#listen i roast him with love. bullying him gently

[bee-ina-boat]

Ford "reads the ancient incantations despite being explicitly told to not do that for the sake of science and is surprised when the warnings were right and he is now suffering the consequences of his actions" pines 💗

[padme-parker]

Mizpah // the darkling x f!reader // ch 3

summary: After finally meeting the darkling, the two of you have a one on one conversation. It seems like Mal and Alina also have one. An offer is made to you, one that you could simply not deny

A/N: Please read this before continuing-- From here on, the rest of the fic will most likely be following the book series instead of the show. However there will be some aspects of the show woven in! Also I know the beginning of this chapter doesn’t line up with what happened in ch 2 but its whatever. for the sake of the story, the timeline is going to be dragged out for as long as possible <3 

I also made a playlist, give it a look :))

As Mal walks with the guard towards the room the General had directed for him to wait in, he hears his name being called out. His heart pounds at the sound of Alina’s familiar voice. He turned around, her face being split by a giant smile. Alina runs toward him, engulfing him in a hug, her arms around his neck.

“What’re you doing here?” She asked

“Hell if I know.” Mal said with a weariness that Alina hadn’t expected. “I had a report to make to your master.”

“My what?” There was confusion on her face before a grin took its place. “You and y/n were the ones who found Morozova’s herd. I should’ve known, the two best trackers in all of Ravka.” Alina knew something was off. Mal couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes, where had all the excitement he had felt earlier gone?

“I should go.”

“What do you mean? You just got here.” The sun summoner could feel something topple over in her, all of the anger and embarrassment that she had built up. All the letters she had sent, but never gotten a reply to. All the times she had hoped Mal would come and find her, yet when he finally did, he was just going to leave again. “You know what, sorry. I didn’t realize I was wasting your time.” She sneered, the love in her eyes now replaced with animosity.

“I didn’t say that.” He argued.

“No, no, I understand. You can’t be bothered to answer my letters. Why would you want to stand here talking to me, while y/n is waiting saints knows where.” Mal’s mood shifted into one of confusion.

“I didn’t get any letters.” He whispered.

“Yeah right.” She replied angrily. Mal sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“We have to move constantly to track the herd. My unit is barely in contact with the regiment anymore.” Mal was tired of arguing with Alina. He had come to see one of his bestest friends, he didn’t expect for it to end like this.

Alina hesitates for a second to look at Mal, noticing how much he has changed since she was taken from the Darklings tent. He was no longer the Mal she knew, something had happened to him since the months she had been gone. His eyes were colder, his posture was one of somebody who was always on alert.

“You didn’t get any of my letters?” She uttered, feeling the ends of her heart fraying. He shook his head, she could tell his mind was elsewhere now, a distant look in his expression.

“Mal, I..” She hesitated. “Can’t you stay a little while longer?” She pleaded. She hated the fact that she had to do so just to spend time with him. “You can’t imagine what it’s been like here.” He lets out a laugh, one riddled with sarcasm.

“I don’t need to imagine. I saw your little demonstration in the ballroom. Very impressive.” He sneered.

“You saw me?”

“Yes, both y/n and I got a glimpse of you.” He paused, trying to search for the right words. “Do you know how worried I’ve been about you? How worried we were? Y/n was stationed near the southern borders and when she came looking for us she was so worried. She didn’t know what happened to you and neither did I. I couldn’t tell her the truth because I had no what they’d done to you! We had no way to reach you. Did you know that there were rumors that you were being tortured?” The words left his mouth in a quivering mess. “When we had heard of the opportunity to see you once more, we took it. We did it for you, Alina.”

“Really?” She tried to believe Mal, why would he come looking for her when he could be with anyone else. After all of these years, she had become so used to his indifference.

“Yes.” He hissed. “And here you are, safe and sound. Dancing and flirting like some cosseted little princess-”

“Don’t sound so disappointed.” She snapped. “I’m sure the Darkling can arrange for a rack or some hot coals if that would make you feel better” Mal scowled and stepped away from her. She couldn’t believe that they were fighting. Alina lays her hand on one of his arms and feels it tense below her, yet he doesn’t pull away.

“Mal, I can’t help the way things are here. I didn’t ask for any of this!” He looks at her and then looks away, some of the tension leaving his body.

“I know you didn’t.” The weariness in his voice came back, making Alina remove her hand from his arm. “What happened to you Mal?” She whispered. Mal chose to say nothing, staring into the darkness of the hall. She lays her hand on his cheek, feeling the stubble on her palm. She turns his face until his eyes meet hers.

“I can’t…” She lets her fingertips wander to the scar on his jaw.

“Genya can fix this, she can..” She knows she said the wrong thing when Mal takes a step back.

“I don’t need fixing” He snapped. Snatching Alina’s hand from where it had just been seconds before.

“I didn’t mean..”

“Are you happy here, Alina?” The question took her by surprise.

“I don’t know… sometimes…”

“Are you happy here? With him?” Alina didn’t have to ask who Mal meant. She didn’t know what to say.

“You're wearing his symbol. His colors.” He observed, his eyes glancing at the gold charm hanging on her neck.

“They’re just clothes.” She tried to convince him, quite possibly herself too.

“You and I both know that they’re more than just clothes.”

“What difference does it make what I wear?”

“The clothes, the jewels.” He spat. “Even the way you look. He’s all over you!” The words hit her like a slap. She takes her hand from his tight embrace and crosses it over her chest.

“It’s not like that.” She said, avoiding his gaze. Mal could see right through her, he could see the flush that had started to form when he had mentioned the Darkling.

“I saw how he looked at you Alina!”

“I like how he looks at me!” She shouted, a malicious smile forming on Mal’s face.

“Just admit it,” He sneered. “He owns you.”

“He owns you too, Mal.” She bit back. “He owns us all.” The smile falling from his face.

“No, he doesn’t.” He said fiercely. “Not me. Not y/n. Not ever.”

“Oh really? Don’t you have someplace to be? Don’t you have orders to follow?” Mal stands up straight, his face cold and devoid of any emotions.

“Yes, I did. My orders were to wait for you to be taken to me. But I think I found what I’ve been looking for.” He turned sharply and walked out, leaving Alina to her thoughts. She finally lets the tears fall down her cheeks, her body coursing with anger and heartbreak. For months she had dreamt of the day where she would be able to see Mal again. She had spent her whole lifetime chasing after him, but she knew now it was time to let him go.

-

THE DARKLING walks closer to you, while you stay propped up next to the door. You fidget with your hair, moving it to one side as he inches closer and closer until he is a few feet away from you. You anticipated his next moves, he brings his hand to you neck and strokes it.

“Your bleeding.” It seems like Genya had nicked you after all. “Here, let me.” He offered, taking a cloth from his pocket and gently wiping the small amount of blood away. His other hand resting at the nape of your neck for stability. You watched his eyes as he concentrated on his actions. You prayed to the saints that he couldn’t hear the incredibly fast pace your heart was beating at.

“So, what did you need to speak to me about.” You questioned. Deeming his work satisfactory, he takes a step back. Tucking the bloodied cloth back into his kefta.

“Have you eaten yet?” He asked.

“What?” Some of the excitement inside of you had deflated.

“It must’ve been a long ride from Kribirsk, I’m sure you're starving.” He calls out for one of the oprichniki outside of his doors and orders them to bring dinner for the two of us.

“I appreciate the gesture, sir. But surely that’s not why you wanted me to stay behind.”

“No, you’re right. Take a seat.” He points to a smaller table, one that hadn’t been occupied by maps and war strategies. It was a rectangular table, both seats facing the window that had shown the view of the lake. You walked towards the table and took a seat. The moonlight glimmered off of the lake, making you smile. He places a lantern in the middle of the table, assuring that you were not going to eat in the dark. In one swift motion, he sits right next to you, his body angled towards yours. “How do you know Alina?”

“We grew up together.” He looked at you, pressing for more details. “In an orphanage in Keramzin.” You were interrupted by a knock, the food had finally arrived. You didn’t realize how hungry you were until the smell of roasted lamb had made your mouth water. “Is that roasted lamb? It’s my favorite!” The Darkling shot you a smile, motioning for you to dig in.

“I was alone until Alina and Mal had come in.” You said between bites. “I never knew my parents. Ana Kuya said I had just turned up one day on the doorsteps, wrapped in nothing but a blanket. I used to get bullied, but when they showed up, they started picking on Mal too. Alina, being the great person she is, defended us both.” A smile made its way onto your lips as you reminisced about your youth. “From then, the three of us were like peas in a pod. We were never seen without each other. That was until we joined the First Army. Alina and Mal had been stationed near Kribirsk while I was down south in Caryeva. We rarely got to see each other.” The Darkling watched as you shoveled the food into your mouth. His hands clasped together, resting on his lap as he listened intently.

“Are you not going to eat?” You pointed the knife in your hand at his plate.

“No, it’s for you.” He replied, pushing the plate closer to you. You squinted your eyes, bewildered by the movement.

“What do you want from me?” The words had left your mouth before you could think, “Sorry, I..” Truly, what would the darkling want from someone like me? Someone who wasn’t like him. You thought to yourself.

“Stay. I want you to stay at the palace.” He announced, his request shocking you to the core. “..Alina needs a friend here, someone she knows and is familiar with. Someone she is comfortable around.”

“What about Mal?” You set down the fork and knife, forgetting about the food.

“He is welcome to stay too.” A quiet and hesitant knock is heard after he finishes speaking. He calls out for the person, allowing them to enter. “Ah, Alina. We were just talking about you.” He motions for her to come to the table.

She gingerly walks over to you, her arms crossed over her chest. “What about me?” She asked.

“I’ve invited our friend here, y/n, to stay at the palace. Your friend, Mal, may stay too.”

“He won’t be staying here.” She sniffled, a sarcastic laugh leaving her lips.

“What? Why?” You inquired.

“He left.” She explained. You knew she was leaving out some details. Just mere hours ago, Mal had been ecstatic to see her again. Yet now he was gone? Something wasn’t adding up. You’d pester her later about it when you weren’t in the presence of the Darkling.

“My offer to you still stands, y/n. You may stay, granted that you take residence in this hall.” Alina tried to hide her shock, no one had ever stayed in the Darkling’s hall. He had it all to himself. She didn’t even know there were other rooms near his. “If you are to stay here at the Little Palace as a guest, then I’ll need to be able to keep an eye on you just in case something happens.”

You give yourself some time to decide. You had duties to attend to, you and Mal had to track the stag. However, given that the two of you had pinpointed it’s location, there wasn’t much left to do. What the Darkling was offering you had been everything you’d dreamt of. If you stayed you wouldn’t have to wait days just to bathe. You wouldn’t have to starve anymore.

“How long would I stay?”

“For as long as Alina likes.” He said. You turned to Alina, asking if this had been the right choice for you. She gives you an eager nod.

“Fine. I’ll stay for Alina.” You look at her again, taking note of the color of her kefta. She was wearing his colors, which could possibly mean one thing. “Are you two together?” Alina’s eyes widen with humility while the Darkling lets out a brief laugh.

“Sorry for her behaviour. She just doesn’t know how to shut her trap.” She moved from where she was leaning against the table and pinched your arm. Her playful glare made you giggle. She opens her mouth to talk again.

“No, we aren’t.” The Darkling answered for her. He noticed the frown on her face, sending her a tight lipped smile, signalling that they would talk later. “You must be tired. Let me show you to your quarters. Alina, stay here.” He motioned for you to follow. Alina watched as the two of you left the war room, a sigh leaving her lips.

You followed him for a few paces before he stopped in front of a door. “Your room is right across from mine if you ever need anything. However I think everything you need is already there.” He replied. You waited around, wondering what was to happen next. He nodded his head towards the door, allowing you to enter. The room had been dark, no lanterns had been lit up due to the room being unoccupied. The Darkling called for an inferni. One came over quickly, lighting up the candles and lanterns as quickly as she could. The room was quite similar to Alina’s, the only difference being that most of the furniture had his symbol engraved on it. Had this room once belonged to his lover? You were too afraid to ask, not wanting to overstep your boundaries. “I’ll be back in the morning to give you a proper tour of the palace. Until then, get some rest.” Without bidding you goodbye, the Darkling left to go speak with Alina.

Without wasting a second, you ran towards the tub, drawing yourself a warm bath. It had been so long since you had been able to bathe by yourself. You’d gotten used to bathing with the other female soldiers that you had forgotten had relaxing it could be. You wash all the accumulated dirt and grime from your body along with your hair. Feeling the water begin to grow cold, you reach for a robe before heading towards the dresser.

It’s contents were luxurious. Many gorgeous dresses, all varying lengths. Countless nightgowns embroidered with flower designs. At the very end of the dresser was a kefta. No ordinary one, it was gold with black detailing. It seemed to stop mid knee. You wanted to reach out to it, to feel it underneath your fingertips but decided not to. Maybe another day. Instead you reached out for a nightgown and slipped it on. To your surprise it fit perfectly, almost too perfectly. Deciding not to dwell on it for much longer, you blow out the candles, leaving the lanterns alight and slip under the heavy covers of the bed. The fatigue from the journey finally caught up with you, and you found yourself sleeping within the minute.

-

“I won’t let you take them!” A voice that sounded like yours shouted. What were you talking about? Who were you talking about?

“You have no say in this matter.” You couldn’t tell who was talking and it frustrated you, it felt like their name was on the tip of your tongue.

“There’s always a choice.” Before you knew it someone had pressed a cold blade against your throat, gasping emerging from the people around you.

“No! Don’t do it.” Someone pleaded just as another shouted your name.

“I won’t be your pawn, not anymore.” You said, the next thing you felt was the warmth of your own blood dripping on you. You stumbled back, your hands going to the laceration on your neck. You gasped and whimpered in pain as you felt more blood leave you. In the background you could hear someone screaming, another one sobbing whilst saying your name.

-

You woke up screaming, your hands going to your neck as you stumbled out of bed, falling onto the floor. The door to your room flew open and in came the Darkling along with the oprichniki. Some had their pistols drawn, ready to shoot, while others held their arms up. The Darkling and his guards ran about your room, looking for an intruder to find none. Noticing the state you were in, he ordered the guards to leave.

He crouched down to you, reaching out his hand to touch you before pulling back. “Are you alright?” Your gaze met his, you observed the sun's rays coming through your windows, lighting him up like an angel. His eyes held concern as you hesitated to answer him.

“I’m not sure..” For the first time in your life, you were terrified. You shed a few tears as you looked at him, your shaking hands still around your neck. He hovers his hand over yours, stopping just before they made contact. He was asking for permission to touch you. With a nod, he gently placed his hands atop of yours before removing them. The birthmark on your neck was now raw and red, as if you had been violently scratching it.

Your dream had left you in shambles as one thought ran wildly through your mind, was my birthmark a warning of what was to come?

-

tags: @all-art-is-quite-useless @devilxangel @musicconversedance @parabatai-winchester @runawayolives @tartiflvtte @rbg1933 @thatguppienamedbae @batgal96 @thebarisinhell99 @5hundreddaysofsummer @kaqua @queenseneschal @benbarnes-supremacy @princessofpersia96 @takethee @dontjinx-it @freakytillthemoon @amortentiaaaa @marvel-ousnesss @coolninjavoid @areomalfoy @pansysgirlfriend @universalirwin @leavejuliaalone @xx-winwin-wednesday-xx @honeyofthegods @lunamyangel @d-list-goddess @comphersjost @telepathdestiel​ @the-celestial-kitsune @thestoryofmylife9​ @s-corpionem​ @pancakeisreading @sanna2020 @secretsandtinyshadows @savannah-elliott @maliasblue @tea-effect @disneyandharrypotter​ @futuristicpinklemur @tanyaherondale @the-puff-is-strong-with-this-one @hxgreeves @yourboiialucard​ @thereeallink @ladyblablabla​ @wolfieellsworld​ @p3nny4urth0ught5​ @louweasleymalfoy

I tagged everyone I could </3

Also not proofread so sorry for any mistakes lmao

[a-simple-imagine]

The Smarter Witch pt.2

Requested by anonymous: “Maybe later that same year or the next one where the reader finally admits her feelings and tries making it a big special (but private) thing? Maybe in the astronomy tower or something but Malfoy messes it up and there is a fight? Her and mione end up together in the end?”

Pairing: Hermione Granger x fem!reader

Words: 6k

A/N - I’m arguably prouder of this part than the first!! As always comments and reblogs are appreciated. I’m very much loving my time in the Harry Potter fandom atm. credit to @euphoriainhell​ for checking this over!!

Warnings - Threats of violence, prejudice, bullying and swearing. I think that is it.

Part 1

The whistle of the Hogwarts express signaled the official end of summer as you made your way onto the platform. Family forgotten as you scan the tidal wave of students for any familiar face but they would likely be on the train already; you were running late after all. Dropping off your luggage, you're about to board when you spot a flash of platinum blonde in the corner of your eye. 

"Draco," It's hard to hear over the busy train platform as you weave through the crowd to reach him. Picking up speed as you get closer, you launch yourself onto his back. "If it isn't one of my favourite Snakes." 

"Get off me," He shakes his body in an attempt to throw you off so you loosen your grip. Dropping back down to the ground. 

"Aren’t you happy to see me?" 

"Just get on the train," His hand slaps against your back, pushing you forward onto the train.  

"Do anything exciting this summer?" You ask him as you walk through the train carriage, slipping past people as they got in your way. Checking each booth as you pass for your fellow Slytherin. They had to be on here somewhere but it was a big train. 

"Not really. You?" 

"Visited New York. Family had business at the American ministry." You glance back to make sure he was still walking behind. Finally, you spot Parkinson, sat in the corner by herself. It takes her a moment but when she finally sees you two, a wicked grin spreads over her lips. "It was fun though. Did some sightseeing- typical touristy shit." 

"Took you two long enough, I thought you were  gonna miss the train." 

"Aww she was worried about us Draco," you tease, nudging him slightly as you plop down next to her. Draco sits across from you, taking the window seat. 

"where's Blaise?" 

Her shoulders rose a little in response to Draco's question. "He said he forgot something and then ran off." 

"I hope the train leaves without him," you jest, glancing out the window. It was beginning to calm down as the last few students boarded the train. All that was left were parents biding their final farewells. You can't imagine crying over sending your child off to school but still, you spotted tears among some. 

"Without who?" Pulling your attention back, Blaise had finally shown up. He takes the space next to Draco, looking rather uninterested. Finally, the main gang was back together; not including Crabbe or Goyle. 

"Definitely not my awesome friend Blaise, that's for sure," You flash a playful smile; slumping down against the seat. It was gonna be a long journey. 

"You're as chipper as ever," Zabini comments, kicking your leg gently with his foot. "Not sure if that's a good thing." 

"I'm just happy to be back," And you were for the most part anyway. As dull as school could be, you were excited to be going back. Not to mention you'd finally get to see Hermione again; you found yourself often wondering what she may be up to. The child of two muggles must spend her time differently, or so you assumed. You kind of missed seeing her every week; perhaps even more than you missed Draco and the others. You liked to think you don't know why but deep down there was a part of you that knew exactly why. 

The conversation drifted between talks of summer plans and future endeavours. Past assignments and what was yet to be learnt. Pansy, once again, hadn't finished her summer work but that was a surprise to nobody. And after what felt like forever without interruption from the lady with the trolley, you decide you're gonna have to go search for it yourself. There was a chocolate frog calling your name right now. 

"I'm gonna go get something from the trolley. Do you guys want anything?" It's a polite gesture but you kind of hoped nobody would say yes. 

"I'll take a liquorice wand," Blaise requests and you nod a little. 

"Draco?" His head shakes so you grab Pansy's arm and pull her along with you. It was a lot easier to navigate now that everyone was pretty much in their seats. The familiar sweet question hits your ears so you know you are close. 

“Anything from the trolley?”

"You know how you finished all the homework-" 

"Yes you can copy," You should have expected this when she didn't protest to bringing her along. "Just don't make it obvious because I'm not taking the fall for it. I will definitely blame you." 

As you approach Honeydukes Express, the older witch is serving what seems to be a couple of Ravenclaw students. You wait for them to finish up, examining the contents as she turns to you. "Can I get.... some liquorice wands, a chocolate frog, a packet of Roasted Chimera Crisps and, do you want anything?" 

Pansy takes a moment to think about it. You shift uncomfortably as a few students wait their turn behind you. "Chocolate." 

"And a chocolate bar please?" You hand over the money in exchange for your sweets but the world washes away when you spot none other than Harry Potter in the booth beside you. You quickly spy Ron beside him with Hermione sat opposite. You felt the flutter of butterflies in your stomach as she laughs at something you're unaware of. 

"What are you doing?" Pansy shoves you back into reality and you hit the door to the booth. All eyes fall to you and you want nothing more than to sink into the ground. Hermione smiles ever so softly and your heart leaps out of your chest. Reaching past you to collect the items you paid for, your fellow Slytherin pulls you away completely oblivious. 

"What took so long?" Blaise wonders. Pansy hands over your items and tosses him his wands. You slide your chocolate frog into your pocket as you sit back down. Pulling open the crisp packet.

"Ask her, she just froze all of a sudden. It was really weird." 

You absentmindedly place a crisp in your mouth, crushing it between your teeth. 

"You okay?" Draco asks. 

You nod a little, flashing them a tight smile that fades as you turn back to the window. It was easier to deny when you were apart but it was time to admit to yourself that you have a crush on a certain Gryffindor. Fuck. 

Dumbledore stands on the podium at the front of the great hall, starting the term with his normal announcement as well as an introduction for the first years. It was an utterly boring speech that had your stomach growling in anticipation for dinner. Leaning down against the table, your head rests in the palm of your hand as you stare through the gaps between students at the Gryffindor table. You wonder where Hermione is sat; zoning out of the assembly entirely. There were moments you wished that Hogwarts didn't always have you split by houses. Of course, they weren't entirely strict policies but you'd get some strange looks if you had sat at the Gryffindor table for the first feast of the year rather than the Slytherin table. Perhaps you should care more about the first years getting assigned their houses but you felt yourself almost drifting off as you waited for dinner. 

"You reckon we can swap out Millicent for one of the first years?" Pansy's voice is quiet in your ear as the table finally fills with all kinds of food. You've never been happier for a speech to be over. 

"Don't be mean," An amused smile pulls at your lips but the reason behind it was unclear. You shovel food onto your plate as if it was going to disappear again if you didn't. 

"What? I'm just saying" Pansy reaches over you to grab an ear of corn on the cob to add to her plate. 

"What's your problem with her?" 

"Nothing really. I just think we could do better, she's no fun." You'd love to know what Pansy's idea of fun was. 

"I've hardly even spoken to her, to be honest," you shrug, tucking into a bread roll. "So I'd happily give her up for a first-year." 

"I'm not sure how you can miss her," Your friend adds snidely. "Pathetic excuse for a Slytherin." 

"You do realise she's sitting right over there," You nod your head in her direction. She's a little further down the table but not enough that she couldn't hear your conversation if she wanted to. It's very clear Pansy doesn't care though as she looks towards the girl who’s currently eating a chicken wing. 

"Things would be very different if I was in charge here," 

"I dread the thought," You comment, taking a long sip of water from your goblet. 

"Pansy's right," Draco interjects, you didn't even realise he was paying attention to the two of you. "This place has gone to the dogs. They let just about anyone in." 

This again? It was like listening to a broken record with Pansy and Draco. Always looking down on people for not being of pure blood. "If they only let in purebloods, there'd hardly be anyone here." 

"that’s right we forgot you're the resident mudblood lover." Pansy mocked, turning her attention to behind her. "Where is Granger anyway?" 

"You shouldn't call people that,” It was such a foul word anyway, even when it wasn't directed at Hermione. "And how should I know? I've been with you guys since we got back." 

"I don't know." The girl turns back to you. "You're the one obsessed with her." 

You're about to reply but Blaise interjects first. "Leave her alone," 

"Thank you, Blaise," you're a little surprised to find him defending you regarding the matter. He tended to sit on the sidelines when it came to discussions of muggle-borns; partly because you're convinced he thinks he's just better than most people. Pureblood or otherwise. He was a very talented young wizard and very handsome. You can't help the smug expression that takes over. 

"She can't help having no taste." 

