#mostly my contribution to this au was cheering as they came up with things and also drawing megumi. girl megumi is so real. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sugar-petals · 4 years ago

Text

hey angel (m)

♡ sub!felix + reader

↳ The JYP Halloween party is ditched on short notice. That means: You have a down-to-celebrate boyfriend in full angel costume on your hands.

words. 5k

tags. domestic au, finger sucking, hickeys, latex, corruption kink, fingering, vaginal sex, footjob, harnesses, cunnilingus, kitten antics, edging, aftercare

★⎡CARO’S NOTE⎦› here goes the cutie on duty 👼

genre. domestic + smut/crack

„So sorry mate,“ Bang Chan’s voice resounds through the speaker. „I thought it could work but… We can’t celebrate tonight. Really sorry, Felix. Changbin and I already got dressed up too, but, you know things got shut down. JYP won’t let us with the Corona rules and stuff.“

„Oh no…“

„Yeah, man. Looks like we’ll have to do it next year.“

„You even prepared the food already, right?“

„We’re handing it out to staff and eat it at home. I know, it sucks. I spent half the morning in the kitchen. I can like keep the pumpkin cookies so you can eat them tomorrow after practice or so.“

„I feel so sorry Chan… and thank you.“

„I’ll be calling Hyunjin and Han now as well. Really sorry we’re cancelling short notice. I hope you’re still having a nice evening bro. Maybe we can make it happen for Christmas.“

„Okay. Cheers mate.“

„Yeah, cheers.“

Felix puts his phone down looking more than deflated in his angel costume, puffs out a big sigh. You can tell he really looked forward to this. Just an hour before, you bothered to sew the wings in place rather than rely on the wobbly back-pack like construction that came with it.

They’re firmly attached to his white top now, and all for nothing. He glued them together by himself with a pack of synthetic feathers ordered on Etsy for a ridiculous shipping cost, along with a little halo that he clipped into his hair. Which, because maybe it really does sense his mood, dangles low and even a bit lopsided over his head.

„It’s the party of the year,“ Felix flops down on the living room couch. “I can’t believe this.“

You sit down opposite to him, starting to clean off the table where masses of cosmetic products and leftover feathers have piles up.

„Next time, Lixie. We can keep the costume. Poor Chan, he organized the living shit out of everything.“

„I’ll just go and shower, get this off, and stuff,“ he points at his face. Felix applied his own makeup with a little help from you here and there, including some golden sparkles. Just yesterday, he bleached his hair. It’s sculpted down to every strand with hair spray now. Felix unties his sneakers with the little gold stars on. Just before he starts plucking off his halo, you get an idea, pick up your phone from the table.

„Wait— Let’s at least make some pictures with your phone, you put so much effort in this. You look so cute. The fans might want to see it as well.“

„Oh! You’re right,“ Felix stops right in his tracks. „For Instagram.“

After tightening his sneakers again and you making sure the halo sights right, Felix walks around your flat in search for a nice backdrop. You follow, quickly flipping through some filters to try, and adjusting the flash on the camera.

After posing at the fridge — strange idea — and in the bathroom turns out a little awkward as well, you decide that such an elaborate costume needs a themed background, and only the bedroom offers just that. You recently changed the duvet to sky blue sheets with clouds on them. The overall interior is mostly clean white as well, with some thrifted vintage furniture. Fairy lights, heavy curtains, a wooden ceiling. Perfect.

„We’ll caption it as… post your own stay-at-home costume, something like that,“ Felix plops down on the bed, acting as if he just took a seat on the cloud in the very middle.

„Sounds pretty good,“ you press release, and the first picture pops up on your screen. „Can you turn a little towards the light? That the sparkles are showing.“

„Yay, I love the sparkles!“

„Just like this, just like this. Don’t move. The sparkles!“

A five-picture series of more snapshots ensues, with you adjusting Felix’s face a few times by hand, even, turning his chin by sheer millimeters to find the perfect angle. He’s stunning.

„I have another idea.“

„Oh?“

„I remember what I wore for Halloween three years ago. The costume must be somewhere. I think it fits together with yours.“

„What, oh wow?“

„What was it again, wait…“

You already begin to sort through your wardrobe, checking each hanger, each drawer, end up where you store your socks, and finally pull out a larger plastic zip bag from the very depths of all that chaos. There it is. Nice.

„Lix, if you’d turn around for me, please.“

He immediately does. Blushing.

„Thank you, angel.“

You pull off your sweat pants, your grey shirt, socks, your bra. Time to dress up. Only your simple black panties stay on. On goes a pair of scarlet stockings, snug and high. Then, a dark red latex skirt that goes in big circles and flounces, down to the mid-thigh.

Added: A tight sleeveless peplum top that admittedly… and deliberately squeezes your boobs a little. Not too much. More important is that your nipples are showing right through, and the cleavage is sweeping, every demon would be salivating at your feet. If an angel does: Remains to be tested.

Around your waist and chest and over your shoulder goes a black harness, pulling everything together. Some very pointed, glossy pumps with thin heels complete the costume. They’re not crafted to be walked on in the very least, their balance is terrible. You’re planning something else with them. Cherry on top: Devil horn headband. Really curved and pointy, too. Can’t go wrong. You click your tongue and take a spin. The skirt flares out perfectly. Ready to go.

„Felix, time to turn around.“

He does. You can tell he didn’t cheat.

„You’re, you’re so hot in this,“ Felix buries his face right in the comfort of his sweater paws, hoping they would not give away his embarrassed little face. But — his voice does, effortlessly so.

„Come on, have a look at me. Real closely, angel, come. You’re allowed to.“

Felix gazes through his fingers with what sounds like a little meep! in a much more high-pitched tone than his usual speaking range. He’s cute.

„Hey pum’kin. Miss Lucifer speaking. Where’s the barbecue?“

Felix and you recently agreed that hell must be one big and extremely hot cave where everyone’s grilling and having a good time. Australia, essentially.

„Welp!“

„Damn right. Infiltrating God’s realm one cloud at a time. Any last words?“

„It’s so intimidating!“

Felix digs himself into a mountain of pillows on the bed, with only his eyes and nose peeking out. You shrug, adjust your horns.

„Hm. Time for my first satanic act I guess.“

„Oh no!“

„Wait just one minute, be a sweet and patient boy.“

You leave Yongbok confused given that you’re quick to hurry to the kitchen. However, what you return with puts a giggle on his lips right away.

„Boom. It is served.“

„Yes, yes, please!“

Poufy black cocoa cupcakes. The ones with the cute little ghost frosting on it, and the melted chocolate inside. Felix finds them irresistable since the last Halloween party, to the point where you bake them mid-July. The current set of cupcakes was meant to be a contribution to Bang Chan’s eerie and delectable buffet. As for now, they’re in deep need of someone hungry since you made a lot of them, assuming a post-workout Changbin would devour at least five or more.

„Good move,“ he admits, a little shaky, and you proceed to tray the cupcakes on the bed — stuffing Felix for a solid ten minutes until there’s chocolate all over his face. What you’ll be quick to confess is that you’ve been deliberately messy feeding him, with all the crumbs in particular.

„Spoiled honey bun,“ you plant a kiss on top of his head.

„These taste so good, I swear.“

Next up is Felix who has to carefully maneuver the sweet treats into your mouth without spoiling your outfit.

„If you get crumbs into my cleavage, I can’t put your face in there later you know.“

Fierce nodding.

„That’s the spirit.“

Under your eagle eyes, he proves to be an obedient little cherub doing his job pretty well. The cakes are delicious in how spongy they are, and the liquid chocolate warms up so well on the tongue, it melts even more. You’re more than pleased and have Felix store away the remaining four pieces only after quite a while.

„I’ll have them for Brekkie, woo!“ is what he’s fast to proclaim, and you agree he’ll need them the next morning. Once you’re done with him, that’s gonna count as a hangover even Chan’s wildest party couldn’t give him.

„We’re talking dinner first, Felix.“

At this point, all the sugar is kicking in. Or it’s the chocolate being some kind of aphrodisiac. Whatever, could be either, you’re feeling like you’re up there at the ceiling, and you’re not the only one. Felix coming back to the bedroom so bouncy and cutieful just gets you even more in the mood.

You sit at the edge of the bed, slanting backward just a little. „You look like you need some more corruption, I won’t lie,“ you pat your lap, beckoning. He can ditch wifi because this is his favorite hot spot waiting for him. Felix sits down looking tiny as ever, eyes full of anticipation and his pants full of… big fat late night erection.

„I don’t mind at all, Miss. I don’t, oh my god…“ he mumbles into his nonexistent Aussie trucker beard, and you’re clear that whatever the skirt did to him, his brain must be doing kangaroo somersaults right now. In the meantime, something very eager is poking right at your lower belly. Captain Boomerang already came fully armed tonight and the Suicide Squad isn’t even anywhere near to be seen.

„Oh hey hey, cupcake. Getting really big there,“ you wipe at the curled little corners of his mouth. Some crumbs come off. His lips already twitch the way you know they want to do naughty things on you. He doesn’t seem to notice. Autopilot Felix has already taken over.

„Don’t hurry with it,“ he stares, mouth half-open, but his little grinds prove him a dirty — in an entirely direct sense — fucking liar. Like he’s literally rubbing himself against your stomach.

„Boy oh boy. You’re not even trying.“

„I’m fucked!“ is what Felix soon realizes with the daggers you’re shooting at him through your hopefully very satanic-looking eyes right now. Alongside catching up with his darn hips doing their own thing.

„You are.“

„I’m sorry for grinding, God help me!“

„He won’t. Cuz I’m here on your cloud. Cue stage number two of my demonic plan. Safeword?“

„It’s chocolate!“

„Mh. Good pick.“

The rest as usual. Tapping the thigh, yellow for pause, towels plus water ready, and always double-checking the lube in case of Jisung putting a glass of vegemite under your bed as his latest practical joke. Yes, it happened. It’s a whole new level of demonic. On the other hand: perhaps Felix’ ass could’ve actually handled it, Made in Australia it is.

„Let’s go honey angel,“ you curl at his hair with a little finger just to tease him a little more. The answer is a little meow, at this point Felix’ communication skills have simplified to kitten vocabulary which always happens when he is nervous and looking forward to something.

Next thing poor Felix knows, his face has entered the scorching satanic abyss that is your cleavage. Literally, you’re burning up. It’s fucking October and Felix has you breaking a sweat from all your horniness (literally, your horns are just that chic) already. Twice the reason to punish the shit out of him. If that can be considered anything near a punishment.

A shower of various „Mh— nh!“ and mewling noises comes to rain down on you while Felix face takes a trip down mammary lane, and that, too, is literal. He’s salivating. So much about rain. Actually, great lubrication. Felix always does things best by instinct.

„Yes, good boy. Great job.“

Now that his mouth is wet already, you’re unceremonious about shoving your fingers right down his throat after he resurfaces. Blushed, hard, and ready to choke himself since he’s already running short on breath. It doesn’t take long until he’s gagging himself stupid and the sparkles under his eyes start running.

„Pretty, pretty,“ you lean down a little, kissing his nose. „Give me all you got.“

„Gh—gch—“

The answer is as slobbery and unintelligible as can be. To a normal human, at least. You’re a demonic top. That automatically means having an Ivy League major in gag noise translation.

„Oh yes, I know,“ you stroke his hair, using your free hand that usually rests at the back of his neck. „Talk to me about it. Exactly what I was thinking. Do go on.“

And he does, louder than ever. If there’s one satisfying sound, it’s this, that heavenly deep voice doing all kinds of nasty acrobatics is making you go crazy. That Felix is absolutely close to cumming in his angel pants is very much clear to you given how the veins and muscles on his neck are having a chaotic Halloween party on their own.

Which includes his tongue taking turns on your two fingers as well. And a wide-eyed Felix struggling, swallowing, holding on to your shoulders with his little feet twitching in their sneakers. Like mad… and you love it. But also — hopelessly sucking and moaning and slurping and squealing until his neck has way too much saliva on it for you not to make it your next target. Felix is so good at this. Way too good.

„Looks delicious,“ you lean in, your hair tickles his ears. And now, you’re busy nibbling, biting a little… and most importantly, giving Felix a wet hickey that will send his makeup artist — my God, you really torture the unsuspecting man almost weekly — into a meltdown. Rowdy and unholy is the look you’re going for.

In the meantime, Felix is still wrapped up trying to hit your fingers at the back of his throat. If his cute bouncy run and rude boner moment didn’t turn you on already, now you would be. The way he’s just sucking in his own spit makes you realize that you won’t ever need a fire brigade for your flat.

You emerge from his neck and raise your brows. Felix is just hard-wired to impress. „Just how much saliva can you produce!“

„Ch… Mnh— Nh…“

Hitting some more complex syntax and consonants there, is he.

„Oh, I get it now. You stayed hydrated during the day. Thanks for explaining, mate. That’s the secret.“

Whether that’s perfectly scientifically correct down to the enzyme theory and shit neither of you can google right now. At least you know that you’re both drenched on either end so that’s that.

Once Felix is so horny from deepthroating your damn hand that he has pull off and yellow-word, you’re already prepared for introducing a new position which you can prepare while he’s gathering himself and wiping off his chin. You hand him a second towel for his neck, and present him a little hand mirror to see how the hickey turned out.

„It’s shaped like, hm,“ he pants, words still slurring a little. „I dunno! It’s really cute!“

„Let me see… No doubt that’s a rice cake hickey. That’s the shape.“

„You’re right!“

And off he goes snapping a selfie with it while you get comfortable on your back, cleaning your own fingers.

„Just don’t upload that one to Insta instead of the cloud shots, we’re not gonna survive another Manager call at 1:15 AM.“

„Can I use your phone for it? That’s where it’s supposed to be on, anyway.“

Felix giggles a little. That cute brat. Always knowing how it’s done.

„Sure babe!“

And voilà, Felix is already occupied setting a good view of his new rice cake-shaped friend as your phone background. Good thing, helps his erection cool down a little, he was about to blow up his poor white pants. The acceptable unfair feat being that he’s just riling you up even more like that on the other hand.

„If you come to mommy now,“ you wriggle one foot in the air, the other splayed on the duvet, knee slightly bent. „Rubbing her pussy and doing your thing, you know how it goes.“

„Angel duties calling! What am I doing!“

At the speed of sound, Felix stores your phone back on the bedside table and crawls over in an instant. He props his chin on your abdomen and blinks.

„Sorry Ma’am. At your service. Never wanna keep you waiting.“

A big smile rouses his cheeks, and you boop them from either side. His peach fuzz is so soft and his eyes are so beautifully dark. You don’t waste any time keeping your skirt down for any longer. Another blink and Felix is already pawing — well, kneading and caressing technically — between your legs. He’s visibly understanding just how wet the whole finger sucking circus has left you now.

„What if I used my heels on your cock, boo. Still no cumming. Just my heels and my lil’ prince.“

Satanic plan stage number three. Felix has gotten to savor it last Christmas and for his birthday, and some time around the holidays in summer.

„I love it yay!“ Felix claps his hands. Baby, baby.

„C’mere then. Just keep on rubbing.“

His arms are fairly long enough. While you’re dragging the slender heels of either shoe right across the outlines on his crotch, Felix, eyes loosely closed, maintains a steady rhythm on your clit with three fingers lined up on the fabric of your panties.

„Oh fucking hell, Felix, shit—“

Whenever you masturbate, that alone would never do. You’d get frustrated after a while. Need more stimulation. But when Felix is on angel duty to keep your pussy soaked, it doesn’t need much to make your clit throb, even with your underwear still on. Guess that God’s little helpers know how to work their magic to make your head spin.

He’s hitting the right spot, with the right moves, and his other hand doesn’t miss out on a single opportunity to stroke at both the in- and outside of your thighs. The touch is so subtle, you twitch. Felix strokes on, delirious himself. His eyelids flutter.

„Fuck…“

Despite the little pause from earlier taking out most of his tension, your heels leave Felix with pants that are even more bulged out. That’s making it easy to direct your feet to jerk up and down at either side. You’d never know either of you would be so into this. Foot fetish and all.

Once he’s edged you to the point of moans, last thing you properly remember is calling it quits with the panties and telling him to line himself up. The heels kicked off, the skirt still on, you decide that unpacking your Halloween treat has been long overdue. You slide his pants down, roll down a pink condom, and grab his cock at the base to glide it all over your wet lips.

„Lix, come fuck me. You got me all horny. Satan is recruiting.“

„With me it’s not sinning,“ he smiles, brighter than the sun and you do right along. It’d be hard not to. Felix truly has the innocence of a virgin, the subtle confidence of an intermediate, the caution of a pro, and the kindness of a real veteran.

„You’re right about that Felix,“ you say, prop your entrance at the very tip, let the wetness do its job. „Come kiss your honey girl.“

And he does. Entering you with care for the right angle, letting your hip do the rest. What’s been circling and sucking your fingers so deliciously is now doing a hot job teasing and pleasing your tongue all over. His lips are amazingly soft and plump, they open so gently and feel electric on yours. A gentle squeeze around your left breast sparks a moan into the kiss from you. It’s Felix massaging your breasts while deepening his penetration, and you can tell the vegemite can stay under the bed today. You can tell Felix is getting more than flustered knowing it was all him who made you this dripping wet.

Even his dick seems to blush in sync. It’s fucking pink and red. Oh wait, that’s the condom. But knowing him and from your viewpoint, it’s still more flushed than before, no kidding. Faithfully pumping in and out of you at its full length now. You wrap your legs around his waist, the thrusts become deeper, shorter, parting you open much more, and filling you out so properly.

„So good. Right there, angel. Just right there. I’m loving that.“

Felix has a great dick. Best handy size, the girth’s comfortable, all nice and bendy, virtually no curve, you can always gyrate on it in any way and even take a complete 180 if you go from cowgirl to reverse (which you’d be doing right now but he’d crush his wings if he were on his back like that so no). Cherry on top, compact but soft balls that don��t steal the show but still do the trick during doggy. They’re whipping up the best cum in the world, so.

The slow kissing goes on and on and Felix tries to walk the tightrope of neither letting your pussy lips suck the orgasm out of him, nor making you cream his cock with shaky legs from all that gorgeous sloppy friction, and the kissing, and his sweet cherry shampoo scent that has your brain in absolute limbo.

With everything hanging by a thread like that, every kiss becomes special and full of a suspense that makes your lips tremble — either set, and Felix can hardly bear it himself.

His little halo is dangling back and forth, and you can tell by his face that all that thrusting has him in serious trouble. And you? Are fucking leaking and groaning, and that little shallow series of first contractions before your orgasm is already preparing you.

The sugar high from the cupcakes is fading, but your adrenaline is sure to replace it. You just want Felix to fuck you more and rock against him, and hold his head, and kiss him. God, his mouth is so warm and inviting, tastes so good like cocoa.

The pace joins yours without any effort, it adapts when your rhythm changes, and it stabilizes everything when you’re currently riding the high of his cock really filling you out so you can clench your muscles around him, feel him and tell him just you wait, I’ll milk you. He’s such a good kisser. You can feel all of your wetness running down your ass like it’s Christmas.

„Felix, I’m overflowing.“

„I’m so sorry,“ he whines into the kiss. „I’ll be washing the sheets.“

„Listen, baby,“ you break the tongue-on-tongue, „you doing laundry is really sexy. But the overflow is the best part. Just look what you’re doing to my body.“

You could ravage him on the spot. He’d probably lose it and cum in two seconds. Holding yourself before the edge is so tough right now.

„Shit… yellow again. Need a moment.“

Felix has to resort to a bit of cockwarming, and you use the little break to rid yourself off the harness. It’s not perfectly comfortable when you’re lying down. You’re about to fling it off the bed that Felix asks to wear it. Oh. Very well. It actually goes as a nice contrast on his white top, and the straps make it easy to adjust to him. And he wants it to sit on him really tightly. Oh again.

You realize—

On you, it’s only a fashion piece. Something random that came with the costume.

On him: It’s kinky.

„Hey hey. You look sexy, pum’kin,“ you pat at his chest. „Look at your waist, wow.“

Your sweet boy. It’s like it’s made for him. So cinched and the exact opposite of his costume. He’s a corrupted, dirty angel now, it’s perfect. With his pink neck and all sweaty face, and his little puppy gaze that will haunt you in your sex dreams because it literally just gets into your pants so much. Oh god, you just wanna cum. You have to distract yourself with chaste images of Felix washing the dishes or writing grocery lists with little hearts and emojis on them but that just makes it five times worse.

The way he puts the harness on with his dick inside you is so mouthwatering and cumworthy, you can’t wait to resume and switch your own brains off on that angel cock. Once Felix is ready to exit phase yellow and resume the session, your hands magically gravitate towards the straps of the harness at this waist.

„Can I?“

„M—hm!“

You have the time of your life grabbing and guiding him by the harness, controlling every thrust. Felix clenches up his teeth from how lavishly his cock is squeezing into your pussy.

„Oh babe,“ you groan out. „Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me. Come on, angel.“

He’s not going to take it much longer. Felix is tensing all over, neck to the knees, it’s a huge shock wave in the making. That climax is going to be like a fucking punch into outer space.

„I’m really at my limit, I’m, I’m…!“

„Cum for me, angel,“ you reach to his neck to bring his lips down again. Your mouths going into shaky contact brings a big soaring moan with it.

„Ahn—!“

You lock lips, his face scrunches up, and you can tell that cum worth of three orgasms is currently pooling into the condom. You don’t belong to the mile high club, but going by how far up this feels, you might as well be. Those sweet shivers. And the little whines. It’s all too much for him, this one got him bad. Felix cumming is like the angels really are singing. With bells and harps and all that shit at once.

After pulling out, the ruined condom goes off lightning fast. Felix’ cock gets some much-needed cooling, but his face is on heavy duty. How he does it after almost getting his lights turned off, it’s a mystery, it must have been six whole loads he shot into you. You’d already be collapsing in his shoes. Felix still being able to put his mouth to work is an act of divine intervention. Honestly though, it doesn’t even take half a minute. Sloppy head from Felix is cryptonite, your stamina comes tumbling down. His tongue just knocks you out with an overwhelming rush of pleasure.

“Oh— yes...”

What is gravity? You don’t know what north and south mean anymore. He laps and sucks you through your high and your legs give up their soldier service. All you see it fluffy blonde strands of hair peeking from below your skirt, a glimpse of the harness, the rest is heavy growling and swearing from all of the contractions and Felix getting raw and dirty Down Under with no fears, literally none, to bury his face and move it around and let his tongue loose. Time and again Felix shows you he’s a swallower. Satanic agenda: success.

For tonight, your pussy will be nothing but glitter, cum, and spit. Swollen like crazy, properly fucked, and tipped to the absolute limit. Felix keeps on slicking up his face completely, and then brings you into the afterglow with his fingers. One at a time, barely adding stimulation. Just fetching you where you are and climbing down. Looks like you’ll share the cupcakes, this is a couple hangover in the making. In Felix’ case in particular. It’s like he signed up for testing a mad scientist’s latest designer drug.

„Wow wow… So you served me choco cupcakes and God’s menu,“ is the last thing he can say in his delirium before falling over. He’s so fucked out and went so wild on eating you, a part of the harness came off. Thank god his nose is so small, all that swiping could’ve broken the bridge and whatnot. And his lips, they’re twice as plump. You really have to compliment in on what his mouth has done today because that was some champ shit.

You’re both buffering on the sheets for a solid five minutes until you roll to the side. Towel… water… forehead kisses. Yes, forehead kisses most importantly. After gathering yourself a little, you pamper Felix into a heart rate around 90 rather than 120. And with the onset of exhaustion for the two of you, that’s not too hard after some minutes passing. Whispering sweet nothings and praise is all you do up until 2 AM and after. Felix is somewhere between worlds, one foot in the door of the dreamland, the other soaking up the care and the intoxicating, thick scent of the room that has a lot of cherry shampoo in it.

At some point. You loosen the harness, pull off his shirt with the wings attached. The halo you unsuccessfully try to spot in his hair. Turns out: It flew off. Felix really must’ve made Satan proud if it fell down just like that. Good job. Felix has earned a title of being a dirty angel now, and by the way he’s chugging water now, a wet one on top of that.

Five tons of spit, six, seven, who knows how many he’s afforded for today. A head pat is not enough, it has to be several, and Felix passes out onto the pillows. As good as you can, you wipe him down, bin the condom, get off his shoes and his half-pulled down trousers. After staggering to the bathroom, your skirt and peplum shirt follows, the stockings stay on, they’re cozy as hell. Last but not least, you remove your devil horns. It feels like they granted you the most unknown demonic powers.

Next time Felix is on his way to making you cum again, you’ll be wearing them, and you’ll last the way you did tonight. Meanwhile, Bang Chan is blowing up your phone because Felix pressed send by accident earlier, but you don’t notice. It just keeps on vibrating on the bedstand and Chris will have to riddle over the rice cake selfie for the rest of November.

Felix dozes with an angelic little smile on his lips and puffs his cheeks in his sleep, his makeup wiped and his hair truly messy. Instagram can wait. Maybe you’ll get to brush your teeth a little later, it usually takes some time until you wake up again and topple to the sink. You huddle together, tuck your sweet baby pum’kin into his second favorite spot at your chest. Ah, the glory of Felix little spooning.

As the last signature, you nibble at his ear, call him your cutie pie, and switch the lights off. You have to listen closely but if you do, it’s like Felix is purring in his sleep. Whatever your own dreamland is planning to launch on you tonight, you’re looking forward to it.

PS — oh, my good ole fellas, a last cursed disclaimer. i must insist on the following for obvious reasons. vegemite makes for some terrible strap lube okay 😂🇦🇺

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supercorp-hosie · 4 years ago

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Discussion: is Hosie more of a supportive relationship or a toxic one?

While we all agree that Hope and Josie can sometimes be shitty, disrespectful, and manipulative to each other, I think that they are mostly supportive to each other. There are some people that think the opposite and conclude that Hosie is toxic. While I don't have problem with people shipping toxic ships too, I genuinely think that Hosie is mostly healthy for each other. To get a hold whether Hosie is supportive or toxic, I make this list of all Hosie interactions/scenes up to 3x13, which can be categorised as supportive or shitty that I can remember along with some of my thoughts. If you don't agree with me or forgot something, feel free to remind me or discuss them!

Thank you for making me feel the need to make this list. @legacies-supremacy

Thank you for helping me with some of the points. @dreamerdiving

The definition of toxic relationship is: “any relationship [between people who] don’t support each other, where there’s conflict and one seeks to undermine the other, where there’s competition, where there’s disrespect and a lack of cohesiveness.”

I marked those interactions/scenes that is harmful to Hosie in red so we can see it easily.

1. Josie burn down Hope’s room, without apologising

2. Josie made up stories about Hope calling Lizzie witch bipolar

3. Hope and Josie do dark magic together (hope ask for help, kindred spirit in revenge)

4. Hope stand up to Lizzie for Josie, while Lizzie threw Josie under the bus

5. Hope protected Josie by not telling Emma Josie being the one using dark magic with Hope

6. The scene where they pick trash, they connected really fast. It’s shown that they can have good communications between them.

7. Josie pays her respects to Hayley in front of Hope. It means a lot to Hope because she values her family.

8. Hope encourage Josie to voice up, fight for the things she desires. Josie helps Hope on her poked-herself situation.

9. They fought the first monster ever IN THE SCHOOL together. (Hope calls Josie to help, and Josie immediately do so)

10. Fight the spider-like monster together along with Lizzie.

11. The necklace that Hope gave Josie, make quiet things heard.

12. Hope, MG, Penelope save Josie together. Hope is very anxious (maybe more anxious than Penelope seems?), the necklace worked.

13. AU where Hope doesn’t exist, Josie dies.

14. AU where both of them straight up flirting, Hope comes to bring the Saltzmans to the Mikaelsons Boarding School, giving the twins a place to use and improve their magic freely. And mostly like cleans up the mess of Lizzie’s outburst (no blaming here).

15. When Hope was on slug, Josie is the first to suspect that she’s on happy pill, which is very close to the fact. While Landon and RAF see that she’s very happy but don’t think much of it, because they were new to her (no blaming). Landon sees that she’s very happy, said something like, you’re happy for first time ever?

16. Hope tell Josie to let her know if Josie needs someone to “take care” of Penelope.

17. Talent show: hope looks very happy and cheers for Josie when she sings (overly happy maybe because of slug)

18. Josie lets Hope sleep on her shoulder.

19. Josie does not come clean when Hizzie is fighting each other on “Hope telling the school Lizzie is witch bipolar” and “burn her room down to interfere with Saltzmans road trip”.

20. Josie finally come clean about burning Hope’s room and made up stories that causes Hizzie's rivalry, but Hope only cares about the crush. It can be said that Hope is very forgiving for Josie. - *smiles* you had a crush on me? (I mean, girl, she burned down your room)

21. Mystic fall pageant: Josie worries about Hope feelings when Hope finds out about the dress was from Klaus

22. When Josie distances herself from Lizzie after knowing about the merge from Penelope, Lizzie asks Hope to help make the food Josie likes the most. So it’s canon that Hope can actually make Josie’s favourite food? The attempts Hope made to repair the twins relationship show that Hope care for both of the twins.

23. Josie doesn’t want to interact with Hope either.

(May have forgotten hosie scene)

24. Triad: super squad team up, they help each other to save the school, it seems like when Hope says she has more backup, Josie is the one looks like leading them in.

