#love live and bleach the same season

[alex31624]

How I feel after watching Love Live! Superstar!! 3rd Season and Bleach: Sennen Kessen-hen - Soukoku-tan back to back.

[tori111777]

FRIGHT AND FURY 7

Part 6, Part 8

Summary: Death and Lust have a meeting with conflict

Warnings: Violence, Mentions of loss, Spoilers

Parings: Caracalla x wife!reader

As you walked through the shadowed corridors of the Colosseum, the weight of your past pressed heavily against you. It was the same grand structure, but everything felt different now. The air, thick with the scent of dust and blood, seemed to hold the echoes of your choices—the choices you had made, the betrayals you had committed. The empire was now your home and Caracalla, your husband.

You glanced at the stands, where the dust from the crowd seemed to hang in the air, like the weight of your own guilt. The bloodshed in the arena had always been a spectacle for the people, but now it felt like a reflection of your soul—messy, violent, and far too far gone to repair.

You didn’t dare to look next to you as Lucilla was sitting in a chair. Cuffed in chains, pleading to let her husband live and be let out of the arena. The chains clinked with each movement, a constant reminder of her fall from grace.

You had once called her a mother of sorts, someone who had guided you, shown you the ropes of this brutal court. Now, you had traded that affection for a place at Caracalla’s side. The one you to whom love.

“For his treason against the lives of the Emperors and the Roman state… An enemy of the people.” The master of Ceremonies called out, signaling the start of the game today.

You saw the gladiator, Lucius step out into the sun bleached sand, the crowed loved him. His towering figure cast a long shadow across the arena as he stood tall, his broad chest rising and falling with each breath. He did indeed look like his mother, you saw it in him.

“From the vanquished city of Numidia, the victor of three contests in the Colosseum — the barbarian Hanno!” That is what they called him. They could never know the truth of it all.

On the other side another man was brought out. “Will challenge General Justus Acacius for his treasons against the lives of the Emperors and the enemy of the state.” Lucllia son would have to fight her husband. All because of you.

Lucilla’s pleading voice echoed in your ears, “whatever birth right I have it is yours-“ “Too late.” Emperor Geta had cut her off and quick. He was ready to see the game unfold and not listen to a pleading mother’s voice.

“—the Roman traitor, or the barbarian hero? Let the gods decide who will survive this contest.” The master of ceremonies finally finished his speech, letting the bloody battle that was about to begin unfold. But today, it was different. This was no longer just a game. It was personal.

Lucius raised his sword, charging at Acacius. He also hefts his sword and charged onwards as well. The clash of steel against steel rang out across the arena, drowning out the roar of the crowd.

“Acacius is a bull of a man. He may yet send that barbarian to the underworld.” Geta spoke out, he leaned against his chair.

You couldn't tear your eyes away from the combatants, even though every part of you screamed to look away, to turn your gaze elsewhere. But where else could you go? Your love always seemed to pull you back to place no matter what.

In the arena blow, Lucius and Acacius clashed with a ferocity. The general splits Lucius wooden shield, sending him back a bit and off balance. He charges forward anyways towards Acacius, unprotected this time trying to aim for his head.

The flat end of his sword, Lucius was able to catch Acacius broadside of his head. It sends him down a bit, catching him off guard as his helmet comes off and he drops his sword. The crowd's roar grew louder, a chaotic symphony of excitement and bloodlust.

Lucius stood over the fallen general, his chest heaving with exertion. Across the sand, Acacius stirred, shaking off the shock of the blow, his hand grasping for the sword he had dropped. He was a seasoned warrior, but he couldn’t stand for a man trying to survive. Instead the general raises his hand in surrender.

“Acacius has raised his hand! He surrenders!” You hear the announcement be called overhead. Though, the crowd goes silent. So do you, only hearing the pounding heartbeat inside your chest. You looked up and saw both Caracalla and Geta rise to address the people.

“Romans what do you say?” Geta shouts. You could hear the faint murmur of the crowd, their mixed emotions swirling in the dust-filled air. Lucius stood like a towering figure above Acacius, sword still raised but his body taut with uncertainty. The question had been posed, but the answer was unclear.

Some people chanted “Mercy!” Others shouted in a cry out, “Kill him!” You looked to Caracalla. His gaze met yours, cold and calculating. He was watching to see what you would do, he knew you better than anyone else.

Geta stood beside him, raising his fist. He holds it out in midair. There is silence as he waits for the ‘gods justice’ from high above. “The gods have rendered their judgment.”

He turns it over and gives a ‘thumbs down.’

The crowd erupted into a deafening roar, their voices a twisted chorus of approval and bloodlust. Lucius's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, his expression unreadable as he stared down at Acacius, the man who was now, in essence, a condemned soul. The sun seemed to burn hotter.

“Lucius!” You hear Lucilla yell out, but it was helpless. Yet, her son looked up and tossed his sword to the side.

The crowd, stunned by the unexpected turn, fell into a tense silence. Geta’s face darkened, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes. Caracalla was no making a thumb’s down as well, “Kill him! Kill him!” He yelled.

You felt Lucllia gaze watch over you. She knew you had the power to stop all of this but you did not. She knew. She always knew, and yet, her faith in you had crumbled long ago, like everything else in your life.

“You were once a mother too.” She whispered. You turned to her at that, you had vowed to yourself to never bring up that moment again. “How dare you bring that into this.” You snapped back at her. The venom in your words seemed to hang in the air like poison, but it didn’t deter her.

You turned away, your heart beating loudly in your chest, drowning her out.

“Is this how Rome treats its people?” The gladiator cried out from below. “If this life has no value, what are yours worth.” You could see the two emperors getting more upset every second.

“The gods have spoken!” Geta called out in reply. It was a standoff and a ripple of excitement ran through everyone in the stands. One of the brothers closest allies whispered something in Geta’s ear that you could not hear.

“Kill him!”

The archers that surrounded everyone drew their arrows. Though the Centurions hesitate for a moment before Geta says something again. “In the name of Jupiter— kill him!” They release the arrows… striking Acacius right in the chest.

Time seemed to stop right there and then. What did you just do?

More and move arrows flew to his body. One after another. Lucius sunk down to his knees, most likely waiting for an arrow that would kill him. None did come for him though. The crowd’s roar had turned into an eerie hush, their bloodlust suddenly soured by the realization of what had just happened.

The arena was too quiet. Geta and Caracalla look at each other uncomfortably, you just starred at the floor in front of you. Hearing Lucllia’s tears break through her voice. “Damn you to the fire, forever.”

Your husband turned around quickly, “first you’ll get your turn in the pit!” He shouted at her. You could tell he was frightened, the crowd was still lingering in its silence. No one moved for a couple of seconds but the Praetorian started to lead everybody out of the Emperors box before fights started to break out.

———

“We’ve should’nt had killed him.” You said, back in the palace. You clutched your fingers close to your mouth, as you view over the city of Rome in the afternoon.

Caracalla’s voice cut through your reverie. He was standing behind you, the sound of his shoes on the marble floor making your pulse quicken. His tone was low, dangerous. "You're regretting it, aren't you? You’ve tasted your own betrayal now."

“No I’m not I just—“ You had no idea what you were going to say. You did this all for him. Turning slowly, you finally faced him and took his hand into yours and sighed.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” he murmured, his voice low and unsettlingly calm. “I’ve seen it in your eyes. I’ve seen that moment of hesitation, that flicker of doubt. I know you better than anyone.”

“I did it for you,” you finally whispered, as though the words could somehow absolve the ache that was twisting in your chest. “I thought I could do it for us—for Rome.”

He moved his hand from your hand to your cheek, his touch surprisingly gentle, yet the weight of it felt like a silent accusation. You closed your eyes, the bitter taste of regret still lingering on your tongue. "I don't know anymore," you whispered, barely audible, the truth slipping out despite yourself. "I don't know what I’m doing anymore."

"You're not the only one, you know," he murmured, his fingers still resting against your skin. You could feel his hot breath against your lips as he leaned in and kissed you.

You flinched at the kiss, though you didn’t pull away. After a second you leaned into him more passionately. The familiar taste of his mouth, warm and urgent, stirred something inside you. He needed more of you and you needed more of him.

You could feel Caracalla's hands grip you tighter, pulling you closer as though he could erase all doubts with his touch. You could feel the pulse of his heartbeat against yours, a reminder that despite the violence, the treachery, and the choices you had made, you were still bound to him, body and soul.

The kiss deepened, and for a fleeting moment, his hands trailing down your body and feeling all your curves when you pulled away. Caracalla's grip on you had not loosened, as he held onto your waist. You could not read him in this very moment nor tell what he was thinking.

“I do know that I love you.” You said to him. Caracalla's eyes softened for just a moment, "Do you?" His voice was quiet, almost tender, yet the question seemed to carry the weight of the entire empire. His hands, still resting on your waist, tightened just a fraction as if testing whether you truly meant those words.

You searched his eyes, trying to find the man you once knew—the one who whispered sweet promises into your ear before the bloodshed began and that moment, the one who held you in public, as if you were a goddess to him. “How could I not?”

And yet, as Caracalla’s hand lingered on your body, you still felt the pull toward him. The love you had for him wasn’t gone, but it was changing. It was suffocating. You didn’t know if you could survive in this world he was crafting, in this empire of blood and ash.

“You were always mine,” he said softly, his voice low and almost dangerous. “And I’ll make sure you never forget it.”

You backed up, his hands softly leaving your body as you turned to look over the railing to see all of Rome in its glory. It was at your feet, what would your father have said? You remembered your wedding day and how he opposed it… yet he wanted you to be happy most of all.

The wind carried the distant hum of Rome, the faint echo of a city still alive. “You look so distant,” Caracalla’s tone was soft but sharp, like the edge of a blade. He was watching you closely, sensing the unraveling of something within you.

Were you happy?

Yes you had to be. Yes you are. The sound of Caracalla footsteps had faded away when he left the balcony, leaving you alone with your thoughts that attacked your mind. It seemed like everyday you were becoming more like him, but you turned him into what he is now. You still blame yourself for what had happened.

You breathed deeply, watching as the birds flew past in the sky, the way the bells rung and children laughing in the street. It was almost like you were young again as your mother read you a story about the gods or the great Achilles. You did not miss it.

You turned away and headed back inside, your fingers grazing over the stone as you left as well.

[d0llcuries]

ICE-CREAM FOR TWO

pairing(s): reiner braun x fem! reader

summary: you hated him for dragging you to marley, for every stolen chance at freedom. you expected the feeling to be mutual as you rented him for four long years but it wasn't. what better way to address this than ice-cream!

author's note: uh, i guess i write for aot now. blame my cousin and her insistence on getting me addicted to this stupid show for the possibility of inaccurate writing. i love reiner pls send requests for aot 🤲🏽

the market cradled you today in a way almost cruel, with its heat and grit pressing close, air thick with burnt coffee, iron on the breeze, syrupy traces of cotton candy and caramel inviting you into the hic et nunc, although you didn’t want to be. you hated this noise, this heat, the whole crowded mess of voices folding together like waves. you hated how it almost felt like home. you hated how you could almost trick yourself into calling it that if you tried hard enough. a mirror showing something soft, distant, something that could’ve been yours in some other life. no matter how warm the market held you, the truth settled somewhere beneath it all. this land is borrowed, marley is not home, and no amount of rose-tinted glass could change that.

under a washed-out sky, baskets burst with flowers like muted fireworks, children racing in loops, dogs tangled and nipping at their heels. you thought about reiner before you saw him. he was sitting across the square, shoulders hunched as if he were carrying every brick and stone of marley on his back, the same as he’d carried those in paradis. he looked like he was far away, somewhere only he knew how to reach. you still saw that ghost of the soldier you thought he was back then, before everything came apart.

you’d told yourself you wouldn’t go near him, wouldn’t let him know that, after all this time, you’d never quite stopped noticing him. you wonder why you think of him so much, why he takes up all this space in your mind even when he's not near. it was strange how close you were and weren’t, your lives spooled together and then split, moth-eaten like old twine.

but then gabi’s voice broke into your thoughts.

“hey, yn! can you buy us ice cream, please? come on, it’s not far! the ice-cream stand's like.. right around the corner, and i haven’t had any in soooooo long!” gabi stretched out the ‘so long’ ensuring that you felt every inch of the ache that came from a whole season without the taste of frozen sugar. she practically sang, her sticky hand finding yours and pulling before you’d had a chance to respond.

before you knew it, you were standing at the old ice-cream stand, faded to a dull blue, the wood bleached and splintering under too many hot days. the vendor, an older man with sunburned skin and tired eyes, barely lifted his gaze as he rattled off the list of flavors available.

while you hadn’t chosen this home, you chose these people, or maybe they chose you in some inexplciable way. the days of resentment, the times you’d longed to be anywhere but marley, softened over time. gabi, falco, and udo, each of them with their bright, trusting faces had managed to bring out a warmth in you that you’d forgotten was there. you hadn’t planned to love them, but they’d worked their way into the little cracks between loneliness and anger, without effort or warning. it felt like love. you loved them.

“please, please, please?” gabi’s voice tumbled out, each please more insistent than the last. you pressed your lips together, trying to chase away the smile that wanted to break free, but there was no stopping it. the vendor cleared his throat, glancing at the line of customers that was growing behind you, and that pressure paired with gabiʼs nagging commenced the immediate collapse of any resolve you’d held and any remaining choice you had.

“alright, alright,” you murmured. “three, please,” you said, “two caramel swirls… and a chocolate.”

you pull the coins from your purse, and slide them across the vendor’s counter, a quick glance past the crowd where you know reiner’s somewhere out there, not close but close enough. you dig back into your purse, pull out enough for an extra ice cream, and place it on the wood. “and one more, vanilla.”

the vendor didn't blink. he handed you the cones with a practiced indifference, the soft edges already drooping in the heat, melting faster than they should. gabi snatched hers right away, giving a quick “thanks!” but not really looking at you. she didn’t need to, her appreciation was in her wide-eyed grin and the way she immediately started devouring the cone as if she’d waited years for it. udo took his with a quiet “thank you,” glancing at the cone like it was the first good thing he’d seen all day. falco gave a small nod, not meeting your eyes, as if the simple gesture was too much kindness to take all at once.

you glance at the extra cone in your hand, and you think about the boy—no, man—you had brought it for.

your gaze flickered to the square, and there he was, his silhouette made of pale, ghostly gold and all the fragments that cling to it. the blond of his hair catches and curls like a match struck in silence as he rests on the bench with moss staining its feet in a green kiss. “stay close. don't wander off,” you murmur to gabi and the boys, a mother’s instinct in a stranger’s affection. the market seems to swell as faces blur into patches of color and shadow.

usually heʼd be the one buying them the sweets, trailing behind like he belonged to the children, not the other way around. he’d slip coins to the vendor, barely seen, to make sure the kids stayed kids, get them something sweet to carry home sticky on their fingers. his presence made the kids feel safe. that was his gift to them.

he didn’t see you, not at first, lost in whatever he’d wrapped around himself, his elbows resting on his knees and his eyes focused on something far off, his expression pulled into that mask of solemnity that’s so familiar it hurts. there’s a ghost of a frown in his brow from spending too much time thinking about things he didn’t want to think about. it was only when you were close enough that he looked up, startled, it was clear he wasn't expecting to see you. there was a tension in him, he sort of resembled an animal caught between choices, wanting to flee but rooted to the spot.

“i thought you’d want one,” you said, holding the cone out. it wasn’t often that you spoke to him this way, or at all. not about something as simple as ice-cream.

he stared at it first, then up at you. for a heartbeat you thought he might actually refuse it, let the ice-cream coat your hand with melted stickiness just to spite you for they way you resented him for the past four years.

