#mine: it was the nicest thing. anyone's ever done for me

[danystargaryens]

Bridget & Andrew ♡ 1.03 Ringer (2011-2012)

[thatdelusionalnerd]

some of the best lines of npmd

not in any order, just the ones I remembered first

M’bahbeque

Everyone’s got their secrets, and this one’s mine - I love Jesus 🥺

My titties are tenderized 😡

She’s bisexual and she’s dead where else do you think she’d be

Did you just throw your hand between the hammer and the phone

You and Steph? It’s a fantasy. Just like a boy and his anime love pillows

Oh it’s all right Grace! -Don’t comfort her she’s fucking weird

NONO this is like the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me

Mom will you pass the butt stuff

No we’re gonna be cool beans let’s keep these beans cool 

I AM GOD GOOO NIGHTHAWKS

We understand you and we support you but you fucking reek man

I love being alive! (This isn’t my favorite because it’s so tragic but that’s why I put it here)

I WANT SOME HOT WATER AND MAKE IT STRONG 🤬

we don’t give a shit about your phone

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T USED TO KINDNESS *  assorted dialogue, adjust as necessary

what are you doing?

i can handle that myself, you know.

you didn't have to go out of your way to take care of me.

i'm not used to this. this caring thing.

thank you. don't ever do that again.

i thought you hated me, to be honest.

i didn't ask you to love me!

no one's ever actually just... sat down and listened to me.

i didn't think people like you existed.

is this normal for you? going out of your way like this?

i told you i had it handled. you didn't have to bother.

i... should probably thank you for that.

i don't know what to say. this has never happened before.

wait, that's mine. you fixed it?

you did all of this... for me?

that was the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me.

i'm kinda at a loss for words.

i wasn't expecting this from you.

you did all this for me?

i had it under control.

when did this happen?

how long were you planning this?

i'm not sure what to say. i'm not used to this.

i owe you one.

that was... very kind of you. thank you.

i'm just not used to people going out of their way to help me.

usually people just look the other way, but you actually care.

this is weird. is this what caring about someone feels like?

i could have handled it.

this must have taken you forever to arrange. and you did it all for me?

it would be easier in the long run if we went our separate ways.

i hate being in other peoples' debts.

i didn't want this to happen.

people around me don't last very long.

i feel like i'm screaming and screaming and no one hears me.

i'm in your debt.

how did you find that? i lost that ages ago.

you actually... listened to me?

no one's ever paid attention.

no one's ever put that much time in effort into something for me.

when did i say that?

i didn't ask you to care about me!

i'm easily missed. people don't pay attention to me.

i'm invisible most of the time.

it's easier for people to look the other way.

do you do this often? help people?

i'm surprised you're still here.

if you're expecting something in return, forget about it.

you came back?

why do you care about me so much?

i'm a lost cause. you should just forget about me.

what's the use? there's no point.

i don't even celebrate my birthday. no one cares.

you can't just make someone care about you.

i thought you left.

what is it about me that has you so worked up?

you're making a big deal out of nothing.

thanks for patching me up.

you... brought this here for me?

but i didn't ask for this! i didn't ask for any of this!

stop smiling at me like that.

[estrellami-1]

We’ll Help You

Started as Steve and Robin platonic soulmate fluff. Devolved into *vaguely waves hands* whatever the fuck this is. I considered writing more but realized it would very quickly become Just Words, instead of a story, and I want y’all to have this because personally I think Steve and Robin are Goals in this one. As it is, there will not be a part 2 to this one… at least, not one written by me! If y’all want to do something by with this, go right ahead; just tag me in it!

“Bye, Mom, Dad, I’m going to Steve’s!” Robin calls into the house.

“Have fun!” Her mother calls back.

“Use protection!” Her dad yells.

“Dick!” Her mother yells back.

“That’s what I’m saying!” He says.

Melissa sighs. “Richard,” she says, faux-sweetly, “Robin and Steve are not together. She’s told us this many times.”

“Yeah, and neither were we when you-”

“Richard!” Melissa takes a breath. “Bye, Robin. Have fun, okay?”

“Okay,” Robin says, and closes the door, getting into Steve’s car with wide eyes.

He chuckles at her expression. “You good?”

“My parents have scarred me.”

Steve makes a face. “What, did you walk in on them?”

“No, they were talking about when they had me! I don’t need to know this, Steven!” She hisses back.

Steve just snorts, shakes his head, and drives on.

Robin is suddenly hit with a familiar, unwelcome pain. “Fuck,” she hisses, bending over and clutching her stomach. “Steve? I need to turn around.”

“What? Why? What’s wrong?”

She wants to cry. “I, uh. Just started? And I didn’t bring anything with me.”

“Oh.” A pause, “What medicine do you usually take?”

She blinks. “Um. Advil?”

“Okay. Then I’ve got you covered.”

“No- Steve, it’s not just-”

“Robin,” he says calmly, “I’ve got you covered. I’ve got supplies at home.”

She blinks at him. “Since when?”

His cheeks pinken. “Since we became friends? I just… I dunno. I knew we were gonna be forever, y’know? And I want you to have access to anything you’ll need. So I got some stuff.”

“What the fuck,” she whispers, tears beading in her eyes. “What the fuck, Steve, I’m gonna cry, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

Steve shrugs. “I just want you to have what you need.”

She sniffles and leans her head against the window. “Fuck, I love you.”

Steve smiles, puts a hand on her arm, squeezes gently. “Love you too, Robin.”

They get back to his house and get settled in on the couch. “I’ve got a heating pad, if you want it,” Steve offers.

Robin blinks at him. “Marry me.”

Steve laughs. “I thought that’s exactly what we’re trying to convince your parents isn’t happening.”

“I don’t care,” she responds, groaning in relief when she positions the heating pad. She collapses back into the corner of the couch. “I want to have a dick.”

Steve laughs. “You can’t even look at a dick, Robin.”

“I could if it was mine,” she argues nonsensically.

“You don’t want a dick,” he assures her, then pauses. “If you were a guy, would you still like girls? Or would you still be gay?”

“I… don’t know,” she says, thinking. “I mean, there’s people who were born one gender and are the other now, right? And they still like the same gender. So I would too.”

“Okay, but are we talking you were born a guy? Or you’d turn into a guy? Cause if you were born a guy, that might change things.”

Robin groans in frustration. “I wouldn’t care, as long as Satan stopped throwing parties in my uterus every month.”

Steve snickers. “I can’t fix that, but I do have chocolate ice cream.”

“And again I say, marry me.”

He smiles at her, affection shining through. “We’d be the best platonic husband and wife ever.”

Robin smiles, best she can through the pain. “Only if I’m the husband.”

“Okay,” Steve shrugs. “I can be the wife.” He pauses for a second, then asks, “Is that… is that something you’d want? Being a guy?”

Robin hums. “No. Much as I hate certain things that come with being a woman, I definitely wouldn’t want to be a guy.” Steve hums, frowning, and Robin shifts on the couch. “Hold on,” she says, “I know that look. What’re you thinking?”

“Just…” he runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t get what the big deal is? I don’t have super strong feelings about being a guy. There’s nothing telling me, this is who you’re supposed to be.”

“Okay,” Robin says slowly, carefully, “and how about your feelings on being a girl?”

Steve shrugs. “Same. I don’t care either way.”

“Huh,” Robin says, and leans back. “That’s… I mean, that’s okay, obviously, but that’s not… what a guy would typically say.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Right, ‘cause you’re such an expert on guys.”

Robin groans and thinks her head on the cushion. “Okay, so call someone. Call Eddie, he’d know, right?”

“Oh yeah,” Steve says, and hops up from the couch. “Hey, while I’m over here, should I order a pizza?”

Robin snickers. “Call Eddie first. Maybe he’ll come over and it’ll be the three of us. Actually, don’t even tell him, just invite him over. I wanna see his face when you tell him.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Robs. Eddie, hey! Wanna come over? Pizza and ice cream with me and Robin?”

Robin hisses at him, so he says, “Sorry, ice cream’s been spoken for, actually. Wait, Robs, are you sure? The whole tub?”

“Do not test me, Steven,” comes her response.

“Yeah, okay. Yeah, if you want to get one for the two of us to share, that would be great. See you in twenty? Okay, cool. I’ll order the pizza. Bye!”

He orders the pizza without a hitch. He’s promised delivery within fifteen minutes and wanders back over to the couch, where he grins at Robin. “Wanna pick a movie before Eddie gets here and can veto it?”

Robin grins back. “You know I’m gonna pick something you hate.”

“I know.” His smile turns more genuine. “As long as you’re happy.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

He waves her off. “Course you do. You gonna pick?”

“I’m surprised you doubted me,” she says, and picks something he hadn’t realized he had.

The pizza arrives a short minute before Eddie does. They all eat before Robin makes Steve and Eddie sit so she can recap everything.

“Yeah,” Steve agrees, shrugging. “I just don’t care.”

“So our question is,” Robin says, “do you? Is there something in you that says you’re a guy, or would be wrong as a girl?”

“Definitely,” Eddie nods, studying Steve. “Y’know there’s people in between? Who aren’t really a guy or a girl?”

Steve’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Eddie nods. “They go by they or them, and a lot of times they’ll change their name to be something more in-between too, like Avery or Taylor.”

“Huh,” Steve says, tipping his head back to stare through the ceiling as he thinks. “So… so if I were to do that… and maybe go by Stevie-”

“Then we’d call you Stevie,” Eddie nods. “We’d say they’re so cool, they have a nailbat, I’m so glad I’m friends with them.”

“Oh,” Steve says. His voice is shaky.

“Stevie,” Robin murmurs. “You’re crying.”

“Oh,” he says again, wiping his face and giving a little laugh. “Sorry. I dunno why. I think… that makes sense.” They look at Eddie, then Robin, holds eye contact when they say, “That’s who I am.”

Robin’s tearing up, too. “Nice to meet you, Stevie,” she whispers.

They choke out a little laugh and move to sit next to her, pulling her into a hug. “Love you, Robbie.”

“You too,” she whispers. “Hey, can I still call you dingus?”

Stevie laughs. “Sure, Robs.”

“Cool.” She beams and pulls them into a tight hug. “‘M glad you figured this out.”

Stevie giggles. “Me too.” They turn to Eddie, “Thanks for helping me figure this out.”

Eddie smiles warmly at them. “Anytime,” he promises. “And hey, now that you know, there’s plenty you can do, if you want to.”

Stevie furrows their brows. “Like what?”

“Well, you could grow your hair out, or cut it. You could change your wardrobe. You could get makeup, if you wanted. Anything that’ll help you feel more like you.”

Stevie frowns. “I don’t know what feels like me.”

“That’s okay,” Eddie says, smiling first at them, then at Robin. “We’ll help you.”

Permanent Taglist: @justforthedead89 @ilovecupcakesandtea @madigoround @bookbinderbitch @suddenlyinlove @nburkhardt @artiststarme @paintsplatteredandimperfect @i-less-than-three-you @alyelf @quarble @messrs-weasley @littlewildflowerkitten @vankaar @starman-jpg @bornonthesavage @steddie-there @goodolefashionedloverboi @mischivarien @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @platinum-sunset @just-ladyme @steddiestains @swimmingbirdrunningrock @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @martinskis-lydias @notaqueenakhaleesi @sleepyboosstuff @bestwifehaver @m-owo-n @thatonebadideapanda @finalmoondragon @velocitytimes2 @callmeanythjing @ajeff855 @ilikeititspretty @knitsforthetrail @sillysparrow @that-one-corvid @ace-is-bored @inadequatecowboy @harpymoth @weirdandabsurd42

[xmads-omensx]

The Dice Collection

MASTERSLIST

Words Count: 2,008

Pairing: Noah Sebastian X Reader

Content Warnings: swearing, angst, mentions of sex, mentions of bullying, fluff, comfort

Summary: Y/N has a secret, that she has hid for many years, how will she react when Noah accidentally discovers it?

Here’s the thing, I was never exactly the most popular kid at school. Sure, I had plenty of friends and I wasn’t exactly bullied or found school to be particularly challenging. I was, however, one of the smarter kids. I liked the nerdier stuff like Star Wars, anime, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I always had my nose in a book… outside of school.

This aspect of my personality was always something that I hid away from my peers. I wasn’t ashamed of it by any means, but I had heard horrific stories about bullying from other kids who liked the same stuff. These tales haunted my Dungeons and Dragons party that I met up with once a week. The other members had all been treated horrifically by their peers at school, whilst I wasn’t.

The stories my friends told me encouraged me to hide these things that I enjoyed, at least until I had finished school.

To my credit, I never lied about it. I did in fact like wearing makeup and wearing the same kinds f clothes that the popular kids wore, so I felt less bad about it as I wasn’t completely following the crowd, despite that one part of my brain telling me the opposite.

However, when I did in fact finish school, I still hid this side of me away. Yes, I still played Dungeons and Dragons and splashed an obnoxious amount of money on anime t-shirts and posters, but I never told anyone about it. To this day I’m not exactly sure why I did this, but it felt like a safety blanket, separating myself from that awful possibility that I could still get bullied for it.

When I was nineteen, I dated this guy, Trevor, he was the nicest guy I had ever met. He treated me well, he took me out on dates and paid for my meals, he bought me nice jewellery and never had anything mean to say about me. Sure, I had been with other guys, but Trevor was different.

We had been together for about three months when our date took is to my apartment. We had slept together before so it wasn’t exactly weird for our dates to end up at his place, but never at my place.

However, we had been together for so long that I felt comfortable finally having him stay the night at mine.

And boy was I wrong.

He walked through my apartment and into my bedroom. He opened the door and stood in the doorway for a moment before doubling over in laughter. I laughed along with him hesitantly, not quite understanding what was funny.

“What are you fucking five or something?” He turned to me, still laughing.

“What?” I cautiously laughed back.

“The posters. Anime and all that cartoon shit is for losers, children and virgins.” He started, still laughing. “And last time I checked, you weren’t any of those.”

“Oh..” I trailed off, not liking the turn this was taking.

“Don’t tell me you seriously like this shit, Y/N?” Trevor asked. He had stopped laughing.

“Well, yeah I do like it.” I said in a small voice. When he didn’t say anything I continued, “Sure, it’s not the coolest thing in the world, but I like it. You don’t have to watch it or anything. I’m not going to make you watch anything you don’t want to.”

“Damn straight I’m not watching that shit. Look, Y/N, I really thought this was going well but I’m not sure I can keep this up with you.” He added, no hint of a smile or laughter on his face anymore.

“What?” I asked in a small voice.

“Think about it, I can’t tell any of my friends about the shit you like because it will make me look like a fucking loser. What happens when we move in together? And you put this shit on our walls?” He gestured at the Castlevania poster that hung over my bed. “Everyone is going to think that I’m a fucking freak, Y/N, and I don’t want that. I’m sorry but we’re done.”

And with that, my relationship with my ‘perfect’ boyfriend was over.

I had been on dates since then, but had never taken it further in fear of a similar thing happening again. That had, however, allowed me to focus on my degree and graduating from university.

Now, at 23, I had managed to get into another relationship. Noah was the perfect guy. He was kind, thoughtful, hilarious and freakishly talented. Much like Trevor, he took me on lovely dates, paid for all of my meals and even bought me a stuffed koala back from Australia when he and his band played some shows over there.

He always made me feel special. Like I was worth something. Like I meant something to him. I felt so much better being with him than I had with Trevor before the breakup. The two weren’t even comparable. But why was I still so hesitant to bring him over to my place?

One evening, Noah picked me up from my place and took me to the movie theatre to see the new Alien movie that had just come out.

“You excited?” He asked. It was our six month anniversary, so this date felt extra special to me.

“Yeah, I cant wait.” I beamed at him. He reached over the console and took my hand in his significantly larger one before starting the drive to the theatre.

Upon arriving there, Noah bought us a large popcorn and Diet Pepsi to share. He then led us to our seats that were directly in the middle of the theatre.

The movie started and it was incredible. About halfway through the movie, Noah wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him, placing a kiss on the top of my head. I could feel my cheeks heating up at his gesture. No matter what he did, he made my heart flutter.

The movie ended and Noah took my hand, leading me to his car. He opened the door for me then ran around the car to the driver’s side and drove me back to my apartment.

The drive was short and full off discussions about the movie and other horror movies we liked.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at my apartment. Noah started acting a bit fidgety before finally cracking as he pulled into a parking space.

“Babe I have to pee so bad can I please use your bathroom?” He asked with a slight urgency to his voice.

I panicked instantly. “Uhh.. Noah I don’t know.”

“Please baby. I’ll only be a second.” He pleaded, the urgency in his voice becoming clearer.

“Noah…” I trailed off. I had absolutely no idea how to get out of this situation.

