#lowkey a red flag that you find that annoying

[lynettethemadscientist]

Controversial: people hate Preston Garvey not because of a bad game mechanic but because they hate being reminded that they, as a human being, are responsible for helping other people to the best of their ability.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Synopsis: You find yourself developing a crush on mischievous soccer player Eita Otoya. The only problem? Eita and relationships don’t exactly go hand in hand — which is something you’re only all too aware of, considering he just so happens to be your best friend’s older brother.

BLLK Masterlist | Karasu Version

Pairing: Otoya x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 12.9k

Content Warnings: crack fic, otoya is a red flag let’s not lie to ourselves, he’s lowkey ooc at the end, reader says ‘i can NOT fix him’ but then accidentally manages to anyways, otoya plays video games but sucks at them, otoya’s younger sister is given a name (look at that word count LMAO i’m not calling her ‘otoya’s younger sister’ the entire time), std jokes, your honor eita otoya IS a loser

A/N: yes this is based off the song “best friend’s brother” from victorious. yes this is probably the dumbest otoya fic you will ever read (i promise i’ve written him better before). yes this is four times longer than it was supposed to be. idk what to say either i just get carried away LMAO

On the first day of your first year of middle school, you were told by your teacher to sit next to an entirely disagreeable looking girl. Her round face was adorned with a scowl, and there was a scrape on the bridge of her nose. She had silvery hair cut in a choppy bob, and blunt bangs streaked with green covered her forehead. When she noticed you staring at her in surprise, she made a face at you.

“What do you want?” she said.

“I’m supposed to sit here,” you said. “Teacher said so.”

“Whatever,” she said with a scoff. You gave her an uneasy look as you set your things down beside her, sliding into your chair and watching her out of the corner of your eye. If she noticed, she did not care, gripping her pencil in her hand so hard it was a miracle it did not snap in half, her scowl deepening as she looked over the introduction sheet you all had been given to fill out. 

“I’m Y/N L/N,” you offered meekly, not wanting to accidentally offend her. She seemed like the kind of girl you really shouldn’t mess with, not if you wanted to keep your life and limbs intact.

She glanced at you. “Seiko Otoya.”

“Nice to meet you, Otoya,” you said.

“Seiko,” she said firmly. “Nobody calls me Otoya ‘cause I have two older siblings and it’s confusing.”

“Ah, but neither of your siblings are here, so it wouldn’t be confusing,” you pointed out before you could stop yourself. Seiko gave you an annoyed look.

“So what? Everyone’s been calling me Seiko since I can remember, so if you try to get my attention by saying Otoya I won’t realize,” she said. “What’s your problem with it?”

“I don’t have a problem,” you said, pulling out a pencil of your own and filling out your introduction sheet. Your handwriting was ten times nicer than Seiko’s, you noticed — she had a messy scrawl that was barely legible, especially when compared to your neat print. 

“That’s great to hear, L/N,” she said, shoving her arm over her paper so you couldn’t look at it any longer. “Quit copying me.”

“Of all the assignments to copy on, do you really think I’d pick this one? It wouldn’t even make sense, since all of the information is about ourselves. See, this one asks about our families,” you said, tapping your eraser against the question you were referring to. “It’s not like I would write that I have two older siblings, because I don’t, even though you do.”

Seiko scoffed, puffing her cheeks out and turning back to her work with a pout. “Fine.”

You had been hoping that you’d befriend your desk partner, considering you didn’t know anyone at the middle school. All of your friends from primary school lived across town from you, so they were attending another middle school, which had the unfortunate effect of leaving you by yourself. Unfortunately, it seemed like you were out of luck when it came to making friends with the girl beside you, because Seiko was surly at best and downright hostile at worst.

When the bell rang to signify the end of the first half of the day as well as the beginning of the lunch break, you all but leapt out of your seat, speed-walking towards the cafeteria as fast as you could, eager to avoid another stiff conversation with Seiko. For her part, she rolled her eyes, taking her own time to gather her things and push in her chair, ignoring you completely all the while.

In your haste, you didn’t watch where you were going, and because of your shyly-ducked head, you ran straight into the back of a tall, heavy-set boy.

“What is wrong with you?” he snapped, spinning around to face you. He had close-cropped hair and thick brows, a narrow mouth pressed into a taut line, and a pinched, ruddy face. 

“I’m sorry,” you said immediately.

“You made me drop my chocolate milk,” he said. “Apologize again, and give me money to pay for more!”

“Your chocolate milk is still in your hand,” you said quietly. He glared at you, and then, before you could react, he was unscrewing the cap and pouring its contents all over you.

“Like I said,” he said. “You made me drop it.”

“What — why would you do that?” you sputtered. You had thought that middle school would be much the same as elementary had been, only with different people, but this never would’ve happened, even just last year. You looked around wildly for a teacher, but there were none; though you were surrounded by laughing peers, you realized that you were alone in this hallway, completely and utterly alone. Everyone was laughing at you and milk was dripping down your once-white shirt and you were alone and things could not get worse. 

The boy held out his hand. Things got worse. “Gimme your lunch money, freak.”

You stared at him blankly, tears welling in your eyes but refusing to fall. He tapped his foot, and slowly, when you understood that you had no choice, you reached into your pocket, fumbling around for the bit of change you had brought with you.

Suddenly, someone slapped your wrist lightly — in reprimand, and not hard enough that it hurt, but so that you were startled and ceased your actions immediately. Looking up, you saw it was Seiko Otoya, looking much the same as she had earlier, though her cheeks bloomed with a rose-colored flush as she jabbed a finger at the boy.

“Who do you think you’re messing with, huh?” she shouted, loudly enough that you were surprised no adults were alarmed. The boy’s eyes widened.

“Seiko?” he said. “I didn’t know you were—”

She let out a challenging war cry and then lunged at him. You gasped as she tackled him to the ground and socked him in the nose, looking entirely ridiculous all the while. It was like watching a chihuahua beat up a mastiff; Seiko was tiny compared to the boy, but vicious, not even giving him a moment to breathe as she rammed her fists into his face, over and over.

“Miss Otoya!” an authoritative voice said, cutting through the brawl. “What is the meaning of this?”

Your teacher stood before you, one of your classmates at her side. When Seiko did not move, she yanked her off of the boy, helping him stand and giving Seiko a stern look.

“He spilled milk on L/N and tried to take her lunch money, so I was just trying to give him a taste of his own medicine,” Seiko said with a shrug.

“You should’ve come to me, not taken matters into your own hands,” your teacher said, massaging her temples when she saw the state of your uniform. “Do you have anything to say to this young man?”

Seiko squinted at the boy, his bloody nose and shivering frame, and then she nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Go on, then,” your teacher said. Seiko placed her hands on her hips.

“I’m sorry—” she began. Your teacher nodded encouragingly. “—that I didn’t hit you harder. You could’ve gotten surgery and fixed that ugly nose of yours if I had actually managed to break it. I’ll do better next time, promise.”

The boy burst into tears. Seiko was sent to detention, giggling all the while. You were given a new uniform and the knowledge that there was at least this one person in the school who was on your side.

It was only natural that, after such an ordeal, you and Seiko ended up as fast friends. Her gruff exterior never softened any, but you found that she was kinder than she let on, and lonely in her own way.

“I learned that move from one of the wrestling matches my older brother likes to watch,” she explained to you a few days later. “I’ve been itching to try it out, so thanks for giving me the opportunity.”

“Itching to try it out?” you said in wonder, accepting the orange slice she handed you and biting into it.

“You know, I beat up 95% of the boys in my kindergarten,” she said thoughtfully. Despite the far-fetched number, you were inclined to believe her. “I’m kind of the opposite of my siblings in that sense. They’re both super popular, especially my brother Eita, but I’ve never been like that. I’m the sort of person that people generally stay far away from.”

“Well, I’m not staying far away from you,” you said. 

“Right,” she said, cracking her knuckles with a smirk. “Who knows when that guy or his lackeys will come back to take revenge on you? You’ve gotta keep me around for a while, just in case.”

It was the best she could offer in terms of friendship, so you only smiled and said that you would.

You visited her house for the first time the following summer, during that part of the season when the days were long and faded into night so slowly that you could even fall asleep while it was still light out. She invited you in and then immediately tugged you after her, not bothering to offer an explanation, as was her way. You stumbled up the stairs, trying to keep pace as she whipped around a corner and knocked frantically on a shut door.

“What?” a muffled voice shouted from inside of the room. 

“It’s Seiko, open up!” she shouted back. “I have to show you something!”

The door opened to reveal a boy. He was a year or so older than you and Seiko, with a delicate, handsome face and a slender, willowy build. His hair, which boasted the same strange coloring as Seiko’s, fell into low-lidded eyes that narrowed with irritation when they settled upon his younger sister.

“What is it?” he said. “I was in the middle of playing a game with my friends.”

“Look,” she said, placing her hands on your shoulders proudly. “You said you didn’t believe I had a friend, but I do, see? This is Y/N L/N, and she’s here to hang out with me!”

Her brother seemed unimpressed. “Did you have to rough her up a bit or something to get her to agree to it?”

“No!” Seiko said. “She actually likes me, right, Y/N?”

“Right,” you said, confused at what kind of argument you had accidentally found yourself in the middle of. “Um, Seiko’s my best friend at school, and she’s never beaten me up or anything, so…”

“Holy crap, you must be desperate,” he said.

“Hey!” Seiko said, kicking him in the shin. He winced and promptly slammed the door on your faces.

“You suck!” he said. “I have a soccer game tomorrow, so you’re lucky you didn’t permanently injure me!”

“I wish I had!” she said. “Come on, Y/N. He’s a jerk. Let’s go swimming. Did you bring a bathing suit? If not, you can borrow one of mine.”

“I have one,” you said. “Wait, so was that your older brother? The one who watches wrestling matches and all?”

“Yeah, that’s Eita. He’s in the grade ahead of us. I guess you could say we’re closer with each other than with our older sister, since she’s already finished high school, but to be honest, he’s dumb and mean, so we don’t get along very well,” she said.

“I picked up on that,” you said. “He seriously didn’t believe you had any friends?” 

“No!” she said. “I told you back when we first met that he and our sister are super popular and I’m not, didn’t I? The thing is that he’s aware of that, too, and he always teases me for it, so when I told him I actually had made a friend, he acted like I was making it up. That’s why I took you to meet him, but he just had to go and be annoying about it! Ugh. I shouldn’t have expected anything else.”

“That’s the worst. Oh, and he plays soccer?” you said. She gave you a strange look.

“Mhm, why?” she said.

“Dunno,” you said. “Just wondering.”

Even you weren’t sure why you were curious about Eita Otoya. Your first interaction with him had hardly been memorable, and if anything you should really despise him for being rude to Seiko. But wasn’t it common for siblings to fight? That didn’t mean he was a bad person, did it?

Actually, it was irrelevant. You doubted you would see much of him, so no matter the quality of his character, he wasn’t someone you needed to be thinking of as anything more than your best friend’s brother. Resolving to push it aside, you spent the rest of the summer with Seiko by their pool, eating popsicles and playing mermaids and getting into splash fights and entirely ignoring whatever signs of her brother’s existence presented themselves.

In fact, until you and Seiko began high school, your path hardly crossed with Eita Otoya’s. He was always out with his friends whenever you came over, and the things he preferred to do had such little overlap with yours and Seiko’s interests that it was as if he did not even live in the Otoya household at all. Indeed, you saw more of their older sister, who was already in college, than you did him, and he became nothing but a vague thought in the back of your mind, only considered when you saw a random sock on their kitchen floor or a soccer jersey thrown across the back of the armchair in their living room.

All of this changed when you and Seiko became high schoolers and she joined the swim team. Her practice hours were long and irregular, which meant there were often times that you’d sit around her house, doing homework while you waited for her to come back. Some days she was only five minutes late; others, it was half an hour or more. It was frustrating, but it could not be helped, so you learned quickly that you should bring something to entertain yourself with if you dared to head to the Otoya household on a day she had swimming — which was every day, or so it seemed.

“Hey. You’re L/N, right? Seiko’s friend?”

You were pulled out of writing a history paper by someone speaking to you curiously. When you looked up, you saw that it was Eita Otoya, a brown paper bag in his hands and a friendly smile on his face. He set the bag on the counter and rummaged about in one of their cabinets, pulling out two plates while he gazed at you, waiting for an answer.

“Yes, I am,” you said, omitting the fact that you had been coming to his house for years, seeing no merit in bringing it up. “You’re her older brother.”

“Yup,” he said, emptying the contents of the bag onto one of the plates. “I can’t believe you’re doing homework at your best friend’s house.”

“She was supposed to be back half an hour ago, but I think one of her teammates pissed the coach off, so they all got held back again,” you said. “I figured I might as well be productive while I waited for her.”

“Smart,” he said. “Want some?”

He held up the plate filled with churros at you. You furrowed your brow, feeling entirely awkward — this was probably the longest conversation you had ever had with him, and certainly the only one you had had without Seiko present.

“Uh, sure,” you said.

“Good choice, these things are delicious,” he said, shaking his head as he heaped a generous portion onto the other plate. Pulling out the chair across from you, he handed you your plate and then sat down with a dreamy exhale. “I swear they put crack in them or something.”

“It’s possible,” you said, debating whether you should close your laptop before deciding you might as well. It wouldn’t do for your keyboard to get sticky with cinnamon sugar, and it would probably be rude of you to have it out while he was sitting with you.

You both were quiet for a while — you were too unsure of what to say to him, so you opted for silence, and he was distracted with eating his churros and texting someone on his phone. Maybe you should’ve kept your laptop open after all.

“Say, L/N,” he said. “If you were a girl—”

“I am a girl,” you interrupted him, somewhat put-out that he had forgotten that. He rolled his eyes and took another bite out of a churro, chewing and swallowing it before responding.

“Obviously,” he said. “You didn’t let me finish. If you were a girl who was dating someone, and they cheated on you, what would you do?”

“You could’ve just phrased it like ‘if you were dating someone, and they cheated on you, what would you do?’ You didn’t have to specify the ‘if you were a girl’ part,” you muttered. It was a childish thing to be hung up about, but for some reason it really irritated you to think that he thought of you as something other than you really were.

He cocked his head at you, like he was trying to discern whether you were really being serious or not. He must’ve decided that you were, for he chuckled. It was not quite condescending but bordering on it, and it did not improve your mood any.

