#my group in kindergarten was the frog group

[idontliketomatoesleavemealone]

Did your elementary class have a mascot animal or were you fucking boring

[rosypenguins]

Day 13! Jomies Headcanons! (I got quite a few!)

Jake:

💛Unironically listens to boy bands.

💛Has Spotify open 24/7. Is always looking for new artists and songs, and probably has over 3000 songs liked.

💛He’ll listen to any song of any genre, but tends to lean more towards alt-rock.

💛Used to listen to Billie Eilish in Middle School.

💛Whenever it’s too quiet, he’ll either hum to himself or make random noises with his mouth.

💛Physically incapable of standing still.

💛Probably ate an eraser as a kid.

💛Does not believe in closets. Keeps his clothes either on the floor or in his chair. (If it’s in his closet he’ll genuinely forget he even owns the item.)

💛”Processing your emotions? What the hell’s that?”

💛Oh yeah, he definitely has ADHD.

Drew:

🖤Really likes FPS games.

🖤Always has to have his weight shifted on one leg. He cannot stand up straight to save his life. (Heh cuz he’s gay-)

🖤Small waist. (He’s a twink in my eyes.)

🖤Could probably be picked up by the other Jomies. (Has yet to be tested due to safety concerns.) (The concerns being Drew beating the shit out of them.

🖤Doesn’t like black coffee but drinks it anyways. (Why? We don’t know.)

🖤TERRIBLE eating habits. He’ll literally just have a piece of toast and be like “welp that’ll last me for the next 48 hours.”

🖤Those hot-pink girly desserts are his guilty pleasure.

🖤Listens to a lot of rap music. Mostly emo rap. He says it’s cuz it sounds cooler but it’s actually because he finds the lyrics relatable.

🖤Stalks Jake’s instagram for purely platonic reasons.

🖤Doesn’t know how to show affection so he’ll sometimes just randomly punch Jake in the arm. No warning, no explanation.

🖤Cat person. Doesn’t really like dogs. (Terrified of Oreo but would rather die than admit it.)

🖤Bullies cats relentlessly, but will also meow back at them if he thinks no one’s around.

🖤Likes being cuddled way more than he’d like to admit.

🖤Having his hair played with puts him right to sleep.

🖤Struggled to make friends in Elementary school due to his temper. (His lack of attention at home led to him lashing out a lot.) Other kids found him to be intimidating so Drew didn’t really have any friends until Middle School.

🖤Was put in time-out a LOT in Kindergarten so it basically just became Drew’s Corner.

🖤IPad kid. Definitely had a mascot-horror phase when he was 10.

🖤“Processing your emotions? What the hell’s that?”

🖤Oh yeah, BPD. He has BPD.

Liam:

❤️Hands are always fucking clammy it cannot be helped.

❤️Definitely listens to Breakcore.

❤️Has a bunch of those weird, perverted anime stickers somewhere in his desk drawer because he thinks they’re funny. (They were included in a random anime sticker pack Henry bought online.)

❤️Had a super edgy werewolf OC back in Middle School. Drawings of it still exist in that same drawer.

❤️Lets Henry play with his hair when they’re alone together.

❤️Refuses to use chairs properly.

❤️Has so many 0.5 photos of the Jomies. (Except Drew because Drew threatened to break his phone if he ever took one of him. But Liam still managed to sneak a few bad photos of Drew as well.)

❤️Type of guy to moan when someone’s on the phone with their parent.

❤️Knows how to drive a manual. (I imagine his mom’s car is an older one soooooo if Liam wanted to drive around he had to learn.)

Henry:

💚Baby face. (Liam likes to hold his face.)

💚Wears anime merch with pride.

💚Pretends to be a girl online sometimes so people give him free shit.

💚Almost always hits Drew with the 🤓 emoji anytime he says something smart/logical in their group chat.

💚Would definitely like matcha because it tastes like g r a s s.

💚He ate grass as a kid. And leaves. And dirt.

💚The type of kid that always had to be the dog in any game he played.

💚Really likes bunnies. He held one once and felt his life was complete.

💚Oh, and frogs too. He loves frogs.

💚Typically takes the role of mediator during fights, even if he has no context on the situation.

💚Relies way too much on being funny. If a joke doesn’t land he genuinely hates himself for a couple seconds.

💚Sensitive to loud noise. (Unless the loud noise is on his terms.) (Like, he’ll have his music on full blast and shout at his friends standing right next to him and be completely fine, but if a balloon were to suddenly pop right beside him, it’d startle him quite a bit.)