"I'm not even obsessed with her," you fire back defensively; a little too defensively and they all snicker. "Stop bullying me for having friends other than you guys. Just because nobody else likes you three." 

"What did I do?" Draco questions, his brows knitting together. "I didn't say anything about her." 

"I know but you were probably thinking it," You huff. "And you laughed." 

"You can't punish me for thinking things," 

With a roll of your eyes, you stand up and leave the table. You could only deal with so much negativity at any given moment so you take a detour into the lion's den. Too many Weasley's to pick Ron out from the crowd so you keep an eye out for Potter; who for some annoying reason was sat all the way at the other side of the great hall. You push in beside him and a brand new first-year earning yourself the odd stares. Sadly, Hermione is nowhere to be seen. 

"Oh great you're here," You didn't appreciate Ron's tone. You shoot him a sharp glare, he was definitely someone you hadn't missed over summer. "Draco sent you?"

"Why would Draco send me?" Like Draco would even trust you as a spy. "He doesn't care about you all that much... at least not you Ron." You flash him a tight-lipped smile. "I came to see Hermione actually, I thought she'd be with you two." 

"She already went back to the dorms, said she wasn't feeling well." 

You can always count on Harry not to make a snarky comment, you thank him before heading back to your friends. Pansy was the first to tease you about running off to play with the lions but you didn't really care. You'd grown used to it by now. 

Your robe hangs off your shoulder and you almost drop the textbook you have tucked under your arm as you power walk through the corridors of Hogwarts. It was your first class of the semester and you were late. McGonagall was not going to be happy. As you burst through the door, there is a split second you're relieved that you don't see your professor only to remember she was an Animagus. Once a cat now morphed into one of your favourite professors right before your eyes. "You should know your way around the castle by now," 

"I woke up late," 

"See that it doesn't happen again, now take your seat." 

The only space left was conveniently right next to the girl who was on your mind more often than not. You swallow hard as you trudge to the second desk on the middle row. Your heart thumps in your chest and you wonder if she can hear it too. Knowing Hermione the way you did, you wouldn't be surprised if she could. 

"Never expected you to be late," The familiar whisper of her voice tickles your ear. "Finally stopped trying to prove you're better than me?" 

"I overslept but that doesn't make me a bad student," The dropping of your textbook sounds so much louder in the silence. "It was Pansy's fault anyway." 

"Your mistakes are your own," She says thoughtfully. Continuing to scribble notes down onto her parchment paper. 

"Since we’re back, I think we should continue our tradition of playing chess on Fridays." You open your new textbook, sneaking a glance at Hermione's to figure out what page you're supposed to be on. 

"Can this conversation wait," 

She started it but you don't express that; instead, you nudge her knee with yours under the desk. "It's a simple yes or no." 

"I know it's exciting to be back but that's no excuse to distract other students. Please leave Miss Granger to her studies." 

Again, she started it so why were you getting the blame? You look down to your textbook with a defeated sigh. "Sorry, professor." 

"You'll have plenty of time to catch up later." She taps the pages of your textbook with some rolled up paper in her hand before walking away. When the coast is clear, you nudge the girl next to you again. 

"So Friday then." You note the smile on her lips but she doesn't reply. In fact, she gives you the silent treatment for the rest of the class. 

Come lunchtime, you're very awkwardly sitting at the Gryffindor table waiting for Hermione and her friends. The spots of green that adorns your robe stands out among all the red and you can't help but feel unwanted. Slytherin had such a bad reputation despite actually having some great witches and wizards. "I think you're at the wrong table, Slytherin is over there." 

A sigh of relief slips into the air and you look up to her. She stood directly behind you, clutching her books like they were the most precious things on earth. There was a cocky grin on full display that filled your entire body with a gloriously warm feeling. 

"Didn't anyone tell you I'm a Gryffindor now?" You announce as she takes up space next to you. Harry sits the other side of her, greeting you with a small hello while Ron is on the opposite side of the table completely ignoring your existence. 

"Is that why you're still wearing Slytherin's colours?" 

"Honourary member?" You shrug a little. "Besides I still need an answer." 

"About what?" She places her books neatly on the table before her, exchanging them for a plate. Ron has already got his mouth full of god only knows what. 

"Friday? Chess? Or we can do something else, I honestly don't mind." 

"Sure," Hermione nods in agreement. "I'm still free at the usual time. I haven't practised much over Summer though at least not the wizard-kind." 

"Then it's a date," you wink playfully trying to keep up your confident persona but in reality, your stomach was doing somersaults. She never used to have an effect on you or more accurately not to this degree. It's as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. "You two are free to join if you like," you glance between the boys as best you can. "I assure you my fellow Slytherin friends aren't invited; they wouldn't be caught dead hanging around Granger."

"Charming," 

"They're very particular about the company they keep" You play it off as a harmless joke.

"I think what you meant to say was that they're awful people," Ron mumbles through a full mouth. He was right but you don't appreciate it when he says it; they're still your friends. 

"Careful how you talk about my friends, Weasley," You warn, keeping your eyes on him for a moment before softening. "So how was your summer, Hermione?" 

"You really want to know?" 

You nod eagerly. "I would like nothing more. Your parents are muggles so it's like going back to a different world for you." 

Like a child listening to a bedtime story, you're sat there enjoying your lunch as Hermione tells tales of her summer. There was a beautiful light behind her eyes as she spoke of her parents; you could tell she was proud of them even though they weren't wizards. You also listened to Harry and Ron talk about theirs and how they all came together with the other Weasleys at 'The Burrow'. You didn't ask for an explanation because frankly, you didn't care. 

It was almost weird how quickly everything fell back into place at Hogwarts; it truly felt like you had never left. How you had missed endangering your fellow students by doing unauthorised magic outside of class. As well as the evenings spent in the Slytherin common room with your friends. As much as you hated boring classes, you even missed showing off to Hermione. She still managed to beat you in the likes of History of Magic but Potions was where you truly excelled.

With the day free, you had decided to spend it with Parkinson wandering around Hogsmeade.  It was a fine day for it and you could both do with some time away from the boys. The sun was shining bright in the sky and so the little village was relatively busy. You're on the way to Honeydukes when you notice her walking alone; at least you think it's her. "Granger?" You call out and she turns to you; as well as some other shoppers. Your expression brightens only for Pansy to elbow you sharply in the side. "What did you do that for?" You bite back a foul word, shoving your friend away and walking towards Hermione. 

"Don't look too happy to see me. Where's Potter and Weasley?" 

"I'm not sure," She admits, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "I didn't come with them." 

"Don't have any other friends, Granger," Pansy snickering to herself. Hermione simply rolls her eyes as do you. "That's a little sad." 

"You can join us if you like?" You suggest. 

"What?" Pansy was clearly surprised by your offer and rightly so but you weren't going to miss out on an opportunity to hang out with Hermione. 

"It's alright," You can't deny her rejection had you feeling a little disappointed. "I'm fine being alone." 

"Are you sure?" 

"You don't have to pity her," Pansy comments bitterly, tugging on your arm impatiently. "Can we go?" 

"Go on ahead and I'll catch up." You sigh

"Fine," She spins on her heel and marches away. "Don't take forever." 

"Sorry about her. She's incapable of saying nice things." 

"It's alright," If you weren't mistaken her smile brightened just a little. "I've grown used to the company you choose to keep." 

"I really did want you to join us," You tell her sadly. "I understand if you don't want to though. Next time we should come together."

"I don't think Pansy would appreciate my company," Hermione shifts her weight a little, dropping her gaze. "But yeah maybe another time." 

"Tell you what, how about we do something later- If you're not busy of course? I know how you are about studying." 

"What do you want to do?" She asks quietly. 

"Uhhh..." you had no idea what you wanted to do, you just needed to talk to her. Maybe if you tell her how you feel, she'll become easier to navigate. Plus you weren't exactly one to shy away from expressing yourself for too long. "Meet me in the astronomy tower okay?" 

"Why?" 

"Just do it, Granger." With a wave of your hand, you go running off after Pansy. Walking through the door of the famous sweet shop, she's not too hard to spot. Stood before a display of Acid lollipops, her attention is drawn by the bell announcing your arrival. 

"Where's the mudblood?" The raven-haired girl turns back to the array of sweets. 

"You didn't want her to come with us," you argue, walking up beside her. You pick up an acid lollipop that was snot green in colour; amused by the idea of gifting it to Draco or something but ultimately you place it back. 

"You never normally listen to me about her." She comments, picking up a pack of cauldron cakes. 

"I wasn't gonna force her to join us when you hate her," It wouldn't be fun for anyone. "I'm meeting her later anyway- so it's fine." 

"Oooh going on a date," Pansy teased. "I didn't know you swung that way." 

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all," Pansy shook her head. "A mudblood on the other hand..." 

"Not homophobic just prejudice, interesting." You chuckle. Pansy pays for her cakes but not without you adding a chocolate frog to the price; a treat for being such a git you told her. Grabbing her hand, you lead her out so you can continue the rest of your day. 

You hear your name as you stroll through the courtyard on your way to meet Hermione in the astronomy tower. You'd be lying if you said you were not nervous. A quiet groan escapes as you see Draco. "Heard you got yourself a date with Granger." 

"Who told you that?" You knew the answer already. 

"Parkinson." 

"Of course she did," you reply with an exasperated sigh. 

"Didn't know you liked girls." 

"It's not a date anyway," you explain. "Mind your own business." 

"No offence but dating Granger of all people? I mean, I thought you at least had some standards." 

"Leave me alone, Draco." You spit back. 

"Someone's grumpy," His arm snakes around your shoulders, pulling you into his side. "Where are we heading?" 

"I don't know where you are going," Struggling out of his grip, you push him away from you. The last thing you needed was Malfoy coming along with you. "I'm going to see Hermione." 

"Fine, I'll leave you to your little date." 

Your middle finger shoots up at him as you strut away. Thankfully, he seems to keep his word and doesn't follow you any longer. Ascending the steps of the astronomy tower, a shiver spills through your body as you reach the top. Hermione looks so lonely on the platform, staring out over the grounds. 

"Sorry I'm late, Draco wouldn't leave me alone," You announce, the floorboards creaking a little with each step. 

"I thought you weren't coming for a moment," Her voice is so light and sweet; you can practically hear the beautifully gentle smile behind it. "Why did you want to come up here anyway? It's awfully windy." 

As if summoned by her voice a gust of wind attacked the two of you with its brisk bite. "I like it up here," You muse, scanning your surroundings as you walk up alongside her. Leaning down against the railing. The rolling hills of Scotland really were something to behold. "It's peaceful and pretty, not to mention far away from the dungeons." 

"It is a great view." Hermione agrees, shuffling a little closer to you. 

"And I wanted to talk to you." With the way your stomach sank, you were sure you'd pass out if the metal railing wasn't there. 

"About?" 

You hesitate, taking a deep breath as if it would somehow bring along with it some courage. You've never been this nervous in your life. "Did... you finish the... uh, Herbology homework?" 

"You brought me up here to ask that?" You couldn't look at her confused face for too long. Definitely not the reason you brought her up here but you panicked and those were the words that came out. "Of course I have," She declares matter of factually. "It's due on Monday. Have you?" 

You shake your head a little.

"I can help you if you like? I still have the books checked out from the library." 

"I don't need help from the likes of you," You tease but your heart’s not really in it. 

"Are you okay?"

"Mhmm," You nod your head, forcing yourself to look upon the girl you have grown so fond of. She makes you want to throw up but in a good way. 

"Are you sure?" She looks so adorably confused. "You're acting weird." 

"I'm just nervous," You admit. You spin around so you back is against the world and you can only focus on what's in this very room. 

"Nervous?" She repeats although it's posed like a question. A gust of wind flows through her hair lifting it ever so slightly before it settles again. "Why do I make you nervous? We've spent hours together before." 

"It's just... you're the most spectacular witch in our year and-" 

"Well now I know there is definitely something wrong," She places her soft hand against your forehead and heat rushes to your face. You were now painfully aware of how close she was; she smelt... flowery with the sweetest hint of something sugary. "Such high praise- are you sick? Maybe we should take you to the hospital wing?" 

You delicately remove her hand, lowering it but never letting go. You take another deep breath, long and slow. It was now or never. "I like you." 

"I like you too," You meet the stars that twinkle so elegantly in her eyes. You had to get back to the dorms soon or you were both going to end up in detention. 

"I like you... a lot." You gently squeeze her hand, eyes dropping to the floor out of sheer embarrassment. This wasn't how you expected things to go. 

"Okay..."

"As in more than friends a lot." Your voice is but a whisper laced with the howls of the wind. 

"Oh," Was all she said. You waited for more but it never came. You were scared to look at her; too scared to let go. A distant chuckle grows closer and panic spills through your veins. Hermione's hand slips through yours as you both turn to see Draco Malfoy. He clapped slowly as one by one some fellow snakes slithered behind their leader. Parkinson, Zabini and Goyle; the only one missing was Crabbe. Not that you wanted him here, in fact, why were any of them here? 

"I can't believe you," Pansy starts with a bark of a laugh. You imagine Hermione must be very confused because even you have no clue where this was going? You rightfully regret telling Pansy about your plans tonight though along with Draco. They come up behind you and the Gryffindor steps away. 

"Good going," Draco continues, slinging both arms around you. He wears the widest of grins as he congratulates you. Wow, maybe he was just happy that you managed to go admit your feelings. Perhaps they were just being good but nosey friends. "Didn't think you'd actually go through with it." 

"Thanks," You smile warmly, embracing his touch. 

"So should I tell Granger or would you like to?" 

"Ooooh, can I do it?" Pansy practically jumps up and down where she stands; eager to please the alpha. You had a bad feeling about this. 

"Tell me what?" 

Your friends all snigger and you can feel Draco's grip around you tighten. 

"That this was nothing but a dare," The lie drips from her tongue with such ease, it could be considered impressive. "We wanted to see if you'd actually believe someone could like someone like you." 

"We didn't think she'd actually do it though. She's a little soft this one," Draco gently taps your chest. "Doesn't usually have the heart for it." 

"Guess she finally realised she can do better than a filthy little mudblood." 

You know you should say something; at the very least you should be denying what they were saying but you found yourself completely frozen. 

"How pathetic can you be," Pansy stepped into view but not before you saw a single tear spill down Hermione's cheek. 

"Hermione," Your voice disappears below your friends’ phoney words and bitter laughter. The Gryffindor calmly exited the tower leaving you alone with them. Red hot rage filled your body as you broke free of Draco. Each of them wore Cheshire Cat smiles except Blaise who seemed out of place among the rest. Whipping out your wand, you aim at Draco pushing him back until he reaches the banister. There was nowhere else for the snake to run. The tip of your wand pressed against the pale skin of his neck. 

"What - the actual - fuck?" You growl through gritted teeth. The funny thing about Malfoy is that he may seem like an alpha but confront him and he turns into a baby. Whimpering at the mere threat of a jinx or curse. Would your friends go against you to save the leader? It didn't seem like it. 

"We're just trying to save you from yourself," His Adam's Apple bobbed as he swallowed. 

"Can't have you slumming around with witches like that," Pansy jumped to his defense but it only made you angrier. A hand fell onto your shoulder, whose you couldn't be sure but you'd make an educated guess and say it belonged to the girl herself. 

"I didn't ask any of you for help,"  Your grip tightens around your wand. There were so many things you could do to him; some mild and nice, others... not so much. And for once in your life, you find yourself inspired by your least favourite person. Ronald Weasley. Who could forget the time he tried to curse Draco Malfoy and it ultimately backfired which was hilarious in its own right. With a flick of your wand, you back away slowly. "I never expected any of you to be so cruel- not to me anyway. I genuinely liked her and you had to go and fuck it up." 

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. Instead, he gave an almighty belch and a fat slug dribbled out of his mouth and straight onto the floor. Had the situation been different you'd probably have laughed but you just stormed off back to the common room and straight to bed. It wasn't like you would have had much time to search for her anyway. 

You're up bright and early the next day. Desperate to leave the common room as quickly and quietly as possible. Pansy had tried to talk to you when they got back but you blanked her. As you step through the doors to the great hall, you search for Hermione along the length of the Gryffindor table. If you could just explain yourself maybe you wouldn't feel so bad? Maybe your chest wouldn't hurt so much. Without much of an explanation, you charge towards her and grab her wrist to pull her away from her breakfast. Thankfully she willingly let you guide her. "Where are we going?" 

You didn't really have a particular destination in mind just a place far enough away from the great hall that nobody would interrupt. You don't stray too far before finding an empty corridor. 

"About yesterday-" 

"It's okay," She interrupts, surprisingly calmly. Had roles been reversed you'd probably be furious at her. "Your friends put you up to it. It's not a big deal." 

"Hermione..." Her eyes fell anywhere but on your own as you watched her. 

"I don't think we should hang out anymore. It's clear you're only doing it to amuse yourself and your god awful friends." 

"That's not..." Your expression softens. "true." 

"Maybe you're more like your friends than you think," That hit you straight in the heart and what made it worse is that she was right. As much as you liked to deny it, you wouldn't hang out with them if you weren't. But you genuinely enjoyed their company when they weren't being massive gits.

"I meant what I said." As quiet as your voice was, Hermione stopped walking away. "I really did. It wasn't a dare." 

"Then... why?" The brunette turned back to you looking like she was about to burst into tears. Stepping closer, she stepped back. 

"Because I'm an arsehole with shitty friends," A pitiful laugh at the excuse. "They got it in their heads that they were saving me or something by making it seem like a joke. I should have said something in the moment but I was just... surprised. I really do like you and I'm sorry about what happened. I won't bother you again." Better to cut your losses than expect forgiveness. You hadn't exactly denounced your friends other than the silly little curse you placed on Draco. As you glide past, Hermione catches your hand. Every moment of embarrassment once again filled your cheeks. "What are you..." you trail off as you look at her. Soft eyes paired with a tender smile. 

"We're gonna miss breakfast." 

"I'm sorry?" Now she was confusing you. 

"You're not responsible for your friends actions," Her fingers interlace with yours. "And while I don't like the company you keep, I don't think you're anything like them." 

"You don't have to do this," You express; part of you expecting this to turn out as a joke. Although Hermione would never do something so cruel. 

"I know but I want to." This time Hermione is the one to lead the way. 

"Can I sit with you?" It was an unusual ask considering everything that just happened but you couldn't face your fellow Slytherins right now. "I'm kind of icing out my friends so I'd rather not have to sit with them." 

"Of course," She gently squeezes your hand. "You're an honourary Gryffindor after all." 

Somehow you feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders only for more to be piled back on. Sure you told Hermione how you felt but you still weren't sure quite where the two of you stood. Not to mention you couldn't avoid Draco and the others forever. You grow more hesitant with each step back to the great hall. Pulling her back just as you reach the entrance. Hermione stumbles against you, clearly, you had caught her off guard. Utterly amused, you help her steady herself. 

"Can I kiss you?" 

The world melts away as she nods ever so slightly. The fluttering of wings deep in your stomach now grew fierce as you slowly reached up to grace her ruby red cheek with the palm of your hand; she felt silky smooth to the touch. Your heart skipped a beat as your lips connected in an unsure but heavenly embrace. Hermione tasted like spearmint toothpaste and you just couldn't get enough. But it was short-lived. Uncertainty morphed into that of admiration as you watched her mouth curl up into a smile. 

"Ladies," You feel her jump a little, as do you at the sound of Fred Weasley's voice. Had he been there the whole time? Judging by the shit-eating grin as he disappeared into the great hall, he had witnessed the whole thing. 

And with a matching expression his twin brother, walks just a few paces behind. A playful wink in your direction as he passes by. "Fine morning isn't it?"

[ohkiyo]

characters: black jackals, reader, and schweiden adlers (quick appearance).

warnings: lots of cursing.

word count: 9.3k

a/n: I was supposed to upload this one a few days ago, but I got lazy and I was always feeling sleepy so I didn’t have time to fix it. Hehehe, please enjoy this one! :D I’m lowkey bullying Atsumu in this chapter, but don’t worry, I still love him! XD

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         msby navigation || main navigation

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When Shugo was appointed as team captain, he didn’t really give it much thought and accepted the title with pride along with the responsibilities that come with it. He had the experience of being a captain when he was still a student, so it’s nothing new. The only difference is that he’s leading a team full of grown men instead of hormonal teenagers.

With a team like the MSBY Black Jackals, one of the top teams in the V.League Division 1, you’d expect players who are more on the professional side of the spectrum, the kind that always means business, practice first relax later, that kind of thing.

However, he was proven wrong when the younger ones of the team, namely, Bokuto Kotaro, Sakusa Kiyoomi, Miya Atsumu, and Hinata Shoyo are involved, the atmosphere is far from serious. Of course, when it’s time for practice they’re more focused, giving 110% into their training.

Even so, once that whistle is blown, signaling a break from practice, all hell breaks loose. If it is not Bokuto and Hinata bouncing around and screaming, it would be Atsumu and Sakusa bickering, well mainly Sakusa roasting Atsumu and the blond Miya trying to come up with the best come back he could think of.

From what Shugo could remember, Atsumu had none so far, so it was safe to say the setter’s verbal game is weak.

It’s not just them either, the older ones, namely, Oliver Barnes, Adriah Thomas, and Inunaki Shion would sometimes join the other four when they’re feeling playful that day, which just give Shugo more problems to deal with, and when all seven of them joined forces it just increase Shugo’s chances of growing gray hair at age 29.

They have a manager of course and he is there to help keep everyone in check, making sure they behave and all. But, with the team becoming even more well known, emails for brand deals, interviews and magazine photoshoots were sent almost every single day that it needs immediate attention and the only one for that job is their manager himself, Mizuno Takato.

Leaving Shugo to mostly deal with the team on his own.

So when Coach Foster and Takato told him they’ll be having another manager to take care of the team’s internal affairs, he was so happy he almost cried.

“Everyone I would like you all to meet, (L/n) (Y/n) and she will be your manager starting today so take good care of her”

You bowed your head as everyone shouted a “Welcome to the team!” with Takato holding up your very own MSBY jersey jacket. As everyone went around to introduce themselves to you one by one.

“Hey, hey, hey! (Y/n) I can’t believe you’re back!” Bokuto bounded over to you, picking you up, then spinning you around laughing as Hinata excitedly babbles beside him.

“Welcome back (Y/n)!”

You giggled, happy to finally see the friends you left all those years ago “I’m home!"

Bokuto gently places you on the ground, planting your feet to the wooden floor as you steady yourself. While the others who were curious about the exchange and the sunshine duo's familiarity with you walks over.

“You know her Kotaro, Shoyo?” Oliver inquired as Bokuto nodded his head, taking hold of your shoulders and pulling you in front of him, facing your new teammates.

“She was our manager back in high school, while Hinata met her during our training camps”

That was months ago and every day you have proven yourself to be a very reliable manager and Shugo could not be any happier.

“Congratulations everyone! That was a very good game” you said, giving them their towels and drinks as they sat down on the bench. Resting their tired muscles and regaining the lost energy from a very tiring 3 set match.

The Azuma Pharmacy Green Rockets were not an easy opponent, especially with players such as Kiryu Wakatsu, who was once a part of the top three aces in Japan and Goshiki Tsutomu who was Ushijima’s junior back in high school. Nevertheless, they still manage and won the game a good way to start their Monday.

“Goshiki’s straight is still as cool as ever” Hinata stated gulping down his water as Adriah and Shugo let out a sigh, remembering how they had problems blocking his spikes because of how close they mostly were to the line.

“He’s a very tricky opponent”

“Here you go, Sakusa-san” you pass Sakusa his own towel, the one you had specifically separated from the others as the spiker nodded at you in thanks, dabbing it on his face whilst listening to his teammate’s give their own commentary of the game and their insights of the opposing team’s players.

“Shugo, someone wants to have an interview” Takato called as the captain stood up from his seat about to walk to where they were waiting before he stops in his tracks and looks back.

“How about let’s have Bokuto, Atsumu, Sakusa, and Hinata do the interview this time?” he suggested, as Sakusa’s lips turned into a frown while the other three vigorously nodded their head “They're the stars of today’s game I’m sure the interviewer would love to hear from them”

Sakusa tried to make a last-minute getaway, but Atsumu took hold of the towel wrap around his neck and started dragging him, following after their captain.