“Alright, I’m sorry. That’s my bad. Well, if you were dating someone, and they cheated on you, what would you do?” he said.

“I’d be upset and break up with them immediately, duh,” you said.

“Why?” he said.

“What do you mean why?” you said incredulously. “Wouldn’t you do the same?”

“I’m not sure. No one’s ever cheated on me before,” he said with an impish grin, leaning over the table and snatching one of the churros off of your plate. “That’s why I wanted to know what you think.”

“No one’s ever cheated on me before, either. I’ve never even dated someone. That’s just the kind of thing where you already know what you’d do, though you hope it never happens,” you said.

“You’ve never dated someone? But you’re so pretty,” he said. You coughed, a bit of the churro that you had just swallowed sticking against your throat peculiarly at the compliment, which he had tossed out so casually it was as if he had just been commenting on the weather.

“Thanks,” you said. “Anyways, er, like I was saying — like I was saying, I wouldn’t stay with a cheater. Not ever.”

“That’s a shame,” he said, taking your empty plate, stacking it atop his own, and setting both in the sink. Running his hands under a stream of water so that there wasn’t any residue left on them, he shook his head. “It isn’t that big of a deal, you know. Like, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Doesn’t mean anything?” you said. “Of course it means something. It means you don’t have any respect for the person you’re dating, and I wouldn’t want to be with someone who doesn’t respect me, so why would I stay with someone who cheated? Plus, I’m sure you’ve heard what they all say — once a cheater, always a cheater. If they did it before, they’ll do it again.”

“That’s not very conducive to a growth mindset,” he said, patting his hands dry on a red-striped dish towel.

“Maybe not,” you said. “But people who cheat can grow somewhere far away from me.”

“That sounds like my cue to leave,” he said with a two-fingered salute. “I used to wonder why you were friends with Seiko, but to be honest, I can see it now.”

Before you could ask him what he meant by that, he had left the kitchen, running up to his room, taking the steps two at a time. You were rendered absolutely bewildered, your sugary fingers and your unfinished essay and the two empty plates in the sink serving as the only proof that the conversation had even happened in the first place.

“Your brother’s really weird,” you said to Seiko when she got back, smelling faintly of chlorine, though you knew she had already showered at the pool. She cringed.

“Tell me about it. What did he do this time?” she said, pulling a large sweatshirt on, her hair sticking up every which way afterwards.

“He gave me churros and asked me what I’d do if someone cheated on me,” you said. She snorted.

“Sounds like him,” she said. “He’s kind of a serial dater, you see. He doesn’t tell me much, mostly because I’d be seriously grossed out by it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a cheater, too. Seriously, I don’t even know how we’re related. He’s the worst. I’d tell him to stop if I thought that he’d actually listen to me.”

“Oh,” you said.

“Don’t be so gloomy,” she said, elbowing you in the side affectionately. “It’s not like you’ll ever get with him, so why are you worried? I’d never let you date a cheater like that. Seriously, if you ever get a boyfriend—”

“If?” you said.

“You know what I mean. Anyways, like I was saying, I’ll beat him up if he cheats on you, whoever he might be!” she said, flexing her biceps, which were admittedly impressive, albeit hidden by the puffy sleeves of her sweatshirt.

“What if it’s your brother?” you said. 

“Ew, why would it be him?” she said, pretending to gag. “Never date Eita. You deserve way better. He’s like a walking STD, probably. Just being in the same room with him is enough to give anyone herpes.”

“It was just a hypothetical question. And also, don’t you live with him? That’s nasty, do you have herpes, too?” you said. She ran her hands through her hair in a futile attempt to tame it; you reached into your backpack and pulled out a comb, tossing it at her.

“I’m immune because we’re related,” she said. “They only transfer if you have those kinds of intentions, so you’re safe for now, but I’m just saying, he’s a genuine health risk to be around. And to answer your question, yeah, I’d take any opportunity to punch him, so if he cheated on you I’d go at it doubly hard!”

“That makes it seem like I’m more of an excuse for you to mess with your brother than you actually wanting to defend my honor or anything,” you said.

“There’s a bit of both factoring into the decision,” she admitted. “Let’s stop thinking about it, though. I’m feeling itchy in places I should not be feeling itchy at just the prospect of you guys being together.”

“I didn’t need to know that,” you informed her. She stuck her tongue out at you, and the topic was, in turn, forgotten.

For some reason, though, you found yourself showing up at the Otoyas’ house earlier and earlier. Not enough to draw suspicion, but enough that you almost always had at least a couple of minutes there by yourself. Mr. and Mrs. Otoya had long ago grown accustomed to your presence and treated you more like another daughter than anything, so they didn’t find it strange, and Seiko’s older sister had recently moved into her own apartment nearer to her university, so she didn’t even realize that it was happening.

In fact, there was only one consequence to this newfound habit of yours: in the many moments before Seiko returned from her practices, you struck up a friendship with her brother, Eita.

Things were awkward at first, you couldn’t deny it. He didn’t have much interest in you, and in fact it seemed like he only entertained you because it would be even worse if he didn’t. 

“Oh, you’re here again,” he’d say if he got back from soccer before Seiko came back from swimming. “No Seiko?”

“Not yet,” you’d say, a poster board or worksheet or laptop in front of you. “She should be back in a few minutes. We’re supposed to finish this project together.”

“I told her she should’ve picked soccer,” he’d say with a laugh. “We always finish on time.”

“Cool,” you’d say, because how else could you respond? He’d raise his eyebrows at you, and then, if he felt generous, he’d give you a churro. If not, he’d dart off to his room, mumbling some excuse about having to call one of his friends or something, which you never responded to, because it was mostly unimportant to you.

There wasn’t any huge reasoning behind it. Talking to Eita Otoya wasn’t particularly stimulating, and though you certainly found him good-looking, you wouldn’t go so far as to say you had a crush on him. Mostly, you found him to be a bit of an enigma, and if in figuring him out, you got a few churros out of it, then you supposed it was a fair enough deal, but it wasn’t like you were seeking out his company or anything.

Eventually, he seemed to warm to you a bit more, though you were still standoffish, Seiko’s warning ever-present in the back of your mind — the one regarding walking STDs and herpes and whatnot. You never brought it up with him, but that really was the cause of your shyness, not — not anything else. Definitely not anything else. Why would you be shy around him of all people?

“Hey, L/N,” he’d say nowadays, greeting you cheerfully and sitting next to you as you did your homework. “How’re things going?”

“They’re good, thank you,” you’d say, scooting away from him inconspicuously. Herpes. STDs. Genuine health risk. Oh, he smells really nice… 

“I’m doing well myself,” he’d respond, despite the fact that you typically didn’t bother with asking. “Still no Seiko?”

“Nope,” you’d say with a sigh. “Still no Seiko.”

He’d wrinkle his nose. “Damn. Sorry to hear it.”

“It’s fine,” you’d say. “She’ll be here soon, and she’ll probably be full of complaints about her coach.”

“I’d stick around until then, but unfortunately, my PC is calling,” he’d say, or he’d give some other such goofy excuse that was obviously designed to pull a laugh out of you and usually did. “See you around, L/N.”

“Later,” you’d say. “Have fun with your PC.”

It was nice. You wouldn’t say you were close with him by any means — definitely not as close as you were with his sister — but the two of you got along. You didn’t know much about him, and you doubted he knew much about you, but you both could hold enough of a conversation that you began to actually look forward to spending time with him.

Only because he was oddly funny in his own way, and kind of sweet, too. It had nothing to do with how nice his laugh sounded or how bright his grin was or the way he spoke to you, gently but also mischievously. You didn’t even notice these things, not one bit. 

“Y/N!” he said one Saturday, banging into the kitchen excitedly. At some point, you had indeed become Y/N to him, though you couldn’t quite place when that shift had occurred. “No Seiko?”

“She’s at a meet,” you said. “She told me she’d come back once she was done with her races, but she texted me a few minutes ago that her coach is making her stay for the entire thing, and she doesn’t know how long it’ll take. I thought about going home, but then I thought that, since I’m already here, I should just wait for her.”

“I’m surprised you’re not doing homework,” he said, hopping onto the counter, a box in his hands, ostensibly filled with churros.

“It’s Saturday,” you pointed out. “I did all of my weekend work yesterday so I could be free today and tomorrow. Seiko and I were supposed to have a movie marathon, so I didn’t want to be distracted.”

“Supposed to?” he said, wandering around his kitchen, taking out cutlery and plates with an uncharacteristically serious expression. “Why wouldn’t you be able to?”

“Who knows when she’ll get back? Hopefully, it’s soon, but I’m sure you’re aware of how random the meet schedules can be, so we might run out of time to have a marathon proper,” you said.

“It’s like I always say,” he said.

“She should’ve picked soccer,” you completed for him. “What makes you bring that up today?”

“Our matches are timed,” he said. “No uncertainty there. Look, forget about that for a moment. I walked past this bakery on my way back from soccer practice, and they were having a sale, so I stopped in. I asked Seiko, and she said you like these. Is that true? Because if she was lying, I’m gonna kill her.”

Instead of churros like you had expected, he was holding a plate of cupcakes, frosted in pastel shades, crystal sprinkles glittering under the ceiling lights. They were beautiful, like little flowers or jewels, and you beamed as he put them on the table and waited for you to speak.

“No way!” you said. “Are these from that place by the park? I’ve been wanting to go there for ages, but their stuff is so expensive that I could never justify it. I can’t believe they had a sale! Thank goodness you happened to walk past. I would’ve cried if I missed my chance to try their stuff.”

“So, as a girl, you’re impressed by this?” he said as you unwrapped one of the cupcakes and shoved it in your mouth. You gave him a surprised look, your chin covered in icing, sweet cake filling your cheeks. He suppressed a laugh, handing you a napkin as you rapidly chewed and swallowed.

“What d’you mean?” you said.

“I’m trying something new,” he explained. “Buying flowers is kinda lame nowadays; plus, if I get cupcakes instead, then I can also have some, so it’s a win-win.”

“I see,” you said, dabbing at your face with the napkin.

“I thought I’d ask for your feedback, since you’re the only girl I talk to regularly. Besides Seiko, obviously, but it’s not like I’m going to ask my little sister about this kind of stuff,” he said.

“I’d say I was pretty impressed,” you said. “However, I would also say you shouldn’t mention that you got them on sale.”

“Of course I wouldn’t mention that to a girl I was actually interested in,” he said. “I just told you because I knew you’d refuse to eat them otherwise.”

“That’s true,” you said. “Buying these at full price would’ve been stupid in any situation, but especially so because it’s not like you’re trying to be nice to me or anything.”

“You make me sound like a villain,” he complained. “I still got them for you, didn’t I? Why does it matter what my reasons were?”

“Your reasons are kind of villainous,” you said. “You got them for me so I could tell you whether your new strategy for picking up girls was a winner or not.”

“I compensated you for your services!” he said. “What kind of villain would do that? By the way, is it? A winner, I mean.”

“I think so, but everyone’s different. It could work with one person and not another,” you said.

“Good enough for me,” he said, patting you on the head. You paid him no mind — not true, even the lighthearted touch made you feel all squirmy and strange — and pulled out your phone, which had just vibrated with a text. 

It was Seiko, and you sighed as you read the message. Eita peered over your shoulder and then hummed sympathetically.

“Ooh, is that Seiko? Yikes,” he said.

‘now the coach is making us all go to dinner as a team :/ we can have our movie marathon another time?? sorry i made you wait and then stood you up.’

A second later, your phone buzzed again. 

‘i feel like eita LMAO omg pls don’t slap me like his last ex did. i’ll make it up to you another time PROMISE!!’

You would’ve laughed, but you felt so discouraged by her earlier text that you could only muster up a half-smile. Eita gasped in offense when he read the second message, drawing back and sticking his nose in the air, folding his arms over his chest.

“I can’t believe she’s airing my business out to you like that,” he said.

“I can’t believe you got slapped by your last ex,” you said, though the words lacked the teasing bite that they should’ve had. He frowned at you.

“Are you just going to go home now?” he said.

“Guess so, since Seiko won’t be back until tonight,” you said. “Oh, well. At least I got cupcakes. I’m sure the girl that you stood up wasn’t so lucky.”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” he said. “No, she wasn’t.”

“And you claimed you weren’t a villain,” you said, shaking your head in disappointment. “See you later. Thanks for the cupcakes.”

He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then, just as abruptly, closed it again. You arched a brow at him, but he only smiled at you.

“See you,” he said, putting the cupcakes back in the box and handing it to you. “Take these.”

“Don’t you want them?” you said. He had never given you the extras of anything he had ever bought before, preferring to keep them so he could eat them later that night or for breakfast the next day. 

“Nah, I got them for you, so you should keep them,” he said. “Thanks for your help.”

“Anytime,” you said, your fingertips brushing against his as he handed you the box. A burst of static electricity shocked you, and you bit back a hiss as you accepted it from him, not wanting to seem whiny when he hadn’t even reacted.

“Hold on,” he said as you made your way to the door. “Listen, if she stands you up again, I’ll watch the movies with you.”

“Really? They’re not your genre, so I’m sure you’ll be bored,” you said.

“You don’t even know what my genre is,” he said. 

“Maybe not,” you said. “I’ll take you up on that, then, so I hope you meant it.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t,” he said.

“You’re not half-bad, you know,” you said thoughtfully, tucking the box under your arm so you could unlock the front door. “Seiko always calls you mean, but you’re pretty nice.”

“If she was half as agreeable as you, I wouldn’t have to be mean!” he said. “It’s way easier to be nice to you than anyone else, Y/N.”

You weren’t sure what he meant by that. What even were you to him? Just his little sister��s best friend, or something different? Were the two of you genuinely friends, or were you just the girl he asked for help with his stupid relationships that never lasted for longer than a week? Did he like you? Did you like him? No, of course you didn’t. This was Eita Otoya. You could never like him, not if you valued your friendship with Seiko or the well-being of your heart. You didn’t like him. You didn’t, you didn’t, you didn’t.

“That’s good,” you said finally. “Thanks again.”

“Bye,” he said.

“Bye,” you said, and with a final look at him, you let the door swing shut and turned towards your home.

The next day, you got up early so that you could make it to the bakery before they ran out of their best wares. Eita hadn’t specified how long the sale lasted, and if there was even a chance that it was still ongoing, you wanted to take advantage of it.