25. Hope caught a bullet for Josie while Josie caught one for Lizzie as Lizzie was trying to catch them for Josie too.

26. Josie encourages Hope for hero time rather than staying by her side.

27. Hope only realised that she caught a bullet for Josie when Alaric asked about the hole on her sleeves. That leads to her knowledge on her blood can save Josie as well as herself being the loophole for Malivore. She tells Alaric to give Josie vial of her blood. (According to some fans, Stefan said that blood sharing is very personal.)

28. Josie is very confident that Hope will make it back to them, and urges Kaleb to have faith in Hope.

29. When Hope jumps into Malivore, something came over Josie, she feels most of the impact (maybe because Landon is dead at the moment)

30. Hope didn’t want to return to school because she sees that both Landon and Josie are very happy. She wants them to be happy.

31. While Josie is being jealous and hostile to Hope, she feels that there’s something off about Hope in her, not only jealousy.

32. Oni episode: Josie continues to be hostile to Hope because of her jealousy.

33. Hope as a badass tribrid, miraculously does not beat or intimidate or threaten Josie because of her hostility, whereas when other people do it, there will probably be consequences.

34. Josie is the one to seek Freya for the dark magic to bring back everyone’s memories.

35. Josie hit Freya using the newly-learned dark magic. Freya said something like even that spell is very powerful for a Mikaelson witch, meaning that the spell can have some strong effects on her. When Josie is questioned whether she knows what to do with the magic, in panic she hit Freya with this magic and run. It means that whether or not Josie choose to bring those memories back herself, there will surely be someone to bring them back when Josie opted not to do it. Even so, it’s Josie that contributed to bringing back people’s memories of Hope, or else Freya can never do it for Hope if the circumstances required her to do so.

36. If Josie is to bring back everyone’s memories, she knows that she will be the one that will be left behind and will be the second choice. She’s the one that will be badly affected, but she knows that she needs to do it, and calls Caroline to encourage her to do the right thing. (Or else why call? What kind of parents will encourage their child to do otherwise.)

37. Josie brings back everyone’s memories of Hope and save Hope and Lizzie from the Croatian.

38. Hope cares about Josie’s feeling to ask whether Josie is okay with Hope staying in the school. She is willing to leave the school for Josie.

39. Despite knowing that seeing Hope hurts a lot, Josie tells Hope to stay, and assure Hope that she belongs with them. For Josie, NO MATTER how much it hurts, she WANTS Hope ENOUGH to let her STAY, as Hope belongs with them. It’s what Hope wants: people thinking she’s worth staying for. It means that NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, she hope that there’s still someone that WANTS HER ENOUGH to STAY for her.

40. Along with the previous point, it’s important to know that Josie tells Hope to stay after SimuLandon told Hope that Landon can’t tell her to stay (the same day as Landon chose to leave the girls). It assures Hope a lot.

41. Landon being a dick(sorry) to breakup with Josie and then immediately restarts a relationship with Hope (disrespect of Jandon relationship, it’s like an opposite of what he said to Josie). Hope being a bitch(sorry) by immediately accept the restart of Handon, disregarding it’s a fresh breakup for Jandon and Josie.

42. Josie avoids Hope because it hurts to see Handon immediately lovey dovey.

43. Santa episode: Hope is the one that handles Krampus-affected Josie when she tells Lizzie to run. Either the Josie being near to Lizzie will affect Lizzie, or Hope just want some time with Josie? For the former part, Hope protecting Lizzie also contributes to supporting Josie.

44. Hope actively seeks out Josie and helps Josie with the mora miserium - placing a protective barrier on it.

45. They confide in each other when they put a protective barrier on the mora miserium. They reveal their dark sides and weaknesses. They support each other verbally. (Hope reveal her jealousy towards Jandon, Josie asked Hope why Clarke chooses her, Hope said that it’s because Josie is a strong and trusting person, etc.)

46. In the Qareem/Wade-is-fairy episode, when Landon died, Hope protects the mora miserium first and passes it to Josie before going to Landon. (It’s a logical thing to do tho, Landon’s death can’t be undo but Hope can prevent Josie from going dark)

47. Hope go to the twins for comfort after her fight with Landon.

48. First therapy box episode: Hope comforts Josie after they come out from it.

49. People in numbers(the Saltzmans including Josie) vs Landon: Hope chose to save people in numbers which includes Josie, instead of saving Landon. (Prison world incident)

50. When Hope astral project into the prison world, Josie is the only one that can communicate with Hope because of the dark magic. It helped to save people and Josie herself in the prison world.

51. People in numbers (the whole school) vs Josie: Hope refuses to kill Josie when basically everyone is ready to kill Josie to save the school(including Alaric). (Lizzie is running away? Understandable tho, her life is in danger) Hope shuts Alaric and Kaleb in the therapy box to prevent them from killing Josie.

52. Dark Josie with Hope in the ring: they weren’t really putting effort in fighting each other before both of them call each other out.

53. I don’t think she even likes you - what’s the point of saying that when it is commonly known between Hope and Josie? So it must mean the opposite(which is Josie likes Hope) and solely to hurt Hope.

54. Josie, fight! - Hope can bring out the true Josie in dark Josie.

55. Dark Josie is agitated when Hope can really bring true Josie out. Maybe it’s because of losing control. But my clownness suggests that can also be a thing that both true and dark Josie do not want to reveal at all - that Hope weighs heavily in Josie’s heart.

56. Dark Josie is ready to kill Hope after Hope brought the true Josie out for seconds.

57. Hope goes into Josie’s subconscious to save her.

58. The actually-consensual kiss: when the pig tell Hope to try kissing Sleeping Josie, Hope respects Josie’s boundaries. But Hope never says that she is against kissing Josie at all because she now does not see her that way at all. = Hope will totally kiss Josie if the circumstances are right with a consent.

59. In Josie’s mind, true Josie really doesn't want to hurt Hope and urge her to leave before it’s too late.

60. Hope encourages Josie to trust herself with her power, that she is good and strong.

61. Dark Josie petrified Hope in Josie’s subconscious.

62. Josie did heed Hope’s words, she believes that Hope is good and strong.

63. Josie defends Hope by calling Landon out on him leaving Hope twice, and he doesn’t actually believe in not giving up love no matter what.

64. After Hope and Landon comes out from Malivore and the prison world, and Landon turns into goo after the unsafe intercourse (probably not using condom considering the result, there must be sexually fluid exchanged), Hope goes directly to the principal office and explains the situation, Josie is first to believe in Hope and is willing to teach her the spell.

65. When Hope’s Therapy-Box Ethan tells Hope that sometimes the right person for her is right in front of her. I think that it’s Hope’s subconscious of him promoting himself initially. But really, Hethan interactions are so little for me to really believe that Hope’s subconscious of the right person is referring him for that. So when Josie turns up next....(I’m clowning, but it means that Hope subconscious thinks that Josie is the right person, talk about faith.)

66. Hope believes that Josie wants Hope to be safe: Hope’s Therapy-Box Josie ants Hope to come with her? It means that Hope knows that Josie will want Hope to be safe with her together. To relate it more to the problem about Hope thinks that Josie runs away from problem and Hope solves them, it also means that a part of Hope wants to not face all these problems too. So part of her is constructing this scene to provide her an option, with Josie.

67. Josie is the only one Hope attempted to save in the therapy box.

68. Josie doesn’t help Hope grieves after Landon turned into goo. (to which I resent the writer’s effort in sabotaging Hosie in the show starting season 3 to make sure they sit right in the “not queerbaiting“ section. It doesn’t make sense that Hosie doesn’t interact at all.)

69. 3x08: Josie wants to help in finding Landon. No matter the motives, she wants to help, and the final results benefit Hope and Landon, not Josie.

70. I don’t need to deal with both Saltzman twins right now - Hope disrespects both twins.

71. Hope gaslights Josie to go help her postponing her date with Finch.

72. Josie believes in Hope too much to fall for her lies when Hope is apparently desperate. (Maybe that’s why Finch call Hope five feet of trouble, or we should believe that Finch is threaten by Hope or angry at Hope out of the blue?) - Hope is Josie’s blindspot too.

73. Josie is upset that Finch will hate her, but doesn’t seem angry about Hope lying( I’m thinking about “you have a crush on me?”, but it can also be understood as Hope lying doesn’t hurt her at all. If this is the case, then Hope = nothing in Josie’s heart, is this true though?)

74. Hope says that she would be there if Josie is to fall into her dark side again even though she believes that Josie is strong enough to withstand it herself. (It’s still manipulation even though Hope means it, right? Don’t want to romanticise manipulation.)

75. Hope guilt trip Josie about Landon and the prison world.

76. Hope thinks that she need more convincing work on Josie after the guilt trip. But Josie surprises her by not needing any further convincing. It seems that her concerns it’s never the danger she could face from the prison world for saving Landon. It’s about the risks of losing herself again by taking her magic back. Both of them don’t know that the ascendant is full of dark magic.

77. Hope tells Lizzie to hold on when they discover that the ascendant is filled with dark magic and according to Josie before that, “you’re going to die”.

78. Josie steps in for Hope and Lizzie.

79. Hope only realised and apologised when she sees Josie with dark magic and in pain. (It shows the importance of Josie in Hope’s heart, but I think it’s very late so……)

80. When Josie, Landon, Wade ran into the kitchen from Berbelang!Hope, Josie and perfect Landon are in sync in saving Hope. It either means Jandon is very very low-key still a thing, or Josie and perfect Landon actually cares as much as each other cares for Hope. (And perfect Landon is made to love Hope, so if Josie show as much care as perfect Landon for Hope....)

81. Again, why do I care? - Josie: “Because I do!”

82. Josie embrace her magic entirely for Hope and to save Hope.

83. If the definition of true love is like what Wade says, like Landon would never hurt Hope, then we can see Josie is reluctant to hurt Hope either. She wants to consider it carefully before really plunge the knife into Hope’s heart. (But perfect Landon did it, as an outsider I think we agree that’s actually the right call? It’s just too soon when you basically have an hour to think carefully, maybe Cleo can control perfect Landon, so when she got the chance she makes perfect Landon to do it?)

84. Hope apologises for pressuring Josie into taking back her magic twice. Josie give credits to Hope’s words of her and her magic. Hope is very happy for Josie.

85. Hope wants Josie back in the school. It means that she thinks Josie is belonged to the school as how Josie think of Hope previously.

To sum them up, we have 18/85 of Hosie interactions/scenes where they are disrespect of each other, undermining, manipulating, and lying to each other. However, as we can see mostly they are supportive of each other, having good communications, and saving each other’s lives.

#hosie #anti hosie #let's discuss #hope mikaelson #josie saltzman #hosie endgame #hope x josie #legacies cw #legacies #Hosie interactions

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petri808 · 4 years ago

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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Inukag AU

More and more the déjà vu moments started coming to Kagome, mostly smaller memories, but they were adding up. She’d taken the doctor’s advice and kept a small notebook in her purse in case a new one popped up. For example, she knew Inuyasha’s favorite food was ramen because she’d been told as much, but one day as she shopped in the supermarket and saw one of the brands on the shelf, her hand immediately reached out for it. Kagome placed it in her basket without a second thought until two aisles away it finally hit her— it wasn’t a flavor she liked. Sure enough, when she saw Inuyasha that afternoon he confirmed it was the brand and flavor he always bought.

Speaking of recall, Kagome had met Ms. Tanaka at a small cafe one Saturday and they sat at a table for four hours chatting. Kagome had been nervous about going. What would she say since she couldn’t remember anything about the job or company, but Ms. Tanaka was such a bubbly feisty person those anxieties had melted away within the first few minutes. She was brought up to speed on how the company was doing… along with the gossip or drama one might find in a close knit office like they had. So, and so just started dating, bought a new car, complaining about in-laws, news about children, etc. Kagome recognized the name of one child mentioned from when the coworker had taken maternity leave. It felt weird to now be told the child had started preschool, but she was just happy to have remembered the person at all. It was a good day with more to come because Ms. Tanaka invited her to a birthday party the following week at the office for one of their closest co-workers. Apparently, they were nicknamed the trio at work because they always took their lunches together. Their cubicles were next to each other so day in and day out they’d became each other’s family away from home.

“Hi, everyone.” Kagome smiled and waved even though her nerves were on edge. Ms. Tanaka wanted it to be a surprise, so she had no idea what the reaction would be… and it certainly wasn’t this!

A loud scream came from the other side of the room that left her startled. At first Kagome couldn’t see who or where it had come from over all the cubicles, but the next thing she knew she’d almost been tackled to the ground by a hug. It was the birthday girl, Ms. Fukuda.

“Oh, my Kami you came!” Fukuda pulled back her hands still gripped to Kagome’s shoulders. “Why didn’t anyone tell me you were coming??”

“Tanaka wanted it be a surprise,” Kagome squeaked back.

“Well, this is definitely the best birthday gift I could’ve received!— Even if you don’t remember me.”

Kagome flinched a little, her cheeks heating up. “I’m sorry, I don’t, but I’m hoping being here will stimulate something.”

“No need to be sorry,” the woman hugged her again. “I can’t even imagine what you’re going through, but let’s see if we can’t jog those memories!” Ms. Fukuda took Kagome’s hand and started dragging her deeper into the crowd. “Everyone! Look who’s here!”

Kagome stayed close to Tanaka and Fukuda throughout the visit, though the longer she stayed the more comfortable she became. There was tons of food to eat and desserts that left her full. People joked around, teasing Fukuda over a few gag gifts, but all in good fun. Kagome couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so hard. Everyone was so nice and accommodating, never making her feel bad that she couldn’t remember them. Quite the contrary. The office staff talked and talked, bringing up story after story from the last few years. They seemed determined to play a role in helping Kagome to redeem her lost memories. Most of the staff were there when she’d started and so they had a lot of tales to tell.

“You had such a hard time with the ten-key machine,” Ms. Fukuda laughed. “I remember thinking oh kami, this young girl is gonna give me gray hair!”

Kagome chuckled. “And you weren’t quiet about pointing it out to me. Said I’ll have to cover the cost of hair dye if it did.”

The room full of laughter suddenly went silent as everyone turned to Kagome. Only a few gasps breaking the stillness to leave her utterly concerned. “Did I say something wrong?” Kagome questioned.

Ms. Fukuda broke the silence. “Y-You really remember that?”

“Remember…” Kagome repeated in confusion. All she did was comment— “Oh! Yeah, I guess I did…”

Fukuda squealed as she hugged onto Kagome. “Oh, my Kami! You remembered!”

“I-I remembered!” Tears began to stream down Kagome’s cheeks at how naturally the memories came back to her. “It took me a couple of months, but I got it down.”

“You did,” Ms. Fukuda whose own tears made their way to the scene, and Ms. Tanaka had joined in the hug. “And now you’re faster than me,” she snorted a laugh.

“Y-Yeah,” Kagome hiccupped a laugh too.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as everyone watched the friends sharing in such a beautiful moment. As the trio pulled apart, wiping away their tear stained faces, with the biggest smiles planted on them. Ms. Fukuda took Kagome’s hand a final time before letting go. “This truly was the best birthday gift, and I can’t wait for you come back to work.”

“Me, too.”

The party went on for a couple more hours, and by 4pm that afternoon it was winding down. Some office workers were tidying up, packing up leftovers or cleaning up any messes, while others went back to finishing up any company business that needed to be completed that day. A few core individuals such as the trio stayed chatting quietly around the cubicles. There was more than one conversation taking place, so Kagome ever eager to learn what she could did her best to stay engaged. Listening here and chiming in there. But then a name two cubicles away caught her attention.

‘Yura?’ Kagome wondered, who was this person and why was the name stirring up such a wave of anger and pain inside of her? The conversation she overheard seemed meaningless, just something about they were glad the person wasn’t there anymore. Okay, so that meant Yura was a former employee of the company. One person commented that they’d seen her at a new job in a department store selling makeup and the other responded with a scoffing sound, that it was a good fit for such a two-faced bitch. Well, obviously she wasn’t the only person who’d had an issue with this Yura woman. But who was she to her??

In order to figure it out, Kagome tapped on Ms. Tanaka’s shoulder to gain her attention. She whispered her question. “Who is Yura? Mr. Yoshida and Mr. Miyahira are talking about her.”

“Oh…” Ms. Tanaka looked warily at Ms. Fukuda before addressing Kagome’s question. “Are you sure you want to know? It, um… won’t be a very good memory.”

So, Yura was attached to an unhappy event in her life after all and her friends reaction’s just confirmed the initial feelings she’d felt. Kagome swallowed hard, would it be worth dredging up an unhappy memory or should she leave it buried away. It wasn’t the easiest decision to make, but if the woman’s name had triggered such a strong reaction, it must’ve played a significant role.

“J-Just tell me a little bit about her, maybe about when she’d worked here.”

Ms. Tanaka went first. “Okay. Well, um, she was here for about a year, and no one really liked her because she was rude and thought she was better than everyone else… but, when it came to you, Yura just had a real fixation on making your life miserable.”

“We didn’t know the real reason behind it all until the end,” added Ms. Fukuda. “At first, it was petty, childish things like stealing your lunch from the break room or leaving mean notes on your desk. But then it started to escalate and after several complaints to management, they finally fired her— You basically told the manager if they didn’t then you’d quit.”

“They chose you, and that’s what’s important.” Tanaka finished.

“But what do you mean the real reason behind it? Behind what?” Kagome asked.

Kagome’s question must’ve gave her two friends a real dilemma because they grew silent and hesitant to answer it. “Please? We’ve come this far you might as well just tell me.”

“It turned out that Yura was acting that way towards you because, she’s close friends with Inuyasha’s ex…”

“Oh…” Kagome’s eyes widened. “That’s right…” she sat back as the emotions took control. Kikyo was still a vague concept for her with only the bits and pieces she’d been able to put together, but the mention of the woman in conjunction with Yura brought on a flashback. “The cafe. They’d confronted me at a cafe on my lunch break…” Tears had welled up in Kagome’s eyes, but a sensation of anger was making her body tremble at the memory. “That’s what made me give management an ultimatum because it was just going to far.”

As the tears broke free, Kagome’s friends pulled together into a hug. Don’t cry! It’s okay! It was the past! Oh, please don’t be sad Kagome! She’s gone now, it’s gonna be okay! Once she was able to get the tears under control and convince them she’d be okay, they dropped the subject. But despite cheering Kagome up, the bitter feelings just wouldn’t go away. They sat in her gut stirring and brooding, knowing there was more to the story that she just couldn’t remember and that alone was frustrating. According to her friend’s, this incident happened just eight months before her accident, so it wasn’t ancient history. Had it contributed to the fight? It wasn’t beyond belief to think it had or at least added to the frustrations that led up to it.

When Inuyasha picked Kagome up from her workplace, he tried to make small talk. How’d it go? Did you have fun? She answered them in order, how it started out great and everyone was so nice and supportive, telling her stories and answering questions. Then she told him about blurting out a comment because she’d remembered the event.

“That’s awesome, babe!” Inuyasha squeezed her shoulder. “Your memories are coming back faster now!”

“Yeah, about that…” Kagome quieted as she fiddled with her fingers in her lap. “There was something else that was triggered, a… not so great memory.”

“Oh?” He turned briefly to check on her before returning his eyes to the road. “Are you okay? Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Um… well there was a woman that used to work there that I didn’t get along with…”

“That’s surprising.”

“Yeah, she um— Her name was Yura. But the reason we didn’t get along was because she’s a friend of your ex-girlfriend.”

Kagome instantly saw Inuyasha’s grip tighten on the steering wheel and the whites of his knuckles glaringly apparent. Clearly just the mention of Kikyo was enough to trigger an intense reaction.

She cleared her drying throat. “The company fired Yura about 8 months before the accident after she and Kikyo harassed me at a cafe during my lunch break.”

“You never told me about that. Kagome, why—”Inuyasha stopped mid-sentence as he felt his anger rise. He took a deep breath then lowered his tone. “Why didn’t you tell me about something that bad?”

“I’m not surprised…” she mumbled under her breath. She’d had an inkling that she’d never told him. “I think it was because I didn’t think you’d listen.”

“Of course, I would have listened! They were harassing you!”

“Look, Inuyasha, I don’t remember everything, but clearly there was a reason I didn’t tell you and based on everything you’ve told me yourself you weren’t listening! So, how can you even tell me you would have, when obviously you weren’t back then! You have no right to hold it against me now!”

“Kagome this is different, it affected your job and there were witnesses—”

“Oh?! So, because you’d believe the witnesses you would have believed me?! I don’t remember, but maybe there were other times there were witnesses and you didn’t listen— I DON’T KNOW THAT!”

“That’s not what I meant! I would have listened to you if you’d told me! You should have told me!”

“You know, I really thought you’d be different but if you still can’t admit about what drove me to leave that night, then I… I don’t know anymore…”

“That’s not fair…”

“J-just get me home! I-I just wanna go home Inuyasha! I can’t talk to you right now! There’s so much I can’t remember and since you admitted you hadn’t listened before, there’s nothing more to say.”

“Please Kagome—”

“Just stop. I’m done talking.” She’d had enough.

Her mind was spinning from all the gaps she couldn’t fill and the anger at his words. How could he deny it now when that’s one of the things he’d admitted to from the beginning. The last few minutes of the drive went by in silence and as soon as they reached the Higurashi residence, Kagome got out without a second look. All their months of hard work were now left behind with the slam of a car door and she had no idea how to salvage it.

#inukag #inukag au #inukag fan fiction #inukag fan fic #inuyasha #kagome higurashi #inuyasha x kagome #angst with happy ending #ch 9 #missing memories

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yami-writes · 4 years ago

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The Underworld - AoA Mythology Event

(✨) paring(s) — Hades Shouto Todoroki x f!reader

(⚠️) warning(s) — some angst, talk about devils, hell and stuff, mentions of execution, fires and buildings burning down, major character death (nothing graphic)

(��) yami's note — my contribution to Attack on Academia’s Mythology AU event! hope you enjoy- even though i know close to nothing about mythology :sob: also this isn’t a specific AU/theme or anything, i was pretty lost on what to do so i just went off what i knew + a bit of my own shit ( this is my first work in a while, i'm a bit rusty lmao )

Y/n, never to be held back by the rules. You always preferred to do things your way, bending and breaking rules to do what you wanted.

“I’m supposed to be executed next month.” You took a bite out of your mashed potatoes while Denki choked on his. “What!? How could you say that so casually!?”

“I don’t care. They’re supposed to be executing all the lifetime prisoners here as some sort of offering to the Devil or some shit.”

You spent the better half of your life as a wanted criminal, committing acts left and right at your will. You never had a reason to commit crimes, it was more or less the ‘You Only Live Once’ mentality, as well as your own curiosity that drove you to be a bad person. For better or for worse, you enjoyed your life of crime. It was a never-ending adventure, a game. What crime will you commit this time? How many cops would show up this time? How far will you have to go to escape them? It was all a fun game to you.

“I’d rather be executed than spend the rest of my life in this place. We’re not even treated like humans. More like rabid animals that could attack at any moment. At least if I get executed I’ll be dead.”

“At least if I eat food I won’t starve.” Denki mocked. “But is it true? Are you really going to be executed?”

“Yeah.” you take another bite out of your lunch. “The guards hate us, they’ve been wanting to see our heads on a stick for a long time.”

“What!? But if you die I won’t have anyone in here to keep me sane, y’know!! We’ve only been talking for a few days but I like you!!”

You merely nodded.

“Hey, Y/n!” Mina poked your cheek. “What is it this time?”

“Have you ever heard the term ‘yolo’?”

“The fuck is a yolo?”

“I said it’s a term!” Mina laughed. “It’s an abbreviation for ‘You Only Live Once’.”

You Only Live Once. Those four words touched your soul. They told you to go, do the things you never thought you’d do. Commit the crimes you’ve never even thought of committing. They told you nobody, not even the law could tell you what to do, only you could tell yourself what to do.

Time was passing fast. Minutes, hours, days passed and your execution only got closer.

You didn’t care, but word sure did get around fast. Two weeks until the execution and everyone knew. You received weird looks wherever you went, which was normal, but these were different. You couldn’t explain what made them so different though. Maybe it was the way they lingered for longer than you’d like, as you had gotten used to the quick glances.

They were getting cocky.

You ate your lunch in silence, Denki was nowhere to be seen but you couldn’t be bothered, you just hoped he wasn’t doing anything stupid. As your execution came up you had been thinking, mostly of your past, your decisions, your life. Specifically, that one night...

It was a quiet Sunday evening. After being passed around in foster homes, enduring abusive foster parent after abusive foster parent, you were put into an adoption center, where you were finally being taken care of. You never made friends with anyone, you were scared of them. You thought they’d hurt you, abuse you, call you names. You didn’t want to go through that again.

“Hey!” A girl called out to you. She sat in front of you on the floor. “My name’s Mina!” The girl had messy pink hair, it was hard to tell if it was natural or not. You stared at her for a second, unsure of how to respond. “Hello.” Was all you could choke out.

“You’re y/n, right? I think you’re cool, wanna do this puzzle with me?” She took out a puzzle of a cat wearing a wool hat.

“Sure.”

“Yay!!” Mina cheered, quickly dumping the pieces on the floor.

From that point on your friendship with Mina flourished. Countless days and nights spent together. Laughing, talking and gossiping, together. You didn’t want it to end the way it did.

Months later, you never imaged standing in front of the adoption centre, the building ablaze and falling apart due to fire damages. Your friend, Mina, nowhere to be seen outside of the building. Was she still inside? The entrance to the building had already caught fire and looked about ready to collapse. You weren’t quite sure if the emergency exits were available, but if they were Mina would’ve used them by now, she was always quick-witted.

“y/n..” The adoption centre staff that had escaped with you puts her hand on your shoulder. “I’m sorry, but… They’re gone.”

You understood the concept of death very well, you’ve experienced losing someone before, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Hello, y/n.” A lady walks up to you, waking you out of your daydream. Her hair is up in a tidy ponytail and she’s wearing a prison uniform, she’s a prisoner too? “What? I was hoping to enjoy my lunch alone.”

“My apologies.” She sits down beside you. “I just wanted to talk to you before your execution, I think you’re very interesting.” You continue eating your lunch, minimalizing socializing with your prison mate. “Have you ever heard of ‘The Underworld’?” The lady asked.

“The Underworld?”

“Yes. It's where lifetime prisoners like us are bound to wind up. Lemme tell you about it.” She makes herself comfortable on the bench.

“If he deems you to be a bad person, the Devil will bring your soul down to The Underworld as a way to punish you for the sins of your past life. It’s a large, dark place, filled with the souls of people like you and I, who have committed horrible crimes and now have to deal with the consequences forever.”

“I see... And why are you telling me this?”

“I’ve been telling everyone about it! We’re all gonna go there!! It's good to be informed. Anyways, I’ll leave you to your lunch now. It was nice talking to you, y/n.”

“Okay.”

You pondered for a while after listening to that woman. She seemed pretty nice but it was obvious she had some screws loose.

You also thought about her teachings of The Underworld. If you enjoyed your life to the fullest, did it really matter what happens in the afterlife? You asked yourself that question often. You were more curious than you were afraid of the underworld.

You’ve heard many different interpretations of it, although the most common seemed to be one of suffering. Eternal suffering at the hands of Satan. The supreme ruler of Hell torments your soul for longer than the human mind can comprehend as a means to pay for the sins of your past life. The cold-blooded Devil rests on his throne as he listens to the tortured screams for mercy, to be set free.

The thought left your mind soon after, although you never seemed to get that woman off your mind. She was interesting, to say the least.

Two days. Two more days until you’re to be executed. As the days went by you became more and more curious. You had been thinking of the woman often.

She was a kind, yet mysterious lady. You’d gone around and asked other prisoners about her, but they all had nothing. Some people said something about her being pulled from a mental hospital and into jail but those seemed to just be rumours. Who is she? Where could she have gone? The prison was relatively big, so finding a specific person would prove to be pretty difficult, but almost two weeks of searching should’ve yielded at least some sort of information. You had given up on finding anything about her, she was just someone who wanted to speak to you, there was no need to spend the last few days of your life on her.

You never stopped thinking of The Underworld, or whatever it was called at this point. You wondered what it was really like. What really happened down there? Are bad souls really tortured for eternity? Is there even an afterlife? You wanted to know.

You went to bed thinking about it. About your afterlife.

You opened your eyes, a dark blue sky looking back at you. Outside? Your head was pounding and your throat was dry. Your body ached.

You could hear an eerie ambiance in the distance, this was truly an odd place. Ignoring the pain, you got up, taking a good look around you. The ground was made out of a mix of rock and dirt, around you seemed to be lakes of water. The sky was a dark blue colour, almost like a night sky, although there was no moon, stars, or sun.

“Hello.” a voice called out to you. You turned in the direction of the voice, a hooded figure stood before you. “Who are you?? Where am I??”

“Woah woah, calm down.” a hooded figure tried to calm you down. Their voice was rather kind, leading you to believe they weren’t a threat to you, they seemed to calm you down a bit. They wore a black, hooded robe and grasped a long stick with a red gem on the top. Behind them was a river, as well as a boat. “Was it a rough fall?”

“...Yeah,” you looked up at the gloomy sky, “I guess so.”

“I’m sorry about that, I'll ask him to add some sort of cushion here.” the mysterious person takes off their hood, revealing green hair and a rather cute freckled face. “I’m Izuku, I’ll be bringing you to the mainland.”

“Mainland?? Wait where even is this place, why am I here?? I’m supposed to be in prison right now-”

“Oh! You’re in The Underworld now. You’re dead, I'm sorry..”

“Dead!? How!? I wasn’t executed yet!”

