt during those minutes. Her scoring opportunity was a beautiful run. Didn’t end in a goal but I can appreciate it all the same. It’s not an excuse but I don’t know how she kept her head straight all tournament having to leave Charlie behind for the first time. Like, the most separation since she was born. (And this goes for ALL athlete parents forced to leave their kids behind.) I wouldn’t be able to do it. I hope baby Charles enjoys the bronze medal. I expect an adorable picture of her wearing it. Plz and thx.

Carli - she scored 2 fabulous goals. Those are the only nice words I have for her.

MOVING ON and FINISHING UP

PINOE. Holy fucking shit. Say what we all will about her stamina, but boy does she show up for us when we need her most. I could have said that just about the Olimpico, but then she goes and scores that side volley?? Are you kidding me? Big bummer for Alanna Kennedy in that moment, but oh my GOD. Pinoe rules.

Special game day shout outs to cute wobbly Alyssa celebrations in the stands and to Kristie and Sam Kerr getting to be gay for the world to see. Love that for them.

[binunus]

college bf!bin

a/n the duality of this man??? i’m deceased...anyway i did not think this would go this long but uh my hand slipped...happy birthday binnie!

word count: 5k

genre: fluff, smut, (tiny) angst _________________________________________________

ugh yo

bin is so??? infuriatingly hot??? yet cute at the same time

major: exercise science

and because I love mermaid prince/the beginning, he’s been on the swim team since first year college

swam varsity starting his second year

besties with eunwoo, they were roommates their whole college career

alright so bin loves making friends

he’s so playful and talkative once you really get to know him

but his aura?? tbh very intimidating

like he has an rbf and just like he’s so tall, broad shouldered, built, like he just carries himself very strongly that you will get intimidated when you first meet him

very well known in the university

literally has a professional photographed banner of him hanging in the athletic building with the gold medal he won freshman year

a little embarrassed about it

not really, only when the boys (as in literally the other five) tease him

myungjun: woOoOw bin that guy on the banner really looks like you, don’t you think?

rocky: we geeeeet it you’re a star athlete

blah blah blah you know the vibes, they’re endearing

so how do you meet bin?

basically you’re a friend of a friend—you’re eunbi’s (sinb) friend

you’ve only met bin briefly from time to time, but otherwise you never really had any reason to get acquainted with him

your only encounters of him are when he wants to annoy eunbi and she immediately puts him in his place

but then suddenly in the spring semester of your 2nd year, you and him are in the same 8 am

a boring statistics gen ed class that everyone needs to take in order to graduate

you were running a bit late during the first class meeting—you woke up 30 minutes after your alarm and literally rushed out of your apartment—you made it to class with 2 minutes to spare

most of the seats were filled up already, except that one seat in the back left corner by the window next to the one and only moon bin

oh would you look at that

you felt a bit relieved honestly, you didn’t know anyone else in that class so at least you saw a semi-familiar face

he grinned at you when you sat down

“hey y/n”

you were a bit taken back, “you know my name?”

he laughed a little, “yeah of course, you’re one of eunbi’s really good friends, why wouldn’t I know your name?”

before you could respond, the professor started class and ceased your conversation

one thing you realized as the weeks start to go on

you and bin could not give any two fucks about statistics

no offense to stats lovers

every 8 am on mon/wed/fri, neither one of you would pay attention in class

you both enabled each other to not pay attention basically

so when the professor announced the content and date for the first exam

you and bin literally looked at each other with the same expression

you were both fucked

after class was dismissed, instead of the two of you quickly packing your things and fleeing the room immediately, you both lagged a little bit

you: so...do you know anything that’s going to be on the exam?

bin: uh...no? y/n you’re literally right next to me, you know I don’t do jack shit in this class

you: well fuck, how are you gonna study then bin?

bin: I was probably gonna ask my roommate to help me, he passed with a 96 when he took this class

you give him the best puppy dog eyes you could muster up, you lean in and clasp your hands together like you’re praying

“can he help me too...? please?”

bin’s eyes go a lil wide bc you were a bit closer than he was used to and shit was his heart racing rn?

bin: uh...yeah...sure, i’ll text you to come over when we’re gonna study

you beam at him and like in your excitement you give him a hug

“thank you thank you thank you! i literally cannot fail this class. I’ll see you on friday bin!”

with that you grabbed your bag and just left, leaving bin shocked

he’s surprisingly a shy boy okay!

he always thought you were cute from when he first saw you hanging out with eunbi, but ofc he never thought any more of it

until you guys had this class together and he started to think every day, that wow you are really cute

bin texts you the next day

coincidentally, eunbi texts you too

bin: hey this is bin, if you’re free in an hour my roommate’s gonna help me go over the material in ch. 1

eunbi: why did bin ask for your number

you to bin: yes! send me your addy and i’ll be there :)

you to eunbi: we’re in the same stats class lol and we’re gonna study for our exam next week

eunbi: lol moon bin studying? you might wanna bring some wine with you for emergency y/n

you: lol what do you mean by that?

eunbi: binnie hates studying, but good luck!

ahh, eunbi becomes unhinged when it comes to bin

but you know it’s bc they’re that close, they’re literally childhood best friends, more so like siblings

still, studying w him couldn’t be that bad right?

spoiler alert, it went alright

you felt bad showing up to bin’s apartment empty handed so you picked up some coffee before you arrived

you officially meet bin’s roommate, eunwoo, and you’re floored for like 2 minutes bc literally how can a man like him be real?

cue bin being a bit jealous bc yeah he knew his roommate’s perfect but like damn did you have to be affected by him too :(

eunwoo’s a good teacher alright? you actually understood the material from him

you: idk what eunbi’s talking about, you’re actually not that bad at studying bin

bin being offended: oh god what did eunbi say about me

eunwoo smirking: maybe it’s because you’re here y/n, bin usually doesn’t focus this much when it’s just me trying to help him

you: ???

bin in his head: i can’t trust anyone huh 

before you left his place, you and bin planned to meet up and study one more time before your stats exam

it was just you and bin this time

although you’d never admit it, yes you tried to look good for meeting up with him

yeah he’s a friend?? at least you think you were at that level?? but still, he’s a cute friend and you really didn’t want him to see you looking crusty

you and bin end up studying for a whole 5 hours

granted, half of that time you two were messing around, eating food, trying to procrastinate for as long as you could

bc even though you two had a good handle on the material now—thanks to eunwoo—you both still hated statistics

you knew bin started to get more comfortable with you bc he started teasing you

it made you happy hehe so ofc you started to quip back at him

not at the intensity that he and eunbi do but it’s enough for you :)

he walks you back to your apartment after your study session

wow what a gentleman

bin waving bye at your door with the cutest smile: see you in class y/n :)

mayhaps your stomach did a little somersault

anyways

on the day of your exam you were freaking out

you have test anxiety ah ha ha

you woke up at 5 bc you were paranoid about being late to class

you’re like hastily looking over the notes again when you get to class like are you really prepared omg you’re psyching yourself out hella

bin comes in with 2 cups of iced coffee and he’s like woah are you okay

you: i woke up at 5 bin, idk if i can do this omg

you are like visibly in distress rn and he feels like a pang in his chest 

he was gonna mess with you and say like “bet im gonna get a higher grade than you” but he smartly decides against it

instead, he just takes your hand and gives it a little squeeze: y/n, take a deep breath. you’re going to do great, you studied your ass for this and we both know that you got this material down—even eunwoo hyung said you were gonna ace this exam. just trust your instincts, okay? breathe with me.

he was staring at you so intently and genuinely when trying to calm you down

your anxiety yeeted and suddenly you felt shy

you: th...thanks bin...

bin was worried about you while taking the test rip, he kept secretly glancing at you (while also trying not to make it look like he was cheating) just to make sure that you were okay

he walks you to your next class after you both finished your exam

bin: you sure you’re okay? you said you woke up at 5, did you even eat breakfast? let’s get food after your next class.

you were feeling better after the test but like you got so endeared at his fussing

yes you and bin got lunch that day

your exam results were uploaded the next day

you immediately called bin: I GOT A 95

bin: i told you that you would ace it! i got a 90 hehe

you: bin i literally owe you and eunwoo my life, lemme buy you guys food or something

you hear a little bit of bickering over the phone and suddenly you’re talking to eunwoo

eunwoo: i would love some sushi, but since bin can’t eat seafood, why don’t you come watch his swim meet this weekend :)

you: o...h...o-okay yeah i’d love to watch, what time is it? :)

eunwoo: it’s saturday at 10 am

you: okay! i’ll see you there bin

bin already planning on drop kicking eunwoo

cha eunwoo—best wingman™

you basically beg eunbi to go with you to bin’s swim meet

eunbi: i know bin can swim, why do i have to watch him flounder around under water

also eunbi: faster bin! don’t you fucking dare lose!

bin places first this meet

are we shocked? no

okay you mentally prepared yourself for seeing him shirtless, but clearly you didn’t prep enough bc you’re on the cusp of drooling when you’re watching him from the bleachers

and let’s face it, you’re not subtle and eunbi knows everything so she’s literally closing your jaw for you and like messing with you

eunbi: y/n, you’re really sure you like bin? he’s a good guy but c’mon, i think you deserve better

you: since when did i say that i like him ???? and what do you mean ??? i think he checks...all the boxes...for me...

eunbi: maybe it’s bc i’ve known him since when he used to wet his pants so i don’t understand why people are attracted to him, but like...really, you’ve been checking him out since he removed his shirt. even the ref can see that you’re simping over him

you and eunbi meet up with eunwoo and the rest of bin’s friends—that you haven’t met yet but know of

jinjin: oh so you’re the y/n that bin’s been talking about *wink wonk*

baby you’re blushing

even more so when bin comes up to your group

mmm middle parted wet hair, muscle tee and white sweats, towel around his shoulders

he’s so hot ???

you’re all congratulating him blah blah, but like bin keeps glancing at you and all you can do is just smile and like nervous laugh

sanha: y/n! eunbi noona! you should come eat with us to celebrate bin hyung’s win

eunbi glances at you, little smirk on her face: i have plans, but i know y/n’s free! bin you make sure they get home safe after y’alls dinner plans :)

hwang eunbi—best wingwoman™

dinner with the boys was chaotic, you were talking and joking around with them as if you didn’t just meet them today

*you about to get your wallet*

bin, not even able to look at you: it’s okay y/n, i got you this time

cue the boys teasing

astro: kings of making fun of each other

rocky as the group is splitting up: walk y/n home safely hyung :) don’t stay out too late

bin: sorry about them, they’re a bunch of loud idiots...ah haha...

the walk back to your apartment is actually pretty sweet

he didn’t know if you would actually come watch his meet or not but he was excited when he actually saw you

you talk about small random things about yourselves, but it’s not like useless information, you bet that both your subconsciouses are keeping track of whatever y’all are talking about

you give each other a “friendly” hug goodnight...that lasts like a minute or so

and while you’re hugging, bin just can’t help but think that wow you fit so perfectly in his arms

and on the other hand, you’re thinking he feels so warm? so safe? you don’t want to pull away?

but ofc the hug has to end and you’re thanking him for walking you home and he’s like glued to his spot waving goodbye sweetly and waiting for you to go inside so that he knows you’re safely in your apartment before leaving

bin sighing dreamily as he walks back to his and eunwoo’s place

eunwoo waiting on the couch with a glass of water: how was your date ;)

bin: it wasn’t a date, i just walked y/n home

eunwoo: yeah, but you want it to be a date

bin: ...shut up

god why is the pining stage so long

alright everyone knows you and bin like each other

it becomes pretty obvious after the swim meet

you and him fall into this little routine of switching who buys coffee for your 8 am

and then he’d walk you to your next class afterwards

you both still don’t pay attention in stats, sorry

but that means more outside study sessions dates

you come watch his swim meets, whether astro’s there or you’re just watching by yourself

and then you and him get lunch?? early dinner?? right afterwards, it depends on whenever his meet ends

but like??? neither of you have confessed your feelings for each other

even though you both have like a little hint that yeah the feelings are mutual

you and bin are literally like this for 3 months, like damn the semester is almost over

eunbi and eunwoo are tired of your shit, they’re both just like: when the fuck are they getting together? we’re sick of this.

alright so the masterminds literally pay one of eunwoo’s friends from his major to ask you out while you’re studying with bin

let’s do mingyu why not, he was in your korean history class last year

you and bin are in the library, half studying half goofing off per usual

eunwoo, eunbi, and mingyu are at the opposite side of the floor

mingyu: u sure bin won’t clock me for trying to ask out y/n

eunwoo: probably not??

eunbi: just do it please

mingyu giving them both the finger before walking up to your table

“hey y/n...i was wondering if you’d like to get dinner with me...as a date?”

you: o_o huh?

mingyu: i always thought you were cute from when we had class together last year, but i never had the balls to ask you out or anything...you’re not dating anyone, right?

you glance at bin to find that he’s already looking at you with an expression that you don’t really know how to read

you: um...well no I’m not-

bin: actually, we’re dating so y/n can’t go out with you mingyu, sorry.

mingyu’s not even phased, he just gives you a thumbs up and then leaves

you’re confused like literally what is going on—and then you process what bin said and you whip your head to look at him

bin: sorry i said that...i just felt...jealous i guess when mingyu asked you out

you: I wouldn’t have said yes anyway...I sorta like someone else

bin: fuck it, the topic already came up...y/n I’ve liked you for a while now but uh...I don’t know I guess I was scared to tell you because I’m scared of rejection

you just laugh, but not mockingly! more like bin you’re so cute wtf

“bin, why would I reject you when I’ve literally been into you for the past four months?”

it’s safe to say that you and bin officially began dating after that

eunwoo texting in their gc: bin and y/n are finally together

myungjun: fucking finally

bin: how...did u know that eunwoo...?

*eunwoo has left the chat*

alright but bin’s charm?? flirting?? teasing?? sweetness?? up 1000%

bin is touchy y’all, in private his hands are always on you, whether it be sexual or not sexual is up to you

he restrains himself in public ofc, the most he does is put a hand on your waist or hold your hand

eunbi threatens bin early on in your relationship: bin you’re like my brother, but y/n’s one of my dearest friends and if you as much make them cry i will kill you

ofc bin is still eunbi’s punching bag, but when you three are hanging out, he’s dramatic and acts like he’s hurt so he’s like whining to you

sometimes you play along and coo at him like: aww binnie, where does it hurt baby?

other times you’re like: you really think i believe that?? with the size of your biceps??

eunbi: excuse me while i vomit

okay but binnie? bestest sweetest boy

yes he looks all big and intimidating

but he’s soft—especially for you

your nicknames for each other are either “bub” or “baby”

yes will join in making fun of you with the boys, but when you start pouting he’s a goner and will defend you

bin is also a big cuddler, but i mean you’re not complaining hehe

he’s the big spoon, no questions asked

okay but being in bin’s arms is like your favorite place in the world

his frame literally just envelopes you and all you can feel and smell is him and it’s so??? content, you feel at home with him

you feel bad in the morning bc like his arm has to be sore from your weight so you try to like get out of his grasp, but he literally just whines and hugs you tighter

okay but just imagine you and bin napping and his arms are around your waist, his nose is buried in your neck and he wakes up like nuzzling his face in your shoulder like a puppy

im soft

one week you’re staying over at bin’s apartment and then the next week he’s staying over at yours, the cycle goes like that

if you’re one of my ladies with a ~vagíne~, he will buy all your cravings and your tampons/pads, literally anything you want that week, it is yours

doesn’t really get jealous now that you two are official, he knows that you’re his and he’s yours

you two lightly bicker like friends, but you’ve never had a terrible fight before

you were really close to though—or...like you did?? but it was resolved really quick

one of the only problems of bin is that he hates showing weakness and it takes him a whole lot to truly fully 100% be vulnerable with someone even if it’s someone close to him

he pulled a muscle in his arm and it cost him one of his swim meets

he had to go to rehab for like a month and you knew that mentally he’s been off bc of it

you try to ease talking him into telling you about how he’s really feeling but he just kept dodging the subject

one night after one of his rehab sessions, he came back to your place and you’re just like

“hey bubbie, how was rehab? how are you doing?”

and he just snaps at you: stop asking me how I am, y/n, it’s getting really annoying

you’re taken aback, like what the fuck where did that come from?

your eyebrows furrow and you cross your arms bc you are not going to get spoken to like that

“so me worrying about you and wondering how your recovery’s going is annoying? that’s what a partner is supposed to do, moon bin. what’s going on with you?”

bin: you’re being suffocating! it’s the only thing you ask me about nowadays, sometimes I—

oh boy you got mad

you: I ask you because I know you’re not telling me things! I know you’re suffering by yourself and I want to let you know that I’m here for you, I want to help take some of the pain away or at least help you deal with it because I’m your partner! but how can I if you can’t even let me in?? we’re fucking dating moon bin, we’re supposed to go through rough times together. and you call me suffocating...? 

bin’s silent and he’s looking at the floor

you sigh, tears are building in your eyes because you’re frustrated and a bit hurt by what he said, and your voice cracks when you speak again: if i’m suffocating you, then you should leave. text me or something when you can breathe again, I don’t know.

there’s a bit of spite in your words, hidden by the pain

bin sees the tears rolling down your cheeks and that’s when he knows he fucked up

he’s never seen you cry before—besides like from a sad movie or something

so like the fact that he made you cry and hurt you with his words? damn he hates himself rn

he immediately wraps his arms around you, and you like try to push him to get away bc why is he hugging you? didn’t he just say that you were suffocating? why is he confusing

bin: baby, I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have taken out my frustrations on you, you’re not suffocating me I promise...you’re right about everything, I should be sharing things with you and telling you how I’m really feeling...I’m sorry.

you don’t say anything and just like sniffle and he picks you up and brings you to your bedroom and then he just lets it all out

he tells you how rehab is hard and like yeah his muscle pain is going away, but he doesn’t know if he can swim as fast as he used to and that scares him

and he tells you that sometimes he’s thought of giving up swimming since his injury, but then he thinks of you and that’s how he’s still going through with rehab

you’re his motivator and comfort but he doesn’t want to show you his weak side bc he hates that part of himself

and at this point, bin starts tearing up and you’re like stroking his hair to try and comfort him

bin: I’m not good at telling my feelings baby...probably why I didn’t tell you I liked you until 4 months later...but I promise I’ll work harder and at least try and tell them to you.

ugh pain

anyway your communication with serious things got better after that encounter

eunbi finding out that you and bin argued and he made you cry and she literally punched his stomach

you: omg eunbi stop

bin: it’s okay...I sorta deserved that

eunbi: why...are you not swearing at me? shit, bin are you okay?