“C'mon Omi-Omi, it'll be fun" Atsumu just grinned, watching Sakusa's face morph into a scowl as he tugs on the towel “Just live a little”

“I am living”

You quickly pack the empty water bottles and the dirty towels into the bag that Takato was holding while the rest slowly made their way back into the locker room “I’ll leave them to you (Y/n)”

You nodded, jogging after your teammates and immediately spotting them just outside the court, they've already started because you could hear the questions the reporter were asking them as you move to stand beside Shugo. The interview was going well, they were giving honest answers and honest opinions about the game, however, as it goes on, the reporter seems to have taken a liking towards Sakusa because he seems to be the only person the reporter was pointing the microphone at.

While the three idiots who were being ignored decided it was a good idea to do gymnastics at the back. You and Shugo watch in horror as Bokuto does a double backflip, landing perfectly on his feet, both hands raise high, Hinata mimicking his actions and Atsumu following after with a front split all the while not breaking eye contact from the journalist who had notice them. Sakusa who has had enough just plastered on the biggest I-Don’t-Give-A-Fuck face while giving one-word answers.

Shugo who can’t do anything about it just banged his head on the wall. He wished he could have an early retirement but God he’s still young.

“What happened?” Inunaki asks watching from the door as you scolded the four from their stupid stunt. Only Bokuto and Hinata were the ones who look guilty and were muttering apologies under their breath while Atsumu was pouting saying things like.

"I did nothing wrong" or "She was being rude"

Meanwhile, Sakusa doesn't even understand why you're getting angry with him as well, he answered that woman's question like what he was told to do, he just chose the fastest route and the lady seems happy.

“You’ll see later”

They didn't even have to wait long because, after an hour, the video was already circulating the internet, earning hundreds of views by the minute with people commenting like crazy.

“The good thing is, we just earned ourselves more fans” Adriah laugh, Takato’s phone in his hand, the device letting out a ding every minute as the team’s official Twitter and Instagram account were flooding with notifications of new followers or tagged posts.

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Meeting their fans were always one of the things they love to do, the prospect of connecting with people who had supported them throughout the years that they played just keeps them even more motivated to train harder and play better.

“Okay everyone, be gentle with the kids alright? Bokuto, Hinata I’m looking at you” The captain shot the two mentioned players a look to emphasize his point however the mentor-disciple duo wasn't even listening and instead was jumping in excitement, waving at the kids waiting at the other side of the field.

You chuckled, they're just the same as they were in high school and here you thought they've matured a little bit now that they're in their 20s.

Right now, the team was in Kawasaki for a mini fan event held in one of the city's local elementary schools. The team came to an agreement last night, after watching the hilarious black jackals’ post-game interview, that it would not be just fun and games. They should also discuss some bits and pieces of the position they play to give the children some insights and give an early understanding in case they plan to pursue a volleyball career in the future.

However, with kids being kids, didn't seem to care nor interested in the slightest because once it started, they quickly run to their favorite member and started climbing them like trees. The tall ones, especially Adriah and Oliver have at least two kids hanging on each arm, with one of their back, and another on their leg.

"It's good work-out" Takato noted, telling the other kids to do the same to the rest of the members before snapping a few photos to update the fans of the team's schedule for the day.

You guffawed watching as they tackle Atsumu to the ground, the blond screaming for help while clawing at thin air for something to grab.

"Don't worry Atsumu-san, I'll help you!" Hinata tried so hard to pull Atsumu up, but another kid jump on his back resulting in him losing his footing and falling beside the setter.

Bokuto wanted to offer his assistance, but a little girl accidentally tripped him, landing on the two.

"Bokkun, yer heavy!"

"Sorry!"

It turned into a messy dog pile and Sakusa, who was beside the chaos, move his own horde of children to another area before showing his wrist trick. A chorus of oohs and aahs was heard, as the kids watch with wide eyes as it easily bends forward before a boy decided to do the same, but backward, and you have never been so bothered by something before.

You close both eyes, involuntarily shuddering 'Goodness, what are they feeding these children?' you crack an eye open to take a quick peek to check if they stopped but no, another kid also wanted to show his own freak talent and now there's three of them.

You turn around, you're just going to let them do their thing, they seem to be enjoying it anyway.

Feeling a tug on your skirt, you look down to see a little girl looking at you with sparkling eyes.

“Onee-san, you’re so pretty” she said in awe, as you leaned down to be at eye level with the girl.

“Oh? But you’re prettier”

She shook her head, and place her small hands on your cheek “But onee-san is like a princess”

You clutch a hand to your chest at how precious this little girl was, Takato was definitely having a field day because he has not stopped taking pictures. The girl took your hand and led you towards the garden, sitting you down under the tree as she picks up a flower crown and placing it on your head.

“There! It fits you perfectly!” she beamed as you try your best not to just wrap her up in your arms and hug her all day, she was just so cute. Her smile is so bright that somehow she reminded you of Hinata, a ball of sunshine with smiles that could light up the whole room.

“Do you have another one?” she nodded her head and showed you another that was half-finish. You remove a few pieces of flowers, switching it with ones of a different color then adjusting its size before tying both ends.

“Now, there are two princesses” you put the crown on her head as she giggled.

You continued making more flower accessories with her, flower bracelets, flower necklaces, and the likes then putting them on each other. She was a bright and bubbly girl, she would share you some stories of her and her older siblings, her parents and her friends in the elementary school.

You wanted to hear more, she was a good storyteller.

Time flies by so fast when you are having fun is what they would always say and you agreed with that saying because before you even knew it, it was time to go home. Everyone is standing by the gate, saying their goodbyes and telling promises to visit again.

“Bye-bye, pretty onee-chan!” she waves at you, standing beside her teacher, proudly wearing her flower accessories.

Later that evening, everyone was lounging around in the living room, tired from playing with the kids all day. The others were watching the news, however, no one was even listening to the television, because their attention was in the game Oliver and Shugo were having.

Inunaki leaned down to whisper something to Oliver, who's face light up, as he moves his queen to eat Shugo's rook.

"Hey, no coaching!"

Inunaki just shrugs his shoulders in response as he discusses their next strategy.

"I'll help you Meian-san" Hinata took a seat beside his captain, observing the board with such concentration. Brown eyes carefully scanning the positions each piece were place before whispering in Shugo’s ear. Following his suggestion with no doubt whatsoever, Shugo moves his queen forward only for it to get eaten by Oliver's pawn.

“Bwahaha!” Atsumu was bent over, clutching his stomach as he wipes the tears forming at the corner of his eyes while Bokuto tries to console his dejected kouhai in between laughter.

Inunaki and Oliver snickered sharing a high five.

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

“Adriah, I need you to tighten that block a little more!”

“That’s good, keep it up Kiyoomi!”

“Okay, follow up, follow up!”

You stood at the sidelines, your eyes following their move as they were currently having a match against each other, Coach Foster and Takato were beside you observing the men on the court while occasionally giving out directives.

A camcorder was prep on your left side to record the practices, the videos will be used as a study material to properly assess the things that needs to be corrected in order to improve their gameplay. While you note down the commentary Coach Foster was saying to add later.

It went on for an hour, their stamina never fails to amaze you as they continuously, jump, dive, and run just to keep the ball in the air. After checking his wristwatch Coach Foster decided that it was time to end the training for the day. So he blew his whistle and the game immediately came to a halt, the ball bouncing on the wooden floor and they drag their tired bodies to gather in front of him, wiping their sweat with their shirt as they waited for his announcements.

“Okay boys good job today, keep in mind what I said and practice more on what you need to improve”

They slowly bob their head up and down, too tired to give out a verbal reply. Coach Foster doesn’t seem to mind because he knows they’re taking his advice seriously.

“This will be the last practice for this week so enjoy your weekend off and rest properly”

After that, they immediately spread out and started cleaning up the gym as fast as their tired bodies can so that they could finally rest and eat some good food.

"Shugo I need the report for last week, can you give it to me by tomorrow?"

"Yes coach, I'm almost done"

Lies, he hasn't even started yet and he was nervous that he won’t be able to finish it on time and if he ever submit the report late, Coach Foster was going to whoop his ass. So many things have happened this week that he never finds the time to start it yet, not even a single paragraph.

No, not even a single sentence.

Seeing your captain's inner turmoil, you walk up to him and whispered "Don't worry, I'll help you"

Shugo shot you a grateful smile, ruffling your hair "You're a savior kid"

That was how you found yourself sitting in the kitchen counter, laptop in front of you, staring at your current work. It would have been easy if the report was in Japanese but Coach Foster prefers it in English.

Shugo was sitting across you, hands fast and typing away, Takato was seated beside you rewriting your notes while the others, who still weren’t feeling sleepy at 11 pm were in the living room watching a movie.

"How do you spell Schweiden again?"

"S-c-h-w...uhh" Shugo's mind seems to have failed him mid-spell as he closes his eyes to try and remember.

"S-c-h-w-e-i-d-e-n" Sakusa finished for him as he walks into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water. The movie must have already ended because the others were already piling into the kitchen, cans, and bottles of drinks in hand and food wrappers place in bowls.

"How's the report going?" Inunaki peered behind Shugo's shoulder.

"It's going great" It’s not, it’s actually not, Shugo is definitely close to pulling his hair out. He glared at his laptop as he continues on smashing the keyboard keys, opting to finish the report as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, you felt like your brain was short-circuiting, English is definitely a hard language, it's complex, it's tricky and certainly a pain. One word can mean two things depending on the pronunciation and its sentence usage and can have a whole different meaning when spelled and one letter is missing, like for example 'public', take one letter out and what do we get?

Pubic.

Anyway, that's not the point, the point is English is hard, and you were close to losing your mind.

You took a sip of your drink, which was coffee mix with a monster energy drink, it was definitely death in a cup but you couldn't care less. You need to stay awake and your deadly concoction was doing a great job keeping your eyes open.

"You know” you started resting your chin on your palm, taking a break from your suffering “I find it amazing how the names of professional volleyball teams are so long like-”

You scroll through the list you have saved in your laptop's notepad “-three to five words at most yet they are referred to by a single name"

"What do you mean?" Takato shifts his eyes from his notebook to you tracing the rim of your cup as your eyes focus themselves on the ceiling.

"I mean there's the Eastern Japan Paper Mills Raijin and everyone calls them Raijin, the Azuma Pharmacy Green Rockets is called Green Rockets while Schweiden Adlers is referred to as Adlers"

"Yes, go on"

"MSBY Black Jackals is sometimes called MSBY or Black Jackals but even those names are a mouthful"

By now, everyone's attention was on you, curiosity flooding their mind as they wait for you to finish.

"So the team is mostly referred to as BJ" you look up and with the most serious face ever, you said "But has anyone even realize that BJ also stands for blowjob?"

Hinata, who was drinking a glass of milk choke on his drink while Atsumu slowly turns to look at Bokuto mouthing a "What the fuck?"

Oliver let out a nervous chuckle "You should take a break (Y/n)" he tries to set your laptop aside so you could rest your exhausted brain, but you shook your head and started working again, finally having the idea outlined in your head. That short break was very effective because your hands were seamlessly gliding over the keyboard keys, as input more words in to your work.

"Also, what does MSBY even mean? Most Significant Byte? I don’t get it"

They don’t get it either, as to where this is all coming from. They swore you have it stored in your mind for so long and just waited for the right moment to tell it.

It was amazing too because while you were going on and on about anything that you could think of, you were also typing on your laptop. Hinata took a peek to see if you were actually doing your job instead of just key smashing, but he was surprised when he saw you busting out an actual paragraph in English while spewing out nonsense in Japanese.

Multi-tasking sure is an impressive skill. He should learn it sometime.

You ran a hand through your hair, you were starting to have trouble again. You were in the zone for about 30 minutes but after that, the effect of your drink started to wear off and you were on a dead end.

The others had decided you hang out in the house's big kitchen doing their own thing, your eyes darted from every corner of the room, trying to find some sort of a cure to help your mental block.

Adriah was seated next to you scrolling through his phone as he nibbled on a pocky stick, you tap him on the shoulder as he looks up at you questioningly "Adriah-san, could you slap me in the face?"

Taken aback by your request he sputtered, almost dropping his phone "W-what?"

"I need something to keep me awake and this is not working anymore" you gestured to your now empty cup "I'm guessing the pain might keep me awake until I'm done with this"

Now, if you actually wanted to feel pain you could have asked at least one of the team's spikers, but you were not dumb enough to actually do that.

Adriah search your eyes for any signs that you were joking, but he found none "Are you sure (Y/n)?"

You assured him that it would be fine, so he raises his hand up as you prepare yourself for the impact.

Sleep must have been overtaking everyone's mind because it took them a few seconds to realize what was happening. Adriah's hand already collided with your face, he had underestimated the force he put in that slap but then soon find out he put too much when a smack resonated inside the kitchen as your body fell from the stool and landing on the cold tiles.

The whole room erupted into a panic as your body lays unmoving on the floor.

“Oh meu Deus!”

"Shit, shit, shit. Adriah what did you do?!" Inunaki kneeled down beside you, the cheek where Adriah hit was glowing red with a visible hand mark starting to form.

"I don't know, I just did what she ask me!" Adriah replied, equally as panicked.

Takato was now checking your pulse, to see if it was still beating. It was a bit exaggerated, a slap wouldn't kill you but with how strong Adriah did it. Takato wouldn't even be surprised if you snapped a vein in your neck.

Bokuto being the drama queen that he is, was shouting words like “(Y/n), don’t die you’re still young!” followed by a “Akaashi will be so sad if you go!”

And Atsumu, instead of being a good senpai that he claims he is, didn’t even think to help you. Instead, the first thing he did was to grab his phone and went live on Instagram to broadcast the madness happening in your shared kitchen.

"Goddammit Adriah!"

"Why are you blaming me?!"

Fortunately, you just passed out; picking you up, Takato carried you back into your room, and tucks you in. Gently closing your door, he goes back into the kitchen to calm them down before the neighbor calls the police on them.

He let out a heavy exhale, rubbing his temples “They’re hopeless”

What would he do without you?

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

When you woke up the next day, you could still feel a stinging sensation on your cheek, your head hurt as well, you wondered what happened to you after you blacked out. You sat up in your bed, rubbing the sleep from your eyes and checking the clock on your night stand to see that it was already 8 am.

So you get out of bed, and walk downstairs into the kitchen to see everyone already there preparing breakfast. It seems like it wasn't just you who woke up late, because after Adriah slapped you to sleep, Shugo roped all of them into helping him with his report, and since none of them were familiar with the job. It took them until 2 am before they were finished and immediately e-mailed the document to Coach Foster.

"Good morning, how's your cheek?" Oliver eyed the slowly fading red mark on your cheek, standing besides Inunaki, holding a plate as the libero carefully places the pancakes in a neat stack, then flipping the other one that was still in the pan.

"It still hurts a little" you took a seat between Hinata and Sakusa, already eating their breakfast. 

Adriah passed you a plate with five pancakes stacked on top of each other, a slice of banana on the side, followed by a cup of your favorite coffee. Your eyes were literally sparkling, the food looks so delicious and it smell so so good you almost drooled “I'm sorry about last night"

He gave you a gentle smile, eyes soft, whoever was going to be this man’s future lover sure is very lucky.

"There is nothing to be sorry about Adriah-san, I was the one who asked for it" He was such a sweetheart, it wasn’t even his fault yet he took the time to prepare your food himself, now you just felt guilty by asking him to hit you.

You took the bottle of maple syrup Sakusa handed to you as you drizzled some of it on top of your pancakes "Also, please remind me to never do that again"

Everyone collectively agreed, after last night's scare, there was no way they were going to agree to any odd request you have, no matter how serious you were. 

Breakfast was quick, mainly because everyone had a photoshoot to attend at 10. It was a magazine photoshoot for a swimwear by a very well known brand, however it was also the photoshoot they were looking forward to. Because not only was the brand a favorite of theirs, they’ll be partnered with famous models as well, so it was a win-win on their part.

After everyone was finished, the dishes were immediately cleaned, the table wiped off of any food crumbs while the trash was taken out. The guys went back to their room to get ready, and once everyone was ready to go, they piled into the bus as it drove off to the beach which was the venue for the photoshoot.

"It's sure is refreshing to be walking by the sea" Inunaki gazed towards the blue water splashing along the shore, following after their two managers towards the area where tents, chairs and cameras were already set-up.

"It looks so beautiful too" Oliver said, kicking the white sand under his flip flops as the staff led them to the chairs lined out. The make-up artist immediately worked on their look that was going to be aligned with the photoshoot's theme.

"Ahh~ it's so hot" you hold the mini fan closer to Bokuto's face while Sakusa takes the one you were holding out for him, beads of sweat running down your face as Takato took care of the others. Of all the times they have to choose, it has to be in the middle of the day, when the sun is up and proudly shining.

The models were in another tent, dressed in their robes while they waited for the stylist to finish the last touches on the boys’ hair, once done, they changed into their designated swimwear, while the girls removed the robes they were wearing. 

It took them about two hours before they were finished, the director wanted to get as many shots as he could so he had plenty to choose from. The break in  between takes were crazy because the make-up artist and stylist had to jump from one person to another just to do some retouches, the girls especially, were very fussy and wanted their make-up redone every thirty minutes.

“This is the last time I’m working with models” Sakusa grumbles, as you hand him a packet of wet wipes as he takes a piece and rubs the lipstick stain off his cheek when the model he partnered with gave him a kiss earlier.

You could only offer him a sympathetic smile, even though this was not his first endorsement, he still wasn’t used to interacting with strangers. Not so keen to them casually touching him and invading his personal space.

“Oh Kiyoomi~” Sakusa let out a groan before turning to look at the woman jogging towards him, already changed into a yellow sundress and a sunhat on top of her head. “Here”

She placed a folded paper on his palm “Call me” then blew him a kiss before she walked away. Sakusa opened the paper to see her name, number and even address written on it.  He stared at the paper for a good second, before he met your eyes.

He just looks so done with everything.

“Isn’t this our lucky day?” Shugo whistled, pieces of papers on his hand while slinging an arm around Bokuto’s shoulder and sharing a grin with the pepper haired male. With Atsumu trailing behind them, saving the ones he received in his phone. Oliver threw his away because he’s happily married, while Adriah, Inunaki and Hinata gave theirs to either Bokuto or Shugo.

“The models” Sakusa started, looking at them as he crumples the paper on his hand “They’re married, all of them”

Oh 

Shugo dropped the papers in shock, jaws slack while Bokuto immediately deleted his copy, not wanting to get involved in a scandal just in case, and Atsumu was still having second thoughts, staring at his phone, his thumb hovering over the delete button.

Should he or should he not?

Sakusa just rolls his eyes before stalking off into the tent.

They quickly change back into their own clothes, leaving the venue with bags of the swimwear they just modeled. The brand’s logo is big and bright in the middle as your group walks to where the bus was parked.

“Ah, Captain Jackal” Shugo turned his head to see Schweiden’s captain walking over to him, wearing their team uniform, his hand raised in a wave.

“Bird” He leaned to the side noting the group of children crowding behind the area where he just left “Were you doing a meet and greet?”

“Yes, surprisingly the kids love Ushijima and Kageyama” Fukuro pointed to the two mentioned players with kids crowding at their feet, some hanging on their back while the others tugs on their arm “By the way, is (Y/n) here?”

Shugo pressed his lips into a thin line, turning his body to face Fukuro properly. “I know what you’re trying to do”

“No, you don’t”

“We’re not giving you our manager, get your own”

“But you already have two!” 

“I don’t care!”

They glared at each other, a month after you became a part of the team, Fukuro tried to recruit you into joining the Adlers. He even sent Ushijima, Hoshiumi and Kageyama to talk to you hoping that the idea of having familiar faces in the team would change your mind but alas, you were more comfortable with MSBY so you declined every attempt.

However, Fukuro found your one weakness and he’s using it to his advantage whenever he can.

He caught sight of your figure standing near the bus, he shot Shugo a smirk before cupping his hands around his mouth “Oi (Y/n), Adloo’s here!”

They heard you gasp, letting out an excited squeal.

“Adloo!”

You shove your things into Atsumu’s hands and sprint towards the mascot who was already holding out his arms for you. Shugo felt his eye twitch at the smug look on Fukuro’s face as they watched you rock the mascot back and forth with glee. He marched to where you were burying your face on Adloo’s soft fabric and plucking you from its side, then walking towards the bus, but not before shooting Fukuro the dirty finger.

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

It was finally the weekend and it was the start of their long awaited day off, Takato had left early to go home to his pregnant wife while Oliver also went home to his family. Leaving the single ones to enjoy the weekend to themselves. It was already 8 am and you were currently sitting on the laundry room’s floor, separating the whites from the colored ones. 

The dirty laundry had been left lying there for almost a week because of how busy everyone was, everyday there was always something new to do, new places to go, and new schedules to follow. Now that it was Saturday, you took it as the chance to finally do it.

Picking up a piece of shirt, you saw a big spider laying underneath it. You jump up, letting out an inhumanly shriek as it circles around in its place.

“(Y/n) are you okay?! What happened?!” you pointed to the spider now crawling the walls of the washing machine, while running to hide behind them in the hopes they’ll get rid of it.

“What the fu-”

“Miya, kill that thing” Sakusa pushed Atsumu forward as the blond stumbled into the room, brown eyes zeroed in on the insect in fear that it might jump on him the second he turned away.

“Are ya crazy?! That thing’s huge!” 

He jammed himself in between Shugo and Adriah, pushing the two forward to be the new sacrificial lamb, the bug now sitting on the top of the washing machine stared back at them, unmoving. Black orbs following their movement, calculating, as if choosing his victim.

 Which of these idiots should it jump on first? 

“That’s it, this place is infected, we’re leaving”

“Hold on a sec, we ain’t leaving this place just because of one spider” Atsumu tried to reason with the man, but no luck however because Sakusa just thought of another way to get rid of the spider.

“Fine, lets burn it down then”

Sakusa turns to retrieve a fire starter and gasoline from the supply closet, actually serious. Atsumu quickly grabbed the back of his shirt, stopping him from actually setting the house on fire. If there was one thing that everyone learned from being with Sakusa for so long, when he says he is going to do something, he is going to do it.

No bullshitting.

So if he says he’s going to throw Atsumu out of the second floor balcony, best believe he’d be doing it an hour after his declaration.

“Even worse! This house costs millions Omi, our combined earnings won’t even cover for the damage!” 

“Actually, it can”

“(Y/n), yer not helping”

“Okay, that’s enough” Shugo went in between the two “Let’s catch the spider first before it gets away”

“Uh… Meian-san” Hinata lifted a shaky hand pointing to where the arachnid was supposed to be, but the space is empty. Panic ensues and everyone searches high and low for the bug, lifting up furniture and other decorations looking behind paintings and opening kitchen drawers.

“Everyone it’s here!” Adriah called from the living room, he tiptoed towards the spider, jar in hand, ready to catch it in case it disappears again. You held in a breath when he was only a few centimeters away, slowly he lifted the jar and covered the spider. Sliding a paper underneath it, then took it outside to dispose of it.

Inunaki let out a sigh of relief before walking back into the kitchen to finish inspecting the fridge for any more ingredients to cook. The gang had decided to have Shabu-Shabu for lunch later and he was checking if there were enough ingredients left to serve 8 people. While you went back to the laundry room to load the clothes into the washing machine.

“We need to buy more” Inunaki closes the fridge door, as he checks the cupboards for the sauces and other spices.  “Meats and vegetables especially”

He took a piece of paper and wrote down what needs to be bought, double-checking the list if he forgot anything. 

“We’ll go!” Atsumu pulled Hinata and Bokuto towards him then pointing a finger at Sakusa who was spraying the kitchen counter with some lysol then wiping it with a rug “Omi-Omi too”

“What? No” 

He declined, but the blond just ignored his protest before looking at the older members. “We’ll be fine”

“Are you sure?” Adriah leaned on the counter as he looked at the troublesome four, they have done grocery shopping so many times before and it always turned out okay, the only difference is that before there was at least one of the older members accompanying them, while this time, they were choosing to go by themselves.

“No need to worry Adriah-san” Hinata tried to reassure the man, and although Adriah did relax a little he still hadn’t agreed to it yet. You walk in the kitchen, the first batch of laundry already in the washing machine, tumbling around as the detergent removes the dirt and bad smell.