Thanks to the odd hour, there wasn’t a line outside of the bakery, and you felt confident as you walked into the warm, dough-scented building. It was airy and bright, flowers and sweets in the windowsill, the display cases well-lit and stocked with a multitude of desserts. Plants hung from the ceiling, and the pale wallpaper was covered with floral motifs, small birds perching amongst the blooms. The bakery itself was so beautiful that you almost forgot what you were there for until one of the employees cleared her throat.

“Can I help you, miss?” she said.

“Hi!” you said. “A friend of mine mentioned that you were having a sale yesterday. Is that still happening?”

“A sale? We don’t do sales here, I’m afraid. Is it possible that they went somewhere else?” she said.

“No, he specifically said the place by the park,” you said, furrowing your brow. “Are you sure you didn’t happen to have a sale?”

“Positive,” she said. “I was working yesterday, too, so if you describe him, I can let you know if he came or not.”

“He’s about this tall,” you said, holding up your hand at approximately Eita’s height. “Plays soccer, silver hair with a green streak—”

“Yes! He came in right around lunchtime yesterday and bought cupcakes,” she said. “Um, is he single, by any chance?”

“As good as,” you said. You had no idea what the state of his romantic life was, but considering how quickly he jumped from girl to girl, there was almost no point in saying that he was taken. “If he ever comes back, feel free to make a move on him. He’d probably appreciate it. Moving on, do you mean to say that he got those at full price?”

“He would’ve had to,” she said. “Like I said, we don’t do sales. We’re not that kind of establishment.”

“I might faint when you answer this, so please be slow and careful when you do, but how much, exactly, is full price for what he bought?” you said. “Out of curiosity.” 

She told you. You did not faint, but it was such an exorbitant number that, for a moment, you really thought you might.

The next Saturday evening, you went to the Otoyas’ with a wad of cash in your hand. Seiko and her parents were away the entire weekend for an invitational meet, but for once, she was not the one you had gone to visit, so this was of little consequence to you.

You rang the doorbell and waited with crossed arms, the humid air oppressive against your skin. According to your weather app, it was going to rain soon, and you pursed your lips at the thought that Eita might not be home and you’d get caught in the downpour with nothing to show for it.

Luckily, the door opened, revealing him standing there in a pair of shorts, his hair still damp and a towel around his neck. You focused very hard on pretending like he was wearing a shirt, even though he was not, and it worked well enough that you could just barely greet him properly.

“Y/N? Hey, I’m sorry you walked all this way, but Seiko’s not home. Did she forget to tell you she’s gone for the weekend?” he said.

“No, I’m here for you,” you said.

“Huh?” he said.

“Not like that! I mean, I went to that bakery, and the girl working there told me they never have sales, which means you paid full price for those cupcakes. That’s insane! I can’t accept that,” you said.

“So, what, are you gonna vomit them out at my feet or something? That sounds gross, please don’t,” he said.

“I’m paying you back,” you said, extending your hand and offering him the money. “Don’t even think about refusing. I already feel horrible.”

“No way,” he said. “It was a present. You don’t pay people back for presents, that’s like a faux pas or something. I think. Er, I’d have to look it up to be certain, but I’m pretty sure it’s frowned upon.”

“I didn’t even do anything present-worthy, so why would you give me one?” you said.

“Yeah, you did. You helped me out, remember? Gave me advice and all,” he said.

“That was hardly worth all of this!” you said. “Seriously, at least take a little bit.”

“Nah,” he said. “You should come inside.”

“For what?” you said. “Seiko’s not here.”

“True, but I feel bad that you walked for nothing, so it’s the least I can do,” he said.

“It wasn’t for nothing. It was to pay you back, which I will do, and after that I’ll go home,” you said.

“Doubt it,” he said. “Come on, it’s going to rain soon. If you get sick and blame me for it, my sister will kill me.”

Reluctantly, you followed him into the kitchen, hyper aware that you both were alone. It had never been like this before; always, someone else had been in the house, whether his mother or father or one of his sisters. You shouldn’t have cared that it was just the two of you, but you found that you did. It was as uncomfortable and strange as the turbulent skies and muggy atmosphere, but also pleasant in a way, like the sweet smell of yeast in a bakery or flower petals dusting against the crackled tops of sugar cookies in a windowsill.

“Do you like Super Smash Bros.?” he said, taking the towel and rubbing his head vigorously, giving him the frazzled appearance of a hedgehog, or perhaps an electrocuted cat of the cartoonish variety.

“It’s fun, but I’m not that good. Seiko usually beats me,” you said. 

“We can play, if you want,” he said. 

“Okay?” you said. “Why?”

“I’m just trying to think of things that we can do, since you’re here and all,” he said. 

“What were you planning on doing if I didn’t come?” you said.

“I was going to go on a date,” he said. 

“Oh! Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you actually had plans! I should leave so you can get to that,” you said. He waved you off dismissively, already turning the console on and connecting the controllers.

“It’s fine, I already canceled on her. Hopefully she gets the hint. If I have to spell it out to her that I’m not interested anymore, it’ll be annoying,” he said.

The TV flashed with the starting screen, the music blaring as you sat on opposite ends of the couch, remotes in hand. Outside, thunder rumbled ominously, and you thought that you should probably send your location to your parents so that they didn’t get worried. While Eita messed with the settings, you did that, receiving affirmative responses from both of them in turn — which made sense, as neither of them knew that Mr. and Mrs. Otoya, along with Seiko, weren’t home.

“Do you care what map we use?” he said.

“Seiko and I usually just go random,” you said. “So whatever you want is fine.”

“Random is the best,” he said. “Especially when you get the interactive maps that actively try to kill you. It’s way more exciting that way.”

“Exactly,” you said. Half of yours and Seiko’s matches were decided based on who could adjust to the map faster; sadly for you, this was frequently your best friend, and only very rarely you. 

“What character do you play? I know Seiko likes Palutena, so probably not her, right?” he said.

“I only ever play as girl characters, but my favorite is Zero Suit Samus,” you said, clicking on her and changing her outfit so that it was the burgundy version.

“You only play as girl characters? Why?” he said.

“It’s the best way to bond with your avatar. If you can’t connect with your character, then how can you hope to win?” you said.

“Are you for real?” he said. You maintained a straight face for as long as you could before breaking into laughter. 

“Obviously not. I just like playing as characters I think are pretty, since I don’t have much of a chance at winning either way,” you said.

“That makes sense,” he said. “I play as Sheik. He’s based off of a ninja, so it makes sense.”

It was your turn to give him a strange look. “What?”

“Because we’re descended from ninjas and all, so I have to stick with the theme. It’s like the Otoya brand,” he explained.

“I got that part,” you said. “What do you mean by he, though? Sheik is a girl.”

He paused right before clicking on Sheik, his eyes wide. “No way. He’s obviously a guy.”

“Not so,” you said. “I looked up a list of all female characters in Smash when I was trying to pick a main, and Sheik was on it. She’s Princess Zelda’s alter-ego, apparently.”

“Are you messing with me again?” he said. 

“No, not this time,” you said. He mulled this over before shrugging and clicking on the character’s icon anyways.

“Whatever,” he said. “I’m used to her, so there’s no point in changing. Besides, it doesn’t really matter if she’s a girl.”

“Very true,” you said. “Alright, I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Be prepared,” he warned you as he pressed the start button and the screen switched to a countdown. “I’m not going to go easy on you.”

“Wasn’t expecting you to,” you said. “Considering how frequently I’m pummeled by your sister, I’m used to losing.”

“Good. Get used to it more,” he said, immediately starting off before you could even orient yourself on the map. “Bang! Gotcha! You really are bad at this.”

“Just as an aside, the TV makes sound effects, so you don’t need to add more of your own,” you said, wrinkling your nose and dodging out of his next attack.

“It makes it more fun,” he said. “You should try it. Really helps you get in the zone.”

“Hm,” you said. “I’ll leave it to you.”

Somehow, you and Eita were actually evenly matched, and during the final round, you knocked his character off of the edge, guarding it until he couldn’t hope to recover and fell to his defeat. 

“Yay!” you said as the victory screen showed your character posing. “I haven’t won in ages! This is awesome.”

“Rematch! You only won because you’re one of those dirty edge guarders!” he said, already setting up the next game.

“‘Dirty edge guarders?’ That’s how the game is played,” you said.

“Nuh-uh, it’s against the rules,” he said. “Isn’t it?”

“No? There aren’t really rules in Smash. How do you not know this? Also, you should really stop saying things when you don’t even know if they’re true,” you said.

“My older sister would always tell me it was against the rules when we used to play,” he said. You waited for it to dawn on him; when it did, he groaned and facepalmed. “She was full of shit?”

“I’m afraid you were, in fact, duped,” you said.

“No wonder she always beat me,” he grumbled. “Whenever I was close to winning, she’d say whatever I was doing was against the rules.”

“That would do it,” you said. “I don’t mind playing again, though.”

“This time I’ll beat you for sure,” he said. “Now that I don’t have to abide by any bullshit guidelines.”

The two of you got wrapped up in a series of matches, eventually turning on the random character selector as well as the random map selector, refusing to read the tutorials so you were really going into things blind and figuring it out as you went. You had way more fun than you had expected you would, and as the evening went on, any thoughts of feeling self-conscious vanished from your mind. It was just Eita Otoya, after all. He was only your best friend’s older brother, the one who brought you treats and played soccer and sucked at Smash and had a childish sense of humor. There was no reason to feel shy. Well, besides the fact that he had never opted to put a shirt on, but that was a non-issue when your attention was focused solely on the screen.

You weren’t sure how many rounds you had gotten through when his phone rang, so shrilly and insistently that he was forced to pause the game and take the call. He didn’t leave his spot on the couch, though, which meant you were able to observe him as the girl on the other end began to scream.

“How could you cancel on me at the last minute?” she said, loud enough that you could hear her, though his phone wasn’t on speakerphone.

“It wasn’t that hard,” he said. “I just texted you and said I’m not going.”

“You’re such a piece of shit. I thought — I thought everyone was wrong about you, but they weren’t. They weren’t at all,” she said, her voice cracking.

“I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that they were,” he said. “Listen, I’m kind of in the middle of something right now, so could you hurry up and say what you want to say?”

“Did you ever even like me?” she said.

“Yeah, at first,” he said. 

“Not anymore, though,” she said.

“Guess not,” he said. “Sorry.”

“Is that it? You’re ending things just like that? Didn’t it mean anything to you? I bragged to all of my friends about you! You were so sweet, and you even got me cookies…was it all just a game?” she said.

“It wasn’t a game,” he said. “As I said, I liked you back then. I wouldn’t have done all of that if I didn’t.”

“Because that’s supposed to make me feel all better,” she said.

“I’m just explaining myself,” he said.

“You’re the worst. You’re — just, you’re the worst, ugh!” she said before hanging up. Eita made a face at the phone and then put it facedown on the table beside him, unpausing the game without a wasted moment.

“They were from the grocery store,” he said after a bit.

“What?” you said.

“The cookies I got her. Grocery store variety,” he said.

“Oh. That’s kinda shitty,” you said.

“She seemed pretty happy about them regardless,” he said. “I wasn’t about to waste my money when I knew it wouldn’t last.”

“You wasted your money on me,” you pointed out. The corners of his mouth quirked up.

“You’re Seiko’s best friend. I’m pretty sure you’re not going anywhere, so it’s not a big deal. Consider it a peace offering for not believing you were real at first,” he said, landing a combo attack on your character.

“That was ages ago,” you said.

“It’s downright traumatizing for a person when others don’t think they’re real. Fucks up their psyche and whatnot. Acknowledging my mistake was the least I could do,” he said.

“Another fact you just made up?” you said.

“Maybe,” he said. “Was it plausible?”

“Not in the slightest,” you said.

“I tried,” he said. “Woah, nice one, Y/N.”

You had just hit his character in a series of successive blows, entirely by accident but to devastating effect. He lost his first life, respawning in and jumping back to the offensive.

“Why do you even do it?” you said, finally vocalizing the question that had been bothering you for almost the entire time that you had known him.

“Do what?” he said.

“Date people, when you know you’re going to break up with them so quickly,” you said. “What’s the point?”

“I’m not sure,” he said, the glare of the screen reflecting in his fern-colored irises. “It’s always fun at first. I meet a pretty girl, and I talk her into giving me her number. We go on a date or two, and I think it might actually be different this time, but it never is. By the third or fourth date, I’m bored beyond belief and dreading going on another. Then we break up and I do it all again.”

“That sounds exhausting,” you said.

“Near the end, it is,” he said. “But it’s pretty amusing in the beginning, so I don’t see a reason to stop.”

“Do you cheat on your girlfriends?” you said. You knew for sure what he would say, but still, you wanted to hear it from him.

“What is this, interview-Eita-day? Yeah, I have in the past, but only a couple of times,” he said. “Both of them were when the relationships were on their last legs and I couldn’t be bothered to care anymore.”

“That’s callous,” you said. “You should’ve just broken up with them.”

“Dumping girls is the worst. They get all upset and start crying, and I know I should feel bad because I’m the reason, but by that point, I just want to go home,” he said. “Do you think I’m a bad person?”

“A little bit,” you said. “For the most part, though, I just don’t understand. Why do you keep going for people you know you’re going to get tired of?”

“It’s not like I can look in the future and see that I’m going to end up bored,” he said. “It just happens. We run out of things to talk about and sit there in silence. It sucks. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“How does that even happen?” you said. “You talk all the time with me. I didn’t think you were capable of running out of things to say.”

“That’s different,” he said. “I’m not worried about impressing you — no offense — and you’re funny, plus you like some of the same things as me, so it’s easy to have a conversation with you. It’s not the case when you’re going out with someone. You’ll understand when you decide to date yourself.”

“Don’t the girls you go out with like the same things as you?” you said.

“Not really,” he said. “They think video games are for losers, and they’re too scared to go on the rides at amusement parks. Some of them understand soccer, but not to the point that it’s something they’d want to talk about frequently.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” you said. “You’re only going out with people who you have zero shared interests with. It’s normal that you’d get bored of them, and that they’d get bored in return.”

“You’re thinking too much about it,” he said. “It’s not that deep.”

“That’s how it works,” you said. “Quite fundamentally, actually. It’s impossible to build a relationship with someone when you both have nothing in common. In fact, it’s unfair to all involved parties.”