he nods to the girl and just puts an arm around your shoulder: we talked things through, don’t worry. I’m all good now, but I did deserve that punch because I hurt y/n when I promised you I wouldn’t

bin ends up having a full recovery and bam his first swim meet after he got the clear from the PT, he gets first place again

all the boys and you and eunbi were there supporting him

bin was hella nervous before the meet started, but you gave him a little good luck kiss and was like: I believe in you bub, no matter the result, as long as you give it your all and don’t hurt yourself again, you’ll be the winner to me :)

this was actually when the first “i love you” was said

after your little pep talk in the locker room, bin’s just hugging you and holding you for comfort

and he just went out with it

“I love you y/n”

you blush hella hard bc you were not expecting that

obviously you’ve been feeling it like yeah your feelings for bin have grown into love for a while now

you just bury your face in his chest and hug him tighter

“I love you too binnie, now go get em bub.”

he smiles and kisses you and tells you that he’ll see you after the meet is over

you come back to the crowd where the boys and eunbi are and you just have a huge smile on your face, you’re literally glowing

myungjun: please tell me you guys didn’t fuck before his swim meet

speaking of fucking

okay let’s get down and dirty ladies and gents wink wonk mmm grr bark bark

bin is so sexy y’all like i dont need to tell you that

he’s 100% a tease

you have a little muscle kink hehe

which bin very much uses to his advantage

if bin is wearing a sleeveless shirt, you bet he wants to smash that day

will walk around shirtless after a shower or after a workout just to turn you on and then depending on his mood, he might tease you for like an hour or you’ll just get right to it

he’s very proud of his body and the work he put into it and knowing that you get turned on from one look of it?? gives him an ego boost, he loves it

one time at a party, he wore a crop top (mm hello bad idea bin) and you literally went feral

you dragged him inside the nearest bathroom and just started making out

he’s an ass guy

...all of astro are ass guys, it’s just obvious with how much they slap each other’s asses and poke each other’s assholes

okay you know how he’s touchy right? i mentioned that earlier

he always wants you on his lap

even if there’s a space available, nope your seat is his thighs

ofc when the situation allows, like you’re not gonna sit on his lap in class duh

most of the time in public like if you’re hanging out with the boys or something, it’s innocent

but if he wants to be a tease, he’ll literally just tighten his grip on your hips and grind you down onto his cock

subtle, he won’t straight up thrust into you

just enough to get his dick stirring and make you feel the outline of it through your pants

and then he just stops and hugs your waist again?? wtf

his major’s exercise science right? will ask if he can practice on you for anatomy and physiology, but you know after touching you in a couple places, y’all will just end up fucking

likes to bite and mark

very proud seeing the hickeys he leaves on you

you can bite, but you can’t bruise, idk his upper body is exposed a lot bc swimming so you can’t really leave any marks on him unless it’s the off season

foreplay’s cool, but he prefers the main event, he just wants to be in you

as much as he loves doggy, his fav position is the hook

(it’s when your legs are on his shoulders ohoho and it just lets him fuck you in a deeper angle mmm)

also in the hook, he can choke you

if i have a choking kink, you have a choking kink

okay little tangent, choking is so hot?

like just imagine you and bin are making out, he pushed you against the wall, literally grinding his hips into you, and his hand just comes up and squeezes your throat? that’s so sexy

likes butt stuff oops

i don’t make the rules, he just does

daddy kink, but no power play

will not degrade you (even if you really just want him to call you his dirty slut) bc he really values seeing you as equals

seeing your face when you cum is a must

almost always: you cumming → bin cumming

nothing gets him off more than knowing that he’s making you feel good

after !! care !!

sweetest boy!!

will clean you up with a warm towel after sex

and if you’re one of my ladies, he will always remind you to pee so that you don’t get a UTI

if y’all had a marathon or something, he will draw a bath and carry you to the bathroom and you will bathe together, so soft

always ends sex with an i love you :’)

okay let’s get back to the soft stuff

special thing about swimmer bin: pool dates

sometimes when he’s practicing and it’s just him, he asks you to come to the aquatic center and you two end up splashing around and being cute together

he like knew that you were the one for him some time during senior year

it was the holidays and his parents invited you to spend christmas with their family since your parents were out of the country this break

his parents and sister liked you immediately—which you were so scared about, but bin just knew

you woke up early christmas eve (and bin was out like a rock) so you just went downstairs to brew some coffee or something and you saw that his mom was already starting on making food

naturally, you offered your help and she was like no, you’re a guest y/n, but obviously you started helping

bin comes downstairs like an hour or two later to see you, his mom, and his dad just cooking and listening to christmas music and talking and his heart just like swells??

you: morning binnie :)

his mom: how can you be sleeping when y/n’s here helping us with christmas dinner

his dad: what kind of boyfriend are you, son?

just kidding all jokes

but that’s the moment when he knew

best boyfriend bin ugh

he becomes a legend in the school for swimming

but doesn’t continue after college, he’s all about becoming a physical trainer after graduation

he goes to grad school, while you’re out working in business

bin moves in with you after graduating, it was the obvious next step

you do talk about the future together, but obviously bin’s still in school and you’re both fresh from undergrad so there’s no rush yet to tie the knot

doesn’t stop his or your parents from talking to you two about marriage tho oops

ugh but the domesticity after bin moves in with you? superb

like yeah obviously you both basically lived together anyway when he still roomed with eunwoo just from how much you and him spent at each other’s places

but like your apartment is now both of your place and it’s like your home is finally complete

your apartment becomes the reunion place for the boys and eunbi

at this point everyone knew you and bin were gonna get married eventually

eunwoo and eunbi: we did that ;)

and that’s how you and your college bf!bin live happily ever after uwu

happy birthday binnie moonbob ♥

1-25-21

[macaronnya]

Fresh(?) Impressions (13)

Other parts: |Trickstar| |UNDEAD| |2wink| |Ra*bits| |Akatsuki| |fine| |Ryuseitai| |Knights| |Valkyrie| |Switch| |MaM/Double Face/Crazy:B| |Eden| |Alkaloid|

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Hello Enstarries~☆ Finally, the last part is here! Since Alkaloid is special in the sense that it's the main focus for the first 3 chapters in this game, I decided to also read the first chapter in addition to their Episode 1. And god did it take a long time to finish it. It makes sense for the main story to have each episode last long but the pacing is also quite slow. At least, to what I'm used to.

DISCLAIMER!: Everything said here is for entertainment purposes only and not meant to attack anyone. This is not an accurate description of any characters but my subjective rambling for fun, so please don't take it too seriously. (Just to be safe, I'm kinda scared of elite idol fans) Also, you will hear me mention other games a bunch of times bc I'm that bad and uncreative at explaining and I'm still grieving A3!EN's shutdown. Eng is my 2nd (or 3rd?) language so there might be some weird grammar or spelling mistakes. And I write at 3 am usually.

Without further ado....Let's Ensemble!☆

Hmmmmmm Alkaloid.....a unit compromised of "underachievers". Forced to comply to the higher ups like how card soldiers have to obey the Queen of Hearts. Well, I still don't know what exactly the theme is but the aesthetic is kinda cool Ig. I like their outfits. The colors go well together and the little differentiations aka the pips (and shoes too, but those are not that important) are a smart detail here, since there are 4 members for 4 symbols! And it's nice you can see them on their gloves & jacket as buttons and medals. Although the silhouette is pretty simple, it doesn't look boring at all through such details and and other things. I like the hats very much! Now, their songs are not really my thing, at first. They don't sound boring but I needed a bit of time to warm up to them. I'm not sure if it's just my lack of cultureness but it gives me strong Vocaloid vibes. And yes, I know Vocaloid is just j-pop and alt but that's just what came first to me. That goes especially for Distorted Heart and Believe 4 leaves, though I admit I haven't listened to them as much as others (similiar situation as 2wink). I kinda thought they were rivals or smth like that to Trickstar at first when I went through the whole enstars playlist and also saw comments saying they prefer Alkaloid as protags in contrast to Trickstar. All in all, I don't have a strong opinion on them yet but they get a pass 👍

6/10 - pretty alright I suppose

Hiiro Amagi

Man Idek what to say. He really just went "I'm gonna destroy a whole part of the entertainment industry bc my bro won't come home." And to think I thought he was just a normal guy.... I'm having a bit of a hard time describing him tbh. He's friendly, eager to learn new things, very optimistic, vvveeeerrrryyyy keen on getting along with everyone but switches tunes immediately the moment he disapproves of them, is pretty perceptive of potential danger or in serious situations and stubborn. His lack of common sense and him just thinking every new thing is a city thing & his bluntness is a funny running gag. Dude has no idea what a smartphone is, how did he even get recruited as an idol and make a resumé??? Spade fits him, since one popular speculation is that it represents knights and he's good at fighting and athletic stuff I'd say. That and he is the leader of the card soldiers (if that really is the theme). Smth about the clash of clear blue eyes and strong red hair and his hairstyle makes him pretty dashing.

6/10 - a pinch of psycho but he'd make a great neighbour

Aira Shiratori

His I love~ is kinda annoying, though it's kinda neat as a catchphrase bc it sounds like his name Aira. I wonder whether he cane up with that before or after starting his idol career 🤔 His obsession with idols is also slightly worrisome but at least he's relatively respectful (to the idols). He's average in the sense, that nothing stands out to me except those things. I got used to his voice eventually but it did remind me of a squeaking duck toy at first, in a bad way. I guess he's the heart bc I love~ and how he's just the most expressive emotionally? At least, you can read him the most easily out of the four. Although, clover would fit him more bc that's supposed to represent the commoners.

5/10 - he'd spam fancams on twitter

Mayoi Ayase

Mans was on the ceiling for the whole meeting and nobody blinked twice. If that doesn't tell you what you need to know about the cast already.... Anyways, I love his hair color so much! A strong purple for a strong personality! Everything about him leaves a strong impression but ironically, he's very shy. Or rather incredibly self-depricating for some reason. He's like Muku (A3!) but cranked up. Breath in the same room as him and he'll apologize. His sprite (the right one there) first made me think he's some unhinged crazy dude and, I mean, he's not but his Ep.1 did feel like a thriller. He's pure-hearted but he sure makes it hard to believe. Surprisingly, he has a powerful singing voice and I'd say the best in Alkaloid. He REALLY went off in Believe 4 leaves, which is such a banger btw. I heard he chomps people and all I can say is ouch with those teeth.....He's clover, which....I guess is OK. He seems more like a deadly shy spy or introverted eccentric alchemist than a normal commoner but I mean nothing speaks against it.

7/10 - he needs to work on his choice of words but I guess he's a cinnamon roll?????

Tatsumi Kazehaya

Who thought of adding a christian into the idol rooster??? So now we have son of a family tending to a temple and one tending to a church. Well, he's a chill and responsible guy. Kinda curious whether he's catholic or a protestant. My limited knowledge of taking (protestant) christian studies instead of ethics in school is finally coming to use!/jk (not a christian here but in school in Germany, you usually have to choose between christian or ethic studies and protestant christian studies usually had the more chill teachers so yeah). I'm slightly surprised by how often he mentions things of the bible in the correct context (I think). Makes me think the authors properly researched their stuff but who knows, not me that's for sure. Anyways, the way he speaks and sounds reminds me of lying on fresh soft green grass swaying in gentle wind. Actually, he reminds me awfully a lot of Libra (FE: Awakening) with how he's not to be taken easy just bc he has a gentle personality. Kinda sudden but I wanna kiss his beauty marks. I predict he's gonna consider stopping his idol activites due to his worsening injuries but the power of friendship somehow heals him. Diamond doesn't fit him much since that represents nobles and merchants. Hearts actually represent clergy, which is a missed opportunity but oh well.

7/10 - I'm gonna stick my hand in the fire and say he's the sort of christian who doesn't use religion as an excuse to oppress 80% of the human population but to make the world a better place

----------------------------------------------

Conclusion

So uhm. Cool group I suppose. I'll get to know them better after reading the main story but for now I don't have a strong opinion on them. I'm surprised to like the the christian guy and the ceiling guy so much. Especially Mayoi with his screen time of not even a 4th of the chapter lol.

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Afterwords!

After more than a month, I finally managed to read all unit stories and can at last begin reading the "!" and after that the "!!" main story. Only took me until the 4th event in the EN server.......

I have to say, there's solid worldbuilding and it's not all just happy idol stuff, which is pretty neat. That is more or less the norm for most idol games these days and I'm not saying that we need to have brutally serious real life stories but what stands out is that the characters feel.....more 3 dimensional Ig? Like, there are stereotypes of the cute baby one or the outgoing flirt but they're not just that. They have realistic worries that come from working in the idol industry, have other characteristics not exactly befitting that archetype or difficult relationship dynamics bc they're people. They can have real problematic flaws that aren't just "Oh I'm soooo clumsy ><" or "I'm such a glutton hehe" but that's just what I've heard so far, meaning that's not really a complete plus point yet. The mix of this and the wackiness of everything else makes it very interesting so far. (Just like A3! 🥲) Or maybe I just haven't played enough games and am just overrestimating an older franchise.

The music is really good as well. I feel like in idol franchises, the intrumental is often only there to support the singing but here it's actually doing more!!! Like, the instruments compliment the singing and have many layers on their own. I like following different instruments each time I listen to a song for the nth time and see in what way it enriches the song. I guess the fever time or whatever it's called highlights it. The wide range of genres and styles is also a big bonus. And just to say it here bc I can't do it anywhere else: the shuffle unit songs are godly. Not a single miss yet. Noir Neige and Moonlight Disco are the best! For the unit collabs, pretty much half of them are really hitting the spot. The rest is meh. The cover series is H I L A R I O U S and cool if nothing else.

Maybe I'll do a comparison in the future with how I'm feeling about everyone then and my past impressions. But for now, this is the end! If you have anything you wanna share or say, just keep in mind all is for fun and we're here for a good time ^^. Until we meet again~☆

[tomboyneedshercoffee]

Thin Ice Pt2 || Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: Y/N and Peter’s slippery interaction on the ice leads to the beginning of a friendship.

Word Count: 2.6k

Author’s note: Sorry this part took so long I’ve been studying for my midterms! Also, this is one of the last times Y/N nerds out over snowboarding so I promise, I won’t have as many confusing references or anything like that! Also also, thank you to everyone who requested more parts and wanted to be added to the tag list! I’m super glad yall are enjoying this series! 

Warning: Swearing!! But ughhhh that’s it

part one || part two || part three || part four || part five || part six || to be continued 

You grabbed your skates from the counter and sat down on a wooden bench next to Cindy who was already done lacing up. The snow had stopped falling and left complete fluffy powder in its place and the air wasn’t as harsh or crisp as yesterday was. 

This was Cindy’s big moment to shine; she was never seen as an athlete but boy did she love to show off when it came to her ice skating skills. You, on the other hand, weren’t the best at ice skating which didn’t really make sense to your friends since it’s kinda like snowboarding in terms of balancing. Nonetheless, you weren’t going to be the only person sitting out while the rest of your classmates had fun so you did your best to participate gracefully. 

After getting your skates on (with much help from Cindy and Betty), you slowly got onto the ice and hung onto the wooden fencing. 

You were all out there for almost two hours and you wondered when Mr. Harrington would call it quits for today but he was nowhere to be seen which worried you. This was your first-time ice skating outside on an actual lake and you were terrified you would fall through but the girls convinced you that you were just being paranoid. 

“ Uhm, where is the trusted adult chaperone? I didn’t spend my savings trying just to slip through the ice and die,” You said in a jocking tone but the girls knew you were somewhat serious. 

“ I don’t blame you, you’re probably still traumatized after Peter practically ran you over yesterday,” Cindy replied as she skated backwards so she could face you and Betty. 

You held on to Betty’s hand tighter as some kids who couldn’t be older than eight whizzed by you. You felt your subconscious say to stick your leg out and trip them but you pushed those dark thoughts aside and tried to keep your cool.

 You kept looking at the ground just in case you saw any cracks in the ice but you still rolled your eyes at Cindy. 

“ For the last time, it was an accident. Besides, I think I look badass,” You pushed out your bottom lip and revealed the small gash from yesterday that was still healing,” I just hope Peter isn’t beating himself up about it.”

While the girls conversed with one another, Peter and Ned skated several feet away as Peter listened in on the conversation with his ‘spidey hearing’. He couldn’t help himself but when he started to feel guilty, he turned to Ned. 

“ Maybe I should go talk to her. I don’t want her to think I forgot about what happened cause I feel-”

“ Insanely guilty yes, you’ve said it almost a hundred times within the last hour,” Ned interrupted as he shook his head,” but of course she didn’t forget. She has a huge cut on her lip to remind her what happened.” 

Once again, Peter felt another wave of guilt before MJ skated beside him. He watched as your group skated further away and he felt his legs slow down. Say what you will about MJ, but she wasn’t the type to thrive off of people’s pain and suffering especially when her close friend was whining about a girl. 

“ Don’t let this get to your head Peter, but she couldn’t stop talking about you last night in the hotel room. It’s safe to say that she forgives you indefinitely,” MJ said plainly as if that wasn’t the best news Peter could’ve heard. 

Peter stopped in his tracks completely,” Are you serious? What did she say about me? Please please please tell me-”

“ Parker!” Cindy shouted as she bumped into him harshly which caused you and Betty to fall over towards Cindy.

You and Betty both fell onto your hands and knees as you thanked the universe that you didn’t smash your face in once again. 

You ignored the gasps from your friends as you tried to push yourself up with your hands. Your legs wobbled and you gave up, sinking to your knees to avoid further embarrassment.  As MJ and Cindy helped Betty up, Peter rushed over on his skates and slid over to you with his hands out. 

“ Y/N, I am the worst person in the world I’m sorry,” Peter apologized and you felt like you were having major deja vu. 

You reached up towards Peter as he lifted you back onto your feet but since he pulled you up so fast, you fell forward again, leaning up against his chest. Peter stabilized his feet and held onto your waist, making sure you didn’t take both of you down. 

You hung onto his shoulders as you pressed up against him more, your feet shifting nervously. While you could hide your blush against his chest, your friends could all see that the cold wasn’t the only thing making his face looked flushed. 

Peter’s mind was buzzing as you squeezed him tighter; oh my fucking god this is really happening right now. 

“ Y/N, um, you can open your eyes. You’re not going to fall,” Peter consoled you softly as you nodded, opening your eyes. 

You looked up at Peter and you pulled away when you realized how you were mere centimeters from his face. You let go of his shoulders and instinctively grabbed his hand instead so you didn’t fall over again. Peter looked down at you hands and gave you a reassuring squeeze. 

“ Thanks, Pete. I guess you redeemed yourself from yesterday,” You gushed as you looked down at your interlocked fingers. Even though you were both wearing gloves, you still felt weird holding his hand in front of everyone to see. 

You pulled away and awkwardly dropped your arms to the side as Mr. Harrington called out that it was time to explore the shops in the snow village. You gave one last look at Peter and smiled softly before shuffling over to the exit with Betty and Cindy. 

“ Ooooo Y/N and Peter sitting-”

You turned to Cindy and you weren’t sure if it was the soreness of your feet or how little sleep you got last night but your playful push turned into a hard one as you pushed Cindy into the snow with a soft thud. Cindy whined as you and Betty rushed to help her up to her feet. 