“Seriously babe, if I don’t go now I might actually piss myself. I am begging you right now.” Noah pleaded, grabbing both my hands in his for emphasis.

“Okay fine, but you can only go in the bathroom.” I said.

“Aye aye captain. I love you so much thank you thank you thank you.” He rushed as he practically leaped out of the car. I couldn’t help but laugh at his actions.

I unlocked the door to my apartment after we exited the lift.

“Second door on the left.” I instructed Noah.

He kissed me on the cheek before sprinting to the bathroom, making me break out into laughter.

I opened the fridge and pulled out a Diet Coke while I waited for him to be done. The bathroom door opened and out strolled a visibly more relaxed Noah. He walked straight over to me and planted a kiss on the top of my head. “You are my saviour.” He mumbled into my hair before kissing my head again. I couldn’t help but laugh again.

Noah took a seat at one of the barstools that sat opposite me on the breakfast bar. “So… what’s the deal with that dice print in the bathroom? The one above the toilet?” He asked with a curious look on his face.

My heart dropped.

I knew exactly what he meant. Above the toilet in my bathroom hung a print of a D20 with watercolour splashed on it. I had completely forgotten all about that being there.

“It’s nothing.” I tried to cover up how my smile fell slightly.

“Your sure? It’s cool as shit.” He said, shrugging his shoulders.

My heart rate picked up.

“What? You like it?” I asked with an incredulous look on my face.

“Yeah, it’s really cool. It looks great with the wallpaper in there.” He complimented.

I felt my cheeks heat up.

“You’re being serious? Like you’re not pranking me?” I asked him, my brow furrowed.

“Why would I lie about that? That would be so fucking weird.” He laughed, a brief look of concern flashing over his features.

“No reason, people just don’t  usually like it that’s all.” I tried to cover up.

“Well they’re tasteless fools.” He said with a comically deadpan expression on his face. “It’s from a game right? Dungeons and something?” He asked.

Fuck.

“Yeah… Dungeons and Dragons.” I offered timidly.

“Do you play?” He asked.

I looked at my feet and didn’t reply. I knew what was coming.

“Babe?” He asked. “You okay?”

“It’s fine if it’s a dealbreaker I get it.” I said, defeated.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Noah asked, looking slightly offended.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to be with me because of it. I get it. It’s weird.” I said, my eyes beginning to tear up.

“Baby, what on earth are you talking about?” He repeated, softer this time.

I couldn’t prevent the tears that had begun to fall as I remembered what I went through with Trevor.

“It’s stupid.” I muttered, wiping my face hurriedly.

Before I could do anything else, two large arms wrapped around me as Noah pulled me into his chest. “Shhhh… it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re not?” I asked quietly.

“No of course not. I was gonna ask you how to play because Jolly was thinking about it to keep us occupied next tour in our free time. I was gonna see if you would teach us.” He comforted with a slight laugh.

“Really!” My head shot up.

“Yeah.” He laughed.

“Okay.” I laughed and grabbed his arm, dragging him towards my bedroom.

“Woah there, take me out to dinner first.” Noah joked.

I shot him a glare as I opened the door, revealing the anime posters plastered over my walls. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Noah inspecting the posters and the self-consciousness began to sneak back in.

“No way! You like anime too!” He said with a massive grin taking over his face.

I didn’t really know what to say so I just nodded my head and smiled.

“You just get better and better.” He smiled and took my face in his hands, squishing my cheeks together and kissing my forehead.

I reached up onto my shelf and pulled down the large glass jar that I kept my dice in.

“Woah.” Noah gasped quietly. “How many are in there?”

“About 250? I mean that’s what it was last count, which was about a month ago but, I’ve bought more since then.” I timidly explained.

“Damn.” Noah muttered. “That’s sick as fuck.”

“Really?” I asked, somewhat shocked at his reaction.

“Fuck yeah!” He laughed. “I was starting to get worried I was the only nerd in this relationship.”

“You too huh?” I replied.

“Babe I sat for eight hours and got Itatchi tattooed on my thigh… of course.” He rolled his eyes jokingly at my apparent stupid question.

We both sat and laughed at our ridiculousness as I began to sort my dice with the help of Noah. He was the first person who had ever accepted this part of me. And suddenly, I wasn’t afraid of it anymore.

[tsukkismoonlight]

When It Comes To You || J.K × Reader

Summary: You've somehow gotten stuck with the most obnoxious (Minus boy genius Armin Arlert) group ever for a college class project. Eren Jeager, and Jean Kirstein. The latter of which seems to find a way to weasel his way into your life, making your plans for a quiet college experience fall away.

Author's Note: okay, like a year and some odd change in months later i'm finally posting this fic!! Honestly life kinda got in the way but we all know how it is. Anywayyyys, I hope yall enjoy! This is my first longer fic, so let me know what you guys think! Also super big shoutout to my buddies on discord for beta reading the first portion of this! <3 wk: 16.7k

Warnings: unedited, probably ooc characteristics who knows

"Would you two knock it off?" were your first words since the two bone-headed, annoying, loud-mouthed boys had started arguing. 

Here you were, in an empty classroom, supposed to be working on a group project for at least an hour or two, and the /only/ thing that your group had done was bicker back and forth. 

The first of the two boneheads, Eren Jeager, had spent the whole time insisting on his ideas, and his ideas alone, while the other, Jean Kirstein, had only been arguing that the former's ideas were stupid and that 'if anything, Eren should shut his trap and just do the grunt work.'

The blonde, Armin Arlert, was clearly just as done with them, but took a more quiet approach to trying to stop them. Any time he could interject, he tried to reason with the two, but of course neither would listen. 

So, when you stood up, slamming your palms onto the table and shouting at them, all three of them quickly grew quiet. "We only have so much time to work on this project, and I am /not/ going to fail this project because you two idiots can't let go of your egos for more than two seconds!" 

"Well, maybe if this asshole would-" Eren started, mostly keeping his voice at a low grumble, sounding like a scolded child.

Jean, cutting Eren's words short while crossing his arms across his chest, "Oh yeah, /I'm/ the asshole here…"

But with another of your glares sent to both of them, the two stopped once more.

"Maybe we should split up the work?" Armin was already writing out two plans, where you could make out his name and Eren, meaning that you were stuck with Jean. 

Not that you wanted to be with either of them. You'd rather take Armin and just leave the other two to fail. But, as this was a group project, Professor Hange had made it clear that points were to be docked for any group that did not complete the assignment together.  

You plopped back into your seat, sighing heavily. "Okay, we will work in two groups. Looks like Eren, you're going with Armin, and Jean, you're with me." You paused as Armin slid over the paper he had drafted up. 

Glancing over it, you could see that he had given you and Jean a good amount of work, yet he had still given himself more. Part of you wanted to point it out, maybe even offer to take some of the load, but the other part of you knew that Armin would refuse and somehow make it sound like the nicest thing he'd ever do.

"Okay, so, from there, once all the research is done, Armin and I will meet up in person to work on the presentation bits, which means that Eren and Jean, you will only need to put your findings in a document for us. That should be easy enough." 

When no one objected, you started to pack up your things.You waited for Jean to take a picture of the draft before tucking it away in a folder carefully. 

Around you, the others started to do the same. With a small breath of relief, you finished packing up and slung your bag over your shoulders, looking to each of your groupmates slowly. "If anyone has questions,” you announced, “please text me. I gave Armin my number already, but if you need mine, ask now."

Eren slid his phone across the table to you, a sour look on his face, as he was clearly upset with the whole situation, and the fact that he had been yelled at over it. You ignored his attitude and typed in your number before returning the phone to him.

Next was Jean, who looked at you for a few moments, then handed his phone over to you, where you repeated the process of saving your number for him. 

With that done you set off to your dorm.You didn't live alone, but it was bound to be a wonderful change in pace (and in volume levels). When you arrived, you slipped your shoes off and headed for your room, pausing for a second as you saw one of your roommate and probably your closest friend Sasha Braus. Currently she was sitting on the floor of her room, clutching a bowl of soup…or what was probably a bowl of soup, as it was empty now. 

"Oh, hey! You're back already?" she asked, turning to you with a spoon dangling from her mouth. It caused a slight slur in her words, so it came out more like, "Ohhh, heyyy, yer bick alreaty?"

With a sigh, you walked into her room, dropping your bag by the door before flopping onto her bed (which was incredibly comfortable). "Yeah, I called it quits early because I got paired with Armin, Jean, and Eren, and Armin is fine and all, but your stupid friend and Eren can't go more than five seconds without fighting." 

You could hear a soft clink as Sasha put her spoon down. "Well, it always works for me to hit them." 

"I can't hit my group mates…even if I want to," you grumbled, rolling over onto your side so you could see her.

"I can hit them for you then, just tell me when and where." She flexed her arms, raising her eyebrows up and down at you as she did so. 

This caused a breathy laugh to come from you. You could feel yourself starting to relax. Your two roommates were probably the only reason that you had stayed sane so far. 

Sasha was always good at getting you to smile, at times she wouldn't stop until you showed some sign of positivity. And of course you were more than grateful for it. 

When you had first moved to the dorms, you had kept to yourself, unsure if you really liked her at all. But with time, you warmed up to her easily. 

There had been a handful of nights where she would invite you to stay up and just talk, or watch some movie. And, at times, she would share food with you, which you learned wasn't always her favorite thing to do. 

"Hey, one of these days we need to catch up on Food wars." 

You looked back to her, nodding along, "Oh for sure! Maybe sometime this next week I can stay up with you and we can watch it. Maybe buy some junk food too." 

At the prospect of snacks, she perked up even more. "Can we get-"

"Yes, we can get the baked potato flavored chips." 

"You didn't even let me finish!" Sasha pouted a little, though still unable to hide her excitement at the confirmation of her favorite snack.

You reached down and flicked her forehead lightly, "Well I already knew what you were going to say. It wasn't hard to figure out."

"Hey! I could have asked for something different! Like, salt and vinegar ones!" 

"You don't even like those, and neither do I. We wouldn't ever buy any." 

The two of you talked for another five or so minutes until she had to leave, shouting something about Connie Springer owing her dinner. You took the time to go back into your own room which you actually shared with a third roommate ( neither of you wanted to share a room with Sasha because of her snoring). However, he wasn't home yet, which meant that he'd probably be back late.

You pulled your laptop out of your bag and plugged it in; then you went to grab your notebooks, some pens and pencils, and finally your copy of the book for your project. It was best to get a headstart on the project, as it was worth most of your grade. 

Professor Hange had assigned the class to read and analyze an old book written by a nameless author. The idea and plot was interesting to a point. It was a war between mere humans, and a race of humans that could take control of what they called titans. The main two parties at war were named Marley and Eldia, both of which claimed that the other was in the wrong, and had vowed to take revenge, wanting to eradicate the other's existence. Towards the end, there was something of a compromise, and Marley seemed to come out victorious. All in all, there was a lot more to it, and the details were typically gorey and morally wrong. The ending wasn't ever written, leaving all readers to question what they knew and what they may not have been told. 

This is where your project came in: you were to try and look into the book, outside sources, even artwork, whatever the class could get their hands on, and work on an analysis. Hange hadn't given many guidelines; they wanted to leave it open and see what the class would come up with. Your group hadn't made a decision yet, but so far, Eren was dead set on writing an analysis on who he thought was right and freedom and some other crap, while Jean only had talked about how Eren was wrong. 

Luckily enough, Armin had already written up a potential analysis summary, one that focused on how the two sides were similar and what they shared in common with the rest of humanity, and how trying to pick a side would only allow their bloody history to repeat again. His was rather long winded, but it allowed for you to pick and choose the best parts, and what you guys wouldn't really need. 

You spent some time searching the internet for more sources, coming across a few articles on what could be a deeper meaning to the story, and a few on what could have been the rest of the world's view on both Marley and Eldia. 

That was when you came across a page for the local museum; it seemed that there was going to be an exhibit about the book, featuring many different artists and even some written works. Taking a moment to write down the dates and price for tickets in your phone’s note app. You then sent a quick text to Armin about it, letting him know that if he wanted, you could go and check it out with Jean. 

Clicking your phone off, you gave a heavy sigh and stood up, pulling your arms above your head in a stretch before continuing to work on the project. You knew that you should probably eat something, and drink some water, as you hadn’t really been able to do so in the last few hours. But with the project being so important, you decided against getting back up. If you got up now, chances were that you’d end up wasting some time doing who knows what. You really needed to just focus on your work, food, water and relaxing could come later. This was typical for you, what was one more time anyways?

Quietly, your afternoon quickly turned to night, and you wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for both of your roommates crashing into your room. 

You turned around, eyeballing Sasha and your third roommate, Marco Bodt, unsure if you really wanted to ask questions. 

"She was drinking with Connie at his place," 

"Huh? Noo I waz'nt ! Conn and I were jus playin a game an' then…and then..mmkay maybe I was drinking, but!" Sasha rambles on for a minute, still leaning heavily on Marco, who just gave a half hearted and weary smile. 

You shook your head, and stood up, making your way over to Sasha taking her off Marco's hands "Was Connie like this too?" you asked.

"Yeah, he and Jean both…" Marco sighed, following you as you took Sasha to her room. While you carefully put her in her bed,  Marco pulled her shoes off for her. 

At his words, you paused for just a moment then you continued to fish Sasha's phone from her pocket, placing it on the charger for her. 

"Of course, Jean was drinking, too." you remarked. You tried your best to ignore the irritation rising in you. It wasn't like you guys had to get the whole project done right away, or that Jean couldn't enjoy a drink with his friends. But, it wouldn't surprise you if only Armin and yourself had been the only two to even start.

As the two of you left Sasha to sleep, Marco motioned to the kitchen, saying, "Hungry?" You gave a small nod in response.

Once in the small kitchen area, you hopped onto the counter while your roommate got to work on making something simple. From the looks of it, he was just making mac and cheese, but you couldn't really care less. You hadn't noticed it earlier, but you were actually starving. 

A quiet buzz from your pocket pulled your attention from Marco cooking, and you pulled your phone out, seeing a few messages from an unsaved number. 

"Heyy, it's me"

"Jean"

"just figured i'd text you since we have be partners"

"Not complaining cause i dont wanna be stuck with eren" 

You shook your head at your phone, typing a quick reply back, “Wow really? I couldn’t tell.”

Another buzz, another incoming message, “I really hate that guy. He’s stuck up, and always thinks he’s right”

“You know, I feel like there’s someone else like that too.” You sucked in a deep breath, already feeling a tinge of annoyance creeping its way into your body. Sure, Jean was bound to be the better of the two, but that didn’t mean that you wanted him texting you about his testosterone fueled hatred for Eren.

A few moments pass before he texts you again, the words a little hard to make out at first, “you better not be implying that im like him”

“I would never do that. You are an okay person in my eyes”

“Just okay? I’m fuckin’ great!”

“Yeahh, sure. I agree with you, 100%”

You could almost feel his skeptical gaze through your phone as he sent yet another message, “I dont know if I believe that.”

“I dont care if you believe it or not tbh”

“I cant tell if you like me or not”

At this, you paused. You didn’t really know the guy outside of what you were told by Marco and Sasha. And he definitely did not know you. If he did, he wouldn’t be bothering you right now. But as much as that all was true, you also didn’t want to outright say that you didn’t like him, at least not over text while he was suspiciously hitting you up out of the blue.

“im not sure if like is the right word. Right now I tolerate you.” 

“Thats a good thing right?”

You didn’t answer, figuring that he would eventually get the hint. But, within minutes, he was texting you yet again. You watched as more messages popped up one by one, all of which just as hard to read as the others. Though you eventually figured them out. He was promising to do his share of the project, as well as promising to keep on schedule with it. The last thing he sent was asking to meet up tomorrow, and figure out what you wanted him to do, and something about how he couldn't really understand the guideline sheet. 

You sent a quick reply, just a place and a time, before returning your phone to your pocket, and just in time, Marco had a bowl of delicious mac and cheese for you. 

"Thanks man, you're the best." 

"Hey, you cooked last night," he said, shrugging, "and somehow it was pretty impressive, given the fact that we're all super broke and have next to nothing in our cupboards," 

You let out a small laugh at that. "I am a person of many talents."

"Do tell your secrets, as I am eager to know," Marco says in-between bites, playing into the bit.

"Oh, I couldn't, because then you would have to learn my /tragic/ backstory of how I had to fend for myself as a child." You dramatically sigh, placing a hand to your forehead, and then paused, peeking out at Marco before saying, "That part is actually true. At my house, we often had 'Fend for Yourself Nights' where you kinda just threw stuff together it could be leftovers, cereal or, like, dry ramen." 

Marco chuckles, pointing his fork at you and saying "So that must be the secret then!" 