“I don’t see a problem” Shugo pipes up “They’re adults now, I’m sure they wouldn’t fail something as simple as grocery shopping”

Inunaki was still a bit hesitant, his eyes darting to each face of the younger members of the team, though mainly focusing themselves on Atsumu and Bokuto, because he knows those two share a brain cell but don’t know how to use it.  However, Shugo is right, so he gave you the list and the money before following the five of you into the garage.

“So who’s driving?” Shugo held up the keys, twirling them on his fingers while they put on their face mask and cap to avoid getting recognized in public.

“I will” 

He stared at Atsumu, eyes blinking before turning to you, jiggling the keys. “(Y/n)?”

You shook your head. “I’m still learning Meian-san”

“Ya gotta trust me captain!”

“I find that hard to do Atsumu”

Shugo retorted, but still dropped the keys to Atsumu’s hand as the blond opened the car and turned it on.

“Don’t damage her!”

“We won’t!”

The three of them watched, as the car went out into the driveway and zoomed through the streets. Leaving a trail of dust behind as the vehicle went out of sight in just seconds.

“I think, I made a mistake”

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

You stumbled out of the car, your heart beating fast and knees wobbly, clutching the side of the door as the trauma of a near death experience still haunts your mind.

"I think I'm going to throw up" Hinata pressed his palm on his mouth, face pale, his other hand wrapped around his stomach as he tried to contain the puke threatening to come out.

“I thought you said you could drive?” Sakusa shot Atsumu a glare, adjusting his mask. When the setter offered to drive, you thought he was actually good at it, you did not expect for him to almost crash the car at the gasoline station or nearly run an old woman over.

“That was dangerous Tsum-Tsum” Bokuto massaged his forehead, he hit the back of the driver’s seat rather hard when Atsumu slammed his foot on the break, just a few feet away from killing an old lady. Fortunately, there were no traffic enforcers nor police officers nearby and the woman didn’t even realize she was close to meeting her creator today. She happily crossed that street, as if she owned the place.

“Hey! I’m just not use to this car okay?” the setter reasoned patting the car’s hood, rubbing his palm over the sleek black top “It’s different from the one I drive back home”

“If you can drive it doesn’t matter what car, you’ll still be able to drive it properly” Sakusa crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow “Did you even pass your driving test?”

“Of course I did, I got 90%,” Atsumu answered proudly, placing his hands on his hips with his head held high and his lips upturned into a smile.

“Was the instructor a girl?”

“Yes”

There was silence, everyone staring at him doubtfully, eyes narrowed and judging.

“Stop looking at me like that!”

“But guys…” Hinata called as he waved them over, pointing at a long scratch mark on the passenger’s door. It was big, about an arm’s length. “Captain is going to kill us”

You walk around the vehicle to check the other side, to see another one on the side of the car’s hood. You clutch your head in frustration, face drained of any color, it would’ve been okay if it was just one, but there’s actually two of them. “Meian-san just bought this four months ago”

“We have to pass by a repair shop before we go home” Bokuto scratched the back of his head. “Tsum-Tsum is paying for the paint job of course”

“Alright, alright. Sheesh. Let’s go buy the groceries first” Atsumu quickly huddled everyone together and started pushing you all into the market’s entrance.

The farmers’ market is always the best place to buy ingredients, it’s cheap compared to the ones sold in malls where prices are doubled, sometimes even tripled, and it’s just ridiculously expensive. You can bargain with the vendors as well, in case some of the items were a bit too pricey. Luckily, the market isn’t too crowded, there weren’t many people buying yet which was unexpected since this place is usually packed during the weekend.

However, there was also one thing that you didn’t expect. Apparently, with how many times you frequent this place during your shopping trips, either one of the boys had made friends with some of the vendors.

“Hinata look, it’s you!” Bokuto held a tangerine next to Hinata’s head lifting his hat a little and grinning at how the fruit’s color was almost the same shade as his disciple’s hair. 

You pick up another tangerine, examining it for any damages before looking through the rest of the ones displayed. While the others look through the rest of the fruits they offer, bananas, avocados, apples and some grapes. Anything they found very appealing was picked up and placed inside the bag.

“How much for all of these?” you look at the girl, pointing at the bag that’s almost filled with fruits, but she seems to be looking at something else. You turn around, following where her eyes were focused to see the troublesome four eating some of the fruits.

“We haven’t paid for those yet!” you shriek before turning to the girl again and bowing furiously “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“Wouldja relax (Y/n)-chan?” Atsumu took hold of your shoulder, stopping you from hitting your forehead on one of the crates “These are free samples”

He pointed to the little corner of the stall where smaller size crates were neatly arranged, three pieces of each fruit sitting inside with the sign reading free sample, pasted at the front.

“They’re really good (Y/n), here” Bokuto fed you a piece, watching as you munch on the sweet and juicy fruit.

You let out a hum, swallowing the fruit “This is good” you turn to look at the girl, eyes wide “This is really good

She gave you a shy smile, a light shade of pink now visible on her cheeks “Really? Thank you”

“So, how much for all of these?” you opened your bag, pulling out your wallet.

“It’s okay, this is free”

You almost drop your wallet from what she said, you shook your head fishing out a few thousand yen bills and giving it to her “No, this is too much”

She pushes back your hand, lifting up your bag and giving it to your companions “Consider it as a gift” then she moves to serve the other customer in waiting, waving your group goodbye.

Sakusa pushed you to move when he still saw you staring at the rejected money in your hand, leading you to where you were going to buy your meat. Passing through the vegetable stands where you still need to buy some for when you’re finished at the butcher’s shop.

“Hiruma-san good morning!”

“Ah, come in come in!” an old man from behind the counter grinned, lifting the clever over his head before bringing it down on the thick meat place on his wooden chopping board. “What would you like today?”

He wipes his hands on his apron, walking behind the glass case grabbing a tong, snapping it a few times as they pick the meat they like for their lunch later. They were pointing mostly at anything they lay their eyes on, and Sakusa has to remind them about the budget and that they can’t have pork, beef, lamb, and duck at the same time.

“The others didn’t come with you today?” the old man asked, picking up the pork and beef slices that were far too many and bagging them.  Then he grabbed another bag and went to the fish area.

“They’re busy at the house”

At the corner, you were counting the money, mentally calculating your budget again. The old man was giving large portions of the meat and you knew that it wasn't very cheap. Just a few cuts alone were worth a few hundred yen, what more when there are two types of meat involved with different varieties of fish thrown into the mix.

He tied the bags then gave it to Atsumu and Bokuto as Sakusa refused to touch the raw meat, not until it had been washed properly, not even if it’s packed away in a bag.

“This one is on the house”

“What? No!” you scrambled towards the man, almost tripping yourself in the process “Hiruma-san please just take the money, this is too much”

“This is a thank you for being such good patrons” he didn’t even let you say another word, the man just walked off to the other side of the display case catering to another customer who walked in.

What is up with these people ignoring you?

Hinata led you out, patting your back, chuckling at the pout on your face.

“Hinata, is our money not good enough?” 

“Maybe they’re just feeling generous today (Y/n)” 

You stood outside the shop, eyebrows furrowed in thought, you were starting to wonder if they were genuinely just being generous folks or there was something hidden behind their actions. 

“Now, all we need are the vegetables then we can go home”

You look around for a nearby vegetable stall, one that you think is not friends with any of the guys so they’ll have no choice but to accept your money like a proper businessman.

“That one” you pointed to the one just besides the meat shop. “I’ll go”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, just stay put” then you walk off face determined. “Hello”

The vendor put down the crate he was holding, wiping his hands on his pants and walking over to you.

“(Y/n)?” You internally groaned, your old high school classmate standing in front of you at the other side of the stall, and here you were hoping it wouldn't be anyone you know.

“Masuda, long time no see” you nodded your head at him, picking through the vegetables. They were all fresh, he must’ve just arrived.

“Yeah, six years is a long time” He grabbed a basket holding it out for you, as you picked out, mushrooms, carrot, green onion and napa cabbage. “Doing some grocery shopping for the team?”

He gestures to the large amounts of vegetables you’re dropping in the basket “Yep, they’re big eaters. All of them”

He laugh placing them inside a plastic bag “They’re athletes after all” 

“How much?”

You accepted the plastic big, the money ready in your hand.

“No. it’s free” you squint your eyes at him, pursing your lips “Consider it as my payback for helping me so many time during high school”

“School has nothing to do with this Masuda” you grab his hand, slamming the money on his palm “So for the love of all things holy, just accept the money”

You stared him down, daring him to refuse it one more time. He nodded his head, clutching the cash as you walked away satisfied that finally, finally, someone accepted your payment. You swore, if these people just keep on giving their products away just because the customer is a friend or a relative, you won’t be surprised if they go home without any profit at the end of the day.

“Let’s stop by the repair shop first then we’ll go home” Atsumu reminded before looking down at Sakusa’s outstretched hand “What?”

“Give me the keys, I’m driving this time” He snatched it out of Atsumu’s hand then climbed into the driver’s seat.

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

"It's such a nice day today isn't it?" Shugo leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head. The cabana tent serves as a good shade from the afternoon sun.

Adriah removes one of the earbuds from his ear, hands still moving across his notebook as he writes his notes from his Japanese lessons "It is, the sun feels really good"

They were now in the backyard enjoying the rest of the day besides the pool, Hinata and Bokuto were already playing in the water doing some diving tricks they saw on YouTube. (Y/n) and Atsumu were on the other side, the girl dying the setter’s hair as his roots were starting to show up, meanwhile Sakusa was still inside, probably finishing up on his cleaning.

“Wish days like these would last” Inunaki leaned down, opening the cooler beside his feet, grabbing three bottles of beer and giving it to the two. Opening the packet of chips resting on the table as they munch on some snacks, listening to the song they had put on the speaker to play.

"Kiyoomi, what have you got there?" Adriah asks as the germaphobe walks towards the garbage bags. Masked on his face, his hands covered with plastic gloves, holding what seems to be a ziplock bag filled with some sort of articles of clothing.

"Miya's dirty underwear" he swiftly answered, opening one of the bags and immediately tossing the ziplock bag inside and closing it again "He left it lying around in the bathroom again so I'm throwing it away"

He walks back into the house, probably to resume his cleaning escapades as the three older men could only watch his retreating figure, speechless.

"Should we tell Atsumu?" Adriah took a worried glance towards the piled garbage bag, eyebrows furrow in concern, before looking at the two again.

Inunaki waves his hand, biting on a potato chip "Nah, he'll find out soon once he realizes he's missing a few pair"

So they just continued whatever they were doing, Hinata and Bokuto's shouts and laughter echoing throughout the open space. A cool wind blew past them, ruffling the leaves of the trees planted near the fence as the flowers swayed along with it.

"Bokuto grab a drink here" the pepper haired male pauses his game with Hinata as he climbs out of the pool, water dripping from his body as he crouches in front of the cooler.

"Do you have soda Meian-san?" He rummaged through the multiple bottles and cans of alcohol, pushing the blocks of ice to the side before his eyes landed on the familiar green and black color scheme of a mountain dew can. 

He took the can, and three more bottles before opening them and walking to where Hinata was now sitting at the edge on Atsumu and (Y/n)'s side of the pool, giving (Y/n) the soda and the two other bottles to Atsumu and Hinata.

“I’m still bothered about Atsumu’s underwear” Adriah once again turned around in his chair, eyes trained on the garbage bag, waiting for the time it gets to be picked up. “We could-“

A loud honking sound was heard from the other side of the fence as you stopped what you were doing. "The garbage truck is here" jogging to where the bags were resting. Bokuto and Hinata follow after her. Helping the girl carry them out, with their setter's underwear lying amongst the trash in one of the bags, and Atsumu, who was none the wiser, happily held the back gate open as the three walked out and gave it to the garbage man.

They shared a look, as if they had just indirectly participated in a crime, as the garbage truck drives away towards the other houses in the neighborhood. 

“Let’s just hope Atsumu still have some spare left”

Sakusa who have already finished cleaning walk towards their area. Already changed into a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of flip-flops with a book tuck under his arms.

"You want a drink Kiyoomi?" 

"No, thank you" Sakusa answered, before situating himself on the lounge chair and opening his book. It was rare for Sakusa himself to willingly join everyone, he's usually not into gathering or bonding that much, so the team must have reached a new level of personal hygiene for the Sakusa Kiyoomi to hang out with them.

It's probably the result of (Y/n) constantly reminding them to wash their hands with alcohol and hand sanitizers, telling them to wear face masks when they're out travelling. Lecturing them how pollution and their constant exposure to sweat and social interactions with other people can lead to a disease. When you had said that, they thought you were going to evolve into Sakusa 2.0 but remembered that you were a university graduate with a degree in sports science so they can’t really argue with that one.

“Maybe I should dye my hair as well, what do you guys think?” Shugo started as the two looked at him questioningly, watching as the captain inspected his hair through his phone’s front camera, running his hand through it as he tugs at the end.

Inunaki snorts, slumping on his chair “Oh please, you’re already old”

“I’m not old! I’m only 29”

The libero deadpanned at him “You’re literally one birthday away into turning 30”

Adriah just laughs, closing his notebook and looking at his captain “What color do you have in mind?”

“Blond looks cool” Shugo shrugs his shoulders, watching as you apply the last remaining dye on Atsumu’s hair.

Inunaki groaned “Oh god no, you’ll look like an old man trying to be hip”

“I told you, I’m not old!”

“Oh yeah? Because that gray hair says otherwise”

“What?”

Inunaki and Adriah pointed at the front part of his hair, as he held up his phone to see a strand of gray hair sticking out among his dark locks.

“What the fuck”

“Congratulations captain, that is a milestone” Adriah patted him on the back laughing.

Shugo stared at it in disbelief, lifting a hand and wrapping it on his finger then tugging.

"Don't pull it out, did you not learn from your elders?" Inunaki scolded him, slapping his hand away.

"Learn what?"

"If you pluck it out, they'll spread faster. Just let it be, it's not even that noticeable"

Shugo looked at it again then ruffled his hair to see if it could be hidden within the rest, and was satisfied when he saw it could be covered.

Silence filled them again, munching on their chips and drinking when Atsumu's booming voice erupted from the depths of the huge house.

“Where the heck are all my underwear?!”

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

What type of kids do you think the ikevamp guys would be if they went to high school?

Oh boy HERE WE GO

(Under a cut bc this post is a Long Boi^TM)

Napoleon. Would prbly be that kid that’s like somehow bafflingly in the top ten of his class but nobody ever sees him??? Like he’s always late to school or napping in the quietest places on campus (they found him in a locker once and the school was laughing about it for WEEKS bc he insisted he was just chillin, and it wasn’t like a bullying incident he just wanted to sleep LMAO). Surprisingly amiable? A lot of people are afraid of him at first but he’s just so casual and direct, he gains quite a few friends (and a good number of girls have a crush on him--he always diverts the attention of skeevy guys). Good friends with Jeanne because they fence together a lot, and people are always baffled at how easily they chat

Mozart. Where do I begin. Number one in his class, perfectionist prick. That one kid that’s a known prodigy and that everyone hates for his impeccable grades and musical talent. Always gets the solos and conducting roles in the school performances. He knows how to play a crowd--will always be sweet and cherubic in front of teachers. But when it’s just the students? All gloves are off. Frigid and incendiary, will not take any shit and will tear you apart with words in milliseconds. Do not cross. He will end your entire life and self-esteem, it’s not worth it. Has a few friends, and they often experience the disdain of jealous students--but they’re all steadfast about defending him. And Mozart will not tolerate it if people are mistreating his friends, he’s an iron wall of defense; to be his friend means to always have someone looking out for you, make no mistake. He and Jeanne often grab food together after practice and ask about each others day, they hella close but never really show it while school’s on--their class schedules are worlds apart bc of their grades, and at lunch they’re usually practicing/doing hw. When they hug it out at graduation and pat each other on the back everyone nearly falls the fuck out of their chair LMFAO

Leonardo. That kid that 100% could probably be in the top fifty of his class but just can’t be bothered to give a damn. Always argues points with his teachers and plays devil’s advocate until they are inches from exploding at him. Always the one to mercifully make class feel shorter with his absolute distraction-heavy shitfuckery (and sometimes you really learn something because of his line of thinking). He's a dumbass but like harmless, essentially. Used to be the perfect student^TM and then decided the system was bullshit and he wanted no part of it, thinks public education can kiss his ass. Nobody knows it since he asks people not to talk about it, but he tutors kids after school for hours--has brought kids from Ds to Bs. He always dodges nosy people, never goes to parties, and finds ways to intervene around kids that are struggling with smth (with ninja stealth of course). Despite how easily he laughs and chats with just about anyone, he’s...actually surprisingly v much a lone wolf. Only ever consistently hangs out with the heartthrob rich kid, but nobody understands why???? And they’re always roasting each other wtf, are they even friends????

Comte. Pretty boy genius, always in the top five of his class though doesn’t seem too worried about it or obsessed with rank as students often are. It’s more that his parents have high expectations for his future as their heir, so he tends to fall in line with it. Born into money but somehow....not an asshole??? He doesn’t really like showing off, tries to be quiet about his accomplishments but his parents won’t really allow it--and he’s the star of the soccer team so it can be hard to hide. Most often the one at a party trying to help people sober up (always designated driver) or hearing his friends out when they have a problem. Has never publicly tried to bust heads, but some of the guys in the school insist he’s got a dark side--probably because he threatened them (passive aggressively) within an inch of their lives for being disgusting to girls. But nobody believes them bc...I mean look at him, does that look like a threat?? He just bought that kid’s lunch for christ’s sake. TONS of girls ask him out and confess their feelings, and he always lets them down as gently as he can--conceivably doesn’t like anyone himself, as far as the student body knows. Like Leonardo he’s v amiable, but also manages to reveal nothing personal while getting close. Leonardo’s the only one that’s managed to scratch the surface, and the kid won’t leave him alone for some godforsaken reason. And yet, he seems to enjoy their minutes of banter more than the hours of time spent with “friends”

Arthur. Oh boy. Good lord. Well. He used to be a sweetheart that would always seek out the mousier students and bring them into discussion/involve them on the playground. But alas, Teenage Jadedness^TM hit him like a train and now he’s an incorrigible flirt and believes no single person can be good deep down (somebody get this bitch some eyeliner). Believes the world will always be a cruel and unfeeling place where victims are never heard, so he just kind of goes full skeptical and bitter (think Sylvain for those of you that are FE fans). Has fun with every girl he sees (usually dating several girls at once) and doesn’t much care for his grades, but somehow has perfect scores in English?? He insists it’s because he needs to keep his seduction game on par with the voices of older legends before him, but some of the girls that see him in the library from time to time--v serious--are struck by how attractive he is in such deep focus, entirely uncharacteristic of his nosy and boisterous behavior in the halls (can often be seen whirling around Isaac like a bird of prey while our little baby robin Isaac stiffly tries to get away from him, and Dazai often joins to make things even more chaotic bc why not? In reality they just love this feisty kid that never gives up on what’s right, even though they’ve both given up trying themselves)

Dazai. He’s one of those kids that like does weed regularly but is also like...alarmingly insightful?? Like those kids I was always told to avoid, but now and again I would have conversations with out of necessity and was just...kinda shook. I mean granted he’s a little weird but he’s fairly harmless?? He’s like a class clown but on a massive scale--there’s nobody in the place that doesn’t know who he is, that haven’t heard tales of his exploits (he always comes in through the windows and gets detention for it a lot, and he even brought a chicken with him to school once????) nobody gets what he’s doing at any moment (don’t even know if he does really, chaotic mofo) and honestly nobody wants to know they just do the side eye meme when he appears or laughs. The teachers lament his untapped potential or just hate him for making their lives an even bigger headache than usual, and his grades are...yeah let’s not look at those. Organized the senior prank with absolute GLEE, and it was talked about for ages after he was gone--an inspiration chaotic bastards everywhere

Theodorus. (I hate.......that I pictured him in those like Vineyard Vine white boy clothes.......for the record its mostly bc his parents force him to wear them). All business. This kid doesn’t have time for your bullshit, will absolutely walk away if you’re boring him or seeking social clout. Popular because he’s hot and has a mean streak a mile wide, all the girls that didn’t like Mozart for being ethereal and effeminate boomeranged to find Theo ready to fulfill their hopes and dreams. They only grow more feral when rumors of him actually being fairly nice one on one--and telling creeps to fuck off of vulnerable girls at parties--start to circulate. (If he isn’t with Vincent, Arthur is probably near. Nobody understands how the two are brothers????) Van Gogh name apparently is just “I can be your angel or i can be your devil” and no one understands how... Grades are average and he’s plenty capable, most of his time is spent working after school because his parents refuse to provide Vincent with any artistic materials (canvas, paints, etc). They ask him to go to parties more, but he only goes to piss his parents off (he’s v lowkey punk and it’s understandably sexy of him). Will literally only listen to Vincent, and got in a looooot of trouble after getting into a fistfight with Shakespeare. Only stopped because his parents blamed Vincent for the incident, and Vincent apologized and went quiet for days ;-;

Vincent. Always been quiet and shy, but he doesn’t dislike ppl--he just has a hard time speaking up now and again. His parents always talk over him and tell him nothing he has to say has any real value, so he tends to struggle with a lot of self-doubt. Not isolated because he’s not likeable, it’s more because people tend to take advantage of his mild and earnest nature--until Theo runs them off. He’s on amiable terms with most people but has no real, true friends and it makes him feel lonely a lot. Mostly copes with the emotional turmoil by painting as much as he can. His grades are average, he does reliably well but can often be found daydreaming or distracted. Theo tends to escort him everywhere because of his propensity to attract danger (namely Shakespeare) or walk into things cuz he’s in his head a lot. A few of the artsier girls and the quiet academic girls have HUGE crushes on him (he’s softspoken, sweet, and calm; come on now), but he’s so distant--and honestly nice to everyone in equal measure--that they don’t have much hope of it coming to fruition. This kid deadass doesn’t think a single girl would ever like him that way so he’s just c:???????? when Theo talks about “those nosy harpies coming after my brother”

Jeanne. EDGY MCEDGE. Isn’t amazing in the academic department, but he’s a killer fencer--the rallying cry of the entire team. He became leader his sophomore year and he’s pretty much the only reason they keep destroying at tournaments throughout the year. Despite the pervasive interest in him he intimidates most people away with his swift intensity and ironclad stoicism. Silent as a grave and very still, people are convinced he’s the Grim Reaper reincarnated (listen he’s juST A DUTIFUL BABIE N O). If he isn’t fencing or practicing, Isaac often offers him help in the library after school hours in one of the study rooms (can’t be seen who’s inside from the outside). The two develop a kind of uncanny bond; they’re both so...bad at human-ing that they find a lot of comfort in the atmosphere they create. There’s none of the bullshit grandstanding or clout obsession, just them genuinely trying to help each other (yes Jeanne absolutely teaches Isaac self-defense moves in order to crush the kids that pick on him, and Jeanne often either glares or outright threatens those students when Isaac isn’t looking). Only ever smiles or feels understood when he’s hanging out with Mozart, so he cherishes the time Mozart offers him to hang (he knows the kid is busy up to his eyeballs and under a ton of pressure by comparison, his parents don’t care much as long as they can brag about his fencing records)

Isaac. Mega nerd that just...does not know how to interact. Only understands math and DESTROYS in competitive math club, but otherwise is always alone at lunch or just in the library. A little bean pole because he doesn’t look after himself very well (neglects to eat a lot) and can sometimes be found asleep on his books. If approached he will be very thorny, doesn’t have any friends to speak of and trusts everyone about as far as he can throw them. Yells at Arthur and Dazai a lot when they flock around him, and has gotten into his fair share of fights. Never starts fights, but will finish them. People are surprised he can hold his own, and he comes away with blood that ain’t his. There are a few girls that are curious about him, but its mostly the ones that have seen his awkward thoughtfulness in club--or the girls that are sick of the assholes and appreciate how stalwart he is. He really just wants to be left in peace (his parents never show up to his meets or when he wins academic awards, and the few teachers that notice are pretty concerned abt his reactivity and complete lack of social savvy...) Leonardo always helps him sneak in at night to look at the stars on the school roof

Shakespeare is p much the like “kid most anticipated to be in jail as soon as they’re out of high school” He just. Has that like...serial killer vibe??? Idk if I’m explaining this well but he was that guy that would always cling to genuinely compassionate girls just trying to be nice like a LEECH, and would never fucking shut up if he did or didn’t get attention. You just can't win with this kid. Probably wanted to kill the kids that made fun of him or at the very least wanted to lash out against the confident/popular/nice kids. Only liked you if he didn’t deem you a threat, or if you didn’t make him insecure, or if you tolerated him (aka Vincent. Vincent PLEASE stop trying to reach out to dangerous ppl....I love you too much to watch this shit...) He admitted as much to Theo and the kid went livid with rage and pummeled him into the ground, though most of the rest of the student body doesn’t know quite what happened. (Theo refuses to explain to anyone, and just walks away if asked). Shakespeare will just change the subject endlessly and make passive aggressive threats until the person leaves if they try to bring it up. The only time the entire class has EVER seen Leonardo mad is when Shakespeare kept tailing this girl that wanted no part of him

Sebastian. Nerdy like Isaac, but is more of the silent observer type. Like Theo, doesn't want any part of the bullshit but won't be as blunt or outspoken about it, he's only open about it if pressed or pissed off. Doesn't have much patience for the clique-driven nature of high school and tends to take an interest in the people who stand out beyond the mind-numbing drama. Also is in the top fifty but studies like a lunatic, and can often be seen asking Comte for tips now and again. Has tried talking to Mozart and admires his talents, but Mozart gives a cold shoulder that would put Antarctica to shame. (Leonardo tries to ninja him into taking breaks but never succeeds). Has a great deal of disdain for the troublemakers (Arthur and Dazai) but doesn't intervene, just watches shit go down and sighs. Probably the most normal(?) one of the bunch, just does his best and keeps his head down

[chocolate-parfait]

Okay, I just got myself a tumblr account to ask for this Ikémen Vampire scenario, because the world needs this. Can you do one where the MC questions Mozart about his song "Leck mich im Arsch" (Ger. for "Kiss my ass" (lit. Lick me in the ass). I just can't imagine IkéVamp Mozart composing something like this so please be creative and do something funny. The song really exists btw. Real Mozart was a savage.