“they give that to you for free?” he said, his eyes drifted somewhere just beyond the market stalls, like he was only half-invested in the jab.

something in his tone snagged, left a thin, invisible cut. he had every reason to say it, you supposed, but it still bruised in a way it shouldn’t. “no,” you shot back, trying not to let his offhand remark knock too hard against the satisfaction you’d felt just moments ago. “i bought it for you.”

with a breath soft as surrender, he looked up at you, and you could feel it, the way he saw you, had always seen you, from the days you were both cadets stumbling through ranks and routines. he’d always thought you were pretty, even when thought you didn't interact often.

the word devil was supposed to define you. reiner was trained to see you that way, to let a thick wall of prejudice stand between you both, forged over years of lessons and oaths. in marley, they pressed that word into people like you, used it to shape you into something repulsive. it was easy to believe it as a child, to see you through the war-stained images they painted, to think of you as something marley’s soldiers had been trained to conquer and devastate. but somehow, that wall never felt as solid with you. he tried to keep it up, you could tell from the way his gaze would shift from warm to cold so quickly, his jaw setting hard as if he was gripping some old lesson, forcing himself to remember why he wasn’t supposed to care. and you hated him for it as much as you didn’t. it was like he had stolen every sense of belonging from you, yet kept a fragile piece of it alive in himself, offering it back in little moments you refused to trust.

he’d always figured he’d have to wait, maybe forever for that forgiveness, if it came at all. for four years, he’d held onto the hope that one day you might look at him without that burning hatred in your eyes. over time, he’d let that hope slip through his fingers, learning to live in the shadow of what he thought he’d ruined.

but now, standing here, he felt something he hadn’t dared to let himself feel in a long time. the way you looked at him was different—not hardened or distant, but softened, like there was warmth in you meant just for him. it was subtle, but it caught him completely off guard, a look that lingered a little too long, the edges softening just enough for him to see something he’d once believed was lost.

he wanted to say something, anything, to reach out, but he found himself rooted, afraid to break whatever delicate understanding hung between you. he’s always been so careful with you, so mindful of your boundaries. your gaze didn’t waver, and he felt it like a quiet ache, as if, finally, there was a chance your view of him had changed.

he took the cone with hands that were larger than you remembered, rough and scarred and cracked in places. in his grasp, the small offering looked absurdly delicate.

��thanks.”

you settle on the edge of the bench beside him, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his skin, but not quite touching.

“you didn’t have to do this,” he said, his voice subdued, as if he was suppressing emotions that he couldn’t articulate.

“i wanted to,” you reply simply, the words soft but steady, a quiet confession hidden in plain sight. it’s not much, just a simple act of kindness, but it feels like more than that, like a tentative step toward something new, something neither of you quite knows how to name.

“i’m not good at this,” he admits after a long pause, the unexpected confession falling between you. he doesn’t look at you, eyes locked on the melting drip tracing a path down his knuckle.

you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “good at what?”

he’s quiet for a moment, so quiet that the hum of the market seems louder, pressing in from all sides. when he finally speaks, his voice is low, almost hesitant. “being close. to anyone.”

you shift slightly, your knee brushing against his leg. it’s so slight it could be an accident, but it’s not. “well, you’re here now.”

he looks up at you then with an unconcealed reverence that makes your heart lurch in your chest, eyes softening around the edges, holding that mix of confusion and hope that makes him look almost boyish. “yeah, i am.”

the silence stretches, but this time it’s warm, inviting. you can see him wrestling with something, the way his jaw tightens, loosens, the way his thumb traces a line across the wood of the bench as if trying to ground himself.

“it’s strange,” he starts, eyes flickering to yours before darting away again, “this..” he nods to the space inbetween you, “feels like more than i deserve.”

your gaze lingers on him, and you swallow back the pool of savila resting on your tongue. “maybe we’re both not good at this,” you whisper, a shy honesty threading through your voice. “but i think we could be.”

he blinks. “you think so?”

“yeah,” you say, the word barely more than a breath but heavy with everything you mean. “i do.”

and for the first time in years, he lets himself believe it.

[lnfours]

a nonsense christmas | l.n

summary: f1 heartthrob meets pop girlie central

face claim: sabrina carpenter

warnings: social media!au, language, this is my second ever social media au pls bear w me

y/ny/l/n 📍london, england

liked by landonorris, madisonbeer, zendaya and 1,200,732 others ‘sue me’ mv is out now! 💋 829,382 comments

zendaya i’m obsessed with you

y/ny/l/n

tell thomas to move aside bc im coming over.

zendaya

LMFAAOOOO

y/nfan1 lando norris??? what’re u doing here??

formulawhore

i was just about to ask the same thing 😂

madisonbeer i’m literally in love with you

y/ny/l/n

will u pls accept my hand in marriage?

madisonbeer

of course

landonorris london, huh?

y/ny/l/n

🫣

fan1

Y/N X F1 CROSSOVER??

danieleicciardo wait, landonorris, this is her?

dannyric3444

WHAT DO U MEAN DANIEL

landonorrizzz

WHAT DO U KNOW DANNY!!!!

landonorris

whatve you done, mate?

landonorris 📍london, england

liked by y/ny/l/n, oscarpiastri, maxfewtrell and 3,899,013 others home is where the fun is 😁 1,820,848 comments

maxfewtrell home is where i am, that’s all that matters

formulaonefan444

ur the best wag of them all, truly

landonorris

keep telling yourself that, mate 😅

y/ny/l/n as a wise man once said: london, huh?

landonorris

you can’t use the same lines on me that i use on you

y/ny/l/n

or what? 🥴

fan1

OH????????

danielricciardo

lando.jpg content??

landonorris

🫣

maxsredbull

OH YES WE WON!

madisonbeer

i didn’t know u knew how to dress 🤨

landonorris

funny 😐

madisonbeer

i’m ur fav 🥰

landonorris

ur just full of jokes today aren’t u

madisonbeer

ik where u live

landonorris

😰 uh oh

y/ny/l/n

📍london, england

liked by landonorris, maxfewtrell, riabish and 2,031,672 others london is cool i guess 993,839 comments

madisonbeer one chance is all i’m asking for PLEASE

y/ny/l/n

u always have a chance 🥰🥰🥰

madisonbeer

TELL HIM TO MOVE THEN!!!!

fan2

HIM?? WHOS HIM???? MADS!!!

landonorris nice hat

y/ny/l/n

thanks 😁

oscarpiastri

didn’t know you had a new merch line out, mate?? landonorris

landonorris

FUCK OFF???

y/ny/l/n

oscarpiastri LMFAOOO

lewishamilton lovely to meet you ❤️

y/ny/l/n

you too!! 🥹🫶🏻

lando.jpg 📍london, england

liked by y/ny/l/n, danielricciardo, carlossainz55 and 1,210,039 others don’t let her fool you, she’s in her element 732,939 comments

madisonbeer she’s so pretty

y/ny/l/n

shut up i’ll marry you

madisonbeer

FINALLY

fan3

the way he captures her?? YOU CANT CONVINCE ME THEYRE NOT A THING!

landonorrizz4

oh they DEFINITELY ARE

dannyriccowboy

SHE WAS AT THE MIAMI GP!! IM CONVINCED THEYVE BEEN TALKING SINCE

formulaoneee

OMG SHUT UP!!!!!!

y/ny/l/n

hey, ur pretty good at this photography thing!

lando.jpg

helps when i’ve got a pretty good model

f1lewis44

SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

y/ny/l/n 📍london, england

liked by landonorris, carlossainz55, madisonbeer and 2,673,482 others it’s cuffing season, or whatever sza said 914,444 comments

madisonbeer FINALLY!!!

y/ny/l/n

:)

lewishamilton 🥺🥺 the note

y/ny/l/n

I KNOW 🥺🥺

oscarpiastri i don’t think u understood what she meant by big boy

y/ny/l/n

oh no, TRUST me, i got it 😌

oscarpiastri

IM GONNA GO WASH MY EYES WITH BLEACH

danielricciardo

IM JOINING YOU oscarpiastri

charlesleclerc this is adorable, actually

landonorris whoever wrote that has terrible handwriting

y/ny/l/n

and no rizz 🙂

landonorris

now that’s a violation

landonorris 📍london, england

liked by y/ny/l/n, maxfewtrell, lewishamilton and 3,444,009 others tis the season 1,932,004 comments

y/ny/l/n love ur face 🤍

landonorris

love urs more ❤️

maxfewtrell that last pic 😭

landonorris

im honestly surprised she hasn't stabbed me yet

y/ny/l/n

sleep with one eye open tonight

landonorris

oh no

madisonbeer so like... hard launch of soft launch?

landonorris

both

danielricciardo FINALLY GOD DO U KNOW HOW HARD OF A SECRET THIS WAS TO KEEP

oscarpiastri

^!!!!!

landonorris

SORRY

charlesleclerc

what kind of cookies were u making tho?

landonorris

chocolate chip 😁

charlesleclerc

ayeee

f1fan04 I KNEW IT!!!

y/n/l/n 📍london, england

liked by landonorris, danielricciardo, riabish and 2,873,004 others wrote a cute christmas song about a cute boy, 'a nonsense christmas' is out now 🧡 1,229,983 comments

madisonbeer MY EARS HAVE BEEN BLESSED

y/ny/l/n

me whenever u release new music

landonorris 🧡 i love you

y/ny/l/n

i love u, too, my papaya boy 🧡🧡

fan5

‘my papaya boy' IM CRYING

maxfewtrell i don't know what i was expecting but it wasn't THAT MY GOD.

y/ny/l/n

🫶🏻

danielricciado 'im talking big snow balls' now...

charlesleclerc

i never thought we'd hear her sing about balls but here we are

oscarpiastri

idk how im supposed to look the two of you in the eyes ever again

y/ny/l/n

CAN YOU BLAME ME??? IM NOT GONNA APOLOGISE, I MEAN LOOK AT HIM!!!

landomclaren043

real.

[xxfangirl365xx]

alright kids, gather around. I have some things I'd like to say regarding last night in a very organized list format

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS

Overall It was beautiful. I cried watching the stream. But sadly went to bed before it was over because I was feeling very unwell from staying up so late ): I missed blood,I'm not ok and Helena on stream but that's ok <3

MCR5,NEW TOUR?

-Did not expect them to release anything about that last night since it was night one of two. More likely they would do it tonight so I'm holding out hope for tonight since it's the more likely option

SOCIALS/ONLINE PRESENCE/POSTS

-Frank has NOT posted anything regarding MCR only dunes, which is very unlike him. As we know Frank loved MCR to death. He's the no 1 fan of his own band so I find it odd and very intentional that he has not posted anything about MCR at wwwyf only dunes

-along the same lines Mikey has not posted anything. Few weeks ago we got practice from him which was good, but all we have from him r 2 pics of him and his wife which r adorable, but not relating to MCR. also seems a little intentional to not have said anything about them playing at all

-MCR'S socials r DRY like bone dry. With swarm tour they posted things about "tonight were playing in (blank) at (blank time)" or something like that but they didn't post anything about WWWYF apart from when tickets went on sale for both days which is a little odd in my opinion

for all of them the silence seems ominous. Like they r trying to build suspense

OUTFIT'S, STAGE,GEE'S HAIR

-All black outfits head to toe, they looked good but it was very lacking black parade tbh (not a bad thing they looked so cute tho)

-STAGE-

-Only projections of spiders,tree (during cancer),swords,bridge (?),worms (?)

-SPIDERS PROJECTED

-swarm logo=fly

-spiders= eat flies

-"Witch" was leaked earlier this year. Paper kingdom was the album meant to come right after black parade. Their aesthetic kinda similar. Whites,blacks ect.

-some of the visuals like the swords was giving very paper kingdom 100% and if I rly did see a bridge projection in the background that's also very much the vibe. but most this stuff was done in short flashes across the backdrop

-Gee's hair-

-New haircut (stunning btw)

-new era? Gee had changed his hair for new era's. bullets/revenge it stayed pretty much the same apart from random dye jobs here and there but during black parade he got it real short and bleached it. Danger days ht dyed it red. hair is a big thing when it comes to Gee.

-New hair since shrine show (2019) pretty much. He's had long hair since MCR has come back together. U could argue it was to look nice but think about all the other stuff he's done that was also a big deal like umbrella acad final season and stuff. Why didn't he get a haircut then? Why now? and why was he hiding it?

-The last vid we got was earlier in the week the birthday one and he had the long hair still. It was recent like he did this JUST for the shows.

-i'm 100% taking this is a way of moving into a new era for MCR

MERCH

-some people were kinda bummed there was no new cool merch from the festival apart from the DEAD! zip up which is pretty cool ngl

-kinda looked like they were trying to get rid of older stuff before making something new perhaps?

-spending more time and resources on NEW shirts for a NEW album makes more sense than spending all the time and resources on designing new shirts for black parade when they can do that pretty much any time

HOPES FOR TONIGHT'S SHOW

I will not be staying up this time sorry guys. I slept 4 hours last night and feel very unwell from it. So i'll be sleeping tonight sadly but here is my hopes and predictions for tonight.

-MCR will play just like last night with the visuals and stuff but will maybe play one new song or announce it some how with the backdrop and "Paper Kingdom" will be announced to be released on OCT. 31

-Their socials will go live with all the info immediately

-Shortly after the album comes out there will be tour dates announced for spring/summer of 2025 INCLUDING warped tour

-END-

thanks for listening to my rambles if I think of more i'll add it to the list but I wanted a cohesive place to put all my findings and thoughts to share

[eddiezpaghetti]

It has come to my attention that SOME OF YOU who read my last Byler post remain UNCONVINCED. So I'm gonna tack onto it this:

I'm older than fucking God and air, and I've been out and proud since 2007. Yes, I know what homophobia is, and yes, I know what queerbaiting is. I know about Supernatural and Teen Wolf and Sherlock and blahdyblahdyblah. No new ground is being covered here. I thought I made that clear in the original post, but, clearly, I did not.

I am aware of queerbaiting and homophobia, and I'm still wholeheartedly certain in Byler being canon anyway.

Okay, so there are three types of relationship I want to discuss when it comes to queerbaiting. They're all, like, "queer relationships that could have happened, but didn't".

First off, queer-coding. This isn't really a thing so much anymore, but it still crops up every once in a while. I'd argue it probably happens most with male-male relationships in family shows these days. First example that comes to mind is Mr. Smiley and Mr. Frowny from Steven Universe. You can't make a relationship canon because some shitty overhead bastard overhead said no, so you get as close as you can without compromising the show. Can't make someone gay? Well, now their comedy routine is a blatant allegory for a romantic relationship. Boom-shaka-laka. This is something I don't see being a problem with regards to Stranger Things, but I want it to be there as contrast, a demonstration of one of many things queerbaiting is not. However, one could argue that, thus far, Will Byers is, canonically, queer-coded. It's pretty fucking heavily implied in the show, and the creators have confirmed it, and you're gonna be able to see it if you're not FUCKING BLIND, but word of god is not technically canon which means that interviews don't technically make something canon, blahdyblahdyblahdyblah, technicalities, Robin has been explicitly stated in the text to be queer while Will has, thus far, not, outside of good ol' Show-Don't-Tell. Of course, anyone with two brain cells to rub together can tell that that's going to change by the end of Season 5, but, hey, for what it's worth, I'm throwing this out there.

Alrighty, Thingamajingama Number Two: "Oops, I accidentally made the greatest love story known to man." AKA, a genuine, honest-to-goodness mistake. Unfortunately, we do live in a heteronormative society. Sometimes people who don't think about being gay much write a friendship that's incredibly compelling and don't even consider the possibility that it could have been read as romantic. Something something Top Gun something. This is, again, not queerbaiting. This is Steddie, this is Ronance, this is Elmax, this is your favorite flavor of non-canon ship this week, this is not Byler. The creators know DAMN well what they're doing. They've talked about it. We know this. Nothing new here.

Which brings us to the topic of discussion here. Actual queerbaiting. This usually starts out as an "accidental greatest love story", and then reacts to fan response. And when I say "reacts", I mean like a goddamn chemical reaction. Like bleach and ammonia, bitch. It's noxious and it's gonna kick your fucking ass without mercy. This is when a creator is like, "Hey, let's get our queer audience invested, but we're not actually going to give them what they want because our straight audience isn't here for that/we personally think it's gross/we don't give enough of a shit to want to research a goddamn thing to write a real gay character," blah blah blah whatever excuse they want to come up with this time.

And when you think "queerbaiting", I want you to think "bullying". Because that's what it is. It's lucrative bullying, like beating us up and taking our lunch money, but it's bullying all the same. And it's a real goddamn thing, even if people misuse the word a lot, often when they mean one of the two above, sometimes when they mean "bury your gays", which is another homophobic thing entirely that I'm not going to get into here. Queerbaiting is the thing we're focused on, and it's real, and it's bullying. And here's the reason I want you to think of it as bullying:

They

Think

It's

Funny.

They are actively making fun of us.

That's why Dean had the "Cas, get out of my ass," line in Supernatural. It's why the "Do you like boys?" line happened in Teen Wolf. It's why "Lie with me, Watson," happened in the RDJ Sherlock Holmes movies. Because "It's just a joke, mate." "It was just a prank, bro." "You didn't really think it would happen, did you?" "You should see your face."