💚Drew glaring at him and telling him to shut up hurts a little more than he’d like to admit.

💚Probably also has ADHD.

Zoey:

🩷This bitch knows how to steal shit. You got a necklace she likes she will find a way to take it.

🩷Can and will find a way to make everything said against her about her gender.

🩷“Oh my God, I am LITERALLY just a girl.”

🩷Definitely took dance for a P.E credit.

🩷Almost everything she owns is covered in flowers.

🩷Everything has to be aesthetic.

🩷Always had to initiate any sort of affection between her and Drew. She was always the one asking him out. Always the one to kiss him first, or reach for his hand. (Whereas Drew never really thought about that sort of stuff.)

🩷Her views on relationships were also very different from Drew’s. She wanted excitement and fun. She wanted to go out and do things. And whenever they were home alone, she wanted to make out with him and stuff, meanwhile, all Drew wanted to do was cuddle and watch stupid videos on his phone with her. (But she just found that boring.)

🩷Honestly, their best dates were their at-home ones. Where they’d watch movies together and Zoey would bring some face masks and they’d pamper each other and cuddle and whatnot. (Fun for Zoey and relaxing for Drew.)

🩷And because of their height difference, Zoey would sometimes grab Drew’s collar and pull him down to her level to kiss him. (And this definitely never once flustered Drew.)

🩷Probably knew Drew cared more about Jake than he did her and that pissed her off.

Lia:

💜Big fan of Olivia Rodrigo. (And one time, while her and Drew were waiting for the others after school, she was listening to one of her songs and singing along, and Drew ended up correcting her on a lyric, causing her to realize he ALSO listens to her music, and he was super embarrassed about it afterwards and made her promise not to tell anyone.)

💜So anyways Lia now wants to take Drew to an Olivia Rodrigo concert.

💜She’s also a big fan of Nessa Barrett.

💜Surprisingly really good at singing. She never took lessons or anything, she just sings in the shower a lot.

💜Sprays perfume on herself like 50 times in a day.

💜Always comparing herself to people online.

💜“Self-esteem? What’s that?”

💜Genuinely could not describe herself if she was asked to. She’s so used to changing herself for others she doesn’t even know who she is or what she wants to be.

💜Imposter Syndrome 100%

💜Had a huge crush on Hailey in Middle School but didn’t even know being gay was a thing so she didn’t really know how to explain her feelings at all.

@31days-of-freakblr

[thisbelongsto-nohbodys]

[Kid!Lily is at her group’s table in kindergarten, she’s drawing as a teacher comes up and sees her work]

Teacher: Very good, Lily. Is this your family?

Lily: Yep! This blue one is my mom, the pink one is my mommy and the green one is mama and the purple one is me.

Teacher: That’s very sweet. You love your moms, huh?

Lily: Yep! A whole lot!!

Teacher: and who’s this with you on this page?

Lily: That’s Grandma and Grandpa B. The ‘B’ stands for “Boonchuy”, like my name!

Teacher: what about your other grandparents?

Lily: I don’t see them as much as Grandma, Grandpa B.

Teacher: Oh, okay……um, who’s all these……frog…people? With you?

Lily: That’s Great-Grandpa Hop-Pop and Uncle Spring and Aunt Polly and Fhrowbow and Uncle Sprig’s wives, Aunt Ivy and Maddie. My new baby sister was named after her! And this is Grime-pa, he sometimes has a robot arm that Aunt Polly made him. And these are Grandmas Oliviah and Yunam.

Teacher: Okay, but why are they frogs?

Lily: They are frogs, well, Grime-pa is a toad and grandmas are newts, not lizards or saluhmander, Mama said it’s “offense-ive” to call them that.

Teacher: uh huh………I think I need to schedule a parent-teacher meeting…

[pbandjesse]

My sinuses are very swollen. My allergies were bugging me a lot today. But I did get good sleep last night for the most part. I was very tired today though. Still am. I did not lay down and sleep when I got home only because I thought it would help me sleep easier tonight. But I also was to tired to actually do anything so I just laid here for 4 hours. Ugh. It's fine. Tomorrow's another day.

I woke up at 6 this morning and was not thrilled. I was able to fall back asleep but when my alarm went off at 7 I had James hold me for 10 minutes before I actually got up. I was struggling a bit. But I would be okay.

James walked out with me and it was very grey. It wouldn't rain but we weren't sure. Tomorrow it is supposed to. We will see how that shakes out.