Started off serious, became trashy insults somewhere in the middle

Mozart being asked about his song “Kiss my ass” - ikevamp scenario (TW; mature language)

Thoughts are in italic

Bold AND italic is just me highlighting something

"Ugh, it hasn't even been a week and Sebastian is already burying me with work!" You mentally whined as you stretched your arms over your head. "Collect the sheets, wash the dishes, polish the shoes and wash the tablecloths..." each chore you listed made one of your fingers go up, and as the count reached ten you let out a deep sigh. You weren't even nowhere to be finished. "...ain't mama raise no weak bitch. Better get done with this before Sebastian yeets me into oblivion", you quietly spoke to yourself before going back to your full time slavery.

A lonely figure in the long corridor, you walked slightly bent forward for both the heaviness of the basket you were carrying and the mental and physical tiredness of your untrained body. As you took a turn at the end of the hallway, the lone sound of your footsteps found a companion. A sweet melody, a familiar one you had heard as a child, drifted through the air and waltzed its way to your ears. About ten meters from you there was the music room; you remembered it from Sebastian's tour of the house, but mostly because of the ever-so-friendly white haired composer that threatened you to stay kilometers away from him unless you wanted to be smacked to outer space. You had every intention of listening to him and avoiding any type of unnecessary contact with the man, but right now an irresistible curiosity pushed your feet to the prohibited door.

Was he composing something? Would he let you listen to one piece of his or play a modern-time song if you begged hard enough? somebody come git her she's dancing like a stripper If getting on your knees and throwing the last ounce of dignity you still had out of the window meant getting to witness Mozart's genius with your own two eyes --an impassable opportunity, too taunting to be ignored-- then someone better had to open up their purse and buy you some protective knee pads, 'cause ya girl was ready to crawl all around the mansion to get that P iano performance.

Inhaling some well needed air to get oxygen to your already malfunctioning brain in preparation of what was to come, you left the heavy basket full of dirty laundry and responsibilities behind and gently pushed the door open while peeking in with your head through the opening. As soon as he felt a pair of eyes on his back, Mozart abruptly stopped his magical fingers to turn to you, face contorted in an annoyed grimace.

Mozart: what.

MC: I- uh- uhm,,,, uhhhh- I... um

"Great job, chicken brain. The hero I absolutely didn't need right now"

Mozart: "I- uh- uhm,,,, uhhhh- I... um"...? I understand 15 languages and troglodyte isn't one of them. If you have nothing to say then leave.

MC: wait I-

Mozart: you didn't even knock. Are you really that impolite or did you grow up in a cave or something?

It hadn't even been 30 seconds and you had already been owned so hard not even a burnt Thanksgiving turkey could compare to this level of roasting, but there was no way in hell you were going to give up just for some edgy frail-looking man spouting some insults at you. You could probably smash him to the ground if you wanted, maybe... actually it would probably end with him snapping your neck like a twig, but at least the will to punch him was there.

You were ready to talk back with a savage comeback of your own, but before your mind could send the input to your mouth, his curt tone cut you off.

Mozart: Staring at people is a normal thing for future people? Makes me pity mankind. Get out.

...as kind as ever, the pianist! Kinda makes you want to kick him in the shins but you kept that thought to yourself.

As you were about to leave, two pair of footsteps got nearer to you from the corridor. Turning your head to the side you saw the clown duo making its way to the room, and you knew they were the ones who could provide you with the perfect chance to either succeed in your intent or bring you to a violent death.

Arthur: Oh my, what's happening in here? Is our wolfie making a move on our lovely MC before I can ask her out on a date myself?

Dazai: Good evening, Toshiko-san! Is something the matter?

And if this was your only opportunity, then you were going to use all your cards from the beginning. Mustering the best puppy eyes you could manage, you turned to the couple, and with a slightly whiny tone that resembled a half plea for help, you said:

MC: Ah, Arthur, Dazai-san! I just wanted to ask Mozart if I could listen to him playing the piano but he did nothing but be mean to me the whole time! I didn't even speak a word and he's already told me to leave twice~

Mozart: Which you didn't. So now I'm telling you a third time, leck mich. (=bug off)

Catching your subtle hint and feeling in the right mood to mess with the other fellow vampire, they decided to fan the flames of his annoyance by bringing in the discussion that one thing they knew he abhorred talking about.

Arthur: "Leck mich"? Why, Wolfie, you surprise me! You really haven't changed from your youth days, haven't you? My dear MC, did you know that the genius pianist here wrote a song called "Leck mich im Arsch"? A song about licking bums!

Dazai: Buttholes!

Arthur: Arseholes!

Dazai: Bungholes!

This was NOT the type of conversation you would've expected to have in a house full of historically important figures of such caliber, and foremost you were so close to bursting into a raging fit of laughter that only the scary aura of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was preventing you to do so. Despite the amusement you were worried the vein on his temple would explode and show you something you did not sign up for.

Mozart: Haven't I already told you not to bring that up?

Dazai: My, what a chilling smile, Wolfie-kun! Keep that up and you'll scare all the ladies away~

MC: pft——— what ladies?

Mozart: What are you laughing about, dumbass

Arthur: Woah, woah, woah! That's not the proper way to speak to a lady, Mozie! Bad wolf, bad!

Mozart: Did you take me for a dog, you four eyed caveman?

The more the snow white haired man was filled with rage, the more the situation escalated into something even more ridiculous , so much that in the midst of it you didn't even mind the recent insult.

But something was nagging you at the back of your mind. Why did someone as much as a clean freak as him write a song about licking ass? Though you realized Arthur probably gave you the literal translation just to be more direct about his bullying, you guessed it still was something pretty vulgar for someone like him. although you had to admit that the gracious idea you had of him crumbled away the second he opened his mouth

MC: I would've never expected someone like you to write such a song...

Mozart: What are you talking about?

MC: Uhm, you know, you're pretty neat, you don't let anyone touch your piano because of their 'filthy hands'... a piece about butts is a bit...

Mozart: I was still young at the time. My humor used to be different from now, people change in the span of 100 years, you know?

Arthur: Sense of humor? I wasn't aware you had one!

Mozart: Ahahah, so very funny, you stupid tratschtante (=gossip aunt)

Dazai: Maa maa (=now, now ; ara ara maa maa), I don't think the song is that out of character. After all, "licking butts" still has the idea of cleaning something, doesn't it?

Everyone: ...

Arthur: ...That was a bit too much

MC: Yeah, it was.

Mozart: Disgusting. This is why I dont like you people

MC: Wait, so can I listen to-

Mozart: Scram. All of you.

[your-local-bnha-writer]

Hello ur my favorite account😭! Can I request a HC with Tanaka, Noya, Tsuki, & Kageyama where u guys are dating but at a tournament, u run into ur ex boyfriend ( who is a huge douchebag) and is saying a bunch of garbage about u? How would they react? , how would it impact their playing style cause get this- karasuno is playing against ur ex boyfriends team🤭🤭🤭🤭

jealous bfs tanaka, noya, tsukki kags,

hey I’m gonna mash these two requests! I hope you enjoy this was a lot of fun to write!

also favourite account?? me?? 🥺🥺

➣ characters included : tanaka, noya, tsukki, kageyama (separately) x fem!reader

➣ headcannons

➣ warning : a lot of swearing 😳 like there’s a lot, your jerk ex talking crap, scary bfs

ryūnosuke tanaka

- karasuno had made it to the nationals, and right before their game against Tsubakihara, lil ol Tanaka had to use the bathroom

- a horrible decision really, just ask hinata

- he walks in and hears your trash ex talking crap abt you

“Yeah, can you believe it? I saw my ex here, Y/n. I think she’s the manager for her team? Karasuno. Is she really that desperate for attention from other guys?”

- Tanaka is p i s s e d like, no one gets to talk about his precious love without experiencing the wrath from Ryūnosuke Tanaka

- So mans just straight up walks to your ex, “gently” taps him on the shoulder to get his attention, and starts defending your honour

“Y/n? Y/n L/n? The most beautiful, gorgeous, precious girl in the world? That Y/n?”

“Uh, yeah? Who are y—”

“Hi I’m the new boyfriend, and let me just tell you...”

- Tanaka goes oFF he’s not letting this douche bag of an ex get his way, he straight up just goes on a 2 hours speech about how perfect you were

- and how much of a douche your ex was

- Eventually, Hinata finds Tanaka in the bathroom (since his stomach was actin up lol) and goes to alert the other guys + you

- So, the whole gang is here, Daichi and Suga have to drAG Tanaka away from your ex while Noya hypes him up

- You have to calm him down and ask him why the hell he was yelling at someone in the bathroom

“Your ex was talking shit about you, I’m not just gonna let them do that”

- You’re immediately like 🥺🥺 Tanakaaaa you didn’t have to do that omg I love you sm

- When it’s finally time play these guys Tanaka is surprisingly calm, like it’s actually terrifying

- Oh and you bet Tanaka’s going all out he is on fire, he’s landing every spike and you can practically hear the impact on it

- Right after he lands a spike he celebrates with his team and stares directly at your ex who’s shooketh 😳

“Yeah take that! You regret breaking up with Y/n now?”

“Tanaka stOoOoP omg—”

- After Karasuno wins he gives you the most passionate kiss, in front of your ex and you pull away blushing

- Your ex just rolls his eyes and goes to pack up with his team while Tanaka’s looking all smug and Noya’s hyPED

yuu nishinoya

- The boys were getting ready for the match against Johzenji, and were just doing some basic warmups

- You had to help Kyoko and Yachi with something so you weren’t in the gym at the moment

- But your asshole of an ex was talking shit about you, very loudly 😳 and very obnoxiously too

- This mf, instead of practicing and doing fricken warmups, he’s talking crap abt you, and you weren’t even in the vicinity!

- But your boyfriend was, oh and he heard everything, every single word that came out of you ex’s mouth

“Pfft yeah she’s still annoying as ever, not surprised she’s dating the dude that’s 5’2”

- Ohh big mistake bud, not only did you insult his perfect Gf, but his height as well? Like dang pick one or the other dude

- So, Noya can’t take it anymore he’s been holding back bc he’s supposed to be warming up for the game but at this point he just couldn’t

- He straight up runs over to the other side of the gym to knock some sense into the jerk

- Tanaka follows not to stop him (although he is a bit worried 😳) but to hype him up bc that’s his best friend’s gf you don’t get to do that

- Asahi is scared shitless so Ennoshita has to keep the horny tornado in check, while Suga is conflicted

“What the hell did you say? Don’t you dare insult Y/n again! This is why she left your sorry ass! Who are you talk shit about my beautiful girlfriend I’ll fight you right now—”

- Ahem well, as you can see he’s very pissed off and uh he ends up getting scolded by coach Ukai

- except at the very end of him scolding he gives noya a few pointers on how to defend your gf without showing bad sportsmanship

- You witness the whole thing and just go up to Noya to calm him down a little

“Thank you, but you didn’t have to go off like that,”

“Yeah I did, Im not letting that douche talk shit about my crazy hot girlfriend”

- noya stop this isn’t the time 😳🥵

- During the game he is extremely focused and there’s this terrifying aura that’s escaping him

- Like Asahi might actually shit his pants just standing next to him

- Karasuno absolutely destroys Johzenji bc Noya is not letting that ball drop on their side of the court

- After the game, like Tanaka Noya straight up kisses you in front of your ex, leaving you a blushing mess as Noya gives him a smug look

kei tsukishima

- aHEM um, alright get ready folks bc this is a scary one

- So it’s Kagugawa vs Karasuno and Yamaguchi is sort of wandering around with Hinata right before the game probably to try and cool their nerves 💀💀

- When they hear your someone talking abt you

“My ex is here we’re vs her team, I know yeah, she’s probably so annoying”

- Dude Yamaguchi and Hinata have never ran faster in their entire lives, they immediately go to tsukki and it’s just a scream fest

“TSUKKI THERES SOMEONE TALKING ABT Y/N!”

“yeAH!! and he was all like ‘she’s probably so annoying’”

“mHM AND—”

“okay I think I got it, where are they?”

- shits about to go down, when Tsukki gets mad, he doesn’t lose is cool, instead he keeps a level head and strategize on how to completely destroy his opponent

- so Yams and Hinata drag him to where your ex was and point him out, and he’s stILL on the phone

“Mhm, yeah she’s super annoying”

- Oh Tsukki is pissed off, he has this intimidating aura coming from him as he approaches the dude that’s shitting on you

“You’re the ex? Yikes...😬”

- Tsukki will wait for what he has to say and the whole time he just has the biggest smirk on his face, like it’s about to go down

- Yams and Sho are hyped uP but they’re waiting behind the door bc they’re babies and they’re scared

- Mm Tsukki does not hold back, he straight up roasts this dudes ass, mans just releases all the salt that’s stored in him

“Mhm yeah, that’s pretty pathetic”

“Heh lame”

“Wow...I can’t believe she really dated you”

- Yeah that’s not that much salt

- Tanaka find the three of them in the bathroom and as much as he wants Tsukki to keep going, they have to get ready for the game

- During the game, your ex tries to spike and he’s instantly shut down my Tsukki and his 6’3 ass, It’s quite hilarious 😌

- Anyways, Tsukki blocks your ex every single time wiTH A SMIRK, mans is not holding back on this bitch

- He says it’s bc he was predictable

- Later, Karasuno beats Kagugawa and Tsukki hardcore glares at your ex like it’s pretty scary since Tsukki is one to act all sassy rather than mad when he gets irritated

“You don’t talk shit about her, ever”

- SUDHDJD DAMN TSUKKI CHILLL

- You watch all of this happen and you immediately ask your boyfriend if something was wrong bc you’re a tad bit worried

“We just had a disagreement that’s all”

“uHH YEAH RIGHT TSUKKI WENT OFF EARLIER IN THE BATHROOM—”

tobio kageyama

- Um another scary bitch please do not talk trash about his gf when he’s around

- He’s probably filing his nails away from his team bc he needs his peace and quiet and doesn’t wanna get bullied by Hinata and Tsukki

- When he hears a guy talking very loudly to his friend, now usually he’d ignore them or move spots but like this dude is talking abt you

- So, he stays for a bit and listens to what he has to say. Who even is this dude? Why does he know you? Why is talking to loud like please shut the f—

“Pfft yeah my ex is here with her volleyball team, I talked to her earlier and oh my god she’s exactly the same when I first dated her”

- I’m not sure if that’s a roast sorry I’m bad at these

- Oh now Kags is pissed, see he was already a little irked that this jerk was your ex but he was also talking trash abt you? Nahh

- He throws his nail file on the ground and stomps right up to this douche to smack some sense in him

“Yeah she’s hella annoy—”

“Why don’t you shut the fuck up?”

“Who tf—”

- So Kageyama is also unusually “calm” about the whole situation which makes it even more terrifying

- Kageyama will most likely go off and tell this dude that he has no business talking abt his gf like that

- he’ll focus more on dissing the dude and let me tell you this dude’s roasts h u r t

- like his insults are like 90% swear words

“goblin lookin ass”

“long titty no nipple lookin ass”

“get outta here you abominable fuck waffle”

- Imagine this scary ass dude coming up to you, telling you to shut the fuck up, then realizing this is Tobio Kageyama, The King of the Court, the incredible setter that has precise aim, the 2nd half of the freak duo, going off on how you should stfu abt his gf

- oh and you’re facing him on your next game

- and he absolutely obliterates your sorry ass

- his sets are perfect, he blocks every single fuckin spike you make, and when you think he’s going setting to #10 think again bc he will do a setter dump

- basically he’s on fire and tear the other team to shreds it’s kind of scary actually, hinata was sweating buckets when kageyama served since he looked so terrifying at the moment

- after the game, kageyama would want to leave immediately he doesn’t want to see your ex anymore

“You doing okie? Did something happen with you and him before the game?”

“Yep, but it’s nothing don’t worry about it”

- kags you have that creepy smile again stop you’re scaring y/n

[border-spam]

Leech Lord: Allies

Troy

Gar is about as native as a Pandoran can get, and has for years had a very soft spot for the bratty King.

He's old colonist, thinks his parents might have been with Atlas on one of the many failed corporate town setups that plagued Pandora 30-ish years ago. He was too young to remember who's banner they flew under when his family stepped out of the shuttle and onto the dust planes they’d been instructed to settle, just that things went wrong fast and anyone still alive 18 months later had needed to adapt quickly to what constitutes living on this planet.

He was drawn to the Holy City for the same reasons as most survivalists, it was an opportunity for safety and a roof over your head. Not needing to fight to eat or scrabble to stay alive is a blessing for most Pandorans, and he's one of the thousands who live within the walls who don't quite worship the twins as Gods, but praise them as holy... because the twins gave them a chance to have a home. Wether they are deities or not isn't a factor in the loyalty they've�� earned.

He's skilled with food. Knows how to spice spoiled flesh to hide the rot, pickle cactus root and delicate rock blossoms for long storage, or how long rakk wing needs to be slow roasted to turn from gamey string to meat that melts in the mouth.

Like most in the HC, he ended up where his skills have value and has ran the kitchens in the Grand Cathedral since its founding bricks were set.

It didn't take very long for him to find Troy in it one night - picking through ingredients and half finished dishes in the early AM.

While he'd expected to need to drop to his knees and grovel, the God King had seemed more embarrassed than anything, awkwardly explaining he hadn't eaten that day and asking if there was anything left from the after sermon banquet. 

His eager politeness had hit Gar hard, but his reaction to finding out the leftovers had been destroyed was what left a lasting impression.

Gar had thought the twins affluent spoiled little shits who'd hit things lucky on Pandora and been clever enough to know how to use their wealth to culture worship, so when Troy was genuinely upset to the point of disgust that food had been wasted like that? It changed his perception immediately.

This wasn't the reaction of some egotistical little shitbag from a wealthy background, this was the visceral panic and anger of someone who'd starved before, who understood the insult of food being destroyed when there were so many hungry... when he'd known hunger.

It took less than 24 hours for the kitchen policies to be changed and Gar's team to find out nothing was to be wasted. Uneaten and unused stock was to be transported at end of day to the Slums from now on, where it would "Bolster the flesh of the faithful."

Every time he finds Troy hunting through his kitchen at 4 am over the years, their chats grow a little longer.

By late COV, Gar's meals delivered to his sanctum are some of the only things God King Calypso still trusts enough to eat.

Tyreen

Xanshi Ur-Vendit is obsessed with the God Queen.

As her Saint of Marketing, he's got both her ear and a position of high authority within the organisation that he covets viciously, and takes great personal offense towards newer Saints he doesn't deem worthy of the title.

His pedigree speaks for itself, the man had quite a reputation on Promethea among the media departments of the high corporations. An expertly trained and cut-throat money maker that was the exact kind of egotistical, nasty piece of work that would be drawn to the God Queen's side.

Has direct tie in's with the esteemed Katagawa family, something he's used to his benefit throughout his career.

He fawns over her, she can do no wrong around him, and he spends as many hours of the day as he can trailing behind her heels like a lapdog, reaffirming her beauty and intelligence and infallibility with every breath he can manage between the underhanded threats he aims towards anyone possibly about to draw her attention away from him.

Hates Troy. Fucking hates him.

Too much of a hole-sucking little coward in his $60k three piece suit to actually do anything about it of course, but he takes plenty of his vitriol out on Troy's departments instead.

Marketing has such massive reach within the internal structure of the COV that he's able to throw his weight around far more than some of her other Saints, and regardless of if they actually like him, they tend to back Xan and his opinions automatically.

A huge amount of the conflict between departments and heads is driven by this imagined competitiveness, that Troy's people, Troy's chosen, must in some way be inferior to Tyreen's.

Xan is her right hand in his own mind, he's her holy knight. If she holds too much misplaced love for her brother to see how pathetic he is in comparison to her radiance, then it's up to Xan to keep Troy's people in place...

In reality? Tyreen isn't even invested in him enough to remember Xanshi's full name.

Seifa

Sei makes friends in low places far easier than higher ones, always has. People at the bottom of the ladder, folks who have struggled? They recognise each other. Doesn't matter where on the scales they currently stand, there's an unspoken nod, a side glance. You see your own - even if who you are has been lucky enough to change over time.

While she's never been in one place long enough to set up a friend network before that was tangible and not based on e-comms and data feeds, she's woven one since settling in the HC without really even noticing it was happening.

One-hand Jim in the King's Call, that high end rave bar near the cathedral grounds. Not so gruff now he's not drowning in debt, few more smiles while he's mixing cocktails.

Cleo in munitions stocks, breathing a bit easier since her son landed that underling role in the Mechanica, more food on the table with less worry.

Feliz and Irgo running deals in the western slum backstreets. Not competing against the HammerClaws for territory anymore since JK "got wind" of the shit they were cutting their gear with and had Vanguard waiting at their quarters for a polite discussion about unspoken laws. What Fe and Iggy are selling isn't exactly high quality but at least it won't rot your brain inside the skull.

Sei will tell you she's a lone wolf. She'll insist she’s a one woman show, runs shit on her own and doesn’t need others.

But watch closely when out with her in the city, check how often she buys a drink, how often it's not on an invisible tab the barstaff nod knowingly about as they hand her glass over with a smirk.

She's never asked to pay.

That should tell you plenty.

Seifa and Tyreen

- Early COV

"Ty, you ever wish you were born a guy?"

Of all the things Tyreen had expected to hear from Sei tonight, that... wasn’t it. She stopped reading the same piece of nonsensical math in the sheet she was holding to gawk at Seifa instead, staring at the other woman’s back as she continued to work on the data records they'd been passing between them all evening.

"No.. god. What, and look like Troy?" she snorted with a wince. "Nooooo thanks" Ty sighed as she leaned back and heard her stiff spine pop, waiting for a response that didn't come. She felt a pang of concern as Sei's shoulders sank a little lower in front of her, deflating.

This wasn’t normal, where was the bitchy retort, or joining in on insulting her brother? She shuffled together the files and stood, walking to her friend's side and sitting slowly next to her in the quiet of the twin's shared office. Sei still hadn’t responded, pretending to be completely absorbed by the notes she stared at. Ty cleared her throat with a cough.

"Uhhh.. why?"

Seifa silently reached to her side to take the offered files from Ty as she sat, pointedly not making eye contact, though the younger woman picked up on the redness in them easily enough.