“Your questions will be answered once we get there, so come with me into this boat and I'll take you to the mainland.” Izuku leads you to the boat, preparing it to sail once you get in, and soon enough, the boat starts to move onward.

“We might be here for a while, mind telling me about your past life? He never tells me anything about the souls that wind up here.”

“Uh sure, I guess. My parents died when I was still young, so I was tossed around in foster homes until they just stuck me in an adoption centre… One day one of the ladies that worked there caused a fire and it got burnt down, only me and that lady survived. After that I moved to the next town over and started a life of crime, I enjoyed it. Eventually, the police caught me and I was sentenced to jail for life for all the crimes I committed, they planned to execute me tomorrow but.. Y’know, I’m dead now.”

“Hm.. what an unfortunate life you’ve lived, although that story isn’t very new around here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve heard the stories of most of the souls down here, their lives began to tumble after a traumatic event. The loss of a loved one, car crashes, tragedies, I've heard it all before, but it doesn't get any less saddening.”

“I see..” you sigh, slumping over the side of the boat. You stare down at the water, watching your reflection. The water was almost as dark as the sky, tinted a greenish colour. ‘I’m kinda tired…’

“And~~ we're here!” Izuku announces, stopping the boat. “Sure did take a while.” You step out of the boat, taking a look around. It looks identical to where you first woke up.

“Follow that path, it’ll take you to Hades. He never asks to see anyone so you’re special!”

“He asked to see me!?”

“Yeah, I'm not sure as to why, but you better hurry! He doesn’t like waiting.”

“Oh, okay! Thanks!”

You immediately make your way down the path, concerned as to what Hades himself wanted from you. The path seemed to stretch on forever, turning corners before another straight, long extension. It almost left like you were going in a long circle.

At this point you had been in The Underworld for 30 minutes, although the sky hadn’t seemed to change at all, was there no time here?

After a long 15 minutes of walking, you made it to a large palace, tall gates of steel keeping unwanted guests from entering. A button rested on the side of the gate entrance. You pressed the button, unsure of what it would do. You wouldn’t be surprised if it summoned another hooded figure like Izuku to escort you into the palace, this place was unpredictable.

A loud ‘buzz’ sound erupted from the button upon being pressed, followed by a “Who’s there?” The voice on the other side was definitely different from Izuku's. It was deeper, but pleasant. “I’m y/n, Izuku told me Hades wanted to see me?”

You heard another buzz sound before the front gates opened. You anxiously walked in, not sure what to expect next. Your mind raced with thoughts as you wandered through the halls of what you assumed to be Hades’ palace. It was surprisingly bland on the inside, though. Maybe he wasn’t good with interior design.

After making your way through the halls, you were met with a surprisingly small room, with the classic long, expensive red carpets you would only see in movies. You felt somewhat bad for stepping on it, it looked expensive.

You looked up to see someone, a humanlike being sitting upon a throne.

“Hello?” you called out to them, inching closer.

“Ah, you must be y/n.” They acknowledge, standing from their throne and walking up to you. Was this Hades?

He looked more human than you thought he would. His face is what caught your attention, he was incredibly handsome. The type of man you’d only see in your dreams. His hair split in the middle, his left red and his right white. There also seemed to be a red mark on the left side of his face, it looked like a burn scar…

“Uhm, why’d you call me here? Shouldn’t I be like... Suffering? With the rest of the bad souls that ended up here?” you questioned him, trying to ignore his beauty.

“No. I’ve been watching you for a while, y/n. If I'm getting to the point, I want to marry you. I killed you prematurely so those awful people didn’t get the chance to, and so I could get to see you early.” He smiled. His lips looked incredibly soft, the kind you’d want to kiss forever.

“What!? Marry me!? But-”

“You mustn’t worry about the details, y/n. I love you, everything from your beauty, to your personality, I feel drawn to you. I would like you to be my wife. We could live happily together.”

The way he never elaborated didn’t make it any easier to take in, but an idea came to your mind. “If I marry you, will I still have to suffer? Like to pay for my sins…”

“Of course not, my love. Let’s say marrying me is enough to pay for them.”

You were curious to know what would happen if you didn’t marry him, or if you had a choice at all, but you decided you were better off not knowing for once.

“Alright, I’ll marry you.”

“Wonderful. Please feel free to explore the palace, and pick a room. I know you’re probably tired.”

“Thanks.”

After exploring the palace, you settled for a cozy room on the second floor. You liked the colours and arrangement of the room.

You lie in bed, pondering what had happened in the first few hours of your afterlife. You spent your life thinking you’d be sent down to meet Satan, an unforgiving force meant to punish evil souls for their wrongdoings, but was met with Hades instead, a God that was not only kind, but had at some point, fallen in love with your character. He had promised you an easy afterlife with him, an eternity you could spend however you wanted. Do the things you never got to do in your past life as a spirit.

You were beyond grateful to him, choosing to not only have mercy on you, but make you, a criminal who’s committed many crimes, his wife, another ruler, God of The Underworld.

Everything turned out quite different from how you originally thought.

#shouto x reader #todoroki x reader #mha x reader #bnha x reader #reader insert #mythology #mha x mythology #bnha x mythology #mythology au #hades #shouto todoroki x reader

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writer-akihiko · 4 years ago

Note

After your hiatus, can you do a Yandere!Yamato (I don't know why, but I'm attracted to this guy from HEAVENS) x Reader in a Fairy Tale AU loosely based on Romeo and Juliet (but without the tragic ending). Set it in Victorianesque-era? The protagonists are from rival households (Raging and Shining if it'll make it easier) and as children, Yamato first encounters the reader from a distance (he sees her on the balcony of her bedroom and wandering through the mansion gardens) and becomes infatuated with her (leads into obsession). They finally meet at a party where the reader has her society debut (social gatherings are the only time the households have to be in each other's presence despite their rivalry) and his obsession with her intensifies, so much that he does crazy things just to be near her. I'll leave the rest of the story up to you!

Just Say Yes - Yandere!Yamato X Reader

Thank you for the request! This was also a birthday request, so I hope this was a good birthday present! Cut for Yandere content.

This is my personal characterisation of Yamato from Utapri as a Yandere. Actual Yamato would not do this; this is my take on how Yamato acts as a Yandere.

TWs: Light Yandere, Death, Manipulation

The day of the society debut.

The day where you'd finally be granted your social freedom, the day you were waiting to make friends, to enjoy the music, the dancing, the…

You'd wish the day would never come.

If you knew what he planned oh so long ago…

~○~

"Oh! Miss YN! You can't be dilly-dallying for so long! You must be prepared for tonight!" Your loyal maid, Tomochika cried out loud.

Once again, you had to leave your beloved balcony, your daydreaming haven for other business. You sighed, shifting your cardigan back on. You snapped out of your trance when your maid caught your attention.

"YN! What are you thinking about?!"

You huffed, confessing to your dear friend the person who haunted your daydreams. "A certain man…"

The gasp from Tomochika was expected. You knew how much of a sucker she was for a good romance. You let her have her giddy episode, as she hopped and skipped with joy.

"Who is he?!"

She repeated the question over and over again, shaking your shoulders. Before you could even reply, she listed off name after name of most likely handsome lords and barons.

"Is it Duke Ichinose?! Oh, but you've never seen him before…" She thought about it once again. "No, no, it should be the foreign Prince Camus! He's just come to the nation and all the ladies must be swooning~ Or is it the Kurusu twins?! One's a scholar and the other's a knight, certainly a great package-"

"It's… Lord Hyuga…"

CRASH!

The collision of the metal tray and the stone floor resonated throughout the room.

Tomochika grabbed onto your wrists, shaking you. "Y-You mean the older brother right?! The- The brother that leads the Neutral Faction, and not-"

"Lord Yamato Hyuga…"

"Y-YN… I feel faint…"

Tomochika dramatically fell over onto your bed, wanting to scream. "YN, I really care for you, but…"

You hesitated. "I know what you might say…"

"How?!" She asked, on her knees, tugging the end of your dress. "You know it's a hopeless love, please YN, I want you to be happy!"

You shrugged her off, stooping to her level. "I know… I know it's impossible…"

You comforted her, hugging her. Your tears also soaked her uniform, as you couldn't stop the way you felt. It felt useless to have such feelings.

The world wouldn't change itself for your sake after all.

~○~

"…And that is what I overheard from the LN estate, Yamato." Shion reported. Undergoing such an operation would be called mad, but there was no guarantee that Yamato would be safe, especially when it came to things regarding YN.

"Van also reported that the Head of the LN Family plans to undergo a political marriage," Yamato added, staring at the map of the division of land. As a local of the Otori Faction, it was damn near impossible to get close to her, but with all of his plans finally falling in place, he might just achieve his one goal.

"I'll visit Eichii tonight," He announced to Shion. "He can have the LN's land for all I care. I just want YN…"

"Understood, Lord Yamato."

~○~

The cheerful joys of the townspeople would soon be ruined, Yamato thought to himself, as he rode the same carriage as the Kurusu twins and Count Shinomiya.

"Hoi, Yamato," Syo called out. "I know you're mostly doing this on your own, so I wanna apologise for not contributing sooner."

He shook his head. "The one you should be apologising to is Eichii. After all, I just want to get my darling and get out," He admitted. He got a tiny kick out of the Kurusu scholar, Kaoru looking so shocked at his intentions. "If Kira hadn't found out about the utter corruption going on in the Shining Faction, I might've just lived on with a broken heart."

Count Natsuki grinned, patting his shoulder. "What a lovestruck lad, don't you agree Syo-chan? But it isn't as cute as you two~"

The usual teasing between the three went on, as Yamato prepared his disguise. Everything had to go picture perfect, otherwise he'd die trying.

~○~

"Your attendant, Count Shinomiya?" The servant asked.

Count Shinomiya was excellent at hiding a true façade, as he was well-known for being a happy-go-lucky man. "Why yes. Thank you for inquiring so."

Once Yamato entered the debut ball, he bolted to the balcony, beyond the gardens and there he found you…

He climbed over the walls, hopping over to you. He couldn't stop himself from twirling you around, kissing your cheek and peppering kisses over your face.

"My YN… I've missed you…"

Your reddened face and your dress just made Yamato want to whisk you away… "YN, you should be prepared. Don't be afraid when people start bursting in. Stick close to the stairs or the walls. I'll find you."

You could only nod, hesitant about what Yamato could mean.

~○~

Your heart thumped, simply waiting for the disaster to begin. Your usual self wouldn't want such harm, but this was a chance. A chance to escape the constricted life that you lead on…

The scream of a woman alerted you that the assailants were breaking through the glass of the room. Tomochika immediately rushed to your side, holding onto your arm as you both sunk to the ground.

The men in dark clothes knocked out a number of guests, leaving the higher nobles alive and standing. You could only assume that Yamato also had the men corner the other guards and knights.

A man approached you, hugging you by the waist and revealing himself as Yamato Hyuga. A few gasps rung through the room, and your cousin flew into a fury.

"What is the meaning of this?! We had a truce! You dare defile the contrac-"

Before your cousin could utter another word, Yamato silenced him with his sword.

He looked over your family in utter disgust, wasting no time to order his men to execute them.

"Ya-Yamato?" You were in tears, seeing your family killed and other nobles killed. You could only assume that the nobles left alive were working with Yamato as well.

He got on one knee, kissing your hand. "What is it YN? With this rebellion, we can be free to marry. You can be my wife, forever…"

You shivered, instinctively pulling away from his hand. You immediately regretted it, as your lover had a look of utter disappointment on his face.

"What is it YN? Don't you love me?"

"Y-Yes I do but-"

"Then is it so hard?...

Just say yes."

#yandere yamato #uta no prince sama #utapri #yamato hyuga #utapri yamato #yamato x reader #utapri yamato x reader #yandere yamato hyuga #yandere utapri

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pickalilywrites · 4 years ago

Text

hi everyone!!! here’s the eretra au that a few of you might remember from my wip posts a few months (?) ago! i’m really excited about it, so i hope you guys like it. it’s very loosely based off a kdrama called big, although there aren’t very many similarities. i hope you guys enjoy it :)

-----------------------------

My First Love Come Back to Me

Eretra. Big AU.

I’ll Love You in the Rain or Shine Series: Chapter 1

12788 words.

Read on Ao3!

Eren stands in the deli section of the grocery store staring down at the premade sandwiches that have, judging by the wilting lettuce and stiff-looking squares of cheese stuffed between dry bread buns, been sitting there all day after being passed over by other customers for more enticing premade meals like the colorful, little sushis in their plastic containers or the burritos so stuffed with filling that beans are practically spilling out of the tortilla wraps meant to contain them. He looks at one particularly sad-looking sandwich. Turkey chunks and droopy lettuce leaves are shoved inside a stale bread loaf. Tomato juice from the poor fruit that was cut to make this depressing sub bleeds out from the bun, dripping onto the plastic wrap that can hardly hold the thing together. A strange assortment of veggies also poke out from the bread - bright yellow bell peppers, chunky strips of carrots, and slices of onions - but they look as though someone has carelessly dropped them into the sandwich because they’re not even evenly dispersed through the sub. It is, Eren thinks, the most wretched sandwich he’d ever laid eyes on.

It’s a little sad, the fact that Eren is spending so much time picking out something to bring to a family dinner that he would claim, if anyone bothered to ask, to not give a single shit about. And, really, he doesn’t, but it makes him feel slightly better about going to those miserable gatherings if he’s able to bring something he knows his stepmom will hate. Except she’s not really his stepmom. To be more precise, the woman is his father’s first and only wife - the bastard having never married Eren’s mother - and his half-brother’s mother. In all honesty, Eren can completely understand why the woman hates him. He is, after all, a constant reminder of his father’s infidelity. It’s not like Eren likes her either and, with all of the snide comments about his upbringing and disappointing career path (although Eren has no idea why that is any of her business), she hasn’t given Eren any reason to.

Eren looks down at the sandwich again, leaning towards not getting it. As much as he would love to purchase it and slap it down on the dinner table with a cheerful smile, there are only so many times he can buy disgusting sandwiches for his family dinners. He really outdid himself last time with a self-made sandwich with all sorts of odd ingredients (blue cheese, coriander, tuna, onions, cherry tomatoes, the works) that had no business being slapped between the same two buns. He even remembered not to toast the bread buns. Apparently, the only thing his father’s wife hates more than sandwiches are untoasted sandwiches, but not everyone can afford a $300 panini press like she can. Apparently, any panini press with a smaller price tag can’t be called a real panini press. Eren only half-regretted his decision to bring the disgusting thing to his father’s house an hour later when he sprinted out of the house and biked half a block away to empty the contents of his stomach on the edge of a poor neighbor's sidewalk. No, a normal deli sandwich would be a step down from his previous contribution to family dinner, Eren decides.

He walks up and down the aisle of the grocery store, taking his time even though he’s already a half-hour late for dinner. (He’s doing them a favor. Nobody in their right mind should be having dinner at five when the sun is still high in the sky.) His green eyes glaze over tubs of soup and plastic bins filled with salad. For a moment, he wonders if he should walk through the shelves of chips on the other side or maybe into the frozen food section so he can haul a tub of melting ice cream to his father’s house, but he wonders if that’s too petty. It’s probably best not to, Eren thinks with a grimace. He doesn’t want to ruin junk food for himself forever.

In the end, Eren purchases a little tub of potato salad, hoping that it’ll be enough to piss off his Disney-esque sort-of stepmother. It’s not perfect, but he supposes it will do. It’s probably not as grotesque as the stuff he’s brought before, but he likes how simple it is. That woman’s definitely going to be miffed that Eren bought potato salad as if he cared so little that he couldn’t be bothered to spend a few minutes in the kitchen to make the same dish. He’s really going to enjoy seeing the vein on her forehead pulse when she sees him standing at the door with the potato salad.

Eren thanks the cashier for ringing up his purchase, sliding two dollars into the charity box next to the register, and walks away with his tub of potato salad, whistling as he practically skips out of the grocery store. He hadn’t taken as long as he would have liked; there are still fifteen minutes before six and he had hoped he would burn enough time to arrive at six-thirty, but maybe he can take a roundabout way to his dad’s house, Eren thinks as he drops the tub carelessly into the front basket of his bicycle. He unlocks his bike with a click and pulls it off the bike rack before mounting it and pedaling away.

Taking the direct route would be too quick. Eren quickly pedals across the road as soon as the road is clear and finds his way to the creek that cuts across the suburbs. It’s the same creek Eren used to play beside when he was a child. He fell in there once trying to catch a frog and his mom scolded him for being so reckless. It’s also the same creek that he frequented during the spring of his sophomore year of highschool when he was assigned to do a bug project, which Eren hated especially when the same project was no longer mandatory after his school cut the science department’s funding the year after. Eren doesn’t think he’s visited the creek ever since he graduated from high school. He blames it on college and summer internships taking up all his time and never really allowing him to return to his youth, but the truth is that Eren wouldn’t have sought out his childhood even if he had the time.

It’s not that Eren had a terrible childhood. In fact, Eren would say that he had a fairly happy childhood. True, he grew up in a (mostly) single-parent household, but his mother was always patient and attentive to him even though he was a pain the ass about 75 percent of the time. Nothing incredibly significant happened. He didn’t win any awards and he never made the honor roll, but his mother was fine with it as long as he did his best. It was strange, but he got a lot more shit about his grades from his sort-of stepmom than he did from his own mother. He’s not particularly sure what his father thought about it. Eren’s father never said much of anything to defend him, but his father hardly said anything to him at all. It was kind of like not having a father at all, so it wasn’t really that surprising when Eren found a way to avoid his old neighborhood completely after his mother passed away after his senior year of high school.

Eren hadn’t planned on returning so soon. Actually, he hadn’t planned on returning at all after he had left for college. He only came back the summer after freshman year, but he bummed it at his best friend Armin’s house and only ventured as far as Armin’s front lawn. The following summers he crashed at his ex-boyfriend’s house - an art student-turned-tattoo artist who somehow ended up setting up a shop in the city Eren and Armin grew up in - or Armin’s dorm when they were both working at their internships. Somehow, they ended up landing jobs back in their hometown because evidently the big city did not want them and they were too young and broke to go up against the universe. Maybe another day.

It’s not that bad. Despite renting an apartment near his neighborhood, Eren hasn’t run into any childhood friends that might still remember all the embarrassing things he did as a teenager. He’s bumped into a few parents at the grocery store that would smile up at him and talk about how nicely he’s grown while reaching up to ruffle his hair. Other than a few childhood friends and the “family” he feels obligated to meet due to the biological bond he unwillingly shares with his father, Eren has successfully avoided most of his past.

He pedals past his old middle school, zooming past the gates and grimacing as he remembers the less pleasant parts of his past - struggling with algebra, running a mile at seven AM, and the terrible school uniforms they forced on everyone in a strange attempt to boost standardized test scores. He’s happier when he crosses the street and is greeted with the lit-up shops - the convenience store where he’d happily slurp down slushies with Armin after school, the Chinese restaurant that his class would frequent every year for Lunar New Year’s, and the bakery store that always smelled of freshly baked tarts and pies. Eren’s pedaling slows as he approaches the bakery and he inhales deeply, his lungs filling with the scent of buttery baguettes and chocolate tarts. The aroma is so distractingly sweet. His mouth begins to water at just the thought of them, and Eren wonders why he hadn’t bothered stepping foot in the bakery since coming back. He’s about to stop his bike and pop in for a brownie or a lemon bar only to realize that he’s biking far too fast and about to crash into someone.

“Shit!” Eren’s bike screeches as he swerves out of the way and he crashes into a pole so hard that he can feel his teeth rattle. He topples to the ground with a hard thud, groaning as he rolls over onto his side that didn’t get smashed violently against a pole. When he opens his eyes, he sees stars as well as the face of an old man that he had last seen a decade ago. Eren tries to sit up, but his side is throbbing and he can only clutch at his side, trying his best to suppress a groan so as to not startle the man he had nearly collided with. He gives the man a weak smile. “Hey, Mr. Ral. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

The old man’s mouth, which was already open to begin with after seeing Eren’s embarrassing bicycle collision, falls open a bit wider. “A-are you … okay?” he asks after a while, squinting a bit as he looks at Eren’s face and tries to place a name to it. Eren doesn’t really blame him for not remembering who he is. It’s been quite a while since they’ve seen each other and Eren has grown up a lot since then.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little bump,” Eren says, laughing it off. He manages to sit up and pushes himself off the ground, standing up and brushing off the little pebbles that have managed to stick to his face and clothing. He picks up his bike, leaning it against the pole before turning to the man again. “It’s Eren, by the way.” He pauses, observing Mr. Ral’s expression. When he sees that the man doesn’t recognize him, Eren politely adds, “Eren Kruger. I’m Zeke Jaeger’s younger brother.”

A spark of recognition finally lights up in the old man’s eyes at the mention of Zeke’s name. Eren’s not going to lie, but it kind of hurts. “Ah, Zeke,” Mr. Ral says fondly. Eren shifts from feeling hurt to feeling slightly jealous. “How could I ever forget him? And you, of course. You two used to play with my dear Petra back in the day.”

Petra, a name that Eren hasn’t heard in years, and yet hearing it still makes him blush like a young schoolboy. He ducks his head, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck, and he prays that Mr. Ral doesn’t notice the sudden flush of his cheeks. “Yeah, it’s been a while. How is, ah, Petra doing?” he asks. He had meant to ask the question casually, but he stumbles over the words a little too quickly.

“Petra? She’s well,” Mr. Ral answers with a smile. The corners of his eyes crinkle and his laughter lines deepen. He doesn’t seem to notice how flustered Eren is. “She just started teaching at the same university that Zeke is teaching at.”

That’s certainly news to Eren. Zeke hadn’t mentioned that at any of the family dinners Eren had attended recently. It could just be because Zeke hadn’t run into her yet or it had simply slipped his mind, but Eren kind of doubts it. If Petra’s father knew, then it’s highly unlikely that Zeke didn’t know. As much as Eren wants to frown, he fights the urge to turn the edges of his mouth downward and gives Mr. Ral a thin but polite smile. “That’s great to hear. What does she teach?”

“English,” Mr. Ral replies, his chest puffed out proudly. It’s endearing how much he adores his daughter. “She teaches some upper-division classes on creative writing and a few classes for freshmen on critical reading and writing.”

Eren’s smile is more genuine now, more fond as he listens to Mr. Ral speak about his daughter. “Yeah, that sounds like her. She was always really good with words.” He remembers lazy summer afternoons lying underneath the shade of a tree and pretending he was sleeping so that he could listen to Petra talk to Zeke on the front porch. It wasn’t even that he wanted to eavesdrop. He just liked the sound of her voice. Eren wonders if it’s still as wonderfully soothing and soft as he remembers.

“And what about you?” Mr. Ral asks, snapping Eren out of his reverie. The old man seems to ask out of polite obligation. It figures that he isn’t really interested in Eren’s life. After all, he hadn’t remembered that Eren existed until five minutes ago.

“I just graduated a few months ago. I majored in child education,” Eren replies. He looks down feeling slightly embarrassed although he’s not sure why. It feels like a step down from Petra’s accomplishments. His sort-of stepmom would certainly agree. She enjoys rubbing Zeke’s doctorate in Eren’s face whenever she gets the chance. Eren clears his throat and adds, “I’ve been working at Liberio Daycare. It’s near Shiganshina Elementary.”

It’s unclear whether or not Mr. Ral recognizes the name but he nods and reaches over to give Eren a pat on the arm, a grin on his face as if the old man is actually proud of him. “That’s good! Your parents must be proud.” He doesn’t notice the way Eren flinches and carries on. “It’s good to hear that you’ve been well.”

“Likewise,” Eren says. His eyes wander towards the bakery. It hadn’t occurred to him to look for Petra before, but now that he knows she’s back in town he can’t imagine doing anything else. He half hopes that she’ll be inside, maybe clearing the display for the night or wiping down the countertops, but all he sees is a girl his age at the register munching on some lavender bars that hadn’t sold. Before he can stop himself, Eren finds himself asking, “Is Petra in?”

“Petra?” Mr. Ral asks with his eyebrows raised. Maybe it does seem out of the blue that Eren’s asking. Petra was always more Zeke’s friend than Eren’s. Mr. Ral gives Eren an apologetic smile and a shake of his head. “I’m afraid not. She told me she was eating dinner at a friend’s house. I’ll let her know you stopped by. Maybe you two can catch up sometime.”

Eren shouldn’t feel so disappointed, but he can feel himself deflating at Mr. Ral’s words. He really doubts Petra would want to meet up with him. It’s not as if they were incredibly close before. Still, he gives Mr. Ral a gracious smile and says, “That would be great! I should probably get going. I have to, ah, eat dinner…” His voice trails off and he looks to bike only to find the front basket empty. Eyes straying further, he finds that his tub of potato salad had rolled out of his bike basket and onto the ground where it lay pitifully. Thankfully, the tub hasn’t broken and the potato salad hasn’t spilled out, but somehow the salad looks even more pathetic than it did when Eren purchased it. It’s something Eren would have been happy about fifteen minutes ago, but it’s embarrassing now. Quickly, he goes to pick it up and drop it into his bike basket with the slim hope that Mr. Ral wouldn’t think much about it, but Eren has never been that lucky.

Mr. Ral must find him pitiful because he asks, “Why don’t you take some dessert home?” He’s already heading back into the bakery, gesturing for Eren to follow him despite Eren’s protests. “If you don’t, they’ll just go to waste. Or into my employee’s stomach, and goodness knows that she’s already eaten enough desserts today already.”

“Thank you so much, sir,” Eren says, humbly bowing his head.

“Sasha,” Mr. Ral calls the girl at the register. “Could you ring up a few things for Eren?”

The girl’s head snaps up at the call of her name, her cheeks filled with pastry and crumbs all over her mouth. “Sure thing,” Sasha says, gulping down the last of her lavender bar and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She walks over to the side, Eren following her on the other side of the counter, and washes her hands hastily. As she wipes her hands dry with the hand towel, she looks at Eren brightly and asks in a chipper voice, “Do you have anything you want in particular?”

Eren’s eyes scan over the display, but he doesn’t really look at anything in particular. He just wants to get out of this situation as quickly as possible. He’s embarrassed himself quite enough for today. “Just … whatever you’d recommend,”

“Alright-y,” the girl hums, taking a bag and stuffing it full with little tarts and tea cakes and croissants. Eren looks at her briefly, realizing that he doesn’t recognize her. She must have moved here sometime during the past six years when he wasn’t around.

As Sasha finishes preparing the bag, Eren walks over to the register and gets ready to pull his wallet out but Mr. Ral walks over, shaking his head. “No need to pay for it,” Mr. Ral says. He reaches over the counter and takes the bag from Sasha, presenting it to Eren with a smile. “Consider it a treat. Really, you’d be doing me a favor just taking it. They would have gone to waste otherwise.”

“Ah, thank you,” Eren says, his face flushing once more. He takes the bag from Mr. Ral with a small bow of his head. “It was great seeing you again, Mr. Ral.”

“Likewise,” Mr. Ral says with that same crinkly smile. He walks Eren to the door, watching as Eren packs the desserts alongside his potato salad. “Take good care of yourself, Eren, and tell your brother I said hi.” He waves as Eren assures him he’ll do just that, returning to the shop only once Eren has biked away.

This is not how the night was supposed to go. Eren was supposed to be wandering around the neighborhood with his potato salad before waltzing into his father’s house an hour late, his sort-of stepmother silently fuming at the dinner table while the family sat and waited for him. He hadn’t planned on bumping into his childhood crush’s father, and he certainly hadn’t planned on looking so incredibly pathetic in front of Mr. Ral. He can only imagine what Mr. Ral will tell Petra when she sees her dad tonight. Maybe something about how he grew up to be such a loser even though his half-brother managed to graduate with a Ph.D. and is now a successful anthropology professor at the local university. It’s not something that usually gets Eren down, but thinking about it now is making him feel especially miserable.

Eren’s not sure why the thought of Petra knowing how his life is so embarrassing. He hasn’t spoken to her in years, so her opinion of him shouldn’t matter. And even if she did have an opinion of him, he’s sure it wouldn’t be unkind. Petra had always been nice to him even when he was a kid and just being an annoying third wheel to her and Zeke. When his childish admiration of her turned into puppy love and eventually evolved into a full-fledged crush, she never brushed him off or thought him annoying, although there was a chance that she just never noticed. He couldn’t blame her for that when Zeke, honor roll student and valedictorian Zeke, was always standing right in front of her. He wasn’t even surprised when they started dating. It was inevitable. And when they eventually broke up for some reason that Eren still isn’t quite sure about, Eren knew he’d never be able to compare so he never tried to pursue her. It’s not surprising that he and Petra ended up losing touch.

As much as he would love to blame Zeke for it (and it would be incredibly easy for him to blame Zeke), he can’t. Maybe it’s strange that he doesn’t harbor a deep hatred for his half-brother. Their relationship has all the makings of a classic sibling rivalry - a complicated family history, stark differences in accomplishments, and affections for the same girl - but Eren could never bring himself to hate Zeke. Even if Zeke’s mother liked to hold all of her son’s accomplishments over Eren’s head, Zeke himself never bragged about them. In fact, he was quite humble and would even offer to help his younger half-brother if he was struggling with something in school. Oftentimes he would invite Eren to hang out with his friends even though their age gap made it a little awkward. He even remembered Eren’s favorite snacks and would make sure they were in supply whenever Eren came over to visit. If Zeke’s mother was an evil Disney stepmother come to life, Zeke was that one fairytale sibling that was kind to the tragic main character, so Eren had no choice but to like Zeke. Even when Zeke broke up with Petra and Eren couldn’t understand why, when Zeke told Eren that it “just happened,” Eren kind of left it at that and accepted that because he couldn’t imagine Zeke doing anything wrong.