So here's probably the biggest reason I don't think it's specifically queerbaiting in this specific instance of Will Byers and Mike Wheeler.

Stranger Things has never, not once, made a gay joke. Ever.

Every single time queerness comes up, it's dead serious.

Lonnie calls Will a fag, and the show is not at all reluctant to show what a goddamn horrible person he is. And when Hopper latches onto that, it's not as "Hahah, is he gay, though?" It's because he's trying to determine a potential motive for Will's disappearance, and even if someone had interpreted it as a joke, Joyce immediately has a line that functions as snapping her fingers in front of the audience's face and yelling "FOCUS" when she says "He's MISSING." Basically outright saying "This isn't funny!"

Troy calls him a fairy, along with targeting Lucas and Dustin for their skin color and disability respectively, and Mike gets damn near murderous. Troy is portrayed as a goddamn monster and the show portrays it as justice when El makes him piss his pants and later breaks his arm.

Steve calls Jonathan "queer" as a slur and gets the shit beat out of him for it.

Billy's father is revealed to be homophobic and abusive in the same breath.

Mike says "It's not my fault you don't like girls!" and we're shown how devastated Will is and Mike immediately follows him to beg for forgiveness.

There is a joke in Robin's coming-out scene, but it's not at Robin's expense. It's at Steve's. Specifically for being heteronormative.

Jonathan has multiple scenes where he's trying so hard to tell Will that he's always going to love him as he is, whether he's gay or not, without pressuring him to come out before he's ready.

Even when there's a little bit of ribbing at Robin's expense, it's always because she's an awkward nerd who's nervous around pretty girls, just the same as Lucas and Dustin are teased when they both first develop crushes on Max, and even then, even then, it always comes as a package deal where they make fun of Steve's girl problems at the same time.

Stranger Things is an emphatically pro-gay show. It may not be the core point of the show the way it is in, say, Our Flag Means Death, but there is nothing less than respect for its queer characters. Its queer characters are always taken completely seriously. No one is making fun of us. They never have. That's why I have serious doubts that this is queerbaiting. It would come completely out of left field for the bullying to start in Stranger Things' final season.

So it's not at all likely to be queerbaiting because queerness is taken completely seriously. The creators have talked about Will's queerness, at least, so it's not an accident. And queer-coding would be silly to expect from this show when it's already on its final season. Like, what is Netflix gonna do? Cancel it? Not to mention all the explicit queerness that's in there already. And no one's gonna "What about the children?" a show that's had sex scenes in it since the first season.

There's no fakeout here. It's gonna happen. Breathe.

[queer-irritator]

Everything Has Changed | Kratos x reader

A/N: I was listening to music and Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift came on and it made me think of how one look at Kratos and I was in love lmao. I think Kratos deserves a whirlwind, sudden teenage dream type romance. Pure fluff!

Fem reader, no use of pronouns, but feminine descriptions used.

CW: Adult language, mention of death, mention of mysophobia. 

Word Count: 4,535

---

You lived alone on a small island in Svartalfheim, near Dragon’s Beach. Since the towns nearby were built with dwarves in mind, you didn’t exactly find it the most comfortable to live in Nidavellir. So, you built your own little slice of paradise. You had a quaint home, not unlike those housed by dwarves. You also had your own garden to grow food, and a few pets to keep you company. You found your way into the tight-knit community created by, and for, dwarves after being taken in by the most unlikely candidate in all of Svartalfheim, Sindri.

Left an orphan after your parents were murdered under Odin’s orders, you were stuck wandering the town of Nidavellir at the age of 6. Your parents were adventurers; brave and curious truth-seekers. But when their curiosity brought them to Svartalfheim, dangerously close to what you can only assume was something very sacred to Odin, they were killed. Or, that’s what you think anyway. Odin and the aesir claim there was an “accident” when they were exploring. You didn’t know any better at the time, but Sindri did. Somehow he had convinced Odin not to take you away with him, gods know what he would have done to you if he hadn’t been successful. 

Since then, you’ve looked to Sindri, and the entire community of Nidavellir, as family. It had been almost two decades since then, and now you work hard helping out the dwarves any way you can. You perform chores that are made easy due to your height advantage over them, but most importantly you make yourself available to listen to the community, sort of like a self-appointed therapist. That’s where you were at this very moment, on a hill a few minutes walk outside of town, you call your “office”. You saw a few people each day, but today was slower than usual. On days like this you liked to practice magic and tend to your garden. You took an interest in nature, so Sindri taught you how to manipulate some natural elements, get food to grow quicker, some healing magic, stuff like that. You were planting some seeds for the upcoming harvest season. Your hands, covered in soft, cold dirt, carefully poked holes into the tender earth. You dropped a few seeds in each hole before gently covering them back up. 

The snap of a twig to your left tore your focus away from your current task. You turned your head to meet the sound and couldn’t help the smile that spread across your face. You saw Sindri stepping out from behind a tree, you hadn’t seen him in a few months, the both of you had been consumed in work as of late.

“Sindri!” you called to the dwarf as you dusted the dirt off your hands and stood up.

“Hey, it’s been a while. I-”

You cut off Sindri’s words by running over to him and embracing him in a bone-crunching hug. You were careful to keep your dirty hands away from him, but he hated being touched nonetheless. This was the longest you’ve ever gone without seeing each other, so he was just going to have to deal with your close proximity. You could feel his body tense up around your arms, signaling he had enough. 

“I’m sorry, I know you hate it, but I haven’t seen you in forever!!” You flashed him a sad smile, pleading him not to be upset with you. 

“No, it’s fine. I’ll just… take a bath in bleach.” He was standing so none of his limbs were touching each other, like an awkward sparring dummy. 

“Don’t be so dramatic.” You teased him as you knelt down to rinse your hands in a bucket of water nearby. 

“We breathed the same air for nearly 20 years, a hug is nothing.” you attempted to reason with his brain. You stood up once again and really took in the sight of Sindri standing in front of you. Despite his mysophobia that refused to waver, you really missed him. 

“So, what are you doing here? Just dropping by?”

“No, I… I actually need your help with something.” Sindri’s tone had shifted from annoyed to more serious. “Anything for you, Sin’.” you smiled at him, trying to keep the conversation light. You couldn’t imagine he would have anything horrific to ask of you. You turned to a small shelf and grabbed a clean rag and a bottle of cleaner and handed it to Sindri. 

“Here. I can’t take you seriously with you standing like that, man.” You chuckled. He mumbled out a ‘thanks’ and swiftly began to clean himself.

While Sindri was getting himself into a state of cleanliness that he deemed suitable, he told you of the favor he needed. He explained that the World Tree was dangerously close to becoming overgrown, and Ratatoskr had his hands busy trying to parent the lindwyrms, who were not ready to care for the world tree on their own quite yet.

“Ahh, so now my “dirty hobby” has come to be useful!” You crossed your arms smugly as Sindri rolled his eyes with a scoff. 

“If that’s how you want to look at it…” he murmured. “Just, come to my house when you’re ready. I have to take a bath now.” 

Before you could even agree, Sindri was gone. You chuckled to yourself and began to clean up and get ready to be away for awhile. You said a spell over your newly planted seeds to keep them healthy and watered for the time being. Next you collected some clothes and supplies into a small satchel and picked up your sword. Its hilt was crafted from dwarven steel and the blade was made out of wood from a poison tree and wrapped in thorny vines. You slid it into its sheath on your back and headed to the nearest mystic gateway. 

---

Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir had just returned from freeing the Hafgufa from Vanaheim. There was a trail of sand following behind them.

“I’m really glad we got to set the Hafgufas free, but I don’t think I wanna go to any realms with sand for a while…” Atreus stated as he brushed some sand from his hair

“Aye, I’ve got sand in me neck stump!” Mimir shared Atreus’ disdain for feeling sand in every crevice imaginable. The sound of the front doors opening pulled the men’s attention from their current discomfort.

You took a few steps through the front door before you stopped in your tracks as you locked eyes with perhaps the most invigorating man you’ve ever seen. You hadn’t expected to see anyone else at the house, let alone someone so tantalizing. It felt as if all the breath was stolen from your lungs as you looked deep into his amber eyes. The scowl the man had on his face only a second before had noticeably softened now. It was as if the two of you were the only people in all the nine realms at that moment. After what felt like years of staring into this man’s soul through his eyes, it was cut short as sound filled the air. 

“Y/n! About time I saw you again.” Brok greeted you as he walked out from behind the counter of the workshop. You held your gaze with the giant man for just one more second before reluctantly tearing your eyes away to greet Brok. 

This was no big deal, you just had to act like you hadn’t just seen the most attractive and magnetizing person in your entire life… If you didn’t believe in love at first sight before, you sure as Hel believed in it now.

“It’s really great to see you, Brok.” You smiled at the blue dwarf and bent down to engulf him in a hug. You could only hope that he couldn’t feel your heart pounding in your chest. 

Although your back was turned, you could feel the man's eyes on your body. You stood up straight and took a deep breath, readying yourself to speak to the handsome stranger. You turned towards him and held out your hand to greet him as you found yourself drawn to his eyes once again. 

“Hi, I’m (y/n).” You introduced yourself. The man glanced down at your hand and then back at you. He reached his hand out to grasp yours in a surprisingly gentle handshake. 

“Kratos.” is all he said. The sound of his voice was better than anything you imagined. You could have melted into a puddle of goo at that very moment. 

“Kratos.” You smiled as you repeated his name. “It’s very nice to meet you.” You said, letting go of his hand, missing the warmth of his body heat immediately. You looked to your right to see a teenage boy. You had almost missed him in all the feelings and thoughts swirling around in your head. 

Kratos placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, “This is my son, Atreus.” 

You reached your hand out to greet Atreus as well, “It’s very nice to meet you too!” you smiled at the boy. He returned your smile and shook your hand, with much more grip and enthusiasm than his father.

“Good to meet you as well! So, how do you know Sindri?” Atreus asked, assuming only people close to the dwarf would be allowed access into his home. You chuckled slightly, thinking he was joking around. When he glanced around awkwardly you realized how serious he was. 

“Oh…” you started, confusion showing on your face, but it soon turned to agitation. “Oh my gods.” You quickly turned your head to Brok. “He… He doesn’t talk about me?” You practically yelled in astonishment. 

“Hey, don’t take it out on me… But, uh, let me take a look at yer sword.” Brok knew just how to evade your annoyance. You took out your sword and set it down on the workshop table with a scoff as you repeated your words with disbelief, “He doesn’t talk about me…” 

Kratos and Atreus silently exchanged glances to each other as they were left guessing how you and Sindri were acquainted. One situation in particular was swirling around Kratos’ mind, that you were romantically involved with the dwarf. Disappointment had crept up onto him as he began to entertain this thought. 

“Uhm… Are you and Sindri, like… dating?” Atreus awkwardly asked you, staring at his own feet to avoid your gaze. 

“No! Oh, no, not at all! He raised me!” You had been so lost in your annoyance that you never answered the boy's question. 

Kratos felt relief wash over him. He wasn’t sure why he was relieved, or why he cared if you had been something more than a friend or family member to Sindri. He had just met you, he should not be having these types of thoughts or feelings about anyone, let alone a stranger.

“Ohhh!” Atreus chuckled a little, finally looking up at you again. “Wait- Sindri had a kid?” He glanced at his father and then back to you. “Are you-”

You cut Atreus off before things could get awkward again, “No, I’m like an adopted sibling he never wanted.” you cleared the air. 

Seemingly right on cue, Sindri entered the house.

“Oh! I didn’t realize you three would be back already...” Sindri shifted his weight from side to side, seemingly unprepared to introduce you to his guests. But his awkward demeanor soon switched to panic as he noticed the pool of sand in his house. 

“Really?!” Sindri sighed loudly as he fetched a broom from a nearby closet. “You two, get outside!” He commanded Kratos and Atreus, pushing the broom at their heels to rush them out of his previously pristine house. 

Once the duo had been escorted outside, Sindri shot them a warning, “And do NOT come back in until you are sand-free!”

Sindri propped the front doors open and began to sweep the sand out of the house. You were left watching the entire ordeal with a slightly amused look on your face. You figured you could give Sindri shit later for not telling his friends about you, he had enough on his plate for the time being. For now, your gaze drifted back towards Kratos.

“Uhm, I’m gonna go take a bath.” Atreus notified his father before turning his back to walk through a small wooden gate on the side of the house to clean up. 

Kratos grumbled slightly and unhooked Mimir from his belt, setting him down on the bottom step of the stairs leading into the house. He then proceeded to take off each piece of his armor and shake the sand out from them. You took your time to look over his upper body. Your eyes trailed the bright red tattoo, from the sharp edge on his face to the swirl on his bicep, and the curve on his abdomen. You couldn’t help admiring his muscular physique and taking note of the large scar on his stomach, and a smaller one over his eye. 

“Alright, quit yer drooling.” Brok’s voice snapped you back into reality. He set down your sword on the counter in between the two of you.

You whipped your head towards the dwarf, a soft pink blush falling over your cheeks. 

“Fuck off, I was not drooling…” You defended yourself, snatching your sword back. You took a moment to look over Brok’s upgrades before returning it to its sheath.

“Whatever you say, princess.” Brok teased you further. 

You rolled your eyes and started to walk down the steps outside. You were careful not to make any more of a mess for Sindri, but not careful enough to notice a severed head on the very last step. In your effort to avoid stepping on the head, you tripped over your own two feet. Instead of feeling the harsh impact of the ground, you felt a warm hand on your upper arm. You looked up to see Kratos holding onto you. His piercing brown eyes were staring right into your soul, again. You felt your heart rate pick up, you opened your mouth to speak but no words came out. His grip loosened on you and he returned his hand to his side. 

“You should be more careful.” Kratos advised you. 

“Yeah- uhm, I’m sorry about that.” You turned to the severed head on the steps, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s the big oaf’s fault for settin’ me down there.” The head was surprisingly forgiving of your clumsiness. A tinge of pink settled across your cheeks as you looked back to Kratos. The man just grunted in response to the head. 

“I’m Mimir, it’s nice to meet you.” The head introduced himself at last. You sat down on the steps next to Mimir. 

“Right back at’cha. I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier.” You felt guilt for over-looking him earlier. Although, you did overlook just about everyone except for Kratos… 

“Don’t even mention it. How could ya have seen me?” Mimir continued to joke at the expense of Kratos. A smile spread across your face. Before you could continue your conversation, a voice rang out.

“Master (y/n)!” A familiar voice entered your eardrums, Ratatoskr. A small sigh escaped your lips as you stood up. 

“Duty calls.” You announced. “I’ll see you two around.” You gave a smile to Mimir and a wave to Kratos before walking over to speak with the abnormally large squirrel. It was time to find out what exactly you’ll be helping him with. 

Kratos’ gaze followed you as you walked away from him. His eyes raked over your figure, memorizing the way you walked and how your hips moved with each step. 

“Father?” Atreus’ voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hm?” Kratos turned his attention to his son and continued to shake the last of the sand out of his waist armor. 

“I was just saying that the bath is ready for you, and I can clean up out here.” Atreus shifted his gaze between Mimir and his father. Kratos simply nodded his head, dropping the armor he was holding and headed to get himself cleaned up. 

Atreus began to gather the armor from the ground. “Uhh, do you think he’s acting a little… weird today?” 

“I think he might be a wee bit tired from all the traveling, lad. Speaking of, would you mind helping me clean up a bit?” 

“Sure, no problem Mimir.” Atreus smiled and got to work. 

---

You spent the next few hours getting a tour of the World Tree and extremely detailed instructions from Ratatoskr on how to care for it. He explained how to prune the branches, what limbs held which realms, what you should never touch, the list went on and on. Your head was so filled with new information it felt like your brain was going to explode. You walked into the house just as it was getting dark outside after finally being relieved for the evening. Even though the realm between realms doesn’t have a sun and a moon, it was still nice to have it simulate days and nights, so as to not lose track of time. The scent of meat and spices filled your nostrils, Brok was in the kitchen stirring a large pot, of what you assume was dinner. 

“That smells amazing.” You said, walking towards Brok. You stopped in front of the giant pot and picked up a spoon to give the stew a taste test. “Tastes amazing too.” 

“It ain’t ready yet.” Brok snatched the spoon out of your hand. You put your hands up in defense.

“Sorry, I guess I’ll just wait then… and never compliment you again.” you turned your back and headed to where you used to sleep growing up.