"Sei, I need to have someone's hands cut off?" 

Ty pouted, hitting her mark as Seifa failed to completely hide a smirk in response.

"I need to have someone thrown into a pit? Huh? C'mon Sei, talk to me. You always tell me I need to talk more about things that me down, right?" she weedled, hands clasped over her heart as she faux whined, earning a quiet laugh from her companion.

"Oh god Tyreen SURE, if you'll shutup." Sei groaned, leaning back in her chair and running hands over her eyes. She was tired. Beyond tired, really. Always said she knew how to not outstay her welcome but had been wondering recently if that had ever been true. Day to day in the cult, managing people she’d never meet and holding the weight of more responsibility than she’d ever wanted was eating at her. Had been for some time. Nights like this helped, shooting shit with Tyreen, bitching, sometimes gently bullying Troy together if he’d decided to grace them with his janky presence, but still.. it was heavy, and Seifa was tired. 

"Ahh.. just the usual shit" she whispered, thumbing through the papers as Tyreen leaned a little closer, as much of a comforting presence as she could muster all things considered. An arm around the shoulder or gentle stroke of hair wasn’t an option. All Ty had was words and honestly, they weren’t exactly her forte.

“It's just like. Sometimes when I'm talking, and it's about something they think I shouldn't know shit about, like how Burgess is spending too much of your budget on expensive, low grade gear-assemblies when if we went off brand I can prove it would be better, they just zone out."

"It's like.. if they thought I had a cock, if I was 6'4, they'd be listening. " she added, eyes burning again.

She groaned, leaning over the table and resting her cheek across her folded arms.

"I got so angry. I'm used to dealing with it, it's always happened, but I just boiled over. This week has been.. long, I guess." she whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose as Tyreen watched quietly. "I ate into him in front of like, 6 other people Ty, couple of heads were there. That doesn't help my reputation does it.. that's just making shit worse. I'm sabotaging myself. They think I'm a bitch already without me starting a fight and stirring the pot."

Tyreen shifted in her seat, eyes thoughtful as she rested her chin in her hands, elbow propped on the table edge.

"Nah. "

"Just sounds like they're dumb. I keep telling Troy we need people with actual brains leading this shit Sei, if you're getting ignored cause you have tits? Haha. Wait till they meet me in person. " she grinned, a genuine act peeking through her usual haughty persona as Seifa chuckled.

"I mean my rack is way bigger than yours, you're flat as a fuckin' plank in comparison."

Asks are Open!

[dingdonghun]

Something There~

That wasn’t there before~ Lmao. 

Genre: Fluff, a teensy bit of angst but not really

Characters: Johnny, y/n

Word count: 10,658 characters

I had a dream about Johnny so I am going to write a drabble loosely based on it before I forget the dream. 

Lazy Summary: Best friends? Yes? No? Maybe so? Beauty and The Beast reference as the title? Absolutely.

Johnny’s arm quickly wrapped around your waist, yanking you against him as his free hand mercilessly tickled your side. You let out a shriek, dropped the ps4 controller in your hands and desperately tried to shove him away. 

You knew this would be in vein, though, just based on one simple look at Johnny’s figure. That man had biceps. He was strong, and you were no match for him. You opted for plan B: whining and begging.

“Johnny, that isn’t fair, you can’t cheat like that, please stop!!”

Johnny laughed at your dismay, begrudgingly letting you go, but with a smile still plastered on his face.

After catching your breath, you gave the male a playful slap on the shoulder, followed by an icy glare.

“Just because you are losing, doesn’t mean you can resort to cheating! Just accept that I am better than you!” You playfully stuck your nose up in the air, folding your arms and trying to look superior.

Johnny let out an even louder laugh than before before his arm once again wrapped around your waist, this time the intention was innocent. He tugged you gently into his chest on the couch, hugging you tightly with one arm while he changed the tv back to regular television.

Things between you and Johnny had been weird lately… the two of you had been best friends for about three years now, but in the recent few months he had been getting closer, more touchy, more comfortable, you thought. 

Is this how normal friends acted? Of course it is, right? He is just comfortable with you, you two are best friends after all. Best friends cuddled with each other, right? You were sure they did.

“Hey, y/n, put on your playlist while we clean! Let’s listen to some music!”

You smiled sweetly at your friend before obliging, turning on your mixed playlist and pressing shuffle. You stood up and walked into the room with him, the two of you beginning to pick up the mess from last night’s get together with all of your other friends. You didn’t live with Johnny, but it seemed like you were almost always at his house anyways, so you may as well have.

“Johnny, can we go to the store after this? I will bake your favorite brownies!”

“Of course we can, princess.”

There it was again. Another thing that had been happening in the recent few months. He kept calling you princess. You felt your cheeks heat up every time, too. Was he just doing it to tease you? He must have found it funny, seeing you get all embarrassed, but you never protested. You didn’t want him to think that it annoyed you, because that was far from the true affects it had.

Just as you were deep in your thoughts about your friend’s intensions, one of NCT 127′s songs came on shuffle. Touch. Oh god.

You cautiously raised your gaze to look at Johnny, trying to be sneaky about it. No dice. He was already staring at you with a huge grin on his face.

“Johnny, no–”

“Come on, please? It is great to dance to! Just dance with me!” 

He was already in a playful dance as he spoke, and you figured it was no use arguing. As much as you hated to admit it, dancing with him was really, really fun. So, this time you were the one who begrudgingly gave in, beginning to dance around the livingroom with Johnny instead of cleaning. The two of you obnoxiously sang along and laughed together as you moved around the small room. 

Towards the end of the song, after you were fairly exhausted, (Though Johnny was just fine, seeing as he did this all of the time), You stopped dancing around and tried to catch your breath, leaning your back against the wall. Johnny slowed down to a stop as well, his demeanor completely different now, unreadable. 

He raised his arm up to rest against the wall beside your head, resting his own in his palm. His free hand raised up to gently press his fingers under your chin, tilting your head up to meet his eyes as he sang the last quarter of the song to you in a much-too-serious, calm tone. 

“Nananananana, nanananana~ So touch me, baby~…”

You felt your heart racing in your chest. Once again, your brain had no idea how to interpret this. He just really liked the song, right? He never really did have a sense of personal space to begin with, so this wasn’t too out of the usual, was it? But he had no idea what these types of actions were doing to you. Things had changed between the two of you not only behavior wise, but also in your heart. You just couldn’t see him feeling the same way, so you constantly tried to debunk every action he put your way.

Wether he could tell you were uncomfortable or not, he pulled away from you and gave you space, smiling his sweet, soft smile at you. Just then, another song came on that made you internally shudder. Welcome to my Playground. 

Johnny didn’t react at first. 

“We sure did get distracted, huh? Let’s get this cleaned up before my roommates get home and roast me alive.” He chuckled.

Thankful for the reprieve, you visibly relaxed your shoulders and stepped away from the wall to continue to help your friend clean. Though you swore you could hear him singing part of the song under his breath. What was he singing?… “Keep me guessin’ keep me guessin, why you trippin’ why you trippin’, if you wanna play with me, wanna stay with me, you better come here now”

You weren’t 100% sure why, but as he was singing it, you felt as if it was directed at you. Which was ridiculous, of course.

Shrugging it off, you finished up the cleaning and as promised, Johnny went to the store with you so you could bake him those brownies he loves so much.

The two of you were sitting on the couch playing video games again, this time fairly, as Johnny’s roommates came through the door. Normally they were never home, but this must have been one of those rare occasions. Which was unfortunate, because you really, really hated his roommates. They were mean to you for no reason, especially one in particular. Henry. He wasn’t an idol, you didn’t know what he did, but he was always horrible to you.

“Oh, great. she’s here. As always.” You could almost hear the venom in his voice, and it stung. You always shrunk in his presence, but today you were in a zero tolerance mood. You really, really didn’t want to deal with his shit.

“Knock it off, Henry. You’re never here anyways, what’s it matter who I have over?” Johnny muttered without looking away from the screen, much too focused in trying to best you in a game for once.

“Every time that spoiled brat is here, you completely ignore us. Which is every time we are here. We never actually get to hang out with you, because of little miss obsessed.”

Before Johnny could turn to snap at Henry, you finally broke.

“Shut the hell up, Henry. You literally know nothing about me because, as you just said, you are never here. Maybe if you actually showed your face at your own apartment every once in a while, you’d actually get to see him. It doesn’t seem like you want to see Johnny that badly though, does it?”

Johnny turned to you, his eyes wide with surprise. From what he’s seen, you’d always been passive and shy around strangers.

When it came to Johnny, though, it made you so furious that Henry had the nerve to use him as an excuse for not liking you, when it was his own fault that he never saw him.

“What did you just say to me?? You little bit–”

Johnny immediately stood up, yanking you up with him. 

“Henry, this is my house. I pay the bills. I will have over whoever I damn well please. You barely exist here anyways. Don’t ever talk to my girlfriend like that again.”

You nodded your head with a stern expression, before immediately pausing.

What did Johnny just say? Did he call you his… girlfriend?

You looked up at Johnny, trying to get his attention with your stare, to no avail. Johnny just glared at Henry before wrapping his arm around your waist and bringing you close to his side in a protective manner before he pushed past the other guys, walking you out the front door.

This was a lot. I mean, a l o t. Johnny had been acting very touchy and close with you lately, but you had never imagined he actually liked you… no, maybe he just said that because he wanted to make sure they didn’t bully you again? Yeah, that was probably it.

“Y/n, I swear to god.”

Johnny’s slightly annoyed voice pulled you from your thoughts. 

“Huh? What?”

“How much more clear do I have to make it? I like you. A lot. I really, really like you. Every time I try to show it, you make that face you’re making, as if you’re trying to figure out my intentions.”

Your cheeks were bright red and you were speechless, staring up into his eyes.

“I know you like me, y/n. I can tell, it’s so obvious. Why can’t you tell, too? I think I have made it twice as obvious. One of us had to make the first move, you know, and I suppose it is me.”

Before you could speak, he maneuvered his grip on your waist to turn you and pull you into his chest, leaning down and pressing his soft lips to the corner of yours, as if to ask for permission.

It had taken a long time of Johnny shamelessly hitting on you and then bluntly confessing to you for you to believe that he could possibly like you.You were still in shock, but you had liked him for a long time, too. You had no idea it was mutual, and you had no idea how you could have been so blind. Of course friends don’t do the things Johnny did, as often as he did them.

You felt a huge sense of relief flood your entire body and you finally found your courage. 

Your arms wrapped up around Johnny’s shoulders and you tugged yourself tighter against his chest, leaning up and pressing your lips to his in a not-so-gentle, passionate kiss.

Wow. Weird thinking about how good of a kisser your best friend is. Though, he wasn’t really your best friend at this point, now was he?

You couldn’t help but laugh against his lips, ruining the kiss prematurely.

Johnny pulled away and licked his lips, looking down at you and chuckling along. “What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking about how you just… boldly proclaimed me as your girlfriend to your roommates. I mean, where was I when that decision took place?” You laughed once more, only teasing him.

“You’re right, that was a bit rushed, wasn’t it? I’m sorry. I should take you on a proper date and ask, shouldn’t I?”

“Yes, yes you should. Like a gentleman would do. Are you a capable gentleman, Johnny?”

He snorted. “I don’t know, Princess. We will find out, won’t we? Though if you don’t watch your tone, you might find yourself subject to another session of merciless tickling.”

You raised your hands up into the air in surrender. “No, captain, I think I choose to behave for now.”

“That’s my girl.” With a smile, he lifted you up into the air and onto his back, wrapping your legs around his hips for him to hold onto. 

“Now, lets go see a movie.”

[imlikepadfoot]

May I have a GT or marauders ship? I'm a straight horned serpent slytherin girl. Hummingbird patronus. I like writing, singing and drawing. I hate bullies and I dislike pranks. My ambition is making a change by becoming a primary education teacher. I'm a feminist and the one to kill you with kindness. I am moody, proud, stubborn and sarcastic yet sweet, hard-working, open-minded and empathic. I smile a lot. I'm cautious and I don't trust easily. Family comes first for me. My boggart is death. TY

I guess late is better than never? I’m so sorry After a while, (I mean a very long while! You can blame Word of Warcraft and 7 days to Die for the lack of writing, the world needs to be saved!)

Hope you’ll like it! Thank you so much for the ask!

                                   I ship you with Sirius!                                        your song: Broken -Seether ft Amy Lee-

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

-… not brilliant enough to know that all you can do is bully people!

-Bully them!? Bully them, merlin can’t you take a fucking joke already? This was nothing! And it was hilarious!

-Hilarious!? No, it was humiliating, that’s the only thing it was, Black, but I guess I forgot who I was talking to, to begin with, and that your abilities of comprehension are even more diminished than I thought. 

Sirius stared at you, eyes wide open, not believing you had just roasted him like this in the great hall, in front of so many witnesses. 

-Oh yeah, sure, miss no-fucking-it-all (Jeez watch your language, Black!) thinking she knows what’s best for everyone! Cut the crap, you know nothing and nobody cares for your stupid advice, snake girl.

-Is that so? Well fine, then go rot in hell, don’t come back crawling when you’d realize that your stupid bulling pranks can badly hurt people, especially the one you love! You shouted, heading back to the Slytherin common room.

Weeks had passed since that incident and the friendship between Sirius and you had suffered a great deal from it. Things had never been easy, the line between romantic flirting and brotherly friendship between the two of you had always been twisted together, often playing with each other but never an argument like this had broke you apart. 

You sure did love him, sometimes like a friend, sometimes like more, but you couldn’t stand anymore the bullying he was hiding behind stupid and dangerous pranks. You had hated them for long but the last one he had put on a poor second year had been enough. 

One night, you were slowly patrolling the corridors as your Prefect duties commanded it. It was a normal night, nothing had happened except for two lost first year and Peeve playing with some armors on the second floor. You had passed the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom when you saw a silhouette, sitting in the frame of an open window.

Another one, you thought, it was oh so cool to break the curfew rule. You sigh, approaching the boy in the window. -It’s late, now go to your dormitory or I’ll have to remove some house points … Sirius? 

A moonbeam passed over his face and you gasp a little. He was a mess, you had already seen him as a mess but never this hard. He had been crying from what you could tell and wasn’t well at all.

-What happens… you said slowly, not wanting him to push you away. -You look like someone had just died.

-Yeah, my friendship with everyone just passed away. He said with a cracked voice. -Seem you were right and that I should have listened to you after all. He let out a soft laugh that died in his throat -I… fuck up everything, two people almost died just because… I was… angry and I wanted to scare the shit out of him but.. it turns out he saw Moon’… James’ jumped in and risk his neck to save him… they don’t want to talk to me anymore even tho I told them how sorry and wrong I was and… and that I regret it… shouldn’t have put that stupid prank in the first place, I was a jerk, and…

-Everyone makes mistake Pad’, some are bigger than others and take more time to be forgiven by the people who have been hurt by those mistakes. You said gently, sitting next to him in the window frame. -Don’t be too harsh on yourself, they’ll come around when the wound you did, heal a bit. 

He looked at you, ruffling his hair in pain, his eyes full of tears he didn’t want to let go. -Thanks… he said painfully as you put your head on his shoulder, taking his hand in yours.

-Just give them time, you like to push thing and are accustomed to people easily forgiven you, but I’m afraid that this time, it’s gonna take more than some sorry.

He nodded lightly, tightening his grasp on your hand as you kissed his cheek. -For what it means to you, I’m sorry about every stupid and mean stuff I said to you… I… love you very much and I didn’t want to fuck everything we had.

-You didn’t, don’t worry. You said, and for the first time of the night, you saw him smile a little. You had told him over and over again that someday, his pranks were gonna end badly, but no matter what, you’ll sand up with him.

[swanqueeneverafter]

What Dreams May Come, Pt. 3

A New Realm. Night. (Henry gallops along the forest path toward the place he first met Ella.) Henry: "Cinderella! (Dismounts:) Cinderella, I'm here! Cinderella?! (Horse neighs:) Yeah, I know. I was crazy to think she'd come. (Horse whinnies:) Ah, you get it. (At that moment, Henry's cellphone buzzes. Taking it out of his pocket, he sees the alarm set for midnight and, sure enough, the portal home opens before him. Sighs:) All right, time to go home. (To the horse:) Thanks for the ride." (Stepping forward, Henry enters the portal and vanishes.) Kingdom of Valencia. The Next Day. (King Richard sits upon the throne of Valencia, Gareth stood by his side as the Chef enters the room, noisily wheeling in a tray of food.) Chef: “A midday snack, My King?” King Richard: “Come up here. (Cautiously, the Chef climbs the dais:) What happened to the other chef? Looked just like you, but... older, more wrinkly.” Chef: “My father?” King Richard: “Right. What happened to him?” Chef: “You had him killed, sir.” King Richard: “Hmm?” Chef: “Your mutton was too rare.” King Richard: “Well, that doesn't sound like me.” Chef: “You killed his father before him. Your family has killed the last four generations of chefs in my family. It's not a great job, My King.” King Richard: (Despondently:) “I'm such a bully. I'm under a terrible amount of pressure. You have to understand that.” Chef: “Oh, it's fine, My King. Don't worry about it.” King Richard: “Oh, Gareth, I try so hard to please her. I invade a kingdom for a jewel, I respect her vow of chastity, and yet ever since Madelena saw that man fight off all my guards, she compares me to him and I have to hear it over and over again: ♪ Be a man! ♪ ♪ Be a man! ♪ ♪ Blah, blah, blah, blah, be a man! ♪ (Stands:) ♪ I want her, need her, crave her, yes, it's true. ♪ (Steps down from the dais:) ♪ But now she is not the only thing I desperately want to do. ♪ (Is suddenly flanked by two guards.) ♪ I want to shoot him with a crossbow ♪ ♪ I want to stab him in the eye ♪ (Begins dancing with a random courtier:) ♪ I want to liberate his head from his neck ♪ ♪ And then punt the bloody wreck sky high ♪ (Moves on to dance alone:) ♪ I want to hurl him out a window ♪ ♪ And shove explosives where the sun don't shine ♪ ♪ Want to skewer him with swords ♪ ♪ Then slowly twist them ♪ ♪ All around his reproductive system ♪ ♪ Won't that be divine? ♪ ♪ Then she'll be mine ♪ Gareth: (Bellowing at everyone gathered in the throne room:) “Everybody sing!” Guards: ♪ Ahh ♪ ♪ And then you'll do it every evening ♪ King Richard: ♪ Sweet God, at last! ♪ Guards: ♪ In every room on every floor ♪ King Richard: ♪ Till I can't do it anymore ♪ Gareth: ♪ And with no hero distracting your bride ♪ King Richard: ♪ We could start a genocidal war ♪ Guards & Courtiers: ♪ Yay, we're gonna go to... ♪ Wait, what?! King Richard: ♪ I'll get back to all my hobbies ♪ ♪ Like raising taxes and tormenting the poor ♪ Guards: ♪ Crush those poor! ♪ King Richard: (Begins dancing with the Chef:) ♪ Won't that be divine? ♪ (Tosses him aside.) Guards & Courtiers: ♪ Ahh ♪ King Richard: ♪ And she'll be mine ♪ Guards & Courtiers: ♪ Ia la la la ♪ King Richard: ♪ Just mine, all mine ♪ Guards & Courtiers: ♪ Ia la la la ♪ King Richard: ♪ Mine, all mine, all mine! ♪ (Everyone in the room is dancing, Richard with Gareth, the courtiers and guards form a large circle to give the song its big finish.) King Richard: (Seating himself back upon the throne:) “Well, that was ripping!”

Storybrooke. Swan-Mills House. Morning. (As the morning sun makes its way across the sky and its rays trickle through the bedroom window, Emma slowly opens her eyes. Squinting, she lifts her head briefly before remembering it’s the weekend. Just as she’s about to roll over however, Emma hears noises coming from the bathroom. Lifting the covers and stepping out of bed, Emma makes her way over to the bathroom door. Listening outside for a moment, she relaxes slightly when the sound of the shower running is heard. Waiting outside with her hand hovering over the door handle for a full minute, Emma gently knocks on the door before entering. The sight that greets her causes the blonde’s heart to ache. Sitting on the floor of the shower, knees drawn up to her chest, is Regina. Despite the falling water, Emma can tell the brunette is crying.) Emma: (Softly:) “Regina?” Regina: (Sniffling:) “Why does it have to be so hard?” Emma: (Nods:) “I know. I know.” Regina: “I eat what I like, I get sick. Then I eat what I’m ‘supposed to’ and I get sick. I work less: sick. I stop work completely: sick. But even that would be bearable if I could just get a damn full night’s sleep.” Emma: (Stepping into the shower to turn off the water, Emma then takes her wife’s hand and lowers herself to sit across from her on the tiled floor:) “Do you want to go see Doctor Whale?” Regina: (Shaking her head:) “No. You heard what he said last time.” Emma: “When you threatened to rip his arm off and beat him with it?” Regina: (Lowering her head to her knees:) “Yeah. I know that what’s happening is amazing and I already love this baby more than I can say-“ Emma: “But it’d be nice if she would cut you some slack, huh?” Regina: (Raising her head:) “Yeah. If it was just a little easier, just by a tiny amount.” Emma: (Nodding:) “That’d be great.” (Moving onto her knees, Emma pulls her wife in for a warm embrace.) Regina: (Sighs:) “Soon you won’t even be able to wrap your arms around me and then my misery will be complete.” Emma: “Shh. I’ll always be able to wrap my arms around you. (Teasing:) Or parts of you, at least.” Regina: (With a rueful smile:) “Some prize I am, huh?” Emma: (Gently lifting Regina’s chin to meet her gaze:) “You are lovelier this morning than you have ever been. I only wish there were a way I could make you feel better.” Regina: “Just hold me a little longer?” Emma: “I’m not going anywhere, ever.” Swan-Mills House. Upstairs Hallway. A Few Minutes Earlier. (Having returned home, Henry is attempting to reach his room without waking his parents when he overhears their conversation. Realising he may have a way to help his moms, Henry decides to share his secret with them.)

A New Realm. Valencia. (Queen Madelena looks on disgusted as King Richard is being fed like a child by the Chef.) Chef: (Holding up a spoonful:) “Catapult at the ready.” (Richard opens his mouth and the Chef feeds him.) King Richard: (Clapping:) “Mm mm mm!” Chef: “More? (Richard nods:) Which… (Richard points to something on the plate and the Chef scoops it up for him:) This one, this one?” King Richard: “Mm. Mm-hmm.” Chef: (Holding up the spoon once more:) “This one's coming on horseback.” Gareth: (Watching from his position by the window:) “Chef! Why don't you let the king feed himself in front of his wife? She's watching.” Chef: (Despite this, continues feeding the king:) “Open your drawbridge! Here comes the cannonball!” King Richard: (Chews for a moment:) “Ohh! Ew! There's fat on this piece. I don't like it. Take it out.” Chef: “All right. All right.” (When the Chef reaches into the king’s mouth to remove the offending piece of food, Madelena has seen enough.) Queen Madelena: (Stands:) “Right. Okay. Well... (Clears throat:) That's going to do it for me.” King Richard: “But, darling, you've barely touched your roast peacock.” Queen Madelena: “Chef, be a doll and shove a few more cannonballs down my husband's throat. I'm growing weary of his voice.” (She leaves.) King Richard: “Never start a marriage with a kidnapping. Both of you promise me that right now.” Gareth: “Yeah, we promise, My King.” Chef: “Rock-solid advice, My King.” King Richard: “Still, it’s fine. I'm sure once I kill that hero that took down my guards in front of her, she'll change her tune. (Neither Gareth or the Chef will meet his eye:) What's with the awkward silence?” Gareth: “Uh, it's...” King Richard: “What?” Gareth: “No, it's nothing.” King Richard: “Speak.” Gareth: “Well, um, I just think... And I say this very respectfully, Sire... You got to man up. You got to butch up for her a little bit.” King Richard: “Me?” Gareth: “Yeah!” King Richard: (Laughing, stands:) “I'm sorry, Gareth. I am Mr. Butch! (Throws down his napkin and notices something:) Oh, poop! I got gravy on my tummy flowers. (Gasps:) Oh, my God. You're right.” Gareth: (Nods:) “Come with me, Sire.” Storybrooke. Swan-Mills House. Kitchen. (Regina and Emma are making breakfast together when Henry enters the room.) Henry: "Hey guys." Emma: "Hey." Regina: "Good morning, Henry." Henry: (Cautiously:) "How's everyone feeling?" (Emma and Regina glance at each other before answering.) Emma: "Great." Regina: "Couldn't be better. Happy to see you in a better mood." Henry: "Yeah, about that. I know I haven't been the best son lately and I'm sorry. But I want to make it up to you both." Emma: "Henry, that's not necessary we just-" Henry: "No, please, let me get this out." Regina: (Concerned:) "Is everything all right?" Henry: (Nods:) "Yeah, or it will be. Could you please both sit?" (Henry pulls out a chair for Regina who takes a seat while Emma brings over the pan containing the pancakes and places it on the chopping block before sitting down.) Emma: "What is it, Henry? You know you can tell us anything." Henry: (Takes a deep breath:) "Okay, the reason I've been all distracted lately is because I've found something awesome. Better than any video game or travelling across Europe could ever be." Regina: "Okay..." Henry: "And I want you guys to share in it too. I think it could be just what you guys are looking for." Emma: "Well wait, what is it you think we're looking for?" Henry: (Hesitates:) "I heard you both earlier. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but... (Looks to Regina:) I heard what you're going through and I really think this could help." Regina: "What are you talking about, Henry?" Henry: "Oh it's way too difficult to explain, I'll have to show you." Emma: "Great. But first, breakfast." Regina: (Nods:) "I'm famished." Henry: (Smiles:) "Cool."

