#like lin is constantly looking at grace with heart eyes and adoration

[clairedaring]

The tears you're shedding now... is it because you're pinching yourself? What are you trying to say? Do you remember when we first met each other? You told me... that you were dying to be in a play.

BAD GENIUS THE SERIES (2020) | 1.05

[stcrlghts]

Summer Sweetness

prompt: um, none? but i missed summer + i have an obsession with adorable couples and carnivals 

warnings: this is literally ALL FLUFF. 

pairing: lin-manuel miranda x reader 

words: 1,852 

enjoy! 

The balmy June day reached you in an instant when you stepped out of your city apartment. You sighed, taking the tie from around your wrist to sweep your hair up off of your neck. It wasn’t like you’d just spent half an hour straightening it just with the hopes it wouldn’t be this hot – not at all. You had grown up around these summers, when all traces of winter had glided away, promising to visit by the end of the year, and the flowers had all blossomed, the rose bushes and trees in your favorite park ablaze with vibrancy.

Taking a step down the street, you delighted in in the lenient, heat and memory filled future moments that you looked forward to. A soft smile came to your face as you passed an ice cream shop, a mental note being made to drag your boyfriend back there with you this afternoon. For as long you could remember, this was what summer meant – a true sense of contentment and freedom unlike much else. You fondly awaited this all year – the days when the sunshine seemed to share its radiance with you and the birds shared their song with those patiently waiting with an open ear. These thoughts and more crossed your mind as your feet crossed the road, reaching the busy park where you were to meet your boyfriend today. You were both working students and it was rare you got together outdoors during the day, given you both kept late hours at desks, on shared couches, and in beds. It had been your dedication to work and success that had kept you apart this last semester and you had missed him tremendously. Now, with finals in the distant past and a limitless highway of possibilities for the season ahead, you were appreciative of all the moments that lie ahead.

Your smile rose a notch higher when you spotted him, his back set against a wide tree, his eyes scanning his notebook that sat in front of him. You stopped for a moment and examined him – his messy, “just rolled out of bed” hair, the deep-set dusky brown eyes that analyzed the scene around him, the headphones wrapped around his neck, and that constantly present notebook he scribbled furiously in, his brow furrowing as he erased words and tried again. There wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t sleep deprived and it was just a character trait you appreciated about him. The way he moved his hands suggested both an agile quickness and an inaudible steadiness as he worked out cramps in his hand.

You were only knocked out of your fog when someone bumped into you from behind. They brushed past you without so much as mouthing a “sorry” and you grimaced, rubbing your shoulder before moving forward. You made it all the way to Lin, your shadow dropping over his notebook, before he peered upwards, squinting in the sun.

“(Y/N!)” He exclaimed, standing up rapidly. You watched as his notebook and pen fell from his lap as he hurried up, wrapping his arms around you, dwarfing you immediately. You laughed, relishing in the feeling of being back in his arms, a place you had made your home in the past few months that you had been dating him. You buried your face in his shoulder momentarily, wrapping your arms up around his neck as he held you in the shade of the large tree you stood under. When you finally released each other, you didn’t separate completely because your hands laced together, fitting just as they had before, like pieces to a puzzle. He leaned down to gather his things with one hand, keeping his other in yours, before he placed a chaste kiss on your cheek. Your fingers laced with his, he kept your feet on the ground instead of sailing up to the sky with elatedness.

Looking around, he smiled. “So, what is this, exactly?” he asked as you moved forward into the crowd together. Raucous children laughter rang up ahead and the shouts of street vendors made you grin as you made a path through the people.

“I still can’t believe you’ve never been to one of these. It’s a summer carnival. The city’s hidden gems and the absolute best way to start off the summer.” You smirked, pulling him off the side, watching his surprised facial expression. You stood in front of a vendor selling baked goods. Your eyes scanned the assortment of muffins, donuts, and brownies. You licked your lips, suddenly remembering you’d forgotten to eat a quick lunch before you left. But, before you could make a decision, Lin tugged on your hand. Turning towards him, he took the moment to dart off into the crowd, breaking your hand hold. You giggled, trailing behind him as he zig-zagged through the throngs of people to make his way to whatever had gotten his eye. You caught up with him to find him animatedly flipping through boxes of… vinyl records. Of course. This was so Lin that you couldn’t even laugh at it. The joy on his face, the vigorous movements of his wrists as he flicked through record after record to find the treasure he wanted to add to his extensive collection – it all cumulated in a picture that made you wish you’d brought your camera with you. He pulled out two records and laid them down in front of him, on the vendor’s table. He paid for them as you scanned around for your next target area. He joined you again, slipping the records into his backpack, taking the time to add his notebook and headphones from earlier, before sliding his hand back in yours.