“ What were you saying?” Betty teased as Cindy let out a mocked laugh. 

“ Ha ha way to treat your friends.” 

After lunch, Mr. Harrington set all the students loose to look around the shops. Each had their own little gimmick like On the Edge Snowwear or Snowbunnies R Us.

You bent down to be eye level with one of the shelves that had a colorful array of snow goggles and studied the snow goggles as if it was the Mona Lisa. As you picked one up, you watched Brad come over to you from the corner of your eye but you kept your attention to the shelf. 

“ Really? Another pair of goggles? You have almost a dozen at home,” Brad said as he clicked his tongue and took the one you were holding out of your hand,” oh my god Y/N these cost more than the plane ticket!”

You grabbed the goggles back from him and shook your head,” They’re not just any goggles, they’re limited edition from the 2018 winter Olympics, see?” 

You pointed at the band on the side of the goggles and showed him the rings with the flag of South Korea beside it. 

Every student at Midtown had their own obsession; Flash was into expensive cars and was always at car shows during the weekends, Betty’s skin was always glowing because she’s completely obsessed with  Korean facemasks and feels the need to have collections of the same one, and Peter was strangely in love with Spiderman because he would always talk about how cool he was and asking everyone around him if they felt the same way. 

Your weird obsession was snowboarding and watching food ASMR videos but you decided to keep one of those things a secret. 

“ It was the year for snowboarding I mean come on, Shaun White won the most snowboarding medals at one Winter Olympics and Chloe Kim brought home the gold she’s our age!” 

You pulled out your phone and took a picture of the goggles before putting them back on the shelf. You could tell how disinterested Brad was but that didn’t stop you from taking a picture of the whole shelf altogether. 

When you stood back up, you looked across the shop and watched Peter and Ned laughing over one of the corny t-shirts on the rack. Peter felt your gaze on him but when he looked up at you, you moved your gaze to a random shelf. 

Brad looked at Peter and then back at you,” Is there something going on between you and Parker?” 

“ What makes you say that?” You asked as you walked over to the window where you watched MJ slam a pile of snow into Flash’s face. 

You knew exactly what he was asking but you had already put that embarrassment behind you and you didn’t want to relive it. 

“ You two were pretty cuddly on the ice this morning. Just be careful, I don’t want him to hurt you again.”

There was something a little harsh in Brad’s voice and you already knew something was up with him. Brad’s temper was always like rolling a pair of dice; some days nothing annoyed him while other days would set him over the edge. 

Whenever he used that voice, that meant you got the luxury of deciding how he would be handled in that place and time. 

“ Careful now, you sound a bit jealous,” You said, almost studying his face as he clenched his jaw,” what’s going on inside that head of yours Davis?” 

“ Why would I be jealous of him?” He asked bitterly as you put your hands up in defense,” I’m telling you to be careful or you’re going to end up in the medic station again.”

There was something definitely wrong but you were already so tired from this morning and decided not to fight this battle. 

“ Hey look, I’m just playing around. Is something wrong?” 

Brad ignored you, turned around, and pushed through the doors as he left you standing there in the middle of the store. You didn’t bother chasing after him because you knew how he was when he was annoyed. Besides, you were on this trip to have fun, not babysit. 

 You looked around the store and when you made eye contact with Peter again, you decided to put your embarrassment aside and walk over to him. 

“ I couldn’t help but notice your burning gaze from across the room,” You teased as Peter laughed,” tell me, do you come here often?” 

He was glad that there was nothing awkward between the two of you, especially considering what had happened this morning with how close the two of you were. He set down the snowglobe he picked up and stuffed his hands in his pocket, trying to get the image out of his head before his whole face turned red. 

“ Oh sure. I love spending my free time at a store called Tis the Ski-son boutique.”

He followed you as you both walked out of the store side by side, leaving with no other purchases. Peter wrapped his scarf around him tighter, even though he was slightly embarrassed for being cold (which of course didn’t make any sense) while you breathed in the cool air. 

You watched your feet as you listened to the snow crunch from underneath you, almost getting lost in an icy trance. 

Time always felt slower when it snowed outside and yet, this trip was going by so fast. You only had a few more days left before the trip would be over and you knew you would miss it already. 

You watched Peter who looked so uncomfortable out in the cold and tried to find a store to settle in for a bit. 

“ Edgewater Cafe has really good hot chocolate if you want to check it out?” You offered as Peter nodded his head, almost too eagerly. 

You and Peter had quickly shuffled over to the cafe and once you got inside, you could feel Peter melt beside you, feeling at peace in the warm coco shop. When you ordered for the both of you, Peter insisted that he paid and even slapped your hand away while you tried to give the cashier your card. 

He claimed it was his treat but you both knew it was a way to apologize for both yesterday and today’s events. 

Peter found a quiet area in the corner and sat on one side of the couch as you took the other. You both brought the cup to your lips at the same time but you watched him as he took a small sip with his eyes closed. 

“ So, what do you think?” You asked as you took a sip, savoring the rich chocolate. 

Peter nodded and took another sip before putting resting the cup back onto his thigh,” Okay, it’s not bad but I wouldn’t say it’s the best.” 

“ Oh come on! Where else can you get hot chocolate this gourmet?” 

“ If by gourmet you mean a cocoa mix with boiling water then yeah, I guess it is gourmet.”

You shook your head at him as you took another sip, not caring what he thought. You watched Peter as he rubbed his finger up and down against the cup as if he was deep in thought.

Out of nowhere, Peter’s heart started to race and he was glad that you couldn’t tell the difference. It finally hit him that you two were hanging out alone, which rarely ever happened unless you two were doing a school project or shared the same subway home. 

You felt this too and decided to break the tension,” This isn’t weird, right? Like us hanging out? Alone?” 

Yes. 

“ No, why would it be weird?” Peter asked as his voice cracked slightly. 

You shrugged and took another sip before putting the cup down on the table. This was definitely weird but for some reason, you didn’t mind. You had a pretty good radar on people and Peter never seemed like a creep so you felt at ease. 

“ I don’t know to be honest. We’re classmates but I never really knew if we were friends or not,” You admitted as you watched Peter’s smile fall,” I mean, do you want to be friends with me?”

You shook your head and laughed, your mind processing what you had just offered,” I know that sounds childish like we’re in kindergarten or something but yeah, I guess what I’m saying is that I think we should be friends. Does that sound childish?” 

Peter didn’t know what to think. He felt like he had just gotten friend-zoned but on the other hand, being friends was a step up from what you two originally were. 

Of course, Peter wanted to just spill everything about his not so small crush on you but relationships take time. If he had to wait and be friends with you, he would gladly take that. 

“ It does sound childish..but yeah. I want to be friends with you,” Peter said as you both shared a sweet smile,” does this mean we have to make friendship bracelets or something?”

“ I’m two steps ahead of you Pete,” You picked up your cup which was almost empty by now and lifted it up towards Peter,” how about a toast...to new friendships.” 

Peter lifted his cup and pressed it against yours as his heart slammed against his ribcage,” To new friendships.” 

@yeahimcrying @greatpizzascissorstaco @mysticalbanshee @weyheyavengers @infinityflamesworld @peterparkoure @fandom-fangirl22​ @holland-in-disguise

[trashfor-imagines]

How I Met Your Mother Father: Haikyū Edition! | 2

Ft. Oikawa / Iwaizumi / Ushijima / Tendo / Semi

Summary: How you met your husband-o! Warnings: I took creative liberties regarding Ushijima’s story and how the Olympics work. Also I’m sleepy and going back in and editing my mistakes. :)

Part 1: Ft. Kuroo / Bokuto / Akaashi / Yaku Part 3: Ft. Daichi / Sugawara / Asahi / K. Ukai

-

Oikawa Toru

You and Oikawa met in university. You were studying for a degree in Kinesiology & Sport Science and your goal was to get into Sports Medicine and work for one of the National or Olympic teams.

It was by chance you joined the men’s volleyball team as their manager. You originally gunned for track and field, but a mishap with your train pass at the station made you late for sign ups.

On your first day of practice you arrived early to get a head start on things - ordering uniforms, getting sports drinks ready, gathering clean towels. You were coming back from the laundry room when a ball was headed straight for you. Fear reached your knees decided to lock them in place so your first instinct was to block, holding your palms out, but the sheer force and velocity caused your hands and the ball to be thrown back, still smacking you in the face and quite literally knocking you off your feet.

Lying there, you wanted the gym floor to open up and swallow you whole.

“Are you ok?! I’m so sorry!” Eyes fluttering open, you looked up into brown eyes, wide with worry.

“Well boys, this is your first year team manager. Oikawa! I thought I told you first years to stop showing off! Take responsibility and help her to the nurse’s office. When you come back you’ll be doing flying laps until I say stop,” the coach yelled, blowing a whistle and signaling the start of practice.

He picked you up easily in his arms, some of the boys who were out of earshot of the coach whistling at him. Now that you weren’t lying on the ground and he wasn’t so close in your face, you could really take in his features and god was he handsome. You really did wish the ground had swallowed you whole.

The nurse flashed a light in your eyes. “Well, you’re definitely going to have a bruise.”

“You don’t have to stay with me,” you told told Oikawa as the nurse looked you over for signs of concussion.

“I feel bad; I just want to make sure you’re ok,” he reasoned, giving you his most charming smile.

“If you feel bad, then you can make it up to me later instead of using me to stall facing your punishment.”

“It’s a deal. No take backs, my cute manager,” he sang, quickly escaping before you could rebut.

And that’s how you ended up going on a date with Oikawa Toru and marrying a year after he went pro.

Iwaizumi Hajime

You sighed, resting your chin in your hand as you watched Iwaizumi from across the library. While most girls at school fawned over Oikawa, you were absolutely smitten with his best friend.

Letting your shoulders drop, you turned back to your textbook, tapping your pencil eraser to the tip of your nose as you bit down on your lower lip, clueless that the boy who’d invaded your thoughts had noticed you.

Months later and graduation was today and it was official. You’d spent the whole year pining for a boy you’d never ever spoken to. In a month you’d be starting college and hopefully someone new would catch your eye.

The summer wasn’t exciting. You spent your time packing for Tokyo and wandering around town, hoping to catch even a glimpse of Iwaizumi in passing; no luck.

You were starting classes at UTokyo in a few weeks for two degrees in Creative Writing and Publishing. You wanted to write stories and if you couldn’t do that then you wanted to help people get their stories out there.

First day of classes were incredible. Everything was interesting and you were reignited with a new sense of excitement. You’d almost forgotten about why you were so mopey before.

It was Wednesday and you were on your way off campus to find lunch when you felt your heart skip. There he was just across the courtyard; Iwaizumi.

Was he seriously here too? Gripping your hands tightly around your book bag, you considered your options.

New school.

New city.

New you.

Right?

Breathing steady, you quickly crossed the courtyard. The closer you got the stiffer your body felt and the more your hands shook until you couldn’t walk anymore. Your feet were glued in place and you watched as Iwaizumi walked right past you.

Dammit.

As weeks passed it was like high school all over again. Now that you’d seen him once, he seemed to be popping up everywhere and it was driving you mad. You even saw him at a coffee shop off campus the other day.

You sat in the library, studying for your first exam. Nervously, you bounced your restless leg as you tapped your pencil’s eraser against your forehead, frustrated.

Things were supposed to be different.

You barely registered when someone sat next to you.

“If you aren’t careful, you’ll leave a mark on your face.”

Your face flushed and you dropped your pencil; that’s Iwaizumi’s voice. Almost mechanically, you turned your head and met his gaze.

He sat with his body turned toward you, arm propped up at the elbow with his cheek resting on his fist.

“I wasn’t sure it was you, but now I’m positive,” he said, smiling at you. Smiling at you. You’d only ever dreamed.

“You know... who I am?”

“Well yeah, we went high school for three years together.” His voice was teasing and everything you ever wished for. “I was always busy with school and volleyball, I never gave myself a chance to talk to you.”

“You wanted to talk to me?”

“I might have seen you looking at me a few times.” There it goes. Called out. You were a stuttering mess. There was no way you could play it off now. 

Letting you flounder a bit more, he rested his hand on your bouncing knee, sending a jolt of electricity through you, and that expression on his face told you he might have felt it too.

“(Y/N) why don’t we go out and we can catch up for lost time?”

And that was how you and Iwaizumi Hajime became inseparable ever since, marrying a few years after starting your careers after college.

Ushijima Wakatoshi

The Olympics were almost every athlete’s dream.

You were raised to play, eat, breathe, and dream gold.

Gold medals that is.

All your life you’d been on national teams and qualified for the Youth Olympics in Track and Field at 14.

Now, four years later, you were off to the actual Olympics. You were boarding the plane to London for athletes who were heading over early. It was a long flight with a layover in Turkey.

Dressed in leggings, your Team Japan Olympic sweatshirt, and slipping on a pair of comfy house shoes you wore specifically on planes, you snuggled into your window seat, gazing through the small frame of glass.

You snapped out of it when you felt someone sit in the seat beside you. Turning, you felt your jaw slack slightly at the large and fit build seated right next to you.

Okay, full disclosure, you were boy crazy deep inside. Your parents didn’t allow dating and drilled into you that boys were just a distraction from your dreams.

“Go for gold. Boys come later.”

But holy shit. He was looking right at you too. Oh my god, was he talking to you? What was he saying?!

Oh right.

Smiling, you reached up and removed your earbuds. “Sorry, what was that?”

“My seatbelt.”

You felt your mouth run dry. His voice. Was life serious right now?!

“Sorry,” you laughed lightly, reaching under your thigh for the belt strap, handing it to him. You might have handed it to him in a way so that your hands touched on purpose. Maybe you didn’t. All you knew was that you wanted to keep talking to him and you definitely wanted to touch him.

“Thanks,” he spoke simply, buckling in before facing forward.

 Okay, you mouthed silently, straightening up in your seat. Tucking a stray hair behind your ear, you turned to him again. “I’m (Y/F/N), Olympic Track and Field.”

He turned to look at you. “Ushijima Wakatoshi. Volleyball.”

A man of few words? “You know, I think I recognize you now.”

“We were featured in the same article in Number last month.” His voice was blunt.

Your eyes widened. “Wow! You remembered what article we were both in?”

He didn’t respond, but by god, he just said more than just three words to you and it was a full sentence. You gave a few more tries at making conversation, but he had no response. With a sigh, you shrunk into your seat and put your earbuds in.

You weren’t sure when you’d fallen asleep, but you were awakened by a jerking and shaking motion. An arm was wrapped tightly around you as the cabin continued to shake and rattle.

A ding sounded and the captain made an announcement: “Sorry passengers, but we’re currently experiencing some turbulence. We’ll be adjusting our flight pattern. Please stay seated with seatbelts fastened.”

The hand on your arm tightened, but you were tucked tightly into his side to where you couldn’t adjust your head to look at Ushijima’s face. Reaching over, you placed one of your hands on top of his and he adjusted to hold your hand tightly, as your other arm stretched across his torso, holding onto him.

Even when the plane moved into less turbulent air space, he continued to hold onto you and eventually you slept again.

He woke you up when you landed in Turkey and asked if you’d spend the layover with him in the airport while some of the other athletes left to explore. Though most of the conversation was one sided with you talking and him listening, there was a connection and when you finally made him laugh, you knew you wanted to always be the reason for his smiles.

When you finally reached London, you spent as much time as possible with one another before the events began; morning runs in the city, sightseeing, eating meals together, taking tons of photos together.

You’d won gold in the 500 meter. The volleyball team won bronze.

When the both of you finally returned home to Japan, the two of you stayed in contact as more than just friends, but he’d never label your relationship out loud.

That’s how you and Ushijima Wakatoshi, medal winning Olympians, ended up together, keeping your relationship on the down low and out of the press for two years and marrying just before the next Olympic Games.

Tendo Satori

As far as you were concerned, Tendo was an insensitive goof.

You had known him since you were babies, your mothers were best friends, and by god he was the most annoying force to ever appear in your life. Your childhood was filled with plenty of hair pulling and teasing.

It was embarrassing when girls started growing breasts and you were still flat as a board. His teasing was unrelenting. And when you finally grew some semblance of breasts? You didn’t even want to get started on that nightmarish period of life.

When high school came around, he was like a second shadow to you, never far. It was irritating, but you tolerated it.

He wasn’t an idiot, managing to also get into Shiratorizawa. He also knew when you were reaching your limit with him and he’d instantly change his behavior, turning into the sweet and gentle boy you first knew.

Hell, you even welcomed his attention at this point. There weren’t any other boys looking your way. As soon as you’d start talking to a guy, the next day they’d avoid you like the plague.

He was your best friend.

You hated him.

You loved him.

Second year didn’t seem to be any different from first year. Valentines Day came around and a boy you’d been crushing on rejected your chocolates. It was absolutely embarrassing.

You studied in the library, keeping yourself mentally preoccupied, while waiting patiently for Tendo to walk you home after school, you only hoped his practice didn’t run late like normal.

You heard girls whispering about your rejection earlier. It was so hard to not just break into tears. You’d been holding them in all day.

After a couple hours, you slammed your book shut, temporarily stopping the whispers while you packed and left, waiting for Tendo outside of the school gates.

“Hey washboard!” came his cheery voice.

Biting your lip, you kept your head down as you walked with him down the street. You hadn’t made it ten steps before stopping, trying to hold in your sobs. Reaching into your bag, you pulled out your thoughtfully wrapped rejected box of sweets and held it out to him.

“Weren’t you going to give these to that Suzukita guy on the swim team? Chicken out?” He turned the box over in his hands.

Balling your hands into fists, you snatched the box back from him. “Look Sato, if you don’t want them then just say so!”

He took a better look at your face, noticing streaks of tears down your face. With a small growl, he snatched them back before tearing into the box, eating a couple of pieces. “I didn’t say I didn’t want them!”

Shoulders trembling, you let yourself cry freely.

Tendo frowned, brows furrowed in worry. Stuffing the chocolates into his bag, he held your hand, pulling you along with him and walking you home silently. No jokes. No teasing. Just the sweet boy who always made you hold his hand when you were toddlers.

Your troubles weren’t over just yet though. White Day came along and you weren’t ready for the horror show of feeling alone again.

The day was uneventful. You hardly spoke to anyone. Even your girl friends avoided you so they didn’t accidentally make you feel bad.

White Day was lonely and it sucked.

Thankfully, the day didn’t drag out and Tendo didn’t have practice, just a quick team meeting, so you waited at the front gates like normal.

“(Y/N)! Ready to go home?” he asked, ruffling your hair.

You shrugged, running your fingers through your hair in an attempt to fix it.

“Hey.” He caught your wrist, gaining your full attention. Holding out his hand, he offered you a small white box with a white ribbon. “Here.”