A New Realm. Valencia. (King Richard opens the doors to Gareth’s chambers and walks inside.) King Richard: (Looking around:) “Holy cow! This is your room?! (Sniffs:) What’s that smell?” Gareth: “Testosterone.” King Richard: (Sniffs again:) “Mmm. Musky.” Gareth: “Look, if you want your wife to respect you, you've got to earn her respect. You need to man up.” King Richard: (Sighs:) “I wouldn't even know where to begin.” Gareth: “Well, it just so happens you're talking to the professor in the art of manhood. And I'm gonna give you a makeover.” King Richard: “Gareth, I cannot thank you enough. Come here, you!” Gareth: (Warningly:) “Hey, I've only ever hugged one man in my life, and it was the day my father died. (Sighs:) I squeezed that rotten bastard to death.” King Richard: “Right. We'll hug later. Good talk.” The Enchanted Forest. (Henry leads his parents into Xanax’s Laboratory.) Emma: “Hmm. This is… cozy.” Regina: “It’s an attic.” Xanax: “Excuse me, madam, but this is my laboratory.” Regina: (To Emma:) “It’s an attic.” Henry: “Moms, may I present, Xanax the magician.” Xanax: (Grunts, getting to his feet:) “Actually, I'm not legally allowed to call myself a magician anymore 'cause of the whole... (Sighs:) Thing. Don't worry about it. Think of me as a spiritual guide. I'm allowed to... Call myself that. Anyone can. It's meaningless.” Regina: (Taking Henry aside:) “Henry, this is the place you’ve been spending your time? (Looking around:) I think I’m getting an infection just by standing here.” Toad: “Ribbit.” Emma: (Pointing to the man sitting on the floor:) “Who’s that?” Xanax: “It’s Toad. He’s cool.” Toad: “Ribbit.” Xanax: (Chuckles:) “Don't ask. (At Emma’s concerned look:) He was a toad. I did a spell... turned him into a human-ish... Type thing. So, uh, yeah. I flipped it.” (Laughs.) Regina: “Oh dear lord.” Xanax: (Walking towards a table:) “Anyway, Henry, to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting your, quite frankly, stunning parents?” Henry: “Well, it’s no big deal, I just wanted to show them what you do. What you can do for them.” Xanax: “And what seems to be the problem?” Regina: (Before Henry can continue:) “Are you a licensed… whatever you are?” Xanax: (Chuckles:) “Does it look like I’m licensed to do anything?” Regina: “Henry-” Henry: “Mom, it’s fine, trust me. (To Xanax:) My mom is kinda having trouble sleeping at night… complications due to pregnancy.” Regina: (Chiding:) “Henry.” Henry: “It’s okay.” Xanax: “Yeah, I can see that. If these are your parents, who’s the father?” Emma: “I am.” Xanax: (Thinks a moment:) “Oh! You’re that Emma and Regina. The queen and the savior? The ones who united the realms with true love’s kiss.” Regina: “Clearly our reputation proceeds us.” Xanax: (Chuckles:) “Oh, you ain’t kidding. Because of you, my business has skyrocketed.” Henry: “I thought I was your only customer?” Xanax: “Well, yeah, that’s what I mean. Before you, I didn’t have any.”

Emma: (Squeezing Regina’s hand before she can say anything:) “Let’s just see if he can help, okay?” Regina: (Sighs:) “Fine.” Xanax: “Xanax can help anything.” Emma: “Wonderful.” Xanax: (Burps loudly:) “Bit of wind there. Ooh. Right. Let's get you started.” Regina: (As Xanax starts mixing ingredients into a cauldron:) “This is a... Kind of disgusting little workstation, isn't it?” Xanax: “Did you see the toilet? It's basically a window. And by ‘window,’ I mean ‘hole’... in the wall. It works. (Pick up another ingredient:) One of them. Oh. Toad spotted it. (Waving the item teasingly:) You'd love that, wouldn't you? (Chuckles:) That goes in. Ready. Let's do this. (Xanax ladles the mixture into a bowl which bubbles with smoke:) Oooooooooooh. Now the magic words. (Picking up a wand:) Abracadabra. Alakazam. (Mumbling:) Habrazamdabra, flanimal ham. Try that now. It's all magic.” Emma: “You realise we know actual magic, right?” Regina: “You gave my son this potion?” Henry: “Many times. Moms, please. Just try it.” Regina: (Sighs. To Xanax:) “So, we just... Drink that down?” Xanax: “Yeah.��� Emma: (Picking up the bowl, sniffing it:) “Ooh. That is…” Regina: “Pungent.” Xanax: “Yeah, that’ll be the anus.” Regina: “Oh, God.” Emma: “Oh, what the hell.” (Emma takes a sip of the potion then hands it to Regina who reluctantly does the same.) Xanax: “Excellent. Now, if you’ll all take your places on the floor.” Regina: “What?” Henry: “Relax, it’s all part of it.” Emma: (As she helps Regina onto the floor:) “What are you waiting for?” Henry: “Oh, I’m not going with you guys, I have my own place to be.” Xanax: (Cutting in:) “Welcome ladies, to your journey. There's bottles of water in easy reach. Please stay hydrated. And no kissing.” Regina: “Of course. Wait. What?” Xanax: “Oh... Shouldn't be an issue. But it has happened in the past, so I made a blanket rule... no kissing. (Chuckles:) Okay. Everyone ready?” Toad: “Ribbit.” Xanax: ♪ Close your eyes, open your mind ♪ ♪ Your journey's about to begin ♪ Regina: (Lifting her head off the pillows:) “He’s singing. Why is he singing? (Panicked:) No one mentioned anything about singing.” Henry: (Winces:) “Ah, yeah, I should’ve told you that randomly breaking into song can be a side-effect.” Regina: “Henry!” Xanax: ♪ Relax your karma and try not to barf ♪ ♪ As the universe starts to spin ♪ ♪ Hocus-pocus, expealadocious ♪ ♪ Set your aura free ♪ ♪ Petrificus totalis, drink deeply from the chalice ♪ ♪ Tell us what you see-e-e-e-e-e ♪ (As the room spins and both Emma and Regina succumb to the potions effects, a door appears at their feet.) Regina: (Sitting up quickly:) “I see a door!” Xanax: (Standing beside the door:) “Go through it! (Helping each other up, Emma and Regina hold hands and make their way through the door together. As they enter:) That’s magic!”

[emmerrr]

♥ for andreil plz :) love your writing btw

Anonymous said:♥ for andreil just bc I find it really ooc but want to see it anyway….

Anonymous said:  ❤️ for andriel? 😘

♥: Reacting to the other one crying about something

I bet you guys wanted me to go angsty with this one. (spoiler alert: I didn’t ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

(please don’t send me anymore now, I have plenty!)

Neil, it turns out, is a sentimental drunk.

If sober Neil is ready to roast anyone at the slightest provocation, then drunk Neil is just the same, except with compliments instead. Because Neil is only ever drunk around his Foxes, all of whom he is so full of love for that it has to have an outlet at some point.

Currently, they’re in the girls’ room, sans the baby Foxes (because honestly, fuck the baby Foxes), and the night is winding down. Andrew has spent the majority of the evening watching Neil’s cheeks get rosier and rosier, listening to the laugh that his friends can coax out of him so much easier when he’s been drinking.

Kevin took himself off to their suite a little while ago, and as Andrew notices Neil stumble for the umpteenth time, he thinks it best they call it a night as well.

“Neil,” he says, and Neil looks up immediately from where he’s half-perched on the arm of the sofa next to where Matt is sitting.

He smiles dopily. “Andrew.”

“I’m going back,” Andrew says. “Did you want to stay?” He’d rather Neil come with him now, of course, but their room is only two doors down and Neil is free to do what he likes.

He likes Andrew though, is the thing, and Andrew knows this all too well.

“Nah, I’m tired,” Neil says, slurring a little. “I’ll come with you.” Then he grins and drapes an arm over Matt’s shoulder and leans his cheek on Matt’s head. “This is the guy, right here. This is the guy.”

“What guy?” Andrew asks as Matt bursts out laughing and pats Neil’s hand affectionately.

“Just… just the guy, Andrew. Matt’s the guy.”

“Andrew, take your boy home. He’s drunk,” Allison pipes up from the other end of the sofa, and that, everyone can agree on.

It takes some gentle prying to get Neil to let go of Matt, but eventually he does and instead clings to Andrew’s hand as he’s led from the room. He calls out his adorations and goodnights to everyone else who chorus back with just as much love and affection, but then as soon as the door closes behind them, it’s blissfully quiet.

Or it is until Andrew gets Neil back to their suite.

“I’m going for a run in the morning,” Neil blurts loudly when Andrew lets go of his hand. “I’m gonna go for the best run ever.”

“I think you might want to reassess that decision when you wake up. And keep your voice down, Kevin’s sleeping.”

“Oh noooo,” Neil says with drunken sarcasm, and starts giggling.

Andrew wouldn’t normally care, but everyone suffers when Kevin doesn’t get his beauty rest, and he quickly shepherds Neil into the bathroom.

It takes longer than it should to cajole Neil into brushing his teeth, and longer still to get him changed into his PJs. Neil is next to no help and instead gazes at Andrew with unabashed adoration.

It’s only tolerable because Andrew is otherwise distracted by his task at hand.

Mercifully, like all trials and tribulations, it comes to an end and Neil finally settles in his bed, falling asleep almost immediately. How Kevin remained asleep through the entire ordeal is little short of a miracle, but Andrew supposes Kevin had his own fair share of drinks tonight.

As Andrew gets himself ready for bed, his overriding thought is that Neil is going to be in a world of pain in the morning. And a hungover Neil is – well, it’s an experience that Andrew is still learning to navigate.

It’ll be a long day.

Andrew’s the first to wake up, as he knew he would be.

He quietly climbs out of his loft and pads to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Kevin and Neil are definitely going to need some, and so is Andrew if he’s going to have to put up with their shit.

He’s made his way through one cup and two cigarettes up on his desk by the window before Kevin stumbles out and into the bathroom, nothing more than a grunt in Andrew’s direction to acknowledge his presence.

In fairness, once Kevin’s out of the shower he seems considerably more refreshed and when he’s dressed he pours himself a cup of coffee and perches next to Andrew on his desk.

“What time did you and Neil come back last night?” 

Andrew shrugs. “About an hour after you.”

“Did Neil get any drunker than he was after I left?”

“Yes,” Andrew says with a sigh, and Kevin cracks a smile. “What are you doing today, anyway?”

“Coach is picking me up in twenty. We’re grabbing brunch.”

Andrew raises an eyebrow. “Father-son bonding?”

Kevin looks away, sheepish. “Something like that.” He redirects. “What about you guys, any plans?”

Neil chooses that moment to let out a colossal pained groan from the bedroom, one that sounds an awful lot like, “Huuuurnghhhh.”

Andrew jerks his head towards the source of that sound. “I’ll be dealing with that all day.”

“Ha. Rather you than me.”

Kevin leaves soon after and Neil’s yet to actually emerge from his pit. Andrew considers just letting him sleep it off, but at a certain point Neil will have to start re-fuelling. And sleeping all day will just throw off his body clock, and the little Exy junkie won’t like that.

Andrew hops down from his desk and heads to the bedroom to pick up his car keys. “Get up, Neil,” he says, and throws the curtains wide open. Neil practically hisses and curls further in on himself.

All Andrew can see is a tuft of auburn curls sticking out the top of Neil’s duvet, and he sits on the mattress next to him.

“I’m gonna head out and grab some food, and while I’m gone you should really get up and shower.”

Neil grunts.

“You’ll feel better,” Andrew adds.

“Just leave me here to die,” Neil says hoarsely.

“Okay,” Andrew says matter-of-factly. “But if I get back and you’re still in bed I’m not sharing any of my food with you.”

The duvet shifts down a little and one of Neil’s eyes peers out accusingly. “You don’t mean that,” he says.

“Try me.”

Neil pokes his whole face out now, goes wide-eyed and full on pouts. Because hungover Neil is an unapologetic drama queen.

Andrew gets to his feet, keys in hand, and makes for the door. “Those puppy-dog eyes don’t work on me,” he says, which isn’t true at all, actually, and is part of the reason he’s leaving so abruptly. 

He’s a little longer out than he means to be because he can’t decide what to get. Comfort food seems best, but it’s a toss-up as to whether or not Neil will actually be able to keep anything down. He gets some juice and gatorade, and a smorgasbord of food that Neil can choose between. He detours to Dunkin’ Donuts on the way back because Neil likes their coffee, and Andrew likes their donuts.

When he gets back to Fox Tower, the figure on the sofa is one that much better resembles Neil Josten than the goblin who was occupying his bed this morning. Neil’s clearly heeded Andrew’s advice and showered because his hair still looks a little damp, and he’s dressed in clean sweats and a long sleeved tee.

He’s also watching a movie, and as Andrew drops his shopping bags onto the kitchen counter and sees what movie it is he sighs.

“Neil, no,” he says, exasperated. “You are far too emotionally fragile to be watching The Fox and the Hound right now.”

“It’s just a cartoon,” Neil grumbles back. “How bad can it be? The little fox’s mom already died, can’t get worse than that.”

He’s got no idea. Not even Andrew is unaffected by The Fox and the fucking Hound.

Neil’s not to be swayed, and although he decides he can’t eat anything yet, he gratefully accepts the coffee. Andrew wraps a blanket around Neil’s shoulders before sitting next to him, and he steadily starts to make his way through the donuts.

Every so often, he sneaks a glance at Neil out of the corner of his eye, but Neil remains huddled in his blanket, eyes on the screen. Transfixed.

The dreaded scene approaches, and it’s hard to watch even though Andrew’s seen it before and knows what’s going to happen.

On screen, as Tod the unsuspecting fox gets driven out to the woods and the sad little goodbye song starts to play, Neil goes suspiciously quiet.

And then, as the old lady drives away and Tod sits all alone and it starts to rain, Neil lets out a telltale sniff.

Andrew looks at him.

Neil’s eyes are swimming with huge-ass Ghibli tears, his lower lip wobbling helplessly in a way that tells Andrew he’s trying really hard not to cry.

It’s the cutest shit Andrew has ever fucking seen and it pulls on every single one of his heartstrings.

“Neil,” Andrew says in the softest tone he has, and Neil looks around, blinks, and two tears drip down his face in quick succession.

“She just – left him?” Neil asks, breath hitching in the middle.

“Yes. But it’s supposed to be for his own good.”

“But he doesn’t understand that,” Neil says thickly.

“No,” Andrew says, and he reaches out a hand and brushes some of the hair out of Neil’s face. “Not yet.”

Neil sniffs again and looks back to the screen. More tears queue up.

Hungover Neil, it’s important to note, can get very weepy.

“Neil, come here.”

Neil moves instantly, nestling into Andrew’s side, and Andrew wipes the tears from Neil’s face with the sleeve of his t-shirt.

“You’re a mess, Josten,” he says.

“Leave me alone,” Neil whines. “I’m delicate today.”

Andrew almost snorts. “Delicate,” he repeats derisively. But it is hard to argue with that assessment when he has a still snivelling Neil tucked under his arm, crying over a Disney movie.

A very sad Disney movie, sure. But still.

They stay that way for the remainder of the movie, Neil’s legs draped over Andrew’s, fist clutched loosely in Andrew’s shirt. There’s a couple more silent tears before the end, but Andrew dutifully wipes them away.

By the time Kevin returns, Andrew has managed to gently bully Neil into eating something. They’re still on the sofa, Neil with a gatorade clutched between his hands. He’s no longer quite as pale as he was first thing, but he’s still clingy as hell and Andrew doesn’t mind at all.

“Afternoon,” Kevin says brightly to Neil, because he loves it when people are more hungover than he is.

“Fuck you.”

Kevin laughs and as he’s walking past he spots the DVD case on the coffee table. 

“You watched this today?” he says incredulously. “But it’s so sad!”

“I know,” Neil says, a slight waver in his voice. Andrew shoots Kevin a pointed look that he hopes conveys a silent request to stop talking immediately. To no avail, however.

“Oh man,” Kevin continues, “that bit when she takes Tod out and leaves him in the woods…” He trails off when he sees that Neil has hidden his face in Andrew’s neck, shaking with tiny little sobs.

“Nice job, Kevin,” Andrew says drily, stroking Neil’s hair soothingly. “Real fucking smooth.”

“Ah. Oops.”

A/N: I’m really hoping everyone has actually seen The Fox and the Hound but on the off-chance you haven’t, first of all you SHOULD, and second of all, this is the scene I mentioned.

[romanticalls]

oH BOY. OH DEAR. HERE WE FUCKING GO

“He said we knew,” you cut in. “You melodramatic fuck.”

RANSONE, YOU IDIOT, YOU BAFOON. YOU DUMB FUCJING BITCH. HAHAHAHAHAHA THEY GOTCHU THEY GOT YOU SO BAD MAN

ok but this:

“If you would shut up and let someone else talk for once, we would have told you a while ago.”

and this:

“Not like we had another choice, man.” You just knew Sam was rolling his eyes. “You think I would voluntarily listen to you monologue like an idiot?”

radiates the same energy lmfao

they're both so bored of his stupid, useless monologue. but ransone’s like, “i will talk bc i can and also bc of ~ villianious aesthetic~ 😌 ”

WHAT AN IDIOT LMFAO

“You rehearsed it, didn’t you?” Sam called out, taunt in his tone. “With the lighting and shit.”

You couldn’t believe the both of you were teaming up to bully a man who literally held the fate of your lives in his hands.

“How do people take you seriously?”

SAM PLS ASDFGHJKLD tbh i'll give you all my money to watch these two host a show where they just straight up roast people they hate asdfghjkdakl that would top tier

i love a chaotic duo that roasts the shit out of the person who's held them captive and is about to kill them. this just keeps getting better and better

“I was saving you from yourself. From the eventual pain.”

OH FUCK YOU MAN GTFO

“You and what army?”

“Well, the one who’s been here for a while now,” you pipe up.

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

ransome be like:

“I wanted to make an entrance,” Loki said dismissively, following you. “I think I may have overshot it by a few seconds.”

OMFG

i knew when you said that the reader has been spying for loki that he'd be the one to rescue them BUT WHAT AN ENTRANCE. I EXPECTED NOTHING LESS. ALSO BRITNEY SPEARS SUPREMACY

“Oh, shut up,” Loki interjected, firing a shot into Ransone’s stomach before anyone could even react. He returned the gun to its holster that you didn’t even notice was there on his waist. “He talks too much.”

YES, YOU'RE RIGHT LOKI.

“I knew you’d take all my weapons, but you wouldn’t get rid of this,” you disclosed, folding the paper plane back to what it was and gently putting it into your pocket. It was still salvageable. “Not if you could use it to hurt me.” 

I GOT THEM CHILLS. AND NOT THE GOOD KIND

You don’t answer. Only take a step towards him, and intertwine your fingers with his, continuing to stare at the corpse of your lifelong abuser. 

TO MUCH STUFF TO PROCESS HERE.

You didn’t have anyone. The only one you had was the man beside you. Nothing was settling in at the moment, and you realised that it would be a long road until it did. But you had a shot. A real shot at something even resembling recovery. 

THEY'RE EACH OTHER'S HOME YOUR HONOR.

ARI, I KNOW THERE'S AN EPILOGUE. but i just want to say, i'm so glad i read this, i haven't read many fics about sam, but even when i do in future, i'll be damn sure that this one will be the BEST. ALWAYS.

you're such a talented writer, with the plot twists and the dialogues and sass, aND THE LITTLE MOMENTS. GOD DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE LITTLE MOMENTS. JUST IMPECCABLY AMAZING. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH BUT YOU DID SO GOOD KID. UGH. 🥺🥺🥺 KUDOS.

shut in [14]

Summary: When your high profile mission goes terribly wrong, you’re forced to hide in a safehouse with a man you’ve never met before. With seemingly nowhere else to go, you’re forced to work together to figure out who is trying to have you assassinated before it’s too late. (Sam Wilson x Reader, Hitman AU)

Warnings: anxiety, violence, guns, death, ptsd, swearing, abuse

Word count: 6.3k

A/N: last chapter you guys :’’’’) im too emo about a fanfic i s2g. there’s an epilogue but this is the official last chapter.  there’s a lot of callbacks to previous chapters so if you’re confused, just shoot me an ask!

i really appreciate feedback so if you would like to, please consider dropping me an ask or comment ly guys!

Previous Part || Shut In Masterlist

You had only heard of the warehouse before, never actually seen it.

Keep reading

[lgbtfalloutwinterholiday]

[fic] Veronica Santangelo/Christine Royce

Happy Holidays!

Here is @nomette ‘s submission for @ffferris with Veronica and Christine.

Pairing:  Veronica Santangelo/Christine Royce Summary:  Veronica & Christine have a happy holiday together, can be set during any time (like past, in-game, or post-game), bonus if you want to throw in other characters also having a good time but no need to feel obligated to do that, & bonus for incorporating trans headcanons. Word Count: 2,542 Rating: Safe for work

It’s the 24th of December, and the Lucky 38 smells of tamales, pine needles and a mysterious mix of fruit that Raul’s been boiling for hours. Veronica and Arcade must have tracked down every package of Dandy Boy Apples in the Commonwealth to make this drink, but she doesn’t mind. It’s the holidays. Arcade’s put up some kind of weird candelabra he calls a menorah, and there’s a pile of presents sitting in the Rec Room and a bunch of lumpy stockings nailed to the walls, courtesy of Lily’s knitting needles. The V on Veronica’s stocking looks kind of like a U, but she’s not going to complain, not when Christine’s stocking is hanging next to hers.

Veronica pauses in the doorway to the rec room and leans against the doorway, enjoying the moment. Cass and Boone are playing pool, Rex is sprawled out on the floor, and the Courier and Christine are hanging spent bullet casings on the Christmas tree. Christine’s hair has just cleared two inches, and it sits in a little fuzzy lump on top of her head. Veronica feels a little kick of delight every time she looks at her. She can’t believe she’s gotten so lucky.  Christine didn’t come back from the Sierra Madre the same- she barely talks now, and her hair has only just begun to grow back out, and her scars- but she’s still Christine, and Veronica still loves her, every piece.

“You going to come help?” the Courier asks.  She’s a skinny, half-feral little thing who doesn’t talk much and doesn’t like to sleep in the same place more than once. Veronica’s always finding her asleep in random corners of the casino, her little hammock dangling between chairs or casino tables. Veronica doubts she’s seen two decades, but Benny’s bullet knocked half the memories out of her head, so there’s no way to know.

“I carried that thing halfway across the wasteland,” Veronica says. “I think I’ve done my bit.”

“But it’s fun,” the Courier says, puzzled. “Boone’s showing me how to identify the different kind of bullet casings. This is a .38, see?” She holds up a mangled piece of metal, beaming.