Could Eren be classified with an inferiority complex with regards to his brother? Probably, but most siblings can. Eren would have to challenge whether or not someone with inferiority complexes would admire their brother as much as he does, but they might in a weird way. Eren’s sure that he and Zeke’s relationship would still be complicated even if they didn’t have all the weird history with Eren and Zeke’s parents.

Eren sighs as he flies down a dip in the road, letting gravity carry him down instead of pedaling. He really doesn’t feel like he’s in the right headspace for this family dinner. Usually, he lets all of that woman’s snide comments ricochet, but his armor has grown weak and he can just imagine her landing the right thinly-veiled insult, her words burying into his skin and hitting right where it hurts. For a moment, Eren considers calling the dinner off with an excuse that will be sure to piss his stepmother off — probably something about how he has to restructure his lesson plan for the upcoming week — but he glances down at the potato salad and bag of baked goods in his bike basket and realizes that he really doesn’t want to eat them all by himself. If he’s going to suffer, he might as well make the rest of his family suffer alongside him. And besides, he’s pretty much already at their house anyway.

His bike slows as he approaches the white-picket fenced house. He takes the potato salad tub and the bag of baked goods before leaving his bike on the driveway, not bothering to chain it to the fence because nobody would want to steal the old thing he bought from a garage sale anyway. The sight of it lying in front of the house instead of properly locked up will be sure to piss off that woman too, which is just an added bonus. With a sigh, Eren marches up the front steps, shifting the food all on one arm so he can ring the doorbell. The familiar chime rings out, muted from behind the wooden door. A muffled voice mumbles something Eren can’t hear, but he already knows that the speaker has nothing good to say about him.

The door is thrown open and Eren looks down to see his stepmother glowering up at him, blue eyes a raging storm. “You’re late,” she hisses. She doesn’t even give him a greeting; she just stands there in front of him silently fuming. Behind her stands Eren’s father. As expected, he says nothing to defend his son’s tardiness. The man just stands there, uncomfortable as he quietly observes.

“Sorry, Dina,” Eren says, squeezing past his stepmother who makes an indignant noise. He dangles the food he brought in front of her face, rolling his eyes when she snatches the bag from him only to wrinkle her nose in disgust when she sees the potato salad. “I brought dessert, too. Do you want me to put it somewhere …?”

Dina snatches the bag of desserts from him too, still huffing. “We have a guest tonight too. Do you know how rude you’re being?” she says, continuing to nag at him even though Eren has stopped listening to her years ago.

Eren’s father gently grabs Eren by the elbow, subtly ushering him inside to avoid any more conflict but Eren yanks his arm away.

“Well, maybe if you told me we were having a guest beforehand I would have showed up on time,” Eren snaps. He sounds angry as he says it, but he really does mean it. It’s one thing to be rude to his stepmother, but it’s another thing entirely to be rude to a guest he doesn’t know. He’d at least wait for introductions before deciding whether or not to show any manners.

Before his stepmother can say anything more, Eren stomps off into the dining room where Zeke and the guest are waiting. He keeps his head down, cheeks burning, as he pulls out his chair - the one furthest from everyone - and slumps down into it. “Sorry, I’m late,” Eren mumbles, still looking down.

“Eren,” says a deep voice that Eren recognizes as Zeke’s. Hearing the voice of someone other than his stepmother’s makes Eren relax a bit and he rests with his back against his chair, a little more at ease now. He can hear Zeke’s small smile as his half-brother asks, “Aren’t you going to say hi to our guest?”

“Uh, yeah. Hi,” Eren says. His eyes flicker upward, first at Zeke who sits across from him, and then at the guest. He looks so quickly at first that he doesn’t register exactly who he’s seeing until he does a double-take, his green eyes widening as they take in the woman sitting there. It’s someone he hadn’t expected to see ever again, much less sitting at his family’s dining table, and he’s so surprised that he almost chokes. For a moment, he thinks it might just be a doppelganger, but there’s no mistaking the soft dimples that appear in her cheeks as her lips curl in a smile. “...Petra?”

“Hi, Eren.” Petra’s voice is still as gentle and soothing as Eren remembers, the sound of it so honey-sweet that he feels his cheeks bloom a soft pink. There’s so much about her that’s different, but there’s so much more that’s the same. Her hair is shorter now, no longer falling right at her shoulder, but curling right under her chin in a short bob. It’s the same shade of ginger it was when he was a kid. If it’s under the right light, it would probably burn a fiery gold. Her doe eyes are the same pretty amber, sweet and dangerously entrancing at the same time. She’s even dressed differently, her button-up blouse and slick gray trousers such a departure from the casual jeans and t-shirts she wore ten years ago when Eren was still in high school. Eren feels horribly underdressed - his ratty university sweatshirt over a thin cotton tee and his ripped jeans are so shabby in comparison - but a glimmer of silver on Petra’s wrist attracts Eren’s attention to the charm bracelet she wears, jangling with charms that Eren remembers her collecting in her high school days, and he feels a little less like he’s meeting a stranger and more like he’s reuniting with an old friend.

“How are you?” Eren asks shyly, his smile bashful.

“I’m well,” she answers, and Eren feels himself melting into her voice the same way he did when he was thirteen. When she smiles, her head tilts ever so slightly to the right just the way it did when he first met her and her dimples deepen into her cheeks. “How are you?”

“Good,” Eren answers because he doesn’t trust himself to string together more than a word or two at a time. He wonders if she realizes how he’s unraveling at the sound of her voice or if she’s as oblivious as she was the last time.

“I’m glad,” Petra says, and the warm look Petra gives Eren reignites a flame in the pit of his belly that he had thought he extinguished long ago. Her head tilts a little bit more to the side, her eyes twinkling. “I missed you,” Petra tells him, and Eren finds himself in love once more.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

There are rules to dealing with your ex-boyfriend after you’ve broken up, Petra knows, but it’s been ten years and she figures that these rules can be bent. So what if the last time she saw Zeke she was broken-hearted, crying in the rain as he turned his back on her? She was younger then, her feelings out of control for someone who didn’t care for her nearly as much as she cared for him. And, sure, maybe it’s terrible that she never received the closure that she deserves, but she can’t hold a grudge against him forever. They work in the same university and cowering behind the nearest trashcan every time they meet doesn’t seem to be a viable option. Petra’s older now and so is Zeke. They’re mature. They can be friends like adults are after they’ve broken up, so the universe should be able to understand her accepting Zeke’s dinner request that evening even if her friends couldn’t.

She only started to regret her decision when Zeke offered to drive her there after his classes ended - saving gas and the planet, he explained - and she agreed. Although Petra repeatedly told herself that it was a simple family dinner and that such an invitation was extended to Zeke’s other friends on occasion, she found herself sitting impatiently in her office, biting her nails down so close to the quick that her fingers started to bleed. Having to bandage her fingers as she waited did absolutely nothing to soothe her nerves.

“I don’t see why you’re so nervous,” Levi tells her over the phone. He taught in the mathematics department, but they had met after Petra had nervously stumbled into the wrong building and into his office on her first day at the university. The man has a perpetual scowl on his face, and that very same expression had nearly sent Petra running until she weakly explained that she must have gotten lost and he kindly redirected her to the building her office was located in. She thought that was going to be the end of their interaction until he emailed her shortly after asking if she had gotten to her office alright. Finding him a kindred spirit, he had become her first (and sadly only) companion at the university aside from Zeke. “If you’re friends with him, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.”

“Well, it’s just that I haven’t really seen him since we, you know, broke up,” Petra explains, but she doubts that Levi understands. She had told him her history with Zeke a few weeks ago after he asked her why she was so jittery at the faculty luncheon, but he didn’t have much of a reaction. It was sort of nice having someone to talk to that wasn’t as hyperbolically reactive as the rest of her friends, but it was also painfully difficult when Levi didn’t show her any sympathy.

“You saw him last week when you were at the library to look for reference books,” he reminds her as if it were the same thing. “I don’t know why this dinner has you in a panic. You left me nearly a hundred messages while I was teaching class.” He hadn’t even replied to her texts, the bastard. He had simply left her on read until midnight before sending her a thumbs-up emoji to let her know that he had read her messages, which was not exactly the response Petra was waiting for.

“This is different!” Petra insists, but she knows Levi will never see it that way.

“You’re making this a much bigger deal than it needs to be,” Levi says. She can hear him scribbling something on the other end, probably correcting exams for his differential equations classes and marking a poor student’s paper in an abundance of red. “Either cancel or just go to dinner with him. You’ve had family dinners with him even before you guys got together right?”

“Yeah, but that was back when we were kids,” Petra mumbles, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

“Then you’ll be fine,” he tells her.

“You’re horribly unsympathetic sometimes,” she sighs.

“If you wanted sympathy, you shouldn’t have called me,” Levi says with a cluck of his tongue, but he chuckles when he hears her groan on the other end. “Really, it’ll be fine. You’re just overthinking it. I’m sure it’ll be fine. And you said the kid will be there, right? His brother, so it’s not as if you’ll be alone with Zeke and his parents.”

Petra lays with her head on her desk, her phone pressed against her cheek. “Yeah, you’re right,” she mumbles, but her lower lip still sticks out in a pout. The thought of Eren being there, sweet little Eren with his eager puppy eyes and wide smile, does make her feel better if only a little. She probably hasn’t seen him since she broke up with Zeke. She wonders if he’s changed very much. He’d be in college now? Or maybe he graduated. “I haven’t seen him in awhile though. What if he hates me now?”

“You’re overthinking again,” Levi says. He sighs on the other end. If Petra didn’t know him very well, she would think she was bothering him, but he’s always like this. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Yes. No. Maybe,” Petra sniffs. She looks sadly at her bandaged fingers and picks at the ends of one of them. “Should I just cancel? Maybe I can tell him I fell down the stairs and had to go to the hospital or something -” Someone knocks at the door and Petra lets out a startled yelp, nearly falling out of her chair because she’s so surprised. When she looks at the door, she sees Zeke’s silhouette against the frosted glass pane. The sight of it makes her want to hide behind her desk. “God, he’s here already!”

“Too late for you to run then,” Levi says, not even bothering to hide his snickering. He’s such a sadist that Petra doesn’t even know why she’s friends with him sometimes. “Have fun at your absolutely normal dinner with your friend and his family.” Click!

“Asshole,” Petra mutters under her breath before shoving her phone in her bag. There’s another knock at the door — the same long, slow knocks that are a signature of Zeke’s — and she hastily shouts, “I’ll be right there!” before shoving her papers in her bag and stumbling out of the door, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. She must look like a mess because Zeke raises an eyebrow at her when she emerges from her office. Petra catches a glimpse of her reflection in the window and winces at her frumpled shirt and the hair falling out of her bun. She mumbles an apology as she pulls the hair ties out of her bun, her hair falling in loose curls around her face.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Zeke asks.

“No! God, no,” Petra says, inwardly cringing at every word that comes out of her mouth. Even she can tell how awkward her responses sound, a little too quick and desperate. What is she being so anxious for? It’s just dinner with a friend — an ex-boyfriend, but a friend nonetheless. Petra clears her throat and asks as casually as she can manage, “How are your parents?”

“Hmm? They’re well, I suppose,” he answers. Everything about him is familiar. He’s grown just a bit taller since Petra last saw him, his shoulders a bit broader and his jawline a bit sharper, but he still wears the same double-bridge glasses and the right corner of his mouth still quirks upward just the slightest bit when he speaks. He even walks the same way, his strides a little too long and quick, and Petra finds that she still has to struggle a bit to keep up. If Zeke notices the same thing about her - how she still wears the same shade of lipstick, how she still has that habit of wrapping her hair around her finger when she’s nervous like she’s doing now, how she bites her lip when she’s not sure what to say next - he doesn’t mention it. “My father’s still working at the hospital with my grandfather. He’s been promoted to director of the orthopedics department.”

“Oh, congrats!”

“And you know my mother has been at the hospital now that she doesn’t have to worry about me anymore,” Zeke says. It’s strange how casually he says this, as if he doesn’t remember that the last time he spoke about his mother to Petra was when they were still together. “She really missed being in the OR. Says she’d rather be doing surgeries all day than taking care of me.”

“It’s nice that she can go back to it.” She nearly stumbles over a step but catches the railing before she can. When she looks up again, Zeke is already on the sidewalk and she hurries after him, a little breathless. “And Eren?”

“Eren?” Zeke seems a little surprised by the question although Petra doesn’t know why. He leads her to a car - a slick Mercedes with a shining blue exterior and tinted windows that don’t quite match Zeke’s academic profession — and opens the car doors with a click.

“Your brother,” she clarifies as Zeke walks over to the driver’s side and slips into the car. She opens the passenger car and slides into the seat beside Zeke, setting her bag down next to her feet. The door swings shut behind her. “He’s coming to the dinner too, right?”

Zeke turns on the engine and the car comes to life with a pleasant hum. “Most likely,” Zeke says as he checks the side and rearview mirrors before pulling out of the parking space. He even drives the same way, his arm resting on the side with his hand tapping against the door while one hand is on the wheel. Just watching him makes Petra’s chest feel tight.

“Ah, that’s good. I haven’t seen him in so long,” Petra says. For some reason, knowing that Eren will also be there makes her feel a little more relaxed about the dinner. “Is he still in college? I think he should have graduated by now.”

“He graduated a little while ago. He’s teaching now. Still on probation, but he says his colleagues like him so he’s not too worried about getting tenure after the probationary period is over.” He slows the car to a stop at an intersection and leans over, fiddling with the radio dial. He sets it to the jazz station and the sound of smooth brass and relaxed percussion fills the car.

Somehow, driving down the streets with Zeke is far more nostalgic than it ever was when Petra drove on her own. Some nights Petra drove home by herself, and all it ever felt was lonely. Maybe it’s the familiarity of having Zeke beside her like when they were teenagers, driving back home after watching a movie downtown or returning from a basketball game at their high school.

Petra doesn’t ask any more questions about Zeke’s family. She figures she can catch up with the rest of the Jaegers when she sees them at dinner. Instead, she asks Zeke about his classes and finds that conversation with him comes more easily after she stops stumbling over her words. He tells her a little bit about teaching anthropology (“Far less painful than you think it would be, at least when the kids aren’t just taking it to fulfill their core classes,” he says), his plans for the upcoming week (“It’s midterms, but the students should be fine if they actually look at the study guide.”), and the butterfly exhibit opening up at the museum downtown (“I’m thinking of putting it up as extra credit. Who knows, they might actually look at the other exhibits while they’re wandering around.”). Petra also fills him in on her own life, mumbling about how she still has to make the answer key to her own midterm and expressing interest in the butterfly exhibit Zeke mentions.

They pull up next to Zeke’s house, the very same one he grew up with. Not much has changed from the outside. The white picket fence is a little worn and the rose bushes have been replaced with peonies. The house is still the same shade of cream, but Petra is sure that the Jaegers had it repainted over the summer like they usually do. She looks up at the second-story window where Zeke’s room should be and vaguely wonders if it’s still his room or if he’s moved out and hasn’t mentioned it yet.

Walking up the brick steps to the door is a bit surreal. Petra doesn’t realize just how silent she’s been until the chime of the doorbell startles her and Mrs. Jaeger opens the door. As with most of Zeke’s family members, Petra hasn’t seen Mrs. Jaeger since she broke up with Zeke, but she had an amicable relationship with her. She can’t recall Mrs. Jaeger ever being angry, so she’s surprised when Zeke’s mother opens the door with a terrible scowl on her face.

“Mom, you remember Petra,” Zeke says, moving aside so that Petra can enter first.

The scowl quickly slips from Mrs. Jaeger’s face, replaced with a smile that Petra is more familiar with. “Petra, of course! I haven’t seen you in ages,” Mrs. Jaeger says, her voice strained. She waves Petra and Zeke in, shutting the door gently behind them. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Petra mumbles. She looks at the kitchen doorway where Zeke’s father leans and gives him an awkward wave. The man, just as silent as he was when Petra was young, gives her a polite smile and a nod in acknowledgment.

“Sorry, we’re a bit late,” Zeke apologizes as he shrugs off his coat. He walks over to the dining room, Petra and his mother trailing behind him. “A student wanted to talk to me and it took a bit longer than I thought it would.”

“No need to apologize! Eren hasn’t arrived yet anyway. He’ll probably be late. Again.” There’s a harsh tone in Mrs. Jaeger’s voice that Petra hasn't heard before. When she looks up, she sees Zeke’s mother hovering around the table and arranging dishes, the same polite smile on her face as she does so. “Your brother, of course, didn’t bother to send a text to notify us that he’d be late.”

Petra wonders if Mrs. Jaeger usually speaks about Eren with such disappointment in her voice. Maybe she had always spoken about Eren like this and Petra had never been around to witness it or maybe it’s something that developed while Petra was away. Whatever it is, Zeke and his father seem used to it. Zeke merely shrugs, pulling out his phone to flip through his phone while his mother continues to mutter about how disrespectful her stepson is. Mr. Jaeger continues to stand at the doorway, not bothering to join them at the dining table, his eyes fixed on the carpet. He doesn’t bother to defend his son.

“Maybe he’s busy,” Petra says, interrupting Mrs. Jaeger mid-rant. She feels rude for speaking while Mrs. Jaeger is talking, but sitting in silence while Zeke’s mother speaks ill of Eren doesn’t feel right either. All eyes are on her now - Mrs. Jaeger a little surprised, Zeke with an eyebrow quirked upward as if in amusement, and his father with a look that’s almost relieved. Petra clears her throat and continues. “He’s a teacher, right? It must be difficult teaching so many children every day — making the lesson plan and everything. Maybe texting slipped his mind. He’ll probably be here soon.”

God, she hopes Eren will be here soon. Her cheeks are starting to burn bright red and she’s thinking that perhaps speaking up might not have been the best decision.

“Ah, you’re probably right.” Mrs. Jaeger seems a little more composed now, perhaps remembering that they have company over. She settles down in the chair across from Zeke and flashes a pleasant smile at Petra. “He can be quite forgetful of these things. Of course, you’d never worry your father like this. You’ve always been so responsible.”

Has talking with Zeke’s mother always been this difficult? Petra’s head is starting to spin, unsure of what response would be appropriate. She feels as if she should defend Eren, but she doesn’t want to make things awkward either. In the end, she smiles awkwardly at Mrs. Jaeger as if accepting the woman’s compliment and reaches out for the glass of water in front of her, raising it to her lips before she can say anything else that she might regret.

“Dear, come sit next to me,” Mrs. Jaeger calls. She gestures for her husband to join them at the table and Mr. Jaeger stiffly walks over from the doorway before taking a seat at the head of the table. Mrs. Jaeger folds her hands on the table, her gaze still on Petra. “How have you been, Petra? We haven’t heard from you in a while. How long have you been back?”

The series of questions leave Petra tongue-tied and unsure of how to answer. It’s so strange how casual the Jaegers can be about asking after her, like she hadn’t been such a large part of their lives — or at least Zeke’s life — ten years ago before disappearing completely. As if they didn’t know the real reason she hadn’t kept in touch. She’s not sure if she’ll ever be able to act as oblivious as them.

“Er, I’ve been back for a while now,” she replies. She bites her lip when she sees the look of surprise on Mrs. Jaeger’s face. When she glances over at Zeke, he doesn’t look back at her. He’s returned his gaze to his phone screen, ignoring her. Nervously, she laughs. “I guess Zeke didn’t tell you, but I’m teaching at the same university he is. A few undergraduate English classes and then a graduate course on nature and romantic poetry.” Petra doesn’t know why she feels a lump at the back of her throat or the sting of tears at the corner of her eyes. She nibbles at her lip again, looking down at her lap so that she doesn’t have to look at Zeke or his family. She doesn’t have a reason to feel hurt or upset. Maybe Zeke was busy and didn’t have the chance to mention it to his parents or maybe it just slipped his mind. It isn’t a big deal.

“Oh, that must be nice! Who knew you two would be working together after all these years?” Mrs. Jaeger says. She subtly pushes the cheese plate on the table towards Petra, gesturing for her to take one.

“Mmm,” Petra says, nodding as if she agrees with Mrs. Jaeger. It’s not as if she’s wrong. Petra certainly didn’t know any of this would happen. She knew some of it would — getting her degree, teaching at a university, eating dinner with Zeke’s parents — she just hadn’t predicted other things like Zeke breaking up with her, not speaking with him for ten years after knowing him her entire life, or having to pretend that she’s okay.

Petra reaches for a cracker and a spread of raspberry goat cheese and shoves the entire thing in her mouth, hoping that she won’t have to answer any more questions.

“The university is nice,” Zeke’s father murmurs. It’s the first time he’s spoken all night. The sound of his voice startles Petra, but the other Jaegers don’t seem too surprised. “It’s near the museum too. Very convenient.”

“Ah, the museum!” Mrs. Jaeger clasps her hands together and looks at Petra expectantly. Petra nearly chokes on her cracker out of nervousness. “Have you been there yet?”

“Er, not yet,” Petra says hastily, wincing at the pain in her throat. She takes a quick sip of her water to relieve it. “I haven’t really found the time, I guess.”

“Oh, you should absolutely go!” says Mrs. Jaeger brightly. Petra had never thought Mrs. Jaeger was one to love museums, but there’s probably a lot about the woman that Petra doesn’t know now. All Petra really remembers about the woman is that she stayed at home during the daytime and worked at the hospital at night. She’s bound to have found other ways to occupy her time now that she doesn’t have to worry about Zeke anymore.

“You sound as if you really enjoy it.” Petra nibbles at another cracker. She feels as if she should smile right now, but she’s not sure if she’s able to. “Are there any exhibits you would recommend?”

“Oh, they’re all good! The staff especially …,” Mrs. Jaeger gushes, but her voice begins to trail off. Her eyes flicker over to Zeke as if waiting for a sign to proceed, but her son pays no attention to her. He simply reaches over for an almond on the cheese plate and pops it into his mouth. His mother’s smile tightens and she continues, “The butterfly exhibit that’s opening soon should be exquisite!”

Petra looks from Zeke to Mrs. Jaeger. Aside from Mrs. Jaeger’s forced smile, Petra really can’t tell what’s wrong, so she puts on a false smile of her own and nods. “I know. Zeke was telling me about it on the ride here.”

There’s a long and awkward silence. Zeke puts no effort in speaking and neither does his father, who still sits and stares at his lap. Only Mrs. Jaeger and Petra seem to be putting in any effort to pick up the conversation, both trying to appear calm as they search for some common ground to work with. Instead, the doorbell rings and Petra swears she hears a sigh of relief escape Mrs. Jaeger’s lips.

“It seems Eren has finally arrived,” Mrs. Jaeger says, her chair scraping across the floor as she gets up from the table. As she turns to leave, she flashes Petra an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry you had to wait so long.” Petra is about to tell her that it wasn’t a problem, that she didn’t mind waiting (even if it was a lie), but Zeke’s mother has already disappeared into the next room with Zeke’s father following silently behind her.

For a moment, Petra wonders if she should try to talk to Zeke so more. It’s not that the quiet bothers her, but she’s never felt comfortable sitting silently next to others unless she was completely comfortable with them. Ten years ago this would have been fine, but now sitting with Zeke beside her without saying a word is making her skin crawl and her throat dry. She glances at him from the corner of her eye, trying to gauge his interest.

Zeke doesn’t seem to be bothered by the silence at all. He’s still scrolling through his phone, occasionally reaching out to pluck a cracker or another almond from the cheese plate. If he’s fine without any conversation, Petra figures she shouldn’t bother him. She settles down with her back against her chair rather unhappily and tries to occupy herself another way.

Petra tries not to eavesdrop on the conversation going on in the other room. First, she stares down at the lace tablecloth, gazing at the delicate pattern until the floral designs are burned into her corneas. Mrs. Jaeger’s voice begins to drift into the dining room, her tone just as cold and harsh as it was when she spoke about Eren earlier this evening. Another voice floats into the room as well, a voice like Eren’s but a bit deeper and rougher than Petra remembers. As the two continue to talk, Petra finds herself straining to listen to the conversation, but she can’t quite make out the words. The words exchanged don’t sound incredibly pleasant though.

“...if you told me we were having a guest beforehand I would have shown up on time,” Eren hisses as he walks into the room. He’s taller than he was when Petra had seen him last — probably as tall as his brother if not taller — but he walks with his head down and doesn’t seem to notice Petra seated at the table even as he pulls out a chair to sit down. Without looking up, Eren mumbles, “Sorry, I’m late.”

Zeke looks up, his expression amused. “Eren,” he says, setting down his phone for once. He rests his chin in his hand, mouth quirked upward in a smile. “Aren’t you going to say hi to our guest?”

“Uh, yeah. Hi,” Eren says, mumbling into his lap. His eyes flicker upward, first at Zeke and then Petra, but he doesn’t really register who Petra is until he takes another glance. His eyes are huge like a doe’s. He’s always had big eyes even when he was a child, large and green like gemstones. He’s grown into them more since the last time Petra has seen him, but they’re still enormous, growing wider as he recognizes her. His mouth falls open in surprise. “... Petra?”

She can feel her lips curling in a smile. “Hi, Eren.”

Eren smiles back at her, a little nervous but a lot more relaxed than he was when he first arrived. He’s still shy when he smiles, looking up at her before glancing down at his lap again. “How are you?” He sits up straighter in his seat, no longer slouching.

“I’m well. How are you?”

“Good,” Eren answers.

“I’m glad. I missed you,” Petra tells him, and she means it.

His smile is a little wider now and Petra feels the most relaxed than she’s been the entire night. It’s nice to know that, despite everything, at least Eren hasn’t changed and she feels less awkward being at a Jaeger family dinner after ten years of estrangement.

Mrs. Jaeger puts down a tub of what looks like a potato salad on the table, opening the container with a frown. “At least you didn’t come empty-handed,” she comments wryly.

Eren winces but doesn’t say anything.

Petra sits up. “It looks, um, delicious.” It doesn’t. It looks like a pile of mush and not at all like anything edible, but Petra begins to spoon some on her plate anyway out of politeness despite the look of alarm on Eren’s face. “Eren, your brother told me you started teaching recently. Where do you teach?”

“Just, um, down the street. Not really elementary … it’s a daycare,” he says distractedly as he watches her help herself to his potato salad. Eren hesitates for a moment before taking the spoon from Petra and switching their plates. He does it absentmindedly, almost as if he doesn’t realize what he’s doing until he notices everyone looking at him peculiarly. Flustered, he explains, “It’s not, ah, I don’t think it’s very good. So.” As if to prove his point, he puts a heaping spoonful of it into his mouth, gagging on it as he swallows it down, and scrunches his face up in disgust.

Mrs. Jaeger looks rather smug as Eren chokes. “I’ll just put this away then,” she says, removing the tub of potato salad from the table. She gestures for Petra to help herself to the other food on the table. “Help yourself to everything else, Petra.”

“Er, thank you,” Petra says. She does feel bad about not eating the potato salad, but Eren looks pretty relieved. Because she’s talked Zeke’s ear off in the car and doesn’t know how to carry on a conversation with the Jaeger parents, she decides to continue her conversation with Eren. “Daycare seems like it would suit you. I bet you’re great with kids.”

“I’m alright,” Eren mumbles as he pushes the potatoes back and forth on his plate, but he’s hiding a smile on his face, secretly pleased. He’s never been that good at hiding his emotions, which Petra thinks is an endearing trait. “Teaching at a university is probably harder.” He freezes for a moment and then hurriedly adds, “Your dad told me you work as a professor now. I ran into him before coming here. He mentioned that you taught English …?”

She doesn’t say anything for a moment, casting a side glance at Zeke. She thought Zeke would have mentioned that they were working at the same university, but maybe it never came up in conversation between the brothers or they just weren’t as close as they were before. Forcing a smile on her face, she nods, “Yeah, I teach English, but I wouldn’t say teaching university is more or less difficult than handling a daycare. They have their own challenges, right?”

“Yeah,” Eren replies, voice soft. His smile grows wider and, after Petra asks him about what it’s like teaching at the daycare, starts animatedly talking about his students. He seems very endeared towards a young girl named Gabi, a very mischievous but sweet troublemaker, and her companion Falco, a young boy that often has no choice but to be dragged into all of Gabi’s shenanigans.

Talking to Eren makes the rest of the dinner go by easily. He’s always been easy to talk to even when they were teenagers and she was dating Zeke. Sometimes she would wait at the Jaeger house and talk with Eren while they waited for Zeke to come back from baseball practice. Eren was always so animated when he talked, using his hands and sometimes bouncing up and down his seat when he got excited. He still does that now as he talks about his work at the daycare, listening intently whenever Petra or even Zeke exchange their own stories about teaching. It makes her feel as if the past ten years hadn’t really happened, like Zeke and Eren had been a part of her life the entire time.

“Oh, I brought dessert,” Eren says brightly. Before Mrs. Jaeger can say anything, he gets up to collect the paper bag on the kitchen counter and plops it on the dining table. He pushes it closer to Petra. “Your dad gave me some while he was closing up his shop.”

She laughs. “I eat too many of these as it is,” Petra says, but she plucks an almond cookie from the bag. Her teeth sink into the cookie, savoring its subtle nutty flavor on her tongue, and sighs. “Don’t tell my dad. He won’t let me eat anymore when I get home.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Eren grins.