“Are you trying to give me advice?” he said.

“Depends. Will you take it seriously if I do?” you said.

“Not sure. It’s kind of ridiculous for me to be listening to my little sister’s friend about this kind of thing,” he said.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” you said.

“True,” he said. “Go ahead, then.”

“What do you even look for when you’re thinking of dating a girl?” you said.

“How hot she is,” he said. You waited for him to elaborate. He did not.

“That’s it?” you said.

“Pretty much,” he said.

“Why?” you said.

“Why not? Isn’t physical attraction important?” he said.

“To a certain extent, yes, but after a while, less and less so,” you said. “Haven’t you ever watched any romance movies? ‘It’s what’s on the inside that counts.’ Physical attraction alone isn’t enough in the long term.”

“Okay,” he said slowly. “So what do you suggest?”

“Are there any girls you genuinely enjoy spending time with? Not romantically, just because you like talking to them, even if they’re not the prettiest or whatever,” you said.

“I don’t really spend time with girls unless I’m trying to date them. It never works out. They always end up liking me, and besides, it makes my girlfriends mad if I’m friends with other girls,” he said. 

“You seriously have zero female friends,” you deadpanned.

“And just how many male friends do you have?” he shot back.

“None,” you said. “Okay, fair enough.”

“Wait, no, I guess we’re friends,” he said. “Yeah, you’re cool, Y/N. I mean, you’re pretty as well, but I don’t really think about that part much because you’re friends with Seiko.”

“Thanks,” you said. “You’re cool, too.”

“Now what? You’re a girl, and I like talking to you. Where do I go from there?” he said.

“I was going to say you should try dating one of those girls instead, but obviously that’s not applicable here,” you said.

“Ah,” he said. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m all that unique,” you said, taking advantage of his distraction to win another match. “It won’t be that hard for you to find someone else that you like hanging out with, and then you can just date them. Hopefully, you won’t get bored with a relationship like that.”

Eita didn’t respond. You doubted he knew how to and you were glad for his silence, because you yourself felt embarrassed that you had tried so hard to help him. Since when had you been the kind of girl who wanted so badly to give people guidance? He had his problems, no one could deny that, but why did you care about them? Why did it matter to you if he was happy, or if he grew out of whatever phase he was currently in?

Maybe it was because you knew he could be better. The caricature of him that you heard about, from Seiko and from the rumors around your high school, contrasted so harshly with the Eita Otoya you knew. People loved him because they wanted to be him, to have that effortless and selfish attitude towards life, but you didn’t think that very many of them took the time to understand him.

You doubted anyone at school knew that he was horrible at Super Smash Bros., or that he was entirely gullible and liked to make other people laugh. How many of them would find him admirable if they knew of his addiction to churros and diet sodas? He wasn’t cool or charming or suave the way he pretended to be. At the end of the day, he was nothing but a dumb boy blessed with a handsome enough mien that had fallen into a crowd which demanded more of him than he honestly should’ve had to give.

Putting this protectiveness down as a symptom of your friendship with Seiko — of course you cared for her older brother, he was a part of her family and you cared about her, it only made sense — you noticed that there was a lull in the storm. Bidding Eita farewell and shoving the money into his phone case when he was preoccupied with turning the game off, you ran home before it could begin to rain again, blaming your queasiness on the fact that you had not yet eaten dinner and nothing more.

“Eita’s been talking about you a lot,” Seiko said to you at lunch one day, a couple of weeks after the evening you had spent with her brother. Both you and he had mutually agreed not to bring it up, and Seiko was none the wiser, or at least so you had thought.

“What do you mean?” you said. She took a sip out of her juice box.

“Nothing bad. He just asks me how you’re doing and stuff,” she said. 

“That’s not that weird. Why’d you bring it up?” you said. For a moment, you had thought she meant that he was asking about you for a different reason, but this just sounded like a typical and general concern.

“It’s a little weird. He doesn’t typically care about how other people are doing. The other day, he asked me when you’re coming over again, since according to him it’s ‘been a while.’ Like he’s keeping track or something!” she said.

“He’s not wrong. It has been a bit,” you said.

“I know, I know,” she said. “Season’s almost over, and then I’m all yours.”

“You don’t have off-season workouts?” you said.

“Fuck off-season workouts,” she said. “I’ll skip on the days we plan to hang out. My coach won’t say anything. I’m the star of the team, so he has to live with it.”

“You’re the best,” you said.

“And you’re trying to change the subject!” she said. “Are the two of you buddy-buddy now or something?”

“Or something,” you said. “We’ve just spoken a few times while I was waiting for you to come back home from practices.”

She narrowed her eyes at you before nodding slowly. “Look, just so you know, I don’t mind if you’re friends with him or anything.”

“That’s good. I’ll keep it in mind,” you said.

“He’s my brother, after all. I like knowing that my best friend is getting along with my family,” she continued.

“I get along with your family so well that I’m surprised they haven’t started calling me Y/N Otoya yet,” you said.

“But I want you to be aware of what kind of person he is,” she said with a note of finality. “He might do something that hurts your feelings.”

“You’ve told me. Many times, actually,” you said.

“And I don’t want you to stop being friends with me if he does,” she said. “Okay?”

“I wouldn’t do that,” you said. “You’re my best friend in the entire world.”

“You promise?” she said, in a rare show of vulnerability.

“Promise,” you said. She punched you in the arm, returning back to being the Seiko you knew.

“Good. Then do what you want with him,” she said.

“What?” you said.

“Just saying! You deserve better, obviously, but I won’t turn down a chance to have you as my sister-in-law,” she said. “Besides, he knows that if he messes with you, I’ll take your side, so that might be an incentive for him to stay on the straight and narrow.”

“Seiko! It’s not like that!” you said. “I don’t have feelings for him. He’s your brother.” 

“Whatever you say,” she said in a sing-song voice, taking another sip of her juice box, obviously done with the discussion. 

She knew you better than you knew yourself. That was what happened when a person was best friends with another for years upon years, and that was why she understood even before you did what it was that was brewing between you and her brother, what had been brewing since long before that evening where you had finally noticed a palpable shift in your dynamic.

Exam season began shortly afterwards, so you didn’t have the time to go to the Otoyas’ when you were so wrapped up in studying. Then, once exams were finished, Seiko was finally freed from her grueling practice schedule, leaving her to be, as she had said earlier, all yours. This meant that even when you did go to their house, you were solely there to be with her, and so you saw little of Eita, barely speaking to him beyond exchanging pleasantries.

Sometimes you wondered how he was doing. Had he found a girl he actually liked and ended up dating her? How was that relationship going, if so? Or was he still continuing as he had been, chasing whoever he found the most attractive and then running away from them when things inevitably didn’t work out? You hoped that that wasn’t the case, though you didn’t find the former option all that appealing, either. You should’ve, because it would’ve meant that he had taken your words to heart, but you didn’t. The thought of him dating anyone was wrong and weird and you didn’t like it, but because you weren’t quite sure why that was, you decided to avoid both the feeling and its cause alike.

Halfway through summer break, on a day when your parents were on a business trip and Seiko was visiting one of her cousins in the city, Eita Otoya showed up on your front porch, knocking on the door furiously until you opened it. He was just about the last person you had expected to be standing there, red in the face and panting for breath, wearing a sweat-soaked jersey, hair sticking to his forehead and a white box in his hands.

“You look horrible,” you said.

“I ran all of the way here,” he said. “After my soccer game.”

“What for?” you said. 

“I haven’t seen you in ages,” he said. 

“I was just at your house the other day,” you said. “Jeez, you look like you’re about to pass out. Let me get you some water. You really could’ve walked, you know…”

He had never been to your house, so he trailed after you dutifully, sitting at the dining table and gulping down the glass of water you offered him within seconds. Taking it back, you refilled it and gave it to him again.

“You were there for Seiko, not me,” he said.

“She’s my best friend,” you said. “Obviously I was there for her.”

“And what am I?” he said.

“Not that,” you said.

“I should be upset, but for some reason, I’m kind of glad that you said that,” he said. “I don’t want to be your friend.”

“Rude much?” you said, his words stinging. “Is that all you came here to tell me? If you don’t want to be friends, that’s fine, but was there really a need for you to come to my house and announce it? How’d you even get my address?”

“Seiko told me,” he said.

“In hindsight, I should’ve seen that coming,” you said.

“I haven’t dated anyone,” he said, all in a rush, the sentences tumbling out of his mouth like he was not sure if he’d ever get the chance to say them again. “Not since that night that we played video games together.”

“Seriously? If I ask Seiko, will she confirm that?” you said.

“Of course! I’m a lot of things, I know that, but I’m not a liar. I’ve never tried to hide who I am, especially not from you,” he said.

“Well,” you said. “That’s good, then. I’m proud of you.”

“I’ve tried finding the kind of person you described,” he said. “Someone like you. You said it would be easy, but it’s not. It’s really fucking difficult.”

“Maybe you should look harder, then,” you said, rolling your eyes and placing his empty cup in the dishwasher before you forgot about it. “There’s no way I’m the only girl in the entire city that you can bring yourself to genuinely like.”

“You’re the only one I want to like,” he said. You froze in the middle of putting dish detergent in the dispenser, giving him an incredulous look.

“I’m what?” you said.

“I get that you probably don’t feel the same way. To be honest, I didn’t even realize that I did until Seiko yelled at me about it, because it’s not like it usually is. I want to spend time with you, as much as possible, even if we’re not doing anything but eating snacks or playing games. I want to listen to you talk, even if it’s about something that I think is boring. I want to buy things that’ll make you happy — the nice versions, not the kinds from the grocery store, because I don’t want to imagine that it won’t last. I want it to last,” he said.

You stared at him, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. Of all the things he could’ve said, that was the most unlikely. What was it about you that made you so different, that the ever-fickle and brutally honest Eita Otoya was driven to such a confession? You knew he wasn’t making it up, because he was right — he never did. Not once had he ever tried to mislead a girl about who he was, and you sensed that this was much the same. The problem wasn’t that you didn’t believe him. It was that you simply couldn’t understand.

“I don’t get it,” you said.

“What do you mean? What else am I supposed to say?” he said. “I like you. I think I have for a while now. At first, I thought it was just because you were my sister’s friend, but according to her, you normally don’t feel this way for the friends of your siblings.”

“You’ve been talking to Seiko about me?” you said. Suddenly, the side comments she had been making recently made a lot more sense.

“Who else would I go to? It was humiliating, asking her for help, but you guys have known each other for forever, so I figured it was the best option,” he said.

“That’s true,” you said, starting the dishwasher and pushing it shut. “Wow. I don’t know what to say to that.”

“If you’re going to reject me, don’t worry about it. I didn’t tell you all of that because I was expecting you to say yes. I just wanted you to know that — that I did take what you said into consideration,” he said. 

“I’m glad you did,” you said. “It must’ve been weird, following the advice of your younger sister’s best friend.”

“You’re more than that,” he said. “You’re more than just Seiko’s friend to me. You’ve been more than that for a long time now.”

“Why me?” you said. “Why is it me, and not one of the hundreds of other girls that would jump at the chance to fix you, to be the one who finally got Eita Otoya to settle down for good?”

“It’s that bratty little sister of mine’s fault,” he said. “Because of her, you kept showing up, and by the time I noticed, it was way too late. At that point, I was already asking her what your favorite desserts were, just so I could get them for you.”

“I see,” you said.

“Besides, being with someone who wants to fix another person sounds awful. Do you want to fix me?” he said.

“If you expect me to, then you should probably just leave,” you said. “I don’t mind helping when I can, but the only person that can fix you is you.”

“Exactly,” he said. “You mentioned once that cheaters can grow somewhere far away from you.”

“Hm? Oh, I did say something along those lines, didn’t I? That was over a year ago, though,” you said, thinking back to that random conversation, unsure of why he even remembered it.

“I’ve done it,” he said. “It was hard, but I’ve done it anyways. For you, but also for myself. I’m not so sure that the highs are worth the lows anymore, and besides, I hate doing things I don’t like, and dating around is becoming one of those things.”

“Is that so?” you said. “I’m glad you realized that.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Me, too. Uh, I should probably go now, so…here. For last time. You shouldn’t have paid me back. Don’t even think about pulling something like that again.”

He opened the box, revealing an assortment of cookies, all the different kinds you liked. You didn’t need to ask him to know where he had gotten them from, and you admired them as he stood and pushed in his chair.

“Thanks for hearing me out, Y/N,” he said. “And don’t worry, I won’t make things uncomfortable, so feel free to visit Seiko whenever. I’ll stay out of your way when you come over. She doesn’t have any other friends, so don’t ditch her just because of me.”

“You’re pretty self-important, aren’t you?” you teased. “Did you think I’d give her up just because of you? Not likely. Anyways, why would things be uncomfortable?”

“Usually it’s pretty unpleasant to have to be around someone when you know they have unreciprocated feelings for you,” he said.

“I don’t think they’re unreciprocated,” you said. He quite literally paused in his tracks, foot still raised in the air as he spun to face you.

“What? You should’ve said so earlier!” he said. “Do you mean I was acting all angsty and emotional for nothing?”

“I wanted to make you suffer a bit,” you said. “I mean this gently, but you deserve it.”

He hung his head. “You’re not wrong.”

“I’ve liked you for a while as well, though like you said, I hardly understood it myself, and I didn’t have the benefit of Seiko drumming it into my mind — mostly because that’s not the kind of conversation you really want to have with your best friend about her brother,” you said. “I also knew about your reputation, and no matter how wonderful I found you, I was a little wary, so I never gave it much thought.”

“But now?” he said.

“I mean, it’s kind of hard to reject a guy who runs to your house with cookies and a dramatic speech about how much he likes you,” you said.

“When you put it like that, I sound like a loser,” he said.

“I want you to consider that you play Super Smash Bros. in your free time, and that you are obsessed with anything ninja or Naruto related, and then I would like for you to repeat that statement with the same indignation you just said it with,” you said. He huffed in defeat.

“That’s fair enough,” he said.

“Like I said, I do like you, but I’m not in the business of fixing people. The second you start getting bored or wanting to cheat on me, break up with me, and be an adult about it. Don’t run away. Just be honest, and for my part, I’ll hold back my tears until you’ve left, alright? If you can swear you’ll do that, then I don’t mind trying,” you said.

“You’re way too nice to me,” he said.

“I can add in more demands, if you’d like,” you said.