The kitchen rendezvous went on for a while longer before you both headed off to bed, agreeing that Sasha can do the dishes when she wakes up. 

The next day, you had managed to drag yourself out of bed and find your way to the coffee shop where you were supposed to be meeting up with Jean. 

Key word is 'supposed' to be, since it had been 30 minutes since you had gotten there. Hopefully, you didn't look like some poor soul that had gotten stood up on a date and more like someone enjoying their Saturday morning. 

Another ten minutes passed, and no word from Jean, you had finished your coffee, and had already finished working on pulling out key information from a few of the web sources that you found the night before. 

You glanced at the time again and cursed under your breath. You had better things to be doing. So, you quickly pack up your things and toss out the trash before leaving.  

Just as you returned to the little table to grab your bag, the bell at the door chimed, drawing your attention.  

There stood Jean Kirstein himself, out of breath, hair hastily brushed out of his face, and clothes a whole mess…you were pretty sure he had worn them yesterday too. 

However, his sudden entrance had also gathered stares from everyone in the shop;most people looked on with a frown, questioning why he had just thrown open the door like that, just to stand there looking like a lost puppy. 

You groaned, marching towards him and then grabbing his wrist and dragging him out of the way. 

"Seriously? You show up almost an hour late, and make a big scene?!" you say, continuing to pull him down the sidewalk.

"I know, I know!" He took in a sharp breath, stumbling as he went. 

"I mean seriously?! What's your deal?" 

"I didn't mean to be late! And can you stop shouting? My head is killing me…" 

You came to an abrupt stop and turned around to face him. "It doesn't matter if you didn't mean to be late, you were still late! I mean, come on, I sat there and looked completely stupid while I waited!" 

At your words, he tugged his arm free from your grasp, and hesitated for a moment before, saying, "Okay, I'm sorry. I should have been here on time." 

"Or at least texted me to tell me!" You sighed, bringing a hand up to your temple. "Whatever, let's just find somewhere else to sit and I can show you what your part of the project is." 

With those words, the two of you walked in silence until you were back at campus, arriving at one of the rooms designated for studying. It didn't take long to run through Jean's responsibilities, and for you both to settle into a somewhat uncomfortable quiet and begin to work. 

Currently, you were taking the information gathered earlier and writing them into evidence for your thesis while Jean was searching for art pieces to analyze. 

Every fifteen to twenty minutes or so, you'd check in with eachother and help if needed-and Jean needed more help than you did, really. 

And maybe if he hadn’t spammed you with drunk texts the night before, and then came late to your meeting, it wouldnt have bothered you as much. So when he did ask for your help, you were being short and to the point. Luckily for you, helping him was easy. It consisted of choosing between artwork, and identifying key themes or details that stood out, and then giving him ways to write it down so that it made sense with the overall idea behind your project. Now and then, you'd have him read over what you wrote, just to see what all he thought and if he had any suggestions.

Finally, after a few hours, Jean leaned back in his chair and sighed loudly. "Okay, I think we've got a lot done. Why don't we break for the day?" he suggested.

At his words, you hesitated. While a break did sound nice, you'd much rather keep working. If you got ahead, there'd be time for breaks later, or time for helping Armin and the others. 

"You go on ahead, I'm going to stay a little longer. Thanks for showing up today." You gave a small smile before looking back down to your laptop, trying to spot where you left off. 

For a moment or so, Jean packed up his things, not necessarily quietly, but enough for it not to bother you. Though, after he finished doing so, he didn't leave. Instead, he stood /annoyingly/ close to you, seemingly trying to burn holes into the back of your head. 

"Is there something you need or…?" 

"You're seriously going to stay and work more?" 

"...Yeah?" 

Jean let out a small series of 'tsk' noises and began to close your notebooks and the few textbooks you had brought. You stuttered out half of a sentence, none of it making any sense, as you watched him stack up your things, his finishing move to carefully close your laptop without even shutting it off. 

"What are you…Why…I mean-what?" 

"I think you work too hard." he remarked, grinning. Normally that would sound snarky coming from him, this time he sounded gentle, and nothing in his face seemed to show any ill will. "I mean, I've never seen you do anything fun. All you do is push yourself to do work." 

You were at a loss for words, face heating up with embarrassment. Just because he had never seen you do fun things didn't mean that you were some sort of shut in who only ever focused on homework and studying. 

Jean waited for you to pack your things, all of which you did while in a small haze, trying to comprehend it all. When you were done, he motioned for you to follow him, not saying a word of what he had planned. 

The two of you walked outside, Jean slightly ahead of you as he continued to lead the way. Occasionally, someone would stop Jean, asking him about a party or a class. He seemed to have a lot of friends, or rather just a lot of acquaintances.

Eventually, you both came to a little grassy field, one where students often came to waste time, or play games like spikeball, or frisbee. Currently, it wasn't very busy, and the two of you found a spot to sit and relax under a warm spring sky.

For the first five minutes, you sat in silence, an almost comfortable one. You found yourself mumbling about how this wasn't so bad, noticing from the corner of your eye as Jean turned to look at you. 

"Would I ever lead you astray?" Jean elbowed you carefully, earning a scowl from you. 

"Given that we don't really know each other, I'm not sure," you retorted. 

"I know that we've had at least three classes together since freshman year, and that you don't seem to like anyone," he pointed out. 

"Not true,” you said. “Sasha and Marco are very nice people who I like a lot," 

At this he barked out a laugh, a wonderful sound really, compared to his typical evil sounding snicker. "Okay, so you appreciate the presence of three specific people." 

"Three? I only named two people," you said, holding up two fingers to signify your only two friends. 

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but right now you don't seem to hate me, so I counted myself."

You gave another scowl."If we were able to pick our own groups, I would have picked other people, just for the record" 

"Ouch, that kind of stings." 

You couldn't tell if he was serious or not, but one thing you did know was that he probably wouldn't have picked you either.  Not that it really bothered you. While it was true that you've shared classes in the two years that you've been in college, the two of you never really talked. 

Sure, you've had the quick conversations in the hall, or maybe accidentally bumped into each other when trying to take Sasha home, or even just when Jean would hang out with Marco at your dorm. 

It wasn't that you didn't like him (aside from his huge ego and inability to get along with certain people) or even that you didn't like people in general. You honestly just wanted to focus on school, so that you would graduate on time, and get the hell out of this town. Personal relationships could come later, and you were completely content with that. Being alone wasn't something that bothered you. Or, something that you /let/ bother you. 

You leaned back until you were laying down in the grass, staring up at the cloudy sky. The more you thought about it, the more your head seemed to churn with an anxious and maybe even guilty conscience. 

"By the way, I'd say that, even though we didn't get to pick our own groups, I don't mind being paired with you." You sighed, keeping your eyes trained on the sky as Jean laid down next to you. 

From there, the conversation switched to a few different topics, one of them being a small argument over the particular shape of a cloud and what you thought it was. 

Eventually, the clouds dissipated, and the sky faded from its blue to a dusty orange lined with a pale pink-ish-purple. 

"I guess it's time to go home for the night," Jean said. 

"Mhm, guess so," you quietly said, but made no effort to sit up yet. 

Next to you, Jean stood, brushing off his clothes and running a hand through his hair, attempting to make sure there wasn't any grass on his person. Then, when it was apparent that you still hadn't even moved, he nudged you with his shoe. "You coming or what?" 

"I’m waiting," 

"For what?" 

"The first star I see" 

Jean slowly looked away from you and to the sky, "Can I ask why?" 

"No." 

It wasn't really a big deal, but this was your favorite time of the day, and you had the habit of looking for the first star you could find and making a small wish on it. It had been something you'd done ever since you were a kid; old habits die hard. But it wasn't something you just went and told people about, especially not someone like Jean. You were sure that he'd poke fun at you for it. 

His voice pulled you away from your thoughts, and you watched as he pointed just above your heads. "I think there's one over there." 

From your perspective, he was lined up to where the star was atop his finger.The sight made you smile softly; you didn’t notice that he had glanced back down, watching the small moment. 

"Okay, now we can go." You sat up slowly and climbed to your feet, grabbing your bag from where it had been by your feet. 

The two of you parted ways for the night, and you found yourself back at your dorm, which was uncharacteristically empty and quiet. Either Sasha would come home drunk again (or with her hands full of food that she got from Connie or that Niccolo guy) or that she would stay out for the night. Marco on the other hand, was probably visiting some other friends for the short weekend, so most likely, you had the place to yourself until the following evening. 

With the freedom at hand, you took some time to make dinner and lounged around the shared living space, until eventually, your eyelids grew heavy, and you forced yourself into your bed for the night.

The sound of knocking at your door woke you up. At first, you had half a mind to ignore it, but with your roommates, and the friends they had, the knocking wouldn't stop.  You glanced at the clock, seeing that it was around noon, a time that you hardly ever slept in till.

"Yeah, okay, I'm up. Who is it?" you grumbled at the door, noting that if it was Marco, he wouldn't necessarily need to knock, meaning that it must be Sasha. 

And it was. At your words, she swung the door open lazily, and leaned around the corner, "Heyyy, I was wondering if you had plans today? Connie, Jean, and I were going to play some volleyball! Wanna come? Marco is gonna join us later!" 

You took a moment to think it over. It was Sunday, so you didn't have classes, and depending on how long you were out, you could always do more homework later. Not to mention, Jean's comment about how you worked too much was still fresh in your mind. 

"...Yeah, okay, I'll come play. Give me a few minutes and I'll get dressed." 

She gave you a huge grin, shouting over her shoulder, "They said they'd come! You guys still have the net?" 

You watched as she disappeared back into the main area of the dorm, and then shut your door to change. When you exited, you could see the three of them waiting by the door, Jean holding the net, while Connie was tossing the ball between his hands. 

The walk was fairly short, as Jean had suggested the field that the two of you had been at the other day, and just like the day before, there weren't very many people out. You guys could set up a spot without having to worry about anyone else. 

At least, that's how it was at first. The game went smoothly. Surprisingly, all three of them were pretty good at the sport; though, if you had to rank them, it would be Sasha, then Jean (mostly because he can use his height to his advantage), and then Connie. 

For the first game you played, it was you and Sasha versus Jean and Connie. Then, it switched to you and Connie, and finally, you and Jean. 

No one was really counting points; no one could keep track, though each side was sure that they were winning, even if they weren't. It was about halfway through the current match, right as you were about to serve, when something came crashing into your head. 

It had hit you pretty hard, and it took you a moment to even realize what had happened and what was currently happening. 

"Hey, man, watch where you throw this thing! You nearly took my partner out!" Jean was holding a football and pointing it aggressively at another college student, who you think was named Floch or something close to it. 

The guy snatched the ball from Jean, giving him the dirtiest look. "Well, maybe you guys shouldn't be playing so close to where we are." 

At this, Connie and Sasha stepped up. Connie took to Jean's side, starting to bicker with the guy, while Sasha checked your head, fussing over you. 

"Just say sorry to our friend already. You can at least agree that you hit them!" You weren't sure who said that, as all the voices blended together until that moment. Suddenly all eyes were on you. 

More specifically, Floch's eyes. He regarded you warily, annoyance clear in his eyes and voice. "Your dumbass friend looks fine to me,” he sneered. “And besides, we tried to warn them, and they didn't move. It's their own fault. Don't go blaming me for your friend being an idiot." 

You weren't sure what came over you; maybe it was anger from the childish name calling, or maybe it was the stress of the week getting to you, but within an instant, you had crossed the few feet to get to him, and threw a punch. 

You watched as he stumbled back, nearly running into one of his nameless friends, as he clutched at his face. He was clearly seeing red.

"How dare you!" he shouted out. He started to make his way over to you, obscenities of all sorts falling from his mouth.

None of which you really heard, because at that exact moment, Sasha and Connie both shouted the same thing, 'Run,' and took off. 

And, before you knew it, Jean grabbed your hand, pulling you along as he chased after the two, until you four were sure that Floch and his extras weren't going to follow you. 

When you finally stopped, everyone was bent over, stuck in between laughing and gasping for air. 

"Holy shit! That was insane!" Sasha wheezed out, and straightened out, turning to the group with a large smile on her face.

Connie spoke next, hands still on his knees. "I can't believe we ran away." 

All at once, realization hit you: you had just clocked a guy, and then ran away, without even thinking twice. Never in your life had you done something like that. You weren't super confrontational, and you certainly would rather avoid physical altercations. But, at that moment, you had just done it. And, the crazy thing about it was how amusing you found it. Because even though you were struggling to breathe, you were laughing. The kind of laugh where you couldn't stop, and your eyes would start to tear up. 

From where he was standing at your side, Jean watched for a moment, a certain fluttering in his chest (though he could pass it off as his own endeavors with taking in air). You, for the first time that he had seen, were so laid back about the fact that you had hit someone. And the way that you were now chuckling to yourself, clearly in a sort of disbelief mixed with content. 

Jean drew your attention, "Is it bad that I kind of liked seeing you hit him?" Then he paused, as if he had rethought his choice of words. "I mean, in the sense that Floch is a stuck up, entitled bastard, and that he had it coming." 

You gave a little huff, and shrugged. "Well, I'm sure anyone would pay to see that…I honestly didn't know that I was going to hit him…until right after." 

"Well, that was amazing! That guy's been a tyrant since the beginning of the year! He even tries to get in with Eren's group, as if he was even worth being someone to talk to." Connie clapped a hand on your back, his adrenaline still running through him. 

"And I thought that Jean was the one to start fights," Sasha teased.

"Sasha! I don't start fights!" 

Around you, the three continued to talk while you watched, enjoying the sight.  

It was rather nice, for once. You weren't holed up in your dorm room while everyone else had fun, even if the fun was getting into a fight of sorts—which, as you thought back on it, the whole thing was kind of funny. It would have easily been solved if those assholes had just apologized, but you were starting to think that this outcome was better. 

“Hey, should we go back for our things?” Jean asked, pulling your attention to him.

“Yeah, probably, and if those assholes are still there, I think we know someone who can take them on for us.” Connie sent a lopsided grin your way, a certain mischievous look in his eyes.

You shrugged, acting as innocent as possible. “Oh yeah, you’d be the perfect guy for that, even with the serious height disadvantage.” 

Connie’s mouth dropped open, not quite expecting that kind of remark from you. As far as he knew, you were silent, hardworking, and the person who likes to keep to yourself. Even you were a little surprised, but, maybe after today’s events you could try out some new ways to enjoy your life a little more.

Once again, the four of you made your way back to the field, and as you did, you could see a familiar figure standing by your net, looking down at his phone. 

“Marco! You made it!” Connie shouted out, drawing your friend’s attention. “You missed all the action; it was insane!”

“Huh? Did I miss out on playing? And where were you guys?” 

As you approached, Sasha and Connie exploded into answers for his question. 

“You only missed a little of our game-”

“We had to run from Forrester and his braindead lackeys!”

“We’ve got our own Rocky! You should have seen the way they punched him! No hesitation at all!”

Slowly, Marco seemed to piece all of the information together, nodding as he thought it all over. His eyes looked at everyone one by one until he got to you. “You punched someone? The most I've ever seen from you was the time you swore at your computer when it crashed!”

A small and almost shy smile escaped you, “Well, to be fair he started it. I honestly didn’t even think about doing it; my hand moved on it’s own,”

He only shook his head, looking back around the group. “So, are we still playing?”

Jean shook his head. “Maybe we should head back to one of the dorms? Relax or play some games?”

“Oh! I’ve got some fun games!” Sasha chimed in, then paused. “But I’m kind of hungry, so maybe we could make some food, too!”

Once everyone agreed to the plan, the now five of you ended up in the dorm you shared with Marco and Sasha, where Connie, Sasha and Marco focused on setting up some games in the little living room area, and you and Jean were tasked with making some dinner. Of course, it wasn’t exactly easy, given the few options, but eventually, the two of you were able to settle on a college delicacy: instant ramen. 

You pulled out a pot to fill with water, while Jean opened a few packs of said ramen. All in all, it was easy to make, and didn’t take terribly long. Before you knew it, you were handing out bowls to the other three while Jean brought over yours and his to where you were now sitting on the floor, some game cards in front of you. 

“Okay, listen up, I’m not explaining this twice,” Connie announced. “The game is simple: read a card to yourself and then say someones name who you think matches the card. You flip a coin. If it’s heads, you tell everyone what was on the card and give that person the card. If it’s tails, you keep it to yourself, and the card is yours.” Connie gave everyone a pointed look, and when no questions or objections were raised, the game started.

The first to go is Marco; he took a moment to read his card before immediately calling out Connie’s name. Then when the coin was flipped, it landed on heads, earning a small sigh from Marco. 

“It asked who would be the one to need parental supervision no matter what age someone is,” Marco explained.