Carefully, you accepted, removing the ribbon and handing it to him. You opened the box and a small smile made its way onto your face. Marshmallow chocolates. You got them once when you were little from your dad. You shared them with Tendo and hadn’t had them again since.

“Thanks, Satori,” you whispered, unable to meet his eyes.

He reached forward and grabbed a lock of your hair, clumsily braiding it before tying the end with the white ribbon from the box.

Reaching down, he took your hand, walking you home. As the two of you walked, the hand holding yours began to fidget. Glancing over you watched as he slipped a white beaded bracelet from his wrist onto yours.

Stopping, you let go of his hand to look at it. Peeking up at him, you caught the faint blush on his cheeks before looking at the hand made kid’s bracelet carefully.

SATORI <3 (Y/N)

“Sato...”

“It’s true. I... I love you, (Y/N).”

And that’s how you and Tendo Satori ended up attached to each other for life, getting engaged after high school and marrying after college.

Semi Eita

“What can I get you?”

Those were the first words you ever spoke to him. He was dressed casually and brooding at the bar you worked.

At night, you worked at one of the many tiny bars in Shinjuku’s Golden Gai, a huge tourist trap, and during the day you were a student at Bunka Fashion College.

He wasn’t much of a talker and wore an unmovable scowl, but he bought drinks all night and didn’t bother you unlike the other customers.

You were surprised when he showed up again the next night, and the night after that, and again after that.

When he stepped into your tiny bar for the sixth day in a row, on a Monday night, it was almost automatic the way you moved, pouring him a whiskey before setting the glass and bottle down in front of him.

It was pretty quiet tonight. And late. There wasn’t a ton of activity. In fact, your only other customer left within the next thirty minutes, leaving you and Mr. Serious alone.

“Let me know if you want something different for a change,” you said, laying out some books on the counter before hopping over the bar and taking a seat at one of the eight stools - the only seating in the whole place.

“What are you reading?” His voice surprised you. Honestly, you almost forgot he was there.

“Ah, it’s for one of my classes. History of sewing, basically. Kind of boring, but they say I have to learn it,” you shrugged, laughing a little.

“Where do you go?”

You smiled at him in a teasing matter, holding a finger up to your lips. “Can you keep a secret?”

He quirked a brow. “Promise.”

“Hmm... I guess I can trust you,” you teased, “I go to Bunka. Students aren’t supposed to have jobs so my life’s in your hands, okay?”

He scoffed, masking a laugh that almost escaped him. “Sure.”

From that night forward this was a common theme. He’d stay late and when it was just the two of you left, you’d have deep conversations and talk about anything and everything either of you could think of.

You learned quite a bit about him.

He was a musician in a band and a civil servant.

He was stressed about some projects he was working on, which was why he started coming to the bar.

He liked “your calm energy” and how you didn’t bother him; that’s why he kept coming back.

He played volleyball in school and was a setter.

His favorite food was tekka maki.

He was a Scorpio.

His friend used to tease him a lot in high school about how he looked in clothes so now he tried to be more conscious of how he dressed.

Soon your relationship evolved from just bartender-patron. He was inviting you to his concerts and asking to see you during your time between school and work.

You recalled him mentioning wanting to find a new casual jacket that didn’t make him look weird, so you spent a few days in your design class making him a jean jacket you thought would flatter him.

He met you outside of the school building one evening - the two of you had plans to go to a night market for dinner and try the different stalls. It was supposed to be chilly so it was the perfect time for you to give it to him.

“Semi! Here, this is for you,” you said, holding out a simple gift bag to him. You literally finished today, applying some patches and last minute details. “Go ahead and open it.”

“(Y/N)... This is exactly what I was looking for.” His normally grumpy expression was softer as he held it up, examining it. He noted there wasn’t a tag and he was pretty sure there was the tiniest bit of blood on the collar. “Did you really make this for me?”

You stuttered, “I-I know y-you were having a hard time finding something you liked so I thought you deserved something you wanted.”

“I... deserve what I want?” he repeated, looking you in the eye.

A blush flared across your cheeks. “Well... Yeah.”

He paused, taking in your face and how different you looked when you were flustered. “I want to date you, exclusively.”

And that’s how you became the musician Semi Eita’s girlfriend, marrying a year later.

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Event Finals Day 1

All my thoughts for all finals

Men’s floor

God all the landings SUCKED.

I cannot believe Nikita scored in the 13s.    I don’t think the triple pike was worth it, but it was so damned cool to see. OB

Rayderley Zapata’s landings were so beautiful, especially from his third pass.  And he jumps SO HIGH.  It’s wild.

Okay, so as expected Yul’s landings were stunning except for one.  And then we had his flairs...sigh...it’s wild he still scored higher than Nigornyy though.

Artem Dolgapyat landing lock legged on one of his passes terrifies me, that cannot be good for him at all.  But he stuck his last landing!  I don’t understand why his score was so high though.  OB

Im Hansol: Oooooof big break on his pommel swing skills.  Damn.  And his landings were all over the place.  But his 3 and a half twist was beautiful!

Ryu Sunghyun two feet out of bounds.  But he 100% nailed his pommel skill thing!  Three and a half twist dismount though...that is WILD.

Ooo I like Xiao’s uniform!  He is so absolutely beautiful on floor, even though I miss his relatively easy double back layout which is so elegant.  I love that he doesn’t cross his feet in his twists too, so beautiful.  

Milad Karimi ooooof big out of bounds, but that was an impressive save to not sit that pass down.  

Tie breakers are stupid, if they have the same score they should both get the medal.  

Congratulations to Artem (first Israeli gold gymnastics medal!), Rayderley, and Xiao!!!!

Women’s Vault

Ngl, I’m bummed MyKayla is competing.  I was okay with it until her husband posting that bullshit on IG after Simone dropped and then her tweet, “This is for us Simone”.  Shut up, you know deep down you are THRILLED she dropped.  I hope she doesn’t medal.  “Gymnastics wants her back”.  No it doesn’t lmao.  It wants her racist ass gone.  Stop waving, literally no one cares.

Alexa Moreno, ew stop licking your fingers, that’s so gross.  I hadn’t missed athletes spitting on their hands before vault, but that’s still gross.  Her second vault was gorgeous!!!

Rebeca Andrade UUUUUUUUUUUGH OUT OF BOUNDS ON HER FIRST.  WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.  But thank god it was only her one foot.  Her second vault was so stunning, even with those two big hops on the landing.  YES SHE’S AHEAD OF SKINNER, YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!

Jade, you are still an incredible athlete who qualified for the Olympics 100000% by yourself and you’re amazing!!!  Don’t let this get your down at ALL!!!!  All those cameras need to get the fuck out of her face omg.

Yeo Seojeong, I love that she wears a sleeveless leo because we never see those anymore.  She had the best landing out of anyone so far!!!!  Yessss!!!!  OOOOOOOOOOOF THAT SECOND VAULT’S LANDING.  JESUS.  Impressive that she did all of it on one foot though.

Shallon Olsen, your leo is giving me life right now.  Your first vault wasn’t the greatest, but you stayed in bounds so that’s nice!!!  The second landing was SO CLOSE to being a stick!!!  But you still need to straighten your knees, girlfriend.

Okay Gelya, your first vault was so stunning!!!  Second vault was...well, you know you can do better.

Lilia Akhaimova, first vault was not great.  Why were you so much to the front of the horse??  

SO EXCITED FOR REBECA!  THE FIRST GOLD FOR BRAZIL IN GYMNASTICS!!!

Men’s Pommel

I still have absolutely no idea what makes a good routine and the difference between the different skills.  

Max Whitlock THAT WAS STUNNING!!!!!!  How does he look like he barely did literally anything when he finished??  I would be dying omg.

Alec Yoder: omg poor break at the very beginning.  But that’s okay because you’re still amazing and we love you.

Sun Wei, ooof baby it’s okay, you still have an Olympic medal and even if you didn’t, you are still an Olympian and amazing.  Plus, the rest of your routine was very nice!

David Belyavskiy, PLEASE get at least a bronze medal, get on the podium!!!  Also it’s shallow to say, but he looks so good in that uniform.  The white pants and the red and blue top.  Super sharp.  Also, a beautiful job!  I hope that’s definitely good enough for a medal!  OMG HIS WINK TO THE CAMERA.  I AM DEAD OH MY GOD I CANNOT, THANK YOU GYMNASTICS GODS hahahahahaha.  Awwww nooooo :((((

Lee Chih Kai it would be super cool if a person from TAIWAN won a medal.  Omg his flairs are absolutely beautiful, those log legs omg.  I wish he would point his toes though.  But that routine as a whole was absolutely magnificent!!!!

Rhys McClenaghan, ooooooooooffffff laying flat on the horse.  BUT being the first Irish gymnast making it to an Olympic gymnastics final is so good!!!  History making!!!  You should be so proud and hopefully we’ll see you in Paris!!!

Kohei Kameyama’s opening handstand was beautiful. 

CONGRATULATIONS MAX WHITLOCK!!!  WE LOVE TO SEE IT!!!

Women’s Uneven Bars

I want the medals to be Suni, Nina, and Gelya.  In that order.

Oh Suni girl, missing those connections.  That’s all right though, you still won the all around!!!  Plus, your execution was gorgeous!  Just a smaller start value!  And the fact that you were able to save it and salvage it, amazing.

Ooo Melanie, I like your leo!  Not the greatest, but you still got to compete in the finals at the Olympics!

Nina Derwael’s combination between top and lower bars is so absolutely stunning.  She’s just stunning in general.  As a ballet dancer, I would 100% love her toe point.

Oh Gelya, baby, you are amazing and wonderful and you’re already a gold medalist and a bronze medalist!!  Also, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER???  WHAT??  Designing and selling leos is so cool!!

Fan Yilin’s leotard is absolutely stunning, I’ll never get over it.  And your entire routine was beautiful and we just won’t talk about the landings because it doesn’t matter even though it does.

Lu Yufei, that was beautiful!!!!  Her routine makes me nervous because she stops on handstands so I was concerned she was either going to fall off or fall the wrong way.  

I want Suni to medal, but it would also be awesome if Elisabeth Seitz did too.  

HOW DID SUNI’S ROUTINE HOLD UP OMG.

CONGRATULATIONS TO NINA!!!  

[easyobsession]

Somewhere Only We Know

“You’re gonna get pissed.” He warns.

“Seriously, Justin, just tell me what’s going on.”

“Fine,” He pauses again, this time so long Kat is about to lose it, when he finally blurts, “We could get married.”

A Spinning Out fic.

A/N: A few things to get straight: what little knowledge I have about the Olympics, the Village, and ice skating in general is very limited and based solely on what I can find online. Please go easy on me; I’m new to this world. Most of my research for Beijing’s Games is speculation based on past Winter Olympics combined with me also making some of it up.

Also, as we know, we only got one season of this amazing show. While I have done my fair share of research (aka watched every Katstin scene an embarrassing amount of times), if you don’t remember some of the smaller details I mention it’s quite possibly because I made them up. Bare with me and go with it. I’m doing my best.

-

She’s been staring at the ceiling for nearly two hours. She knows this because in those two hours, Kat Baker has looked at the clock more times than she can count. But she’s done her best to stay still and focus on sleep, because if ever a good reason to need a solid night’s rest, this is it. Plus, she isn’t alone.

But it’s been nearly two hours. And after feeling her bedmate shift for the third time in less than ten minutes, she can’t help herself.

“Are you awake?” she speaks softly in case she’s wrong.

“Yes.” Justin’s voice comes so instantaneously it’s obvious he has been for a while. He rolls over onto his side to face her, clearly fed up with the charade. “I know we’re supposed to be too excited to sleep or whatever, but I figured jet lag and exhaustion would kick in eventually.”

Kat sighs. “I don’t think I can lay here anymore.”

“Screw it. Let’s go walk around or something. Get some food. I don’t know,” He shrugs, “Everything is open 24/7 here. Might as well take advantage of it.”

Kat bites at her lip. They have practice tomorrow at 9am sharp and Dasha will kill them if they’re stumbling around exhausted, but she’s so stir crazy right now she can’t bring herself to care.

“Alright, let’s go.”

They both dress quickly and head for the door, remembering to grab their ID badges from the nightstand and doing their best to remain silent as they slip through the common room. Their hands find each other in the elevator as they depart from the ninth floor, and they both give a courteous nod to security as they exit the dorm.

February in Beijing is beautiful, and despite being nothing more than a glorified college campus, the Olympic Village somehow still manages to blow both Kat and Justin’s minds. With a large handful of sky-high dormitories divided up by country, the Village is filled with basic amenities like a post office, bank, laundry facility, a convenience store, several gyms, and a huge cafeteria containing cuisine from around the world at every hour of the day.

Kat and Justin have been here for eight days so far. The first two days were spent getting settled with the other Team USA skaters and personnel, the third day they participated in the Opening Ceremony, and the remaining time has been spent using their allotted practice sessions, hitting the gym for light workouts, and enjoying the experience. They’ve also seen a few events, which is a highlight, and done a couple interviews (Dasha promises there are more to come- super) and some press work.

Mostly though, they’ve been staying close and trying to remain in a good headspace. Their competition begins in three days and their families arrive tomorrow, so for the most part they’re taking Dasha’s advice and focusing on each other.

“This is yours to lose,” she’d said. “Don’t over-think anything. Just stick together and enjoy it.”

This probably isn’t what she meant, but whatever.

After leaving the dorms behind, the duo makes the short walk into the heart of the Village, the nightlife scene far more alive than some might expect. The Village is open 24 hours a day for a reason. Some athletes prefer to train in the later hours, jetlag affecting a large amount, and some seem to need an escape to rid themselves of the jitters. One thing is clear though: everyone is tense. It’s like a university during finals- the pressure is on and everyone is feeling it.

“We should probably skip the caffeine, but how ‘bout hot chocolate?” Justin proposes, their linked hands swaying between them as they approach the commissary.

Kat nods. As much as a huge cup of coffee sounds appealing right now, he’s right. With any luck they’ll hopefully be able to manage at least a few hours of shuteye after this little excursion and a latte screams bad call.

After getting two steaming cups of cocoa (caramel in hers- she’d agreed to forgo the caffeine, not the sugar) they find an empty bench just far enough off the main pathway for a bit of privacy. So far it’s been a blast meeting and getting to know the other athletes from around the world, including several of Kat and Justin’s personal idols, but two AM just isn’t the hour preferred for socializing.

For a while they sit in silence, enjoying the peace and tranquility and the rare chance to people-watch the night owls between sips from their respective biodegradable cups.

“Feeling any sleepier?” Justin questions finally, causing the brunette under his arm to sigh.

“Will you judge me if I say that I’m even more awake than before?”

Justin lets out a curse. “I was hoping it was just me.”

“Gotta love Olympic life,” she ruses, “Well, I’m not going to the gym.”

“Fuck that,” he agrees. They’ve been practicing nonstop as it is. Neither of them is in the mood to ruin what little free time they do have, especially since Dasha never shuts up about the importance of not overdoing it.

“I don’t know. Nothing sounds appealing.” Kat continues, “But I don’t want to just sit here all night.”

For a moment silence falls again until Justin begins to fidget, shifting in his seat and catching her attention.

“What?” she demands, the look in his eye giving him away just like always.

“Nothing.” He quickly dismisses, shaking his head. “Never mind. I’m an idiot. Forget it.”

Kat rolls her eyes. “I know you’re an idiot,” she teases, “You’re my idiot though, which means I’m privy to all of your idiocy.”

“Seriously Kat, drop it. It was a dumbass thought. Let it go.”

“Hey,” the change of tone in his voice causes her to pull back, finding his eyes. Clearly he’s getting upset about something. “Talk to me.”

Justin stares at her for a minute. “You’re gonna get pissed.” He warns.

“Seriously, Justin, just tell me what’s going on.”

“Fine,” He pauses again, this time so long Kat is about to lose it, when he finally blurts, “We could get married.”

Silence.

“What?” It takes all of Kat’s strength not to screech the word. “Are you- what?”

“I said it was dumb!”

“It’s the middle of the night.” she sputters. “Our families aren’t here. We’ve only been together-”

“What feels like forever sometimes,”

Kat gives him a dirty look. “Really? You’re choosing now to fuck around?”

He raises his hands in defense.

“Look, it was just something that popped in my head.”

“Of all the possibilities, this was the random thought you had?”

Justin glances toward the ground, causing her eyes to go wide.

“This isn’t the first time?” Kat pauses, her voice finally falling back down to its regular decibel. “You’ve thought about this before?”

“Have I thought about marrying you?” Justin snorts, giving up on his hesitance as the insanity of the situation triggers brutal honesty. “I’m 25, Kat, and I’ve been in love with you longer than the two years we’ve been together. Yes, I’ve thought about it.

“Don’t look at me like that.” He says quickly. “I don’t have a binder filled with details or anything. It’s just something I’ve thought about, that’s all.”

This seems to catch her attention.

“Like what?”

“Like… I don’t know.” He shrugs. “You probably don’t want something too big or flashy. Which is awesome, because while my dad will lose his shit and it’ll drive Mandy nuts, I’m actually on board with small and simple. And I know you’ll kill me if I spend too much on the ring, which is the one thing I already have covered-”

“You have it covered?” she interrupts. “Like what, you’ve already bought it?”

He pauses for a minute, staring at her before letting out a sigh.

“I don’t want to freak you out.”

“Justin, seriously, I swear to fucking god-”

“Fine!” he holds up his hands in surrender. “Just give me ten minutes. Stay here.”

“Stay here? Where are you going?” she wants to hit him when he rises from the bench. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“Stay here!” He repeats.

“Fuck off!” she cries, yet for some reason her ass remains glued to her seat.

The following ten minutes pass in a slow blur, because what the actual fuck? Ironically it isn’t their relationship, but the fact that they’re skating for Olympic medals in three days that assures her he wouldn’t just leave her sitting in the middle of the Village like a moron, when Justin returns with his hands in his pockets, looking even more nervous than when he left. (Which is understandable, because there’s at least a 50% chance this could lead to his death.)

He lets out a breath as he sits back down next to her, finally revealing his hands and holding up a respectably sized (but not too gaudy) ruby in a band of gold. He places the ring in the palm of her hand, giving a small shrug.

“It was my mom’s.” he explains quietly. “I’ve had it since she died. Dad said she planned on giving it to me eventually.”

“Justin-”

“Look, it was a dumb idea. And I didn’t mean to freak you out, especially when literally the biggest event of our lives is in three days, but… I don’t know.” He shrugs again. “I just started talking and you didn’t stop me. So here we are.”

“So what, you just carry this with you everywhere you go?”

“Fuck you. It’s called being prepared, Baker.”

Kat goes quiet for a minute, her eyes falling from his understandably stressed face to the ring still perched in her palm. This is quite literally the last thing she ever would’ve expected, and yet for some reason the idea of turning him down isn’t her gut reaction. It’s crazy, yeah, but she does love him and they’ve been together for a while. Hell, practically everyone and their brother has brought it up, so it’s not like she hasn’t thought about it, and at the end of the day she could think of a lot worse ways to live her life than spending it with Justin.