I drove out to camp. Stopped for a donut. It was a nice day.

After eating my donut in my hammock, I spent that first hour collecting materials and making sure the tables were set up for the feild trip group. And then I went to the office. Where I found everyone else. We had some laughs about the rotations for today and forgetting to assign Sarah a role, plus being overstaffed for once. But we sorted it out. Celia would be doing critter talks, I was leading a mural, Nick was leading Gaga, Sarah would help with s'mores, Dechelle would help with the rotations. While indigo would lead a program they were calling "spirit sticks". Which was just a modified program using my paint brush supplies.

I was mildly concerned about this. I really like all the indigo staff but I get frustrated when things are just woo woo spiritual stuff. And the broad brush of "Native Americans" keeps getting used. Which frustrated me when I have worked so hard and done so much research to try to get us away from that! So I brought the concern up after we were like. Hey what is spirit sticks? And the answer we were given felt. Off. Like it felt like we were just being told a made up answer. So they would lead it. And they kids loved it. But I am not thrilled that we are basically back to doing something that could be considered appropriation. Like not the actual piece, which I guess is fine still because it was still basically the paint brushes, but the way they were spoken about and taught us sus to me. Elizabeth says a larger conversation will be had when Alexi and Heather come back next week.

It would still be a good day though. The group came and we very sweet but this was for sure the most rambunctious group we've met so far. Apparently because of a teacher shortage, last year yeah first grade class had 40 students. That's a wild ratio and I'm not shocked they are 2nd graders with 1st grade/kindergarten social levels. But they were still sweet, just loud and wanted to run a lot.

After we had a circle intro I took the first group and besides the yelling and running ahead they were great. We found just about everything on our list. We looked at and identified mushrooms. I got to tell them history about things. Talk about plants. We looked for frogs. Still no luck catching one down there. And we got all the way up to the horses. Which was so exciting for them. Some of them had never seen a horse in real life before. We fed them hay and pet their noses. It was really sweet.

We had carried the new MWEE staffs today and I think they look great. A child did accidentally hit me with one in the neck and I was very upset but couldn't show it. Was just like, okay I will take this stick now you cannot handle it safely. And we headed to lunch.

I really enjoyed the two teachers I was with today as well. Adam from indigo and Mr Duckett. They both had excellent insight and questions. It made the hike really enjoyable.

I just had to sit quietly at lunch I was so tired already. But to quickly we were heading over to get our groups.

There was a miscommunication though and while we had planned on 1215 for foest program they thought it was 1235. So I quickly fixed the schedule and we cut each rotation back down to 15 minutes. We made it work.

And it was fun! I was so pleased with how their mural came out. The first three groups filled almost all the frames and besides one or two mistakes everyone was good about not stepping on the fabric. The first group made me realize they didn't know what fabric was. Like what that word meant. So I would say we are drawing on fabric, fabric is like what your clothes are made of! We are using markers. We don't use markers on ourselves, our friends, the building, or the floor. Only on the fabric! And that worked so well.

The last two groups would be so gracious when I told them while all the frames were filled their jobs were to finish the drawings that didn't get done and then the final group was making it perfect. I think that language really helped make them excited, like they really were a part of the community making the piece. And that felt really good.

Once my last group was done and cleaned up, I folded up the metal and gave it to the indigo staff. They told me they will gift it to the principal. I love that.

I was able to run down to the fire pit and get a s'more and watch them pour water on the fire. It was really fun. I chatted with Sarah and Dachelle. And then we headed up to get all the materials and put them away.

Sarah was a doll and grabbed my drink and my walkie I forgot. And we set up the boxes to be reset tomorrow. But we were all just so beat. I changed my shoes back to my birks and We went and sat in the office for 15 minutes. I had a little snack. And when Sarah said she was walking to the lodge to clean up the tables I walked with her.

I would check in with Gabe about changing the project, maybe to musical instruments like a shaker or something similar. He said he'll be in touch to discuss it more. So fingers crossed.

Once all the chairs were put away and everyone else was finishing up the last tables I got all the sticks and things that needed to be out away and headed to the after building and then the office.

In the office I talked to Elizabeth. I put trash away. I made my to do list for tomorrow more solid. Eventually Sarah would come back up but she was soon off. Taking things to be mailed. Elizabeth had a tour and then she said she would leave right after. So I only stayed until her tour started. I was excited to leave a little early.