“What? Why not Sasha?! She gets into more trouble than I do!” 

“Hah! Say that to Professor Levi and all the times he has had to tell you to shut up,” Jean remarked “And not to mention you black out at every party you go to. Do you know how many times I have to carry you home while you sing at the top of your lungs?”

Connie grumbled a bit, but didn’t try to deny the claims. Instead, he pulled out a card to read. His turn ended with a flip of tails, making it now your turn. 

From the main deck, you pulled your card and read it over silently: ‘Out of everyone in the group, who would you rather make out with?’

You can feel your face heat up, already knowing that you only really have two options, Jean or Marco. And Marco is only really a choice because of how well you know him, but even then, you wouldn’t really want to do that with him. So after a few moments of silence, you call Jean’s name, looking anywhere but at his face. 

“That took you some time; must be a good card.” Sasha grinned, reaching for the coin and giving it an impressive flip. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as it landed, and all at once, five heads stuck together to see the outcome.

Heads. The worst possible way for things to go. You could feel all eyes on you now, and you begrudgingly read out the card, once again avoiding looking at Jean entirely. 

A chorus of ooo’s and ahh’s filled your ears, and everyone had something to say about your answer. 

The only one you even managed to hear was the man himself: “I hope you plan to take me out first, I’m not won over so easily." Of course, he had a cocky smirk on his face, pointed directly at you. 

“Whatever, just…whoever is next, take your turn.” You shook your head, busying yourself with eating some of your food that was now starting to get a little cold. 

Time seemed to escape you all and the night drew to a close with Connie and Jean taking their leave. Marco took the time to wash the dishes, roping Sasha into helping, and you retired to your room. You took the time to change into some comfier clothes and settle into your bed, though not quite wanting to sleep just yet. 

Your mind was still stuck on the first game you played and the card you had picked Jean for. While you wouldn’t argue against the idea of finding Jean attractive, or even the idea of kissing him, you just weren’t sure why you were so trapped in thinking about it. You didn’t even know him all that well, and for the most part, you had thought that he was pretty unbearable. 

And yet, the more your thoughts seemed to revolve around him, the more you could feel an uneasy knot forming in your stomach. There was no way that you were going to let yourself get wrapped up in developing feelings for him, or anyone. You were supposed to be focusing on school so that you could get the hell out of this town and make something of yourself.

Not to mention the fact that all of your previous attempts at relationships crashed and burned. The last time that you had gotten close with someone in that way, you ended up with a mixture of being heartbroken and incredibly angry. That was about the time you started keeping to yourself, as if getting to know someone in a more than platonic way would cause your world to shatter again. You couldn’t-no /wouldn’t/ deal with something like that again. 

You let out a groan, planting face first into your pillow and trying to shoo away all thoughts related to romance and feelings, and of Jean Kirstein. 

“Suffocating yourself?” 

You jumped lightly, head snapping up to see Marco in the doorway, leaning against the door frame. His expression was a little hard to read, though he could be like that at times. 

“Uh…no, not quite what I’m going for, but if it gets the job done, then sure,” you joked.

He moved across the room to his own bed where he took a seat, facing you. “Then what’s with the face-in-pillow tactic?”

You hesitated, knowing full and well how close Marco was with Jean, closer than he was with you. “Oh, uh, just, school things, homework, assignments, that sort of thing…”

His eyes narrowed slightly, brows furrowing. “Yeah, for once I don’t buy that, but if you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you to spill the details."

Again, you paused, turning away from Marco and looking towards the door. In truth, it wouldn’t hurt to tell him, since he wouldn’t ever tell a secret that wasn’t his. He was definitely the guy who would just want to talk things out, not wanting things to end badly. 

“Okay…Well…that card I got earlier,” you began. “I’m just worried, and I know that it’s just a stupid game, but I cant help but think about it.”

“Worried that Jean took it the wrong way, or worried that you’d actually want to kiss him?”

Marco was somehow always hitting the nail on the head, a talent of his. 

“Would saying both make sense?”

He thought for a moment, the room filling with an unnamable silence, until he spoke again. “Well, I’m sure Jean is going to take it in the way he always does: an ego boost for his way too big head.” Another pause. “As for the idea of maybe wanting to kiss him, I wouldn’t say that's an all too terrible idea, besides the fact that it’s Jean. But, if you really aren't sure about how you feel towards him, maybe you could…test it out?"

“Test it out?” you repeated, confused.

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “Like ask him to hang out or something. You don’t have to necessarily make it like a date, but you could use the time to get to know him more, and figure out if it’s just because everyone made a big deal out of it, or if you might actually be interested in him, or getting to know him.”

You thought for a moment. The idea was pretty simple, and a good one at that, though just thinking about it made your heart rate speed up. It wasn’t like you had never been one on one with Jean, but now, with all of your thoughts being scrambled like eggs, it was slightly overwhelming. But when it came down to it, you wanted to sort it all out. If you could set your mind straight, and get rid of these terrible thoughts about Jean, you could get back on track for school.

“You’re right, I’ll definitely try that.” You let out a small breath of air and turned back to Marco. “Thanks, I’m glad you’re here.”

“What would you do without me? And don’t worry— I won’t say anything to anyone. my lips are sealed” He smiled, hand coming up to his mouth to mime a zipper motion.

“Okay, good. Unless you want to end up like the douche from earlier, I wouldn’t recommend telling a soul.” 

He gave a laugh before gathering some of his things to go and take a shower, leaving you alone once more. You eventually drifted off to sleep, and surprisingly, you didn’t wake up once.

The next day, you only had one class, and once that was over, you had gone to the library to study, needing to get work done for a few of your other classes. It was a nice change in pace from the day you had yesterday. It wasn’t super crowded, either, which meant you could focus on your work in peace. 

Though, it didn’t last long, as two new faces joined your table. You looked up, almost expecting to see Jean and Connie, or Marco and Sasha, but to your surprise, it was Eren and Armin. 

“I hope you don’t mind us joining you!” Armin smiles, though something in his eyes tells you that he didn’t pick your table without a reason. 

“Uh, no that’s okay.” 

He and Eren settled into two of the chairs, the latter of the two only pulling out his phone. Armin did the exact opposite. He took out two textbooks, a large notebook, and a handful of pens, pencils and markers. 

For the first five minutes or so, the three of you sat in silence. You worked on homework for a communications class, while armin was seemingly working on a paper for a psyche class. But when Eren suddenly scoffed at his phone, you stopped what you were doing to look up at him, questioning his action. 

He in turn looked at you, maybe even through you. “So, turns out, someone gave Forrester a nasty bruise yesterday. He wont say who, so i’m thinking he got his ass kicked and just doesn’t want to admit it.” 

You feigned ignorance, giving Eren a blank stare, “I’m not really sure who that is, but sounds like a tough time for him.”

Eren regarded you for a moment, but it wasn’t his stare that bothered you. You now had Armin’s attention, as if he wanted to ask a question. Or, make a comment on what you said. But instead he said, “Well, I’m not the one to really get into these things, but Floch does like to cause problems for himself, so maybe he deserved it?” 

You nodded along, not wanting to give Eren any more information. With him, rumors tended to get out of hand quickly, and you really did not want to be the talk of the school over an altercation with Floch. To everyone in the school, you were pretty much some nobody, and frankly, you weren’t upset at the idea. If it meant less trouble for you, it was going to be something you’d stay okay with.

“Well he’s been bitching about it all day. It’s starting to get on my nerves.” Eren flipped his phone over, leaning back in his chair as he did. 

“Does he expect you to do something about it?” You asked, still trying to keep a low profile, while also trying to pry more information out of him.

“I’m sure thats what he wants, but I’m not going to help him with that, Floch can fight his own battles.”

A thick silence descended over your table. You took it as a sign that you could continue working on your homework. The one for your comms class wasn’t due until tomorrow, but you really wanted to finish it. 

This had always really been how you did things. You tried to finish things early, study as soon as possible, take as much time to get your work done as possible. And you weren’t the only one. Armin had also gone back to his work, and though you weren’t sure when it was due for him, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it was due at the end of the week or so.

You weren’t all that close with Armin, but the two of you had taken the time to study with eachother for the one class that you did share, and you had even reached out once to ask if he would tutor you for a few sessions, needing help with your math at the time. It was a nice thought to know that you weren’t the only student to stray from the eyes of their peers.

Though he had a harder time with it, being best friends with Eren and all. Not to mention he was also friends with Mikasa Ackerman, who was arguably the girl who drew most people’s attention. 

Before you knew it, two hours had passed, and you felt your phone buzz. You picked it up from the table, squinting your eyes at the bright screen. It was Jean.

“Hey, why are you with Armin, and that idiot.”

At this, you paused, looking around the library, not seeing Jean. 

“Where are you?” you replied.

After a minute or two, your phone buzzed again.

“Come and find me.” 

And that was it. He didn’t send any other messages, even after you sent him two more, questioning him again. You frowned, then looked to your things. You had been working for awhile, so getting up and moving might not be the worst thing. You proceeded to pack everything that you had pulled out earlier, and stood from your chair, looking to the other two.

“I think I’m going to head out. Let’s meet up again later in the week to work on Professor Hange’s assignment.”

Armin glanced up, and smiled, “Okay! How about Thursday? I can show you what all I’ve finished!”

“Sounds good.” You gave a short wave, and turned away from the table, scanning the surrounding areas before setting off in a random direction. 

There were a few more tables behind some of the bookshelves, but none of the students sitting at them were Jean. You checked out the library’s computer section next, and kept looking until you ended up near Armin and Eren again. Another frown crossed your face, until you heard a muffled laugh. 

With the new hint, you looked upwards to the second floor. And there he was, leaning against the railing, smirking down at you. You felt your face heat up in what you were going to call embarrassment, and definitely not any other word that had to do with your complicated thoughts on him, and how from where you stood, he looked almost handsome. 

You sent a halfhearted glare his way and headed up the stairs, making your way over to him, about to comment on his antics, but you weren’t able to get a word out before he could make fun of you. 

“You looked really dumb running around trying to find me.”

You gave an astonished laugh, “Yeah, well you sounded like a complete stalker just now.”

“And you still came to find me. I’m starting to think you like me more than you let on.” 

The unsettling feeling returned to your stomach at his words, though you weren’t surprised that he was poking fun at you after yesterdays game. “In your dreams.” You crossed your arms over your chest, trying to ease the increasing amount of uneasiness that was slowly taking ahold of you. 

“Hm, I guess that’s true. Does that mean you want me to dream about it?” He looked at you contently, despite all of what he said being the brashest thing you had heard from him yet.

You didn’t say anything to that, instead you changed the subject quickly. “To answer your question about who I was with, I actually didn’t plan on sitting with them. Armin and Eren joined me.”

He gave a slow nod, and peered back at the table down below, where the two were still sitting, “Do you think I could spit on Eren from here?”

“No, and I dont think you should even try.” 

“Buzzkill.”

You scoffed, “I am not a buzzkill. You are just in the middle of some pointless battle of being better than each other.”

Jean looked back to you, staring at you for a moment. Then back down at Eren. “I just don’t get what everyone sees in that guy. He’s clearly an egotistical bastard with no regards to anyone else.”

“Do you think that you guys have anything in common in the fact that you both have ridiculously large egos?”

“Don’t lump me in with him.” This he said more seriously, “Anyways, enough about him, do you want to go do something?”

“Like what?”

He shrugged, and started for the stairs. You followed him wordlessly, and the two of you left the library, now back outside where a light breeze met you. The silence continued to hang over you two as you walked aimlessly in a random direction. You couldn’t tell if he was still thinking about your comment on him and Eren, or something else completely. You decided against asking him about it, and instead found a different topic. 

“Hey so, I found this art exhibit at the museum, it’s about the book Hange assigned us. I was thinking that we could go and check it out and see if we can find anything useful?”

He thought for a moment, eyes wandering the path ahead. “Okay, it doesn’t sound like the worst way to spend an afternoon.”

“Would eleven in the morning on Friday or Saturday be okay?”

“Friday works better for me, I think I’ve got plans with Connie on Satuday.” 

“Okay, Friday it is.” You paused, a smile slowly making it’s way onto your face, “Just make sure to be on time. I wont wait for you this time.”

“Hey! I already apologized for that.” He stopped in place, giving you a pointed look.

You stopped a few feet in front of him, shrugging as you continued to speak, “I need to cover all the bases. I am not going to wait around for you, just for you to tell me that you were hungover.”

“I am not going to be hungover again. I’m not going to make you wait, I swear.”

“You better not, I won’t be as forgiving this time.” You go to move past him, elbowing him as you do. 

He turns on his heel to catch up with you, giving you a slight push at the same time, “You were hardly forgiving last time. You were mad the entire time we were working on the assignment,” Jean pauses, taking a moment to look at the path that you had set off on, “Wait, where are we even going?”

You glanced over to him, then back infront of you. “Well, I’ve done nothing but school work today, and you didn’t mention anything specific other than ‘go do something’ and last time you picked where we went, so now its my turn.”

“Are you going to tell me where we are heading at least?”

“No.” You smiled a little at the statement, remembering how you had done the same thing to him when he had asked about you caring so much about seeing the stars. Looking back over to Jean, who was staring straight ahead, you took a moment to really look at him.

He was pretty tall, and when he wasn’t smiling like some sort of evil bastard, he had a pretty nasty resting bitch face, a combination that probably scared anyone who didn’t know him. Though, you could say that despite all that, he had a few attractive features to him. When he was smiling, actually smiling that is, his eyes lit up. You hadn’t noticed it much before, but now when you thought back on the past few days of being around him, you could see the way his eyes would hold a certain softness.  And when he was thinking, he tended to frown, scrunching up his nose until he came to whatever conclusion he needed. And when the two of you were in the field the other evening, he had an almost blissful aura to him, as if he had no cares in the world, you wouldn't ever guess that he was someone who caused so much trouble. Honestly it was probably a good thing that he had a difficult personality. If his ego was bad now, you don't want to know what he'd be like if he knew all of this about himself.

You looked away before he could catch you staring, and before you gave yourself any more time to think about him, not wanting to let yourself actually fall for the guy. 

Instead you focused on finding your way to today's randomized destination. If you were being honest, you hadn't actually thought of somewhere to go, and frankly, with how little you actually went out, you didn't know too many spots around campus. Regardless, you continued to lead the way, until an idea formed in your head. 

Earlier in the year, you had gotten a tad bit lost while trying to find a class, and ended up on the edge of your campus, where you stumbled on an old tree. Aside from the size of the thing, it seemed completely normal. But when you had looked further at it, there was something of a hidey hole in its backside. Since discovering it, you had made countless trips to the tree, using it as a place to get away from the school. You definitely weren't the first person to discover it, but it seemed like no one else ever really visited the old thing. 

As you and Jean came upon the tree, he gave a low whistle, craning his head back to take in it's height, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you just took me to a make out spot," 

You threw a bewildered look at him, before shaking your head slowly, "Well, since you do know better, you should know that it's more likely that I've brought you to the best place on campus to hide a body."

He in turn shook his own head, "And here I thought we we're getting closer," 

"Closer to hiding your body?"

"Not quite what I was thinking…" he trailed off, taking a moment to circle around the tree, his hand trailing along the bark as he went, "so, what made you pick here? Other than premeditated murder."

As he came back around, you watched as he took the time to drop his bag at the ground by his feet, kneeling down next to it for a moment, searching its contents. 

"Hm, I'm not entirely sure. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who ever comes here anymore." You pause, eyeballing what Jean was now holding in his hands, "It's kind of like a secret hideout minus the secret part, since anyone can stumble on this old tree." 

"And yet you brought me here…I'm starting to worry about my wellbeing," he chuckles, then takes a seat a few feet away from the tree. 

In his hands, he held a sketchbook. It looked a good few years old, as loose pages stuck out here and there, and the sheets were starting to yellow along the edges. You watched on quietly, as he flipped open to one of the last few pages, pausing as he glanced back at the tree. 

After a few moments you moved to stand just behind him, looking down at the page, which now held some sketch lines, resembling the tree just ahead of you.

You kept quiet for a bit, watching him quietly. He was lighthanded, it was as if any stray line within the whole piece would fly off the page and into the world around you. 

"You know you can sit and watch me draw too, right?"

"Yeah, and sit next to you? No thanks." You moved away from him, a slight flustered tone in your voice as you realized just how long you had been observing him. 

Instead, you took a seat at the base of the tree, opening your own bag, pulling out some more of your homework. Between the two of you, the only noises were the sounds of pencil on paper, and the occasional shifting of branches in the wind. 

You weren't really sure just how long things stayed that way. The only thing that brought your mind back to reality was the feeling of being stared at. 