“Your mom must’ve had small hands too. Although… I guess we won’t really know if it fits unless you put it on me.” She murmurs finally, causing his head to snap up.

“What?”

“I mean, I won’t be able to wear it on the ice, obviously,” she continues, “And we should probably wait until after the Games to tell anyone, because it’ll only be more pressure if we’re labeled the American Newlywed team. Plus, our families are no question going to kill us- Dasha at the front of the line. We’ll probably have to have some sort of party to make it up to them. Especially Mandy.”

“Are you saying yes?” he asks breathlessly, still unsure if he’s in a daze or acquired brain damage from the cold.

A small grin breaks out on Kat’s face. “I must be crazier than we thought.”

“You’re saying yes!” he surges forward to kiss her, hoping all of his joy can be transmitted through the pressure of his lips. “Holy shit.”

“Does it count if you never put the ring on me?” she questions through a giggle, causing him to let out a laugh of his own as he takes the ring and slides it onto her finger with shaking hands.

“Perfect fit.” He observes, part of him not even surprised because fate is just on their side tonight apparently, before leaning in to kiss her again. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She grins. “Mr. Baker,”

Justin laughs. “You joke, but I really could not care less.” He pauses for a second. “Hey, look, I’m sorry this isn’t something better. I mean, I wasn’t planning on renting out the Eiffel Tower or anything, but I wanted to at least make a speech or something. Most of all I know it’s something I planned to talk to you about beforehand.”

Kat shrugs. “Might as well have this be just as weird and dysfunctional as everything else about our lives, right?” She says with a dry laugh. “Besides, you can save the speech for your vows.”

Justin stares at her for a second. “You seriously want to get married at 3AM in a foreign country, in secret, three days before the biggest competition of our careers?”

“Are you getting cold feet already?”

He laughs. “I’m just making sure I’m not dreaming.” He says honestly.

“Oh, you’re awake. And it’s too late to back out now, Davis.” She holds up her left hand where the ring sparkles, looking, Justin can’t help but notice, like it’s always belonged there. “I’ve already got the hardware.”

Justin grins. “Guess I’m stuck then.”

“Looks like it.”

“Huh.” He stands up from the bench and offers her his hand. “Then let’s go get married.”

-

Part 2 Coming Soon. ;)

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 13 - No re-selection for Olympic marathon representatives.

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, getting started with another episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san, welcome. So, hows it going?

J: Hows it going indeed.

K: Ah, my glasses started to fog up too.

J: Oh, did they? My glasses were fogging up at the end of the last episode. I thought I'd take them off this time. I'll do it without them.

K: Yeah.

J: Its got to the point where there's no news that isn't corona...

K: Well, it can't be helped. There really isn't is there?

K: What about at Tokyo Sports? Are you running non-corona related stories?

T: As expected, its almost all corona related.

J: All corona?

T: Yeah. It doesn't get much interest if its something else. Sometimes we'll do stuff like an exclusive inside story reveal on old pro wrestlers today, like Jumbo Tsurata or something. The listeners might or might not know Jumbo Tsurata...

K: Ah, I loved All Japan Pro-Wrestling.

J: Ah, so you must like Tsurata san?

K: I used to watch the fights between Tsurata san and Misawa san etc all the time.

T: Ohh, yeah.

J: Tsurata san had a lot of fighting spirit, like, 'Ouughh!', but he seemed like he wasn't quite angry.

K: Right. He was big, but he was also kinda cute.

J: Thats right. He didn't seem that wild.

K: He seemed almost gentle/soft.

J: He actually graduated from Chuo University, he's quite the elite. He hid that part of himself, and in that world of tough guy pro wrestlers, he showed himself as quite gentle.

T: He was really popular, wasn't he?

J: He was. *To K* Ah, so you were a fan of All Japan?

K: Well, both. I watched New Japan Pro-wrestling too. But when that big group of All Japan wrestlers came out, and Misawa and others came out, it got kinda dangerous. Falling on thier heads, it got popular from then *1. .Ok, the theme this time please.

J: Yes, Lets start the topic. Well, its related to corona, but I thought it was interesting. This has to do with the Olympics which have been postponed to 2021..

'No re-selection for 2021 Olympic Marathon runners. Due to the effect of coronavirus, meetings to select Olympic representatives for some events have been postponed or cancelled, but for others the representatives for 2021 have already been unofficially confirmed. A case in point is the treasure of the Olympics, the marathon. Responding to interview on the 25th of March, project leader of the plan to strengthen the marathon, Seko Toshihiko of the Japan Association of Athletic Federations said about the decision, "These are six people we've chosen with confidence. I'd like to protect the rights of the candidates." The official decision will be made by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations Council in June, but there are no plans to hold re-elections for the mens' nor the womens' event.'  Well, as this is sports related, can you explain this more simply, Tasai san?

T: Well, its because its been postponed that there's a problem. Should they choose new candidates for next year or not? Well, for the competition, they made this decision for the marathon. There are pros and cons to this, but they really want to respect the athletes who would have had a good chance at winning in 2020.

J: Is this normal in the rest of the world? I don't know anything about sports.

T: Well, postponing the Olympics is kinda unknow in the world, so..

J: There is no precedent?

T: Yeah. If you look from the athletes perspective, there are those who are at thier peak now, but there are also those who might be ready to take a gold medal by 2021...so which do you choose?

K: They have to decide on the whole. Because even people who weren't chosen for 2020 might be able to compete from now on. So they need to decide either just go with the people who were chosen for 2020, or to rechoose for next year.

J: Yeah, if there is both..well, the marathon might become the only unique case, so choosing the candidates once..

K: Hey, but the athletes...Oh, Im sorry! (for interrupting)....there might be some athletes who end up saying they want to quit.

J: There will be. After the postponement, there will be some athletes who decide to withdraw, right?

K: Yeah.

J: Kaoru, you are not an athlete, but if you are producing a live show, working out the costs, starting rehearsals and feeling the tension rise...if that was postponed, wouldn't you naturally feel a little..?*2

K: Well, if we can't be active for the time being, then we think about what we can do after that right? But I do sometimes get the feeling that it might not go as planned at all. *3

J: I see, yeah. What to do about this? I mean, Im always saying this, but wouldn't it be better to just cancel the Tokyo Olympics?

T: Its difficult, isn't it.

J: Because, even doing it next year might be a bit risky. It might be too quick for people to be ready for it..and with so many people having taken a lot of economic damage, only a small number of people would end up coming, right? Like, would it work?...And then if they could do it this year, if we didn't have this issue...Well, im opposed to that too, im always coming from an opposition stance...Well, I do hope that whatever is decided suceeds. But yeah, next year might be risky, it seems like theres a lot of pressure to do it. And also, Abe's term as PM  will end in September next year, so its a great time for him to be seen as the one who made the Olympics a success if they finish in August. A two year postponement has been totally ruled out, so if you think about all this, its not really putting the athletes first, so wouldn't it be better to just call it off?

T: Its difficult to know whether to do that, since it has cost this much money so far.

K: If the chosen athletes can't compete now, they eventually might not be able to, right? Cause there are those countries who can carry on with training, and those who cannot. We'll be able to see a difference.

J: Well I think the European athletes are facing a really tough situation, and theres also the risk of having large scale movements of people. If that happens, well, if Japan says the Olympics must go ahead next year, whilst internationally corona is becoming a long term thing, I think we might see some contradictions.

K: But of course, if they were able to do it, that would be the best, if we have a world in which they are able to...that would be the best.

J: Yes, yes. If it can go ahead, the athletes will be under no fault, and it will just be a good memory.

K: I wonder if they will do it with no spectators?

J: Right, no spectators?

T: Its interesting, but I wonder how they would pull it off..

J: But I feel...well, im not an athlete, so emitting the athletes feeling for a moment...its broadcast worldwide isn't it? So the amount of people watching at the venues is probably only  about 1% of the total viewers. So..they could just have no spectators at the venues and just do it all by boadcast?

T: But if there are no spectators there, won't there be fewer new world records? There won't be the tension there.

K: Ahh, yeah.

J: If there are no spectators?

K: Well, it depends on the person. There might be people who are calmer if there are no spectators, or there might be people who can't psyche themselves up without a crowd.

J: Ahh...Kami is quiet today isn't he? Aren't you here today?

Kami: (in a quiet voice) No, im here, im here.

J: Ah, you're here.

Kami: Yeah.

J: Your voice sounds like a buzzing mosquito.

Kami: I've just been thi...thinking a lot.

J: Oh right. Kami, are you well?

Kami: Indeed

K: Indeed (*laughs*)

Kami: Yeah, Im well.

J: Um, I have a question for you...Do you have anything to do with coronavirus, Kami? Its a strange question, but..

Kami: Nothing at all to do with it.

J: Oh really?

T: Ahh, so cool.

J: Yeah, cool.

Kami: Cause gods can't die.

J: Oh, gods right? Yeah yeah.

K: But you still get hungry and stuff, right? And you have to earn money, right?

J: Yeah yeah.

Kami: Thats right.

J: Do you produce bodily excrement?

Kami: What?

J: Do you have bodily excrement?

T: Do you use the toilet?

Kami: Yes, I do.

K: *laughs*

J: What a small voice! You're not feeling well today, right?

Kami: What?

J: You're not feeling well?

Kami: No, no, Im fine.

J: Oh, you're ok?

Kami: Im feeeling good!

J: Are you?

Kami: Yeah, I've just been listening to the conversation.

J: Ahh, oh right. What did you think?

Kami: I've been thinking, "oh, I see" and stuff.

J: What was your impression?

Kami: What?

J: What was your impression about the Olympics? This marathon issue.

Kami: The Olympics? Well, even if you say that the people who were chosen for this year have thier rights, times are changing, so I think its ok to start a new competition again. The athletes themselves will have a new sense of ambition, and i think its a bit odd to talk about having rights within a competition. Its better to re-start the game.

T: Right, I see 

J: Well, yeah...Because rather than who has the right, its originally a contest of who is the fastest, who is the highest..

Kami: Thats it.

J: Its all about gathering the best people within that time.

K: Well yeah. These marathon people will end up looking like they're not word number ones.

T: For sure.

K: Like, 'Are they really the best now?'...

J: Its hard

K: Yeah, it is.

Kami: A long time ago, Asada Mao was too small to compete, but she was really strong.

J: Yeah, yeah.

Kami: If they see stuff like that, they'll wonder why they can't compete and they might loose thier dream.

J: Inculding Kami, it seems like we 4 guys don't exercise at all.

K:*laughs*

J: We are lacking persuasion power somehow

K: We are just offering our wisdom from the outside.

J: Right. Its a bit..

Kami: If anything, its e-sports are the way.

K: Oh, e-sports?

Kami: It would be good if there were e-sports on Dragon Quest.

T: e-sports on Dragon Quest? The Dragon quest casino...(gets cut off by kami)

Kami : Like, who ..no no, who has the highest bill or something.

T: Ahh..I see.

J: Money again?! Honestly, Kami..

Kami: Mr Son at Softbank would be winning right?

J: Ahh, I see. I've never been sure if Kami is a god or a devil.

Kami: No, no, Im a god.

J: You insist you're a god.

K: Ok..

Kami: Yes..Well, there are many types though. Gods of poverty and such.

J: Huh?

Kami: They are gods of poverty, gods of plauge..

J: Oh, I see. As for gods like that, id rather they didn't appear on this show.

Kami:.....

K: He's lost for words! *laughs*

T: He seems sad!

J: He's a bit sad now *laughs* Kami, you weren't very energetic today, are you ok?

Kami: No, im loosing my energy because you keep saying that.

*everyone laughs*

K: Topics about the Olympics are lacking a little something right?

J: It might be that, yeah.

K: Well, lets hope for a more energetic Kami next time.

J, T: Yeah.

K: Well, lets finish here, thank you. Please subscribe

*1 I literally know nothing about Japanese pro wrestling.

*2 Couldn't catch this.

*3 Slightly unsure I got that right.

[alitaimagines]

“under the lights tonight, you turned around and you stole my heart with just one look when I saw your face, I fell in love, took a minute girl to steal my heart. with just one look, I waited for a girl like you.”

MIMA SOUICHIROU ☆ ACE OF DIAMOND

       ☆ note: god, the fucking BNHA manga right now is killing me. i can’t deal with this shit so please enjoy this fluff bc I’m dying inside. I know my DnA imagines don’t do well on here but I love these kids so much. 

       ☆ previous imagine: ♡ ☆ masterlist: ♡

“oh god, I’m going to pass out,” you exclaimed as your back hit the ground with a large thud, “I don’t think I could run anymore,” you practically screamed onto the field. 

Midori shook her head at your dramatics, “you lead the track team. how are you so tired when you have the best record out of all of us,” she asked as you gave her the finger.

“I don’t know but please drag me back inside of the school. I think I might pass out,” you murmured making Midori roll her eyes again, “I’m serious. I think if I get up, I’ll end up on the floor,” you admitted. 

Midori tapped you on the shoulder making you groan, “get up, coach is behind us!” she gritted through her teeth. you instantly turned around to see your coach looking at you in confusion. 

“sorry coach! I’m just really tired,” you confessed making him wave you off, “please follow me,” was all he told you as Midori pushed you up to make you follow him.

you trudged behind him with a million questions running through your head. you knew you weren’t in trouble but the thought of getting in trouble for something you had no idea about was what caused your nerves to bubble up. 

the two of you entered his office when you saw that his son was sitting inside. you waved at him as he returned you a wave before looking at his father with the same confusion. 

“Hakuryuu is going to be taking promotional photos for the up coming sports season and the two of you were chosen to not only represent the Genma prefecture but Hakuryuu as well.”

you looked to Mima who was just as surprised as you were. 

“promotional photos like as in professional photos around the school or all over the city?” you asked. your coach chuckled, “all over the prefecture. you’re our top athletes with promising careers in your respective sports. although it’s not mandatory, universities and other teams could get in contact with both of you due to the exposure.”

Mima murmured a yes as they both looked at you for your answer. 

you were a bit taken back by the news. you knew you were pretty decent at your sport but you had never thought it would cause you to get so popular. the thought of your face being plastered all over the city and the prefecture made you feel some type of way. 

“I’ll accept the offer,” you finally responded making your coach nod, “great. the photographer wants you ready by eight tomorrow morning in uniform. the two of you have been excused for the day and for practice for the photos and interviews they want to give you.” 

you nodded before wondering why would this take all day. if it was just a couple of photos and a small interview, you couldn’t figure out why it would excuse you the entire day. 

“so, are you excited about tomorrow?” you asked Mima as the two of you walked out. he shrugged, “I guess. it’s great exposure for Hakuryuu but I don’t know how I feel seeing my face everywhere,” he replied.

you laughed before agreeing, “same but I guess it’s a way to show off our skills to future scouts. I mean, we graduate this year so I can see why,” you said before seeing Midori wait for you at the end of the hall, “see you tomorrow?” you mentioned before running towards your friend. 

Mima knew exactly of who you were. you were his fathers other prodigy. he knew of your insanely quick legs and if he was being brutally honest, he had thought of ways to get you to play for the baseball team. he knew that could never be a possibilities but with your fast running record, you could be deadly. 

you were also in the same class as him. the two of you weren’t close but there would be times when you got paired up with him. due to both of your practices, the teacher would work around the schedules to make sure none of you failed. 

“wait,” Mima stated as he grabbed your shoulder and pulling it back slightly, “what’s up?” you asked making Midori stare at the two of you before slowly walking away. 

he remained silent for a bit too long making you concerned, “do you have LINE?” he asked a you nodded yes, “or could I have your number?” he asked again but a bit more shyly.

you laughed before taking your phone out, “I don’t have LINE but you could have my number!” you said as Mima grabbed his phone and quickly typed in his number, “just in case I need it for tomorrow,” he murmured as you typed your number in his phone. 

Mima looked down to see your name with a heart emoji next to it. for some reason, Mima liked seeing your name with a heart next to it. he didn’t know why but he did. 

“well, see ya! we have to be up early,” you complained. Mima stayed quiet, “could I walk you to your dorm? it’s pretty late and I wouldn’t want you walking in the dark by yourself,” he tried to say with a blush written all over his face. 

“of course, your dad isn’t going to mind that you’re late?” you asked making Mima shake his head no, “our house isn’t far from Hakuryuu, I’ll be okay,” he said.

the night was pretty quiet outside of the crickets that were making noise. 

you had never really spent time with Mima outside of the few times you paired with him in class for a project and whenever the two of you did talk, it was usually on the conversation of track or baseball. every so often, the two of you would crack a joke on his dad but for the most part, it stayed pretty civil. 

neither of you could deny it though. the two of you thought the other was cute and it was starting to become a bit more recognizable. Mima would catch himself staring at you at least a few times during class before he realized what he was doing. you would notice the few times your eyes stayed on him whenever you watched the team play and you would cheer a bit harder whenever he scored. 

“so, are you excited for your season to start?” you finally spoke up, “yeah, I think we could go to Koshien again. I could see our team facing Hokkaido again,” he responded. 

you nodded not knowing what to say. 

“do you think you’ll make it to finals again? I heard my father say that you’ve gotten a few university offers and even an invitation for the Olympic team,” he mentioned as you smiled a bit, “yeah, I did. they called me for pre-olympic tryouts at the end of my third year. they think I have a lot of potential to make the team and even win gold,” you said a bit excitedly. 

Mima smiled at your sudden enthusiasm, “that’s sounds great,” he said, “do you have any offers from any Nippon teams? I can’t imagine that you don’t at least have three,” you asked Mima. 

“I have a few but I haven’t fully thought of which team to take the offer from yet. my parents and I have to speak about it but I might I have two in mind,” he replied as he watched you stop in front of your dorm. 

“well, this is my room! I’ll see you tomorrow!” you exclaimed as you unlocked your door, “yeah, see you tomorrow,” he muttered as you waved him off before entering your dorm. 

the following morning, you were awoken by your alarm and you put on your Track uniform as you trudged your way to the office of your coach. you had no idea if Mima was there but as soon as you arrived, you saw him entering a car. 

“I’ll be driving you to your destination,” the driver said as you gave Mima a look, “my father said the photoshoot is in a building across the city,” you nodded quietly as you felt yourself starting to doze off. 

Mima laughed at how quickly you fell asleep. with the morning rush hour and the traffic, it took a bit longer to get to where the two of you were supposed to be at and soon your head at fell onto Mima’s shoulder for support. 

you hadn’t ralized you fell asleep until Mima shook your shoulder slightly, “we’re here,” he whispered as you jerked awake. you gave a big yawn before nodding, “god, I’m so tired,” you complained before taking another big gulp of your coffee.

 Mima chuckled as the two of you walked inside of the building. you were instantly dragged to another room to get your hair and makeup done as Mima was left to himself until you were done getting ready. 