“Good job, kid,” Boone says.

“I’m more of a Power Fist kind of girl,” Veronica says, flexing to show off her weapon. The Courier contemplates Veronica, then glances back at the tree.

“We could put it on top,” she says, sounding kind of dubious. Christine makes a muffled snorting sound and bursts into laughter.

“No way,” Veronica says, wrapping a protective hand around her power fist.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Christine manages between giggles. “You have to admit, it would match the tree.” The tree- a scraggly looking young pine Veronica dragged all the way from the mountains near Jacobstown- is covered in bullets casings and caution tape. Several glowing bottles of Nuka-Cola Quantum have been wedged between the branches. The tree looks like it’s ready to come to life and stage an uprising against humankind.

“I don’t know,” Cass says thoughtfully, and smirks around the rim of her glass of whiskey. “I think it would look pretty good with Boone’s beret on top.”

“No,” Boone says.

“It is colorful,” the Courier says thoughtfully.

“No,” says Boone, and Veronica takes advantage of the distraction to slip away.

Arcade and Raul are in the kitchen, along with a alrge pot of what Raul calls “ponche” and an even larger pot of tamales. Rex is sprawled out in front of the oven, keeping an eye on the large chunk of Brahmin which has been roasting since this morning. He catches sight of Veronica and whimpers and wags his tail.

“Don’t listen to that faker, we’ve been giving him scraps all day,” Arcade says cheerfully.

“When are you going to give me scraps?” Veronica asks, and imitates Rex’s mournful face. Arcade gestures to the stove.

“There’s unmashed potatoes, refried beans, apple pie, carrot cake, Cass’s jalapeño cornbread, Cass’s go-blind eggnog, and ponche. Knock yourself out.”

“Unmashed potatoes?”

“Well, I haven’t mashed them yet,” Arcade says. “I’ve been busy with the tamales.” He and Raul have made what looks like about a million tamales to Veronica, and they’re only partway through the huge tub of masa. There’s a whole assembly line on the table- masa, leaves, stewed brahmin, chickpeas. Raul looks up from his current tamale and grins.

“You wanna eat, mija? You better work. Those tamales aren’t going to fold themselves.”

“Oh-fine!” Veronica says. It’s this or get robbed of her power fist, she supposes, and she’s always liked mashing potatoes. Halfway through mashing, she feels a warm pair of arms around her waist, and looks back to find Christine, her head leaning against the small of Veronica’s back.

“Hey there,” Veronica says happily. “You come to bust me out of this life of labor?”

“Nope,” Christine says, and stands on her tiptoes to peer over Veronica’s shoulder. She’s so small. Back in the day, Veronica used to pick her up and cart her around the bunker at every possible opportunity.

“Hmmm,” Christine says, and sneaks a bit of potato onto her finger and licks it off. A small smile sneaks onto her face, and Veronica can’t help but blush. She’d mash a hundred potatoes just to see that smile. She leans over and plants a kiss on Christine’s cheek, and Christine flushes and ducks away, smiling.

Neither Raul nor Arcade say anything; Raul is engrossed enough in his tamales that Veronica doubts he’s even noticed, but Arcade gives her a wink. It’s nice to be among friends. Christine settles down next to the Raul at the table and pokes at one of the finished tamales.

“So, how do you make one of these?” she asks Raul.

“Well, you start with the leaf…” Raul begins.

It takes them another two hours to get through all the tamales, and everyone is hungry by the time they sit down at the table and start serving food. Lily has a custom-made seat just for her, an early Christmas present from Raul and Boone to allow her to sit at the table with them. Veronica, Christine and Arcade are on the right side, Boone, Cass and Raul on the left. The Courier sits at the head of the table, food already piled on her plate.

“You want to say grace, mija?” Raul asks the Courier.

“Grace?” she asks, a little line appearing between her eyebrows.

“It’s traditional to thank God before eating a big meal,” Arcade explains.

“Uh, sure,” the Courier says. She clasps her hands together, then begins to speak. “Thank you Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, for growing the crops, and thank you Hermes for my good luck, and thank you Hades for my life. I promise to kill a legionnaire in your name before the New Year, thank you, amen.”

“Fascinating,” Arcade says, and gets elbowed by Christine. The courier is a little weird, but so is Arcade, and he doesn’t have the excuse of being a teenaged ex-slave. “Uh, amen,” he says hastily. Cass looks like she’s trying real hard not to laugh. Boone lifts his glass and grins.

“To killing legionnaires,” he says, and everyone around the table echoes the sentiment. They clink glasses, and everyone digs in. Raul’s punch is fruity and sweet, with a faint hint of sunset sarsaparilla, almost almost worth the trouble it took Christine and Veronica to find twenty boxes of Dandy Boy Apples. There’s a mountain of tamales, some heinously spicy cornbread, moonshine, apple pie, pinto beans stewed with molerat, carrot cake, eggnog, roasted brahmin, gravy, and mashed potatoes.  

Back at the Brotherhood, they mostly ate variations on carrots and potato, since they couldn’t get much to grow around the bunker. Fried potato, mashed potato, boiled potato, potato soup, potato salad- every potato and then some. Veronica skips the mashed potato and goes for the cornbread and roasted brahmin, and sees Christine do the same next to her. They grin at each other, and Christine serves Veronica a slice of pie.

“What’s in this?” Arcade asks, shoving a piece into his mouth. “I thought Raul used all the apple in his ponche.”

“Mutfruit,” Cass says matter-of-factly. “Some other stuff too, but I don’t kiss and tell.”

It’s quiet for a while as everyone stuffs their face. At first, the Courier had to be bullied into eating with a fork instead of with her hands, but she came around after Veronica pointed out that if you carry a fork and knife with you, you can also use them as back-up weapons. The Brahmin is spicy and savory, with a crisp outside and a juicy inside, and it vanishes as fast as people can cut pieces free. Everyone has at least one of Raul’s tamales, and Boone has three. The man puts away food like a refrigerator.

Afterwards, when they’re all full enough to burst, one of the securitrons comes in and clears the plates, and Rex finally gets his plate of scraps.

“I feel like the casino is going to collapse under my weight,” Cass says, groaning.

“Could that happen?” the Courier asks. She doesn’t look worried, only curious. Veronica supposes that once you’ve been shot through the head, a little building collapse probably doesn’t sound too bad.

“Probably not,” Arcade says hastily. He starts in on an explanation of how architecture works, but Veronica doesn’t hear any of it, because Christine has reached out under the table and taken her hand. One by one, she laces their fingers together. They used to do this back at the dining table in the hall, but back then it was one part bravado and one part fear. Veronica isn’t scared anymore. It doesn’t matter if anyone sees.

But she doesn’t need to show them. It’s enough that she and Christine know. Christine runs her thumb gently over the edge of Veronica’s hand, and they stay there like that, smiling, together at last. Dinner conversation turns from mutfruit to apples to weird things they’ve eaten, and Cass disgusts them all with tales of some truly dubious liquor. She and Boone are well on their way to being smashed, which bodes poorly for the midnight fireworks they promised the courier.

Only the Courier’s excited demand to get them all to the Christmas Tree for presents dislodges them from the table. Veronica and Christine walk, hand in hand, to the rec room, followed by a slightly staggering Boone and a very staggering Arcade, who got stuck supporting him. The debate about the star has been settled by ED-E nesting on top of the tree like a very strange bird.

Veronica settles onto the couch, and Christine settles onto her lap. Christine is light, a pleasant weight, and she grins when Veronica sneaks a kiss onto the side of her face. The Courier, oblivious to the people watching her, tears into her first present. It’s a framed piece of paper- nothing more than a contract, really. The Courier isn’t very good at reading. She looks at the paper, her lips moving as she tries to sound out the words.

Arcade, ever thoughtful, underlined the relevant part.

“... the undersigned Ca-Can-tra-ta,” the Courier says, frowning. “Cantrata. What does that mean?”

“Veronica and I did some research,” Arcade says. By research, he means that they broke into a privately owned building, but no one needs to know that. The man at the front desk of the Mojave Express deserves it for being so unhelpful, anyway, and it’s not like they stole anything valuable. “We looked up the records from when you were hired, and found what you signed as. It’s your name. Cantrata. I think it comes from Cantare, to sing.”

The courier looks at the paper, then at Arcade.

“My name,” she says, and repeats it. “Cantrata.” A strange look crosses her face. “I used to sing,” she says to herself,  then gets up and launches herself at him. Arcade wraps his arms around her and pats her back.

“Hey, I helped,” Veronica says, and Arcade gestures for her to join in the hug. The three of them squish awkwardly together on the couch, and for a moment Veronica is on the verge of having a real Christmas feeling.

“Thank you!” Cantrata says, and wiggles out of the hug. “I got you something too!” Whatever it is, it’s apparently too big to fit under the tree, because Cantrata runs out of the room. There’s a loud clunk, and then she comes back hauling a huge power fist painted entirely in teal and pink.

“It sets off explosives when you punch people,” she says solemnly, and hands it to Veronica.

“Uh,” Veronica says, and picks it up. One side has a yellow warning sign on it. The other side has Veronica’s full name written on it in beautiful pink calligraphy, complete with a little heart dotting the i. There’s little rhinestones around the cuff. The courier must have hired someone to bling it out.

“It’s beautiful,” Veronica says solemnly, and Cantrata grins.

“Open your next present,” she says.

There’s a matching dress.

Veronica’s final haul is a power fist from Cantrata and a dress from Arcade and Cass, a new waist pouch from Boone, a blanket from Raul, a lumpy sweater from Lily, and one more thing. After the festivities have died down, Veronica and Christine go back to their room and shut the door.

Christine’s presents come in two colorful little bags. The first one is light.  Veronica lifts it out to find a cute little bra and underwear set. There’s not very much of it.

“You can wear it under your dress,” Christine says, flushing.

The second pair is a set of shoes, likely looted from some vault. They’re a little dusty, but they fit well. Veronica slips her feet into them, and remembers. Back when she and Christine were kids in the bunker, it was a common game to talk about what you’d do when you left. No one ever left, of course, but it was fun to pretend that you would. Some kids wanted to be ranchers, some wanted to be singers, some wanted to be gamblers or rangers or deathclaw tamers. Veronica wanted to be a princess. She wanted to have a pretty dress, and live in a colorful, safe place where they never had to eat potatoes or worry about raiders. She wanted someone to love her, not for what she could do for them, but for who she was.

“A glass slipper, for my princess,” Christine says, smiling.

“I could be in rags, and you’d still make me feel like a queen, Christine,” Veronica says, and crosses the room. Christine’s hands are so small in her own. “But the pretty dress sure helps.”

“You were a princess when we were in a hole in the ground,” Christine whispers. “But you finally made it to your tower. Merry Christmas.”

On the roof, Boone, Cass and Raul are drunkenly shooting off fireworks. The sound rings through the air. Outside the window, sparks rain down over the strip in showers of gold and green, but Veronica only has eyes for Christine. Their lips brush, and for a single perfect moment, the world is exactly as Veronica has always dreamed.

[imagineyourstars]

can i please request chiaki, mika, kaoru, and adonis where their small and usually sweet and affectionate s/o sticks up for them because another person is making fun of them? and the s/o just roasts and threatens them and is overall very intimidating to the bully? thank you!

i’ll take that as afollow up to that previous request we got, about ra*bits’ s/ostanding up to them ! aaaah what a cute request ♥ - mod mademoiselle

Chiaki :

Chiaki sometimeskind of loses himself in his “hero of justice” fantasies,and you’re used to it. After all, that’s how you like him ! He can beso considerate of people around him, too : you think that’s a lovelytrait.

Whenever you goout, he always loses focus on the date and instead sets himself amission, often ranging from rescuing kittens stuck in trees tocatching a pickpocket in order to give her purse back to that niceelderly lady. To be honest, your dates kind of feel like being thesecondary character of a tokusatsu show. And you love it !

That one time,things didn’t quite go as smoothly. As you were coming back from adate at the arcade together, you stumbled upon a group of guys aroundyour age who seemed to be violently bickering and threatening anotherguy. That looked dangerous, and as much as you wanted to just go away quickly, Chiaki insisted to intervene before things go awry.

Turns out it wasjust a fight like many others, and the guys weren’t exactly happy tosee your boyfriend barging in and trying to push them to “begood friends with each other”. Fortunately they were moreannoyed than angry, but they did take their frustration out onChiaki. They insulted him, pushing him around and threatening him.Chiaki was still acting calm and resolute (Ryusei Red was inhabitinghis body after all), but you could see he didn’t feel really at ease.The hero of justice never really had enemies, aside from the treesthe cats get stuck in…

You couldn’t standit and jumped to your boyfriend’s rescue. He never did anythingwrong, far from it, and that bunch of losers wanted to take theiranger out on him ? Fine. You’d take yours on them. They were sosurprised to see the sweet person hiding behind Chiaki step up andstart roasting them, they just stared at you, eyes wide.

They didn’t evenanswer when you started threatening them : judging by your murderousexpression, you were 100% serious and that was not a fight theywanted to get in. It’s much easier when it’s just intimidating randompasserbys who quickly go away, after all.

When you were done,they just silently walked away, looking a bit pissed. Chiaki didn’tanswer when you asked him if he was okay, instead just taking yourhand and bringing you back home. He was deep in thought. You acted socool and passionate when he was there, feeling lost and not reallyknowing how to react.

Turns out he wasactually really impressed and started suggesting you become the sixthmember of Ryuseitai, even stating he had a Ryusei Pink costume readyfor you. Apparently, you have what it takes to become a hero ofjustice and join his fight against evil. You’re not sure about thatlast part, but you’re happy you got to help your hammy and overlytheatric boyfriend.

Kaoru :

Smooth, flirty,handsome. That’s what Kaoru tries to be around you. He never fails tofind new ways to surprise you, even though he’s been your boyfriendfor a while now. That includes taking you on lovely dates in spotsyou never heard about.

That one time wasat a really classy restaurant. The food was amazing and theatmosphere too, and you were still laughing and chatting with Kaoru,walking hand in hand with him. It was getting really late, and he wasescorting you back home, as the gentleman he is. That’s when the wolfwhistles started.

A group ofseemingly drunk guys were catcalling you. You were already walkingaway, but Kaoru gently let go of your hands, getting ready to facethe rude guys with a suave attitude. “Gentlemen, this beautyhere is already taken.”  They didn’t really need more to starthowling in laughter. One of them started to shout. “Hey, aren’tyou that guy who’s always with someone different ? This one’s way toogood for a bastard like you.”

Kaoru wasn’tpleased at this and started arguing with them (yes, in the middle ofthe street, at night). The argument quickly got ridiculous, asexpected from drunk men. After roasting Kaoru’s physical appearance,they started to make fun of him and imitate him. Honestly, youwouldn’t even have taken them seriously if Kaoru didn’t look reallyangry. When one guy blurted out “What’s with all those girlsanyway ? D'you have mommy issues or something ?”, Kaoru’s facenoticeably got three shades paler.

You knew that lookon your boyfriend’s face and pushed him behind you before he couldget into a fight. Instead, you stepped up, slapping one of the guysfor trying to punch Kaoru. Everyone got eerily quiet as you startedputting them back in their place. They flinched when you called themdisgusting drunk pigs. Kaoru was looking at you, with a surprised butslightly vacant gaze.

Once you deemed theguys had enough, you walked away furiously. Kaoru soon followed,asking you to wait. He apologized for getting you in that situation,saying it was dangerous for you and yet he acted stupidly andselfishly. Although he was really embarassed about you having to cometo his rescue, he thanked you. And judging by the tears in his eyes,he really was glad to have you. He hugged you tight, and the two ofyou came home, holding hands once more.

Now he acts asthough he’s forgotten all about that one moment. Sexy suave Kaorudoesn’t need to be reminded he almost got his ass handed to him by abunch of drunk retards once, and you saved him in extremis. But he’sso glad you’re here by his side, and you can bet he’ll never forgetthat.

Mika :

Getting Valkyrieback on feet is pretty hard. But if it’s for your boyfriend’s sake,you’d do anything. Even sit through their dance lesson and watch Shuget angry for the sixth time already because Mika messes up that onepart.

Shu’s prettyreclusive and has what Mika calls “limited energy”. So it’soften just you and Mika working on Valkyrie stuff. Which is why youwere downtown that one day, with Mika in his Valkyrie outfit and youhanding out flyers for a concert.

You were justadvertising the unit to passerbys at first, but then Mika had theidea to let flyers in the district mall’s shops so that people couldsee them when shopping. Which gave you an idea : how about askingshopkeepers if Valkyrie could have a small live in front of theirshop ? You remembered the twins doing that to get more fans, maybethat could work for Valkyrie too !

Mika found a verygood spot, right in front of a florist’s shop. The two of you came inasking for permission to occupy the spot in front of the shop. Turnsout the shopkeeper was a rather angry middle-aged woman, who was busybickering with her employees before she saw you coming. She looked atyou suspiciously, eyeing Mika’s outfit.

As Mika wasfumbling with his words, you took it from there and explained you wererepresenting an idol group from the nearby school, asking for herpermission to take up the spot in front of her shop. She flatlyrefused. Mika tried explaining Valkyrie was in a really tight spotbut promptly got quiet as the woman started shouting at him.Apparently he would be really bad publicity for her shop, what withhis weird looks.

She started makingfun of the way Mika looks, stating he looked like a scarecrow, ormaybe one very ill crow. She also commented on his clothes beforestopping at his eyes. “With eyes like this, I’m not sureanyone’d give you a listen anyway.” Customers were getting inthe shop and Mika looked like he was about to cry. You had enough,and everyone jumped up in surprise when you started talking too.

The woman juststared at you while you were roasting her and defending yourboyfriend. Seeing how displeased she looked, you gave her a piece ofyour mind before storming off her shop, slamming the door behind you.

Mika apologizedprofusely,  even shaking a bit. He was crying, too, and you hugged himtight, even kissing his cheek. You made it clear to him none of whatthe rude shopkeeper said was true and went to buy him something sweetto eat.

He felt betterafter having a bit of ice cream, and the two of you even liked theshop so much you offered the shopkeeper a collaboration withValkyrie. The shopkeeper gladly took up your offer, and you and Mikashared a happy grin. Mission accomplished.

Adonis :

Adonis likes beingan idol, even though he’s a bit awkward with certain tasks involved.The one thing he doesn’t like is photoshoots, and you know it well.

When Rei announcedhis intention to have one for UNDEAD’s new concert posters, yourboyfriend frowned. As soon as training was over, you got up toAdonis, telling him everything would be okay. He nodded, but youcould tell he wasn’t entirely convinced.

The d-day came waytoo fast. Rei and Kaoru were exceptionally good in their own soloshoots, and Koga was surprisingly more talented at being a model thanyou thought. Last up was Adonis. He gave you a shy smile when youcame to encourage him, giving him a quick kiss when no one waslooking.

Adonis tried hisbest. Really. The photographer soon got fed up and started to shoutinstructions. Your boyfriend tried to follow them, adjusting his poseand forcing a smile. The photographer wasn’t satisfied yet and madehim change poses at least fifteen times. Rei was frowning, next toyou. That wasn’t a good sign.

Maybe the guy hadhad a bad day. Or maybe he was just a rude asshole. Whatever thereason, he started to take his frustration out on Adonis, yelling athim for being so bad at modelling. Everything was wrong : hisposture, his expression… He even told Adonis to quit making thisstupid face, to which your boyfriend meekly answered that was hisnormal face. You felt your patience being tested but decided to staycalm. Rei clicked his tongue, visibly displeased.

When thephotographer got angry at Adonis for having tanned skin, even tellinghim he couldn’t possibly look as good as the japanese guys, Reilooked at you pointedly. You weren’t sure whether he was asking you to intervene or just being curious as to how you’d react. You sure ashell didn’t need Rei’s permission to walk up to the photographer,hands on your hips, and give him a piece of your mind.

He sure tried todefend himself, stating he was only “doing his job”, butyou snapped, reminding him all the racist comments he’d made. Youthen gave him a ultimatum : either he started working professionallyand giving Adonis a chance, or you’d fire him and just find anotherphotographer. He grumbled but got back to work, silently this time.

As soon as Adonis’photoshoot was over, you rushed to see him, asking if he was okay. He looked so sad you couldn’t help but kiss him, swearing he was the world’s mosthandsome boy to you. He’d have kissed you back were it not for Kogabeing a nuisance and just ruining the atmosphere.

That evening, youtook Adonis to a neko café to forget the photoshoot disaster. Hedidn’t really tell you, but you saw in his eyes how happy he was tohave someone like you by his side.

[royal-despair-threads]

Seojun & Fina [Prologue]

Fina was looking around trying to see if she could try to talk to someone. No point in standing around and doing nothing right? Plus she'd feel better if she got to know the people she was surrounded by. She spotted a boy with light blonde hair with hairpins holding some of his hair back. She decided to talk to him and walked over, "Hello there! I don't think we had the chance to introduce ourselves properly. I'm Josefina." She gave a small curtsey as she introduced herself.

When Seojun had turned around to face her, he sort of recognized her from earlier.  She had made some extremely valid points, and she seemed like someone that he’d love to be around.  She seemed to be the optimistic type, and was very polite as well.

Also very tall, but that’s a different story.  The man gave her a bow in response, mirroring her courteous introduction with a smile of his own.  “I’m Seojun.  It’s nice to meet you; wish we could have done it under better circumstances, ahah...”

“I remember everyone mentioning they were a student at Hope’s Peak.  Are you one too?”

Fina nods,"Yes I am. I was given the title of the Ultimate Wedding Planner. Fitting since that's actually what I do for a living." She smiles a bit shyly.

Another bright smile dawns upon Seojun’s features, as he listens in to the girl’s response.  “That’s a wonderful talent to have, Josefina.  Or do you prefer Fina...?  Either way, it really is fitting, you could say.”

"Yes I do like going by Fina more. Josefina is a bit to stuffy and formal." She fiddles with her hair a bit. "Sorry for asking but I don't think I caught what your talent was mister Seojun."

“Ah, right.  That, ahah.”  Another chuckle left his lips, as he shifted his gaze away for a moment.  “It’s not nearly as wonderful or grand as a Wedding Planner...and mine will probably need some explanation behind it.”

“I was given the title of the Ultimate Internet Troll.”

Fina paused for a moment and tilted her head in confusion. "I'm sorry, I'm not to savvy when it comes to internet dialect. What does an Internet troll do?" She asked before she can really notice how uncomfortable he was with this topic. "Oh but please don't feel obliged to answer that. We can talk about something else if you'd like."

Suddenly, he stood to attention, and gently waved his hands out in front of him.  "Oh, no!  I'm not overly uncomfortable with it, but...It can be off-putting to some; I'll admit.  I'm more than willing to explain it, though.  It's good to be resourceful."  A smile dawned upon his lips, as he offered to take a seat next to him.

"So, an Internet Troll usually messes with people on the Internet.  They sometimes can be mean-spirited, annoying, and overall unnecessarily cruel.  See, the reason why I earned my talent was because...I do my best to be none of those things.  Maybe annoying, but in the sense of being comedic.  Usually, what I do is not intended purely out of malice.  You see, I may do the occasional bad pun or playful teasing just to have a little fun.  You ever see those little...what you call it.."  He lifted his arms up in the air, perhaps for emphasis.  "EXPOSED videos?  With about three ones and four exclamation points in between??  Yeah, that's one thing I do, but I make sure that they are okay with something like that before I proceed, and it's in no way out of serious matters...that is, unless someone deserves it."

"Which brings me to another thing I do.  If I caught someone harassing someone else online, or maybe making a really shitty comment, it would be my duty to, what you guys would call it, 'roast' them.  If they got offended over my rude remarks, it was well deserved considering what they have been saying.  Of course, I know my way of handling these kinds of situations isn't the most ideal, but hey - it makes for some pretty good commentary.  Plus, it helps the victim a bit, at least, from the times I've done it.  They were okay afterwards."

He dropped his arms again, a small smile forming on those pale lips of his.  "Does that makes sense?"

Fina giggles a bit. "I got a little lost but I think I have the gist of it. But I can see where people might get find your talent to be a negative thing but it sounds like you really do help and defend others from bullies. It's a respectable talent if you ask me."