Petra peers into the bag. “Did he give you any chocolate croissants?” She looks over at Eren. “Those are still your favorites, right?”

Eren looks surprised. “Ah, yeah,” he replies, blinking. “You remember?”

“Of course, I remember,” she snorts. She manages to find a pain au chocolat and places it delicately on Eren’s plate. It’s a little smooshed from the ride here, chocolate spilling out of its side, but Eren still looks at it hungrily. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Zeke leans forward. “I like the lemon bars. Let me know if there are any in there.”

She laughs and actually does manage to find one, but it’s a lemon-lavender bar. Zeke assures her it’s fine, picking off the little bits of lavender that are on the top of the bar. They eat like that for a moment and Petra feels an overwhelming wave of nostalgia. It’s probably unhealthy to yearn for the past, but Petra wouldn’t mind if things somehow ended up the way they were before.

When their dishes are scraped clean and the conversations begin to fade away, Zeke pats down the corner of his mouth with a napkin before announcing that they should stop for the night. He has papers to grade tonight, he explains to his parents who nod understandingly. The wooden legs of his chair scrape against the carpet as he gets up from the table and Petra slides out of her own seat, ready to follow him.

“Ah, Petra,” Zeke says, pausing like he’s just remembered. He looks at her, head tilting slightly. He’s stopped by the door to the living room, his hand resting on the doorframe. “Do you mind calling an Uber to pick you up? I’d drive you home myself but …”

“I …” Petra blinks, feeling like a deer in headlights. If she looked around, she would see that the rest of the Jaeger family has a similar expression. She’s not sure why she feels so surprised. Maybe it’s because she had expected him to drive her home, but maybe that was too much to ask of him after he had taken the trouble to drive her here in the first place. It’s not even that far of a drive to her house, but it’s probably too cumbersome for Zeke, who’s busy with grading papers and preparing for tomorrow’s lectures. There’s an awful lump in her throat like she had swallowed an egg whole, but Petra forces a smile on her face as she begins, “Sure, let me just call my dad -”

“I’ll take you home,” a voice says suddenly. Everyone turns to see Eren standing up from his chair. At first glance he looks angry, but Petra blinks again and there’s only concern on his face as he collects his jacket and walks over to Petra. He shrugs it on and smiles down at her, his expression a little apologetic. “Er, you don’t mind riding on a bike, do you?”

Petra has to lift her head to look at Eren and she wonders when he had gotten so tall. It must have been after she left for college. “No, that’s fine,” she replies numbly, too shocked to really think about it. She shuffles silently after Eren, mumbling a brief “thank you” when he helps her into her coat.

“It was lovely having you over again, dear,” Mrs. Jaeger says to Petra, a smile pasted on the woman’s face as she saw the two out. She doesn’t say anything about Zeke not offering Petra a ride back. “Do come again sometime.”

“Of course,” Petra says, although the promise feels empty. She’s not sure if Mrs. Jaeger notices or even cares because the woman shuts the door in her face before Eren and Petra are even out in the driveway. It’s not a cold gesture, but it’s a change from the days when Mrs. Jaeger would wait until Petra was almost out of sight before shutting the door and disappearing into the house.

Petra shoves her hands into the pockets of her coat and follows Eren down the driveway, watching as he runs to the bike he had carelessly discarded on the ground before entering the house earlier. Embarrassed, Eren hastily picks up the bike, brushing it off and mumbling something about how he had been in too much of a hurry earlier to properly lock up his bike. Petra assures him it’s fine. She’s only half-listening anyway.

“You can just sit here,” Eren says, patting a padded seat on the back of his bike. He throws a leg over his bike easily and looks at Petra, waiting expectantly.

She hadn’t objected to the ride home before, but now she looks at Eren’s vehicle of choice skeptically. “Are you sure you’ll be able to pedal with me on it? I’m a whole other person.” Petra hovers beside the bike, but she doesn’t get on.

“Yeah, it’s fine. It was fine when my boyfriends were riding in the back, and they’re a lot heavier than you,” Eren replies. It takes him a moment to register what he just said and then his face begins to color, cheeks glowing pink even in the dim moonlight. “I mean my ex-boyfriends. I rode around with my ex-girlfriend too, but she was really tiny too. She was …” He probably would have babbled on and on if Petra hadn’t sat down.

“Your exes?” Petra asks, eyebrow raised. She hadn’t really thought about Eren dating, but it’s funny to think about now. She doesn’t remember if he ever dated anyone when he was in high school. She probably shouldn’t tease, but she can’t resist grinning at the boy and saying, “It looks like you were busy in college.”

“Not that busy. Just … probably as busy as your average college student,” Eren mumbles under his breath, face still flushed. He gestures at Petra’s hands and then makes a motion around his waist. “You can … around me if, you know, you’re comfortable with it.”

“Oh, right.” She leans forward and wraps her arms around Eren’s waist and wonders briefly how someone so tall can have such a thin waist. “Do you remember the way to my house?” she asks.

“Of course,” Eren says. “It’s not that far from here.”

For some reason, the way Eren answers makes Petra feel warm. Maybe it’s just the heat transfer from resting her cheek on his back. She closes her eyes, feeling the wind rush around her as Eren bikes her back home.

It feels so comfortable, clinging onto someone so familiar and breathing in Eren’s scent, something like pinewood and a little bit of peppermint. He feels strong too, sturdy like a redwood tree. Petra doesn’t know why she doubted his ability to bike with her additional weight. He’d probably be fine having someone twice her weight in tow. She experimentally gives Eren’s waist a little squeeze. It must have been too sudden of a squeeze because they come to a screeching stop, Petra’s face slamming against Eren’s back and the two of them nearly go flying.

“Oh, ouch,” Petra says. One arm is still wrapped around Eren’s lithe waist, but she raises a hand to rub her stinging face. “That hurts.”

“S-sorry!” Eren stammers. He twists around to get a good look at Petra, forehead wrinkling. “I didn’t mean to stop so suddenly I was just … surprised.” He brings his hand down to where Petra’s arm is hooked around his waist, but he snatches his hand away as soon as their skin brushes as if he’s been burned. “Sorry!”

“It’s fine,” Petra assures him. Her nose is throbbing dully, but it’s not bleeding. “It’s my fault anyway. I was just surprised. You’re a lot bigger than you were the last time I saw you.”

“I’m alright,” Eren says with a shy laugh. He pushes off on the bike and starts for home again, pedaling easily despite Petra’s weight. He doesn’t startle when Petra leans against him again, her cheek rubbing against the cotton of his hoodie. His breath hitches a little when Petra wraps her arms a little tighter around his waist, but it goes unnoticed by her.

“Were they nice?” she asks. Eren makes a confused noise, and she can’t help but smile. Clarifying, she says, “Your exes. Were they nice?”

Eren pedals in silence for a while before responding. “Yeah. They were nice.”

“That’s good.” Petra sighs against his back, not noticing the way he shivers as if he can feel her breath on his skin. “You deserve to date nice people.”

Petra might have imagined it, but she thinks she hears Eren say something in reply. He says it quietly, though, and the wind carries it away too quickly for her to hear. She straightens her back, lifting her head from where it rests against Eren’s back, but he doesn’t repeat himself and she doesn’t ask. Maybe it’s just one of those things that are meant to be spoken aloud but not heard by anyone.

They don’t speak much the rest of the way home. Petra figures Eren is having enough trouble biking with two people and holding a conversation would only tire him out more. She just lets herself rest against him, watching as they pass streetlight after streetlight. It probably would have been more convenient to call a Lyft or an Uber, but Petra thinks accepting Eren’s bike ride isn’t bad either. It saved her from having to wait awkwardly for her driver to find the house while Zeke’s parents waited for her to leave.

She wonders if she should have gone to dinner in the first place. Maybe Zeke had only invited her out of politeness, but she had taken it to mean more than it did. She’s stupid to think that arriving at the Jaeger house meant that things could go back to the way things were. It was noticeably tense in the house. At first, Petra thought it was because of the strained relationship between Mrs. Jaeger and Eren, but now she’s not so sure. It’s not as if Mr. and Mrs. Jaeger had met her with open arms. They hadn’t been hostile, but they were polite in the way that people were polite to house guests and not in the way they would be to a childhood friend of their son. God, she’s so stupid. She should have just declined Zeke’s offer politely and never spoken to him again since he was obviously content with not speaking with her for ten years.

Burying her face in Eren’s hoodie, Petra gives him another squeeze. Eren doesn’t brake this time. He just lets out a surprised “oh!” and falters for a bit, bike slowing, before picking his pace back up and continuing on their way.

“We’re almost there,” Eren tells her. As he approaches Petra’s house, the bike begins to slow before stopping completely in front of the driveway. When Petra lifts her head, Eren is looking at her, smiling. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Petra nods. She gets off the bike and pats down her windswept hair, brushing some stray locks out of her face. She manages to smile back at Eren. “Thanks for the ride back. I hope it wasn’t too out of your way.”

“It’s fine.” Eren sits at his bike, his smile a little lopsided. He looks as if he’s about to say something, but nothing comes. It’s only when Petra turns around towards her house that he opens his mouth. “Hey, Petra?”

Petra’s hand rests on the gate of her wooden fence, just about to open it. She looks at Eren, watching as he fidgets with the handle of his bike. “Yeah?”

“Did Zeke …?” His voice trails off and Eren’s looking everywhere except at her face. He nibbles on his bottom lip and Petra wonders what he’s so nervous about. His expression looks pained as if he’s scared whatever he has to say will hurt her, but Petra’s not sure why it would. After a moment, Eren swallows and forces a smile on his face. “Did Zeke tell you that … I work near your university?”

“You do?”

Eren nods. He looks a lot less nervous now, his shoulders relaxed. “Well, it’s not that far by bike.”

“Really?” Petra hums. “I should come visit you some time then.”

“Oh, you don’t have to -”

“Or you could visit me?” she suggests.

He blinks. “I can?” Eren asks. “Is that really okay?”

Petra almost laughs. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be? You should just let me know beforehand if you’re coming,” she tells him. She walks over, pulling her phone out of her purse and handing it to him so he can add his number. “Text me or call me. I might not respond right away because I might have a faculty meeting or a lecture, but I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

“Oh, alright then,” Eren says. He types away on her phone, handing it back to her as soon as he’s finished. He watches with wide green eyes as Petra sends him an emoji — a simple “Hi, Eren! It’s Petra 😊” — and looks back at her with a grin. “I’ll come visit sometime.”

“That’d be great,” Petra says, and she really means it. “Thanks again for the ride, Eren. I really appreciate it.”

“It was no problem,” Eren tells her. He waves as walks through the gate and up the steps of her porch. He’s still waving when she opens the door and turns around, his smile a little goofy but cute at the same time. “Have a good night!”

“You too,” Petra says before shutting the door gently behind her. She takes a peek out the window and sees Eren still on the sidewalk with the bike. He stands there with a pensive look on his face before pushing off his bike and riding off into the night. Petra watches until he’s a tiny speck down the road. When she blinks, he’s gone.

Petra finds her dad waiting for her in the living room, sleeping because he can’t stay awake for very long after dinner. In his lap sits a half-finished crossword puzzle. Petra smiles affectionately at her father before pressing a soft kiss on the old man’s brow.

“I’m home,” she whispers as her father begins to stir.

“Ah, Petra,” says her father. He looks at her, eyes still bleary with sleep, and gives her a drowsy smile. With a hand, he pushes up the glasses that were slipping off his nose during sleep. “Did Zeke drive you home?”

Her lips press into a thin line. “No. He was busy,” Petra replies, trying to keep her voice as even as possible. “Eren took me home instead.”

“Eren?” her father repeats, not seeming to remember the name.

“Zeke’s younger brother,” Petra reminds him. She leans against the back of her father’s armchair as she tries to describe the half-brother. “He was a few years younger than me. Brown hair, big green eyes, kind of gangly.”

“Oh, Eren,” her father says, nodding. Petra’s not sure if he actually remembers or if he’s just being polite, but then he suddenly says, “I saw him earlier this evening before I was closing up shop. He’s very polite. He’s a nice boy.”

Petra leans over to rest her head on her father’s shoulder while her arms lay folded on the back of the armchair. She thinks about her ride home, how it could have been cold and miserable and lonely. And maybe her thoughts were all of those things, but the ride wasn’t. She can still feel the warmth Eren emanated from underneath his hoodie, how comforting it was to have someone to hold.

“Yeah. He’s a nice guy,” Petra says softly.

#eretra #petra ral #eren jaeger #zeke jaeger #big au #ilyitros #i'll love you in the rain or shine series #modern au #snk #damn i love food so much!!!

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cooltrainererika · 5 years ago

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Alt-talia Compilation: December Fun

Well, it’s already New Years for me. Fortunately this is the last story I want to get out since I’m delaying Key to Zorn part 2 again. Hooray. All I need to do is that alternate ending and I’m done! Goodbye 2019!

This compilation is three super short fics: December 22, 2019: Snowball fight/Skiing/Christmas without snow. The first two are for Skiing, the last one is Christmas Without Snow, though it could also be filed against “Decorations”. While admittedly the first two aren’t Christmas related, the last one is so hopefully it still counts.

Btw this is a semi-AU. I don’t have time to explain, so those unfamiliar with it, please reference my other works.

And the awful titles are especially bad this time around. And the writing quality is super rough. Still, I don’t really have much time here.

Name key: Denmark: Simon, Norway: Lukas

So without further ado, happy new year!

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This is a message from the event holder:

I would like to ask one thing (but this isn’t part of the rules, so don’t worry) , if it is not too demanding… please, if you like someone’s work say it (comment), I personally think that put only a “heart” on it doesn’t make enough justice for the artist. I mean… as an active fan that contributes for the Hetalia’s fandom… a “heart” means nothing to me, at least reblog it. “Creators” get demotivated and sincerely it doesn’t hurt be nice to others. Of course, this is my opinion and a selfish request, so I won’t expect too much.

Please listen to them, I would really appreciate it.

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Skiing Lessons

“Orv... You make it look so easy!”

Lukas seemed to glide across the snow, the boy weaving between thin trees agilely as if it took him no effort.

Simon could only admire his Union-Brother’s skills; he had to observe closely, after all.

That morning, Simon had finally decided to ask him about it; Lukas’ skiing had helped him in so many wars over the years. While Simon was considered to be part of Scandinavia, his land being as flat and close to the ocean as it was, the art of skiing was never something he had to learn; Lukas was different. On the snow, where horse hooves sunk impotently, he commanded the ski as his steed. Ever since he was very young, he had used them not only to run circles around his enemies, but as one of his companions in daily life.

“Teach you?”

“Yeah! You’re so good at it, and it’s helped us in so many wars, so… could you? Please?”

Lukas had nodded.

“Mmm. No problem. I have a few boards as spares. Though it’s not easy. I’ll warn you.”

So now, here they were, up north.

And indeed, it was much harder than it looked.

For the fifth time that day, Simon fell facefirst into the snow.

Lukas shook his head like a monk chastising a child.

“Get up!”

“I’m trying!”

“Danmark, you’re not supposed to put that much weight on your feet. You’re supposed to glide atop the snow. Don’t dig in too much. Let the snow carry you.”

“Right…”

He pushed himself along.

“Glide... Glide atop the snow...Wait... I think I’m getting the hang of it!”

Mmmm. That’s it... follow me.”

“I can do it! Look Norge, I’m doing it-“

And then he fell into the snow again.

“It’s not that easy.”

Lukas pulled him out of the snow, his Union-Brother’s face having gone pink from the coldness but still determined

“We’re doing it again.”

“Yessir!”

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Alpine Rivals

Austria and Switzerland cascaded down the mountain, dodging everyone on the slope as they went with masterful skill.

The two raced neck-and neck, the freezing air whistling past, nipping their cheeks, through the hair that wasn’t tucked inside their helmets.

Italy had been close behind, but in a moment of distraction had reverted to his klutzy self; a split second which had proved disastrous, and sent him falling into the snow with his feet sticking out like a cartoon, and now he was way behind, desperately trying to catch up. Poland was a close third, wrestling his place with Bavaria, and France and Germany were a few meters behind those two. However, especially as the Nordics were taking a different course on the other side of the mountain, the undoubted champions here were Austria and Switzerland, as they long had always been.

But even if the Nordics were racing with them, it was entirely possible they would still be left in the dust. For they were the Alpine duo; the only ones who even rivaled, even surpassed, Norway himself in the ancient sport of downhill skiing.

But as usual, Switzerland seemed to be winning this time. There was a reason he had the most Alpine skiing medals in the Olympics.

Austria wasn’t giving up so easily though; when it came to skiing, his suppressed competitiveness had a rare opportunity to shine. And best friend or no, or especially because of that, it wasn’t over until the end of the slope.

He was certain that Bavaria was going to complain about it after all of this as he usually did though. His father wasn’t exactly known for being humble.

“See you at the bottom!”

“Gah! Get back here!”

Soon, the foot of the mountain came into view, flattening to soften the landing.

Almost there…

Wait, was that…

Snow flew in waves as Switzerland skidded to a halt.

“Eek!”

An extremely familiar voice squeaked.

When the snow cleared, standing there, brushing herself off, in her skis, was Liechtenstein.

“Look, look! I won! Finally! I told you I practiced!”

Switzerland raised his goggles, his jaw ajar.

“...Since when were you here?”

“About a minute ago?”

They heard the loud muffled sounds of snow crunching as Austria skidded to a stop above them.

“Österreich... It’s Liechtenstein. She won.”

“...Mein Gott. Goodness. I did know you were quite good, but…”

Her cheeky grin widened.

“I’m Alpine too, you know!”

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Starry Streets of Tropical Bethlehem

Now, think of Christmas. What do you think of?

Not just the trees, the music, or even the religious elements. What is expected of the scenery outside?

Snow, of course. Without snow, Christmas just seems so incomplete.

Most of us aren’t fortunate enough to experience a white Christmas, however, there is something inseparable about these two things in our minds.

Or so it seems. For one nation, while knowing little of snow, may be one of the biggest lovers of Christmas of all.

“YEHEY! YEHEY! IT’S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!”

Others looked on in confusion as the personification of the Philippines barreled through the halls as soon as the meeting got out.

It wasn’t too long until she had crashed into America, sending papers flying everywhere.

“GAH! Whoa! Whoa! Hey, slow down!”

“I can’t wait! It’s almost Pasko!”

“Wha?”

“Christmas!”

America stared at her in confusion. South Korea was standing above, his face blank as he processed what just happened.

“...Wha? But it’s September! I swear, Christmas gets earlier every year, but I didn’t think it was this bad!”

“What do you mean, Kuya America? Of course it’s long! All my people come home on Christmas! ...Ay! There’s something I want to show everyone.”

She reached into her purse and pulled out a flyer; a clearly handmade one, with just a date, location, and absolutely nothing else.

“Come to San Fernando on the Saturday two weeks before Christmas! I’m inviting the rest of ASEAN too!”

“Wha?! What are we being invited to?!”

“It’s a surprise!”

“She always is so excited, this time of year…”

Then, she grabbed South Korea as well, thrusting the “flyer” into his hand, her dark brown eyes sparkling.

“You come too, Kuya! Please?!”

“I… I presume so…”

“Yehey! See you!”

With that, she ran off.

———————--------------------------------------------

For Philippines, Christmas started at the beginning of September in the truest sense of the word; the carols started, everyone broke out the trees, and talk of presents was fresh on everyone’s mind.

For some, this may have seemed absurd. However, even without the snow, even without many Christmas trappings, she never tired of this festive, yet sacred atmosphere which enveloped her islands for half a year.

———————--------------------------------------------

Even in the middle of December, it was warm in the Philippines.

Though everyone expected it, actually experiencing it was a bit strange for America, though Australia seemed to not notice any difference. And poor Japan looked like he was going to melt.

For some ASEAN members, those who could afford to come anyway, the festive Christmas cheer emanating from everywhere was an unusual sight in it of itself.

So many other people had already gathered around them under the San Fernando sky, mostly locals.

“So… what are you goin’ to show us, hermana?”

Philippines grinned a wide grin.

“You’ll see, Kuya Mehiko! Oh, it’s starting!”

Just as the music started, she threw open her arms.

“...NARITO! MALIGAYANG PASKO!”

And immediately, like that, as her voice boomed into the air, everything lit up.

Star-shaped, intricate fractals of light, red, orange, blue, green, yellow, white, silver, gold, big and small, arranged in beautiful designs.

They moved, spinning and dancing as they lit up the night.

A collective gasp took over them as stars lit everything in their field of vision.

“...It’s… it’s awesome!”

“See? I told you! I told you!”

And so, under a tropical urban December sky, a starry night shined brightly not above, but right on Earth.

#hetaliaxmasevent #hws denmark #aph denmark #hws norway #aph norway #hws switzerland #aph switzerland #hws austria #aph austria #hws philippines #aph philippines #hws oc #aph oc #hws america #aph america #bringbackhetalia2020 #bringbackhetalia2k20

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kyungsoomint · 6 years ago

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Selfish

Member: Park Chanyeol (박찬열)

Genre: Fluff & Light Smut

Word Count: 1,324

Summary: 10 years of working together, are you sure there is no sparks at all?

Notes: CEO!Au and this is inspired by Selfish by Jeremy Zuzker, Apologize for any mistakes made :)

You have worked in CH Group from the company was just a scratch alongside with your college friend, Park Chanyeol as the CEO of CH Group. He offered you to be the co-CEO but turned it down, thinking that it would be too much for you to handle the title so you stayed as the managing director. You and Chanyeol remained as good friends where both of you occasionally flirt and tease each other, but for you, it was all just a game with no tea but sometimes you were swooned away by his persona. It was that time of the year again, where Chanyeol as the CEO hosted a party at the beginning of the year, he said that it will boost employees’ contribution throughout the year which you found not interesting at all, you’d rather be in the bed reading some books than to be in a party where Chanyeol has begged you over a hundred times every year. “That would be all, if there is any question, don’t bother to ask me” you ended the weekly meeting with heads from all division, they were all mostly your juniors from uni. “Are you going to the party this Saturday?” head of marketing, Minjae asked. “You know, I never go to such thing. Not interested at all” you said while stacking all of the weekly report given to you. “But we never see you dance at all for the past 7 years! Just come for once, please?” Minjae glanced at the others making them saying ‘please’ to you at the same time, which made you guilty for not saying yes. You gave them a nod in response and everyone cheered right away, you tried to think any possible way to escape from the party when you get there.

30 minutes before the weekly meeting A knock was heard from Chanyeol’s office, Minjae as the head of marketing entered his office and sat. Chanyeol put down the paper he has been checking on for a possibility of investment. “You know there is a company’s party coming up this Saturday right?” Chanyeol asked. “Yes sir, I know that” Minjae was confused at the moment, there’s no way Chanyeol called her only to say that. “I want all of you, head of departments to do me a favor. I know that you’ll have weekly meeting after this as we all may know (Y/N) has never come to the party at all” he paused and leaned back. “Get her to go, I’ll give everyone 2 months bonus” he flashed a smile, thinking there’s no way to say no. Minjae had her moment for a second “I’ll do my best sir” she knew that (Y/N) is a very affectionate person towards people who work with her.

You less than 30 minutes to get ready since you only had one cocktail dress to wear with. You took a deep breath before entering the venue located on a high profile club fully reserved by CH Group. The music was pounding so loud as the door opened, you could spot some of your colleagues. “Since when you have those!” Minjae eyed you up and down and you pinched her lightly. “Ow! What’s that for?” she made a pout, making it clear she’s almost drunk. You could spot Chanyeol sat at the VIP room upstairs, you gave him a smile which he returned the same too. You had your time there by dancing with people, you were even surprised that you’re good at dancing while alcohol was rushing in your blood, pumping your adrenaline, even more, you even gave some smirks to Chanyeol while he was watching you intensely. You lasted only for 3 hours and say goodbye to everyone to close the night away, Chanyeol was nowhere to be seen so you texted him “Gonna go now, it’s actually a nice party. Where did you go?” and grabbed a taxi home. “Getting some fresh air. Monday, 10 am, we need to discuss our investment in Hong Kong” his message was short compared to the bright Chanyeol you knew, he was just having a bad day, you thought to yourself.

10 am sharp you entered Chanyeol’s office without knocking as per usual. He lifted his face to see you wearing a thin brown coat with a white buttoned shirt. You sat down only to notice there was a change in his behavior but you decided to keep it professional and asked him afterward. You and he went on pages of the agreement, “Do you think the return is ok considering the time given is 10 years?” he said with a rather stern voice. “They didn’t state the return per present value from now, I don’t think it’s profitable enough for us to invest there, but I’ll see if they can increase the return rate into 7-8% per year,” you replied to him and there was a long silence after that. You were in page 15 when he broke off the awkward air between you two, “For 10 years knowing you, didn’t know you like to dance and go to a party” you could sense a sarcastic tone came out from him. “I had fun, many people asked me to so I couldn’t turn it down” you returned your gaze into the paper. “Yeah sure, you had fun, with a guy” he muttered making you shot a look at him, you were cocking your left eyebrow at him. “Are you jealous of me being with someone else, boss?” you put down the paper into his table and moved your face closer into the table. He sighed and put down his paper too, he reached for the phone “Don’t let anyone into my office, tell them I’m busy” and Hongdae, his secretary replied ‘yes’. He stood up and made his way sitting on the edge of the table, not so far from you. “Yes,” he breathed out. His behavior has been making you uneasy for the first time in 10 years. “What’s wrong with you?” your gaze met him, his eyes were clouded with darkness. “The only thing that’s wrong is you” he moved to being inches closer to your face. You could feel his breath against your skin, so close it made your heart beats faster. He pressed his lips roughly into yours, sucking every life out of you, he lifted you up and switched the position so you were sitting on his lap. “What are you doing? everyone can see us!” you tried to pull away from him but he pulled your body tighter. “I couldn’t care less” he resumed to the kissing wherein 5 minutes you found yourself in front of him with no clothes on, “It took me years to see you like this, so fucking beautiful” his lips moved to your breast with his hand squeezing it roughly, you tried to hide the fact he made you feel so good. “Bend over the table” he instructed, you did as he told you, he pulled down your pants and he started entering you without any precaution, “I always imagine for you to be this tight, fuck baby” his words slipped like music into your ears. He kept on thrusting until both of you come out, “How are you doing?” he flashed a cheeky smile to you. “Not fine, you need to explain a lot of thing to me” you glared at him. “I have explained half of it just now” his hand caressed your cheek. “Use your word, Chanyeol” you crossed your arms together. “I can’t see you do anything like that to any male, only me” his gaze was fixed at you, he leaned to whisper “I love you” he paused “and also I also paid people to ensured you come into the party, I love to see you in dress, can’t wait to dance the night away with you.” he pressed his lips against your cheek and laughed.

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stories-by-shanna-p · 6 years ago

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Plot Bunny Adoption Challenge 2019

Fandoms Involved In This Challenge: Supernatural, Hobbit, Harry Potter, Star Wars (A total of 62 Plot Bunnies!!!)

Hey there everyone! As promised, I am hosting a new challenge in 2019 for plot bunny adoptions! I know a lot of people make new years resolutions to ‘write more’, I know I did, so I thought I would contribute!!! :D :D :D

So, if you are interested and want a challenge, read the rules and plot bunnies below! Maybe one of them will be going home with you! Just like previous adoptions, only one person gets a plot bunny so it will be completely unique to you, no one else gets it, so enjoy!

Also, to note, some of the ideas are multi-chapter ideas, as I saw some people saying they wanted some new multi-chap ideas...so have fun. Feel free to make them one-shots or multi-chapter! ^^ There are one shot ideas too, I tried to make a variety for different tastes! Also, if one of the plot bunnies says ‘reader’ or ‘OC’, feel free to change it or make them any gender! It is your plot bunny! XD

Rules of the Challenge:

If you would like to enter the challenge, you need to send me an ASK with the plot bunny you would like to adopt!

Only one person per plot bunny! If it has been adopted before you ask for it, you will have to choose a new one. It will be first come first served!

The story, or first chapter of the story, will be due by February 28th so the Master Post for the Challenge can be posted March 1st!

When posting you need to tag me (so I can add it to the Master Post) and also include the tag #Tale Teller’s Plot Bunny Challenge 2019

Plot bunnies available for adoption are below the keep reading line!

If you finish early, you are welcome to request a new plot bunny but only after the first one has been posted!

Let me know via ASK if you want added to the tag list for this challenge! OR!!! Reach out to the writer, I will list who is doing what below, and let them know how excited you are for the story and ask them to! Who knows, you may make a new friend in 2019!!! :D

These plot bunnies are story ideas I that I have had, so if you want more ideas or such on a certain bunny, shoot me a message! Below is just a vague outline, I’m happy to chat more if you would like more inspiration or are curious what my brain came up with...But feel free to run with an idea and make it yours! I am looking forward to see what amazing stories these plot bunnies inspire! :D

Plot Bunnies up for Adoption:

Supernatural Fandom

· Plot Bunny #5: High school AU where the Novaks move to a new school as Gabe takes an interest in a girl, but the guys say don’t bother, she is too stuck up and thinks she is better than everyone. But Gabe likes a challenge, and the girl seems nice, so he decides to befriend her. His heart breaks when he finds out the secret truth hiding behind her emotionless mask.

· Plot Bunny #6: While making his rounds as the trickster, Gabriel gets in a chat room and meets someone. They become quick friends and continue to chat for months, until one day they ask to meet him.

· Plot Bunny #8: Highschool AU. You are dating the popular senior, Dick Roman, when the Shirleys move into town. Your life gets turned upside down when the shy new kid, Castiel Shirley, catches your eye.