“I feel like I have thirty pounds of makeup on my face,” you said as you walked out of the room. Mima was instantly struck quiet as he took in your new look. if you were already cute without makeup, the amount you had on made you look completely different but not in a bad way, “you look great. don’t worry about it,” he muttered through his flustered state. 

you tried to hide the warm feeling crawling up your face as the manager of the photoshoot instructed you to follow her. 

the two of you landed in a room with a small backdrop and instantly got told to get into various positions for a multitude of photos. Mima was up first as they gave him his bat to take a few photos with it before giving him a ball and making him pose with it. 

once Mima was finished with his set, you were called next. you did a few running positions before taking a few photos with your medals from previous competitions you had won. 

“for these next few photos, it’s going to be the two of you.”

you brought Mima over as she positioned you and Mima next to each other. a few were a regular posed photos before she handed you his bat and made you pose with it while Mima looked at you. 

the feeling in his heart swelled as he watched you take the photo with his bat. the next one was of him with one of your medals and while the photographer said she probably wouldn’t send those for finalization, the two of you were going to get raw and final copies of the photos so she decided on a few silly photos. 

“well, how about the two of you have your lunch before the interview starts?” the producer said as she handed you the pre-packed lunch they made for you. 

you and Mima sat outside under a small space with shade. the lunch wasn’t too good but considering you only had coffee for you breakfast, it was basically gourmet for you. 

“these photos are going to look so weird,” you told Mima as he agreed, “but I think they’re going to turn out great,” he responded. you gave him a look, “you think so?” you asked while Mima nodded. 

“we’re the best athletes in all of Hakuryuu, I’m sure they’re going to be fine,” he said as you took his word for it, “I’m trusting you Mima,” you joked as the two of you continued to talk until you were called in for the interview. 

both you and Mima were sat across from each other as the reporter introduced himself and started asking Mima questions about his skills as a baseball player and the pressure of being the son of a professional athlete. 

you remained quiet for most of the time before the questions got turned over to you. he asked you the same questions he asked Mima before he gave the two of you a small smile. 

“so, Mima, do you watch her Track meets and ( your name ), do you watch his baseball games?” 

Mima spurred out a nervous answer as you couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction and very poo answer. 

“well, since my coach is his dad, I do watch his games from time to time. Hakuryuu was right for picking Mima and I try to watch them as much as I can, that is if my own schedule allows it. I take a lot of pointers from Mima’s running style and admire his work ethic on the field.”

Mima was stunned by your answer as his heart swelled once again. you could tell that you made Mima flustered but didn’t want to antagonize the reporter to berate you with more personal questions and left it at that. 

once the interview was finished, the two of you were driven back to Hakuryuu. Mima was quiet for the entirety of the time as you were playing a game on your phone to kill time until you got back to campus. 

“so do you really try to watch all of my games?” Mima asked suddenly. you nodded, “I do. I love watching baseball and take a few running pointers from the team. you guys are all great, especially you,” you murmured the last part making Mima’s blush spread across his face like wildfire. 

after you answered his question, you realized you were back at Hakuryuu. the two of you thanked the driver once again before you started walking towards the dorms. 

“can I walk you back to your dorm again?” he asked, a little less shyly this time. you nodded yes as he quickly caught up to you and made the tread back to your dorm room. 

it was relatively quiet for the most part but halfway through the walk, Mima slowly grabbed your hand making your face shoot up in warmth. his hand was strong and warm as you tightened your own grasp as a way to tell Mima that you wanted it there. 

you knew Mima wasn’t a boy of many words so once you got to the front of your dorm, you weren’t expecting him to say much. you fished the keys from your bag and went to start unlocking your door before he grabbed your wrist to make you look back at him. 

he gave you a quick peck on the lips before he quickly retracted back. you were stunned silent for a moment making Mima think he completely ruined his chances with you but as soon as he went to start walking away, you grabbed his wrist this time and returned it. this time making sure to kiss him a bit longer. 

“I’ll text you tonight,” was all you said before heading inside. 

-

a few weeks passed after that day. you had been seeing Mima a few times a week after both of your practices finished. it was usually homework dates and sometimes dinner dates whenever he offered to sit in your dorm to eat with you. 

“our pictures came in,” Mima told you as he grabbed your hand to drag you to his dads office, “he wants to give us the copies and he even said there was a surprise for us.”

“what kind of surprised?” you exclaimed but as soon as you got onto the main campus, you noticed all of the promotional photos of you and Mima hanging on banners and posters hanging on poles and walls of Hakuryuu, “oh my god, Mima,” you whispered making him laugh. 

the two of you walked in to his dads office as his father laughed at both of your reactions to the photos. he handed both of you a huge packet with all the photos as he explained that your parents got sent a packet of the finalized photos as well at the school admin and the Genma sports association.

you knew it was like a ticking time bomb before you received messages from your friends about the photos and interview that was going to be released in a magazine in a few weeks. 

“god, we really exposed ourselves, didn’t we?” you joked to Mima as he grabbed your hand and the two of you made your way up to your homeroom class, “yeah but I wouldn’t have done it with anyone else,” Mima replied as he gave you a peck on the cheek making you instantly blush. 

ALITA

[ancano]

YoI Fanfic Recs

Okay so I just wanna share some love and show y’all some amazing fanfics that I have personally read and absolutely adored!! You’ll likely see repeated authors, either cuz I follow them on tumblr or cuz I’ll raid their uploads once I find one I really like. Also apparently I read a lot of A/B/O so if that isn’t your thing sorry hhhhhh

No particular order for these, just going down my bookmarks and history lists on ao3

Glitter & Gold by plisetskytrash and victurius (I just caught up with this one and oh my god I love it.) Summary - In a world where drugs, sex, and violence rule, Viktor Nikiforov is the king. As the Pakhan of the Russian Mafia (the Bratva) he is responsible for murder and mayhem across multiple continents and that’s just the way he likes it. The only problem is that a new leader has risen to power in America – known only as ‘JJ’ – and he starts to intrude on Viktor’s territory.Not only is that rude, it’s damn right unacceptable.So, Viktor sets out to find out as much about JJ as he can, including infiltrating the businesses he owns, such as The Kiss and Cry, a sleazy club that works as a front for an exclusive exotic omega strip club that only the richest and most powerful men can access. Naturally, Viktor has no trouble getting inside. Once he’s there, however, his plans are thrown out of the window when he spots a beautiful, young Japanese omega with chocolate-brown eyes and an ass to die for. There’s only one problem: Viktor swore he’d never mate an omega.Will Viktor manage to stay focused on his mission? Or will this omega break Viktor’s most important rule?

Eros and Agape by ImaTastyPorkCutletBowl and Spunky0ne (you’ll see a couple works from these guys in this list because they are *chef’s kiss* amazing) Summary - For as long as Victor can remember, Yakov and Lilia have protected him from being discovered to be an Omega by helping him to project as an Alpha. But at the Grand Prix Final banquet, he comes face to face with the man destined to be his husband.

NEXT LEVEL: Nights After Dreams by RipVanGabriel (this is a LONG one, I haven’t even gotten very far in it, but trust me it’s worth it) Summary -  The silver medal was hard fought and won, but now the stakes are higher than ever. Five gold medals loom on the horizon, but more importantly, the "life and love" within the gold rings. Yuri and Viktor's relationship grows as they get back on the competition road, and new complications rise with them. (Proper follow-up to the TV series; not AU, no crack ships, no weird shit.)

Wait! But, I’m not Yakuza! by ImaTastyPorkCutletBowl, SesshomaruFreak, and Spunky0ne (like I said, these guys, *chef’s kiss* I refuse to admit how many times I’ve reread the 2 chapters that are currently posted. I’m also the only person commenting on it last i checked which is a fucking shame, so y’all go comment on this amazing fic pls) Summary - The Katsuki family, except for the Hasetsu Katsukis, are the largest and most powerful Yakuza family in Japan, so it’s not surprising that poor Yuuri keeps getting mistaken for one of his distant relatives. On a trip to Russia with his father, Yuuri stumbles into a bar to avoid a group of rough looking punks, and he comes face to face with a beautiful, silver-haired exotic dancer. Things get crazy when Yuuri sees the lovely dancer being abused and steps in, only to get himself beaten into unconsciousness. He wakes in his hotel room and finds a note next to his bed…”Thank you for your kindness. I’m sorry those ruffians hurt you. It’s better you stay away. I don’t want anything else bad to happen to you. Vitya” He should go home. He should just forget the man, but Yuuri can’t help himself…Victuuri, intersex Victor, intersex pregnancy, lots of flustered Yuuri!

Love’s Requiem by Kashoku (gonna be honest, I don’t even ship Yuuri/Yuri, but I enjoy this fic) Summary -  If you had asked Yuuri in Barcelona if there was anything that could ever bring him down from the high of being with Viktor Nikiforov, he would have laughed. But when the living legend suffers a career ending injury, it brings new struggles to their relationship. Viktor begins to drown his sorrows, and Yuuri finds himself being pulled beneath the surface in a way he’s not sure he can survive.

you’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be by roserelease (this shit right here is my fucking bread and butter y’all. I can’t even express how much happiness and love this fic gives me) Summary - More than anything, Yuuri wants to impress his cosplay role model Viktor Nikiforov. But after a horrible start to a convention weekend, he panics and backs out at the last second to meet his idol. Normally this would be fine, except Yuuri discovers too late that there's a little Viktor related secret inside the con vlog his best friend filmed over the course of the weekend for him...It's fine, he thinks. Embarrassing, but not the end of the world. And it's not like Viktor himself will ever see the con vlog, so why worry?(Except then Viktor does.)

Paying For Poison by SaerenDPity (another one of my absolute faves that sadly only updates once every other blue moon but when it does update I feel overwhelmingly Blessed) Summary - "Skater Katsuki?" Yuuri's eyes widened as he nodded, and suddenly Viktor Nikiforov was clutching at his coat. He barely registered that his childhood hero knew his name, he couldn't think on that when Viktor's voice was on the edge of breaking. Desperation lined his every movement."Yes th-that's me. Um… Mr. Nikiforov… Do… do you need help?"Viktor shook his head violently and shoved his hand into Yuuri's pocket. Yuuri only had time to squeak before Viktor was backing away, breathing heavily. "Please… please buy me."…Years after Viktor Nikiforov suddenly disappeared from the public eye, he resurfaces at the Rostelecom Cup, desperate for help. And Yuuri simply cannot abandon the man who inspired almost every aspect of his life, and so, he makes the decision to do just as Viktor asks - buy his services as an omega for one night.

Drowning In Your Love by MysticLipstick (another rarely updated fic that I’m head over heels for. please feed me, I need MORE) Summary -  Victor Nikiforov has always gotten away with being a whore in college. Being the top athlete swimmer has gained him tons of attention, championships and girls. However, a cosmic encounter with Yuuri Katsuki has him questioning everything—including his sexuality. Yuuri’s shy nature and blatant disregard for Victor’s fame has Victor chasing him—something he’s never done, but Yuuri shuts him down. Completely.

November’s Secret by LanaBerry (I’ve reread this one about 5 times already tbh) Summary - Overwhelmed with anxiety and his fear of failing, Yuuri faces the issue of if he should continue skating. His best friend, Yuko, proposes a solution - if no one knows it's you, then it's less embarrassing, right? Yuuri begins to create a completely new disguise and persona.But it works a little too well.Before he knows it, Yuuri has become the biggest mystery of the skating world and everyone wants to know who he is. Especially Viktor Nikiforov, the idol he's been loosely basing his new persona on for years.

The ‘Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches’ series by Reiya (recently finished rereading this one, always so fucking good) Summary - ‘…Of all the rivalries in the world of sports over the years, perhaps none has become so legendary as that of Russian figure skater Viktor Nikiforov and his rival, Japanese Yuuri Katsuki…’ A single event changes the course of Yuuri’s life, throwing him into a bitter rivalry with Viktor Nikiforov that spans across his entire skating career. But as the years go on, rivalry and hatred begin to develop into something very different and Yuuri doesn’t seem to be able to stay away, no matter how hard he tries.Hatred and love are two sides of the same coin and even though everything changes, some things are still meant to be.

With What We Once Had by MagicalMirai (this one is just too cute tbh) Summary -  They called it quits, over a year and a half ago. But even though he should have been expecting it, Yuuri can’t help but feel suffocated when he bumps into Victor at the Grand Prix final, whilst holding his son. The son... he never told Victor about.

Nerve Endings by Phyona (this one is next on the “to reread” list) Summary -  When Yuuri moves in with Victor in St. Petersburg, they have to work through Yuuri's anxiety and Victor's secrets to find their balance.

Puppy Love by Phyona (another phyona fic and it’s just way too fucking cute tbh) Summary - When Yuuri gets turned into a dog, the last place he expects to end up is Victor Nikiforov's apartment. He learns quickly that the only thing worse than being his idol's pet, is watching him pine for someone else.Warning: Makkachin has recently passed away at the start of this story.

The Stars on his Cheeks by QueenWinterofLuna (this one was actually written for a prompt I personally requested and I absolutely adore it, even still) Summary -  A short drabble based on this Tumblr request from @napsushi: Can you write a fic where Yuuri discovers Victor has freckles and is just over the moon about it? This fandom needs more freckled Vitya.

This is all I can find and think of for now but if I remember more I’ll be sure to update it!!

[inspired-fandom-writer]

Meet the (L/N)s

Characters: Reader, Tom Holland, Reader’s parents

Summary: Taking your boyfriend to meet your parents doesn’t turn out like a normal experience. 

Word Count: 2187

Warnings: mentions of sex, my usual cracked out humor, some fluff.

A/N: This story was inspired by @naturallytom and her story. Also, a bit of Meet the Fockers. Enjoy!

Okay, here we go, off to do the one thing you were dreading to do. Bringing Tom to meet your parents. 

“Okay, I think that’s everything,” Tom said as he closed his suitcase. “Are you ready, love.” He looked at you with concerned eyes. 

Taking his hand in yours, “I’m ready physically, mentally I’m a wreck.” You knew your parents would love Tom. It’s just that sometimes they could be an acquired taste. 

“It’ll be okay. You said it yourself that they’ll love me. What’s the worry?”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. It’s that you might run for the hills after you meet them.”

“Never. Now come on let’s go catch our flight.”

The flight and the car ride home did nothing to calm your nerves. Tom kept his mantra of “It’s okay” and “Everything will be fine.” Hopeful he’s right because there’s still one more thing you have to tell him. 

“Alright darling, we’re here.” The car had just pulled up the driveway. He turned off the car and faced you. “I know you’re probably tired of hearing me say it but it’s going to be okay.” 

You smiled at him. “I know, but there's something I need to tell you.”

“Okay…what.” 

“My mom,” you hesitated, “she doesn’t quite have the job you think.”

Tom looks at you confused but still waiting for elaboration.

“She’s a psychologist… who specializes in sex therapy. Specifically, for senior citizens.”

There’s a moment of silence while Tom’s talking in the new information. “That’s unique, but what’s the worry in that.”

You fidget with your hands without making eye contact with your boyfriend “Her job makes her very open about that stuff. So open that she has no verbal boundaries. It’s sorta the same with dad too.”

Well, that put him at a loss for words. How far would too far be for your mom? What questions would she ask? And how would he answer?

“Should I answer honestly?”

“God, no! Wait, well... don’t lie if you think you can’t lie. Just no details, no matter how hard she tries.”

Tom laughs, “got it. No details.” His eyes are caught by the curtain moving in the window. Both your parents peeking out with huge smiles on their faces. “Look love,” he gestures to them, “I think it’s time we head inside.”

By the time the two of you got to the porch, the front door was swinging open and an excited mom standing outside.

“You’re finally here.” Your mom engulfs you in a hug and kisses you as if you’re still five. She turns her attention over to Tom, “You must be the boyfriend.”

Tom nods, “Yup that’s me.” He holds his hand out for her to shake but she goes for the hug. Caught off guard he still reciprocates.

“Oh, he’s handsome and has the accent. You really nabbed a good one.”

Your dad emerged from behind her. “There’s my gorgeous girl.” He lifts you up and spins the both of you in a circle.

“And there’s the man I’ve been dying to meet. Come on bring it in.” He pulls your boyfriend in for a hug.

They usher you both inside, the house smelling like good food your dad rushed to check on. The rest of you settled in the living room

Tom noticed the wall with all your medals, trophies, and childhood photos. It didn’t matter that most of them were for participation, they were obviously proud. You grew up with a lot of love and encouragement.

“How was your guys' flight? I hope it wasn’t bad.”

“No not at all,” Tom said. “We’re quite used to flying though.”

“Oh, that’s right. For work purposes? (Y/N) was vague on the details I was beginning to wonder if you were a spy or something.”

Laughing, you shook your head. “No way, he’s too clumsy to be a spy.”

“Whose too clumsy to be a spy?” Your dad re-entered the room. He sits down next to your mother.

“That’d be me. I got the athletic part of it down. If only I could stop the falling on my face part.”

The whole room laughed. So far so good.

“Then what is it that you do for a living?” Your mom is really digging for an answer.

Tom was kinda worried about this question. He didn't want to be treated any differently, but he answered none the less

“I’m an actor.” 

Well that got their attention. Now they were sitting up bombarding him with questions. 

“Woah slow down. One question at a time.” You didn’t want him to feel overwhelmed whereas Tom was just glad they were okay with it. 

“What have you been in?”

He listed the smaller parts he was in when he was younger. As soon as he said Spider-Man your dad’s eyes lit up. 

“No way I love Spider-Man. Didn’t think you’d be English though.”

From there, your dad and Tom went on and on about what it was like to film those two movies. You and your mom just wanted them to continue their geek out. 

The oven timer went off 

“Looks like dinner is ready.” Your dad stands up. “(Y/N/N) can you help me while your mom and Tom set the table?”

You turn to Tom not really wanting to leave him alone with your mother. 

“Yeah,” Tom spoke up. “Go. I can set the table with Mrs. (L/N).” He gave you a reassuring smile. He didn’t know what he was getting into. 

You nodded and went into the kitchen with your dad while your mom and Tom went to the dining room. 

“Finally, I have you all to myself.” 

Letting out a nervous laugh, “Sorry I guess I did get a little wrapped up in mine and Mr. (L/N)’s conversation.”

“Don’t be sorry and you can call us by our first name. There’s no need to be so formal.”

The two set down a couple of plates 

“Are you keeping (Y/N) satisfied?”

And there’s the question. 

“Satisfied as in…” 

Your mom raised her eyebrows practically screaming the word sex without saying it. 

“I-um-wouldn’t you be able to tell given your job and all.” He was trying to dodge the question. 

“Normally yes but (Y/N) is nervous about this visit and it’s throwing her whole aura off. Which is why I’m asking you.”

He was uncertain if he should tell the truth. 

“I’ll take that as a yes then.” 