"Need something?" You asked, arching a quizzical eyebrow in Jean's direction.

He shook his head, closing his sketchbook quietly, "Not at all. I was just wondering how much homework you were going to do before you got bored of being such a studious person." 

You scoffed at him. He was teasing you for this again? 

"Well, unlike some people, I need to pass all my classes so I can get the hell out of here." 

"You hate it here that much?" 

You paused, a lump forming in your throat. How were you even supposed to answer that question? All in all, this small town was horrible, and had been that way your entire life. Growing up you didn't have very many friends, and your family was fairly distant to you. You had shouldered all of your problems and responsibilities by yourself. Even now, in your college years it was hard to shake the feeling that you were still alone. 

You drew in a breath. "Sometimes, I sit by myself at my desk, and just stare at one of my notebooks until all the lines blur together. And then I realize that I'm crying. But what's funny about that is, I never know why I'm crying. " you start, bringing your eyes to his, "I never have the words to describe what i'm feeling in those moments. It's the same with how I feel about this place. I really don't know if I hate it, or if I'm just…projecting something else onto it." 

Jean stills with the information, until he takes a long breath in, "Art isn't much of a passion for me, as much as it is a hobby. I can't tell you how many half finished sketches I have. Sometimes I feel like I just don't have it in me to finish them, as if I'm scared of not knowing what I'm going to do next." 

He isn't talking about art. You know this from the way that Jean looks at you, not with pity, but with a hint of understanding. 

It was silent once again. Your brain turned over and over as you repeated his words in your head. Slowly, a wistful smile spread across your face. 

"You know Jean, you're not so bad after all." 

He stands up, shaking his head as he does, and makes his way over to you, holding out a hand for you to take, "I have my moments, I can't always be the charming asshole everyone says I am."

You hesitated for a moment, eyes flicking to his hand. Slender fingers and a wide palm, his hand looked soft, and the thought of holding it, even just for a moment, would be comforting. You took his hand, averting your gaze as he helped you to your feet. 

"I'm sure everyone leaves out the 'charming' part."

"That's where you're wrong, everyone thinks I'm charming."

"Everyone but me that is," you chirp back, letting your hands fall to your sides.

"You dont think I'm charming?" 

The churning sensation is back. You /wanted/ to say no, to tell him that he was annoying, loud-mouthed, and a pain in the ass, but somewhere in the time you'd known him, he had become annoyingly endearing, loudly funny, and a pain in the ass to ignore the thumping in your chest. 

"I can't say charming is the word I'd use to describe you. Horribly pleasant maybe, but not charming."

At this he smirks, starting to walk backwards away from you, "Oh so you think I'm pleasant? Hopefully in the way that I'm nice to look at." 

"You missed the word horrible," 

He waved off your comment, instead placing one hand on his chest, right over his heart, while reaching out the other hand towards you, "and yet, if I asked you to join me to a delicious five star dinner at my dorm, you'd still say yes." 

You could feel your face flush, knowing that he didn't mean anything more than just to hang out for a little bit longer, and not in some sort of lame date way, "I'd only come because it would be free food, even if the food is terrible. Like you." 

"So, that's a yes you'll be joining me for dinner? I've got…box mashed potatoes, frozen broccoli, and hopefully leftover seasoned chicken." 

You turned back to where you had left your things, a slightly messy sight. "Alright alright, I'll come, pick up your things and we can go." 

You knelt down next to your bag, trying to ignore the nervous shaking of your hands as you collected your things. Your mind raced with warring thoughts. How did this happen? How was it that Jean Kirstein of all people, had weaseled his way into being someone that you didn't fully hate? But, there was no way you were going to let him get in the way of school, and your plans to finally be free from this horrible town. But then part of you wondered, was it all one sided? Jean seemed to be the type to have all sorts of girls and guys fawning over him, even if he had only ever been open about one specific girl that he was interested in, which of course had been Mikasa. But you couldn't even blame him, she was out of everyone's league. How she seemed to be completely and obviously in love with Eren Jeager of all people was a mystery to you. 

"Hey, are you listening?" His voice stopped your thoughts in their tracks, as you hadn't even noticed that he had been speaking to you. 

"Now why would I be doing that?" You shouldered your bag, standing back up and facing him.

"We've been over this, because I'm charming- sorry, pleasant." 

"Again, you left out the horrible part." 

"I've got a feeling that you don't mean that, otherwise you'd just call me horrible." He turns halfway away from you, looking back to the general area of the school. 

You paused, walking up next to him, trying to ignore the fact that he was right, "You just have selective hearing." 

Jean eyed you while starting to head back to the dorms, a different and softer smile making its way onto his face, "Not when it comes to you." 

You nearly tripped over a stray rock, his words repeating in cycles in your head. You could only give him a glance, busying yourself with avoiding any other stones on the sidewalk. 

What did he mean by that? What did you want those words to mean? Your mind flashes back to your conversation with Marco. The feeling of your heart painfully pounding against your ribs surfaces. Your hands tremble ever so slightly while they grasp at the straps of your bag. Marco was right, and he hadn’t even said anything about you actually having feelings for Jean. 

As the thought hit, you spared another quick look towards him. He was looking at you. Careful eyes studying your demeanor. The way you walked. The way your eyes struggled to meet his. The way your mouth formed a tight line as you realized all of this was happening.

“Hey, if you really don’t want to try my cooking, you don’t have to come.” He let out a breath, running a hand through his hair for a moment. 

You looked away. You could turn him down, you could go home. It would be the easy way out. You could ignore any of his future attempts at hanging out. You could finish school and leave this place. Leave him and everyone else again. 

The thought of it made you shudder. In doing so, you would be condemning yourself to your worst self. Being alone. 

You looked back to Jean, his face morphed into one of concern, clearly puzzled as to why you were taking so long to answer. 

You were tired of being alone. Tired of pushing away your own happiness in pursuit of a future that wasn’t even set in stone. 

You flashed a smile his way, and waved off his words, “No way, you said it was a five star dinner. I can’t pass on that.”

He stared at you for a moment. Then, his confusion melted away, replaced by that famous cocky smile, “Okay good, I wasn’t sure what to do if you bailed on me.”

“Maybe you could have cooked for Connie too, light some candles, play some mood music, you know, make it all romantic for the two of you.” You chuckled, about to make another remark when Jean gave you a playful shove. 

“Why would you say that! I can’t have a romantic dinner with Connie of all people!” 

“Sure you can! It’s easy! Candles, music, food! All you need!” 

Jean groaned and shook his head. “You’re horrible.”

“Pleasant, actually.” You grinned. 

He hummed in response, and you could’ve swore you heard him mumble ‘horribly pleasant my ass’

His dorm room was warm, and set up similarly to yours. The same bland, small kitchen and the same questionable excuse for a couch just a few feet away. Three sets of doors that led to his roommates, and two bathrooms. 

One of the doors were open, and you caught a glimpse of Connie attempting to take mirror selfies. He would take one, bring the phone close to his face, frown and then try again. It wasn’t until his third or forth picture that he noticed you staring through the mirror. 

“Well if it isn’t our very own Rocky!” He grinned, hastily shoving his phone into the pocket of his sweats. 

“Hey Connie” you waved, then smirked a little, “I'm sure the ladies will love all of those selfies.” 

His face flushed slightly, and he stepped out of his small room, “For your information, the ladies already love seeing my handsome face. I was just taking a few more for-”

Jean cut him off, a bark of a laugh filling the room, “Like you can get a girl to think your ugly mug is anything worth looking at.” 

Connie gaped, “Dude, that’s just cold. I thought you liked my face.” 

You eyeballed the two, before turning to Jean and mouthing the words, ‘romantic dinner’ 

Jean glared halfheartedly, before a smile broke through, “and here I thought I was treating you to a five star, romantic dinner.” 

Connie was now the one looking between the two of you, unsure if Jean was being serious or not. You, on the other hand, could feel your face heat up. He had to be joking. Jean was making a joke based off of your joke. That was the only thing that would make sense at the moment. 

“Only if it involves candles and music.” You attempt to force your voice into sounding level, as if you weren’t sickeningly thrilled by the idea of your dinner with Jean being a little more than friendly. 

His head swivels around the room, scanning the small area before emitting a sigh of halfhearted defeat, “Might need a raincheck on that, I don't have any candles.” Jean pauses, thinking for a moment, “Unless you had your heart set on the romantic dinner with candles and music, maybe I can make something work.” He smirked in your direction, true to his usual cheeky self. 

You faced away from him, moving to set your backpack down on the floor by the door, “No candles, no deal.” You pause, practically feeling Connie’s wide eyed stare pointed at your back. 

“That’s not a no to having a more than friendly dinner, now is it?” Jean fires back, smiling in a not so innocent way. Your stomach twisted in knots. He wasn’t wrong. You had intentionally avoided his question, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of yet another person falling for his aggravating charm. 

You shrug a response, giving back another flippant response, “Sure, if it helps you sleep at night to think of it that way.” 

After a moment of silence, Connie’s voice fills the room. “Yeah so, I don’t really know whats going on here, but i’m gonna head out. Sasha is waiting for me with Marco.” He slides on a pair of shoes, grabs a bag and promptly leaves, but not before saying a goodbye, “See ya later Rocky, and Jean, I hope you choke on your food.”

To which, all Jean says is, “Yeah, whatever man.”

You watch him leave quietly, then turn back to face Jean, studying him for a moment. He hasn’t noticed your stares yet,  not when he’s busying himself with pulling out what he needed for this dinner supposedly high rated by Michelin themselves. 

Throughout the past year or so, you had noticed that when Jean was concentrating, he tended to screw up his face a little, eyebrows scrunched in, mouth quirked off to the side, usually whatever was in his hands was being toyed with. But right now, he was different. A content soft smile, and the look in his eyes was gentle. Fond. Domestic. 

“Do you need help with anything?” You asked, feeling the need to do something other than just stand around. 

Jean looked back up at you, bag of frozen broccoli in his hands. “Do you want to make the instant potatoes or the broccoli?” 

You walked to him, and grabbed the bag from him, “Where do you keep your pots and pans?”

“Planning on making this a fancy dinner?” He paused, taking a moment to grab out a small pot for you, and then a lid. “Are you steaming them?”

You set the bag down, then eyed the pot and lid, “Would you happen to have one of those steaming baskets? Or do I need to get creative?”

Jean smiled sheepishly, “I’ve got Connie for a roommate. If I was Niccolo I would definitely have one of those, therefore, you’ll have to get creative. But you’re pretty smart, so I believe in you.”

You nodded slowly. That made sense. Jean and Connie were in the same boat as Sasha, Marco and yourself. If you had done more planning for dinner you probably could have worked something else with Niccolo to borrow his cooking supplies. Though you were sure that the guy would say no, as he was pretty particular about his things. Oh well. You’d have to figure something else. 

The rest of the preparations went fine, and before you knew it, the two of you were sitting at a dingy table that each dorm room had, making small talk over left over chicken and mid-tier potatoes and broccoli. 

“Okay, so I’ll  bite. What’s your deal?” Jean asked suddenly, then his eyes went a little wide as he realized the wording of his question, “I mean! Uh…Well-”

You cut him off, easily able to tell what he meant, “Do you mean why do I have no life and only study and do my work alone?”

He melted under your gaze, before nodding slowly, “I meant it a little nicer though.”

“Its okay, I got what you meant…I think.” You set your fork down, suddenly scrutinizing a small crack in your plate. 

Jean cleared his throat a bit before speaking again, “It’s just that…you spend so much time studying, and it definitely pays off. I’ve heard from Sasha that you have really good grades. But…”

“But?”

“They worry about you. Sasha and Marco that is…and well, I kind of do too. At least, more now that I know you a little better.”

You don’t respond. He’s going somewhere with this. You can tell by the cadence of his voice, how he seems to be picking his words carefully.

“I think that even just in the past few days, you’ve opened  up a lot…I finally got to see you smile.” He paused, “I remember one time last year, in one of our shared classes, I went to see the professor, but you were already there, pleading with him for some extra credit. And when you came out, you look like you had been crying. The next day, I went out of my way to tell you a joke, hoping that maybe you’d smile.”

“I remember that. I told you that I was busy with a make up assignment and ignored you.” You hummed a little, thinking back to Jean back then. His hair was shorter, and he was even more obnoxious that he had been this year. It was one of the few times you had actually spoke to him at the time.

“So…I guess I was just wondering where all this pressure on you comes from?” He fidgets with something in his hands. Like when he’s focusing on his work. You’ve seen it countless times in the past, you just never thought about it until now.

With a sigh, you resign yourself to telling him a little bit about yourself, “I’ve lived here my whole life. And my whole life, I’ve basically been alone. Friends were hard to come by, especially after I decided that all I wanted to do was leave. So, with no one to hold me back, as long as I finish college strong, I can leave and go anywhere I want. I have to do this. Staying here is out of the question…” You trailed off, thinking about how you had never truly said these words out loud. 

“But?” He spoke softly, as if he could tell that you had been battling with yourself on what you truly wanted. He stared at you, not through you as most other people did. Your heart sped up. What were you supposed to say now? You had only started to question your aspirations because of him. And you absolutely would not be sharing that thought now. 

“But nothing. I meant what I said. I’m getting out of this hell and I’m not looking back. Ever.”  you spat the words out, a sudden low and hollow feeling settling in your stomach. What were you doing? A small voice in the back of your head answered that question for you. The same one that you let control most of your college days. You were wasting time, you had assignments to do and a degree to work towards. 

You moved to stand suddenly. “I have to go…I forgot that I’m supposed to meet with Armin tomorrow. I should really make sure that I’m ready to show him my part..and yours too.” You grabbed your backpack, and escaping out into the hall. 

You stood there quietly, chest moving up and down as you took in harsh breaths,  not entirely sure why you did all of that. With a shake of your head you made the journey back to your own dorm, not bothering to take off your shoes at the door like you normally did, instead you merely trudged into your room, tossing your bag onto the ground by your desk, and finding a seat on the edge of your bed. 

“Are you okay?” Your freckled friend spoke up, nearly giving you a heart attack in the process. You hadn’t even noticed that he was home.

You didn’t answer. Instead, tears began to fill your eyes. He was by your side in an instant, arms wrapping around you carefully. Muffled sobs wracked your body. With each one Marco only hugged you a little tighter. He let you cry until you were done. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” The words fell from your lips, and you couldn’t stop what came after them, “This whole time i’ve had one goal; to graduate with soaring grades, and to leave. Make as few friends as possible so that way I wouldn’t get distracted…and so that leaving would be easier.” 

“What changed then?” Marco asked, his voice soft and careful. You got the feeling that he already knew the answer.

“Jean. Jean crashed into my life and ruined my plans. I haven’t even really known him that long and suddenly I’m throwing away school just to hang out with him. I haven’t been studying the same way I used to, instead I’m playing volleyball with him, and he’s holding my hand as we run away. I’m sitting with him by that old tree and thinking about him instead of the words on my papers. I’m cooking with him and thinking about how muchI want to do it all again.” Your words are quiet, but Marco hears them all the same.

“You do know that those don’t have to be bad things, right?” He lets you go, taking a moment to scoot away ever so slightly, making you look up at his face, where a small smile rests, “It’s been nice to see you let loose. And I know that you’ve been enjoying yourself.”

You attempt to frown, “Thats not true.” 

A beat passes and you speak again, “Okay. Maybe a little…but I-”

“No. No buts. You are the hardest working person I know. You are smart and you always apply yourself to your work. You are doing amazing. It’s time that you see that for yourself. You will finish school, and you will be able to go out into the world and do whatever you want to do, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait to have any of that fun. You deserve to enjoy your life, the one right now in the present that you are living, okay?”

His words played on repeat in your mind a few times, you tried to interalize them, make them into your own instead of letting that voice shoo them away. 

“Okay.” You nodded, then brought a hand up to your face, covering your mouth for a moment, “I left Jean.”

“What?”

“We were eating dinner and talking and then I got upset and I just…I just left. “

Marco pursed his lips, nodding slightly as he tried to imagine the scene. Jean sitting alone at his table, probably confused and wondering what he did wrong. “Well…theres only so much you can do about that, which I suggest texting him. Let him know that you’re alright, and just so that the poor guy doesn’t overthink, that he didn’t cause you to run off.”

You nodded, “Right. Okay. I can do that.”

It grew quiet between you and Marco, though it didn’t last very long. There was a light tone in his voice, one he used when he wanted to tease someone without making them aware of it, though you had learned to recognize it fairly well. 

“So, I’m assuming that you like Jean…at least a little bit.”

“Okay. Get off my bed. This moment is over.” You push him gently, facing away from Marco. 

“Are you going to tell him?”

“Oh would you look at the time? I should really head to bed, okay goodnight Marco, get off my bed.”