“Where to next, love?” he asked you before you pointed towards the end of the walkway.

“There.” His line of sight following your finger, he found a variety of carnival games, ones he had heard about but never played.

He raised his eyebrows, turning back to you. “You know how bad I am at sports.”

“Oh, come on! It’s just for fun. I might even let you win some of them.” You smirked before you tugged him with you, his reluctance making you laugh.

Stopping in front of the faux skeeball game, you paid for the game for both you and Lin and handed him a ball.

“Okay, object of this game is to throw the ball into the slots with the most points. Simple enough, right? Let’s see how your arm is.”

Lin’s expression became focused and you choked back a laugh. He wound up his arm, tossing the ball in an arc. You watched as it sailed across the ramp and landed in a 3,000-point slot. He turned to you, frozen with a smile on his face. “That’s good, right?”

“For an amateur!” You called back to him, winding up for your own pitch. Maybe it would have been kind to note to him you’d grown up excelling at this game and you had a background in baseball pitching, but what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. Your ball landed in the highest scoring, 10,000-point slot on the table. You turned to Lin to find him with a quizzical expression on his face, almost as if he had studied your shot to take notes on it. You laughed after a beat of silence.

“What’s up, babe?” You asked him, trying to get an answer out of him. Instead of a reply, he smirked while picking up his next ball. You watched him practice his arm a few times before actually launching the ball. It sailed smoothly into the 10,000-point opening. You raised your eyebrows as he turned to you, hand raised for a high-five. You shook your head.

“Nice rate of improvement. Haven’t seen that out of anyone since… myself.”

You and Lin played a few more rounds of skeeball and various other games before you started to yawn. Watching the sun sink in the sky, you turned to his direction as he played a balloon popping game, one you’d never quite been good at.

“I think we should head out. I know you’re enjoying your games and all, but the girlfriend’s tired.”

He ignored you and you sighed before realizing you’d created a carnival game addicted monster. Laughing, you made your way to him. Wrapping your arms around him from behind, you laid your head on his shoulder. He still didn’t answer you, but you saw he only had one more balloon left to pop with one pin. He took the last pin and closed one eye, aiming it just so at the remaining balloon, the smallest one on the playing board.  As he finally released the pin, you squeezed your eyes shut, holding your breath, before you heard the last pop of the balloon.

“You did it!” You screamed as he turned around to hug you. Lifting you off the ground, his laughter combined with yours. He brought you down, placing a kiss to your forehead before turning to the vendor of the game, who was waiting for him to pick out a prize. With one last glance at you, Lin pointed upwards towards a large tan teddy bear. The man running the game shrugged, bringing it down and handing it to Lin.

Lin accepted the bear with a ‘Thank you’ for the man, who waved him off. He turned to you, a grin playing on his lips. Before he let you take the bear, however, he began a speech. Rolling your eyes and with a worn-out, tired smile on your face, you allowed him his winning moment.

“This bear was won through a lot of hard work. I had not experienced work this hard before and I’m in the middle of writing a musical.” He paused, waiting for any laughter, before continuing, “But I did not win this alone. This bear is dedicated to the girl who taught me how to play my first-ever carnival games. She not only put up with my incessant whining, but she did it with that beaming smile on her face. She taught me to win with dignity and with grace and, most importantly, with some kick-ass skill. So, (Y/N), will you accept this bear for being my favorite girl in the entire world? For putting up with me? For teaching me that the right person can bring happiness into any moment in life?” Now, the bear was held out for you. You placed your hand over your heart as Lin walked over to you.

“Yes, Lin, I will accept this bear and I shall cherish it for the rest of my days as a reminder of the man I took to his first carnival and the man who made my life an effervescent display of joy.” You laughed for a beat at the end of your acceptance as Lin’s face showed relief.

Lin placed the bear in your hands before leaning in to kiss you. Under the milky reds and oranges of the sunset, you had never felt life be more perfect than it was in that moment.