Harry Potter Fandom

· Plot Bunny #12: Girl is in Gryffindor, but is mischievous. Need a group of four in potions and gets put with Draco, Crabb, and Goyle. Become slight friends, but have falling out when they find out she is muggleborn. But can friendship over come those differences?

· Plot Bunny #13: George, wanting to spend time with his girl over the summer, signs up for summer camp (week long) that she is doing. It is a muggle camp, so she makes him leave his wand with Molly. George learns how hard it is to cope without magic.

Star Wars Fandom

· Plot Bunny #14: OC is resistance spy, but saves Hux’s life. Could friendship or love come from such differences?

Hobbit Fandom

· Plot Bunny #15: After reclaiming Erebor and the restoration is mostly done, the princes decide to put their skills to work by creating a memorial in the hall of kings for their father.

· Plot Bunny #16: You are friends with Thorin, Dwalin, and all. You are a bar maid in Ered Luin, they always bring liveliness to the place, and are very protective of you.

· Plot Bunny #19: Bilbo tries to teach Thorin how to garden, and Thorin tries to teach Bilbo blacksmithing.

· Plot Bunny #20: Upon his return, Bilbo throws a dinner for his family to explain his absence. He assumed Thorin, the Dwarf King, would be fine…but Thorin is in over his head…then add Lobelia to the mix.

· Plot Bunny #21: Modern AU: Bilbo is a school teacher (younger children) and Fili and Kili are his students. When they get into mischief, the school calls Dis, but since she is busy at work, Bilbo gets to finally meet Uncle Thorin.

· Plot Bunny #23: After Thorin, Fili, and Kili’s death, during the burial, they are there to say their final goodbyes to the company.

· Plot Bunny #29: Thorin watching Fili and Kili while Dis and her husband have alone time. They are both such a handful as children, especially with their favorite uncle.

· Plot Bunny #31: Thorin is with a very young Kili and Fili in Ered Luin when he looses track of them. They find their way to a bakery, where a human woman takes care of them, until Thorin finds them. Could this be the start of something new?

· Plot Bunny #32; When they were toddlers, Fili and Kili were stolen by rogue dwarves, but were found by Hobbits, and taken in by a young Belladonna Took (before she was married), so when Gandalf sends the company to the Shire for their burglar, they assume it is her, and everyone is excited to see her again…but then they find out she passed away, and the one going on the trip is her child, Bilbo.

· Plot Bunny #40: You are from our world, and survived the journey and BOFA. When the time comes for the kingdom of elves, dwarves, and man to make peace, they need a mediator. Your name comes up, as you are completely unbiased, as you have no loyalties since you are not from this world. So you become the mediator, having to find a peace between Mirkwood, Dale, Erebor, and Dain (Iron Hills).

· Plot Bunny #43: You were Kili’s love before the journey. And you were so happy to here they were alive and well, until you receive a letter from Fili telling you about Kili and Tauriel. But what happens when Kili realizes realizes how much he misses and loves you, and not Tauriel...can he win you back?

· Plot Bunny #47: The reader, by some magic, after wishing she could help the company more, is sent to Erebor where she meets Smaug. For some reason, he doesn’t kill her and then they become friends. Can this new ‘friendship’ change the outcome of something already destined?

· Plot Bunny #48: Story of little moments that the spymaster, Nori, sees when he is being sneak. 1: Ori setting up a prank on Dwalin, but working it so Fili and Kili get the blame 2: One where Thorin and Bilbo are trying to keep their relationship under wraps, Nori spys a private moment. 3: Kili and Tauriel where they discuss how they are secretly already married, and how their “second wedding” that is being planned is pointless.

· Plot Bunny #49: Instead of dying at Moria, Frerin was taken by the Orcs and kept prisoner. After BOFA, they tracked the Orcs back to their big camp and find him. He is brought back to Erebor, where he helped settle in and meets the company, including Bilbo, and.the girl they found along the way. Can all of his friends and family help him adjust to the new life?

· Plot Bunny #50: Thorin goes back to the Shire to live with Bilbo. When Frodo comes into the picture, it is almost hilarious how Thorin and Bilbo view raising him…as Bilbo is a first time parent and Thorin raised Fili and Kili.

· Plot Bunny #51: Thorin passes the throne to Fili and goes with Bilbo to the Shire. Hobbits are suspicious at first, so Thorin decides to do his best to acclimate. The clothes, no weapons…no shoes. It’s a nice gesture...so why does it keep going wrong?

· Plot Bunny #52: Being King doesn’t allow much time to spend with his love, Bilbo, so Thorin takes advantage of every moment he can. Otherwise known as: Always getting Caught

· Plot Bunny #53: Bilbo stays in Erebor at Thorin’s side as King’s Consort. Thorin is proud and happy how Bilbo is coming into life under the mountain, taking everything in stride, but can’t help but laugh when Bilbo snaps one night after a meeting about how something must be done about his chair…because his feet won’t reach the ground.

· Plot Bunny #55: Modern AU: When something breaks, Bilbo goes into town to find someone to fix it. In this case, it happens to be the handsome Thorin. When he leaves, Bilbo knows he has to meet him again, so he breaks something else for an excuse. But how many things must he break before Thorin picks up on it?

· Plot Bunny #56: When a soul leaves, sometimes it has unfinished business. Thorin had unfinished business, so he wasn’t prepared that when he closed his eyes, he would open them again…or when he came back that he would be a grown Hobbit…outside of the Shire…maybe the universe is trying to tell him something? But will our hardheaded king listen...or go back to Erebor?

· Plot Bunny #57: Everyone lives AU. The company (dwarves) decide to get together for a reunion. They decide to go to the Shire since that was where it started. It is like Deja vu, especially since no one bothered to tell Bilbo about it.

· Plot Bunny #60: Random inner dialogue of different people at memorable parts, cause don’t you always wonder what was going through their minds?

· Plot Bunny #62: Getting the company to sing “Hi Ho” while on the journey.

· Plot Bunny #63: Seeing you feeling down, the company try to cheer you up by learning songs from your ipod before it dies and putting on a performance for you.

· Plot Bunny #64; Reader is from modern world and descends to middle earth and she has cancer, the company finds out halfway through the trip that she only has a couple months left. She survived the battle as does everyone else, but eventually falls to the illness. Thoin has her buried in the hall of kings. But that isn’t the last they see her...she is the angel that guides them peacefully, when it is their time, to Mahal’s Halls.

#Tale Teller's Plot Bunny Challenge 2019

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syntheticmask · 5 years ago

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Mistakes and A New Friend (A Metallic Fate Chapter 3)

Writers block is a b. Nonetheless, I finally got this chapter out. BatIM belongs to theMeatly. A Metallic Fate AU belongs to me. My headache was gone when I woke up. I yawned tiredly, attempting to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I had momentarily forgotten that I wasn’t in my normal body anymore, and a wave of panic overtook me when I felt that my eyes were nowhere near human. “Oh… right.” I slowly relaxed after the previous day’s experience returned to me. I lifted up my left arm to check that my memories held true… yup, made of metal and half of it missing. At least it looked like the bleeding had stopped.

I returned my attention back to my lower half. Everything around and below the scar on my spine was sore. How come my upper body wasn’t like that when I first woke up? Perhaps I was asleep longer than I thought. I tried to swing my legs back and forth now that I had regained feeling in them, slowly due to the soreness. I could feel them responding in turn, but they were still off the edge of the table and out of view. I then attempted to roll my ankles and wiggle my toes, just to make sure everything was there… I couldn’t feel my toes. I suppose this body didn’t have any. I wasn’t all that worried, I could do without them.

“Let’s see if I can sit up yet.” I thought out loud. I reposition my usable arm underneath me. I took a deep breath of anticipation, and pushed myself up. A sharp jab of pain from my healed wound was the price I got for going too fast. I winced, staying in my current position until the pain began to dull. I then continued to push myself up cautiously, finally reaching my goal. I lifted my arm up slowly, testing if my spinal column could still hold up my weight without any support. It was a success. I breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing my hand over my scar to try and ease the soreness. It seemed to help a bit, as though I was actually massaging the area despite the lack of any skin.

Finally, I drew my attention away from my scar and to my legs. They were longer than I expected them to be, since I wasn’t able to see my feet from my previous position. They sort of looked like those large cartoon shoes Bendy always wore, but kinda sorta incomplete. Explains why I couldn’t feel any of my toes. I lifted up one of my legs onto the table, which seemed easier that it should have been. It was likely from the absence of a single joint, and in place of it remained one, two… four joints. Wait, actually, if each one of those larger sections has a joint on each end then… eight joints? Maybe even nine? Anyways, It appeared they couldn’t bend as far as a normal knee could, so when bending my leg, each joint contributed. Speaking of joints, my arm appeared to act in a similar way, but with only… never mind, it had the same number of sections.

I was antsy to stand in two legs again, but I had to be slow, especially if they weren’t fully repaired. I didn’t want to end up collapsing from my own weight. I cautiously scooted closer to the edge of the table, to the point where my feet almost touched the floor. Hesitantly, I supported myself again with my right arm as I reached down, finally hitting solid ground. As I began to put more weight onto my foot, everything seemed like it was fine. Sore, but not any real pain. I set my other foot down, and took away my support from the table. A grin spread across my face as I made a full turn around on my feet.

‘Haha! Yes! Step one complete.’ I cheered to no one but myself. I still took it slow, but I began walking around the room. Having so many joints instead of a single solid knee was messing with my ability to walk straight, but I was getting the hang of it quicker than I would have expected. I eventually circled back around to the front of the table, taking another look at my hand.

“I guess this body isn’t as bad as I thought… well, except for the missing arm.” I chuckled, trying to brighten up the gloomy atmosphere with a small joke. I finally lifted my head and took a real look around the room. It was the same as before, with the broken ink maker and the wri- wait, hold on. The writing on the wall was gone. I raised an invisible eyebrow up in confusion. “The ink’s gone from under the table, too…” I muttered to myself after taking a kneel to get a better look, finding that the space where my old body should have been was completely empty. I stared at the spot for another while longer before my mind could come up with a possible explanation. “Is that how the ink got in my body…?” I knew the ink could corrupt someone if they came in contact with the stuff for too long, but it was still confusing. I had been very careful to avoid the stuff for as long as I could, but with all the floods and puddles and the decreasing sight of anything able to wipe it off before it took it’s hold… I suppose it had finally gotten to me, even when I was already dead. I had to give it some credit, though. How else would I be alive right now? I tried not to think about the other poor souls who were currently stuck in purgatory due to its properties. Was I now in the same boat…? “No, no. Just… just think about something else for now.” I shook my head to clear my thoughts, focusing back on my current plan. Continuing on briefly with the second step, I gazed around the room once again to anything else of importance. There were a few other work tables set up in front of the same wall. The closest one had two duck-like heads sitting atop it, one partially painted and the other completely blank. The other had another tool box on top of it, presumably empty, and- “A tape recording?” I must have missed it earlier. I approached the oddly large device and pressed play. The voice of Lacie Benton, as written on the side, rang out. “The only thing that works around here is my ulcer. Half these people don’t know a wrench from a dang steamroller. Buncha morons is what they are. Spend their day in the warehouse arguin’ over who’s supposed to be doin’ what or playing them silly games. Still, I’m not complainin’. I get most of my time to myself. Suits me just fine. Only thing that bothers me is that mechanical demon in the corner. Bertrum’s been working on it for a month now. Says it’ll walk someday and maybe dance. All it does now is give me the creeps. I swear, when my back’s turned… that thing’s movin’.” The tape ended with a familiar click. “Well… I suppose said robot is finally able to walk, and- ” I tapped the tips of my feet against the metal floor. “-even dance, despite the fact that I’m terrible at it.” I chuckled to myself. I attempted to do a small twirl, just for the fun of it. However, I was still getting used to all the little quirks and details about this body, and didn’t fully take into account my new weight, or strength for that matter. I stumbled off balance as soon as I pushed off, tripping over my own feet and tumbling to the floor. I landed with a metallic crash on my left side, unable to slow my fall. Pain shot up my upper body as the fall jarred my previous wound and created a new one. I soon came to a rest on my back, holding my side with my arm in an attempt to soothe the ache. Odd as it was, the pain seemed to dull quickly, and I was able to catch my breath soon after. When I lifted my hand to examine the damage dealt, all that was left was a slowly darkening spot, as though some sort of bruise was forming. No dent either. It was still sensitive to the touch, but manageable, and not as bad as it would have been with normal ribs. I stayed on the ground for another few moments, letting the pain mostly dull before attempting to get up. Using the table as leverage, I carefully returned to a standing position. “Lets not do that again.” I uttered as a mental reminder, brushing off the lingering dust as best I could without irritating my injuries. ‘At least I didn’t injure my neck there, that could have gone a lot worse… At least the price I had to pay for my stupidity wasn't all that high.’ My thoughts were interrupted when my stomach let out a low growl. “Right, I’m still hungry. I guess some of that nasty bacon soup will have to do.” There were plenty of those cans around here, as searching for the stuff always yielded results quite quickly. Passing through the only exit to the room, the quiet stare of the Lost One caught my attention, as well as the unopened cans of soup lining the shelves to my right. The inky being tilted its head curiously, earlier cries seeming to have ceased. I tilted my head in return, matching its curiosity and confusion. “Er, uh… hello…?” I tried to start a conversation with the creature. Some of them couldn’t speak, others could. I hoped this one was one of the latter. The Lost One’s glowing orange eyes seemed to widen in surprise.

“You can speak…?” Its voice was garbled and had a watery undertone, but I was still able to tell it was a male by a long shot. “Um, yeah. No duh.” I attempted at a joke. His expression didn’t seem to change and my grin faltered, but it was hard to tell with all of the ink on his face. “Is it really that uncommon to be able to speak…?” The Lost One shook his head. “No, no. It’s actually quite common. I was just surprised you could learn to speak so quickly, with the-” He tried explaining his reaction, motioning to his mouth before suddenly pausing. He seemed to be staring intently at my face before resuming talking. “- you don’t have a speaker?” I was confused by his question, taking a second to realize what he meant. “Oh! Well, not anymore. I was confused by that too.” I chuckled awkwardly, shrugging. “When I woke up in this body, I had a relatively normal jaw.” To prove my answer, I opened my mouth just enough so the Lost One could see my teeth split apart. One of his eyes widened, likely raising an eyebrow. “I see. Interesting…” He paused once again, looking me over. “How long have you been here for?” “That depends… how long have I been in this body or how long have I been in the studio altogether?” “Since you’ve had your most recent body.” “Time is wonky down here but I’d say roughly five to eight hours since I first awoke.” I finally answered. The inky being took in the information, while I took his silence as another chance to ask a question. “Do you have a name?” He returned his gaze to me, nodding. “The name’s Daniel, one of the lucky few who still remember their original. Might I ask you the same?” I nodded. “I guess I’m in the same group as you. Please, call me Amber.”

#batim #batim fanfic #bendy bot #bendy animatronic #bendy animatronic oc #Bendy and the Ink Machine #bendy au #Daniel (A Metallic Fate)#Amber (A Metallic Fate)#Amberbot

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xuhoon · 7 years ago

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how you met: Soonyoung

hi guys! this is the first thing im posting~ its a bullet point how-you-met-soonyoung drabble. im thinking of making this a series so let me know what you think! <3

fluff, 1825 words

Soonyoung Flower Shop au

How you met Soonyoung, the cheery chipper cutie working in the local floral shop/part café

Soonyoung tends to the flowers and helps create bouquets for order

The café has a few waiters and baristas but it’s a small add-on, mostly for a coffee and a sweet

Waiters: Wonwoo, Joshua, Jun

Baristas: Jeonghan, Seungkwan

Latte Artists: Minghao, Mingyu

Florists: Soonyoung, Seokmin

Cashiers: Hansol at florist, Chan at café

Managers: Seungcheol at café, Jihoon at florist

Sometimes students would come and enjoy the cute atmosphere but it was the types to be alone because it was a small space and a bunch of friends would tip the balance.

Wonwoo was your regular waiter, Minghao was your regular maker of cute latte art

One day you came in when Soonyoung was redoing the tiny floral centerpieces for the tables and he was so friendly it caught you off guard

He asked how you felt about the new arrangement of a peony, a white rose, and some baby’s breath

“They’re pretty bridal, aren’t they?”

“Oh, you’re right. Well, that’s what spring flowers are mostly used for!”

“Maybe add some colored roses?”

“A special pop of color different at each table! I like it!”

Wonwoo interrupted to take your order, which you found gracious and Soonyoung found annoying, but Wonwoo just smiled and stuck his tongue at the flower boy

“So, y/n, what would you like today? Minghao is out with bad allergies, he kept sneezing off the foam art yesterday. Of course, we couldn’t sell those so Mingyu took over per the boss’s orders. I understand if you want to try another drink while your artist is recovering.” Common banter like this was a fun gag you two have.

“That’s okay, tell Mingyu to surprise me. He can come say hi when he has his break.”

“Any sweets today?”

“Maybe later, that’s all for now.”

“One latte with surprise art, coming up!”

Mingyu was really sweet, but wasn’t great at coming up with his own ideas

Minghao liked to do all sorts of stuff, mostly using you for practice but you never minded because everything he did was fantastic

So Mingyu decided to pull Soonyoung to the side and ask if he could have one of the table displays to copy

Ugh you thought that was the sweetest thing ever because he saw you talking to Soonyoung and thought, why not make the flower display you helped with?

But really

Mingyu was like: “Soonie, isn’t that the regular you like?”

“Aha shit what how did you know?”

“I clearly remember you asking Wonwoo to slip in ‘Hey y/n, what’s your favorite flower?’”

“ahaha what, I didn’t”

“You did, I clearly remember telling you peony,” “Wonwoo when did you get there?!”

“And what’s in the display’s this week?” “Seungkwan go back to making Americanos”

Seungkwan’s famous “hmph”

Hansol staring across the flower shop and laughing at Seungkwan even though no one knew he was watching whoops verkwan is pining

“That is not why I included peonies!” “Dude, I’m already done with the design. Wonwoo, will you take this to Soonie’s crush?”

“I don’t! She isn’t my, I don’t like her!”

everyone standing within 5 ft of them “suuuure”

so Wonwoo gives you your drink and says it was inspired by your contribution to the displays, but also mentions that Soonyoung has been eyeing you ever since he saw you walk in for the first time and complimented him and Seokmin for their showcases

“w-what?”

“Why’d you think he was changing the flowers at that time when he usually does it earlier in the day?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

basically, both of you are denying anything and it makes great entertainment for the staff

Minghao comes back the next day, having taken lots of allergy meds so he doesn’t mess up

You and he are pretty close friends so you go and sit by the counter so you can talk to him, and you tell him everything that happened when he was gone

“oh, I do love the new floral designs for the tables”

“that isn’t the point of the story, Hao!”

“I know but I love to tease you. So, are you gonna ask him out?”

“Me? What? How dare—I don’t like him. The audacity!”

“You like him”

so, the moment you really realize you like him is quite the moment

Seokmin and Soonyoung were getting a bouquet ready for a client and they started acting like grandpa and grandma

You were told that this was quite a normal occurrence when they were fulfilling orders

At first, you laughed at the two silly boys, but then you could stop staring at the indigo-haired grandma

“oh no… WONWOO!”

“ok so this is the moment when you realize you like him? When he’s acting like a grandma with Seokmin? y/n…”

“I don’t need your shit, woo, I’ll go tell Minghao”

Wonwoo and Minghao are laughing up a storm which attracts the two florists’ attention

“Soonyoung, can you come here for a second?” you’re too busy blushing like crazy to know who called him over

“Uh, yeah. One second!” he bolted over with his bright smile and hair pushed back in a snapback oh god that look, you thought you were drooling (you were)

this all happened so fast you didn’t notice that Wonwoo dyed his hair darker until Soonyoung pointed it out

another sign you were only paying attention to “Soonie”

you were so embarrassed because Minghao and Wonwoo sold you out, so you ran out of the café

Soonyoung thought of running after you, but instead he made you a bouquet of flowers to cheer you back up, but also to ask you out with his sweet honey voice

When you came back the next day, you bundled up and got your latte to-go with no art

You walked up to the cashier, Chan, who was excited to see you

“y/n!”

“SHHHHH”

“what’s wrong?”

“I can’t be seen but I need my coffee”

“Oh, well, okay. If this has anything to do with yesterday I’ll keep you a secret”

“thanks. Just tell Seungkwan to make me a latte with no art.”

When Seungkwan calls for a latte, you go to the pick-up counter and swipe the latte off the counter and rush out

“Chan, was that y/n?”

“She asked me not to tell you, but here I am telling you.”

“It’s unlike her to get anything to go.”

“after yesterday?”

“shit you right”

Soonyoung was disappointed that he didn’t see you, but he and Seokmin continued to work anyways. The bouquet for you was waiting in the back.

The day went on like normal, but Soonyoung wasn’t his chipper self. You usually spend hours in the café, so most of the staff missed you too. Instead of being at the café, you were just in your dorm unsure of what to do.

After Hao’s shift, he came to visit you to tell you that the café felt really empty.

“I know that wasn’t cool of Wonwoo and I, but you both like each other! I know you’d never make the first move.”

“I’m a wuss, Minghao, I could never!”

“Well, Soonyoung needed to know you liked him too so he is able to.”

“…what are you planning?”

“Me? Nothing. Soonyoung? I don’t know but it’s something.”

So Minghao leaves because you’re freaking out, knowing that something is going to happen, you just don’t know what

After another day of sulking in your room with your heart pounding out of your chest, Wonwoo texts you that it’s a slow day and that you should come back to familiar scenery

You thought, shit

But really, Wonwoo just wanted you back in the shop and it had nothing to do with Soonyoung preparing to ask you out the next time he saw you

Spoiler he does

You get ready to leave the dorm and realize you dressed up a bit more than normal. Yes, you’re whipped. But so is he so it’s okay.

It’s time to face that bubbly boy that makes your heart explode!

You walk in to the café and take a seat, all too quietly. Wonwoo basically yells out “Y/n!” and you’re blushing like crazy because all the staff turned around to see you

Soonyoung was like “SHE’S HERE?” and everyone’s laughing because they knew what he was gonna do (drop the flowers)

Jk he doesn’t drop them, he accidentally knocks over the vase holding your bouquet, which sucks because he was planning to keep them back there so you could take them healthy. Don’t worry, he took the flowers out before it fell. But Jihoon is angry because he broke a vase.

So Soonyoung is blushing like crazy in the back room while Seokmin is trying to shove him out, all while Jihoon has to clean up the mess per usual

Seokmin finally succeeds and Soonyoung is pushed into the middle of the café with his hands full of flowers (im so soft oh my god)

You’re blushing so you try to hide it by drinking your (very hot) coffee and you burn your tongue, causing you to flinch a bit

Soonyoung notices and rushes to make sure you’re okay because he’s a caring baby

He basically drops the bouquet on the table to check if you’re okay and lifts your chin up to look into your eyes, which makes you blush

Soonyoung is brought back to reality and carefully picks up the bouquet

He hands it to you while nervously giggling, hoping that you like them

You love them, taking the bouquet in your hands as your eyes sparkle at his.

“I’m sorry about my embarrassing friends, but at least they helped us confess, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so…” you’re trying to hide the blush but it’s not working

“With that out of the way, would you like to go out with me? I’d love to know you better.”

Your face is filled with the brightest smile as you graciously accept his offer, and he pulls you into a warm hug. You felt like melting, the hug was so warm and comfortable.

Before you could talk any longer, Jihoon was yelling from the floral department, “SOONYOUNG ITS TIME TO GET BACK TO WORK!”

He quickly sat you back down, apologized for the “little man who’s always angry,” and gave you a quick peck on the forehead

“Wait, Soonyoung! When do you get off your shift?”

“6 tonight, how about dinner?”

“Sounds like a date.” You finished up, smiling, and headed back to your dorm. You placed the flowers in a long vase on your desk, admiring how he arranged the bouquet. There’s a little card stuck in the middle of the bouquet that read: MY NAME’S SOONYOUNG, CALL ME SOON ~ ★

You laugh, knowing you’d see him tonight anyway.

#svteennet #seventeen #seventeen scenarios #seventeen writing #hoshi #seventeen hoshi #seventeen svt #seventeen fluff #hoshi scenarios #hoshi fluff #kwon Soonyoung #soonyoung

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loveiscosmicsin · 7 years ago

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Sharp & Dapper

Title: Sharp & Dapper Rating: Teen & Up (just implied sexual content, but mostly just fluff) Tags: Tags: Established Relationship, IgNoct Secret Santa, IgNoctSecretSanta2017, Winter Themed, Christmas, Secret Santa, Alternate Universe, AU, Implied Sexual Content, Making Out, Fluff, Romance, Domestic Fluff, Noctis POV Blurb/Summary: As Chrystmas draws closer, Noctis struggles with what to get Ignis and hopes the advisor doesn’t catch on to the dilemma.

For the IgNoct Secret Santa, my recipient was @serenbach86. (I don’t know why tumblr won’t let mention you, but your gift is now on tumblr and Ao3) I’m sorry that I’m super late on this and I hope this makes up for the delay somewhat. I really didn’t want to make you wait until the end of December to do this, but life... Gah, I really wanted to write the prince and consort, soulmate, and magical creature AUs so much but I ended up losing the drafts… The content here contains IgNoct in an established relationship, set in an alternate universe where life is peaceful in Insomnia, and contains winter themes. You won’t find any explicit content that I didn’t mark and there’s no trigger warnings or BDSM. I hope that this falls into what you wanted, and I hope you had a wonderful holiday and have a fantastic Happy New Year! Thank you so much @ignoctsecretsanta for the opportunity to contribute and being patient with my gift, haha.

“It’s inadvisable. Not to mention incomprehensible.” “Calm down, Iggy. We’ll bump into that chamberlain eventually. Probably looking for us right now as we speak.” Ignis halted, frowning as he drummed his finger on his sleeve testily. “Forgive me, but if a man is ordered to give us an exclusive tour on his master’s property, he wouldn’t leave guests unattended, would he? And let’s not get started on how offensive it was that Councilor Udina blatantly disregarded our precious time by sending his chamberlain to us instead?” The Lucian prince wasn’t one to tell anyone how to do their job and while it was amusing to hear his advisor upbraid an uptight officer out of earshot, the presented situation could be taken with a new perspective. He was in no hurry in return to their scheduled tour anyway. “Gave us some alone time together,” Noctis quipped, shifting from one foot to the other to playfully bump his shoulder in Ignis’ side. “Right?” The advisor’s scowl softened, disarmed by the prince’s crooked and easy-going grin. “Well, I suppose there’s that,” he agreed immediately.