Tom scrunched his brows and stopped in his tracks. “How could you possibly know that? I didn’t say anything.”

“No, you didn’t. But men who aren’t would be embarrassed to say they aren’t pleasing their partners and are quick to lie. You paused thinking of a way to not have to say yes. I see this shyness in all my new clients.”

To say Tom was impressed by how right she was would be an understatement. Your mother took her years of experience and education and read him like a book. Leaving him shocked, amazed, and a little terrified. 

Your dad entered the room carrying a pan of lasagna. You followed in with all the sides. 

“Mom, why is Tom all red? Did you break him when I told you not to?”

“No, I was just asking if he was keeping you satisfied.” 

“Mom!” This is exactly what you were worried would happen. 

She throws her hand up, “what it’s not like I asked what’s he into,” she sat, “although if I had to guess he’s probably into blindfolds and light bondage. Nothing extravagant.”

Still a little terrified of how spot on she was about him.

“Mommy, please no more sex questions.” You placed the food down and took a seat next to Tom. His face is still red but still smiling. 

“Fine, Tom how did you meet our daughter?” 

Everyone passed the sides around as Tom answered. “Oh, I was on a break from filming and just flew home. We bumped into each other causing her to spill her coffee and I offered to buy her another. We sat, we talked, and eventually I asked her out.” 

Your mom awed at the story while your dad hummed in approval. 

Dinner continued with small questions and some breaks to actually eat. They asked questions about his parents and his siblings. Which led to a cute story about Tom and his brothers getting into trouble. 

“Do you think I’ll be getting a grandchild in the future?” Your dad asks. 

If you could disappear now you would. All you could do was close your eyes and groan. 

“What you said normal questions. And look at this handsome face,” he reaches over and grabs Tom’s face to shake side to side, “I’d have the world’s most beautiful grandchild and they’d have amazing parents/grandparents.” 

Tom laughed at your dad’s compliment glad to be thought of so highly. “Actually I’d love kids, but even though we haven’t discussed it, I think we’d want marriage then kids.

You reached over and patted his leg. It was a good answer. “How come your father gets to talk about kids but if I even mention a penis or a vagina then it’s the end of the world.” She dramatically takes a bite of food. 

“Because kids are normal. You, however, want to talk about Tom’s and my penis and vagina.”

“Well your mother is right,” your dad interjects, “ you can’t have grandkids without a penis or vagina involved.”

“Why are you encouraging her! Most dads would freak at this kind of talk.” Your eyes go wide. 

“Well, most dads are idiots. I know you're old enough and that you have desires.” 

For fucks sake, it’s like you’re getting the talk all over again. “Please stop talking about my desires. It’s weird and uncomfortable, I’ve been saying that since I was 11.” 

Tom’s eyes are shifting between the three of you, watching this unfold. Of all the ways he thought this visit would go down, this wasn’t one of them. 

“Honey it’s not like anyone here is a virgin. Hell, your father and I did it on the couch before the two of you arrived.”

“And hopefully to be continued later tonight.” 

They continued their sexual banter while Tom had to bite his lip to stop from laughing at your mortified face. 

“Okay, I think that’s enough of dinner.” You got up from your seat. “Tom can you help me get our bags out of the car.” 

Tom excused himself from the table and followed you back to the car. You pop the trunk to start getting your things.

“I’m so sorry about that.”

“Darling it’s fine. They’re good people and they gave me a great girlfriend.” He gets the bag out of the car. 

“Good because for them that’s considered tame.” Tom lets out a laugh. He pulls you in for a hug and kisses your forehead. 

“That’s okay because I’m in this for the long haul.” 

You guys brought your things inside. Tom was worried your parents wouldn’t be okay with him staying in the same room as you. You assured him it’s fine. After all, they were cool with past boyfriends spending the night and they haven’t even gotten the grandkid approval Tom got. 

“Okay babe, I’m going down to get the last bag.” He made his way downstairs only to be stopped by your mom. 

“Oh Tom come here,” she gestured over to herself. “I’m fully aware you two are adults with needs so I stocked the drawer of the nightstand with a little lube and some condoms.” She said with a smile and 100% seriousness. 

“I- thank you, but I don’t think they’ll be needed.”

She looked uncertain. “Okay but I’m telling you a dollop of lube will keep the fun going.” 

And with that Tom nodded and gave your mom a goodnight. 

He set the last bag down with the previous conversation going through his head. Would she really stock her daughter’s night or was she just all talk. 

Curiosity gets the best of him, he opens the drawer and there’s more than enough bottle of lubricant and two boxes of condoms. One of them being normal size and the other being magnum with a sticky note on the front. 

It read, “I wasn’t sure what size you’d be needing so I got both. P.S. don’t use the magnum if they don’t fit. As long as the motion of the ocean is great, it’ll be fine.” 

“Oh my gosh, she wasn’t kidding when she said she stocked up.” Tom turned to you on the bed showing the box and the note. 

You read it multiple times as if it’d change the words. “Tom I’m so sorry I didn’t know she’d do this, I swear.”

“It’s fine, honestly.” Debating whether it’d be wrong or not to make a joke, he just went for it. “I know the size of my boat and the motion of the ocean is more than enough.”

That got him a pillow in the face. 

“Keep it up Holland and you’ll be docking your boat forever.”

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes pt17: Alone time

Eliza:I can’t believe your recklessness sometimes.

Valerie:I wasn’t going to actually fight her.

Eliza:You were seconds away from performing a suplex.

Valerie:Pfft, not like it would’ve worked.

Eliza:Not even disputing it huh? Need I remind you of your position in this school? Many students see you as a positive role model; especially the sports team. The upperclassmen included. You set an example for others so lead them well.

Valerie:I’m not as good or enjoy rubbing elbows with people as you. Semblance or not, it’s not like I’m the kind of person who starts a conversation.

Eliza:(Shooting your mouth off at someone is starting a conversation. Team speeches are-) Ugh, be that as it may, looking good by doing good is all I ask of you. It increases morale

Valerie:Oh yeah? Then why record the match yesterday?

Eliza turned her head and looked at Val. The athlete’s .eyes held a glimmer of agitation and anxiousness.

Eliza:Oh I see now, so that’s why you’re more aggressive than usual. Getting caught by Nicholas must be so irritating for the girl who’s supposed to be better than him; another check box on the list of ways he makes your life easier.

Valerie:Don’t talk like you know me.

Eliza:I know pride and jealousy when I see it. Or maybe, it’s something else entirely? If you’re letting my little comment from the other day bother you then I suggest you dismiss it. As for the video, originally I was going to use it to study the three of you for the tournament.

Valerie:WHAT!?

Eliza:It’s no different than a sports team watching the other team’s previous games. Then another thought occurred, this school would get a lot of traction if three sophomores took down such a complex piece of tech. It’s bound to spook some people who also plan on joining the tournament.

Valerie:You used us as a scare tactic? That’s...underhanded and yet, completely fair?

Eliza:Anything to ensure I remain in the top three. I will not spend time dealing with riff raff when my two biggest threats share the same bus as me. Consider that video an appreciation of all your skills, and a reminder of the eyes on you. Don’t slip up.

Valerie:I never do. It would be pretty interesting to see you beat Nick. I look forward to your challenge.

Eliza:You sound like Nick isn’t a threat.

Valerie:He isn’t. Granted his swordplay has gotten better and he has that new trick, but I haven’t been slacking off either. I’ve kicked his butt all my life and I’m sure I can do it again.

Her eyes told a different story. Eliza could tell that through all that confidence, the smallest glimmer of doubt had shown itself. She made sure to take note of it.

Eliza:Famous last words. The idea of Nick winning is a world that could exist; experience in loss is vaster than in victory.

Valerie:*grits teeth* Can we stop talking about Nick for onc-

“Val?” Called out the boy in question. The two girls turned around to see the boy walking over in their school’s simple white and gray P.E. uniform. He wasn’t sweaty like Valerie, but something seemed a little...off.

Eliza:Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Nick:Says the girl in pigtails. Might as well call them horns. Anyways hey Val, didn’t know you were at school today. Had me a little worried this morning.

Valerie:Yeah well...I slept a little late.

Nick:But...you’re in your P.E. clothes. Summer has the class as you so-

Valerie:I wasn’t terribly late. Just enough to miss homeroom.

Nick:Ah. Getting up was pretty rough for me this morning too. That Paladin took everything out of me! My body felt like lead. How are you holding up?

Valerie:I’m fine…

Nick:Really? That hit looked really-

Valerie:I said I’m fine, Nick! Stop worrying about me!

If the halls were crowded then that would’ve drawn a crowd. Instead her brash words echoed, making its own form of weird tension. Eliza took that as her queue to leave, while Nick stood there a bit spooked. Even Valerie was shocked at her tone.

Valerie:Sorry, I uh, yelling was an accident.

Nick:It’s, it’s okay. Hey you umm, are you mad at me by any chance? I only ask since Summer sorta did what you...just did; if I did something wrong-

Valerie:You didn’t. (Like usual) Can you give me a bit of space though? I’d like to have a bit more time to myself.

She hadn’t realized it, but Valerie just snitched on herself. Nick kept a neutral face, ‘overslept huh?’ The thought lingering a bit before giving a small smile. Suddenly he felt a little awkward, randomly swaying and folding his arms as if to shake off the feeling.

Nick:Alright, if that’s what you need. Still on to study tomorrow or…?

Valerie:I think I got it covered.

Nick:Cool, cool...see you around then I guess? Or not, I don’t know. I should head back now. Harriet must notice how long I’ve been taking by now, so, yeah… *stepping away*

Valerie:...Nick?

Nick:What’s up?

Valerie:Your face, it’s a bit pale. Get some rest okay? Seriously.

At least he knew she still cared. He gave her a thumbs up and started walking away again, but then whipped back around before she was out of sight.

Nick:Hey one more thing! I thought you should know Veronica is here so please, don’t beat each other up in the halls, rooms, or anywhere really. No touching at all would be nice.

Valerie:I already bumped into her.

Nick:Really? I don’t see bruises.

Valerie:Shut up, we didn’t fight. I could tell she was looking for one, or an excuse to let off steam.

Nick:What does that mean?

Valerie:She was looking much like herself. That annoyingly cocky attitude was a bit more...catty, for a lack of a better word. Atlas air must be disagreeing with her or something.

Nick:Yeah….or something…

xxxx

Veronica hadn’t moved. The young designer found herself still leaning up against the lockers, concentrating immensely. Her skull felt like it was under a jackhammer while her heartbeat sped up like a hummingbird. God she was so hungry, and the cafeteria scent…

‘In and out Veronica. Just keep your breathing in and out’ she told herself constantly. ‘You’re halfway through the day. You can do this…’

Bright side about this predicament was it seemed no one wanted to test her. She imagined that her entire attitude must seem pretty scary right about now. Good.

Her attempt to stay out of further trouble was unfortunately short lived when the scent of fresh sweat and body spray invaded her nostrils. That was a smell in any school, one that always ment the arrival of her least favorite kind of person.

Two sets of footsteps steadily got closer until they stopped right in front of her. Veronica looked up to see two boys in blue letterman jackets stand before her. One boy was tannish and had a well kept brown crew cut, his height towering over her but his build seemed similar to Nick. His eyes a shade of hazel that made the cocky grin on his face that was more punchable.

The other boy was taller, at least 6’3 and built like a wall. Veronica couldn’t fathom the amount of protein shrinks he might drink. He was pale compared to the first one and had orangey brown hair that was a crew cut that had less taken off on the sides and more grown out. His eyes were a dark green and though he didn’t look as cocky, his presence was enough for Veronica to know he thought that he was the big man on campus.

The first jacket said ‘Diabhalta’ while the second read.‘Winchester.’ That name was familiar from earlier. Nick had mentioned it when speaking to Eliza.

Whoever they were, Veronica wasn’t in the mood for this shit. It’s like she was a beacon for annoying jocks.

Veronica:May I help you, or are you just going to keep staring like a dead fish?

Diabhalta: Hey hey, take it easier there mittens. Just doing a little thinking, wondering if it would be a cat call if you gave me your number. That sort of thing.

Winchester:Laying it on a little thick there, Darren.

Darren:Oh I’m just trying to break the ice Maxie. A little humor to make that pretty face smile.

Veronica:If this is you breaking the ice then no wonder Atlas is so cold. Not interested, now scram.

Max:Sweetheart, curve the attitude. Obviously you’re new here but FYI, underclassmen show more respect.

Veronica:You’re not respecting my space.

Max:You’re not respecting our locker space.

Okay, this time she was in the jocks territory and not purposely seeked out. Maybe her luck was just bad? Veronica sidestepped out of the way and decided to leave. While Max opened his locker.

Veronica:My bad…

Max:Yeah it is.

Darren:Hey hey hey, hold on second here. “My bad” is a pretty half assed apology. Don’t you wanna try something a little more...hospitable? Maybe a cute little curtsy or something? No, well the view of you leaving is pretty nice so I shouldn’t complain.

Veronica: Fuck. Off.

Darren:Ooo kitten has claws.

He starts to follow behind her.

Max: ‘I swear he’s going to end up in prison’ Stop skirt chasing the literal puss and get your shit man.

Darren:I’m just trying to get to know the lady a little. Is that so bad?

Veronica:Darren was it? Listen to your friend and buzz off before you get actual claws, got it?

Darren:Ooo how scrappy. I don’t mind a little pain. That’s why I win medals for this place. Isn’t that right Maxie?

Max:If you need my help to get her attention then it’s probably a sign you’re trying too hard.

Veronica: ‘At least that one has a few brain cells”

Max:Besides, shouldn’t you aim for a girl that’s more… appealing?

That caught her attention. Turning around would’ve been reckless. There was no need to entertain these two, yet she couldn’t help herself.

Veronica: ‘Fuck this guy’ Was that a comment on my looks, or my features?

Max:Can’t say, all I know is what I see, and what I see is oh so not worth any time or effort. Why Darren is giving you the time of day,I’ll never understand.

Darren:Dude!

Veronica:Hmph, whatever. I should expect as much from you. At least you’re more charming than your father.

Max:Tsk, What did you-

Veronica:Goodbye. *walks away*

Darren:Hey! You can’t just disrespect him like that! Are you even listen- hey!

Veronica:Maybe if you learned to leave a girl alone then-

Her words got caught in her throat. Veronica thought they had gotten the message. That they wouldn’t bother her anymore and silently curse her names like others; the pain that ran through her tail said otherwise.

Veronica could start to feel her blood start to boil as she turned back around to see, to feel Darren gripping her tail with his disgusting hands. Max had closed his locker but didn’t look confrontational. No, he looked alarmed.

“Darren I think you overstepped.” He put his things down.

“I overstepped!? She’s the one running her mouth and mentioning your family like she knows anything.”

Veronica’s eyes matched that of a feline and her barely came out above a whisper. “You have three seconds to let go…”

Unfazed, he tightened his grip. “Or wha-”

Time was up. Darren couldn’t even finish the word before he felt the back of Veronica’s fist make a clean contact with the right side of his face, knocking spit and his body into the lockers.

“Darren!”

The boy was too dazed to respond or react to the feeling of the smaller girl tackling him to the ground as Veronica began to wail on him. Repeatedly throwing punch after punch in a fit of anger. Until Darren headbutted her off.

Now he was pissed. He got up and threw a punch that was quickly stopped by Max. “What the hell man!”

“That doesn’t end well for you!”

“It won’t for her either!”

Veronica ran back at him without thinking and was kicked right in the stomach, falling backwards for only a second before charging again.

Max tugged Darren behind him to act as a buffer and stiff armed Veronica. The guy really was a wall, but that meant nothing to Veronica. Her body slipped right through him and came out the other side to tackle the idiot who grabbed her tail.

This time they both hit the ground and started to exchange blows.

She was practically seeing red, blacking out from rage, adrenaline, pain, hunger; somewhere along the line she could taste a little iron in her mouth and pain across her face. Must’ve gotten hit, not like she cared, sound seemed distorted but she could still feel everything. Especially her knuckles that were getting tender, and the constant hands of Max trying to pull her off most likely.

She had tried to be patient. Tried to stay calm, tried to walk away, but she simply couldn’t. All she could do was keep swinging and kicking. Until….

“Get a grip Vee!”

The red stopped, her mind clearing enough to focus on control. Eventually coming to and seeing what had happened. Her arms had been secured in a tight bear hug. Darren was still in front of her with bruises that were already healing and a scowl on his that screamed “I’ll end you.”

To his right was Max who was also a bit hyped on adrenaline, his hair messed up and also thoroughly pissed. But something was off. Who was restraining-

A pit formed in Veronica's stomach as she looked to the ground to see gravity glyphs holding them all in place. She turned around to see messy familiar hair slicked back and shocked eyes. Nick had showed up, as well as a few other faculty from the sound of it.

The boy was out of breath and had a dark bruise around the bridge of his nose as he continued holding her.

“N...Nick?” Her voice trembled. “When did you-”

“We gotta move.” He said anxiously as he took her by the wrist and ran out towards the exit.

Darren wasn’t amused. “That son of-Nicholas! You think we’re done here!”

“Shut up man! We don’t need this kinda shit right now.” Max growled with an intense amount of bass. The glyphs vanished and he grabbed Darren as he ran off as well. Quickly pushing his friend out the door. “Go cool off and then come back. I’ll handle the adults”

“You can’t be seri-”

“Do you want to get beat up by three different people today!? Take a fucking walk”

Darren grit his teeth before spitting a mixture of spit and blood on the ground before listening to his friends instructions. Max let out an annoyed sigh before regaining his stoic expression and stood by the door as faculty and students started gathering.

xxxx

Veronica messes up, she messed up big time. It was one thing to make trouble for herself but it creating it for others wasn’t a thing she enjoyed. All she had to do was keep calm, walk away, and survive a day at school. Not be led through the back streets of Atlas by Nicholas of all people.

He hadn’t said a word to her but she hadn’t spoken either. The feeling of her blood rushing and the whirlpool of her instincts still washed over her like a sea of flames that did its best to simmer down. Nick must’ve been furious, he had a right to be. Veronica said she was fine when she wasn’t. Now this has happened. Veronica wanted nothing more than to scream at herself right now. How could she let this happen?

She continued to stare at the hand that held her wrist through an alley where Nick finally stopped and let go. Veronica wanted to say something but didn’t get the chance before Nick tossed a bag over his shoulder at her.

Veronica reacted just fast enough to catch it and was taken back by it. It was….jerky? Beef jerky at that. She looked to see him staring at her with concern. Veronica tried looking away but Nick tilted her back to stare into her animal like eyes. With her luck, he probably saw her fangs when she was screaming her head off earlier.

Nick: ‘So this is what I was supposed to look out for?’ You with me Vee?

Veronica:....

Nick:They sell those packs in the vending machines near the sports room. Taste isn’t that spectacular but I’m sure it’ll serve you better than me right now.

Veronica:....

Nick:Vee…?