“Wait, that’s-” Before Brok could finish his warning, you opened the door to be greeted by Kratos sitting on the side of a makeshift bed. The only item of clothing he had on was dark brown pants. He almost looked like a different person without all his armor on. There was even more scarring hiding under his wrist armor, it looked like chains had been branded onto his forearms.

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were staying in here.” You apologized for intruding. 

Kratos looked up to meet your gaze, “It is fine.”

You gave him a small smile and looked around the room, “This place hasn’t changed much. I used to stay in this room when I was younger.” You leaned against the wall as a flood of memories entered your mind. 

“You can have the room if you wish.” Kratos said as he stood up with a slight grunt. 

“No, I couldn’t kick you out of your room. You probably need it more than me. Plus, the chair out there is pretty comfy.” You assured him.

“Mh… Let me know if you change your mind.” He began to wrap some red cloth around his forearms. 

“So, how did you come to have a talking severed head as your companion?” You questioned him.

“I cut it off.” Kratos replied to you plainly. 

“Huh?” You had confusion written all over your face.

“He was trapped. Imprisoned in a tree and tortured everyday. He asked me to cut off his head to free him. So I did.” Kratos further explained. 

“Oh, that’s actually really kind of you.” You said, reflecting on the odd, but thoughtful, request.

Kratos grunted in response.

Just as you were about to ask him more about himself, you heard Brok announce that dinner was ready. You gave Kratos one more look over. His lack of clothing was incredibly inviting, but you were hungry and tired. 

“I’ll see you out there.” You excused yourself and walked out to the table to sit down and get some food. 

---

Dinner was nice and casual, there was no residual awkwardness from the days prior events. You got to know more about Atreus, that boy really likes to talk. He was going on about the different types of monsters he’s fought with his dad. He seemed the most proud of defeating a huge electric dragon a few years ago. The most surprising detail of the story was that Sindri utilized one of the dragon’s teeth to enhance Atreus’ bow. Swapping stories around the dinner table made the time go by far too fast for your liking. It felt like the six of you had been friends for a lifetime. When the conversation had died down, you stood up and collected the empty plates. You made your way to the kitchen to wash up while Kratos and Atreus went into their respective rooms.

“I can get that, you should get some rest.” Sindri’s voice came from behind you. You turned your head to look at him.

“No, I really don’t mind!” You insisted, turning on the water. 

“Okay… Well, to be honest I don’t trust anyone else washing the dishes but me.” Sindri admitted. 

“Mmmh, the truth comes out.” You chuckled and stepped away from the sink. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

“You just rest. You’ve done a lot for me today… Thank you.” Sindri gave you a small smile and got started on cleaning up. 

You had an idea brewing in your mind. You couldn’t get your mind off of Kratos. You just wanted to know more about him, he was all you could think of. You found a spare piece of paper, scribbled down a note, slipped it under Kratos’ door and made yourself scarce. 

“Brother, someone’s slipped a note under your door.” Mimir alerted Kratos, who was laying down on his makeshift bed. He pulled the weight of himself up with a slight grunt and walked over to where the note was. He bent down and picked it up, unfolding it carefully. 

Meet me at the side of the house. 

Kratos furrowed his brows and let out a confused grumble. He set the note down on a crate near his bed and stepped out of his room. 

“Aye, what did it say??” Mimir questioned, but the only response he got was the sound of the door closing and heavy footsteps leading further and further away. 

You were sitting on a barrel, leaning your back against the side of the house and nervously tapping your fingertips on your thigh. You heard the front door open and close, causing you to spring to your feet and run a hand through your hair to tame any fly-aways. You watched as Kratos entered through the side gate, latching it behind him. Your heartbeat started to increase with each step he took toward you. He stopped a few feet away from you.

“You wanted to see me?” Kratos spoke with a hint of confusion laced in his words.

“Yeah, I did…” You took a step toward him, taking in a deep breath before looking up into his eyes. “I’ve really enjoyed talking to you, and I just wanna know you better.” You confessed your infatuation with the man.

“What would you wish to know?” Kratos asked you. 

“Everything?” You responded, taking another step closer to him, leaving only a few inches of space in between you.

“Mh… That may take awhile.” Kratos looked down at you, his chest steadily rising and falling with each breath he took. It was beyond your grasp how he could remain so calm and stoic, but it made you want him more than ever. 

“I have time.” You told him with a small smile. You lifted your hand from your side and carefully placed it on Kratos’ cheek, right where his beard began to sprout. You looked in his eyes for any signs of hesitation, but you found none. You leaned up on your tippy toes and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. 

You leaned back just a few centimeters from him and opened your eyes. He hadn’t moved a muscle, it was like you had kissed a statue. Kratos had a look of surprise and confusion sprawled across his face. His eyes were raking over your facial features, searching for any hint of disgust. He was waiting for you to shove him away, to start laughing at him. He was expecting to hear you question who would ever want to touch a monster like him. But you were just staring right back at him, looking increasingly worried by the second. 

“Are you okay?” You spoke, barely above a whisper. Had you broken him? Did he not like you? Was he trying to find a way to let you down without hurting your feelings? Your embarrassment started to manifest itself as redness across your cheeks, darkening with each moment of silence that passed. 

Kratos nodded ever so slightly and one of his hands ghosted just above your hip, barely making contact with your body. 

You placed your free hand on top of his, encouraging him to make full contact with you. You placed both of your hands on either side of his face and kissed him again. Only this time, you weren’t as gentle. You started with a firm kiss and then began to move your lips against his, trying to encourage him to kiss you back. You felt his hand on your hip pull you closer to his body and then you finally felt his lips start to move against yours. He dipped his head down so you didn’t have to strain to reach his lips. You couldn’t hold back a faint moan erupting from your throat as you wrapped your arms around his neck, trying to get even closer to Kratos. He now placed both his hands on your hips, tilting his head slightly to the side to deepen the kiss. After a few more moments, you weren’t sure if it was a lack of oxygen, or if you were getting drunk off of the feeling of Kratos on you, but you were getting dizzy. You stopped kissing him and placed a hand on his chest to steady yourself and took a moment to catch your breath. Kratos watched you cautiously, he gently brushed a strand of hair out of your face with the back of his hand. Your face was flushed pink and your lips were wet with the mix of both of your saliva. He hadn’t had any feelings like this in a long, long time. 

“Uhm…” You looked up at Kratos, pleasantly surprised to see he was watching you carefully, “Would you wanna get a drink with me sometime?” 

For the first time you saw the man’s cheeks firm up into a slight smile and heard the sweet sound of a chuckle escape his lips. 

“Why don’t we go now?” He proposed.

You nodded in response, “Yeah, that sounds great.” You smiled back at him, not caring if you looked like a complete idiot. 

“Let us go then.” He declared, walking towards the gate and holding it open for you.

“Okay, I know just the place.” You walked through the small wooden gate and excitedly waited for Kratos to catch up to you at the mystic gateway. 

---

A/N: Thank you for reading! I very well may do a part two to this story. Feedback and interaction helps me know if you want me to continue!

[heyitsyn]

Manager!Karasuno

a/n: oh dear. hello everyone. i am back, gigi is back and this is the newest installment of the manager series :))) i hope you guys like it and sending much love!!! <3

a/n: have fun :)

mm okay so this is a new series

or season?

the series is the managers and this is a new season because this is karasuno’s manager!!! :)))) 

everyone say hi!!!

she’s a wittle first year and shes a cute little thing but she got the energy of a rabid chihuahua

so this is how it you came to be

when mommy and daddy love each other very much-

hehe i kid i kid

but srsly, the whole bird and bees thing

and then boom, you were attending middle school in hyogo

you were a first year that was taken in by a pair of twins that were your neighbors

the miyas

miya osamu <3

and

miya atsumu >:3

they were what got you into volleyball in the first place even though you were more into soccer like your papa and even talked you into being their team’s manager

so here you were, freshly turned 12 (because you were the youngest of your entire grade) and suddenly responsible for a bunch of older kids

the coach helped you too of course but it was a lot of work and so when the twins left and you became a third year, you were practically a know-it-all with volleyball

flying receives?

jump serves?

you learned from the best B)

however,

when you were about 3 months into being in high school and as their current manager at inarizaki,

tragedy struck.

see, your parents were often out of town and tended to go overseas for business but when a plane that they were on crashed causing their death, you had no choice but to be taken in by your next of kin which was your uncle down in miyagi

he was your mom’s cousin but she practically saw him as her brother and you didnt really talk to him very much, apart from the times your mom called him and a few sentences of greetings were exchanged, but you knew who he was because your mom was close to him

duh, you were grieving and loss is such a hard thing to go through

the miya twins were there for you the whole time, even when they were busy

i mean like you lived at their house because you couldn’t stand being in the same home that you once shared with your parents

they didnt take it very well when you had to leave but they understood as long as you promised to come visit them soon so you get to see them play on the big stage

:’)

so here you were, on the train en route to miyagi where your uncle was supposed to be waiting for you

the time on your phone blared that it’s been nearly 5 hours and you’re supposed to be approaching the prefecture now

you’ve taken the train by yourself before but it still doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking because one, you’re alone and two, theres a lot of people

you didnt really do well with a lot of people nor the anxiety that bubbles in you whenever you stuck in a place for a very long time

it doesn’t help that the worst thing to ever happen has happened

eventually, the conductor went around and it was announced that you have arrived so you quickly grabbed your backpack and your duffel bag before rushing to grab the one large suitcase that was at the back of your compartment

the rest of your luggage and clothing was already taken to miyagi when your uncle drove all the way to hyogo to pick it up so you wouldn’t be inconvenienced during your way there

hes so sweet

you pulled the handle and gripped it, nerves eating you away and sleep pulling behind your eyes but you couldnt sleep

you didnt want to

the doors opened and you hurried out, getting past the many people and you saw the familiar hair of your uncle

his bleached hair was pulled back into a baby ponytail and his headband kept stray hairs from clouding his eyes

‘y/n-chan!’ he shouted and waved

you cringed at how zealous he was and the attention he was receiving from strangers so you hurried over to him

he rushed to give you a hug as if you didnt just see him a few days ago

‘oji’ you mumbled in greeting and he pulled back, giving you a wide grin

‘man! i can’t believe you’re as tall as my shoulders! before, you were still a tiny little baby that was smaller than my arm!’

you turned red and began to pull him to go home because he was attracting many stares from blushing ladies

sigh

you guys reached his cute yellow car and piled your suitcase and duffel bag in the back so the two of you could settle in the front seats

he started the car and drove off the parking lot and into the streets

wow, it doesnt look very different to hyogo

‘how are ya, y/n-chan?’

his tone was softer and you turn to look at him

he was focused on the road but it definitely sounded like his mind was somewhere else and he was trying to concentrate on talking to you

‘’m okay’ you mumbled

he was there during the funeral and the only one to attend since your grandfather and aunt was in the middle of recovering from their surgery and your other family members had other obligations

as if this wasn’t more important 

but he was there and you couldn’t be more thankful enough

you were only 15

you don’t know how to plan a funeral and a burial by yourself

not to mention their will and the passing on of their estate 

like bruh thats stuff that you have no idea on what to do with

so keishin was there to help you sort it out and meeting with legal attorneys and you were lucky that he always made sure that you understood what they were saying and making sure with you that whatever you decided is your choice and it shouldn’t be influenced by him or the lawyers

keishin is worried about you a lot since it happened and didn’t even want to go back to miyagi afterwards but his store needed to be opened and he doesn’t have anyone else to run it apart from his mother, who he really doesn’t want moving around since she also just got knee surgery

‘are you sure? you know i’m here when you need to talk. i lost her too so i understand most than anyone’

he quietly comforted you and your nose began to sting as a signal from the incoming tears but you looked out the window and to the trees that you passed by

‘i dont want to’ you whispered to him and keishin nodded

he won’t force you but just to let you know that he was there and will always be there

you two drove in a comfortable silence and you arrived at his family home where you will be staying

‘this is where your ma grew up. its a shame she never brought you or your pops down to visit but it can’t be helped. your grandma is in there sleeping right now so its best you keep the noise down a bit but im sure she’ll be excited to see you, kid’

you got settled into the house quickly and keishin’s mom who you could call as your aunt was very excited to see you and you smiled and hugged her and stuff

apparently your grandpa was helping some friend with his rice farm and such

sigh. you remember kita-senpai so that made you sad

since you just got there, they gave you some time to adjust like a month off of school

but you come to find out that you were enrolled in a nearby school, karasuno, which was somehow associated with your uncle

keishin attended there too when he was young and so did your mom but was now the volleyball team’s coach

you were a little >:\ because you wanted to stay in hyogo with the twins but you knew that you needed to be taken cared of right now

you were still young and even now, grieving is a process that would be easier with family

keishin got you all set for your first day and you had to hide a laugh at how excited he was when he gave you your uniform

‘its like sending off my own kid to school!’

gosh he gives such dad vibes now

your first day!!!!

of course keishin got you a little whiteboard that says first day of high school written on it and he told you to stand in front of the door so he could take a picture

even his ma was giggling behind him while you were red at the amount of attention he was giving to this entire ordeal

‘come on! here’s your lunch and some allowance to get something good at the vending machine. i would’ve sent you off myself but i got a delivery for the store. you remember how to get there right? if not, you got the directions in your notes?’

you rolled your eyes playfully

‘yes, oji. me gots it’

keishin actually walked you to the school a few days ago to teach you the way there and my gosh hes adorable

you tightened the straps of your backpack and hugged your grandma and grandpa before venturing out

it was so quiet

the neighborhood that you lived in was the kind where old people lived so there was no sound of students talking amongst themselves

but about 5 minutes into your walk, you found a pair of students, boys, who were going to the same direction you were in

one had his headphones over his ears and the other was talking to him like he didn’t see the headphones at all

you could only see the back of their heads and noticed that the one who was talking had dark green hair and was shorter than the one wearing the headphones, who was blonde and was really, really tall

the only person was omimi-senpai

and that dude had to be around his height

you had your earbuds in so you couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying but you were just walking along and absorbing the scenery instead of hurrying to class

then the tall blonde guy stopped walking but you were too busy at looking around you to notice that he stopped so you bumped into his back and made a noise of surprise

duh the first thing to come out of your mouth was an apology

‘sorry!’

bro it wasn’t your fault that this dude just stopped out of nowhere

but this guy turned his head around at you and met your eyes

you shivered, scared at his glare at you 

‘’m sorry’

you apologized again by bowing and walking around him to prevent anymore accidents

you weren’t gonna make a big deal about it because it was just an accident but you were afraid he was going to yell at you or something

instead of trying to have a peaceful walk, you were speed-walking to the school and even got lost once since you turned at a wrong street

but dw dw you just had to call keishin in a panic and after laughing, he helped you back to your destination

even google maps didn’t help you bruh

gigi fact: i went to dublin and was looking for nandos and we were walking but the gps thing didnt work correctly so we walked in circles around the city without ever finding nandos

in the end, gigi never got her nandos

anyways!

you went to the little office they got in the front of the school and you smiled at the lady

‘hi, ma name is l/n y/n’

she looked at you and nodded

‘new student?’

duh

but you nodded

‘id please?’

you fumbled in your bag and found your old inarizaki id because all of your other important ids were with keishin

lowkey kinda scary but maybe i just got trust issues

it seemed like it was good enough for her so she quickly typed something in the computer and after many clicks later, she got up to get something from the printer and returned with your schedule and what looks like a card

an id?

she noticed you staring at the identification card

‘it seems a relative of yours with the name of ukai keishin sent your information from inarizaki high, if im correct, and with it, your school picture so we just transferred it over to our database and printed your school id from there’

you let out a small sigh of relief that you dont gotta take a picture and you thanked her then grabbed your things

class 1-4 huh?

you wandered around and found out that the layout of the school was like inarizaki with the third floor being for first years and the second for the second years and so on

but you hate stairs

so you were kinda already dying when you made it up to your floor and by this time, students were already arriving

you obviously felt out of place and even when you started high school back in hyogo, you were already friends with some people in there and with the help of the twins, you were a bit well-known already

but here

you were a total stranger

a background character

an uneasy feeling crept into your stomach but you inhaled and exhaled before walking to the room that was labeled ‘1-4’ 

in an instant, several pairs of eyes were on you

everyone wasn’t there yet but enough that you wanted to crawl into a hole and die

who needed school anyways?