Reassured that Ignis’ anger was at least subdued and their own private tour of the mansion sans the stuffy commentary be continued at their leisure, Noctis turned his attention to the gaudy tapestry behind Ignis. “What the hell is that?” Ignis turned around and tilted his head. “I believe that’s the councilor. Standing over a slain griffon and blade through its gullet.” “He fought a griffon?” “Highly unlikely. There have been no records of him having served in combat when it was his coin that funded the war. It was a generous contribution.” “He sure didn’t tighten his purse strings for this.” Noctis pointed at the billowing red cape picked up by some dramatic breeze in an overall static display, followed by the piercing blue eyes of the subject clad in armor on the thick fabric. “It’s like he’s staring straight into our souls. Dunno what it’s trying to stand for, but it’s laying the self-conceited part down pretty thick.” “Noct,” Ignis pursed his lips, fighting back a smile as he had to remind himself and the prince of where they were. “it’s impolite to question our host’s... taste in art.” “What taste?” Noctis remarked. “Besides, you’re going on about how he’s a horrible host.” “In my defense, I simply told the truth.” Noctis opened his mouth, but tell-tale sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the opposite end of the hall, they were gradually approaching their way. “Someone’s coming. Get behind the tapestry.” The prince took the advisor’s hand and pulled him to the narrow space between the stone wall and the swaying tapestry, the cloth was considerable in width and length, concealing from sight all but their feet. Noctis waited anxiously while clutching tighter to Ignis’ hand. “Did you hear the news?” One of the gruff, but croaky voices announced, a man’s. “Universal Saucer just opened up a new attraction.” The man’s companion, another man with an annoyed but soft-spoken voice replied, “That new Lil’ Malbuddy’s Funland, right? My kid’s been begging me to take her to it.” “You don’t look thrilled by it.” The first man observed, stopping right in front of the tapestry. “Call me old-fashioned, I don’t care. But we grew up with chocobos and moogles. They go ‘kweh’ and ‘kupo’. What does a malboro say for Six’s sake?” “Hmm... Now that you mention it, he’s a little on the silent side for a toon...” While the two men openly discussed mascots and their memorable charms, vocal or otherwise, Ignis raised a question in a whisper, “Wait, why must we hide? We can ask them to...” The thought never finished for Noctis’ longing gaze were at the brunet’s eyes and lips, dazzling and rendering Ignis speechless. The conversation about mascots just a few feet away from them held little interest to the prince and it grew alarmingly clear of what was more important as the two inched closer. As their lips met, Noctis didn’t care if it went on like this for a while. A touch of tongue and he drowned everything out and focused on where Ignis’ hands went, and how Ignis responded to the prince’s own techniques. Thankfully, the view behind the questionable art didn’t deter them from doing this nor did it allow anyone to see them. “Then what does a tonberry say?” “‘Shank’?” “You dolt. That’s the sound their knives make.” The men’s debate failed to reach a conclusion but their voices were moving further away from the tapestry. Noctis stepped out with absolute certainty that they were alone once more and Ignis followed suit. “That was... close.” Ignis commented with an elated sigh, buttoning his rakishly low shirt up. Noctis laughed, tucking the tails of his shirt back in his trousers, still reeling from where the advisor’s fingers caressed his lower back. He was so ecstatic and alive that he could take thank the pretentious self-portrait. The prince turned around to adjust the lopsided glasses frame on his stunned lover’s face, batting his eyes flirtatiously. “Well, not that close. Remember the treasure room?” - “So,” Prompto began, eyes glued to the screen as he popped a holiday sweet in his mouth. “How’s the whole royal duty thing going?” It had been forever since the two best friends spent time together, not since they met up to cram and study for finals. They’ve passed without ceremony. But due to mandatory protocol and tradition that the prince of Lucis was obligated to commit to, Noctis and Prompto haven’t had the time to have a proper send-off to the semester. “Slow and boring as it gets every year,” Noctis replied blandly, glad to be in the apartment and binge watching the Hallmark Chrystmas films Prompto had been dying to see at long last. “I don’t have any problem going to the banquets, they’re for charity and work. But feels like I’m just giving lip service to half the people who don’t like me.” “But Iggy’s with you like 24/7. That’s a pro, right?” Being with Ignis because his role as advisor required it was hardly any consolation. “Right. Working.” He brought his arms to the back of his head and leaned back. But Ignis, his boyfriend, would’ve accompanied him without a second thought. “We didn’t have any time to ourselves. It was all about showing face and shaking hands...” “You didn’t get any alone time together? I don’t buy that for once second.” “Well, I...” Noctis’ cheeks warmed at memory of Ignis’ earnest hands and mouth pressed against him. It was a few days since that tapestry incident and they haven’t found another one to hide behind since. He let out a shaky breath, pulling himself before the fantasy went further. “I’m just looking forward to our party.” “Riiiight...” Prompto sent some popcorn flying and the prince held up a pillow to fend them off. “Figured out what you’re getting Ignis for Friendsgiving-mas yet?” Prompto came up with the term combining the two holidays together while Gladiolus, caught by the contagious holiday cheer, had been preparing for the party and transforming the Amicitia residence into a winter wonderland. The Friendsgiving-mas party’s four days from now. Noctis wanted to smack himself. “Nothing yet.” “Why not get him a cookbook?” “Uh, wouldn’t that be like me implying that he should cook something from it?” Not to mention there’s a guarantee that Ignis would claim the recipes as his own, he did love seeing his name on everything. Gifts that came with initials or offered any chance for him to write on them can be this. “He loves cooking.” “I’m still not getting him that,” the prince said and that was final. “Good. Because that’ll be piggybacking on what I got him.” “Seriously?” “Nah. Don’t tell him but I got the complete set of Master Showdown on blu-Way.” “He’s... into that?” “Yeah, dude, he said he’s too busy to read past the first volume but now he can watch the anime whenever he wants.” The blond tucked his legs in and turned to the dark-haired man. “So whaddya get me?” “A joke book. Gladio thinks your current material suck.” “Not cool, you know how hard I’m trying to get him to crack a smile,” Prompto frowned. “All right, forget I asked.” The prince elbowed the pauper’s side playfully. “You’ll like the gift, promise.” The gift was an limited-edition art book from the King’s Knight franchise that had all the ultimate fans like Prompto drooling over for months. Prompto’s beryl eyes sparkled. “You mean that?” Noctis nodded and the two went back to the movie, already halfway of its narrative to an otherwise predictable occurrence of events that it didn’t take long for the prince to get caught up. Prompto, however, had a reaction for everything even for the things he called out on. - Noctis still didn’t know what to get Ignis for Chrystmas. To be fair, Noctis was never much of a gift giver until he started his two part-time jobs at the sushi joint and the second-hand records shop. There was something fulfilling in being able to purchase things with his own money than to rely on the Crown’s coin. After all, Noctis knew it when he commissioned a gold skull pendant for Ignis’ eighteenth birthday that he still wore to this day. But that was the last time Noctis nailed the right gift with Ignis. They’ve known each other since they were children and Ignis never ceased in being an enigma. They had seen plenty of celebrations and holidays together, this one would be the first they will spend as a couple. Thoughtful as it was and as it became tradition adopted in practice, lint-covered sticks of gum and lip balms were unacceptable gifts for Ignis. Noctis found a window of opportunity and took it, asking Ignis to come along with him for Chrystmas shopping. Under a cover story that Noctis still had people on his list to get gifts for, Ignis came along, happy to have a breather from their hectic schedules. Though the prince had to maintain his story somehow, he took Ignis to the mall, browsing through merchandise and wares while keeping a close eye on his boyfriend and praying he doesn’t catch on to the truth. “And you think Gladio needs a... lamp?” Ignis asked when Noctis studied a shelf. “Uh, yeah... This one, though!” Noctis pointed at a lava lamp. “It’ll make his room a little less boring, dontcha think?” “But what of the cassette tapes you used your employee discount for?” Maybe Noctis shouldn’t have disclosed what presents he got everyone with Ignis. An art book for Prompto, rare and hard to find cassette tapes for Gladiolus, specialty sewing scissors for Iris, a set of animal sticker tape pens for Luna, novelty ice cube molds for Dad, a tea sampler for Mom... The prince was taking a huge risk in bringing the advisor along. Thankfully, Ignis was great at keeping secrets or the whole gift exchange would’ve been a bust. What was he even thinking that a lamp would make a good present? But this was mission was growing exceedingly difficult as they window shopped. He hoped for a miracle, a slight change in Ignis’ expression at the displays be it clothes, apparel, electronics, and yes, even cooking supplies if it got to that point. Ignis raised an eyebrow when Noctis pulled him to a jeweler’s. “But it’s a little soon for that...” the advisor whispered to himself while caressing the pendant around his neck. Their shopping adventure came to a close and Noctis was ready to admit defeat. He carried several bags so it hadn’t been a complete waste of time, but he failed in the purpose of the trip. “Iggy, I...” Noctis stared at their joined hands before something on Ignis’ wrist, just below his suit jacket, glittered softly in the moonlight. He couldn’t believe he didn’t think of it before. “Uh, thanks for coming with me.” Ignis smiled, chuckling as he pressed his lips against the prince’s forehead. “But of course,” he said, his tone as warm as his breath. ��As your boyfriend, there’s no limit to the things I’d do for you.” He took Noctis’ hand and held it between his own. “I’m relieved.” “What for?” “You seemed troubled the whole evening and I didn’t wish to pry...” Ignis sighed. “Not unless you wanted to talk about it. But is everything all right?” Noctis grinned despite the winter chill and Ignis’ worry as he slid his arms around his lover’s waist. “Feeling like I’m on the top of the world right now.” - It was night of Chrystmas Eve when Ignis surprised Noctis. “You didn’t tell me you’re coming over.” Noctis said, leaning against the door frame and grinning from ear to ear. They were to see each other tomorrow, but he had no complaints about sudden change of plans. “That’s the idea,” Ignis answered, his gloves in one hand as he touched the prince’s cheek and brushed his lips with his own. Ignis had planned to cook dinner and progressing through the video game Noctis insisted that he would enjoy, but the plan never went far from the thought. Unplanned moments were always better than planned ones. Noctis made sure of that, and happened to be rather persuasive of other things they could be doing instead. “Noct,” Ignis failed to sound convincing in his scolding and his hand jerked suddenly, splattering sauce on the counter. “I can’t cook while you’re doing that.” “Doing what?” Noctis asked, innocently. He hummed another victory scored in making Ignis lose his focus and counting. “Told you that we should order take out.” Plus, he had plenty of leftover snacks and treats from the marathon. Anything more complicated than that was automatically vetoed. They more or less stumbled out of the kitchen and into the living room, fitting all the kisses and caresses that had not occurred in a month into these precious hours now. With food shoved away from their minds, Ignis’ knuckles were covered in the white sauce he had been using and Noctis lapped up savory richness of it down to the last digit. “Ignis,” Noctis used this moment to catch his breath and to lick his lips. “Think I can get you on the naughty list?” He challenged, feeling brazen with the feel of Ignis under him. “You can certainly try,” Ignis commented, undoing the drawstrings of Noctis’ sweatpants and teasingly stroking a patch of skin with his fingers. Noctis was drifting between states of rest and awake when he felt Ignis move. The routine was familiar, the advisor leaving when the prince was asleep or it had grown late and he needed to beat traffic. But for the times that Ignis stayed the night, there were clothes in the prince’s closet and a set of amenities reserved for that purpose. Noctis has joked that the apartment was Ignis’ second home in a way. “Stay the night,” Noctis mumbled, moving closer to Ignis’ side. He was prepared with a list of reasons why and though knowing that he would see him soon, he didn’t want him to leave. “I planned to,” Ignis said, brushing a few to kiss his cheek. “But perhaps I should stay in the guest room. I may not get any sleep at all tonight otherwise.” His eyes flickered to the perfect bite mark on his chest before turning to retrieve his socks and garters. “Liar,” Noctis stroked the taunt muscles of Ignis’ lower back, taking his finger and drawing a straight line up along the spine. The advisor froze for a moment and drew a sharp inhale. “What’re up to?” “If you must know,” Ignis ran a hand through his mussed hair. “I was going to get something to eat and clean up the mess we made in the kitchen. But you can go back to sleep.” The prince propped himself up on his elbow hearing that. “Nah, I’m wide awake. I’ll give you a hand.” Casting an eye over his shoulder to examine the time on the clock, “Isn’t it too late to eat? It’s almost midnight.” Ignis was silent, concentrating a little more than it should take a person to fasten garters and slip pants on. “Mhm. Let’s just say that being with you has worked up an appetite.” Noctis’ gaze followed Ignis. “Burns calories, too, I heard,” he added, smugly. “But what are you up to? Planning Chrystmas breakfast?” Ignis faced him. “Oh, so I was right.” “Dismiss the line of inquiry, dear heart,” Ignis batted the presumptions with a smile. “Her Majesty would be heartbroken if we arrived with full bellies.” “She won’t—” Noctis began before closing his mouth. “Crap. The family breakfast.” His mother’s feelings were far from delicate and hardly necessitated a need to protect them as she tended to hold grudges and never let people forget about them. Regis learned that the hard way last year. The Chrystmas breakfast was her own tradition she implemented. Regardless of how absorbing the festivities and demanding the royal duties were, each member was to put aside time and uphold responsibility to appear and convene at the table. Between her husband and son, Aulea was the glue that kept the family together. For the proposed breakfast, she did her best to recreate a warm and intimate setting for her family. Morning was the best time for this. Bemused by the prince’s astonished expression, Ignis pecked Noctis’ lips. “You needn’t fear, I couldn’t let you forget your mother’s yearly request. Fortunately, I’m on your side.” “Yeah,” Noctis hastily kicked off the sheets. “Can’t let Mom down.” “You’re not going back to sleep?” “Not yet. I need to make sure I’m taking the right gifts over.” - Noctis didn’t remember dozing off, but sure enough, he woke up to Ignis gently shaking his shoulder. It was Chrystmas Day, morning, to be exact. The advisor’s voice was husky and dripped like syrup to the prince’s ear. “Good morning.” There was a sweet, sensual fragrance of spices paired with hints of vanilla about him. It took only moments for Noctis to register it was from an aftershave Ignis used. “You smell... crazy amazing,” the prince babbled, unable to help himself. He wouldn’t mind waking up like this every morning. The bridge of the advisor’s nose dotingly brushed the prince’s cheekbone. “You know I adore your candidness first thing in the morning.” Ignis had just showered and to Noctis’ dismay, he was almost dressed. Semiformal attire with a silk black long-sleeved shirt fully buttoned to his clavicle and the same color scheme went for his trousers and seadevil winklepickers. It was a normal look, the state of dress honored the royal family colors and that of the Crownsguard, save for the clashing yet ridiculous Chrystmas vest with a cactuar wearing a sequined Santa cap blatantly emblazoned on the front. Noctis blinked before snorting a laugh. “I’m blinded by that sweater. Burn it.” Ignis folded his arms, his smile between the lines of being innocently coy and threatening pay back on that comment. “We’ll have matching outfits before we walk out the door.” “Hah, no way.” “As much as I’d enjoy crushing that obstinate delusion you’ve created for yourself—I know I’ll relish it soon enough,” Ignis muttered the dark promise under his breath and Noctis stuck his tongue out at him. “Have you seen my cufflinks?” He touched his wrist, perturbed. “On second thought, I shouldn’t be asking you this. We’ll head over to the palace when you’re ready.” “Hey, hey,” Noctis took Ignis’ wrists and calmly steered his boyfriend’s attention to him. “You left them on the counter, so I put them in my room for safe keeping.” As important as the grand Lucis Caelum breakfast was, even if the cufflinks were missing, he would search the entire apartment from top to bottom to find them. His mother would understand. Ignis let out a sigh of relief, looking at the door leading to the bedroom. “Well, it was a good idea to ask after all. Where did you put them?” “Relax. I’ll get them. We got time, right?” At that, Noctis retreated to his bedroom and opened the drawer belonging to the nightstand. The gold cufflinks were in a plastic bag next to a fine wooden case. The prince knew that Ignis would never rummage through here, only places within reach and wherever he didn’t do a good job in tidying up. But never the nightstand. They fit into the plan nicely ever since Noctis noticed them the other night and everything clicked in place. He planned to give them to him during the Friendsgiving-mas Exchange, but... The best laid plans were the unexpected ones. He couldn’t wait to see the look on his lover’s face. “Got them,” Noctis grinned upon returning the bag to Ignis. “You know... Could be just me but they kinda lost their luster, huh?” Ignis studied them for a closer examination. “Gods, I can’t wear these. Their Majesties would take notice.” Noctis resisted the urge to laugh. His parents wouldn’t care, they’re fond of Ignis, but he knew how carefully meticulous the advisor was of his appearance. “So,” the prince presented the box that he concealed behind his back and held it out to the advisor. “How about trying these on? They’re stylish, smart, sexy...” Inside were a dual pair of silver dagger cufflinks with amethyst stones embedded in the hilt. The spectacular violet hues added personality to a simple design. Ignis was at a loss for words when his viridian eyes fell back to Noctis. “And would look great on you,” the prince finished before beaming at him. “Merry Chrystmas, Ignis.” “For me? Truly?” “What? You didn’t think I’d get you something?” Noctis took out a card he had folded. “I, uh, wrote you a card to go along with it. I know you like that kind of thing so I did it.” He cleared his throat before reading, “‘Hey Iggy, what do you think? Do you like them? They’re pretty badass, right? I hope you’ll think of me when you wear these cufflinks. Signing documents, attending receptions, or even waving at me before you leave, you’ll do it in style. I’m pretty sure of that.’” Heat blossomed from Noctis’ neck to his face when he realized that some things were not to be read aloud. “I’ll cherish them,” Ignis said, finally, his gaze warm and fond. “Always.” “Really?” Noctis felt weak in the knees. “Help me put them on?” Ignis proposed, handing the box back and holding out his wrist. “Y-yeah, no problem,” the prince stammered. The cufflinks went in easily and folded to lock in firmly. “How do they feel?” Ignis turned one wrist over and repeated the same with the other. “Sharp and dapper,” he replied, opting for a pose with his index finger and thumb out under his chin, ceremoniously intimating a hero from a beloved series. Noctis burst out laughing. “Oh man, that’s... No, Iggy!” “No?” Ignis was confused. “That... That I’d expect from Prompto!” “Are you insinuating that Prompto and I are uncool?” Noctis failed to maintain his composure. “I didn’t say all that.” “Hmph.” - “About time you two showed up!” Gladiolus greeted the couple by the door. “Help yourself to the food and,” the Shield’s amber eyes glinted sardonically. “Nice sweater, Princess.” Noctis groaned. It’s been an hour since he wore the ugly Chrystmas sweater and it eluded him still in trying to shut off the battery to the lights. “Iggy forced me in this...” “Can’t have him carry the holiday spirit for the both of you.” The Shield wasn’t even subtle in his thumbs up gesture to Ignis before returning to Iris by the tree. Prompto was the second guest to greet the two. “So,” Prompto carried several of boxes under his arms. “This one’s for Gladio, one for me, one for Iris... So, where’s your presents, guys?” “Noct and I had our exchange early,” Ignis answered before revealing the dagger cufflinks. “Our apologies for breaking tradition.” Though he hardly sounded apologetic about it. “But rest assured, we haven’t touched any of the gifts we got you.” “While the rest of us gotta wait until after the party games,” the blond rolled his eyes. “So, what did Iggy get you, Noct?” “A tackle box. He built it himself. Guess we both surprised each other this year.”

“It was the sentiment that counted most of all,” Ignis added.

#ignoct #IgNoct Secret Santa #serenbach86 #Ignis Scientia #Noctis Lucis Caelum #ffxv #final fantasy xv #final fantasy 15 #final fantasy #ff15 #ff #ignoctsecretsanta

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lonelypond · 8 years ago

Text

The Dance: Lead Me To I Love You

Love Live, NicoMaki main pairing, close to 8K words, 1st of 2 chapters

Nico has asked Maki out on their first date, but will they actually make it to the night without breaking up? And what comes after? Is Rin a help or a hindrance? Diving back into my 1Kiss AU, this is slotted through the second season of the anime.

AND WE...AGREE

That afternoon’s μ's practice had been a quick but intense one, and Maki was sweating but happy. She could see Nico in her peripheral vision, bouncing as she talked to Hanayo. Nico looked in Maki’s direction and winked, causing Maki to fumble with her towel for a minute. Nico grabbed her water bottle, offering it to Maki as she approached. Just as Maki’s hand touched the bottle and brushed Nico’s fingers, Rin bounced up, grabbing both of them and pulling them together in a hug.

“So Maki-chan and Nico-chan are dating.”

Nico pulled away as Maki shoved Rin, their voices in perfect unison.

“No, we’re not.”

Nico stared at Maki. Maki stepped through Rin, her hands flying out to the side. “What do you mean no?”

Nico stepped back, scrunching her face up. “Well, we haven’t gone yet.”

Maki glared. “And we’re not going after this.”

“Hey, wait, Maki,” Nico met Maki’s glare. “You can’t back out now.”

“Watch me.”

Then something clicked for Nico. “Hey, you said no too. Why are you mad at me?”

Maki exhaled, then turned away. “Because. You asked ME.”

“Yes. So let’s go out.”

Maki looked around the rooftop. Everyone else in μ's had frozen, looking carefully somewhere away from either Maki or Nico. Nozomi was whispering something in Eli’s ear. Rin, had stepped back and was staring, her mouth gaping open. Maki turned on her. “This is your fault.”

Rin shook her head, glancing to Nico. Maki whirled, rushing away. Nico watched for a moment, then followed. “Maki, wait!”

Eli nodded at Umi. “I guess rehearsal’s over.”

“So it would seem.” Umi sighed.

Hanayo came over to Rin, who shook her head when the other girl reached out a hand.

I CAN’T GET STARTED

Maki stepped inside the door to her home, closed it carefully behind her, then screamed random vowels.

And after the echoes had whispered their way out and just as her mother came running into the room, she muttered, “Why?!??!?!”

Her mother stared at her. “Maki? What’s the matter?”

Maki looked away, shrugging.

“Maki.” Her mother touched her daughter on the shoulder. “Talk to me. Maybe I can help. Did something happen?”

‘No,” Maki grumped. She stomped into the sitting room and threw herself in a chair, pulling out her iPod, activating the Bluetooth and filling the room with jazz.

Her mother recognized the tune “I Can’t Get Started” and managed not to smile. Nico’s ringtone, which had become very recognizable in the Nishikino home, went off, jarring against the jazz. Maki pulled out her phone, read the text quickly, tossed her phone on the table and curled up in her seat, knees pulled to her chest.

It was Monday. Maki was home early. Something had happened.

“I’ll go make tea.”

Maki grunted. The jazz got louder. The ringtone went off again.

There was pounding on the door. An angry Nico. Maki’s mom showed her to the sitting room. “You have a visitor, dear.”

“Answer your phone,” Nico demanded.

“No.”

“You said the same thing.”

Maki’s mother walked slowly down the hall.

It sounded like Maki stood up. “But I didn’t ask YOU out.”

Nico snorted. “Well, now you’re going to have to.”

“Fine.”

Maki hesitated, probably a bit stunned.

“Ask me.”

Pause. Maki’s mom leaned in a doorframe. She shouldn’t, but ...

“Go out with me.”

“Where? When?”

“I … I don’t know,” Maki sounded panicked.

“I have reservations Friday night.”

“Fine.”

“Right.” Nico huffed out of the room. “And answer your freaking phone when I call.”

The jazz got louder. The front door slammed. Maki’s mother slid down the wall, laughing.

AGAIN, WE...AGREE?

Maki came downstairs for breakfast, and in addition to what the chef had prepared for her, there was a small box of grapes next to her plate.

“What’s this for?” she asked her mother, who shrugged in response.

“I thought you might want to take them to school, share them with someone.”

Maki scowled. She knew her mother had been lurking in the hall. She twisted her hair, but if she took the grapes, maybe her mother wouldn’t ask her any questions.

“Thanks.” Maki took a sip of her orange juice.

“Will you be out late Friday night?” her mother asked.

Maki choked. If only Nico hadn’t come over. But Nico coming over meant Nico cared and that the date was going to happen. Nico. She wondered what Nico was going to wear. It was past the season for anything Nico had worn to the beach, especially considering how quickly Nico got cold. Maybe Maki should wear an extra layer in case, surely Nico wouldn’t wear her cardigan.

“Maki?”

“Sorry.”

“Will you be out late on Friday night?”

“Probably not.”

“Good.”

Morning conversation, check. Maki continued to chew slowly through her breakfast, trying to picture Friday. It was mostly a blank. She fidgeted with a grape.

Sitting in her first class a few minutes before it started, Maki felt her phone vibrate. Nico. Of course, it was Nico.

N: Nico has good news for you §ԾᴗԾ§

M: Should I worry?

N: Nico has time in her busy Idol schedule to meet you for lunch (＾-＾)＿日

M: Shouldn’t the Number 1 Idol in the Universe be setting an example and studying?

N: Nico has everything under control (つ▀¯▀)つ Don’t be late.

Maki wondered if that meant Nico wasn’t mad about yesterday.

Maki hadn’t exactly rushed to the roof, although she would prefer not to be questioned on why she was out of breath. Nico had gotten there before her anyway and spread a blanket out.

“Maki-chan!” The happiness in Nico’s voice turned Maki’s hesitant smile into a huge grin. “Come sit next to Nico. I made you a bento.”

Maki’s eyes widened as Nico held out a bento box wrapped in pretty pink floral fabric. Then she remembered her contribution and opened her bag to offer Nico the box of grapes.

“F … for you. I’m sorry about yesterday,” Maki muttered, not meeting Nico’s glance.

Nico’s voice caught in her throat. “I’m sorry too.”

Maki nodded, unwrapping the bento eagerly. She watched as Nico bit into a grape with a grin. “So sweet. Thanks, Maki-chan. Nico Ni loves grapes.” Then, Nico laid her head on Maki’s shoulders, with eyes bright with an impish gleam. “But Maki-chan will have to buy a fruit stand at this rate.”

Maki raised an eyebrow, her voice a sly drawl. “Is Nico insinuating that there will be anything else I need to apologize for?”

“No, no … Maki-chan is wonderful of course. Almost as wonderful as Nico.” Nico’s teeth snapped a grape in half. “Nico is just teasing.”

“Good.” Maki picked up her chopsticks.

Nico had made a curry. It was nice to sit and eat there, together, in the sun and the breeze, not talking, just enjoying the view and the clouds that wandered by. Nico would occasionally point out one that looked like something cute and Maki would scoff, but not seriously. Pleasant. Eventually, Nico would probably even find one that resembled her and Maki might let that pass, if the cloud were cute enough. This kind of amity she could easily get used to … avoiding Rin was obviously the key to avoiding dating problems.

A DOOR TO THE UNKNOWN

Nico was not impressed by any of Maki’s arguments about respecting Honoka’s wishes or giving their leader time or letting Umi and Kotori handle the situation. But Nico had decided to stop arguing, sipping her juice between irritated huffs of breath. If Maki hadn’t been so tired of the mood swings of the day, she might have found it adorable. As it was, she was just trying to avoid eye contact or body contact or Rin’s cheerfulness at food and drink -- Rin had a shorter attention span than the cats that she adored, Maki decided.

But Maki couldn’t help feel a bit sad for Nico. From the prospective excitement of another Love Live -- Nico had been excited enough to just grab and hug Maki, maybe she’d have to get used to that, maybe it wasn’t so bad in front of their friends, but they hadn’t even gone on a date yet and Nico … Maki started twirling her hair around her fingers. Nico raised an eyebrow at that but then went back to sipping grumpily at her cup. But then Honoka's disinterest had squelched the optimism μ's had recovered after remembering the A-Rise bump.

And tonight was their date. Would Nico even remember? The last time, when they’d pulled out of Love Live after Principal Minami questioned their motives, Nico had been sad, and then after Honoka had quit, anger had taken over Nico, fueling her quest to find a way to keep being an Idol. Would that be all Nico would think about now?

Rin and Nico continued to slurp in opposite moods, and Maki could feel Hanayo’s knee nudge her under the table. She just shook her head, not wanting to start speculating about anything in front of Nico. Hanayo seemed to understand. “I think it’s time we went home, Rin-chan.”

Rin bounced up, as happy to be leaving as she had been to be sitting there. Maki continued to be in awe of Rin’s ability to bring so much energy to absolutely everything she did. The only time she even paused was when she was half asleep before their first class started, usually only on mornings when rehearsal had been particularly early.

“See you later, Nico-chan, Maki-chan.” Rin stopped to hug Nico. “Don’t be sad, Nico-chan.”

Hugging Nico. Maki couldn’t do that in front of people. She wasn’t sure if she ever could. But Nico perked up a little.

“Are you ready to go, Maki-chan?” Nico asked, letting her cup drop dramatically.

Maki nodded, still thinking about Rin hugging Nico.

Nico moved at her usual speed and got to the door before Maki. She paused, waiting. Maki stopped in front of her, heart fluttering a bit. When Maki didn’t sweep right through, Nico glanced up.

“I … I’ll see you tonight, Nico-chan.” Maki managed a smile.

Nico hesitated. Maki could see her connecting thoughts, then the full on sun of Nico’s charm burst through. “Maki-chan had better be prepared for the best first date ever. No one beats Nico at romance.”

Her voice shook a little at the end, which somehow made it even more endearing. Maki laughed at herself and then she felt Nico’s hand touch her wrist. Nico’s eyes twinkled. “Nico will have to choose her outfit carefully because Maki-chan will be the cutest first date ever.”

Cute. Outfit. Clothes. Maki almost broke into a run. You couldn’t go on a date in a school uniform and she wasn’t asking Kotori for help. Or her mother. How many hours did she have?

NIGHT INTERRUPTED

“It’s a group call.” Nico looked at Maki, her eyes actually apologetic and not demanding. “You should be in on it too.”

Maki shrugged. “I don’t mind if you do, but I’m not interested.”

Nico snorted, but didn’t say anything to Maki and walked several steps away. Maki was still getting used to the sight of Nico in heels and found herself staring. And Nico’s skirt was so much shorter than their uniforms. Nico was listening, not paying any attention to Maki at all. Why did Honoka have to be this way now? And why did Nico have to … no, Maki stopped herself, Nico was a person who CARED, that’s part of what Maki liked about her, the way Nico, after she let out a few token grumbles about being inconvenienced, would actually make the effort to figure out the solution that made the most people feel better. When Honoka had been sick and injured herself falling and they’d had to drop out of Love Live, Nico had been one of the first to push everyone to think of things that could cheer Honoka up. Always with the Nico Nico Ni and the nudging to smile … wait, Nico was speaking, Maki made sure to listen. Nico wanted to go to Love Live. No surprise there. And then Nico lowered her phone and turned back to Maki, who expected her to launch into a recap of her conversation with the other seven members of μ's. Instead, Nico walked up to Maki.

“That was bad timing. But Nico can roll with it. Ready to go see the movie? Nico made reservations for dinner after so Maki can tell Nico what she thought. Nico enjoys hearing Maki’s perspective.” Nico winked.

Maki hesitated. Nico was giving her a chance to ignore the recent phone call, but Nico’s “roll with it” patter hadn’t been convincing. She’d looked away, and Maki could tell that something was bothering her. Maki had decided when she’d joined μ's that trusting Honoka’s instincts was the way to go, Honoka seemed to do or say the right thing more often than the wrong -- unless it was on a test -- and Maki had decided to let the μ's leader lead on all things Idol. Honoka cared, Maki didn’t. Nico cared, maybe even more than Honoka, and usually the two were in agreement, but today had changed that equation, and Maki didn’t have a solution for the new variables. So she was waiting for a sign from Honoka. And not paying enough attention to a Nico who was now at the tip of her nose, thanks to Nico’s heels’ inflated height.

Startled, Maki snapped, “You’re too tall.”

Nico bopped the tip of Maki’s nose with hers. “I like this view.”

Nico’s eyes were so deep and so close. Too close. Maki took a step back and stumbled, Nico chuckled, Maki went red.

“Did Nico scare Maki-chan? Is Maki not used to being that close to a pretty Idol?” Nico offered a hand to steady Maki.

“N … no …” Maki drew herself up to her full height, ignoring Nico’s hand, still maybe a centimeter or two taller than Nico, and smoothed her hair back. “I stand next to pretty girls all the time.”