He laughed, and did as you said, letting you have the room so you could change, “goodnight lovebird.”

Ignoring him as best as you could, you changed quickly, and crawled right back into your bed, under the safety of your comforter.  Once there, you pulled out your phone, fingers trembling as you brought up the chat with Jean.

You stared at it for a moment. The last messages were from earlier this day. He hadn’t said anything since then. 

Slowly you typed out an apology. “Hey Jean, I’m really sorry for just bailing earlier. Super not cool of me.”

You groaned at the words, quickly backspacing and starting again. “Sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean to just leave you there. I promise things are fine. It wasn’t you, or the food for that matter.” 

You hit send, not giving yourself time to overthink the text any longer. 

Fairly quick after your message had been sent, Jean had already replied. “Its okay! You had me worried for a minute there. Thought maybe the food tasted so bad that you just had to leave to get an actual five star dinner.”

He was being courteous. Trying to keep the conversation light as to not scare you off again. 

Your fingers flew across the keyboard once more, “Let me make it up to you. Friday, 11am, at the museum.”

“You really don’t have to make anything up to me, I get it.”

“Jean. Just let me feel bad and try to make it up. Or else I will think about this all night.”

His next message wasn’t exactly what you thought he’d say…or actually, it was exactly what he would say, “Oh, so if I don’t let you have your way, you will be up all night…thinking about me?”

“No.” You hit send. Then sent another message, “Ykw nevermind. I’m not sorry. Be on time friday or else.”

He was quick to shoot back another response, “Okay fine. Make it up to me.”

Then another message, “How do you plan on doing that anyways?”

“You’ll see. Be patient.”

It wasn’t long after that did you eventually fall asleep. The next day was pretty uneventful. Your meeting with Armin was fine, as the guy already had about half of the presentation outline done, and with all of the information and other necessary work that you had gathered, Armin would most likely have the whole thing done by the time he went to bed that night. 

The rest of the day passed quickly, almost too quickly for your liking. Before you knew it, your alarm was going off, signalling that it was ten twenty-five in the morning. 

You had spent some time the day before thinking of how to make up for ditching Jean the other night, and finally settled on an idea. Said idea was currently sitting on your desk, inside a plastic bag. 

You gave it a quick look before climbing out of your bed, moving to your dresser to get ready for the day. 

You had just thrown on your shoes, sparing a glance at your phone to the time. It was eleven. You were going to be late. Of course after all that talk to Jean about being on time, you were going to be running behind this time. You could only imagine what he would have to say about it.

You hurriedly grabbed the bag from your desk, and shoved your phone into you pocket after sending yet another apology to Jean. 

The trip to the museum took about twenty minutes with public transport. It was eleven twenty-three and you had finally made it to the museum doors. 

Jean was standing just to the right of them, staring down at his phone, his back to you. You watched as he brought his phone to his ear, and smiled slightly as your phone buzzed in your pocket. 

You let it ring. Walking up and tapping his shoulder a few times. “Sorry I’m late.”

He spun around, eyes landing on your form. His mouth hung up for a moment before he hung up the phone call, “Is this to get back at me for the other day?”

“No…I just slept past my first alarm.”

“Oh so when you’re late its okay but when I’m late its the worst thing ever.”

You shrugged slightly, “I at least texted you in advance.” You paused, then remembered the bag you were holding, “Oh…um. I got you this. To make up for bailing.”

He eyed the bag suspiciously, “I thought I told you not to worry about it.”

“I worried about it. Now just say thanks and take the bag from me.” You rushed the words out, holding it out to him, “No refunds so you have to keep it.”

His fingers deftly took the plastic handles from you, and reached inside the bag. You watched quietly as he lifted the gift out, eyes softening as he realized what it was. 

“You bought me a new sketchbook?” He hummed a little, looking at the cover for a few moments, “This is a really nice brand too. I’ve always wanted to try it out.”

“Your other one looked a little full the other day…so I figured I could afford a nice one to say that I’m sorry. “

Jean let the sketchbook slide back into the bag, “Well…thank you. I really appreciate this.” He toed something on the ground, eyes unable to find yours. 

You instead took this moment to find the exhibit tickets on your phone, nudging him slightly, “Let’s get going, there’s a couple of pieces I think we should look at specifically.”

Once inside, you took a few moments to study the map of the place, trying to figure out which hall you needed to go to, before Jean took your hand in his, face a little flushed as he did so. 

“I come here pretty often, most of the new exhibits are near the back on the first floor.” He said, pulling you along with him. 

It wasn’t too crowded, and as most museums were, it was quiet. A nice solitude for those who liked to hide away from the world, and find new ones in the art and historical pieces sheltered there.

When the both of you made it to the exhibit, you found that you were the only ones there. Meaning that you could stare at the art as long as you needed. Which you did. Slowly you let Jean’s hand slip from yours.

You hadn’t thought about seeing the art in real life, and how much it would effect you. Entrap you in every single paint stroke, every single carving of marble. It was beautiful. Clearly the story that was assigned to you had meant a lot the various artists. 

You found Jean staring at a drawing. It was mostly in charcoal, though some color had been added here and there, giving the piece whimsical dimension. It looked to be a tree. A large, barren tree in a valley of never ending sand. From the branches, blue and green spilled out across the paper, spanning what would be the sky. 

“You like this one?” You asked with a hush, not wanting to startle him. 

He nodded, “It’s simple, but I just know that the artist put a lot of work into it. Every line is purposeful. And we will never truly know what it means.” He responded, eyes traveling down to the plaque, where it read the piece’s title, “Paths.” With an unnamed author. 

You let him look at the drawing for as long as he needed. You wandered to a sculpture on display a few steps to the right. It seemed to be one of the titans depicted in the story. Creme colored marble in the form of a woman, skeletal mouth open in what the book claimed to be a war cry. There were ribs formed around her abdomen. Her hand outstretched towards the open air. From this perspective, despite the lack of facial features, the statue almost looked sad. A women with an extraordinary ability, forced to use it for harm, all because she was in love with the wrong person. At least, that’s what you wanted to think.  You were sure that others in your class thought the opposite. Which of course was exactly what your analysis was going to focus on. 

You studied it for a few more moments, before looking away, finding Jean now standing across the room, in front of another painting. You moved to stand next to him, looking at what held his attention.

It was of a starry night sky, bathed in dark blues and purples. Underneath, was a lone pig in a field, head faced towards the grass. 

“This is what started the book, right?” You asked, watching as he nodded once.

“But that’s not what i’m thinking about.”

“Then what’s going on in your mind?”

Jean looked back to you, smiling sideways, “Why did you wait the other night, at the field? I figured that you were waiting for a star, but why?”

You brought your eyes back to the painting, looking from the dark green grass, to the pig that was grazing on it peacefully, then to a star painted to be the brightest one there. 

“When I was younger, I used to stand outside, or at my window, and just wait. As soon as I saw the first star of the night, I made a wish on it.” You paused, thinking back on your childhood, “I used to wish for a friend, or someone more than that. I was pretty lonely as a kid. Eventually I started wishing for a future other than that…and then, I stopped wishing. I still would wait for the star, but I made sure that I wasn’t relying on a ball of gas in the sky to make my wishes come true.”

“I’d say that they came true then.” Jean turned his body to face yours, looking down towards you, some thought dancing in his eyes.

You mimicked his motion, allowing yourself to face him fully, “And what makes you say that?”

“You’ve made two whole friends.” 

“I’ve made three.” You corrected him softly, thinking back to your first conversation about it with him, “Sasha and Marco are very nice people who I like a lot.” You state matter of factly.

He chuckles, shaking his head. “And the third? Don’t tell me it’s Floch…or even worse, Eren.”

“Mmm close. It’s you.” 

He places a hand to his heart, dramatic words escaping him, “How long have I waited for you to realize that you and I are friends.”

“You’re still horribly pleasant.” You remark, shaking your head, “Maybe I should take it back about being friends.”

“Too late, you already said it. No refunds.” He drew closer to you, enough to where you could feel his warmth. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Isn’t that technically already a question?” You pause, then nod to him, “But, yeah, go for it.”

“When you graduate, and leave this town. Will you forget about your friends?”

You hesitate. You knew that he wasn’t really asking about Marco or Sasha. You can feel your stomach flip over a few times, that annoying feeling of nervousness that came whenever you thought about Jean.

“No. I wont. How could I?” Your words seem to have some sort of effect on Jean, as he dodesn’t speak. You continue, trying to pick your words carefully, “When it comes to you, specifically you…I would have one hell of a time forgetting you, Jean.”

“I am pretty cool…” He mumbles, then swallows his pride, “But, what if I don’t want you to remember me?” 

You tilt your head to the side, giving him a confused look, but still allowing him to continue.

“I just mean…what if I want to be remembered as not just a friend. As more than that?” 

He locks eyes with you, his face serious as he waits for you to say something, to say anything really. 

You swear that your heart stops beating altogether. It wasn’t one sided. You thought back to your conversation with Marco from two nights before. You deserved this. Deserved to enjoy yourself. To let yourself live a little. 

“I think i’d like that.” You smile warmly, “Because I like you Jean. I tried really hard not to, but I do. And maybe, just maybe I don’t want to look back on college and only remember you as a friend.” You pause, taking in a small breath and willed yourself to finish your thought, “Maybe, after I graduate, we both can look back on the time. Together.”

“So, you don’t want to skip town and never look back?” he asks

“Skip town? Still do, but I can’t afford to ignore my time here.” 

“What if I came with you when you leave.” it’s less of a question, and more of an idea.

“Let’s just get to graduation first, Jean.”

He lets out a breathy laugh, nodding as he does, “Got ahead of myself there. But I have one more question.”

You study him for a moment, just as you had been studying the rest of the art in the museum. “You know, you were only supposed to ask one question anyways.”

“Last one, I promise.” 

“Okay, okay, what is it?”

“Can I kiss you?”

You’re suddenly all too aware of the small gap in your bodies, and his baited breath, and the sensation in your stomach that feels less like churning water and more like butterflies floating around blooming flowers. You hardly hear yourself tell him yes. 

The stiffness leaves Jean’s body, and he brings his hand free from the plastic bag up to your face, cupping your cheek lightly. His hand is warm, but not as warm as your flushed face is. His thumb moves back and forth slightly as he pulls you to him. His lips are soft, and you can feel his lashes flutter against your cheek. You easily find it in you to move in sync with him, allowing yourself to lean into the kiss, a small smile finding its way onto your face. 

He lets you pull away first. And for a moment all the two of you can do is stand there. You’re sure that you could stand there all day with him. 

You let him speak first. 

“So, am I still horrible?”

“Horribly, yet pleasantly charming. Yes.”

[64yrsold]

paris :-)

“What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?” he smiles, bringing his bottle of wine to his lips.

“Hm,” I ponder, giggling and reaching for the bottle. He passes it to me, brushing his fingers against mine and leaning his head against my shoulder. “Wait, let me think.” I take a heavy sip, nose and fingertips buzzing.

“Should I say mine first?” He says impatiently, his fingers drumming against his leg. I shudder, sitting closer to him. I pull the collar of my coat up, tucking away from the night air.

“No, wait, I know!” I gasped, and he breathed a laugh at the way I slurred my words. “A long, long, time ago…”

“Oh, God.” He groaned, snatching the bottle from my grasp.

“Okay, okay, then you can’t hear it.” I shrug, reaching over him to search inside his coat pocket.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that!” He whines, exasperated. “I am listening. Wholeheartedly.” He raises his arms, frowning down at me. “What the fuck are you doing.”

My hand finally grasps his pack of cigarettes, and I triumphantly pull one from the package.

“No, no, darling, I can’t keep letting you smoke around me,” he protests, but I hold my prize out of his reach. “They’re awful for you!”

I keep quiet, bringing the cigarette between my lips and waiting for him to light it.

“God, I’m a horrible influence,” he grumbles, fishing out his lighter and cupping his hands around my mouth.

I didn’t enjoy smoking, but I did enjoy this; the sound of the lighter, the glow reflecting against his focused eyes, the squint, his bitten lower lip. Permission to stare at him. For a brief moment, he focuses on my breath, his hand against my lips, until the cigarette is lit and he pulls away. Then I’m left with blue smoke and sore lungs.

“Alright, the nicest thing someone has said to me…” I begin, exhaling smoke across his face. He raises an annoyed eyebrow, but I can’t help but notice the way his eyelids flutter. “It was back in high school. A big party, for my town.”

“So, about 10 people?” He smirks, grabbing the cigarette from my mouth. His eyes tell me that’s enough.

“Yeah, actually,” I nod, and he cackles with me. “But, we were all drunk, and some guy brought out his guitar.”

He gives me a look. I agree.

“Somehow… Okay, somehow I started playing it. I knew one song- and I’m not telling you which one- and I played it and sang my heart out.”

“You?” He questions, cigarette hanging from his lip, running a hand through his hair, “You were singing in front of people?” He puts the bottle in my hand, and I happily oblige.

“Yes, I certainly did.” I giggle, “It was very unlike me, though. I was horribly shy in high school, and these kids at the party, they were all the cool kids.” I take a breath. “Anyways. I finished my little song, passed the guitar to someone else, and went inside to take a piss. When I was done, I grabbed a drink from the kitchen, and one of the guys followed me in there.”

“Uh-oh,” he winces, flicking the cigarette onto the grass. His fingers pluck a hair from the bottom of my coat.

“No, no, he was nice,” I assure him, “This is the nicest-thing-part.”

“Oh, okay. Okay, listening.”

“So, he comes up to me.” I say, setting the bottle on the porch so I can tell the story with my hands. He’s watching me with stars in his eyes. “He says, ‘I loved your singing’.” I hold my mouth open, and he mirrors me. “He said, ‘If I had a voice like that, I would sing all the time.’”

I wait for his reaction, but he doesn’t give me the satisfaction.

“That’s it?”

“What do you mean, that’s it?” I shake my head, incredulous.

“Like, are you serious? That’s the nicest thing someone has ever said to you?” He says, scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah, I’m being serious!” I gasp, “What, have you got something better?”

“I mean, yeah.” He admits, grabbing a strand of my hair and twirling it between his fingers, “Obviously.”

“Well. I thought it was something special.” I sigh, resting my head in my hands.

“I could say a thousand things to you right now that are nicer than that.” He’s quiet, choosing his words carefully now. “Easily.”

“Hm.” I don’t say anything, hoping to encourage him into saying more.

“I could tell you that your voice is a sacred sound I’ve learned by heart.” He whispers, softly pressing his lips to the top of my head. We sway together slowly. “I could tell you I memorize each graze of your arm, each unintentional brush, each absent and featherlight touch.” He places his hands over my ears, muffling the silence around us. “I have so many things to tell you.”

[theratboyking]

Sunshine Of My Lifetime

Paring: Cardinal Copia/Reader (This is part of my series "Softly into the Night" and takes place after chapter 3, but this can be read as a stand-alone fic

Word Count: 953

Summary: Being pulled through the library was not what I thought my Friday afternoon would consist of when Copia asked if I wanted to help him file some papers. In fact, I’m not even entirely sure why we’re up here.

AO3 Link

(If you're interested, here's the link to the prologue of Softly Into The Night.)

Being pulled through the library was not what I thought my Friday afternoon would consist of when Copia asked if I wanted to help him file some papers. In fact, I’m not even entirely sure why we’re up here. His office is closer to the underbelly of the church, while the library is close to the chapel. It was a good 15-minute walk from here to his office.

But still, it was hard to stop him. Copia held my hand tightly, dragging me with him. I would have thought he was hiding something if I didn't know any better. It has been a little over a month since my stay here began, most of that time being spent around him and Terzo. There were just things I had started to pick up on. Ticks, if you will, for both of them.

Copia has not said a single word since we entered the library. He was always ready to talk my ear off about whatever it was he wanted. From whatever game he was currently playing, to his rats, to the latest thing Sister Imperator had him busy working on. There were very few moments where he and I weren’t talking, and even then, our silent moments were never like this.

I could practically feel the nerves coming off him in waves as he fidgeted with his free hand. I was half tempted to stop him and ask what was wrong, but he was on a mission. Suddenly his paces slowed–stopped in front of a set of stairs leading to the library's second floor. The sudden stop led me to run straight into his back.

I stumble back a few steps, “Copia?”

“Do you trust me cara?” His eyes fixed on mine. Searching for any sign of doubt

“Of course I do.” ‘With my life, if we’re being quite honest.’ The thought left just as quickly as it entered.

He steps behind me, covering my eyes, “Just followed the sound of my voice cara.”