the twins already promised you a future where you don’t gotta work so it doesn’t matter

speaking of, they were messaging you now with how your phone was vibrating and you hurriedly ran to a chair in the back of the room to avoid any more attention

you pulled your phone out and stopped a smile from creeping into your face

it was mainly atsumu sending crying emojis while osamu was fussing over the fact that you only packed some sandwiches for lunch but you were quick to calm down his concerns by telling them that you were gonna get some snacks from the vending machine

sigh

you miss them

a lot

if you were back in hyogo, they would already be in your class, annoying the ever loving god outta you along with the other guy in osamu’s class, suna

atsumu is actually in a class higher than his brother and he continues to use that as a bragging thing

but you really do miss them

it feels like something is missing

but you weren’t allowed to be in your feels for too long because you felt someone looming over you to your right and looked up to see the tall guy from earlier, golden-brown eyes piercing straight to you

you didnt do the whole gasping thing like they do in mangas but you did freeze

he was definitely going to pick you up and throw you outta the window beside you bruh

pray for me

gigi: im praying for you sis

‘can i help ya?’ you asked because we aint here to be stuttering and stammering like little anime girls

but you were still scared lmao

he looked down at you with a cold glare

‘youre in my seat’

goddammit y/n

of course you were

just your luck

y/n things, you know?

but you looked at him dumbly 

‘yer wha?’

maybe it was because you were scared of him that you didnt fully process his question 

but he leaned down at you, glasses shining for effect

‘you’re in my seat, shorty’

he repeated but with an edge this time

yea no you clearly heard that

so you grabbed your bag and stood up, hurrying out of the room

maybe you can go back home and tell keishin you weren’t feeling good and you didnt wanna be here

that could work

so you were standing outside of your class, away from the windows because duh the entire class saw the whole thing and you didnt want them to watch you like thats so embarrassing lmao

your fingers were typing a message to keishin but before you could hit send, you hear someone stop in front of you

you looked up and was met with a man who was quite short but you could tell he was a teacher

god, if hes your homeroom teacher-

‘oh? are you the new student? i’m your homeroom teacher, takeda ittetsu’

the lord just aint on your side isn’t he?

you stared at him with this grim look in your face that his brows were furrowed with concern

‘are you okay?’

you nodded, swallowing and looking to the side

he just nodded along and gestured to enter the room

you cursed in your head but followed him, surprised that everyone was already there

did they just appear there out of thin air?

or were you really that out of it to notice people walking in

‘everyone, we have a new student today. she is a transfer from hyogo so if you could please, welcome her to our school. would you like to introduce yourself?’

if takeda-sensei didnt have such a nice look on his face, you woulda bolted outta there

but also, that would be embarrassing if you just ran out

so you nodded and looked ahead, remembering atsumu’s advice

just look at the wall and tune everything and everyone else out

‘’m l/n y/n and ‘m from inarizaki high school. let’s get along’

ugh, awkward introductions were never my thing nor have i ever transferred during a school year either so idk man

takeda directed you to a seat by the windows and was in the middle of the rows so you were ahead of the tall scary guy

but my god, you felt his stare the entire time

by the time lunch rolls around, you were already ready to go home

you were messaging the twins and suna of what was happening and they all petitioned for you to move back home and into the miya household

osamu: in favor of y/n moving and staying with us, say i

atsumu: Iiiii would like that

suna: *hand raising emoji* i

*cue tears forming in your eyes*

they were so cute

but you were distracted from your phone when a bunch of students started whispering around you and you looked up to see a really really pretty girl at the doorway of your classroom

and she was looking directly at you

aint no way

you havent been here but only a few hours

how have you already made beef with people?

she saw that you were looking at her and after a split-second eye contact, she was already walking towards you before stopping beside your desk

‘can i help ya?’ you asked again, feeling deja vu

man, pretty people were really freaking scary

then she smiled 

small, but still a smile

‘i’m shimizu kiyoko, third year. i’m also the manager of the boys’ volleyball club’

ah! the club that your uncle coaches

so you felt a little better about that so you gave her a small smile back

‘o, ma uncle’s the coach. didja need’m?’

she shook her head and you could swear there were flowers radiating from her right now

‘actually, no. the third years would like to meet you and i was sent to collect you’

*cue the suspicious eye brow raise*

like we as the watchers know kiyoko is the absolute sweetest angel to ever exist but in a realistic point of view, this was still kinda sussy you know?

she saw the hesitation 

‘the team wants to meet you but that might be a lot for you so we thought it was okay for the third years to meet you instead. if you would like, you could call your uncle and see if it’s okay’

nah, you werent taking any chances so you hurriedly whipped out your phone and pressed 1

since he was in your emergency contact :’)

‘oji, theres dis really pretty lady who says shes the manager of yer team’

‘mhm. mhm. shimizu kiyoko’

‘ahhh, okei okei.’

you ended the call and looked at her before standing up

‘lead the way’

she brought you down many stairs and into a secluded little hallway of the third year floor

you were a bit scared so you were walking a little bit behind her but saw 3 figures at the end, just talking and one leaning out of the open window

they saw the two of you and perked up

‘oh hey! you must be coach’s niece!’

the one with grey hair raised a hand

‘yo’ you timidly greeted

the one with the man bun understood your shyness and gave you a small smile

‘azumane asahi’ he extended a hand and you were surprised at how soft his voice was

‘i’m sugawara koshi but feel free to call me suga-senpai!’ he gave you a peace sign that initially made you cringe but quickly found endearing

he seemed really nice

then the last one with the short black hair gave you a smile

‘i’m the captain of the team. sawamura daichi’

ahhh so he was the captain

well, he was no kita-san but they had the same vibe

the same aura

that authoritative and leading aura

they were quick to ask you questions and get to know you better and such

then the bell rang and the older boys bid farewell to you guys while kiyoko was gonna walk you back to your class

not like you were completely lost or anything

but as you walked, she asked you a question

‘y/n, would you like to be a manager? i’m graduating next year and i worry that we won’t have a new one to replace me’

you looked at her in surprise

did someone say something about you being a manager in your old school?

you blinked

‘me?’

she nods, softly

‘you know our coach already and the third years too. it wouldn’t be too hard to be friends with the others but i do admit they’re quite rambunctious’

it might sound like shes complaining but you turn and see her with a smile

‘do ya think i can do it?’

theres that underlying fear

you werent very social and you werent outgoing enough to make friends with anyone and everyone

back home, you had the twins who weaseled you in to the team in middle school and high school

but now, you were completely alone and you had no one, essentially

so yea youre kinda scared lmao

she hums

‘would you like to see first? you dont have to do anything’

you still hesitate

but maybe you can just sit there and see how it goes 

you could even walk home with your uncle afterwards and with him, you know you wouldnt get lost

so you nod and you were sent back to class which ended really quickly now that you got something to look forward to later

kiyoko picked you up from your classroom since she knew you werent sure where everything was and she asked you to wait outside a room while she got changed to her manager uniform

you were familiar of the manager uniforms since you had to wear it at junior high and high school too

you even still have your familiar red inarizaki jacket but you were too emotional to wear it nor did you want to wear another school’s jacket

kiyoko smiled when she saw you leaning against the wall after she came out and nudged you

‘follow me?’

you nodded, blinded by both her beauty and her striking white teeth

she made small talk with you along the way like how your first day was and if you liked miyagi 

she also asked about where you were from and hyogo

‘i managed ma school’s volleyball team too’

her eyes widened at that revelation

‘did you really? then you know how to do these things then!’

you smiled at her but didnt really answer

the two of you were nearing the gym and could hear the squeaks of shoes against the floor and the balls that were smacking against the walls

hehe

she opened the door and you heard shouts of her name before they saw you based on their silence

you observed the gym and noticed many heads, including the tall scary guy from your class

your brows furrowed when your eyes landed on him but he only looked at you with a blank expression

the third years already knew you so they were giving you a smile 

daichi, if you remember correctly, walked up to you and raised a hand

'hey, y/n! glad you could make it!'

you nodded

'shes just observing today, if thats okay?'

daichi lit up and clapped his hands

'of course! feel free to sit over there at the stage, y/n'

the gym wasnt like inarizaki where they had bleachers

it was just a metal box with a stage at the other side 

but before you could go, 3 people bounded up to you

one with orange hair

one with a buzzcut

and another with a bleached fringe

omg tsumu?

they looked at you with wonder

daichi noticed them and quickly put an arm in front of you

'everyone! this is l/n y/n, shes coach's niece and shes simply observing today. please be kind to her'

he pointedly looked at the meme trio and they shrunk back with a pout

but you grinned and raised a peace sign

'yo'

they immediately introduced themselves to you with hinata, noya, and tanaka being the very outgoing ones and hinata being the one who was in your year while the other two were second years

you also met the quieter and softer second years: ennoshita, kinoshita, and narita who shot you apologetic smiles after they saw the surprised and overwhelmed look you got after the trio talked your ear off

‘sorry about them. they can be a handful’

ennoshita apologized but you waved a hand around

‘don’ mind! don’ mind!’

and you met the other first years

the tall scary guy was tsukishima kei and the one who was walking next to him with the green hair this morning was yamaguchi and was strikingly opposite to his best friend

he had freckles and an adorable smile

‘hi, i’m yamaguchi tadashi’

he introduced himself with a bashful smile

your heart exploded with how cute he was and nodded before sticking a hand out for him to shake

‘l/n y/n’

then the last team member you were introduced to was kageyama tobio

he is a first-year setter with dark blue hair and seemed to have a hobby of bickering the with the tangerine

he was kinda quiet and a bit awkward with introducing himself but it cant be helped that people were awkward you know?

in a way, he reminded you of sunarin

sigh

you miss them

but once you were introduced to everyone, you simply sat on the edge of the stage and watched them practice

duh, you just met them so you werent gonna have an automatic friendship with any of them but it didnt mean that you were a stranger to them

your uncle did eventually arrive and he already knew that you met kiyoko and the others but he wasnt really sure if you were gonna be there at practice so he was still surprised to see you

keishin would look at you often just to check if you were uncomfortable but he saw some sort of light in your expression, a sense of excitement and longing

he knew that you were a part of a volleyball club in hyogo too since he met the twins in the midst of moving your stuff

so he knew that you had a connection to volleyball

which is why he dropped the hint to the third years and shimizu about possibly recruiting you as a manager for the team

once nightfall breaks and it was finally dark, everyone clapped as a signal that practice was over

you felt bad just watching them clean up so you jumped off the stage to pick up the stray balls and helping them dismantle the net as much as you could

‘y/n, here’s the cart’

shimizu gently said and you smiled before pushing it yourself and dropping the balls in as you went

she watched you with a soft gaze and she was looking forward to training you

she feels that she made the right choice

keishin rounded them up as a meeting before leaving and announced to stop by the store to get some ice pops as a treat for their hardwork today

you connected to the meme trio since they had an energy that reminded you of your friends back home and how lively they were

hinata and you bounced off each other effortlessly and you animatedly spoke to him the entire walk to the store

did you know where you were going?

no

but you were just following along with everyone else

‘ah, now we got two shortys to worry about’

tsukishima remarked from behind you and both you and hinata gave him a glare

‘rude’

hinata huffed and you nodded

‘its like i can never escape ya, tsukishima. are ya stalkin me?’

you teased and he rolled his eyes before shoving your shoulder lightly

‘dont be so vain, shrimp. maybe its because we live in the same area and go to the same school. its just a maybe though’

okay, hes sarcastic

keishin opened the door to the store and you greeted your auntie who was looking after it for the time

hinata wanted to get some chips but you wanted a drink so you went to the fridges in the back causing kageyama to follow you too

you noticed him stand beside you, looking at the contents of the fridge and you gave him a sideways smile

kageyama turned his head a bit when he saw you and nodded stiffly before opening and reaching for his milk

how cute

you grabbed your f/d and met up with everyone at the front

the third years were fussing over the meme trio while the second years were watching with an amused smile

your uncle stood beside you and nudged your arm

‘so? you okay with this?’

you looked at him and smiled softly

‘its fun’

yea keishin hasnt really seen you smile like that and he felt a warmth surge in his chest

he wanted to make sure you could start over here and help you move on from what happened

this is the first step to doing so

daichi waved you over and suga patted your head as he began to talk to you

you met keishin’s eyes and he nodded

that night, you were on a group facetime with your friends

tsumu: oi, y/n! ya better not be replacin’ us!

osamu: oh, shaddup, tsumu. nothin’ wrong with making friends yanno

sunarin: how is it there? are you getting along with them? are they nice to you?

y/n: ‘m kinda scared to start over but i’ll do ma best

and thus, started your little adventures with karasuno volleyball team

for like a week, you followed kiyoko everywhere and just watched what she did

you found out that you needed to be in a club as a first year from your homeroom teacher who also coincidentally is the advisor for the team

he was so nice omg

as the days went past, you were quickly warming up to the boys and it was like you were back on the groove that you’ve lost

as a manager, you knew that you needed to be responsible while also being a friend to them

you helped kiyoko with the note taking and doing errands with her to ease the burden on her shoulders while also making plans to hang out with the people in the team

it helped that you were also skilled in doing some medical things so you would be on stand-by with the first aid kit just in case someone did something

but when kageyama and hinata start fighting, you just avert your eyes and pretend your didnt see anything

the third years love you since you were a quick learner and you already knew what to do and what to expect during practices and such

the second years were a bit scared that you would be like the meme trio but they found you were actually not that rowdy and they often stand by you to just talk

sigh, why must they always be benched bruh

you were close with them and because they were your senpais, they would also help you with your studies and tutor you

the meme trio thought of you as another goddess with their kiyoko-senpai but hinata and you just clicked so well together

i mean like yall make jokes and be the only ones that laugh at it

kageyama is more distant and reserved from you mainly because thats just how he is but he does start warming up to you in ways like asking if you would help bandage his fingers and such

and sometimes, you grab him his milk before going to school and surprise him with it 

very very cute things

gosh, dont get me started on tadashi

you got permission to call him tadashi btw

he is so adorable like help he is so cute

like yall are in the same class and you both talk to each other a lot during lunch since you have now joined their little group (much to tsukishima’s dismay) and you guys get along with your similar interests

but gosh, now we get to tsukishima

this dude cannot seem to forget about your bumping into him and taking his seat during your first day

‘gosh, shorty. remember when-’

‘tsukishima, shaddup!’

he loves and i mean LOVES to tease the ever loving life outta you bro like you cannot seem to escape it

and during practices, he will make little remarks to anger you or tick you off 

like when youre on your toes just to reach for something in the storage room, he would somehow know you were in trouble and would make a comment

‘it wouldnt be a problem if you werent so short, chibi’

you turn to him with a glare

‘are ya gonna stand there an’ jus’ keep yappin’ like a chihuahua or are ya gonna help me like a normal human bein’?’

he laughs before huffs and grabs the cone for you but not without accidentally dropping it on your head

‘ah, whoops’

‘yer such a bully, tsukishima’

these boys adore your accent!!!!!!

so it seems that they do have an accent here too but its so faded out and its like a normal tokyo accent but gosh, you were raised in hyogo and your kansai accent is strong asf

and unfortunately i do not speak japanese so i cant explain it directly but theres certain ways that you speak that they find so endearing

like you were rushing to the gym since you were late to their practice because obe-sensei held you up with some sort of issue with your assignment

you were huffing and puffing as you stumbled into the gym and they worriedly asked you where you were and if you were okay

but you were just grumbling since you were frustrated

‘obe-sensei was goin’ on an’ on ‘bout somethin’ so not related ta the homework like didja need ta tell me ‘bout yer dog?! ugh god get the hint why dontcha?!’

you were so cute

like hearing you rant was so adorable and they were blushing at how cute you sounded just now

then training camp starts and you, along with the others, meet nekoma

AHH it was intense and you met the rooster head and kenma too

kuroo looked at you intensely before he lit up, startling you while you were taking notes

‘can i help ya?’

you ask and he chuckled

‘thats where i saw you! youre the girl in suna’s phone!’

you turn red at the mention

help that was so random why did he just say that

‘wha?’

kuroo laughed

‘man! now i remember!’

‘what’re ya sayin’, kuroo-san?’

you press on

‘kenma! come over here!’

he yelled for the bleached hair setter who cringed at the mention of his name and how loud it was yelled but still walked over, eyes glued to his phone

‘what is it?’ his soft voice fills the space

‘you remember the inarizaki trio right? the ones that bokubro brought to our last hang out?’

kenma looked up at kuroo with a furrowed brows

‘huh?’

kuroo rolled his eyes

‘you know, the training camp and how we met that one school in hyogo and we ended up hanging out after?’