“Now, I didn’t say you had to do that,” he said. You chuckled.

“I thought you were really serious about me, though?” you said. “Since you mentioned it, I do have one more condition. Say yes, and I’ll be your girlfriend. Say no, and…you better get back to searching.”

“What is it?” he said eagerly, grabbing your hands and holding them in between his own. “I’ll do anything.”

“You have to be the one to tell Seiko,” you said. He paled.

“You wouldn’t,” he said.

“Just did,” you said. He scrunched up his face in thought, obviously imagining his sister’s reaction. Though she had given both of you her blessings in her own way, there was no doubt in your mind that she’d give the two of you a hard time — especially him, considering the fact that she already did that without even having a reason to.

“I’ll do it, but you have to come along,” he bargained. “Someone has to nurse me back to health once she’s through with me. It might as well be you.”

“You’re in no place to be asking for things,” you said.

“Please?” he said. “She’s scary as hell, and I’m saying this as someone who regularly plays against guys big enough to become pro wrestlers.”

“Alright, alright,” you said. “I’ll come with you, and I’ll put bandages on all your bruises.”

He grinned at you. “Deal.”

“Deal,” you said.

“Then I guess you’re my girlfriend now,” he said.

“I guess I am,” you said.

“Nice,” he said. “Wanna play Mario Kart?”

You snorted. “Why not?”

So you sat down on the sofa — next to each other this time, not on opposite sides, your head leaning on his shoulder and his thigh pressed against your own — and you did just that.

“So let me get this straight,” Seiko said. Eita, who had just delivered the news, was attempting to hide behind you, which was a largely ineffective method of disguise. “You two are officially dating.”

“Pretty much,” you said, when it became obvious that Eita was too petrified to respond. It was funny — he talked such a big game when it was just words, and he was the first to make fun of Seiko, but as soon as the prospect of a fight came up, he cowered away, as any smart man would.

“Interesting,” she said. “Eita, come here. I just want to say something.”

He shuffled out towards Seiko, head bowed and hands clasped together. “Yes?”

“If you ever hurt even a cell in the bodies of the mites that live on her eyelashes—”

“What the fuck?” you said. “That’s disgusting. Thanks, Seiko, now I’m going to be scrubbing my eyelashes for the next week.”

“Don’t worry about it, everyone has them. They’re normal,” Seiko said. “Like I was saying, Eita, if you mess with her, I’ll kill you. Forget about sibling loyalty; it all goes out the door on that day, you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” he said.

“Good,” she said, nodding in satisfaction. He looked around like he was searching for a camera, obviously in disbelief that she had let him off so easily.

“Is that it?” he said.

“For now,” she said. “Ask me again in a few months and the answer might change.”

“I’ll take it,” he said. “Well, see you later. Let’s go upstairs, Y/N.”

“What? Y/N and I have plans to bake together tonight!” Seiko said.

“No way, we’re watching TV together! I’m going to make her watch all of Naruto!” he argued. In unison, they both turned to you, waiting for your response, waves of hostility rolling off of them.

“Oh, boy,” you said, already feeling a headache coming on. “This is going to be a lot more annoying than I anticipated.” 

[swrkn]

can you maybe do some wooin in a relationship hcs pretty please, thank youuuu! ur writing ate <3

𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

Wooin x g/n reader

Genre ; fluff , sfw

Author note ; thank you so much and sorry for the late reply i didn’t log on tumblr for a few days, i also tried a new style for my headcanons so please don’t hesitate to tell me which one you like more ! My request are open !

𖣔 First of all, i see Wooin with someone who has to match his vibe, so you know someone who likes to goes out and maybe a little freaky.

𖣔Wooin has a knack for making sarcastic comments or teasing you about the smallest things, like how you pronounce a word or the way you hold your chopsticks. He finds your annoyed expressions way too entertaining.

𖣔He has a bad habit of stealing random items like your phone or snacks and holding them just out of reach until you chase him for it. It’s all in good fun, though—he always gives them back with a smug grin.

𖣔Wooin will playfully mock you about it—like mimicking a character from your favorite show or pretending to be clueless about it. But secretly, he loves seeing how passionate you are and might even look into it himself just to understand you better.

𖣔 Wooin is the type of guy who will act like he doesn't care about you even tho he clearly does. He'd try to maintain his calm, aloof demeanor but his actions would totally betray how much he cares about you.

𖣔 You don’t know about the drugs with sangho choi, as it could be too dangerous for you.

𖣔 He definitely stalks you.

𖣔 Even if your not in a relationship with him, Wooin would casually barge into your place without warning, acting like it's completely normal.

𖣔 Wooin would be the type to casually ask you to paint his nails, and it would come with his signature mix of nonchalance and lowkey affection. He’d drop the request in the middle of a conversation, like, “Hey, you should paint my nails,” as if it’s the most normal thing in the world. He’s not shy about it, but he pretends it’s purely practical.

𖣔 Wooin gives off the vibe of someone who’s not into pda, but that doesn’t mean he’s not affectionate in his own way, he just show it in private.

𖣔 Does he get jealous ? Yeahh. Does he show it ? Noo.

𖣔 Wooin’s personality was a little weird in the start of your relationship, he would leave you constantly questioning where you stand with him, and it’s probably intentional on his part.

𖣔 I kinda see him as the type of guy who yaps a lot about you with his close one, so hyuk definitely knows about you, and maybe even joker.

𖣔 You see those people who always send cats videos saying “us” ? Well i think he would send you those stupid videos like this just to annoy you.

𖣔 Your friends definitely don’t like him, and always warn you about him. Why ? He’s a walking red flag but i guess you just can’t see it.( me too )

𖣔 He looks like he has a baby face, so i think those days when he barges into your house, you guys would just do nightcare and stuff like this while watching movies.

𖣔 Speaking of movies, i just know he loves horror movies, so during those nights when your watching movies, he would scare you for almost the whole movie, because “your face looks funny when your scared”

𖣔 When he sees you sleeping, he takes pictures of yours and can annoy you with those for days. He would also draws things on your face, and he would say nothing even if you go out like that.

𖣔 I don’t think he would see any problem with you wearing revealing clothes, i can’t say why but he gives this vibes.

✵

[potentially-a-poser]

Hello, I recently have been trying to express myself more and go against things i disagree with as much as i can as a 14 year old who was kinda sheltered for most of their life (trying to educate myself more!). I learned how to sew recently so i can repair holes in my stuff and ive tried to get better at standing up to my transphobic classmates. I was wondering though if there's anything i should know abt (I already know the thing abt not putting political or pride related things on the backs of a bag, i put some colored safety pins to make pride flags on one of the front parts, im probably going to put stuff related to interests on the back) cuz like i wouldnt want to accidentally put a hate symbol on there or something. Sorry if this is annoying

This is absolutely not annoying, I sent a ss of this to my friend and said something to the effect of “these kinds of asks genuinely make me so happy.”

I’m sure you know this already, but the music is super important. It doesn’t have to be the only thing you listen to, but it’s super important. I have a bunch of music recs if you want lol.

Lace code is dead (kinda). It’s only real if the boots are ladder laced, but I’d still recommend steering clear of white and red laces.

Learning the basics of how to paint is a good idea, you can make your own patches. Painting is a lot easier than embroidery. This isn’t necessary at all, but acrylic fabric medium is like $10 at most craft stores. It’ll basically turn acrylic paints into fabric paints and make it less hazardous to wash.

Please please please don’t give yourself tattoos or piercings. Mainly piercings, I’m not condoning stick and pokes but they’re less likely to end in tragedy from what I’ve seen. I’ve done part of a body piercing apprenticeship and I know too much. Don’t do it. If your parents are strict wait till you’re 18, I promise it’s worth it.

If you want extra homework, things you can read up on are:

1) the roots of the punk rock music genre, especially the black influence.

2) the history and development of labor unions. I had a unit on this in my American History class in high school.

3) anarchist theory. The Dawn of Everything is a really good book on the cultural and biological anthropology of humanity and how lowkey anarchism is rad. I’m an anthropology major tho and the book is quite dense. The Conquest of Bread is old but good. The Anarchist’s cookbook has been so heavily censored it’s basically useless. Unless you can find an original copy don’t bother.

Other things to note: doc martens suck ass. Don’t waste your money. If you can afford to get docs, get a pair of work boots instead. I got mine through my job.

Learn to safely throw a punch. Dont fly off and punch people, but you’ve gotta be able to make good on the “I punch Nazis” promise

I’ll add more to this if I think of anything else. Feel free to dm me or send me another ask if you have any more questions

[jewishbarbies]

if you don't want to talk about it that's cool, but i'm curious as to why you dislike gale?

he’s just generally annoying to me but the way he treats women is a red flag. yeah, you could say that about a lot of characters etc etc., I just already find him super annoying so it’s not something I can look past at all. he gives me “nice guy” vibes, he results to slut shaming a lot, and I just don’t like him. he never really grows past that, either, like as a character arc. he just kinda gets more self important or doesn’t treat you That Way as long as you’re still dating him. basically what people think makes him “cute and quirky” I find incredibly annoying.

to be clear, I still wouldn’t like him even if I didn’t think he was lowkey a misogynist because I just don’t like him as a ‘person’. it’s not a big deal to me though, like I’m not stewing about it lol.

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Results:

When lwj got himself punished alongside wwx: you believe people should take responsibility for the things they choose to say and/or do - but also for the things they knowingly ignore or downplay. Being fair is important to you and you think the rules are there for a reason. You have a strong backbone and sound morals, which might make you appear cold to others. You are very kind to animals and sensitive to social issues. You may have dome some kind of volunteering/social work at some point.

The cold spring scene: your love language may be to annoy the people you love until they smile and forget about their problems for a moment. You like telling jokes and eliciting reactions from people for comedic purposes. You may also be very knowledgeable of memes/internet culture. You get emotional witnessing random acts of kindness or people coming together for something. You may not take rejection well and seek to avoid it as much as possible. Despite this, you are an open book and enjoy meeting new people.

Lwj putting the silencing spell on wwx in the library all the time: you are probably not a very patient person, and you dislike people who don't take things seriously when they need to. You find people who listen to loud music in public places or in nature particularly rude and annoying. When you begin a project, you are hellbent on finishing it well. You hate being distracted from your tasks and don't like it when people deviate from the original plan. You may be a bit inflexible at times, but you have the best intentions.

When wwx drew lwj with a flower in his hair: you get easily sidetracked when you have to do things that don't interest or stimulate you. You have a very active mind. Your notebooks' edges/corners may be filled with doodles, little poems, ideas etc. You romanticize life a lot. You enjoy connecting with people through art, either the one you create, or the one they create. You probably enjoy using emojis and keyboard smashes a lot. You may have a tendency to see the world through rose-tinted glasses even when you shouldn't.

When wwx showed lwj porn and lwj blew it up: you believe in the separation between work life and personal life, between the social self and the inner self. You don't open up easily. You believe in the power of privacy and being lowkey, which is why you don't share a lot of your life with others, good or bad. You enjoy daydreaming and have a wandering mind. There may be parts of you that you are ashamed of, but you prefer not to think about them.

The loquats scene: you may pretend you don't get jealous easily, but you do. You don't believe in the concept of a "flirty personality" and think people should be respectful of one another when in a relationship. Your love language may be gift giving. You may also enjoy stereotypical displays of affection, like roses and chocolates, no matter if they're coming from a friend or a lover or even yourself. You believe it is important to show the people around you that they are loved and cherished. You are the person who peels oranges/tangerines and shares them with everyone.

When wwx told lwj the name of his sword: you believe there are things that shouldn't be joked about or taken lightly. You are a very polite and respectful person. You believe being rude to people for no reason is a red flag and you side eye those that are rude to waiters/shop assistants etc the most. You believe we should all try to make each others' lives easier by beind kinder and more civil. You are very responsible and hardworking. People may find your high standards unreasonable sometimes.

The rooftop scene: you know how to make a memorable first impression. You are honest, sometimes brutally so, and you may have difficulty holding your tongue. You often challenge the status quo, wondering why things are the way they are and looking for connections and clues on how the world works. You believe in the power of "fuck around and find out". You are fun and sociable, and have quick wit that has often gotten you out of trouble.

wwx getting lwj bunnies and the bunnies getting busy: you have a dirty sense of humor but your jokes are too funny not to laugh about them. You believe that, if people don't think you and your friends are in some kind of couple/polycule, you're not trying hard enough. You're down-to-earth without being cynical, and have a healthy dose of optimism about life even if it sometimes makes no sense to you. You may have a tendency to be dismissive of people who don't share your opinions and not be willing to hear them out. You get in trouble easily but always find a way out. You believe that an empty search history is a red flag.

[has-brain-rot]

I finally began watching voltron

OKAY SO at the recommendation of a super cool person (@imperfection-you-will-find (sorry if you don’t want to be tagged) ) I got into watching Voltron: Legendary Defenders and I just finished the first season AND IT IS A REALLY COOL SHOW. I know I’m like 5 years late to the party but the animation! Characters! World building! All very interesting!! Love how smoothly they blend those 3D models into the show, it’s barely noticeable

Here’s a few thoughts (before I go binge the next season)

- first off it is BOLD that the first episode is an hour+ long. like damn they didn’t have to do that but they did and the pacing is surprisingly good for what they had to do, though I lowkey wish there was more adventuring-to-find-the-rest-of-the-lions because that part was pretty interesting, especially when they talked about having to form a bond with the lions first

- Hunk is a cool guy and I really like how he develops and ends up being one of the more serious characters (when, unfortunately, he isn’t the but of the joke. He’s neat but they make fun of his weight a fair bit and that’s not fun). Love how he has a good sus-detector, also he was SLAYING when he saved people during the season 1 finale

- Pidge is REALLY COOL and I personally (so far at least) headcanon them as enby. they also give off transman vibes and honestly that’s what I thought they were going to do with the character until the reveal. It’s cool how they handled it, and I love that the show didn’t go for an all-boy cast because that’d be disappointing.

- Lance is kinda annoying but he’s growing on me. I’m not the biggest fan but I like how he’s developing. Blue colour scheme is cool, but damn he really put everyone and an entire planet in danger just because he crushed briefly on a girl. Shame.