Nico pulled her hand back. “Good for Maki-chan.” There was a pause and Nico’s smile was a straight line. “It must be boring to be out with just one, even if she is the Number One Idol in the World.”

Maki’s brain starting working on what had gone wrong as Nico turned away. And then a breeze flipped up Nico’s skirt and Maki caught a glimpse of … stripes. And then she forgot what she was supposed to be processing. Nico decided to be impatient and turned, eyes glaring.

“Say something, Maki-chan!”

Maki jumped. “Skirt.”

Nico frowned and stomped back to Maki. “You are at the top of your class, right? You talk to me every day, right?” Nico really looked into Maki’s eyes, and while Maki tried desperately to keep breathing, Nico started to look worried. She walked past Maki, muttering.

“Maybe this was a stupid idea, Nico. Maki-chan is too y…” Nico glanced back over her shoulder as Maki stood there, staring at her. “Nico Ni needs to focus on the Love Live, not be out at night, scaring her j…”

Nico was talking herself out of their date, Maki realized, horrified. Nico, standing there, under a streetlight, beautiful, styled like a model on a magazine cover, bright as a sun, with jewels of eyes that Maki kept getting lost in, was talking herself into thinking Maki was too young for dating. Because Maki was an awkward idiot who could barely look a cute girl in the eye. Maki just leapt, surprising Nico, her hands reaching for Nico’s, her momentum pushing Nico back into a tree.

“Maki-chan.” Nico’s voice was a warning Maki couldn’t hear over the physical pounding of her heart in her ears. And then suddenly, the sensation of pressing into Nico’s lips roared into her body, as if a charming but lively piano etude you hear from the middle row had been switched for a full symphony housed in Maki’s chest, whose crashes and crescendos would melt metal and wood into the forces splitting Maki into pieces.

“Maki ...” Nico’s wonder would whisper through every future thought Maki ever had.

MISSED DATE

Nico’s phone buzzed. Somehow, they’d moved behind a more private tree and Nico was nearly in Maki’s lap.

“Ignore it,” Maki grumbled, holding Nico even tighter in a hug.

“Can’t,” Nico kissed the part of Maki’s neck she could reach. “Might be my mom.”

Maki sighed and released Nico, vaguely wondering what time it was while Nico grabbed her phone out of Maki’s pocket.

“Crud.” Nico sounded frustrated.

“What’s wrong, Nico-chan? Is it your parents?” Maki leaned into Nico’s hair, enjoying the fruity smell and the silky ends tickling her nose. She ran her fingers through it, tracing a line down the back of Nico’s neck.

Nico hesitated, blinking. “We missed our dinner reservation. And the movie.”

Maki laughed. “I didn’t notice. Are you hungry?”

Nico leaned back into Maki’s arms. “A little.”

Maki stood, lifting Nico and enjoying the spectacle when Nico used the upward momentum to make showy and graceful leap. “French fries are on me.”

Nico tilted her head to the side, eyes flashing, reminding Maki that a gauntlet could be thrown at any second. “Nico Ni will allow that tonight.”

“Very generous,” Maki bowed. She felt like leaping and whirling and shouting. Nico was watching her closely, lips pursed, and Maki could feel a new interest from Nico, a thread of attention that kept wrapping around Maki like a cocoon as Nico observed the redhead. Maki decided to tug on it and twirl and see what would happen.

“AAAAHHHHHHHH” Maki shouted loud enough to startle passers-by across the street, ran to the railing, launched herself up to hang over the railing in the air, landing back on the ground with her biggest grin ever.

Nico shook her head at Maki, unable not to smile at the redhead’s antics.

“NNNNNIIIIIICCCCCOOOOOO!” Maki shouted down a tunnel of air, then pushed off, turning to twirl her GIRLFRIEND, and Nico, not balanced perfectly on her heels, stumbled into Maki. Maki was reminded of holding Nico on a rooftop in a different lifetime, uncertain of what anything between them meant. Tonight, as she held Nico, there was no one else’s voice in her head, no doubts, no worries, just amazement as two hearts began synching their rhythms.

“Maki.” Nico’s hand slid into her hair, slipping over her neck, and Maki had never been this awake.

“Yes.” Maki knew she would say yes to whatever Nico’s perfectly sculpted mouth demanded.

Nico’s lips teased around her ear and Maki shivered, nearly wild with new sensations. “Don’t let go.”

IDOLS ARE FOR ...

Maki leaned forward, hands raised to prop up her chin, amethyst eyes glowing as she watched Nico decide on the best french fry left in the pile. Nico had grumbled a little about the nice restaurant she had planned to take them to, but Maki was perfectly comfortable here, where they spent every Monday afternoon, where Nico always seemed relaxed and at home. The Number One Idol in the Universe’s number one fast food choice, Maki thought with a chuckle, composing an impromptu jingle in her head as lively as Nico. Then another, more worrisome thought intruded.

“Nico-chan?”

Nico had just bitten into her fry of choice so couldn’t respond, but she did quirk an eyebrow at the worry in Maki’s tone.

“You always say ‘idols are for everyone ...’” Maki couldn’t meet Nico’s eyes.

Nico’s hands were suddenly under Maki’s chin, raising her head so Maki couldn’t miss the warmth in the depths of Nico’s. Then Nico winked. “Very smart question, Maki-chan, shows you’ve been paying attention to Nico. And Nico has been thinking about that.”

Nico looked so serious. It was an instant switch Maki didn’t know that she could ever get used to: A change in thought or posture or light and Nico would suddenly seem so grown up it was breathtaking, even more so than the dazzlingly energetic cuteness. Maki was still, watching Nico, the depth of her blush the only thing shifting as she waited for Nico's answer.

Nico spoke quickly, brooking no argument. “An Idol’s job is to make people smile. Nico smiles more when Maki is around, so spending time with Maki makes Nico Ni an even better super Idol. Nico Nico Ni.”

A weight was gone as Nico lifted her hands into her signature gesture, winking. Maki laughed. “My super genius Super Idol girlfriend.”

“Yep.” Nico nodded, grabbing another fry. “Nico will always fix everything.”

Maki stared in amazement. She knew that statement couldn’t be true, but somehow when she heard Nico say it, it didn’t sound like a lie. And Nico had none of her usual tells when she was exaggerating.

“Maki will believe Nico one day, I promise.” Nico popped a fry into Maki’s mouth before Maki could say anything.

Rude as it might be, Maki found herself answering Nico mid chew. “I … I believe you now.”

Now it was Nico’s turn to be still. And then Maki’s phone went off. Her mom. She smiled at Nico and then answered. “Hello Mama … yes, we’re still at the restaurant … no, where we usually meet … yes, we’ll be done in 10 minutes … I’ll look for the driver.” Maki put her phone away. “I … I have to go, Nico-chan.”

Nico had pulled out her own phone and sent a text while Maki was talking to her mother. Then she reached out to take Maki’s hand. “You’re amazing, Maki-chan.” Nico’s smile was sly, conspiratorial. “Amazing. Nico’s best night ever.”

Maki blushed, turning away while her grip on Nico’s hand got tighter. “See you t … tomorrow, Nico-chan.”

“You can bet on it,” Nico pulled Maki to her feet and managed to catch her for a quick hug before Maki could pull away. And once Nico was that close, Maki didn’t want to pull away, but then she caught the eye of the girl behind the counter and stiffened. Nico giggled and got as close to Maki’s ear as she could. “Maki-chan will just have to owe Nico a kiss.” And then Nico kept her hand and led her distracted girlfriend to the street level, Maki having tilted headlong into memories of the early part of the evening.

MOOD: HIRT

Maki stormed into the house. Her mother glanced at the clock. Much earlier than usual, probably directly after Muse rehearsal.

“Maki?”

Music started. Al Hirt. Horn-A-Plenty. “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home.” Music got louder as something heavy thunked into wood. Intervention time.

Maki was pacing the sitting room, nostrils flaring, arms tossing back and forth, muttering. Her mother entered carefully and noticed the object out of place, a small silver rabbit askew in the center of the table. She leaned forward to pick it up. It was the Buccatelli piece Maki had bought for Nico at a small boutique when she had insisted on taking her daughter for a seasonal clothing shopping spree. Maki had been more agreeable than usual, possibly due to the attention Nico paid to fashion, and when she had seen the rabbit and thought Nico would like it, her mother hadn’t had the heart to say no. Maki didn’t realize how expensive it was, maybe Nico wouldn’t … her mother had considered its purchase along the lines of a harmless trinket. Now, it was an exquisitely crafted, slightly dented, seemingly not harmless trinket.

“Maki?”

Maki’s stopped, her eyes full of tears. “Why won’t Nico take it? Or ever let me buy dinner? Or …”

Maki dropped into a chair, arms on her knees, still crying. Her mother came up behind her, hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “What did Nico say?”

“I … it was too expensive. And she couldn’t accept it. And she couldn’t afford something like that for me.” Pause for sobbing. “I don’t want something like that. I want Nico to have it.” Another pause, with sniffling as the crying slowed, “I can’t help it if I shop in different places.”

Maki’s mother frowned. On the one hand, Nico refusing an expensive gift showed character; on the other, if Nico was too proud to be able to accept that Maki was the heir to a wealthy family, that was not a good thing.

“Do you know anything about Nico’s family?”

Wrong question. The crying started again. “S … she never ...” Maki stood suddenly, shaking herself. “It doesn’t matter. I gave her a gift to show I cared; she turned it down because she doesn’t.”

“Maki, I don’t think that’s true.”

Her daughter ignored the rebuttal, stating “I don’t care what you do with it” as she left the room.

“Maki, where are you …”

And then the door to the music room slid shut. Emphatically. Question answered. Problem not solved. And worse, Maki’s mother knew this was a problem she couldn’t solve for Maki. The money was always going to be there; Maki had grown up with a much different standard of living than most of her schoolmates. If Nico couldn’t deal with that, it was best to find out now.

DO NOTHING ‘TIL YOU HEAR FROM NICO NI

Nico’s ringtone. Maki glared at her phone from the bed, where she was leaning back, hugging a small bear dressed like a maid. No, Nico was not going to charm her way out of this, Maki didn’t care what she had to say. It was embarrassing … why couldn’t she have just taken the rabbit … Maki shook her head, not wanting to remember how she’d stomped away from Nico or how she’d been unable to keep Nico from seeing the tears starting.

Nico kept texting. Maki grabbed her phone before she started to hate Nico’s ringtone. And of course, the first text was a smiling picture of Nico, taken wearing the T-shirt Maki had “loaned” her. Then the emoji flood started.

N: (´・＿・`)

N: Maki-chan ＼(￣O￣)

N: (･＿･)( ･_)(　･)(　　)(･　)(_･ )(･＿･) 　

N: Nico Ni (ノдヽ) is sorry she upset Maki (ノ﹏ヽ)

M: I AM NOT CRYING!

N: Nico will comfort you (つ´∀｀)つ

M: Or Nico will cause all my nightmares from now on

N: Σ(￣ロ￣lll) Maki needs to have more faith in Nico

M: Nico needs to…

Maki stopped typing. What did Nico need to do?

M: Nico needs to accept that I have better taste than she does ( ´ｰ`)

N: (ʘ言ʘ╬)

Maki laughed.

N: Which is why Maki (´⌣`ʃƪ) Nico ԅ( ˘ω˘ԅ)

M: If you say so

N: ＼(★^∀^★)／

M: Goodnight, Nico-chan.

N: (☆´3｀) Goodnight, Maki-chan. ʕ￫ᴥ￩ʔ

And Maki wondered again, how Nico did that. How did Nico manage to sneak her into Nico-positive moods so often … it was an illusion. Or some kind of magic trick and Maki was the assistant being sawn in half and then put back together to the wonder and amazement of everyone, especially her. Maki took another look at her phone screen, seeing Nico’s smile in every emoji. The Number One Idol certainly earned her applause.

MELODY OF THE NIGHT

It was hopeless, Maki knew. She looked at Nico, asleep, snoring, wearing the stupid green cucumber mask, and thought “adorable.” To be fair, she also thought “Nico is quiet enough that I can think.” And then there was the urge to poke Nico, to wake her, to talk to her … Nico was a taste she was never getting off her lips.

Maki stepped out of the tent, walking to where they’d been sitting in front of the fire together. Together. Nico’s frustration at not being able to do anything to get the song written for the preliminaries had eased. Nico’s wounded pride and her snarky attitude about Maki’s supposed snootiness had dissipated. There had been nothing but the night and a fire and the two of them and Nico’s honesty, Nico’s humility, puncturing Maki’s own swell of ego. See cute girl, start acting clever, that was the Nishikino Maki default. But Maki never caught herself before she’d reached an embarrassing level of stupid and/or clumsy. Nico had seen through to Maki’s real problem with the song they needed and helped. And Maki had started to hear a trace of a seed of a melody, and then Nico had offered her a potato. Which seemed to represent a weightier thing than food, especially when Nico had gratefully accepted Maki’s offer to share. No, it wasn’t a sterling silver rabbit. Or even dinner at a restaurant that had earned any Michelin stars. But it was a moment, Nico’s fingers warm and lingering on Maki’s, Nico’s eyes lacking their usual squint of suspicion.

There had been a melody …

ANOTHER NIGHT BY THE FIRE

A long day of practice; the song done; dinner cooked; and Maki and Nico were sitting once again by a fire, the rest of Muse puttering around the cottage or in the bath.

“I thought you’d rather be in the cottage,” Maki prodded as Nico shivered a little.

“Be quiet you,” Nico growled playfully. “Nico Ni is going to show you how to toast marshmallows.”

Maki took one arm out of her track jacket and wrapped its warmth around Nico, pulling the smaller girl close as Nico punctured two marshmallows with two sticks. Nico handed her a stick and leaned in, bouncing her own marshmallow above the flames. “Black means you should have taken it out 30 seconds ago,” Nico laughed as she bumped into Maki’s side.

Maki nodded, eyes intent on the white blob as she lowered it toward the flames. Nico watched, completely distracted by the writing-a-symphony levels of concentration Maki was bringing to the task.

“Nico-chan, your’s is on fire.”

“What?” Nico leapt up, her marshmallow a flare against the night, and Maki fell back off the stool, dislodged by Nico’s panic. Her marshmallow was now browned, but by earth, not fire.

Nico muttered as she ripped the ruined marshmallow off the stick, throwing it back to the flames and bending to dig another one out of the bag. Maki pulled Nico to her feet, laughing, while she hugged the grumbling idol. “Let’s call it a night, Nico-chan.”

“Nico is not done instructing Maki.”

Maki refused to let go as Nico started to struggle. “I can carry you inside, you know.”

Nico huffed, arms crossed over her chest.

“There are very very good macarons inside, totally meeting the standards of your top idols. I ordered them myself.” Maki leaned into Nico and whispered in her ear. “Very sweet.”

Maki’s voice was somehow softness and provocation twined in one breath.

“How sweet?” Nico turned inside Maki’s arms, her hands sliding up Maki’s shoulders.

Maki leaned in to the invitation, her kiss tender. “Not as sweet as this, but …”

Nico grinned. “Guess we’d better put out the fire then.”

RULE BREAKERS NOT ALLOWED

Holding hands. They were just holding hands. Nico had actually smiled at both Maki and the cottage when they left and not responded at all to Nozomi’s teasing about maybe coming back alone with Maki some day. She’d just shrugged and grabbed Maki’s hand, pulling the younger girl along to the bus stop. So now they were walking together and Maki was leaning a little into Nico and Nico was laughing and it was the nicest time Maki had ever had on a μ's trip. And then Eli had decided to ruin the moment, pushing between the two of them, while at the same time Rin raced up to Maki and wrapped her in what Rin thought was a fun hug but might qualify as a death grip for people not Rin.

“Don’t get too cozy, you two. Remember Nico, you’re sitting with me.” Eli threw her arm around Nico’s shoulder while Nozomi giggled.

“Lucky Nico-chi.”

And then Rin nearly pulled Maki to the ground. “And I’ve got Maki-chan. There’s a new game I want to play and Kayo-chin is gonna check Idol sites.”

Maki glanced at Nico for help. Nico shook her head but winked at Maki. Shaking off Eli, her bag thrown over her shoulder, Nico grabbed both of Maki’s hands. “Let her go, Rin. The rule is only no sitting together, not no holding hands on the way. She’s all mine ‘til the bus gets here.” Nico smirked. “And no peeking.”

Rin’s jaw and hands dropped at Nico’s boldness, and the Number One Idol took advantage, pulling Maki down the road.

“W … what … wait, Nico-chan?!?!??!”

FLOWERS FROM AN IDOL

A-Rise. Maki had stopped on the way home from UTX and bought an A-Rise poster just to destroy it. A-Rise. Flowers. Kira Tsubasa. Flowers from a flustered Nico. Flowers for years from Nico.

Ripping the poster into tiny tiny pieces was a very satisfying feeling. And then the Nico tone went off.

N: ≧❀‿❀≦

Nope. Another rip. Not happening.

N: (◕︿◕✿)

No.

N:(人εﾟ●)（／．＼）

Did Nico have days when the only words she spoke or typed was her name? Was everything else an emoji? Did she think in keyboard combos?

M: No. Text A-Rise.

M: Not that I care ⋋_⋌

N: Maki is the cutest idol ever…

“After Nico,” Maki muttered to herself.

N: After Nico Ni (✿ヘᴥヘ). Which is why Nico likes to see Maki smile ≖‿≖

Clever. Guess Nico noticed Maki rarely went beyond 3 characters.

N: ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ (ʘ‿ʘ)ノ✿

Maki had a sudden image of Nico running to her house, throwing flowers.

And then there was the doorbell.

Maki looked at her buzzing phone.

N: (￣▽￣)ノ(ﾉﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ乁༼☯‿☯✿༽ㄏ

Maki’s mother opened the door to a smiling Nico, holding a box with a bouquet and a flower pot. She heard Maki thundering down the stairs, then silence, then Maki popped up behind her, slightly out of breath.

“Good afternoon, Nishikino-sama. I apologize for the intrusion but I wanted to talk to Maki-chan. The bouquet is for you.” Nico bowed.

“Thank you, Nico. They’re lovely. I’ll find a vase.” Maki’s mother smiled at her daughter as she left. “I’m sure Maki will take care of you.”

“Hey, Maki-chan! Nico Ni is here to make your afternoon better.”

Maki had leaned down, examining the shrub in the pot, curious, but the waxy green leaves offered no clue.

“It’s a camellia. If you plant it and take care of it, they’ll be blooms in the Spring.” Nico paused, her voice cracking a little with nervousness. “I’d like us to keep an eye on it together.”

Maki pushed her hands into her sides, knowing that if she reached out to take the box from Nico, they would shake.

Nico pushed the box into her stomach abruptly anyway, and Maki only nearly almost dropped it. Nico’s voice sounded rushed. “Nico wanted to give Maki-chan something that would last more than a week or two.”

Maki hugged the box and the camellia wobbled. “Nico-chan...”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Nico waved.

“Wait, Nico-chan. Do you know how to plant it?” Maki shifted the box to under her right arm.

Nico snorted. “Don’t you have a gardener?”

Maki nodded but reached out a hand for Nico anyway. “We can do this together if you help me.”

Nico looked on the verge of tears for a flash, but then smirky confidence poured out of her mouth. “Maki can’t manage without Nico Ni. No surprise there.”

Maki decided Nico was smug enough. “How do you manage to talk without emojis?”

Nico grinned at Maki and threw her hands in the air, bringing them to her temples as she smirked.

Maki turned away, shaking her head at having given Nico such an easy cue, still hugging the pot.

The sun was starting to go down. They’d gotten grubby, but it had been fun to dig in the sun. Nico kept suggesting the plant looked tilted, but Maki didn’t see it. Nico stood up, brushing dirt off the gray shorts she’d borrowed from Maki. They hung down to her knees and she’d had to pull the drawstring to its max to get them to stay up. It was adorable, Maki thought.

“Good job, Maki-chan,” Nico winked, clapping her hands to get the dirt off. Then she cocked her head, “Although, Nico still worr …”

“It’s perfect, Nico-chan.” Maki pulled the smaller girl into a hug.

Nico leaned back into Maki, enjoying the contact. “If Maki-chan says so.”

Maki grinned, happy that Nico was in such an agreeable mood. “Let’s get cleaned up.” She pulled Nico toward the door. “You can stay for dinner.”

Nico stopped and let Maki’s hand slip out of hers. “Nico can’t stay.”

“It’ll be all right, Nico-chan. My mom won’t mind; she can call your parents …”

Nico rubbed her cheek, leaving a smudge of dirt. She didn’t look at Maki. “Nico will have dinner another day, Maki-chan, I promise. I have to go. Nico is sorry.” And then Nico did it, bounced out her brightest, “Nico Nico Ni!” before bounding past Maki into the house.

Maki’s mood crashed. She watched Nico enter the house, afraid if she followed, she’d say something to bring back the friction. But here she was again, still frustrated by how little she knew about Nico, how little Nico would tell her about anything that wasn’t school- or idol-related, anything that was Nico-related. Maki knew Nico’s favorite tastes -- sweets -- which Idol groups she preferred -- A-Rise, grrrr -- favorite color -- pink -- but not anything about her mother or father or even how long it took Nico to walk to school. Or did Nico take the train?

Her mother opened the door, “Maki?”

“Yes, Mama?”

“Is Nico staying for dinner?”

Maki inhaled, trying to borrow calm from the plants around her, willing herself not to tear up. “No.”

“Come in and say goodbye, then.” Maki’s mother watched her for a moment, wanting to say something, Maki knew, but then she just opted for a gentle smile and went back inside.

ANSWERS?

Maki was still running through the scene in her mind, Nico’s apartment, how small it was, Nico’s siblings, how many there were, Nico’s face … how lost she looked, and how determined. And how tired. Everything that was Nico about Nico had been there. Except the smile. There had been no smiles.

Why hadn’t she told Maki the truth? Or her siblings? Or anyone. What was her mom like? What happened now? Sure, Honoka had a plan, but …

“MAKI,” Tackled by Rin would be the cause listed on her death certificate, Maki thought. She shoved Rin off, but Rin just continued bobbing along next to Maki. Hanayo hadn’t caught up yet.

“We’re going to fix Nico, right?” Rin whooped.

“It’s not that easy, Rin.”

“But Honoka has a plan,” Rin persisted, poking Maki in the ribs.

“HANAYO!” Maki yelped. Hanayo hustled between Rin and Maki.

“Rin-chan, let’s not …”

“But we want to help, Nico-chan, Kayo-chin.” Rin’s brows started to lower. Hanayo glanced at Maki, who was accelerating her steps.

“I’m sure Maki does too, Rin-chan.” Then Hanayo’s voice dropped to a whisper Maki couldn’t hear. Rin sighed.

“But I care about Nico too, Kayo-chin.” Rin strode up to Maki and pulled on her arm. “Kayo-chin doesn’t want me to say anything, but you’d better talk to Nico. She needs someone.”

Maki stared at her friend. Of course she knew Nico needed someone. But Nico had to … Maki frowned at Rin, repeating herself. “It’s not that easy, Rin.”

“Yes, it is.” Rin’s face darkened. “She’s our friend.”

Maki was getting angry, and Rin didn’t deserve that. Probably. She looked at Hanayo, who seemed sad, and then back at a Rin who was on the verge of losing her temper.

Rin hadn’t expected Maki’s voice to be so mild. “I know her better than you do, Rin.” And then Maki zoomed off.

Maki had stopped to sit on a bench and think before she went home. Surely her mother would want to know why she was so late. And yes, Maki wanted her mother’s perspective on Nico, but she wanted a few more minutes to consider her own.

Phone. Nozomi.

N: Eli and I working on Nico’s costume. Have you called her?

Maki considered. Nozomi was almost as persistent as Nico and not nearly as easy to squelch as Rin. Plus, unlike Hanayo with Rin, Eli was never a voice of reason when it came to Nozomi. So best to leave things ambiguous.

M: Not yet.

N: What are you going to say Σ(ﾟДﾟ；

Maki glanced at the emoji, critical. Nico would have put something else there, something pushy. Or with a heart or a wink. Nico-chan...

M: Finish the costume, Nozomi. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Maki put her phone away. Time to head home.

Tea was easy. Maki had practiced that skill. Although Nico often teased her, yes, she could boil water. Her mother enjoyed it when she brought a pot of tea in for them to share. But right now, Maki didn’t feel like playing the piano, so tea was also something to do with her hands.

Her mother walked into the kitchen and was surprised to find her daughter at the stove.

“You’re home late, Maki. Did something happen?”

Maki waited until she poured the boiling water into the kettle, then put two cups on the table. “Nico skipped practice today, so we …” Maki paused, realizing how sketchy this part sounded, “ALL followed her.”

“Oh.” Maki’s mother took a seat.

Maki met her mother’s worried glance. “She’s been …” Maki found herself reluctant to use so accusatory a word about the protectively complex folds of Nico’s armor of self defense, “lying.”

Maki let the word hang in the air, then continued. Her mom didn’t react at all.

“Nico’s dad died when she was young, her mom works a lot, and she takes care of her sisters and brother.”

Maki pulled out the chair, but then shoved it right back, jarring the table. “Why didn’t she tell me? Why won’t she let m … anyone help her?”

Maki’s mom carefully poured out the tea, speaking evenly. “Maybe Nico is afraid if she starts to rely on people, it’ll be worse if they go away. Didn’t her first Idol group …”

Maki’s voice was sharp. “That isn’t μ's.”

“No, but it is Nico’s experience. And her dad … well, it’s not the best way to put it, but he left too.”

“I won’t go anywhere.” Maki had turned away, her voice low but determined, not meant to be overheard.

Watching her daughter, Nishikino-sama decided changing the tack of the conversation was best. “What did the rest of Muse think?”

“After we finished being angry, Honoka came up with a plan. Everyone’s working on their part.” Maki sat, staring into the steam rising from her tea.

“Do you think Honoka’s plan will help?”

“Honoka’s plans always work.”

“Good.” Nishikino-sama took a sip. “It sounds like Nico has good friends.”

Maki nodded.

Maki hesitated at the thought of calling Nico. But leaving Nico alone with her thoughts to stew didn’t seem wise either. Some way to offer support that didn’t require a reply if Nico wasn’t in the mood?

M: Goodnight, Nico-chan (.づ◡﹏◡)づ Get some sleep.

Maki was nearly asleep when her phone vibrated with a response almost an hour later.

N: (＞ロ＜)ゝ

WALKING MY BABY BACK HOME

Maki was still getting used to seeing miniature versions of Nico bouncing around the school. Cotarou was very quiet and watchful, Cocoro curious, and Cocoa asked everyone questions, at least until Rin challenged her to race to the alpacas. Nico had seemed a little dubious about that until Hanayo volunteered to supervise.

Nico had taken Cocoro and Cotarou into the clubroom with her as she changed. Maki waited respectfully outside the door. So many of her questions about Nico had now been answered, and Maki found herself reviewing what had been revealed about Nico over the last twenty-four hours, fitting siblings, single mom, deceased father into the picture, lighting some of the darker corners. Even more impressive.

Nico bounded out of the clubroom but pulled up when she saw Maki standing there.

“Maki-chan?”

Maki cleared her throat, smiling at Cocoro and Cotarou. “C … can I walk you home, Nico-chan? And it’s not Monday, but maybe your siblings would like to stop for a snack?”

Nico tilted her head, considering. Cocoro was watching Maki in a way Maki could only read as suspiciously, and Cotarou grabbed Nico’s hand possessively. She patted him on the head.

“Nico would like to keep some things just for Nico.” Maki looked down to the ground, disappointed. But then she heard Nico giggle. “But we could get juice when Maki’s walking us home.”

Maki felt like her chest was swelling with a sudden burst of joy. Nico squeezed her hand as she led Cotarou past. “Let’s go see if Cocoa beat Rin-chan.”

“How fast is Rin-chan?” Cocoro asked seriously.

“Probably as fast as a slow person on a bicycle,” Maki decided. Cocoro’s response was a different look, one that seemed to doubt that Maki had heard the question correctly. Nico gently bumped Maki’s side, grinning. Make Nico happy, check.

They’d picked up juice and walked until they were at a park that Nico said was a Yazawa favorite. Nico had sent her siblings to play on the swings and climbing jungle and sat next to Maki on the bench, their hands touching.

Maki got tired of thinking about the right thing to say and just opened her mouth. “I’m glad I finally met your family. They really are your biggest fans.” Maki hesitated, and then brought Nico’s hand into her lap, clasping it in both of hers. “I am too.”

Maki watched Nico’s profile as it went like quicksilver through emotions from melancholy to joy, until Nico had settled back on cocky. Then she turned to look at Maki, eyebrow quirked, ruby depths mischievous. “Nico knows.”

Maki laughed, raising Nico’s hand to kiss it. “Of course, Nico does. Is there anything Nico doesn’t?”

“Will Maki stay for dinner once we get home?”

“Is Nico cooking?”

“Whatever Maki wants.”

Maki sighed, “Can you convince Cocoro I won’t sell the paparazzi secrets of the Number One Idol? She keeps glaring at me.”

“Maki knows Nico’s secrets?” Nico took her hand back in faux shock, dramatically posing with it over her heart.

Maki glanced at the children, who were distracted by Cocoa trying to get high enough on the swing to jump off, and then leaned in to peck a quick kiss on Nico’s cheek. “Maki knows everything she needs to.”

#nicomaki #love live #love live school idol project #yazawa nico #nishikino maki #fanfiction #fanfic #1KissAU

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