‘ah, the twins’

‘same thing. anyways! you remember the middle blocker? i thought you had beef with him at first but you got along with him’

‘ah, suna’

‘yea him! y/n-chan is the girl on his lockscreen, right?’

kenma looked at you, eyes fixing itself on your face as if he was committing your face to his memory

‘uh, wha?’

you ask again

bruh youre the emoticon O.O

then he nodded

‘mhm’

you turned red, freezing and voices tuned out and your team was worriedly asking if you were okay but nah, not really

HAHA ENOUGH OF THAT

because of how young you are, the third years tend to treat you like you were a baby and at first it bothered you with how caring they were since you didnt really know them that well and they were already taking care of you

there was still some underlying trauma from your parents death that haunts you

the guys dont know what happened or anything like that because obviously that was your business and nobody else’s

all they know is that you were from hyogo and transferred over here to miyagi and now live with your uncle

one day, you got a phone call from the legal attorneys with them explaining that all of the stuff was being finalized and you were finally finished with the longest months of your life

it was during a school day and you needed absolute privacy so you were at the back of the gym since one, the rooftop had too many cliche stuff happen up there and there has to be someone that could go up there and two, the volleyball gym wasnt exactly a popular hangout spot for anyone and three, the back of it was rarely visited by any of your team members and most of them would be in class anyways so they wouldnt be here unless they were skipping

but anyways

you were pacing behind the gym with your phone pressed to your ear

‘if you have any other questions, ms. l/n, feel free to call us okay? again, we are very sorry for your loss and offer our utmost condolences. there is always light in the darkness’

‘yes, thank you. goodbye’

you mumbled before they hung up and you stopped, harshly biting your lips with tears brimming your eyes and fists clenched around your phone at your sides

this was it

everything was done

you should be relieved, there was no more issues or legalities left to worry about

so why do you feel so empty?

as messed up as it was, those stresses and problems were the last of what connected you to your parents

and now that it was finished, it felt like that connection was gone

you sucked in a breath harshly, trying to not cry and make yourself calm down but you couldnt, sobs escaping you

:( 

you harshly wiped your eyes and kept breathing in and out to stop yourself

‘l/n?’

someone’s voice called out to you from way in front of you so you looked up and saw

kageyama?

his eyebrows were furrowed like usual but there wasnt a trace of annoyance like there usually was

instead, there was concern

‘ah’

you mumbled before shakily sighing and breathing for a second before looking up at him

even with your puffy eyes and red face with tear tracks down your face, you still smiled at him

‘wha’s up, kageyama?’ you question and he sighed a bit

‘what happened? are you okay?’

he approached you cautiously but you nodded

‘yea, ‘m fine. really’

he didnt believe you but didnt say anything, continuing to look at you

your eyes glaze over and you looked down

‘please, don’ give me yer pity’

you whisper

kageyama’s eyes widens

‘huh?’

‘i don’ need pity, kageyama’

there was no malice or anger in your voice, just a little tone of embarrassment peaking through

kageyama understood

pride

he was the same way

he was prideful and would rather die than someone seeing him so vulnerable and much less, crying his heart out

especially to someone he knew personally

so he understood

and he also understood grief

no one knew anything about your past as their coach always remained tight-lipped about it

but he did hear from some gossip from his mother with the coaches in the area that the old coach ukai’s granddaughter died

were you somehow connected to that?

oh, the current coach ukai was your uncle so it had to be you

you looked at kageyama and you saw a flash of understanding

did he know?

kageyama turned to lean against the wall

‘would you like me to leave you alone? i promise i won’t say anything to anyone’

his gruff voice sounded gentle and you looked up at him

‘yer a good person, kageyama. but, ‘m okay’

there was definitely an odd aura in the gym today and you and the coach were acting weird but everyone didnt want to be involved in familial business so they left it alone

but kageyama was paying attention to you more than usual and running to you to be bandaged up

they were even shocked when he patted your head

trust me, kageyama shocked himself too

the entire time, the team were trying to make you laugh and doing more jokey things

they wanted to cheer you up and daichi suddenly remembered, in the midst of closing up and cleaning up

he got you a surprise before they were starting to do the interhighs and he ran to the storage room, everyone watching him intently

‘daich-san?’ you asked when he came out and walked towards you with his hands behind him

daichi smiled softly before presenting you a clothing

is that

‘welcome to karasuno high school volleyball club!’

they shouted and you looked at them with wide eyes, tears once again in your eyes but this time, they were kinda happy tears

you looked to the side to shimizu and she gave you a rare wide smile and your uncle too

what is this feeling

so familiar but so strange since you havent felt it in a very long time

‘thank you!’

you shouted with them and bowed to keep your tears hidden

you all went to your family’s convenience store to celebrate and when you and keishin got home, he pulled you to a hug

‘we’re here now, y/n. not just me, but the team too’

that night, you once again facetimed the trio and they saw how grinny you were

tsumu: ei, why’re ya lookin’ like that?

y/n: tsumu, rude!

osamu: yea, did somethin’ happen?

you shake your head

y/n: the volleyball team here is really nice

tsumu: ahhh, yer really replacin’ us now!!!! what would kita-san say hm?!

osamu: here ya go again with your jealousy

while the twins bickered, suna gave you a gentle smile

suna: something good happened right? i havent seen you smile like that in a while

y/n: yea. i just…

you trail off, eyes wandering to the black karasuno jacket hanging there beside your red inarizaki one

y/n: its not startin’ over. its jus’ startin’ a new part of ma life. and i think ‘m ready to do it.

[jwirecs]

RECOMMENDED SEVENTEEN FICS OF OCTOBER 2023💖

hello, hello! here are my recs for seventeen for october! hopefully these beautiful stories get more recognition as well as the writers 💝

** anything in parentheses and bolded are my thoughts that can be disregarded if needed **

🔞smut || 💔angst || 💕fluff || ✅completed || 🔄ongoing || 💯favorite

Ah! Love || @thepixelelf💕✅

↳ Seungcheol conducts a very serious interrogation.

Glacial Pace || @wonusite🔞💕✅

↳ You’ve been in love with Xu Minghao from the moment he put a bandage on your cut at the age of six. When he asks you to pretend to be his girlfriend to get his prying family off his back, you quickly realize that keeping your feelings hidden from him will be next to impossible. Especially since your meddling friends are determined to have you admit your feelings before the holiday season is over. 

Please Don't Make Me Jealous || @jinkoh💕✅

↳ your friend's friend seems to be very keen on spending time with you

Retrouvaille || @ressonancee💕💔✅

↳ You and Minghao have always been friends and remained friends despite of different countries, different time zones, and lives, but now, you and him are back in the same city.

Slowly; All At Once || @gyuwoncheol💕💔✅

↳ Kim Mingyu fell in love with you slowly, but you fell in love with him all at once.

(Un)Lucky Charm || @wonijinjin💕💔✅💯💯

↳ choi seungcheol was your sworn enemy in life, until he was not.

2:14AM || @gyucheolslut🔞✅💯

↳ mingyu couldn’t help himself. while you usually don’t move much in your sleep, especially within his tight grip.. tonight was different.

Caresses From My Camera Roll || @mickeyboos🔞✅

↳ seungcheol is the sweetest boyfriend you could have asked for. he brings you plates of carefully cut up fruit while you work, leaves a light kiss on your cheek or a pat on your head whenever he walks by, and makes the best breakfast in bed.

My Little Gamer || @babyleostuff💕✅

↳ (wonwoos lil gamer partner, shts cute)

No Title || @wonwoonlight💔✅

↳ when you're fighting and jeonghan takes things a little too far.

Stain On The Sink || @p0ckykiss💕✅

↳ mingyu is sitting on the edge of the tub, staring at his phone. for some reason, he had thought that you, who has never even dyed your own hair, let alone someone else’s, would be the perfect person to bleach his whole head. you agreed after mingyu said he’d buy you dinner if you did it.

The Art Of Pie-Making || @lovequartz💕✅

↳ (soft jihoon is a god istfg)

Dream Ride || @bambikisss🔞💕✅💯

↳ You haven't been able to sleep much lately, so you've been driving around at night to help ease your mind. However, you keep passing by the same jet black colored motorcycle every night, which then keeps showing up in your dreams. So when you stop one night to get gas and see the same motorcycle stopped nearby, you decide to meet the man under the helmet.

In Soft Hands || @beahae🔞💕💔✅

↳ You've sworn off dating. But your favourite kid at your work has the hottest dad in the entire world. A bit of harmless flirting never hurt anyone, right?

Morning Sunlight || @chwecandi🔞✅

↳ jeonghan wasn't used to this kind of stuff; waking up his girlfriend with head. but since you had brought the idea up to him the week prior and consented to it, he decided to try it out.

My Heat is Beating For Two || @seuonji💕✅

↳ you’re a worker at the daycare and of course, your main priority is the safety of the kids. how’d you deal with an unfamiliar face trying to pick up one of the kids one day?

Only For You || @phenomenalgirl9💕✅

↳ Just another office romance, where you think Seungcheol is just too caring, yes that's the reason why he's so sweet to you. (Seungkwan is dumb to think he likes you or something)

The Aftermath Of Trick-Or-Treating || @wooahaes💕✅

↳ (single dad jeonghan with a bbygirl)

The Road That Leads To You || @wongyuuu💕✅

↳ double dates are bound to go wrong

Twisted Fate || @smileysuh🔞💕💔✅

↳ “He deserved it,” Wonwoo assures you, reaching out to grab you by the back of the neck, pulling you closer. He’s covered in blood, and he looks like a sexy, wild monster. But he’s your monster, and you can’t help but react, leaning in- “Jesus Christ,” you hear Jeonghan breathe, turning to give you and Wonwoo privacy while he presses his lips against yours hungrily. At first, you can try to ignore the wet liquid on your fingertips as you grab at his strong shoulders, but you can’t ignore the taste on his tongue. Your body goes rigid and Wonwoo pulls back with a sigh, resting his forehead against yours. It’s an oddly peaceful moment amongst the chaos.

Vodka Slime || @multi-kpop-fanfics🔞💕✅💯💯💯💯

↳ picking up a hot guy from a bar to spend the night with was in your bucket list. him being an alien wasn't. not that you really complain.

A Poem A Day || @wooahaeproductions💕💔✅

↳ When Mingyu literally falls head over heels for someone, he has no idea what to do. What happens when he gets help (and a little meddling) from his friends? it definitely won’t be boring, that’s for sure.

Sunshine and Sunflowers || @shuastruck💕✅

↳ if you were a sunflower then seokmin was your sunshine.

Do check out all of the other seventeen fics that i have reblogged as well!!

** if there is any fics that you guys would like to recommend, please do! i am slowly running out of fics to read **

[genericpuff]

Are there any comics you were into around when LO was first coming out that you still adore and highly recommend? Any comics you wish got far more attention they they have?

There are several artists I used to love the comics of that went on hiatus years back/the artist doesn't make content anymore and I still look at them fondly (Snakes and Ladders by Mulattafury guts me. I would've loved to see it continue 😔)

So LO was kind of one of the first "webtoons" I got into, and by that I mean I was reading tons of webcomics for years prior to it, but the whole vertical format thing was still very new at the time and I wasn't accustomed to it. I spent a lot of the early to mid 2010's reading manga scanlations and indie webcomics, some of which are still ongoing today (though others unfortunately were never completed):

City of Blank (which is now an Originals series and it's in its final season, please check it out!!!)

Monster Pop (this one is actually really similar in art vibes to LO, it's very pastel and fun! idk if the creator still makes comics but she DOES make eco-friendly plus-sized skirts with POCKETS now!)

The GamerCat

AwkwardZombie (i stg this is one of those comics that will probably live to see the heat death of the universe LOL)

A BETTER PLACE (this one was REALLY fun to experience at the time because it pulled off some time travel shenanigans that you literally had to be there to read, you deadass can't read the original pages that got overwritten in the timeline near the end of the story, it doesn't affect the overall narrative at all but it's fun knowing that I was there LOL)

Grassblades

An Exercise in Futility

A Tale of Two Rulers

Theodd1sout (yep, before they were big on Youtube, it was a webcomic!)

Fail by Error (unfortunately it seems the creator of this comic has removed it from Tapas entirely, I'll see what I can dig up through Wayback but until then you might be stuck with Pinterest on finding strips from this one)

A Matter of Life and Death (this one is pretty much cancelled indefinitely BUT the creator is still an active comic creator and just recently started up a new original project! they also make super cool Jojo fanart and AU stuff if you're into that haha)

Two Guys and Guy (same as Fail by Error, its site seems to be long gone now but some of the strips can be found online)

Happle Tea (^^^)

And of course there was all the manga that I used to binge like fucking crack LOL Soul Eater, Death Note, Naruto, Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist, Yotsubato, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Deadman Wonderland, and those were just like, the well-known popular ones, there were a ton others across varying degrees of popularity that I don't even fully remember the names of now.

On the whole, there was a LOOOOT of stuff I read prior to LO, I used to practically live on sites like Tapas. Some of it's still as good as ever, others haven't aged quite so well, but for the most part, I look back on it all very fondly as it's what made up a lot of my formative years as a webcomic creator :'3 If you haven't read any of these, feel free to check them out, maybe you'll find a new favorite! <3

[ryukenzz]

Hey ya'll, it's been a small minute. I hope everyone's Christmas Eve / day is going well. Below is a small Bleach drabble for Tosen. This is the first thing I've written since last November, lol. I'll do full-on writing some day, but for now, I will stick to small pieces. This is very short, lol. Hope ya'll enjoy. 💖

Word Count: 279

Dreams are an anomaly for Kaname.

Being blind from birth, the captain couldn't navigate the world the same way as those with vision. Touch, smell, sound, taste. These are the anchors that guide him through life. It led him through his path as a Shinigami, propelling him to his captaincy. Although…

It also led him to what he considers one of his greatest blessings. You.

Ever since he met you in the Soul Reaper Academy, Kaname's mind has become filled with everything there is to know of you. It started with thoughts of your weekly conversations, but they soon developed into full-time dreams.

A remembrance of your favorite puff pastry transformed into an intimate thought of you baking said dessert. You knead the dough as his hands follow along on top. A reminiscent of that haunted romantic movie you love.

Every time his eyelids close, Kaname descends into a world where nothing spiritual exists. Hollows, Shinigami, Quincies. Only a space where he can openly adore your being and soak up the love from your heart.

Dreams bring Kaname comfort. Relief from the realities of Soul Society's culture. As much as he wants to continue living in the blissful illusions… he knows his planned betrayal and conflicting alliances will never allow that.

One day, he hopes you understand. The blind captain prays that you will see his reasoning. Until then, he will continue to dream and long for a life that will never come to fruition.

Author's Note: I rushed the ending, I won't lie, fbhdbd. It's not exactly in season with the holiday, but I wanted to get at least ONE draft out before 2025. I hope everyone has a great Christmas, whether you celebrate it or not! Stay hydrated and warm ❤️.

[apples-and-heartbreak]

I feel like when I’m reading or watching something, for me to like a hero, they have to

1) have ambition about anything

2) not be annoying

3) not excuse their shitty behaviour with their shitty childhood

4) not be so self-righteous they don’t see their own flaws

For these reasons I hate with a burning passion Jace Herondale, Clary Fairchild, Eli Ever, Tiberius “Cal” Calore VIII, Dean Winchester, and Legend/Dante Santos

Jace is constantly doing something shitty in every book and people don’t care and they just put up with it for some reason. In CoG he belittles Clary because he wants to push her away but keeps coming back to her. He also keeps coming onto Clary when he thought she was his sister and said that cursed sentence in CoG that I need to bleach from my brain. I know if he said that shit to me I would’ve punched him in his stupid face cuz who does he think he is? He mocks the werewolves after they lost a child in their pack, he’s just awful to Alec at times, he doesn’t seem to understand there are consequences to his actions and just does shit because he wants to. He had the emotional maturity of a dried up pinecone.

Clary also does so much shit and people don’t call her out because she’s the protagonist and she just lets Jace do whatever to her because he’s hot. Girl please get a grip. She slut shames Izzy because apparently women aren’t allowed to have a sex life or wear revealing clothing 😒 girl you kissed someone you thought was YOUR BROTHER!! She dated Simon to get over Jace and then kissed Jace in the Seelie Court, and repeatedly thought about Jace in a romantic sense WHILE she thought they were SIBLINGS! I can’t.

Eli is so self-righteous, annoying and hypocritical. He uses God and religion as an excuse to kill innocent people which is just disgusting. Like I get that he thinks being an EO changed a person because Victor became different but he is an EO himself and he just takes it on himself to murder innocent people for simply existing.