- Shiro is COOL. We don’t know much about him and the portrayal of his trauma is a really good thing to add. I do find it mildly funny (in a dark way? funny might not be the right word) that like. Lance and Hunk are there because vibes, Pidge is there for vibes but also they were on a mission of their own, Keith right now is very mysterious and gives off many vibes, but Shiro’s backstory is that he was tortured for a year, forced to fight, there’s the implication that his body was forcefully modified as he was trained to be a weapon, and also he’s probably killed quite a few people and he’s trying to deal with that and everything while like, they’re vibing

- Keith is COOL. Red lion swag. Love his somewhat morally ambiguous vibes, also I feel like he’s going to be a big projection character. They haven’t really covered his background other than he dropped out, but I bet there’s a lot more going on. I can DEFINITELY see he is liked. ALSO I feel like the whole “you fight like a Galra soldier” is more than just a one off line. I sense it. Plus the whole “you have to earn the trust of the red lion, you can’t just befriend it right away” gives off big flags of “HEY PAY ATTENTION”. I could write so much about this but I wanna go binge the second season xD

- THE CLIFFHANGER OF A FINAL EPISODE. There is so much I could talk about (the character development, the battle scenes, everything is so cool. It’s like seeing all the things I wish we could’ve seen in steven universe and also I think belos would be proud of the general genocide even if it isn’t religion based). I’ll keep it short and just say that DAMN SO MUCH HAPPENS AND IT IS VERY COOL

I’m going in spoiler free and it’s quite fun! Thanks for the recommendation @imperfection-you-will-find, can’t wait to watch more so I can fully appreciate your super cool edits and posts xD

[jadedinjuly]

camp here and there

i just finished file 26 so let me share some thoughts

jedidiah is a bitch ass loser and i’m gonna find a way to punch him in the face. i HATE characters that keep secrets and do shitty things for the “safety” of others and make choices that aren’t theirs to make and this bitch has been acting like this SINCE DAY ONE!!!!! also he is so unfit to be an unbiased third party lmao have you seen the way he handles his own poblems? and hes supposed to mediate other peoples?? buddy is not qualified for this job. his voice is hot tho

i actually really like joshua?? he gives major sokka vibes and i dont get why everyone is so mean to him??? he seems to put in a lot of effort????? i wanna give him a hug. hes my favorite 

juniper however is actually really annoying but i would never say it to his face on the off chance he takes me seriously and it hurts his feelings. i would only be able to handle talking to him for like 20 minutes before i start getting violent but also i would die for him in a heartbeat. he’s lowkey a vibe 

sydney personality wise is my worst nightmare. also he is actually like really mean sometimes and highkey getting on my nerves but im rooting for him. i hope he punches jeddy right in the face and that his pain, both mentally and physically, ease soon 

elijah is a creep and is deeply unsettling. but also kind of a gentleman??? on one hand: stalking, theft, and making sydney feel so hazy he feels drugged are major red flags. on the other hand: he is a fashion icon and a dramatic bitch and i love him

lucille can catch these fucking hands right after her bitch ass son

so can sydney’s mom idk what the situation with his dad is but for not stopping his childhood neglect, pops can get fucked up as well. unless hes dead or something i haven’t figured that out yet

someone give rowan a hug let homie catch a break please 

marisol is best girl!!! she seems so sweet i wanna be her friend so bad

same with yvonne i feel like she has fun colorful tattoos 

[ginjointsintheworld]

I think 4.04 is the one where Lauren speaks to Iggy about of Leyla is her new addiction or not. I hate that idea but I get why they’d go there, especially since there was such a visceral reaction to Lauren’s own visceral reaction to Leyla potentially leaving, so I’m hoping Iggy gives her good advice. He can be so hit or miss and lately he’s been missing a lot for me. What do you think about that idea, by the way? I don’t think Leyla is an addiction because people just can’t be that, not in the same way drugs are, at least. I think Lauren’s just feeling the rush from being in love for the first time and feeling everything deeply, which is just her personality.

SO TRUE ABOUT IGGY BEING HIT OR MISS AND MISSING LATELY. i wasn't a fan of him trying to lowkey force his way of grieving onto wandy in the last episode because she was right about not being able to feel crushing grief every time a patient has a set back. but it was a learning moment for him so, ya know, hopefully he's back on track for when lauren comes for advice.

i find that people who call leyla lauren's new addiction say it out of an excuse for not liking the ship and have a passing, surface understanding of their story & characters. like you said leyla is a whole ass person with thoughts and feelings and reactions. can a person be emotionally dependent on or unhealthily co-dependent with another person? yeah. but what have we seen in their relationship so far that indicates that? from their meeting to their friendship to their relationship, they've been pretty comfortable doing their own things. whether it was lauren giving leyla a space to move as she pleases to living together with separate jobs. even now, lauren doesn't feel the need to constantly hover over leyla who's literally in arm's reach. she occasionally annoys casey for updates (which i think leyla would put a stop to real quick if she thought he was really being a spy given her 'are you spying on me' reaction) but we've seen lauren leave the ED and the residents to walsh and go deal with other issues within the hospital. LEYLA went to go find LAUREN in 4x02.

frankly i think the basis of this addiction viewpoint came from lauren's closet breakdown + whatever shady happenings she did for the 5th spot. however that was a moment from visceral fear of losing the life she's started to build with someone she whole heartedly loves, maybe for the first time ever. especially considering that lauren knows how hard it is to keep up any kind of relationship with someone from across the country. /Lauren/ picked washington for college because the distance made it easier for her to leave her family. plus even leyla was thinking about how hard it'd be to do a long distance relationship but she was more prepared to accept that and the work and confidence to make it work. because leyla really, really, fucking loves lauren too. that moment and action, while incredibly boneheaded and stupid and wrong, was an extenuating situation, not their norm. we've seen their norm, we're seeing the norm now. lauren and leyla are two independent people with their own lives that they were living before. the difference now is when they go out and experience the world they have someone at home to share the pieces of it with.

also i know we're all used to seeing lauren just relentlessly suffer with only fleeting morsels of happiness and her being consistently happy and feeling safe to be emotionally vulnerable must be jarring but i promise it's not a Red Flag lmaooo. her girlfriend is working nights while she works days and they are undoubtedly bone tired after their shifts and probably only catch each other as one leaves and the other comes home.... it's perfectly reasonable for lauren to miss leyla. she's never really had someone to miss before.

tl;dr leyla isn't an addiction, lauren just has a well rounded life for once.

[helliontherapscallion]

omg pls share the story abt the lecture from that girl’s dad (only if u feel like it) but seriously ppl it’s not that hard to put a mask on to help the spread of a virus. just wear it, it keeps u safe. and for the ppl who don’t care then just wait til it affects u, bcs covid isn’t a game. I just wish ppl were more serious abt it

Ok so sit down and buckle up kiddos and grab some snacks bc this is a helluva ride

Little background info: I have been a section leader for both my junior and senior years now. When the new freshmen came in my first year of being section leader I was hyped as hell. And then this new freshman whips out a lighter and lights it WHILE WE’RE INSIDE THE SCHOOL MIGHT I ADD with a straight face looking off into the distance before we ask her to put it away. She also always has a pocket knife on her that we found on the ground during band camp. I’ll call her POS. 

I tried to like POS I really did, but then she turned out to be a bigoted racist asshole (she also drinks deer blood straight from the corpse and simps over jeffery dahmer so even more red flags). It was extremely hard for me to treat her like I did with the other people in my section, but I managed to treat her the same as the other people and avoided her for the most part (thank god she wasn’t in my subsection I would’ve actually gone insane)

Flash forward to this year. Covid was hitting full force and we had to quarantine for the first two months of our season setting us back by a lot. She was wishywashy about rejoining but as the most senior leader of my section my band director was on my ass about getting a straight answer from her and fast. So I kinda had to force her to give me an answer (which she told me she was doing it quickly which leads me to think she already knew she was doing it) so she already was going into the season hating my guts

When we finally had an in person rehearsal for the first time, she wasn’t wearing a mask so when I asked her where it was she looked at me like I was the dumbass and said in a matter-of-fact tone “it’s in my pocket” and pointed to the confederate flag bandana hanging out of her pocket. Those four words told me that this season was going to be a fuckin long one with her. I just deadpanned (she couldn’t see it tho bc mask, sunglasses, and floppy hat blocking my entire face) and said “I’d rather it be on your face. (band director and marching instructor’s names) will have my ass if they see you not wearing one.” She rolls her eyes and puts it on (at least it was over her nose)

A few months go by with me telling her constantly to put on a mask bc I am responsible for my section and I’d be damned if one of them got sick bc of one idiot being stupid that I could prevent. She is getting madder and madder with each passing rehearsal. 

Band camp rolls around and it changed from 5 13 hour days to 15 3 hour ones and I am already done with her bs. We get our dots and I mentally groan bc she’s next to me for the vast majority of the show. She is between me (an asthmatic) and my close friend (vvv immunocompromised and also hates her, I’ll call her S) so now I’m more worried about covid going around the section. It was in this time that I find out that at least 5 other people out of 20 also have pre existing conditions that make them susceptible. So now I make it even more my mission to make her wear a mask. 

It was in the middle of band camp when she is yet again not wearing a mask (we were just marching without instruments) and I turn to her and as kindly as possible (it was the second time that day) asked her to put on her mask. She once again rolls her eyes and says “ya know, (band director) walked past me 3 times and hasn’t said shit, so I think I’m gonna listen to him and not you.” S and another friend of mine looks over in shock cuz she just talked back to me. They were about to say something but I wove them off. POS wants to fuck with me? Fine. I’ll just go full force with this. She wants petty?? I’ll give her petty, I’ve been holding off all season. 

So I’m marching there for the next twenty minutes quietly seething and counting more aggressively. She’s getting annoyed, but I pull the section leader card and tell her that she needs to be counting as loud as I am bc her feet was lowkey off time. After we break off for a gush and go (very short water break), I go straight to my band director and use my limited water break to tell him what she told me. He apologizes and says that he thought she was just taking a breather. He tells her to put on a mask and she does so and glares at me the rest of the rehearsal. 

She blocks me on all social media and I obviously clown on her in private with the other section leader (he’s more of a pacifist and never really told her to wear a mask which kinda pissed me off but I understood) until she makes a passing comment to my other friend about using the knife she kept in her boot. Now he tells me cuz he’s a good friend and I’m shitting myself at that point bc holy shit I might get shanked. 

I think about telling the band director but I realize that there’s no proof of her saying this and she could easily get out of this so it’s kinda pointless to tell anyone. Plus if she did shank me, she’d get into so much trouble and I’d be laughing at her from my grave/hospital bed. 

Many rehearsals go by and she still refuses to wear a mask so after one rehearsal S and I went to the band director and reminded him about our conditions and told him about how we were worried for our safety (I also told him abotu the other vulunerable ppl in the section) and he says he’s gonna do something. Next rehearsal he gives POS a warning and she begrudgingly wears a mask for the rest of the rehearsal. The next rehearsal rolls by and she isn’t wearing a mask (again) and he sends her home. Major victory for S and I.

The next sectional tho was something I wasn’t expecting. I get there like 10 minutes before it starts like I usually do in a good mood. I get out of my car and go to grab my stuff when a massive white truck with a busted muffler pulls up into the parking space next to me with a cloud of black smoke. The window rolls down and reveals POS’s dad and POS herself in the passanger seat. 

Of course I’m thinking that this is the day I die and start mentally preparing to yell for help to my other section members 100 feet away on the field already.

Mans starts to lecture me saying things like “it’s unhealthy to wear a mask outside bc it’s like a pitri dish under there. 6th grade science!” (I am not joking or overexaggerating with this, he actually said that). I really wanted to say “well, 7th grade science says otherwise, but you wouldn’t know that bc I’m sure you didn’t pass 6th grade, but go off ig” but I didn’t bc I didn’t want to get shanked or disappear randomly. I just tell him that I am only doing what my band director told me to do and that there are tons of people (myself included) that can really get hurt from just being in contact with covid. He says that’s bullshit and tries to tell me that I’m an idiot before I cut him off by telling him once again that I am just trying to protect my section and that the sectional was going to start soon so I didn’t have the time for this. I walk away leaving him trying to keep talking to me and soon enough POS gets out of the car and follows me to the field giving me a smug smile on her unmasked face before she puts it on when she sees the other section leader stroll up. 

Lemme paint the picture for you: this guy (a 6′something burly guy in his 50′s that I know has like two felonies under his belt) pulls up next to me (a 5′2 17 year old ball of anxiety that drives a small yellow car) and starts to borderline yell at me. Traumatizing. I was shaking for the rest of the sectional and I spent the rest of the season looking over my shoulder looking for the glint of a knife swingin at me

Now I’m pretty sure she’s suspended bc she was caught with a knife on school property and she wore a confederate t-shirt to school, but I would be lying if I said I don’t still look over my shoulder or speed up when I drive past her house lmao

[yourcoffindoor]

Bulletproof Heart Pt.2

Pairing: Gerard Way x Reader

Prompt: Request from Anon- “ could you write one where the reader is a rock singer and they and mcr are on warped tour together, and they both lowkey like each other but think they’re both out of each other’s league, and find out that they’re both secretly into nerdy stuff + maybe getting together?

TW: Mentions of an abusive relationship.

AN: The plot thickens. Sorry for the delay in uploading <3

Enjoyyyy <3

That night after everyone had stumbled back to the bus in a tipsy stupor, you couldn't shake the thought of your encounter with Gerard from your brain. And what's more, you hated yourself for it. For awhile you tossed and turned, hoping the unwelcome feelings you had would fade to nothing so that you could fall asleep at last.

But your curiosity got the better of you, and there was only would person who could give you the answers you were looking for.

"Hey Gavin, are you still conscious?" you whispered from your bunk. You heard the rustle of sheets moving in response.

"Hmmm?" a low and sleepy sound of acknowledgement answered.

"I'm just wondering...what do you know about Gerard Way?"

As soon as the words left your lips, Gavin's curtains swung open with superhuman force.

"Y/N are you in love with Gerard Way?!" Gavin's voice was no longer tired, having morphed into a sharp and excited whisper. In addition to being the band's social butterfly, he always knew the gossip about everyone within a 20 mile radius.

"Christ, really Gavin? We only spoke for like fifteen minutes."

"So it was like a love at first sight situation?"

"You are so annoying, I swear to god."

"Do you want info or not?" he threatened.

You sighed. "Fine, yes I do."