I would have to deal with some traffic but not to much. I decided to stop at Walgreens

Got some chapstick and a new sponge. I felt overwhelmed by vitamin choices. So I did not get any and went home.

I beat James home. So I took an everything shower. I was feeling really bad today about my hair and face. So I wanted to try to fix that. Trimmed my bangs a little more. Washed my hair. Might do my eyebrows. Just trying to feel nice.

James got home and I was so happy to see them. We had some packages. I got a graphic novel in the mail. I started reading it but I decided to wait until I could give it my full attention and I wasn't so tired my eyes were crossing.

James would record their podcast episode. I laid in bed and watched tiktoks. I answered emails. I have a meeting with someone from the creative alliance next Friday so I'm excited about that. But mostly I just laid here with sweetp. James would bring me a salad and a little cheese cake bite. And eventually they would shower and then join me in bed.

I am more then ready to sleep now. I feel so tired but I am still worried I will struggle to fall asleep. Let's hope it comes easy.

Tomorrow me and Sarah are the only ones at camp. I have high hopes of organization and knocking things off our list. I really hope we can get stuff done.

Goodnight everyone. Take care of yourself. I love you all.

[akanidaifanatic]

random stuff about my Danganronpa fankids

•sakurako, a literal giant buff woman, is a fucking soprano, and her girlfriend shinju, who happens to be tiny compared to sakurako, is a fucking alto

•toshio's a rugby player, the ultimate rugby player, really, but he's a theater kid who listens to beautiful and meant to be yours from heathers

•maemi dislikes polka dots for no particular reason

•kazumi's hair can fit a corn snake, a rabbit, a fucking cat, four hamsters and a frog colony, don't ask why

•harumi's first words were "no that's wrong!" because her mom was quizzing her on serial killers, fucking serial killers

•aiko has been doing group therapy sessions since kindergarten, don't ask why

•hiroshi likes seashells and this hot archer called yuzuki

•yuri has a Russian blue cat named after her gf natsumi kuzuryuu the second. the cat's name is natsumi the third and she's just as mean as her predecessor

•chizuki likes mezzalunas

[richs-japan-tabi]

May 10 - Farming Activity

Today we went to an educational rice farming experience in Kitayama Park. To prepare for the trip I brought two layers of socks to wear in the mud and a bento box for lunch. The bus ride was about 2 hours one-way, so I spent most of the trip studying kanji. When we finally got to the farm, I was able to start planting rice. The mud was cold and hard to walk in and sticking the seedlings into the ground was pretty difficult. However, the view was gorgeous and unlike the bustling center of Tokyo, it was relatively peaceful. There were lots of kindergarten children also learning how to plant rice and they waved to us when they left. They were really cute. After we had finished our field, we got cleaned off in the river. Most of the group then ate lunch, but I used the opportunity to explore a bit and found frogs! When we headed back towards the bus I stopped in a nearby FamilyMart to get famichiki, and ate my lunch on the bus ride back. Today's trip reminded me of a school field trip and I had a lot of fun. I went into today's activity with low expectations as I am not really a nature enjoyer. Although, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the activity and how much I learned about a food that I eat so often. Planting the crop made me realize that we take our food security for granted.

Academic Reflection

The reading taught us a considerable amount about how rice is grown and the reasons as to why its the signature crop of Japan. I thought that it was an amazing opportunity to be able to apply some of that knowledge, however. When we planted the seedlings, for example, we made sure to place them about three inches apart from one another. Rice is also an extremely efficient crop when one considers the amount of space it requires compared to the amount of calories and carbohydrates it provides. Its efficiency was evident even in its location. While we were only on a field used for instructional purposes, the fact that rice fields can exist in what was essentially suburbia not only surprised me but made me think about rice's effectiveness in feeding the population. Unfortunately, the resding stated that most of Japan's land is not farmed and most of their food is imported from other nations. As a person coming from America, where we grow a surplus of crops and livestock, I found this shocking and almost concerning. I had always associated Japan with rice fields, and while this may be true to some extent, the fact remains that in order for these rice farmers to support themselves, they are subsidized by the government.

[gretagerwigsmuse]

rooster jealousy fic 🥵🥵🥵

I want all of them

this probably isn’t what you imagined BUT it takes place in an eventual universe where bradley and smart aleck have kids. and yes in my dreams bradley goes as ted lasso for his first halloween with smart aleck and it kinda evolves into peewee soccer coach bradley bradshaw when they have kids since his girl digs it so much (it’s the fucking mustache i stg) - enjoy???

ask prompt

"Did you see that? You saw that, right?"