Cal has no desire to do anything, at least up to the beginning of King’s Cage he doesn’t (where I currently am). He knows how poorly the Reds are being treated and he doesn’t want to change anything because (and I’m paraphrasing) there would be outrage among the Silvers and a war would break out. Bitch you are already at war! He’s the reason why so many innocent young Reds have lost their lives fighting in a war they have no say in. He sees the Scarlet Guard killing Silvers and he doesn’t try to stop them. He sulks and whines but doesn’t take any real action, which he could if he actually wanted to. He stalks around the camp like Mare’s dog and thinks he’s better than everyone.

Dean Winchester is an abusive asshole. He locked Sam in the cellar when he was addicted to demon blood when he knew the withdrawal could kill him. He shit on Sam for being manipulated. He’s made horrible perverted jokes about women, might I remind y’all of the high school episode (he was at least 26 at the time). He guilted Sam for leaving him in Hell and Purgatory when he did THE EXACT SAME THING when Same went to the cage. He threatened Kaia, a teenager at gun point for his own selfish purposes. He abused Jack til the very end, yelling that he wasn’t family when Jack had sacrificed his soul and life for the Winchesters, and made Jack hate himself for being born. He was shitty to Cas in so many seasons and didn’t care that Cas just went through seeing his son die and wasn’t able to save him. He violated Sam’s body by tricking him into letting Gadreel in which led to the death of Kevin and had the audacity to think he was wronged.

Dante is shit. Julian, his brother, lived with him for centuries, followed him wherever he went and loved him unconditionally. All Julian asked was for Dante to love him back, which he never did. When Julian finally found someone who loved him, Dante made fun of him. And then in the next book he gives up his immortality for Tella, a girl he has known for literal months at most. He didn’t love his brother, who has been with him since the beginning, enough to give up his immortality but he loved this random girl he has known for a couple months at most to give it all up?? Tella should’ve left him in the dust just like she did Jacks and went off on adventures by herself and met someone that wasn’t a twat.

[expatesque]

Monthly Recap - Nov

Second round of this, under the cut

Read

Mansfield Park, Jane Austen - Do not recommend, was decent in the start but a slog by the end. Fanny is the most insipid protagonist I’ve come across in Jane by a mile, truly wishing her the worst.

Death in the Clouds, Agatha Christie - a top notch Poirot, very fun and twisty.

The absolute drama around Yellow Bittern has been so jokes, Vittles as ever had a great take

Ann Helen Peterson on how to show up for friends (meh, some interesting suggestions, very American oriented) and whether the kids are too soft (oriented towards journalism but a good question to be asking in any industry).

So much about the last 6 months of the economy (tuned out for my gardening leave, now have to catch up).

Watched

This month included Halloween so we had Practical Magic (an absolute must watch for the season for me), Beetlejuice (first time watching, more entertaining than I thought it would be), and I Married a Witch (the second you see Veronica Lake in this you understand why someone would risk their eternal soul and stay married to her)

A lot of West Wing - election season always gets me back to here, one of the best shows ever

Drop Dead Gorgeous - a fun one for a wine-filled night in with a friend

A hungover binge of Man on the Inside - sweet and cute and sad, especially if you know people who've had memory issues.

I am continuing to watch Charmed at night before bed, which is low stakes and amusing enough. Also watching Vampire Diaries, which is terrible but great fun mainly because I live text my reactions to my friend who’s already seen it while I watch, so it’s really half a friendship exercise.

Did

Attended: The ballet! Saw Encounters: Four Contemporary Ballets at the Royal Opera House which was largely eh but (1) the Royal Opera House is amazing, worth seeing anything there for the venue (and esp the bar), alone, and (2) the final piece, The Statement by Crystal Pite, was absolutely mind-blowing, one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time.

Went to three V&A Young Patrons things: Portrait Miniatures handling session (v cool), opening party for the Great Mughals (v fun), private viewing of the Great Mughals (v good, see below).

Learned to: Use hot rollers. Really recommend, they're a super easy way to look way more polished and genuinely take <10 min start to finish. I used this tutorial (and can confirm the volumizing spray she talks about is very good).

Made new friends!: Ana I think is going to be a good one, maybe Parker too. And Beatrix is a perfect tennis friend, not sure if we'll graduate beyond that.

Revarnished my outdoor furniture: trying to help it survive this winter better than last.

A lot of soaking in oxygen bleach of towels, tea towels, stained shirts, etc: getting things into shape for when I go back to work.

Went to a Thursday singles event and went on a date off the back of that: event was scary and kinda meh but I met someone so, worth it.

Found someone to play tennis with during the week (and played twice outside of drills): a big accomplishment, she’s lovely and a good player and available the same kinds of times that I am. Jackpot.

Last Month’s Goals

☑️Use all class pass classes: Actually had to buy more passes, did a lot of F45 and Qigong this month.

☑️Read a book: see Read section above.

☑️New Recipes x4: (1) Confit Chicken Legs - so good and how amazing that they keep for months, (2) Rick Bayless Slow cooker mole - a really good mole recipe (available on YouTube) with a huge amount of depth for (relatively) little work, (3) Brazilian Stroganoff - made this for the Brazilian GP (I try to make themed food for every GP) and it was decent but not my fav and I’m unlikely to make again, (4) Not proper recipes but did a lot of making my own condiments and syrups, e.g. rosemary simple syrup, pickled chillis, slow roasted cherry tomatoes.

☑️Go to a new museum: The Wallace Collection, can’t believe I haven’t been before, it’s free and lovely. The Swing is actually very cool in person, I hadn’t realized how small it is. And the recently completed conservation is wonderful, the colors are really stunning. There’s also a nice cafe. Recommend!

☑️☑️Go to an Exhibition (x2): The Great Mughals at the V&A (very interesting, lots of little details, was glad to go to private viewing with two of the curators as that added a lot), Silk Roads at the BM (incredibly good but also incredibly packed. Try to go first thing in the morning). Note: This one means a major exhibition at a museum I’ve been to before.

☑️Go to the theater: See above, Did section.

🟧Crochet: Making progress, still want to get better about doing this more regularly at night.

❌Write More: Total fail here, need to reconsider how to prioritize this and figure out what the main blockages are.

❌Lay morning foundation: Also total fail on this, probably should reconsider what's realistic for these colder months.

☑️Budget: Barely, was tougher this month. I'm ready to have income coming back in.

🟧Memorize a poem (x2): okay really this is a fail but I had to memorize a rap for Russian class so I'm counting that as a half tick.

☑️Russian flashcards: This is going better and my vocab is improving.

🟧Screen time: Better but still not good. May need to think about how to cycle this through the week / month vs blanket bans/reductions.

🟧Job prep: Unlikely to have any interviews until Jan so this has slowed down but is in progress.

Next Month’s

Carrying Over

Use all class pass passes (I expect to use less because I got home for Xmas midway through the period)

Four two new recipes (shrinking this as I will be doing less regular cooking and more holiday cooking)

Read a book

Visit a new musuem

Go to an exhibition

Go to a show (off for this month, busy start to the month and then I’ll be home)

Crochet

Write more

Morning foundation

Budget

Memorize a poem

Russian flashcards

Screentime

Job/interview prep

New

Quality time with people at home (grandmama, gran and pa, Jack, parents, Grace, Anna, M&M)

[skittlewrites]

LU Boys Headcanons

Hey! I have some headcanons that I'd like to share, and most of these will make, at the very least, brief appearances in my stories. Some of the boys have more than others, but oh well.

To start us off, we have Wind!

-He certainly looks small and sweet, but he's a terror when he's angry.

-He's super protective of those he claims as family.

-The wind reacts to his emotions and feelings without prompting. It has a mind of its own when it comes to its champion.

-His hair is bleached blonde from all of the time he spends out on the ocean (He despises the cap of the hero's clothes).

-He can dual wield! I feel like this would be very fitting for him (This has made an appearance in ATS as well :) ).

-Full name is Link Aalto (Aalto is wave of water in Finnish)

More under the cut!

Wild

-He's super good with animals. Small, large, feral, domesticated, anything really. He understands them to a certain extent, and they generally understand him as well.

Legend

-He's one of the more graceful ones in the group, but the most graceful.

-Doesn't really have an issue with Hylia, and is a fan of Din and Nayru (During the Oracle of Ages/Seasons, he made good friends with them both, imo).

Time

*shrugs* nothing yet

Hyrule

*shrugs* nothing yet here either

Twilight

-Country accent 100%. When they're in his Hyrule, it gets so crazy thick and the others tease him relentlessly about it.

-Loves pumpkins. As Ordons' main crop, he's a huge fan of all things pumpkin, and he and Sky trade recipes.

-Best friends with Dusk, evolved into a relationship.

-Loves to gossip with Warriors.

Four

-Speaks the same dialect of Hylian that Sky does (Ancient Hylian), so they tend to gravitate to each other when they get frustrated or overwhelmed.

-Has a bit of an accent compared to the others, but its nowhere near as prominent as Sky's.

Sky

-He's the most graceful in the group. His fighting looks very similar to dancing in the sense that its fluid and smooth.

-He dances with Fi. During his quest and once Sun was stuck in the crystal, Fi would occasionally force him to slow down and stop pushing himself so hard. They would dance together, Fi teaching Sky some of her favorite dances, and Sky teaching her Skyloftian dances in return. They both loved it.

-Sky hasn't danced since Fi returned to the Sword.

-Sky has a prominent accent. In my head, it sounds kind of like Fi when she speaks in-game, melodious, smooth, and ancient.

-His ears are very expressive. They move with his expressions. Skyloftians also have much better hearing than other Hylians. This comes from spending so much time on their Loftwings, and the necessity of hearing others flying with them, and needing to be aware of Skytails.

-Sky will startle and/or spook easily, but he doesn't get genuinely terrified very often at all. There's only a few things that will truly scare him.

-He's really good with anything with wings, and cats. Since Remlits don't exist outside of his era, this translates over to cats imo.

-Uses a lot of statistics and probabilities. This carries over from Fi, and he's aware that he does it, but tries not to most of the time (Sun thinks its adorable).

-His anger is quiet. He doesn't typically yell, but he gives off an entirely different vibe when he's angry. Depending on the situation, he can sometimes be quick to frustration, but he'd never take it out on anyone except himself.

-Speaking of, he feels like most things are his fault. Huge guilt complex. Sun and Groose hate that he feels this way, but despite their best efforts, he finds a way to blame himself for most things. :(

-He's a silent crier. He's always been on the quieter end, and he doesn't like to bother people when he's overwhelmed or upset.

-He's very light. I feel like most of Sky's 'bulk' comes from his layers. Living in the sky, the nights must be frigid, and the wind certainly doesn't do anything to help. So, he wears multiple layers, all Skyloftians do. I fee like Skyloftians might have a different bone structure than other Hylians, especially as the Loftwings carry them around, and can catch them out of freefall so easily.

Warriors

-Loves pumpkin soup. Had some when he was on Skyloft in the War of Eras, and has wanted more ever since.

-He knows Fi fairly well, having spent so much time with her during the war. He and Sky sometimes talk about her for hours at a time.

-Gossips with Twilight.

-He can understand a good deal of Ancient Hylian, but not as much or as well as Four can.

-He struggles on and off with speaking. Proxi hangs around him more often than not, and she'll help out when he needs it.

Good grief, I didn't realize how much typing this would be. But regardless, here you have it! Sky's got more than the others because I love him and I have a lot of Feelings about him. I know that Time and Hyrule have nothing, but I don't know their characters very well, so I just don't know what to think about them. Lol.

Have a good day!

[drabblely]

self indulgent Bleach drabble

Self indulgent Bleach stuff where unless there is a fight to be had Ichigos zampaktou could honestly care less about other people.

Ichigo is the one who protects others but in the end his blade only cares for themselves. Ichigo knows this, he had to accept it when he made his greatest sacrifice. Understaning the nature of his zampaktou was a requirement for fusing with it, otherwise it wouldn't have worked. So, Ichigo knows.

Other people do not. Ichigo having two spirits was both a surprise and not. After regaining his powers his sword had split into two distinct blades after all, and both of soul society's dual blades wielders, Kyoraku and Ukitake, had two souls, so it wasn't unprecedented.

Ichigo Kurosakis soul is split between two very different spirits neither of which is of shinigami origin.

Zangetsu is split in two, between black and white, both of whom have distinct skills and abilities not found in shinigami.

His black shadow is tall, solemn and older, the perfect mentor figure. He is also by all means and abilities a Quincy through and through (the face of their greatest enemy stares at them through the cold eyes of the soul of their greatest ally).

His white shadow is loud, manic and eerily calculating, the perfect rival to push him further beyond his abilities. He is also a hollow in all but the hole and an enemy of theirs by pure nature alone (there was a hole there once, right in the middle of that chest and the raging terror of a vasto lorde born was not the peak of his powers).

Ichigo is kind. He has grown from the rash boy he was when he first stormed soul society into a seasoned(jaded) soldier who still has not lost his compassion and love for his friends. Ichigo has lost all for those he deems worthy multiple times before but as they watch the dark eyes of the Quincy half go from stoicly fond to a cold wall the moment Ichigos attention wanes from him, as the loud cacle and a dodged swat from Ichigo doesn't quite hide the near open disdain his hollow regards near all of them they know.

Ichigo Kurosaki is a protector. He has and would give his all again to protect all those he claims in his ever expanding field of friends even at the cost of his own life but his swords are not the same. Deep inside the soul of their greatest asset live two separate entities giving him all their power and neither of them would give a single flying fuck if none of Ichigos friends were ever seen again.

[ninapi]

New to this (Akaashi version)

○●○●○●○●●○●○●○●○●●○●○●○●○●

Premise: Akaashi Keiji falls in love with a single mother and realizes she's all he wants for his life.

Word Count: 4528

Notes: Ok, so this story will be part of a series. It will be laid out like an otome game, meaning there will be three different routes for the same premise, different endings. The first story being with Akaashi.

Also I'm a bit rusty, so apologies in advance.

Chapter 1: Brighter days ahead

Spring season comes around once more, your favorite time of the year. Sunny days with unexpected rain, beautiful flowers everywhere. A light breeze heaves in through the kitchen window, making you shiver slightly at the unexpected cold and bringing back thoughts you normally throw to the back of your mind on most days.

Being a single mother isn’t exactly easy. Specially at such a young age. Being in your early twenties, you have been able to raise a very smart and gentle hearted toddler. You glance around the tight space, smiling as you see remains of the good life you have had with your son. A jar full of seashells that the two of you picked up on your last trip to the beach. Family portraits drawn by him when he was just three. Polaroid pictures littering the wall above your small tv, all smiles and blue skies, and of course, not to forget that blurry one of a beetle he found at the park the other day. Simple details, yet full of love.

Seeing all this makes you think how it all happened so fast, you can’t believe he’s already five, and thinking about the early stages of it all is still a thorn stuck in your heart. You can still remember being madly in love with the child’s father, waking up to his handsome face close to yours every morning, those tender kisses that you can still feel on your skin and even if time keeps moving forward, they still hunt you on your sleep.

You love your son, he is the best thing that ever happened to you, and you would do anything to see him smile. His eyes are beautiful, honey colored, soft, gentle, with long lashes and they crinkle when he smiles, always scrunching up his nose like a little rabbit, he is just adorable. You decided to let his hair grow a bit longer this year, he was starting to look just like a small version of his father and that was just too much for you, you couldn’t take it, not yet at least. Suppressing another shiver, you turn to your shared closet looking for warmth and silently wishing he never takes a liking to bleached hair.

In the same closet hung the uniform your son was to wear this morning, “Seiji” read on the bright yellow flower tag pinned near the sleeve. His first day of kindergarten, it feels like such an accomplishment for you to be standing here, proud of your son reaching another milestone, one he has been looking forward to for years now. It was difficult getting all the way here by yourself with no one’s help, but this felt like such a reward, he is growing up to be a wonderful little person and you were the only responsible for that. Always knowing you wanted kids one day, you assumed you’d be a good mother, but reality hits hard when you had to do everything by yourself.

The melancholic morning goes on as you push around your eggs with the fork, absentmindedly staring at your baby boy with a sour smile painting on your face as you think of the past. Your parents didn’t want to hear anything from you when you told them you were pregnant and haven’t seen them ever since. They didn’t even know where you lived nor met your son. Your boyfriend left you claiming he was definitely not the father of the kid, and that fact still bewilders you, how can he not be though? He was the only one for you and you thought he knew that. More images of old dates with Atsumu come flooding in, when he confessed to you on the rooftop of the school in your third year. Your first kiss. The first time he told you he loved you. How he used to hold your face in both of his hands and just stare into your eyes for hours. The sound of his shallow breathing when he was asleep. Tears threatened to come out and that’s your cue to get up and clean the table, urging your son to get up and dressed for school.