Veronica:...Can you...turn around? I don’t want you to see me eat. Cover your ears too.

Nick:Uh, okay? *turns around* tap my shoulder when you're done I guess.

Veronica:Thanks…

Nick covered his ears and Veronica finally opened the extremely full bag. The aroma hit her like a truck and Veronica couldn’t help but let out a gulp the moment it did.

Nick clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, already feeling a little awkward after fifteen seconds. ‘Is she gonna eat all of that? The bag is a large size, people twice my size take a while to eat it.’ He was starting to regret making today's arm day in gym class. ‘Hopefully she just needs a few pieces of-’

The wind blew and the bag flew right by his head, completely empty and teared apart. The tap on his shoulder can immediately after. That...couldn’t have been the bag, no way. He turned around and couldn’t believe it, Veronica stood in front of him a little bit more composed than before. Her eyes were less intense, as well as her hair. Even Vee’s breathing was less erratic but she still wasn’t exactly calm either. The crumbs on her face didn’t help.

Nick caught himself staring a little too hard and tried to have a very even expression. Veronica was starting to look at him the way Summer looks at her scars. This was clearly a big deal to her. After all, this was all news to him.

Nick:Are you okay? Or you know...slightly better?

Veronica:Slightly better is a decent way of putting it, barely. My body hurts.

Nick:Well you probably have a few bruises, your lip and right hand is bleeding, and I might’ve tackled you a little hard once or twice whenever I arrived. I’ve seen explosive tempers but man.

Veronica:Did I...give you that bruise?

Nick:Consider it a team effort between the three of you. Serves me right for rushing in without thinking. Nothing a little aura can’t fix. Same goes for you I hope.

Veronica:I’ll be fine…

She walked towards him slowly and gently touched his nose. She did this to him. He might put blame on everybody but it was no doubt to spare her feelings. Veronica’s ears drooped down and she held back her tears. It was bad enough Nick saw her lose her cool, she wasn’t gonna let him see her tears.

Veronica:I’m sorry...really sorry. I’ve done nothing but lie, break promises, and caused you trouble. All on my first day too. Talk about pathetic. Now you’re hurt and going to be in trouble because of me.Frankly I...I don’t know why you aren’t yelling at right now. How can you tolerate me so much all the time? I wouldn’t be able to.

Nick:Well that’s easy, it’s not tolerating when you want to be around the person.

And just like that, Veronica was speechless.

Nick:Don’t get me wrong. Can’t say I’m okay with how today went or that I’m not disappointed that you couldn’t last the day; But you’ve always been a hothead. Today just explains why. Yang might’ve told me to keep an eye on you, out of love of course. So don’t be too upset with her okay? I wish I knew about this sooner. Pardon if I’m overstepping, but does this have anything to do with why you’re so reluctant to talk about Menagerie? Anytime I talk about visiting it’s always a no.

Veronica:It’s one of many reasons. Reasons I rather not get into, sorry.

Nick:That’s fair. It’s funny, we always talk about how we talk about everything but I guess something we can’t help but keep to ourselves. Did you think I’d hate you, or wouldn’t understand? Granted I’m definitely hazy on the specifics but I definitely don’t think any less of you. V-

Veronica:I like you…as in like, like you.

Blood rushed to both of their faces. Veronica didn’t make eye contact but she did take his hand and held it tight; it trembled ever so slightly.

Nick couldn’t tell if he was slightly under the weather like Valerie said or hearing the words aloud. Nick wasn’t dense like his father, but hearing a confession was still a crazy moment. Especially right now. A boy in his gym clothes and a roughed up school girl, standing in a snowy alleyway after running out of school. Maybe he should’ve slept in today.

Veronica:It’s not like it’s been some kind of secret. I was never good at subtlety. When you're around me...I try so hard for you to only see the best of me, though it rarely happens. So I kept quiet, from plenty of people. Unless you really know about faunus then how could you know what goes on under the surface? You’re the last person I wanted to tell. I thought you’d look at me differently.

Nick:Do I look that shallow?.

Veronica:I couldn’t take the chance. Not when you’re the one, the only who really sees me outside of my parents.

He wasn’t entirely sure Veronica meant by that. See her how? In what way was he different from someone like his sister or Valerie? Was it okay to ask that right now? He decided against it. Being pushed away earlier made him worried about it happening again.

So instead he told her a simple truth.

Nick:It’s not like you’re Shiva. I’ve stared in the eyes as she threatened my life and I still hug Summer without a care in the world. On a scale from one to ten, what happened at school was a two. If you ever need something then I’m here Vee. I care about you, a lot. Be who you are around me.

Veronica:....Anything Huh?

She leans forward slowly, her face crimson. Nick’s brain goes crazy. ‘Is she…!? Wait, no! I’ve never-’ Veronica’s head lands in the crook of his neck and her hands wrap around him weakly.

“Food…” she said half consciously. “Fattening food, meat. Please tell me Atlas has that?”

Nick:Okay! I know a spot that’s out of the way and serves anyone. So-

She shut her eyes and dozed off. Nick heard quiet purring from Vee and saw her injuries finally start to heal. A good sign, but Nick couldn’t travel like this! He’d have trouble even if he wasn’t sick; not to mention he totally forgot that he wasn’t in his regular clothes!

Nick:I did not think this through. No wallet or phone, a passed out girl, and parents that will murder us. Think Nick, who could I call right now that wouldn’t chew me out and still help? Oh! Duh…

xxxx

Penny:I called your parents.

Nick:Why!?

Penny:You’re minors...

Nick:At least they have time to calm down.

Penny:They’re sending Winter.

The boy nearly choked on his thermometer before Penny took it out. He currently sat on one of her medical beds while Veronica was sleeping in one next to him. A stack of meat lovers pizza by the bed was ready for her whenever she woke up.

Penny:Due to physical exhaustion from yesterday, insufficient rest, and slight dehydration, you’re running a slight fever Nicholas Schnee. Maybe even a cold if it gets worse. I’m ordering you to do nothing but rest and go to school. No training, or unneeded stress from extracurricular activities for two days.

Nick:But I have tournament-

Penny:Home and school! A council is not one person, they can get by without you. It would be a tragedy if you couldn’t even compete, then Summer would be disqualified from duos.

Nick:Sigh….yes ma’am. Sleep does sound nice.

Penny:48 hours will be up before you know it!

Nick:Maybe Val and Summer should’ve played hooky today too? Thanks for all this. I know you’re specifically in the medical field but…

Penny:I consider myself a jack of all PHDs.

Nick:How about an expert in faunus biology? Is Veronica-

Penny:She’s fine, but that’s all I can disclose without permission. I’m sure she’ll tell you more of her own free will when I leave the room. She is pretending to be asleep right now to avoid talking to me.

Nick:....WHAT!? *looks at her*

Veronica:.....

Penny:Oscar has tried convincing her to have at least one session with her as a request from her parents for some time now for reasons I’m not sure of. I doubt she wants to speak in my presence out of fear that I might tell Oscar something that he could use to understand her better. Question is, how long will she fake being unconscious until the smell of pizza is too much?

Veronica:*opens eyes* I’m begging you to leave.

Penny:Okay! I have work to complete anyways. Hopefully nothing burst into flames again. Don’t worry about your school belongings. Summer was told to get them.

Penny rubs Nick’s head and goes into a separate lab room. Veronica rises from the bed like a zombie and grabs a pizza box. Drool starts to form as she opens the box and grabs a slice. Meat lovers, it was beautiful. She almost inhaled the slice before looking up and turning red. Nick was staring at her calmly.

Veronica:Ummm….

Nick:Huh? Oh! *turns around* Sorry…

Veronica:It’s just really...I hate being seen when I eat like this. We can still talk though.

Nick:Hmm where to start?

Veronica:Those boys, how much trouble are they going to be for you?

Nick:Oh those knuckleheads won’t be a problem. I’m fortunate that you fought two people who. already hate me and plan on beating me senseless anyways.

Veronica:How is that a good thing exactly?

Nick:Because messing with you gives me an excuse to actively be cruel to them! The school will probably give all of us a slap on the wrist considering we’re in the tournament, duos in fact. They’re the runners up from last year. Both of them were pretty upset underclassmen took their gold.

Veronica:The big one, Max. He looks disturbingly a lot like his pops. Didn’t even know they lived here. Makes sense with the lack of equality around here still.

Nick:Don’t be too quick to judge. Max doesn’t hate faunus and my dad says Cardin is a pretty alright guy these days.

Veronica:Yet his son appears to be falling in similar pitfalls. Bastard said I wasn’t his type and gave me the strangest look.

Nick:Maybe he’s just not into blondes or something, I don’t know. As far as apples falling from trees go, my dad is pretty respectful and turns the other cheek quite a bit; that didn’t carry over haha.

Veronica:Yeah you’re petty and smug, like a gremlin or something. A cute one. You’re also very cheerful in a sarcastically optimistic way. Weird, you’re weird Nick.

Nick:It’s called charisma. Can I get a slice? This is a lot of pizza.

Veronica:Knock yourself out. You went a little overboard with ten boxes.

Nick:I don’t know how any of this works. Is there a certain ratio of meat or…

Veronica:Think of it as a kind of mental/physical diet. Meat sets of the animal instinct and keeps everything working okay. Too much and the instincts stay on. The eyes, hair, claws, teeth, and other more psychological things stick around. No meat eventually draws it out in a more aggressive nature and my body can’t operate well because of the messing the nutrients. Everything hurts.

Nick:So on one end you’re a peak apex predator, then the other is what, starved wildcat?

Veronica:I call it going feral but yeah that works. I don’t like either position. One is physically painful while the other….I just don’t like the “apex” me. It’s a lot to handle.

Nick:For you or other people?

Veronica:I’d like if we changed the subject please?

Nick:Sorry. Anything on your mind.

Veronica:...Your feelings for me.

He choked on a pepperoni, coughing and hacking it back up to catch his breath. Of course that’s on her mind! Nick had to keep his cool, this was important. He had answers but had no clue if they were good answers.

He turned around despite her earlier request. This had to be done face to face. Veronica must’ve known that because she wasn't eating anymore. Her hands rested on the box that most likely was empty by now and eyes focused on her normal looking nails.

Bright blush ran across her face again with her ears down. Her tail curled around her left arm. In a weird way he wished the world could see her right now. It was for this exact reason he always vouched for Vee. The overwhelmingly confident and rowdy island girl wasn’t all she was. Veronica could feel insecure or be meek.She never dismissed her faults but also had no shame pointing out others. Veronica saw everything she could in something and was honest about her feelings with it to the point all she ever did to avoid discussion was say she didn’t want to talk about it or be vague.

Nick:Uhh, what about the subject exactly?

Veronica:Can you get a little closer?

Nick stood up and sat on the edge of her bed. Veronica patted her hand and me closer. Then another pat made him get closer, then another, and another; until he was beside her. Vee’s hand grabbed his and she leaned, dangerously close. Nick started to feel his heart race again.

Veronica:Have you kissed a girl?

Nick:K..Kiss?! As in...no. H-Have you?

Veronica:Once, well a couple times by one person. It was pretty crappy honestly, for many reasons.

Nick:I’m sorry…

Veronica:It’s alright. I’m sure I’ll have better ones.

She could feel him shake a little. His heart sounded like firecrackers going off with how fast it was. Veronica leaned just a little closer and the boy shut his eyes. He made no advances, no tilt, or lean. Nick would’ve just let it happen. Veronica smiles before flicking his forehead to make him jump. She laughed and leaned back, but kept holding his hand.

Veronica:As much as I like you I won’t take anything you don’t want to give me. Your first kiss happens once. Do it on your terms. I hope Valerie accepts it.

Nick:I’m sorry.

Veronica:Don’t be. You’ve always looked her way. I can see why. I wish you thought I was as pretty and wonderful just like her. Maybe if I cracked more jokes or a bit nicer, then you would fall for-

Nick:You are so gorgeous Veronica Belladonna.

His words derailed her own. Nick smiled at the girl curiously with his blushing face that made her heart melt. This was unexpected. This face, those words, it was so...sincere.

Nick:You tell plenty of jokes, sure you need work on your attitude but Val is rowdier than you on occasion. There isn’t a thing about you that doesn’t make me…

Veronica:Nicholas…? Do you...feel something for me?

Nick:Of course I do you dunce.

Veronica:Then why-

Nick:Because Val has my heart. How could I date you knowing that? I’d feel really shitty being with someone that loves me so much and my heart is set on another girl. That’s not very chivalrous of someone who loves the idea of being a knight.

Veronica:So...I guess she really is the princess in your story?

Nick:Wrong. I’ve never thought of Val like that. She’s...my longest friend and companion. We’ve done so much together just to see if we could. Val to me is like another knight. Rival, friend, crush...she’s a lot. A princess isn’t one of them. If I’m being honest with myself, you’d be my princess.

Life was so unfair, he was unfair. Veronica’s mind was everywhere just like her blush. Was Nick letting her down easy or flirting!? How could he do both!? Veronica let go of his hand and put the covers over her head. Looking at his dumb face wasn’t helping the situation. She really was in love with this clown.

Veronica:You really are such a gremlin you know!? Now I like you more!

Nick:Oh...well..I don’t know what I was trying to do just now. I was explaining myself and sorta… I’m so fucking stupid. I’m gonna go wash up and give you some space now.

She gave him a thumbs up and heard his footsteps slowly grow distant until they stopped. Was he...looking back at her!? Was it with embarrassment or longingly!? It would be weird to peek out now! This cover was a bad idea. His footsteps started again and Veronica heard the doorknob open. Not yet, he couldn’t leave yet without her proper response.

Veronica:Nicholas?

Nick:Yeah?

Veronica:I hope, I hope things work out for you and Val. Regardless of my feelings I want you to be happy. That being said, don’t think I’m going to stop trying, because you...have my heart. And I need you to know that if for some reason Val doesn’t accept yours, or you get it back, I’ll accept it with open arms.

Nick:....

Veronica:....Too much?

Nick:No, it was just right. Thanks, Vee.

The door slowly creaked closed as he left. Just before it did however, the tiniest whisper slipped through. Was it on purpose, or did her hearing escape his thoughts. Either way Veronica pressed her pillow against her chest flustered.

“My princess” Damn those Schnees. They always know just what to say.

Part 16

[kariachi]

Only one episode today, but it’s a two-parter because apparently this season is big on them so I figure it evens out.

Tokyo Fun!

Huh, so this world’s version of the Olympics is held every five years

And there’s a Sumo Slammers theme park in Tokyo, can’t say I’m surprised

If there’s one thing I can support Max in, it’s his dedication to badminton. I also love the sport

How many times do you think Max has gotten ticketed for illegal parking of that stupid chopper?

This family is precious

“Bigger isn’t always better“ out of a fucking Ben! Holy shit alert the presses!

And is embarassed to have accidentally given a life lesson

Max losing his mind over the Japanese Badminton team

When this restaurant says big food they ain’t kidding, shit the size of heads

...welp, that’s not concerning. Eat your weight in sushi (literally) alongside a sundae you have to eat with a shovel, and then be hungry again immediately after? Who do they think they are, Mike?

Hello Maurice. Are you using a grow-ray to make big food that shrinks back down to size after it’s been eaten, therefor making a restaurant where the customers are never satisfied and so have to keep giving you money for a massive profit overall?

...the Bugg Brothers have an intern. His name is Charlemagne and he is a cockroach. A proper-sized cockroach. I love him already.

Really the intern thing is a great excuse for exposition on the Bros’ plans. They intend to become a worldwide franchise with their popular restaurant of ‘big’ food, becoming rich enough to buy whole countries. Honestly I’m kind’ve impressed.

And while Ben fights Sidney, Max tries to go make friends with the pro athletes

Aw, they seem like nice people

Welp

I don’t even have words y’all, this shit is ridiculous

Ben fucking blasted Charlemagne! And then the poor thing got zapped with the busted grow-ray!

Aw, Maurice is worried about his intern. He cares.

Charlemagne grows to massive size, because of course. He continues to be precious and Maurice is totally willing to work with this.

And Ben has been blasted with the grow-ray

Ben: *grows giant, immediately is aggravated Kevin isn’t there because damnit for once he’s taller than him*

Seriously, where are the Bevin fans, it was weird enough they dropped off the face of the earth when OV aired, this is just disconcerting

They just keep growing. Kaijuing it up.

‘Nephew’? Charlemagne is their fucking nephew? Or at least Maurice’s? ...okay! I can work with that!

Poor Charlemagne, all he wants is to visit the Sumo Slammers theme park

There’s a fight, things happen, eventually Ben and Charlemagne go to the theme park together as friends.

And now part 2!

...well. Sumo Slammers is certainly a Thing.

That show has left Ben completely unprepared to see real sumo wrestling

Gwendolyn Tennyson, the nerdiest of jocks, losing her mind over sumo wrestling

Oh look, it’s Solar and Polar, there to avenge their mother? Grandmother? ‘Mumsy’. One of them has a very small woman strapped to his chest.

Fuckers mocked their Mum and now they demand apologies and also revenge

And they don’t even last thirty seconds before they’re fighting, which their Mum does not like. Very soft spoken woman so far.

They are literally fighting over who gets to carry their mother and who gets to steal the gold medals for her

Boys please do not throw shit at each other when you are carrying your damn mother

The protective clutching of the Mum

The boys ran off to drop their mother off at the playground so they can fight Ben without risking her safety. Note that now they are fighting over where precisely to leave her that would be best for her health.

She wants to go on the train ride, so of course all children must be kicked out so she can have it to herself.

They love her so

Ben, unable to figure why Shockrock wouldn’t work against the guys with electromagnetic powers.

“Ben’s allergic to strategy, as usual.“

These boys are stealing every single medal they can find and giving them to their mum

Ben is doing like, nothing to sabotage these two

Really the sibling writing in this show is surprisingly accurate depending on what kind’ve siblings you’re talking about

The Tennysons have found the Mum. She’s very polite.

Oh my gods. She competed in the games while the boys were small, sustaining an injury during an event and going on despite it to win silver! Except her boys are convinced she deserves better than that and so are getting her all the gold medals. That honestly so sweet in a completely misguided way.

Also she was a lot larger way back then, built like a fucking wall

Woman is sitting here blaming herself for her boys, talking about her concerns that focusing too much on her athletic career taught them that winning was the most important thing, and that no medal is as important to her as seeing her boys get along

Oh great, now they’re fighting over which one gets to quash all their mother’s opponents

I love this show

Huh, Solar is a columnist as well, wrote one on Truman Capote.

omg the billboard they threw crumpled just right to say “We <3 Mom” and their mother loves it so much

“You boys are my greatest achievement“ That cracking sound you heard was by cold black heart

The boys gets arrested, promising to write their mother weekly while she promises they won’t have to because she’s gonna visit.

“Kiss kiss, follow your bliss, Mumsy” my heart

10/10, Mumsy and Charlemagne deserve no less!