Gavin cleared his throat as if preparing for a presentation. "OK, so everyone has something good to say about him, seems like a really genuine guy. I've heard he was in a long term relationship for ages, but its been broken off for awhile now. "

"Hmm," you murmured, trying to sound indifferent, "yeah he seems like a sweet guy."

"Yeah and every girl with a pulse seems to be after him. You got some competition out there." he teased. "But seriously, if you're interested you should go for it. You deserve to be happy, Y/N. It's been three years since...you know who."

Gavin didn't say his name, but he had said enough to bring on a wave of sad memories. "Thanks. I'm uh, feeling pretty tired, so... I'm just gonna get some sleep."

"G'night." Gavin said softly, as if aware he had brought out long buried and very unwelcome feelings.

You rolled over in your bunk, pulling your blankets up over your head, unwilling to dwell on the memories that had been drudged up by only a few words. Three years ago. That's when you finally had the strength to break it off with Alex.

You were a different person when you met him. It was your first relationship, and you were naive and forgiving, unable to see the dozens of red flags that should have made you run away from it all.

You had answered an ad that he had posted asking for potential band members for a punk band he was forming. It had been your dream to pursue music, and you responded right away, hoping you'd hit it off. You weren't expecting Alex to be so damn attractive, and when your audition was successful, it was only a matter of time before a relationship began to develop between you.

He was older than you, more experienced, and eager to take you under his wing where he could have the most control. You mistook his over-protectiveness as a sign of love, and he slowly cut you off from people outside of the band, leaving you isolated and dependent on him.

Eventually he would get angry if he saw you speak to any other man. He took your phone regularly so that he could look through it, questioning you about anything he didn't like. The fights you had were loud and ugly, your voices rising and crashing like cantankerous bursts of thunder. Eventually, they became violent.

You were stuck in a cycle of affection and fear, held there as if caught in a tide that would never bring you back to shores of sanity. But you did eventually find the strength to get out when your friend reached out to you, offering you a place to stay. You packed your bags that night and didn't look back.

Your band was not just a career for you, it was a symbol of healing, proof that you were able to overcome it all and strike out on your own. You rolled over in your bunk, and pushed the unwanted memories aside, reminding yourself of the promise you had made to be the best damn band on Warped tour. Nothing was going to change that now.

x x x 

Your first performance went by in a haze of adrenaline and sweat. The crowd was young and eager to see what you had to offer, and you were all to happy to give them something they'd remember for a long long time.

There were several people in the crowd who were fans already, proudly wearing your band's shirts and mouthing along to all of the lyrics. Others were slowly converted, headbanging enthusiastically by the end of your set. When the band's final song was met with deafening hoots and cheers, you'd felt like you'd accomplished your mission.

"We fucking killed it!" Gavin declared as he slumped in the nearest chair, exhausted.

"The crowd was good, huh?" you beamed as you wiped the sweat from your face, still breathless from your onstage antics. "Let's hope they're all like this."

"Can't get any worse than our first show ever, remember?" Liz laughed as she recalled the groups early days. "Never had so much beer pelted at me in my life."

People milled about as you and your band mates caught your breath. A few musicians from other bands popped in to say hi and let you know that they enjoyed your performance.

"Hey you actually made it!" Gavin jumped up from his chair as he noticed a new face entering the backstage area. "Guys did you meet Frank last night? From My Chemical Romance?" A man with wide hazel eyes gave a quick wave from the the entryway.

"This guy was goin on and on about how you guys were the best new band on warped tour. Had to see if he was just full of shit."

"He always starts bragging when he's drunk." you rolled your eyes.

"Well, I'm glad he did. You guys put on a pretty kick-ass show. Plus Gerard really wanted to check it out."

Your heartbeat, which had only just settled from jumping around on stage, began to speed up again.

"Gerard?"you asked softly, caught off guard by the mention of his name.  You didn't see the familiar black haired boy near frank. You only saw Gavin attempting to give you a discreet wink, which you returned with a harsh glare.

"Yeah actually we were all there. Mikey and Ray had to run to another show. Don't know where Gee disappeared to though," Frank craned his head, looking around at the hustle and bustle that was happening permanently everywhere on Warped tour. "Ah, there he is. Gerard!"

You saw Gerard, surrounded by a small circle of fans, each holding something they wanted him to sign. You felt a strange pang when you noticed they were all pretty girls, and Gavin's words from last night came back to haunt you. You got some competition out there. You struggled to identify just what emotion was suddenly eating away at you--were you really jealous? Or was it the realization that even if you decided to make a move, it was probably hopeless?

Gerard nodded at Frank. "Be there in a sec!" he shouted, continuing to sign autographs until he had gotten through everyone.

Frank spoke with your band mates, but you were too distracted by the knowledge that Gerard had watched you perform to be sociable. You were anxious as to what his opinion would be, but tried to push it out of your thoughts.

You watched nervously as Gerard spoke to Frank and Gavin, noticing that he would glance over at you every so often. When your eyes finally met he gave you a nod and a warm smile. You gave yourself an internal pep talk to try and stay calm. You can just be friends, you don't need to do anything except be friendly. For the love of god, act normal.

Eventually he made his way over to you,offering another soft and lopsided smile,but his time it almost seemed as if he was shy. "Great show. From one lead singer to another, your band has a fucking killer sound."

You thanked him, grinning like an idiot while cautionary alarm bells went off in your head.

"I might be a bit biased though, because of the shirt your wearing."

You looked down, having forgotten what you threw on that morning. It was one of your favorite shirts,  a short sleeved tee with the X-Men symbol emblazoned on the front. You'd had it for years, as evidenced by the smattering of small holes peeking through the bottom edge. Oh no, you thought, he likes comics too?

"You're a fan?" you asked coolly, a stark contrast to the giddy panic that was building up inside you.

"Yes! I actually wanted to make comics before My Chem was a thing." He spoke animatedly, his round hazel eyes widening even further. "But life had other plans. Not that I'm complaining."

That familiar heat rose in your cheeks. This conversation was dangerous, and you were trying desperately to fight the feeling that this man was something close to perfect.

The world around the two of you became an insignificant blur as you both discussed comics at length, and you hung on every word, taking turns revealing how you first discovered them and sharing your favorites. He even recommended a few titles that you had never heard of. His demeanor was passionate and lively, entirely different from the sullen boy you met the night before.

"I uh, I'm actually working on a comic at the moment," he began, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, suddenly bashful, "If you're interested you should stop by the bus sometime--"

Gerard's eyes focused on something just behind you, and you felt a sudden tap on your shoulder. You turned and felt your stomach drop to a sickening low. There, standing next to the drunk who was hitting on you last night, was your ex-boyfriend Alex.

"What are the odds!" he smiled at you, blank looking smug beside him. You found yourself at a loss for words.

"What...what are you doing here?"

He scoffed. "Ouch Y/N, is that anyway to say hello? I'm here for the same reason you are." He turned his attention to Gerard. "I'm Alex. Y/N and I used to have a band together back in the day. Well, a bit more than that actually." He smirked at you, instantly transforming any butterflies you had felt while talking to Gerard into pure revulsion.

This was your worst case scenario, and it was one you had never even considered to be possible. Seeing his face again made you freeze up, and you were at a loss for words. You looked up at Gerard through your eyelashes, wondering if the dark and overwhelming swirl of emotion inside you was showing on your face. His brows were furrowed ever so slightly as if he could sense that something wasn't quite right.

"Nice to meet you," he replied curtly before turning his attention back to you. I'll uh, let you catch up. I'll just be over there with Frank...if you need anything."

You merely nodded, too caught up in your feelings to respond properly. "I'll catch you later then."

Alex saw this opportunity as a chance to reach for an embrace, but you stepped back and out of reach.

"Just what the hell are you doing?"

"What are you implying? I'm just dropping in to say hello before Midnite Heist performs later. I'm their new drummer after all. I can't even do that?"

"No," you said, struggling to maintain a low voice, "You can't. I told you I never wanted to see you again. We may be on the same tour, but that doesn't mean you can approach me. Don't try it again."

He laughed, clearly embarrassed to be spoken too like that in front of his band mate. "If you're trying to get with that Way guy, don't bother. You're punching way above your weight with that one."

You took a moment to steel yourself, and decided to walk away rather than let thing turn into a scene. Before you turned to leave, you offered one final warning.

"I haven't forgotten what you did to me. Speak to me again and you'll regret it."

You walked off, hearing mocking 'Ooooh's from Alex and Brent as you left. You saw heads turning in your direction as you stormed away towards the bus, including Gerard's, but you couldn't be bothered by that now- not when you were struggling to keep it together.

Fuck Fuck Fuck your internal monologue looped on a bitter repeat. This was going to be the longest tour of your life.

[weapvnized]

*falls out of the dumpster behind your local Denny’s* Howdy, everyone! I’m Kip and we’re just not going to talk about how late I am to the party and just jump right into my intro that definitely got out of hand because yours truly is way to excited for this rp!

What’s that scent? The smell of BLOOD SPILT AGAINST COLD METAL, which would explain the appearance of JAVIER CRUZ. Continental records indicate they are  known as PHANTOM, a THIRTY year old SPECIALIST. They have the unique ability of INTANGIBILITY.  They were specifically selected for enrollment for the ASSASSINATION OF GRANT ANDERSON, where they ASSASSNITED A HIGH RANKING PUBLIC OFFICIAL IN A SUPPOSED SECURE LOCATION WITHOUT ANY SIGNS OF FORCED ENTRY, LEAVING MOST OF THE PUBLIC TO BUY INTO THE CONSPIRACY OF IT BEING AN INSIDE JOB. They can be VOLATILE and CYNICAL, but also ADAPTABLE and DAUNTLESS. We wish them well in their business to come.

BACKSTORY ! (death tw, murder tw, & car accident tw)

The first six years of Javier’s life were about as close to perfect as life could get — raised in a warm home by two doting parents that provided their son with all the love and care in the world. It’s clear his life would’ve been completely different had tragedy not struck. While at home, safe and sound, going on make believe adventures with his babysitter, his parents were killed in a car accident.

With no one to take him in and no place to stay after that night, Javier was placed into foster care. Still trying to process and understand his own grief, he found the transition difficult and behavioral issues began to arise in the young boy. Soon after his behavioral problems popped up, he found himself getting bounced from home to home — never finding the perfect fit. 

Unsure of what else to do with him, Javier was moved into a group home when he was fourteen. He initially hated it there, but his opinion changed ever so slightly when he started to bond with two other boys there. As it turned out, the trio had a few similarities to bond over  — all three were superhumans that had been juggled and mismanaged in the system from their early childhoods due to behavioral issues and all three of them were overall fed up with it.

Despite trouble brewing, the staff didn’t see Javier bonding with the other two as problematic. In fact, it looked like an improvement for him —like he was finally coming out of his shell and forming meaningful connections for the first time since his parents’ deaths. They didn’t overhear the lengthy conversations where the boys expressed their dissatisfaction with their lives in comparison to the well-off and completely intolerable peers they had at school. And they certainly weren’t aware that Javier was beginning to use his intangibility to sneak the three of them out at night.

Their night’s spent out started as a way to blow off steam — damage a little public property and run off laughing into the night. Slowly, Dustin — the eldest of the trio and unofficial leader of the group — came to the conclusion that there was so much more the boys could do with their powers. It all started with pure intentions — steal from businesses that could afford it and stage the stolen items as anonymous and generous gifts made to the group home. Naturally things started to escalate and they found themselves stealing from wealthy individuals as well — acting as a modern version of Robinhood and his band of merry men. 

With the exception of a few close calls, their actions went largely unnoticed until one fateful night. Unbeknownst to the trio, the owner of the estate they were robbing was home and quietly watching the amateur heist take place. Impressed with how well they worked together and used their abilities, the man didn’t report them to the police and instead made plans to adopt the two that hadn’t aged out of the system yet. 

Javier and the boy closer to his age were soon adopted seemingly out of nowhere and Dustin was even offered a place to stay with them by the man they stole from. Perhaps this should’ve raised some sort of alarms, but all three were all too delighted to have a place where it felt like they were finally wanted and cared for to pay attention to any red flags.

Shortly after, they started training more rigorously and eventually started participating in more largescale crimes. All the while they were treated like family — never suspecting that they were really nothing more than tools to the person who took them in. It wasn’t until later when Javier was injured in a training mishap and pushed to continue, that Dustin became suspicious of why they were really there.

There was little time to process all this though, as they were quickly dispatched to take care of a job for a “trusted contact.” It was, of course, a setup to get rid of the boys who would become a problem should they turn against the man that took them in. In all the chaos, betrayal, and confusion that came with this job, Dustin was killed while the other two were able to make it back home — only to face more betrayal. The pair managed to escape death for the second time that night, but not without Javier taking a bullet to his shoulder from his adoptive father.

After getting Javier proper medical attention, the pair decided it was for the best that they part ways in hopes that it’d make them harder to track down. Once he fully recovered, he went back to criminal work, this time working independently as a hitman in hopes to better hone his skills so he can absolutely wreck his adoptive father’s shit one day 😌

HEADCANONS !

Forgive and forget? Absolutely not! Javier is very much the resent and remember type. Screw him over at any point and he’ll be hellbent on getting even. Like even over little things — he can be extremely petty.

Very hotheaded — it doesn’t take a lot to get under his skin. And while it is something he’s sort of working on...it’s not uncommon to find him in the middle of a heated argument over something stupid or caught up in a bar brawl.

Is the type to take jobs very seriously and expects the people working with him to do the same. While he’s not going to call you out right then and there for a mistake, you can bet your ass he’ll have a lot to say once the job is over and will be brutally honest about it. 

Teamwork is really hit or miss with him. He has experience at working well as a team and should in theory be better at it because of it, but his general distrust for others can get in the way and make things not go quite as smooth as they need to. Despite all his distrust, he is someone who can be relied on in the field and does make it a priority to make sure everyone involved gets out in one piece so there’s that.

Generally prefers to work alone or at least in some sort of leadership role, but he can adapt and take direction well if need be. And while he would prefer missions to go exactly as planned, realistically he knows that’s probably not going to happen and can quickly adjust.

It’s not easy to gain his trust or friendship, but once you do he’s very ride or die (unless you epically screw up and manage to lose his trust). 

Not to call him out or anything, but he’s had very few meaningful or significant relationships of any type with other people so he’s lowkey lonely. Of course, he’d never admit it, but yeah definitely lonely.