Turning to the sink, you discard your untouched breakfast and look through the window while rinsing the dishes with soapy water. More memories come, painful ones. “(Y/N), how can you cheat on me like this? Pregnant? Are you fucking kidding me?” said Atsumu getting up from the kitchen table of your shared studio. The cup he was drinking soda from shattering on the floor, making you jump from your seat. You were a nervous wreck, so confused. But most of all, hurt, from the way he was behaving. “I- I don’t know how this happened, but it did. Maybe that one night when I told you I felt a leaking…maybe the condom teared a bit?” you were now walking in circles, chewing at your thumb, “There’s no other explanation for this.”

“Oh, there is, (Y/N). Can’t believe you would cheat on me…” he scoffed, looking at you like if you were a miserable piece of garbage needing to be stepped on and thrown away. He then grabbed his jacket and left, slamming the door shut and causing a small planter to fall from its hanger on the wall. That was the last time you saw him. You waited for him to come back, he had to, all his stuff was still there. But you waited days, weeks even. You weren’t eating properly, barely sleeping thinking he would be back any second and you couldn’t miss it, but he didn’t come back.

Feeling dead in your own skin, you reached for your family thinking your mother would know what to do, having a baby was a lot of work and you didn’t even know where to start. But the first thing she asked was if you were actually having it. Hearing your mother say that to you was even worse than seeing Atsumu leave, of course you would have the baby, it was yours and a product of love, regardless of how things ended he was still the man you loved, your first and only boyfriend and a piece of him was inside of your now growing belly. Disappointed in your reply they gave you the cold shoulder, cutting off the money they would send you every month. “If you want to have that creature then work for it, a daughter of mine wouldn’t get pregnant so carelessly. Don’t ever call us again, (Y/N)”. You still remember how hearing that felt, you were alone, completely on your own. But that wouldn’t stop you.

You sit on the dining table once more, a simple looking Ikea table with just two chairs. Seiji has stopped needing his highchair a while back but still sits next to you and you can’t bring yourself to get rid of it. Gliding your fingers over the soft wood triggers more unwanted memories. When the child was born and you saw him for the first time, you knew you had to try and contact Atsumu again, it was impossible for him to think this was someone else’s baby. He looked just like him. Those beautiful honey colored eyes and tiny puff of dark hair on the crown on his tiny head. Even his sleeping face was like seeing him napping on a summer afternoon. But your attempts failed, most likely getting another number tired of seeing your missed calls and messages. Unnerved, you tried dialing his twin brother, Osamu was always so loving and supportive, he would certainly get you to him, but the same thing happened. How can they just disappear like that? Was it your fault? You were just so tired of this whole thing. So, once you got permission to leave the hospital, you took your son and moved to Tokyo. A bigger city full of new people, new beginnings.

You had to quit college, it was impossible to pay for rent, bills, food and college with a couple of part-time jobs. Besides you couldn’t get any job that would involve you leaving the house, otherwise you would need to pay for a babysitter and that was out of the question. It was rough, and probably the reason why you feel like you can’t throw away the chair you keep on staring at, you worked so hard to get everything you have now and even if it isn’t much, is home. Home for you and for your son, the true love of your life.

And today was his first day of school.

“Seiji, come on we gotta leave soon or you will be late on your first day!” you half yelled, sipping on the last remaining coffee in your mug, now cold and murky due to all your overthinking. And once again you think how beautiful spring morning it is, today will be a day you will always remember and you’re glad the weather is on your side. “Mama…” he looked at you with a not so amused expression on his face, making you look down at him and back from your little breakdown. He looks just like his father but reminds you more of his uncle most of the times and for this you were grateful, “You always tell me I can’t go out of the house without brushing my teeth properly. I need 5 more minutes.” he declared, climbing on his stool to reach the sink.

Your heart swell just a little with pride and suddenly that tightness in your chest just breaks, you have Seiji, you always had, even when all those hurtful memories were your day-to-day reality, he was already inside of you. And you realize, after all this time, that you’ve never been alone.

───  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ───

Once the toddler finished getting ready, you two left the house in a hurry and you could see how nervous he was. Your son was fiddling with the straps of his backpack while he walked next to you in complete silence, something rare for him. You wanted to reassure him, but this was a new experience for him, there weren’t many kids his age around the neighborhood so being surrounded by kids was something he was both excited and terrified about. So, you settled for taking his smaller hand in yours and pointed all the little things you could find on your way to the school. “Seiji look!” you pointed to the only cloud lurking around a vast bright blue sky. “Doesn’t it look like the bunny we saw yesterday at the petting zoo?” you grinned at him happily, causing your son to grimace a bit, “Heeh? You think so, Mama? I think it looks more like a koala chewing on some leaves” you tilted your head to the side analyzing said cloud. If you were being honest, the cloud was just a blob that looked like nothing to you, you were just trying to distract him from his anxiousness. “Leaves? Hmmm…more like poop. Don’t you remember that show we watched the other day? They said koalas eat their own poop”. Your son looked at you puckering his lips out, simulating he was going to be sick, causing you both to laugh loudly at each other, the cloud long forgotten same as his worries.

And without noticing you were now staring at the gates of his school. Reassuring your son, you let him go inside the class with his teacher, “I’ll be back at 3, be a good boy!” you shouted after them and he turned his head to look at you, “This is it…” you thought, he was going to cry and run back to you, you’ve seen plenty of that in tv and you honestly don’t remember how your first day of school was but you were fearing this would happen to Seiji, but instead, he gave you his wide crinkled eyed smile, the one you love so much it hurts you every time. He would be just fine and so would you, you have each other after all.

Today was a complex day for you, full of mixed feelings and bringing out all your insecurities. Paying for his school tuition and all the things he needed for school was a difficult task with your current income, so you thought of looking for another part time, just one more, you can certainly have three now that he is in school. “I wish I could just get an actual full-time job with a good pay rate instead of needing three part-times…” you sighed, looking through the job listings in your phone. Everything was dreadful, long hours, low salaries, and on top of that you had to pick Seiji up at 3, there was no way around it. You found a bench near the closest convenience store and sat there after getting a bottle of tea from the vending machine next to it. You found a delivery job, for a flower shop, it wasn’t great, but it would definitely help. So, you called the phone number listed on the contact section and you actually got it without much hassle. The shop belonged to an old lady that had hurt her knee and wasn’t able to take the flowers on her own with her scooter. Since you knew how to drive one around and you mentioned your son’s school was very close from the shop, she just couldn’t say no to you.

───  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ───

In a blink of an eye a month had gone by, you were exhausted but your son seemed happy. Today you made pizza toast for dinner since he has been begging non-stop for pizza and you were currently in no position to spend money on that, so that’s all you could give him right now, and he took it. You loved hearing him tell you all about his day in school. And he was now telling you about how he met this one girl who’s in the daycare section of the school, a year under him. “So, we read together during lunch break. Well, I read to her, she still doesn’t know all the words” he says between bites of toast, happily pulling it away from his face to look at the stringy cheese.

“That’s great, love. I’m sure she is very happy to have such a reliable upperclassman.” you chuckle quietly when you notice how he puffed his chest out at your words. He is such a sucker for this sort of compliments. He just can’t wait to be an adult, and you can just pray the time doesn’t go by that fast. You bring your hand to his face, swiping sauce off his cheek.

Seiji nods, beaming at you “She even shared her apple slices with me today! But they didn’t have bunny shapes, like the ones you do for me.” he pouts a little before shoving more toast in his mouth. You normally cut his apple this way as you know he loves animals, little things like this are his favorite and you could sense his sadness towards his friend not being able to enjoy them like he does. Such a gentle hearted boy.  “Well, maybe her mom is busy or doesn’t know how to make bunnies. If you want, I can cut bunnies for you two another day, I bet she would like that!” you try to cheer him up, his eyes lighting up at the idea and he hugs your arm “Thank you, Mama. I would like that very much.”

───  ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅  ───

The next day you received a very unexpected call that left you in quite a shock. “He did what???” you were taking your break sitting on the stairs of the back room. You couldn’t process what she was saying and asked for confirmation, needing the teacher to repeat what you just heard. “He pushed his classmate to the ground and his mother is making a fuss at the principal’s office. Can you please come?” you could hear the annoyance in her voice and loud screams on the background which you could just assume was the mother of the child yelling at the school staff. “I’ll be right there” you informed the teacher and explained everything to your boss. She told you to take the day off, she wanted to close early anyways to watch a parade in the tv.

You ran as fast as you could. It was about a 10-minute walk from the flower shop to his school, but you made it there in 3. Panting hard, you opened the door to the principal’s office, trying to catch your breath. And you noticed two adults and three children sitting on multicolored chairs, all looking at your unannounced entrance.

Your eyes darted immediately to your son who was jutting out a cut and bloody lip. You gasped at the sight and ran to his side, “Seiji, oh my god. What happened to your face? Are you ok, my love?” he nodded and buried his face on your thigh. Running your fingers through his silky hair you scanned the room. A very large woman with an expensive looking outfit, diamond rings, a designer bag with a tiny poodle inside of it and a large brim hat, huffing like a buffalo next to a just as large kid, with a band-aid on covering his elbow and a deep scowl on his chubby face. He couldn’t possibly be the same age as your son, “he’s gotta be at least 7…” you thought while moving your eyes to the chairs closer to you. There seated a tall handsome man, deep blue eyes, messy black hair, with what you assume is his daughter. A lovely little girl, who looked just like him big blue doe eyes, long braided black hair adorned with two hearts held by bobby pins. She was still crying, clearly scared by the whole situation, and you could see now what was going on.

You decided to sit next to the man, not looking at him but towards the little girl, “Are you Kimi by any chance?” you asked, smiling down at her, who scrunched up her nose to hold in her snot and nodded to you. “It’s nice to finally meet you, I’m Seiji’s mom. I heard you’ve been reading a book about butterflies.” you say trying to distract her and get her to stop crying; the principal clears his throat, snapping you out of the moment before the man had time to even introduce himself or thank you for helping.

“I summoned you all here to discuss the incident that transpired this afternoon” the principal says fixing his glasses up his nose without looking at any of you, whatever he was reading on his phone was clearly more interesting for him that this whole situation, “(Y/L)-kun pushed, Sakamoto-kun onto the ground, causing a scrap on his elbow. His mother here,” he signalizes grandly over to the fancy looking woman with an outstretched arm, posing dramatically “is looking for monetary compensation”.

That caused you and the man next to you to scuff loudly at the same time. “Seiji, did you push Sakamoto-kun?” you looked down at your son, rubbing soothing circles on his back to encourage him to tell the whole story. You were 100% sure that he did, otherwise he wouldn’t be sulking on your leg, but you know your son, he isn’t someone who would just hurt someone, he even avoids stepping on ants when you two play at the park.

He nodded and let go of your leg, stretching up to his full size and looking at you and Kimi’s father with a serious glint in his eyes, like he was about to give a speech and you knew what was coming.This would be interesting. “Remember when I told you this morning, I was going to finish reading the book we started yesterday?” you hummed in acknowledgement and your son continued, “Well, here I was, walking through the courtyard” his expression caused the man behind to grin slightly, very much intrigued by the toddler’s display, “I was looking for Kimi, who said would look for the book, and THEN” he changes his tone, making it more dramatic, causing everyone to be immersed in his story. This kid was something else. “I see Sakamoto-kun pulling at Kimi’s hair! I had to do something, mama. So, I ran to them and asked him nicely to please stand back from my friend as he was clearly hurting her. But what did he do?” he brings both of his hands to his face, pulling his cheeks down in despair and continues, “Instead of letting her go, he punched me on the face” both, Kimi’s father and you gasped at this bit of information and Seiji just nodded as if confirming how grave the situation was. “I weighed all my options and all I could do was push him to get him away from her. And that somehow got us all in trouble. I know violence is a bad thing, you say that to me all the time mama, but detective Connan once said” he air-quoted, “It’s not violence if you get struck first, its self-defense.” Satisfied with his recount of the facts, he sits on the chair next to his mother and crosses his tiny legs, closing his eyes and waiting for the adults to get to an agreement, he’s done his part.

The man next to you heaved an airy laugh, it was refreshing, you’ve only seen him scowl since you got there, “Seiji-kun, are you really just five?” he questions the child with an amused grin on his face and to this, your son only nods, opening one of his eyes in acknowledgement.

He is definitely something else.

“So let me get this straight” says the man beside you, now sitting up straight and glaring at the principal and the obnoxious kid across the room, “My daughter was being bullied by an older kid and this very brave young man stepped in to save the day. Why is this woman here requesting monetary compensation for a scrap? We both could sue the school for not being able to protect your students from bullying. Right…?” he looked at you, realizing he didn’t even know your name yet, “(Y/N)” you said with a small smile, looking straight into his eyes and ignoring the rest of eyes now all on you. “And yes, of course, I’m with you all the way. Kimi is 4, she shouldn’t even be allowed near older kids, is dangerous and totally the school’s fault.” Seiji let out a loud gasp, getting both of your attention and making you chuckle “Unless that older kid is my son, clearly. As he is willing to protect her no matter what” you said, glaring at the bald man behind the desk while patting your son’s knee, signaling not to worry about not being able to hang out with his friend.

But this was Kimi’s breaking point, she started bawling her eyes out again “MAMA!!!” she suddenly screamed and ran straight into your arms. This confused you, to say the least, but held her close, nonetheless. “I bet you were so scared” you said to her gently, rubbing her back while stealing a glance to her father who shut you an apologetic glance. “Let’s get your hair all pretty again, come here.” you lifted her small body over, getting her to straddle your lap. Pulling a wet tissue out of your purse, you cleaned her tear-stained face, and combed her hair, re-doing the braid that had been pulled by the violent five-year-old. “There! Now you look just like a doll once more.” smiling down at her, she returned your smile, proudly saying “Papa always makes sure I look cute, so he made my hair like this for me today!” a thought came right up to you “Papa, huh? So, this is why her apple slices aren’t bunnies. Her mother is probably very absent, that’s why she’s a bit confused right now, hearing I’m Seiji’s mom mixed with all the stress of the day probably triggered something inside of her.” in thought you beamed at her without making any unwanted comment and went to put her back down but, clinging to you for dear life she refused to leave your side and so, you let her be.

The man assessed the whole situation, how you looked at his daughter with such an adoring expression, like she was your own. He was also very impressed on how you managed to calm her within seconds, it always takes him at least an hour to get her to stop crying. And he suddenly was very aware of how beautiful your smile was and became grateful that you were there, otherwise he would probably have to take Kimi out of that school as he would of punch a hole in that ridiculous looking principal.

“So” he cleared his throat, “I expect Sakamoto-Kun to at least get a disciplinary action for his behavior if you don’t want us to sue the school or call the press. Now if you excuse us,” he held a hand behind your back, motioning for you to get up with both toddlers hanging from you, “We have better places to be at right now.” Following his lead, you excused yourself and held your son’s hand, walking out of the building.

Once you had picked up their backpacks, you headed over to the front of the school where the man was waiting for you.

“Akaashi Keiji” he said, looking at you like if it was the first time. You saw his eyes sparkle a little, the side of his lips curling up slightly. “Kimi’s father as you might have noticed.” he starts walking and you trail behind him with a nod. “I was thinking…what do you guys think of getting some pizza?” he looked back at both toddlers with a wicked smirk on his face. Your son letting out a screech now clinging to Akaashi’s leg, probably his favorite person in the world right now. “I think that’s a yes” you said, chuckling at your son’s excitement. “He’s been thinking about pizza for weeks now” you cradle the sleepy toddler in your arms and ask her softly if she would like to go to get some pizza with Seiji, this waking her up instantly and making her bounce excitedly, clinging to your neck.

“It’s a date then.” Akaashi mumbles quietly only for you to hear and begins walking towards the Pizza shop. You noticed the scowl on his face from before was no longer there, making you smile. Wait, what? “It’s a date?” you repeated after him, jogging a bit to catch up with the gang, now walking next to each other. You haven’t had a date in over 5 years, you start derailing with silly thoughts about your hair and make-up choices for today.

Anybody looking at you right now would only see the perfect family out for some fun, even if that was very much far from reality.

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