“Don’t worry; we can go slow.” Ok, maybe he was doing it on purpose. I stiffen. His hot breath falls onto my neck. It was taking everything in me not to shudder from the contact. My brain runs with the images that flash through my mind. My stomach felt warm, only venturing down the more my mind wondered. ‘Stop. No. He’s your friend, don’t let these thoughts ruin it.’

I hadn’t realized that we had reached the top of the stairs until he started to put a bit of distance between us. Removing his hands from my eyes, “Tada!” He shakes his hands, showing off my unofficial space.

My mouth hung open, surprised. The corner I had made my little space differed entirely from how I had left it before lunch. A black table and a couple of chairs sat in the corner of the room. The window knock had new curtains–opened to let the light into the corner. A small side table is next to it, and a vase of roses is placed in the center of the little table. A few empty bookshelves were placed along the walls, blocking out unwanted eyes.

“You had said this was your study corner, sí?” He had a boyish grin on his face, proud of his efforts.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, as an off-handed comment while he had been trying to help me with my Latin, that I had found a place in the library that was just right for the “light” reading Secondo gave me. I was surprised that he even remembered all the work he���s been swimming in. I could only look around the space he had set up for me in wonder. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me. “I hope you don’t mind. I thought maybe you would like your own space to do your studying…” He was looking anywhere but at me. His cheeks were a brilliant shade of red, waiting timidly for my answer; suddenly, he was the shy cardinal I had met back in the hospital wing. Finally, breaking from my trance. I take a few quick steps, closing the distance between us. Throwing my arms around him.

“Thank you, Copia.” His chest muffled tightened, but I knew he heard me. His grip tightening.

“Qualsiasi cosa per te amore.” He all but whispers.

We stay like this for a long time. Just taking the other in. Finally, he pulled back, his arms still on the small of my back, “Do you like it?” There was still the slightest hesitation in his voice.

“Like it? I love it! What… Why… How…?” It was all I could manage to get out. Copia smiled from ear to ear lighting up his face, obviously proud of his accomplishment.

“I had some of the ghouls help me bring this up. Terzo helped too, but he couldn't escape for the afternoon.” He slowly guided me to the table, sitting on one of the chairs. “I’m glad you like it cara.”

Taking a seat next to him. “Thank you, Copia.” I couldn’t bring myself to look anywhere but into his eyes. The warmth in my chest mixed with the butterflies in my stomach. The smile I had refused to leave my face as he talked animatedly about something; he looked so handsome like this.

Wait… Oh fuck… maybe I was starting to get too deep in this. Still looking at Copia; the feeling is only growing the longer I watch him. With one final thought, my attention shifted to whatever he was talking about, deciding it would be a problem for another day.

Translation: Qualsiasi cosa te amore- anyhting for you, love

[joshuashington69420]

(Drags you out of the mines post game and gives you hot chocolate)

This... Is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me... Thank you... 🥹

[maxcuntstappen]

besides water, what’s your favourite drink?

anon im sorry for getting to ur questions like 2 months late but thank u for asking them anyways, ur lovely

i love a good lemonade. i big time LOVE it.

story time; when i was in 10th(maybe??) grade, a friend of mine used to carry a bottle of her mom's homemade lemonade with her as well as her usual bottle of water. we were in different grades, i would only see her for a little bit of a moment every thursday and she always saved some of the drink for me because this lemonade was the BEST EVER for real.

one day, she got me a whole bottle of my own. it made me so emotional.

i told her i'd miss her mumma's lemonade when we graduate.

and guess what, she handwrote me the recipe as a parting gift.

it's been 8(??) years and it's still one of the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.

so. yeah. lemonade.

[danystargaryens]

BRIDREW ENCYCLOPEDIA: [28/∞]  ♡ 1.04 [It’s gonna kill me, but i’ll do it]

[theplanchetteprincess]

Assigning the Twisted Wonderland Students Musical Theater Songs

~ Heartslabyul Dorm

Riddle Rosehearts - “Why We Build the Wall” (Hadestown)

“And our work is never done / My children, my children! / And the war is never won!”

Ace Trappola  - “Good Kid” (The Lightning Thief)

“I never try to do anything / I never mean to hurt anyone / I try, I try to be a good kid / A good kid / A good son”

Deuce Spade - “St. Jimmy” (American Idiot)

“I really hate to say it but I told you so / So shut your mouth before I shoot you down, old boy (St. Jimmy!) / Welcome to the club and give me some blood / And the resident leader at the lost and found (St. Jimmy!)”

Trey Clover - “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” (Oklahoma!)

“Oh, what a beautiful mornin' / Oh, what a beautiful day / I've got a beautiful feelin' / Everything's goin' my way”

Cater Diamond - “Normal American Boy” (Bye Bye Birdie)

“He's as sober as a judge! / He subscribes to ev'ry charity! / And his hobby's making fudge! / For he's a fine upstanding, patriotic, healthy, normal American boy”

~ Savanaclaw Dorm

Leona Kingscholar - “The Rum Tum Tugger” (Cats)

“When you let me in, then I want to go out / I'm always on the wrong side of every door / As soon as I'm at home, then I'd like to get about / I like to lie in the bureau drawer / But I make such a fuss if I can't get out”

Jack Howl - “Wait for It” (Hamilton: an American Musical)

“I am the one thing in life I can control / (Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, wait for it) / I am inimitable / I am an original / I'm not falling behind or running late / (Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, wait for it) I'm not standing still / I am lying in wait (Wait, wait, wait)”

Ruggie Bucchi - “Santa Fe” (Newsies)

“Where does it say you gotta live and die here? / Where does it say a guy can't catch a break? / Why should you only take what you're given? / Why should you spend your whole life living trapped where there ain't no future / Even at 17! / Breaking your back for someone else's sake!”

~ Octavinelle Dorm

Azul Ashengrotto - “This Song is Awesome” (Ride the Cyclone)

“Yo yo yo yo yo, this is song to tell you that what you is, is what you got. And I'm here to say that I am the money! / what you is / is what you've got / and I am the money / take a look, baby, he's the real ka-ching”

Jade Leech - “Way Down Hadestown (Reprise)” (Hadestown)

“Mr. Hades set you free / To work yourself into the ground / Free to spend eternity / In the factory / And the warehouse / Where the whistles scream / And the foreman shouts / And you’re punchin' in / And punchin' in / And punchin' in / And you can't punch out,”

Floyd Leech - “Raise a Little Hell” (Bonnie and Clyde)

“I won't get to Heaven / Why not raise a little Hell? / No way I'll see Heaven / So let's raise a little Hell!”

~ Scarabia Dorm

Kalim Al-Asim - “Though the Night” (Bliss)

“Inside, down the hall / There's a diamond mirror on every wall (be mine) / Be mine, follow me / Got a ping-pong table and a trampoline (check it out) / Check out the back garage / Got a pimped-out carriage and an entourage (take five) / Take five, decompress / In a hot Jacuzzi / With a hot princess″

Jamil Viper - “The Private and Intimate Life of the House” (Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812)

“And time moves on / And my fate slips past / Is this all I’ll make of my life? / Will I never be happy? Will I never be anyone’s wife?”

~Pomefiore Dorm

Vil Schoenheit - “The Beauty Underneath” (Love Never Dies)

“Have you ever yearned to go / Past the world you think you know? / Been enthralled to the call / Of the beauty underneath? / Have you let it draw you in / Past the place where dreams begin? / Felt the full breathless pull / Of the beauty underneath?”

Epel Felmier - “Sugar Cloud” (Ride the Cyclone)

“I see the world with all its backwards upside down / There's nothing wrong with being the nicest girl in town / Oh, everything's clear / Now that I'm here on my sugar cloud”

Rook Hunt - “The Sparkling Diamond” (Moulin Rouge!)

“Men grow cold as girls grow old / And we all lose our charms in the end / But square-cut or pear-shaped / These rocks don’t lose their shape / Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”

~ Ignihyde Dorm

Idia Shroud - “More Than Survive” (Be More Chill)

“I'm never gonna be the cool guy / I'm more the one who's left out / Of all the characters at school / I am not the one who the story's about / Why can't someone just help me out / And teach me how to thrive”

Ortho Shroud - “Why?” (Frankenstein)

“Tell me why does the breeze blow? / Why do both the flower and the weed grow? / Then tell me why do men fight wars? / Why does God even care? / Why does he listen to our prayers? / Doesn't he already know what we're praying for?”

~ Diasomnia Dorm

Malleus Draconia - “The Music of the Night” (The Phantom of the Opera)

“Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams / Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before / Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar! / And you'll live as you've never lived before”

Lilia Vanrouge - “Not While I’m Around” (Sweeney Todd)

“Nothing's gonna harm you / Not while I'm around! / Nothing's gonna harm you, Toby / Not while I'm around”

Silver - “My Friends” (Sweeney Todd)

“These are my friends / See how they glisten / See this one shine / How he smiles in the light / My friend, my faithful friend”

Sebek Zigvolt - “The Room Where it Happens” (Hamilton)

“I’ve got to be (The room where it happens) / In that room (The room where it happens) / In that big ol’ room (The room where it happens) / The art of the compromise— / Hold your nose and close your eyes / We want our leaders to save the day— / But we don’t get a say in what they trade away / We dream of a brand new start / But we dream in the dark for the most part”

[bowl-of-shortness]

Hey if you’re still taking requests/suggestions, what about Pandora finding out Noah is ticklish (as well as Noah finding out, since I doubt anyone’s tried to tickle him in his life).

Alternatively if that doesn’t boat your float, Noah getting hurt and brushing it off, and is shocked when Pandora seems to actually care and want to take care of him.

Sure! I’ll be doing the second one :)

The Android and the Engineer

After a rough fight with his mom, Noah heads back to the hotel with some parts missing and oil leaking out of him. He is surprised that when after Pandora disappears for a bit, she comes back with mechanical parts.

(This one is a bit shorter lol)

She’d been gone for about an hour now. It was odd, but then again, Pandora De La Dáinn was an odd woman. She had inspected his injuries closely before leaving, temporarily patching him up as she did so. He couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that she left so hurriedly, but he wasn’t sure why, sure they were friends but they weren’t super close.

Suddenly, he hears the door creak open. As he looks over, he sees Pandora attempting to keep the door open by letting it lean on her back while she attempted to carry in a large cloth bag full of stuff that was clanking together. Eventually she makes it inside and approaches Noah, setting the bag down before going and grabbing a toolkit. He peers inside the bag, they were replacement parts. He knew Pandora was masterful at engineering, in fact she’d done this exact thing when they first met. But it didn’t surprise him any less that she had decided to do it a second, third, fourth, hell even fifth time now.

She quietly sets the toolkit next to him and takes his arm. Slowly, she begins taking off the old parts and replacing them with the new ones.

“. . . Don’t you ever get tired?” He mumbles.

Pandora briefly looks up at him before returning her gaze to his arm, “Tired of what?”

“Fixing me up, repairing broken parts?”

“Hm. No.”

“It’s shitty work to have to do I’m sure.”

“Not to me. Not if it’s a friend of mine. Besides, I find repairing what’s broken to be rewarding.”

“…Even if it takes forever?”

“Even if it takes an eternity, yes.”

Silence befalls the two once more as Noah thinks for a while. Eventually Pandora moves to the other parts of his body, and then lastly, his back, which has the most injuries.

“Isn’t it hard? To fix things as complicated as me?”

“Not any different than healing a person in my opinion.”

“What do you mean?”

“You once told me that killing is hard, you want to know what’s harder than that? Healing. Try healing someone. That, is hard. That, requires patience and perseverance. You can break something within an instant but it can take an eternity to fix it. I find that work to be rewarding, because some things are hard because they’re worth doing. Some people are worth putting your time into, to try and help and make better. I’ve met plenty of people who aren’t worthy of that time, you aren’t one of them.”

Finally, she screws the last plate in. She walks over to the dresser and hands him a shirt.

“I think you’re worth keeping around. And I hope you feel the same about me.” She smiles.

He gives a small smile back, “How could anyone toss you out like you’re garbage, you’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. You’re the one who proved me wrong when I thought the world was filled with horrible people.”

“Well, you aren’t wrong. But it’s not everyone.”

“Fair. But I guess… having someone nice makes this hellscape of a realm more bearable.” He looks up at her.

“I’m glad I can be that person for you, anyways, come now, I wanted to show you how to make a traditional Morganian dinner.”

The two walk over to the kitchen, while Pandora begins to explain the directions to Noah.

Today was okay, even if she tried to ruin it.

[graysongraysoff]

02 for cat plssss

hi this was so much fun to write oh my god thank you so much 💕💞💗💖💗💞💕

Dear Diary,

I didn’t even think it was possible to be this happy!!! It’s so weird how a totally normal day can turn into the best day ever when you’re not even expecting it. Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic. I don’t know, though — I seriously can’t stop smiling, and that’s never happened to me before!!!

Yesterday Isaac and I had the place to ourselves, so we did what we usually do: we smoked and played GoldenEye and watched movies in his room. (I know it’s been more than a year, but I still can’t really think of it as my room, even though I’m the one who sleeps there. I mean, basically all of the stuff in it is his, still. I just feel like I’m borrowing it. Or like staying over at a friend’s. Not bad — just not really mine, you know?)

Anyway, we stayed up super late. Even once we turned off the TV we just laid in his bed and talked until like 4 in the morning. At first just stupid stuff, but as it got later we talked about a lot of serious stuff, too. He talked about his dad and I talked about mine, how he wishes his was still alive and I wish mine was dead, how we wish we could just swap one for the other. We also talked about church and Joseph and Levi. I don’t think I really realized how much Isaac struggles with all of that. Like, he knows it’s good that Levi was chosen to be the sacrifice when the time comes for the summoning, and he is really proud of him, but at the same time he doesn’t want to lose his little brother. Apparently when he told Joseph that he basically said he was just being too self-centered, but I don’t know. I obviously believe in what Joseph is doing, but we can’t all be as perfect as him. I haven’t known Levi nearly as long as Isaac has, but I still get sad when I think about him being sacrificed. And if Isaac was the one who was chosen, I don’t think I’d be able to keep from selfishly wishing I didn’t have to lose him.

But anyway, that’s not even the important part — I mean, it’s important, but not why this is the best day ever.

The important part is, Isaac always usually goes back to him and Levi’s room once we’re done hanging out, right? He never, like, “spends the night,” if you can call it that since we live under the same roof. But he fucking fell asleep right next to me!! Like mid-sentence, too, it was so cute, I seriously died. So of course then I didn’t fall asleep for like another hour because I was freaking out. Like, I have seriously dreamed about this before!!!! But also I didn’t know if we were like breaking the rules by sharing a bed. Miss Leila doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would get mad about that kind of stuff, but I didn’t really know. So I was kind of freaking out about that, too. Eventually, though, I also fell asleep, and when I woke up, we were legit fucking cuddling. I’m telling you, it was like a goddamn fanfiction. I was all curled up against him with my forehead pressed to his collarbone and he had his arms wrapped around me, and our legs were all tangled up. It was literally perfect. I like instantly closed my eyes and tried to fall back asleep, but Isaac woke up before I could, and he of course starts apologizing and pulling away and everything and I was like “No, it’s okay, it was nice,” and he just says, like. The nicest thing anyone’s probably ever said to me, even Joseph.

He said, “I just don’t ever want to make you feel unsafe. You don’t deserve to feel that way ever again.”

So of course I started crying like the giant fucking baby I am. And I told him, “I always feel safe with you.” Because I do. And that made him blush, which was cute.

“Still,” he said. “I…” Then he kind of laughed. “Well, I really wanted to find a smoother way to do this, but I guess I’ll just tell you. And I don’t know, maybe you’ve already guessed it by now, but I… like you.” He blushed even more — fire hydrant red. Then he shook his head. “No, that’s kid stuff — I love you. I do. And it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way back, but I just. I don’t want to do anything unless I know it’s okay.”

As you can imagine, that only made me cry even more. I’m sure it was so fucking gross. But he pushed my hair out of my face and wiped my tears and everything (again, a fanfiction) and eventually I managed to blubber out an “I love you, too,” which made him give this huge sigh of relief, which made me laugh.

“Would it be okay if I kissed you?” he asked.

“I probably have morning breath,” I said, covering my mouth with my hands as I felt myself starting to blush, too. “And I’m crying.”

He laughed. “I probably do, too,” he said. “Would it help my case if I brushed my teeth first?”

“No, I don’t want you to leave.” I cuddled back up to his chest again and wrapped his arms back around me.

And then, eventually, once I wasn’t crying so much anymore, we kissed. And we kissed and we kissed and we kissed, and I wish I was still kissing him!!!!! But alas, even us homeschool weirdos have to get out of bed on weekdays eventually.