His sense of humor, when present, is usually sarcastic and dry.

Can frequently be seen rolling his eyes, facepalming, and sporting an annoyed expression.

Immediate death glare to anyone who calls him Javi (if they’re not close).

The first vine that pops into my head when I think about Javier is the one where the dude is hanging off his bed and goes, “Alright, let’s tell each other a secret about ourselves. I’m going to go first, I hate you.”

EXTRAS !

Wanted Connections/Plot Ideas || Stats || Powers Page || Playlist || Pinterest (blood & images of weapons tw in the aesthetic section!!)

[cosmictulips]

Hi 🌤 Can I have a reading please? I wanted to ask if I’m blocked from love and if I am, how do I unblock myself? I’m 20 and I haven’t been in any type of relationship or even talked to someone and it’s really bothering me much more than before. I know you don’t need someone to be happy or fulfilled and I already have done self reflecting and while I still am growing as a person - I really want a man lol. That probably sounds desparte but it’s really weird/sad lowkey when you have 13 year old cousins, for example, who have been in relationships and you haven’t. Anyways, thank you so much! -CVM, Aries :)

Henlo Friend =D Thank you for your patience lol 

I am now your older sister -Im 24 xD-  and as your older sister, I say... what you're feeling is perfectly natural.   It would be kind of rude of me to say, like get over it lol because truth be told we all get that way.  and I don't think it's so much a blockage of love so much as the universe wants you to focus on other things.  like perhaps, self love, and figuring out what you want out of it.

To be honest with you,  I got into relationships around 15 ish. and I... wasn't ready for them at all lol. I was doing it because I felt like I needed to and the one guy I thought I truly loved broke my heart and for years -like five years-  every other guy I was with just could not fill a void.   so,  if you're anything like me, you probably really want something long lasting and it really sucks that like in this kind of culture and society,  people -claim to want it but they don't lol -  aren't really looking for that until like later in their life and it kind of gets annoying.

anyway,  there is nothing wrong with you, there's nothing wrong with like never having a relationship before until like whatever age.  but I totally get it lolol

so for you I drew:  Four of pentacles, seven of pentacles and ace of cups. With the Queen of Pentacles as the overall energy, and I want to talk about the Hermit because that popped up as well.

so this is telling me...

to put yourself out there xD I mean like,  okay here's my thought process.  Pentacles aren't the most romantic cards in tarot.  they mostly talk about work, and growing your status.  so this tells me a couple of things.  One,  the universe thinks that by you working on your skills,  and growing yourself in status,  you'll attract the man of your dreams ;)))  or two,  dating wise,  perhaps going out there and probbing the field is kind of a good thing for you.

What I like to do xD when I am looking for a relationship is to dip my toes in water so to speak.  I'll sign up for dating apps and.. well I'm a nerd xD so I actually keep track of why someone appeals to me.  it's actually helped me figure out what I'm looking for in a man lmao  you know,  it's easy,  you don't have to commit to anything,  if you don't like the guy there's the block button xD

Idk why but I'm hearing you might be afraid of having to like... lower your standards or that your boundaries won't be respected and you might fear that you won't know the red flags.  and trust me,  you will lolol we got this great thing called intuition.  trust it.  Like my motto is, if I even have to think about whether or not something is a red flag, get out lmao

you also have the ace of cups and the queen of pentacles.  so guys kind of already have their eye on you as weird as that sounds xD.  I think that by like, testing the waters and being like hey Idk what I want -honest,  the word here is honest-  like people will respect that.  You'd actually be very surprised how many people around our age have never gotten into relationships or have -like me-  and really regret it because holy heck it was toxic as fuckkkkk -hi thats me lmao-

everyones scared honestly lol.  talking to strangers,  trying to put your heart out there and pray to the gods it doesn't get broken.  and I mean,  it will lol.  but that's how you learn ya know?  date around.  learn your strengths xD like I'm the biggest flirt. I love attention xD and for a long time I denied it because my ex made it seem like it was such a bad thing.  but now I got a guy who loves it lmaooooo

like, be you.  it's okay if you're shy. I'm hella shy lmao  but once you've been around the block,  you'll be good.

Oh yea the Hermit is here.  so the Hermit.  okay i like that your reading is all about putting yourself out there and then we have the card of going inward xD

so, I think the message here is to trust yourself.  You know, there's... a lot of fish out there,  and some of them aren't so good.  if you get too uncomfortable,  you are your best defense ya know?  you will know when it's time to let something go.  and I think you're afraid of trusting that part of yourself.  as I mentioned before.  but the Hermit also has you lol.  You're being guided by your own intuition,  by your higher judgement.  Don't lower yourself for a boi you can find at the drug store ya know? lol if you want that CEO capricorn go get him xD

All in all I do see something coming for you.  we got that ace of cups ;))) new connections.  You got the Hermit being like, stand your ground, know yourself and your boundaries,  and we got the queen of pentacles, seven and four being like it’s okay to be nervous but you are a goddess and men are gonna respect the fuck out of you lmao.  I think also you might attract earth signs and water signs xD  I find a lot of fire and earth signs date each other.  or like people with heavy influence of those signs.  anyway I’m blabbing so I’ll end it here lmao I hope this helps =D if you need anything, feel free to stop on by =D

[sunflowershesays]

An open letter to my ex-boyfriend,

Hello, how are you now? I hope you are happy now. Not that I am OG bitter or somethin. You became part of my life---- you were with me in my whole senior and freshman year. You were the guy that looked mysterious and quiet on the first week of senior year or maybe that is just because I did not really pay much attention to you because I like some other guy. The first few months of our senior year, you were always sitting beside me and always trying to flirt with me, although I could only respond in a friendly way (or maybe you misread the signals) because I did not really liked you, you weren't just my type of guy. But yeah, you continued to annoy me everyday and do some lowkey sweet things and you were also chatting me and trying to call me---- there was one time when you tried calling me numerous of times and I did not want to answer to the point that it reached to 100+ missed calls. I was so shookt that time and I kept telling my friends that I thought you were weird and creepy. But yeah, I find myself comfortable talking to you. I discovered that you were also the nephew of my tita's husband (her mother is a sibling of that tito). I also remembered you ( i am not really fond of remembering names and faces) because your birthday was the same as my brother's and I find it really cool. We had a month of not talking and no casual greetings or interactions, and I don't really know why. But your friends kept telling me that you were jealous because I changed my profile picture in fb into my photo together with my crush and you thought that you didn't have a chance with me. After a month, I was kinda--- indirectly rejected by my crush because he started courting this girl and I thought I didn't had a chance with him anymore. Soooo--- i decided to open my heart to you. 

That begins our chapter and you also took the courage to tell my parents that you were gonna court me, you came into our house during christmas eve and you also brought two boxes of pizza because I told you my dad likes pizza. You were the first guy that I pour all my efforts into, I experienced to bake a lot of pastries to you, i even baked a heart-shaped banana cake for your birthday and I started baking randomly for you because you liked it. I experienced to be one of those teenagers who would've cut pictures and turn it into a craft, I even made a punch box as a gift on your birthday also and I bought it into your house, alone----commute, only riding a tricycle, while walking to the terminal from school, I remembered I was so embarrassed because the drivers were teasing me, guessing what was inside the box. I experienced cooking snacks for you and I would give it to you during school breaks and I would really struggle to climb the stairs back and forth even though I was wearing heels, just to be with you. AND--- i remembered that one video I made as a first monthsary gift, that was really witty of me, and I knew that you were really shocked because hello I am just capable of doing everything. But yeah. I spent too much energy and effort just to make you happy and contented.

 When we were together we always had fights once or twice a week, I should have seen that as a red flag to the point that you were always insisting that we should take a break or cool-off because it was too exhausting for you. You were always exhausted of me, all I did was make you happy, put you on top of my priority list, even disobeyed my parents just to be with you, so you wont get mad and you wont find another and replace me. You are always tired of me. Whenever I complain, you will always get mad but all I want was to address the problem, get it fix so that it wont happen. But yeah, you started cheating on me, I thought you were contented because I gave you all of me. I was so honest, faithful and forgiving to you, that I still accepted you and believed that you were gonna change. But that was just a fantasy, you did bad things to me, you started yelling at me when you get mad. And that should be the sign for me to walk away but because I was too blinded. I let you do that. In one sorry, I let it all go away because I have faith in you, that you everything's gonna be okay.

[damnit-samnit]

How is summer going for you pineapple queen? Here is a question, would Art and Smite have a date in the beach! What would they do?

Summer has been nice, hot and busy 😎

And yeah, I can see them living that beach life.

See, for someone like mildly vain Art, there’s planning that needs to be done. You don’t just show up at the beach. She needs to find the perfect bathing suit that is flattering and fashionable. She needs to get a pedicure. She needs to find the perfect beach read.

Meanwhile Smite is rearing to go.

He’s not wearing that red and white one piece All Might has, he dressing more lowkey. I’m talking a tank top and some American flag swim trunks.

With socks and shoes.

Thankfully, he takes the footwear off before he struts onto the sand with a cooler, an umbrella and chairs, Art trailing behind with her tote.

You’d think he wouldn’t like the beach. He’s a picky person.

Immediately, however, Art will realize that he’s entirely within his element. People will turn and look, watching this large, tall muscular man stroll by.

Sonofabitch.

He pretends not to notice he’s being ogled at but his increasingly fat head tells another story. So, Art does her best to ignore him. She sets up shop, puts on sunscreen and sits, inhaling that sweet, salty air.

She plans on getting in the water, at some point. How else is she going to achieve the ideal beach hair?

What she wasn’t expecting, however, was Smite to pick her up, spin her around and launch her into the water, cackling the entire time. It’s a total couples move, tossing someone into water — he just added about two hundred times the effort.

She ends up splashing down some ways out into the ocean, cursing him. Then he’s running after her, still laughing to himself, awkwardly crashing and stomping through the waves until he gets deep enough where he can start swimming.

She’s pissed but his good mood and playfulness is infectious. After splashing him back a few times, they spend some time out in the water. He’s got a hold on her, her legs wrapped around his midsection while he treads water for the both of them, talking, laughing and lightly kissing.

Of course, he wouldn’t mind a bit more but that’s shut down real quick. Which is a good thing since, several minutes later, a lifeguard with a marine quirk pops from beneath the waves, scaring Art and annoying Smite, asking them politely to swim a bit closer to the shore.

The interruption sours Smite but Art tugs him away before an “incident” happens.

Eventually, they make it back to shore, opting to leave the water altogether. Art settles out on a towel for some light sun while Smite stands, lording over their patch of beach.

That’s when the gawkers start to approach. The muscle-head bros ensnared by the siren’s song of Smite’s bulk, which leads to a quick-forming band of sudden fan girls.

He’s holding court, grinning, casting hidden glances to an unbothered Art, wanting her to see how much of a stud he is.

The newfound King of the Beach will rule his land for some time, checking in occasionally on the frustratedly disinterested Artisan. But his time will come to an end once a squeezing starts up in his gut.

Disappointed, he’ll grab for a shirt and disappear into a changing tent, returning wearing a baggy short-sleeve shirt as opposed to his original tanktop, much skinnier then before.

No one will bat an eye at the lanky old man who takes a seat in a chair under the umbrella, noticeably more reserved. He’s got his arms crossed, feet buried in the sand as he stares out at the waves.

That’s when Art pulls herself up from her towel, taking a seat next to him. She’s chatting brightly about the beautiful day to the sullen man before offering him a carefully wrapped chunk of watermelon from the cooler, squeezing and rubbing at his arm after he takes it.

Immediately, he perks up from her interaction.

[justapeskyninja]

☠ ♥ ♦ surrender the tea

☠ What does someone have to do for an instant unfollow from you?

You gotta be some kind of creep and or evil for me to do so.

Usually you were someone from a previous fandom that was toxic and I want nothing to do with you. I find out you bully and or guilt others. Rarely ever unfollow people for petty things like shipping related stuff or head canons (tumblr savior will save your life I swear), but yeah just try not to be a jerk or creep is all and we're all good.

Oh, I don't like being a plan B. If I reached out to you before various times and you decide you want to rp with me due to your favorite person (we all have one) not being around lately I just don't like being an after thought and then ditched. I put up with something like that for 3 years? (say you wanna do the thing with me but you never follow through when we plan) Finally had enough and just silently unfollowed and blocked them.

Yeah, I have too much patience unfortunately.

♥ What’s the WORST thing that has happened to you rp wise?

Going for the worse one? Let's fukkin' goooooooooo then!

Happened in the Sailor Moon fandom (I ain't even gonna be lowkey about it.) Fandom use to be filled with drama and so many cliques long ago, but this girl I was pretty decent buddies with outright accused me of sending her hate because she used a blog tracker and since I was the last one on said blog then I must have sent her anymous anon hate because logic.

Gave me a half assed apology after I expressed my irritation and disappointment in her, but doesn't stop there someone I was LONG time friends with online decided to take her side on it and believe all the BS she spewed because she was very much sweet on this guy (did the same thing to a girl that had dated him awhile back too in accusing her of stupid shit and that they couldn't be friends).

Ended a long time friendship (and a single ship between our muses) I really enjoyed with the guy, who didn't want to talk to me nor clear the air about it. Decided to fuck off from his blog because anyone but her and whomever was 'friends' with him could officially kiss his ass. SO, I decided from then I wanted to engage in that fandom anymore. (She has a rap in the fandom now and no one wants to interact with her though these days fandom for SM is pretty quiet far as I know but I'm never in it.)

And that young one is how I met and divorced your father.

Took me awhile to get over it, but with a long standing friend of mind got me through it, so I say fuck all that noise that happened back then.

ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

♦ What was a mildly annoying thing that has happened to you rp wise?

Probably should have been filed under worse, but here we go. Got stalked on a blog and the person could NOT separate OOC FROM IC and red flags to show they thought said character wanted nothing to do with them. Had to block them and they kept sending anon related things to me. Eventually I just kinda abandoned the blog cause they would not leave me along with their weird obsession of my character.

On lighter note had someone that liked to just belittle Yuffie in IC and OOC because this girl definitely has no kind of skills, reedming personality and just knows stealing. So, DUH. That is her personality trait. Things I had to deal with in having this muse for about two decades is the unnecessary hate she's gotten over the years. Ya know, up until FF7 Remake makes everyone fine with her.

If you didn't love her at her worse you don't deserve her at her best.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