I told him he doesn’t have to ask every time he wants to, like, hold my hand or something, and he agreed as long as I promised to tell him if I ever didn’t want him to do something. I don’t know, it’s kind of dorky, but also, like. No one has ever been so careful with me. Ugh, I’m going to start crying again, I need to wrap this up!!

All this is to say: Isaac is my boyfriend now. And that is why today is the best day ever.

[fischerfrey]

HPMA AU; A Christmas Prince

Chapter 8: The Christmas Ball

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve, and time for Quincey’s coronation. Will things go like planned, or is trouble brewing?

A/N: Evander/Rosa is not a canon ship lmao, don’t worry Rocky

Words: 2.6k

Characters:

Dawn Harvelle, Evander Alderly, and Rosa Yaxley by @potionboy3

Beginning | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 8: The Christmas Ball

Dawn went to Olympia’s rooms. He didn’t know what he was going to say, but he didn’t want to be alone, either. Mercifully, she didn’t have a guard at her door. He snuck in and saw that she was still sleeping. Without thinking about it too much, he collapsed on the bed next to her and groaned into a pillow. Olympia moved and lifted her sleep mask.

“Dawn…?”

He groaned some more.

“To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?” Olympia asked and sat up.

“I need to tell your brother the truth.”

“The… what?” she asked sleepily.

“About who I am.  I have to tell him.”

“Like… right now?”

“The sooner the better,” Dawn said and lifted his face from the pillow.

“Today’s the coronation, Dawn, don’t you think it’s a bit much to dump on him today?”

“I’m not writing the stupid article,” Dawn said.

“What?”

“And I’m leaving, before the real Dawn gets here.”

“You promised you would write it.”

“I can’t write the truth,” Dawn said.

“Why not?” Olympia demanded.

“Because I love him,” Dawn confessed. It felt like the gravity had shifted, saying it out loud.

“Well… shit,” said Olympia.

“So, I’m not writing it at all.”

“Will you stay for the ball?”

“I just got my converse shined for the occasion,” said Dawn sarcastically.

“What?” Olympia gasped. “I had a team prepare an outfit for you and everything! They’re arriving today to give you a makeover!”

“I wasn’t even invited until this morning, O.”

Olympia smiled slyly and said: “Let’s just say I know my brother.”

“Oh…”

“But I understand if you want to leave… I mean... I'll miss you terribly and cry myself to sleep, but I'll get over it,” Olympia said.

“He wants me there…”

“Yes,” said Olympia. “I imagine he does. As do I.”

“And he looked so upset when I said I might not be there.”

“You should do what’s best for you,” Olympia advised.

“I want to be there,” he said and meant it.

“Then leave it to me to help you look the part!” Olympia said and a smile appeared on her face. She pulled Dawn into a hug before he could reply.

“I hate my life…” Dawn mumbled into her shoulder.

“You coming here has improved mine considerably,” Olympia said and let go of him.

“Wait until you meet the other Dawn and become besties.”

“You’re my favourite Dawn forever,” Olympia vowed.

“I owe you a thank you,” said Dawn.

“I think I’m the one who should thank you.”

“Hey, I said it first,” said Dawn.

“I’ve given you a bunch of clothes and you’ve changed my life, I think that’s a bit different,” Olympia pointed out.

Dawn rolled his eyes. “I told your brother you people are stuck in the 1800’s, but I think you just might be the exception.”

“Oh, Dawn, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me!”

They both burst into laughter and Dawn knew he was going to miss Olympia so much.

~

The people that Olympia had hired to do his ‘complete makeover’ were truly going all out. He barely recognized himself in the mirror once they were done with dressing him up in a suit and doing his hair. He looked like he fit right in with the immaculately dressed royals and nobles that he’d seen during his time in Alderly. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Still, he was nervous about going to the ball. It was going to be much bigger than the cocktail party he’d attended, and he knew the queen was going to be watching his every move like a hawk. Before leaving his room, he sat down at his desk and took out pen and paper. He might not get another chance to talk to Quincey, so he put everything he had wanted to say on paper. The truth about who he was and… some other truths as well. Sealing it into an envelope, he turned to grab the stupid law to burn it in the fireplace. Only, it wasn’t where he had put it the day before. Dawn rummaged through all his belonging, but he couldn’t find it. Frustrated, he almost ruined his hairdo, but stopped himself at the last minute. The queen must have taken it. Nobody else knew that he had it. That woman was hellbent on sabotaging herself. If Dawn had just burnt it, it wouldn’t have been a problem any longer. Unless, of course, the queen wanted Quincey to get married. He didn’t have the time to go looking if he wanted to make it to the ball at all, so he resolved to try to sneak out of there early to find it.

~

The ballroom of the palace had been decked up in the same fashion as the rest of the rooms, only much, much grander. Dawn descended the stairs carefully, as to not slip and make a fool of himself. Everyone was staring at him, on account that he was late. He didn’t much like that. He tried to not focus on all the guests when Quincey appeared in front of him. He looked every inch a king. Dawn was standing on a stair still, so he felt tall.

“I’m glad you came,” Quincey said. Some of the guests followed with interest why a king-to-be would personally go greet an employee.

“Hey… yes I’m so glad you and one hundred other people noticed,” he said, trying to keep his nerves in check. “Why is everyone staring? I can’t be the only one who showed up late.”

Quincey leaned closer. Not too close, but close enough so no one else heard him say: “Maybe they’re staring because you look beautiful?”

Dawn felt himself blush. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Probably,” said Quincey. “And a fair bit crazy, too.”

“You don’t look too shabby yourself,” Dawn said, taking in his royal regalia.

“Why, thank you.”

Dawn took the letter he had written from his pocket. “I wrote you something but… don’t read it yet, not tonight,” he said. “Tonight is about you becoming king.”

“You… alright, I won’t,” Quincey said. Dawn put the letter in the pocket of Quincey’s suit.

“Thank you,” said the prince.

“It’s not something you should thank me for,” said Dawn. “It’s an apology. To you.”

“Why would you apologize?” asked Quincey.

“You’ll find out when you read it.”

“Alright…” Quincey said unsurely.

“Don’t worry about it now,” Dawn said with a smile and laid a hand on his shoulder.

“This would be the moment I’d ask you to dance with me, if… If I could,” Quincey said quietly.

“And I’d say I’d love to, and everyone would be staring at us.”

“You’ll just have to save me a dance, one day,” Quincey remarked.

“I’m saving you all of them, I don’t think I’ll be in a situation like this again any time soon.”

Now it was Quincey’s time to blush. “Oh…”

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go greet your mother.”

“You will?”

“Yes, pays to be polite,” Dawn said. “And good luck, if I don’t catch you before the big moment.”

“Thank you,��� Quincey nodded, and Dawn gave him an encouraging smile, before going to find the queen.

~

Dawn made his way to the Queen and bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“Mr. Albrecht,” said the queen with some distaste.

“I wanted to give you my best wishes on this joyous occasion.”

“I’m hardly the right person,” Isabella said.

“You’re the mother of the king-to-be, that’s quite big if you ask me.”

“Yes, fine, thank you.”

Dawn offered his hand. Isabella eyed it like it was dirty, but shook, nevertheless.

Dawn leaned closer and said quietly: “I hope you know what you're doing and that this won’t come back to bite you in the ass, if he, or anyone else ever finds it.” He kept smiling, so as not to arouse suspicion.

“Haven’t you done enough, already?” asked the queen, equally quietly.

“I would have taken care of it,” Dawn said and stood up straight, letting go of her hand. “Have a lovely evening, Ma’am.”

“Wait,” said the queen. “What do you mean you would have?”

“I told you I was going to burn it.”

“You didn’t?”

“You know that I didn’t, since you stole back.”

The queen went white. “You’ve lost it?”

“What?” asked Dawn. “I know you took it. I’m done with this.”

“I assure you, I did no such thing,” said the queen. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make sure this isn’t going to ruin my son’s life.”

“Who else could have done it? My room was locked!”

“This palace has hundreds of people walking through its hallways every day, Mr. Albrecht.”

“The only other person who knew was your guard.”

“Stay here,” commanded the queen. “Try not to bring down the monarchy while you’re at it.”

She turned and walked away, probably looking for the head of security. Dawn’s stomach was in knots. She had seemed genuinely horrified, so maybe she hadn’t been lying. And that was very, very bad. If the queen didn’t have it, then someone else did, and maybe that someone had even less savoury intentions for it.

~

Olympia found him standing there, like a lost puppy.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I think something’s about to go very wrong,” Dawn said.

“What do you mean? What did mother do?”

“I don’t think she did anything, and that’s what worries me…”

Olympia grabbed his arm. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I–,” Dawn started, but right then, the sound of trumpets filled the hall, and the prime minister took to the stage erected in the ballroom for this occasion. Dawn and Olympia looked at each other in horror. The quests took their places, and the ceremony began. Dawn hoped the queen hadn’t been too late.

“Members of Parliament, guests, and friends. On this glorious Christmas Eve, in the season of hope and new beginnings, His Royal Highness, Prince Quentin, son of King Stefanos I, presents his rightful claim to the crown and throne of the Kingdom of Alderly,” the prime minister declared. Quincey knelt before him.

“Quentin, do you pledge your life and fealty to Alderly and all her subjects?”

“I do,” Quincey said. His voice didn’t show any sign of wavering.

“Do you swear to protect her, to uphold her sacred laws in times of wealth or poverty, in peace or war?”

“I do.”

“If any of the peerage wish to dispute Prince Quentin's claim to the throne, speak now, or forever stay silent,” the prime minister said and turned to look at the crowd. For a moment, it was silent, but then someone emerged, stopping to stand before the stage. Evander.

“I dispute this claim,” he said loudly. He was holding something in his hands, a piece of paper. Dawn squeezed his hands into fists. A shock went through the crowd, and people started to whisper amongst themselves.

The prime minister took a moment to gather his wits, and then said: “On what grounds?”

“On the grounds that Prince Quentin has acted unconstitutionally. The law clearly states that the ruler must be wed. Because this fraudulent Christmas prince is not married nor has the intentions on doing so...  He is not fit to be the king.  This documentation proves that this law has been honored for centuries,” Evander said and showed everyone the paper he was holding. The same one Dawn had found in King Stefanos’s hunting lodge.

“Let me see that,” said Queen Isabella, who had reappeared by the stage. She took the paper from Evander, giving him a positively murderous look. For once, Dawn agreed with her.

“Where did you get this?” asked the queen, and only then Dawn realized how truly screwed he was.

“I obtained it by uncovering scheme by a journalist, posing as companion for The Princess Olympia.”

Next to Dawn, Olympia stiffened. Dawn could only look at Quincey’s face, and when their eyes locked, he could see the betrayal in his eyes. The eyes of the court turned to Dawn along with the prince’s.

“Is this true?” the prime minister demanded. Dawn registered he was addressing him. “Are you a journalist?”

Dawn still couldn’t look away from Quincey. “I… I am.”

The crowd started to murmur again.

“And the document, Your Majesty?” asked the prime minister from the queen.

“It’s genuine,” she said, though reluctantly.

Quincey turned on his heels and headed out of the room from a back door. The room exploded into loud conversation. Evander climbed up on the stage, accompanied by a young woman Dawn had never seen before. Evander cleared his throat and said:

“As a nephew of the queen and a great grand-nephew of King Philip III, I humbly present my fair and rightful claim to the throne of Alderly, on the grounds that my love, Miss Rosa Yaxley, has just accepted my proposal and we are to marry next Spring.”

The woman next to Evander smiled sweetly, and the curious eyes of the court turned towards her. Dawn had had enough.

“I have to go talk to him,” he said to Olympia.

“Go,” she said, as the guest begun to all talk at the same time and the prime minister tried to calm everyone down. Dawn got the hell out of there.

~

“Quincey, wait!” he yelled, as he caught a glimpse of the prince’s back. He was headed for the stables. He stopped and whirled around.

“What for?” he demanded.

“You have to let me explain,” Dawn pleaded and caught up to him.

“What is there to explain?”

“I wasn’t part of this scheme,” Dawn tried.

“Do you honestly expect me to believe you?” asked Quincey. “Did you sleep with me for some article too?”

“No! Of course not, I didn't plan for that to happen.”

“Dawn, I don’t even know who you are.”

“Yes, you do,” Dawn insisted. “I’m Dawn.”

“Not Albrecht, I assume,” Quincey stated. His face betrayed a hint of how hurt he was.

“Harvelle. Dawn Harvelle.”

“Well, Dawn Harvelle,” Quincey said. “You’ve got a grand fucking story to tell.”

“It’s not like that! Your cousin broke into my room and made this seem so much worse than it is.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” asked the prince.

“Because it's a stupid law and no one was supposed to know about it, it was hidden for a reason.”

“I just…” Quincey began. “I just don’t understand…”

“I was trying to tell you the truth about myself… I just… I wanted to figure out what to do about the law first.”

“Oh… so, when you said you had something to tell me…?”

“Yeah…”

Quincey looked away from him. Dawn bit his lip and continued: “I wasn’t a part of Evander’s coup; you have to believe me. I was planning on destroying the document, but it disappeared.”

Quincey was still not looking at him. He sighed and said: “I believe you.”

“I want to fix this,” Dawn said.

“How?”

“I don’t know, I just… please, forgive me?” Dawn practically begged. He felt like crying. He was going to cry. He needed Quincey to understand, to forgive him.

Finally, the prince raised his eyes to meet Dawn’s. “I don’t think I can.”

Dawn grabbed the front of his jacket. “I wasn’t pretending. I was being myself the whole time!”

“I trusted you, and now I… I don’t know, Dawn.”

“I will fix this,” Dawn insisted.

“I have to go,” said Quincey and pulled Dawn’s hands away from him.

“Quincey, I swear, I wasn’t going to use it. I was going to burn it. Ask your mother.”

The prince didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned and walked away, leaving Dawn alone in the hallway.

“Fuck!!” yelled Dawn, once he was fairly sure Quincey was out of earshot. Only his own voice echoed back to him.

Tag list:

@lifeofkaze​​ @gcldensnitch​​ @magicallymalted​​ @endlessly-cursed​

[sociieties]

@barrenstars said: not a word has been uttered since he entered her shop and he definitely knows it's because of something he's done. what? he isn't sure, but he's done something to earn the silent treatment. he could just tell. after whining at her for ten minutes like a child, he shuts up and sits in a mini huff, pondering over his actions the last few days. he's missed a few phone calls, and hasn't answered a few texts. but that's about it, right? he hasn't done anything too bad. perhaps aside from cancelling a date last minute... his brows shoot up underneath his bangs and he becomes aware of her moving when she squeezes by him. like a lost puppy, he follows her but waits at the doorway leading into the backroom. he stands there, arms crossed comfortably until she goes to walk by him, and then he cuts her off with a single arm reaching out and blocking her path. ❝ soraaaa~ please, i'm sorry! ❞ pouting down at her, sana's hunched slightly over the green-haired woman. dropping his arm, he snakes it around her waist and draws her in closer, his opposite arm lifting up to grip the edges of the doorway, towering over her given his height. ❝ how about this... i'll take you out tonight, somewhere real nice, i'll take you shopping and buy you some even nicer things... then i'll take you back to mine and i'll be the nicest i've ever been to you, hm...? ❞ he speaks with a sleazy hum, but the hand which left her waist to rest by her jaw is nothing but gentle, the tips of his fingers gracing over the soft skin at her undereye. ❝ will that make you forgive me~? ❞

the thing about sora, that sana doesn't know, is that she's really good at ignoring people. so much so that she doesn't see people if she doesn't want to, doesn't hear them, if she doesn't want to -- in this case, it's her boyfriend who doesn't exist to her. stopped existing to her when he called off their date last minute and if anyone asked her, she'd say that she wasn't overreacting in the slightest. she'd been looking forward to the date, having already dressed up nicely for it and even -- well. it doesn't matter anymore, since it's already passed and her stupid, sleazy boyfriend is here, now, trying to figure out what the issue is. whatever. she has no time for him even if she wanted to entertain him, spends the time choosing to actually focus on her work for once. ( generally speaking, sana, the sana that exists in sora's mind that doesn't ditch her dates, that sana, is rather distracting to her. so much so that she seldom tends to her inventory when he's around. today, however -- )

she's thinking about all the things she needs to restock when her path is blocked. while her expression is unchanging, she almost groans, staring though him when the he whines her name. she's busy, sana. she's upset, too, more upset than busy, but he remains in his way, pulling her in and her eyes roll. tch. " forgive you for what? " she asks dryly, still refusing to look at him. " did you do something wrong, sana? " she knows the answer. he knows the answer. that doesn't mean that she'll let him have his way, she's being kind enough to speak, even if she doesn't catch his gaze. unfortunately she likes him too much to ignore him for long. " do you have to do something wrong for you to do all that for me? "