Bradley sputtered, frantically pointing across the soccer field to where you were chatting with Max's dad, Zach.

Fucking Zach. Bradley hated Zach. And his stupid crisp button downs and his smarmy face and his shiny loafers and his ridiculous fucking Shelby Cobra that was in no way safe for a child to ride in, unlike Bradley's family-friendly Land Rover. Plus, his son, Max, was a biter.

But more importantly, Bradley hated the way Zach got so close to you to talk about emerging markets or stock options or some shit like that. Fucking prick.

Beside him, Gil frowned. "See what? Mommy?"

"Yes, mommy," he sassed the five year old, not taking his eyes off you from behind his aviators. Wait, was he - no, he did not just put his hand on -

"- TWEEEEEEEEEET," Bradley blew the whistle hanging around his neck, causing his small battalion of five year olds to immediately freeze where they were aimlessly running on the field. If it also caused Zach to retreat his hand from where it was about to touch your arm then that was just a happy coincidence.

"Alright," Coach Bradshaw clapped his hands together a couple times, rounding up the troops, "good job today everyone - especially you, Maddie S, that flower crown looks dynamite on you, wanna see that energy on Saturday for our game against the Yellow Frogs, alright?"

Maddie S preened under the praise, while the rest of the kids nodded seriously. "We gotta keep that defense tight - that means no getting distracted by Jacob R, okay Emily? Yeah, heard about you at nap time the other day, little grabby for kindergarten, I think? That being said, I think Mrs. Armstrong brought orange slices and apple juice if you all want to head over for your snack - "

They dispersed without another word, except Gil, who was drawing what Bradley thought was a - dinosaur? a dog? he didn't really know - on his play whiteboard. He hazarded a glance across the field to see that you still were talking to Zach. God, your ass looked fucking perfect in your work skirt. How the hell you weren't sinking into the grass with those heels of yours?

"Hey, buddy?" Gil looked up. "Why don't we pack up all this stuff and go get mommy? Think she's talking to Max's dad..."

Gil made a face. “I don’t like Max -”

“- Well, I don’t like his dad,” Bradley muttered, hoping Gil didn’t hear, but the little boy giggled. 

The two Bradshaw men made quick work of picking up all the cones and practice pinnies and tossing them into a mesh bag along with the five or so soccer balls. Gil tried to carry the bag, but ended up dragging it, so Bradley picked it and Gil up and made his way across the field to you. The kid was too old to be picked up, but it made getting over to you quicker - Gil had short legs.

While Bradley and Gil had been cleaning up, Emily K’s dad, Adam, had joined Zach’s little tete-a-tete with you. Of course, none of them had their kids with them. Fucking typical. Emily was probably aimlessly walking around with orange juice dripping on her cleats. Bradley scowled as he approached the group, while Zach tossed him a quick wave. 

“Hey, Brad.” Bradley fucking hated being called Brad. 

“Hmmm, hi.”

You turned around at the sound of his voice and a huge smile lit up your face once you saw Bradley and Gil. 

“Mommy!" Gil squirmed in Bradley’s arms until he put him down, wanting to be let go.

“Hey, little man!” You ran your hands through Gil’s hair as he latched onto your legs in a hug. Suddenly, Bradley was jealous of his five year old and he gave you a longer than probably appropriate for six o’clock on a Tuesday kiss.

“Did you see me? I scored a goal!” Gil exclaimed, dancing on the spot.

You shot a quick glance over towards Bradley to double check. He nodded slightly, knowing you hadn’t seen that part of practice - and not because Zach and Adam had been monopolizing your time.

“Of course, I did! Amazing, as always, did daddy teach you that?” Gil giggled and then burrowed his face in the hem of your skirt when he realized there were two other men standing there.

Bradley took a step back towards you, resting his hand on the small of your back. You leaned into him and gave him a quick smile. “Zach was just talking about setting up a playdate with Gil next week - and then Adam thought maybe Emily could come over, too?”

Absolutely fucking not. The ink on Zach’s divorce papers was barely dry and Adam was - well, Adam wasn’t too bad and he probably had just wanted to see if Emily could have a playdate with Gil. They were in the same class, after all. And she wasn’t a biter. Even if she was a little handsy.

Bradley clicked his tongue. “You know, I think G-man’s a little booked up next week? We got a birthday party and then we’re gonna see Papa at the base.”

Gil looked up at him and his entire face lit up even though they were doing nothing of the sort - well, at least not yet. Clearly, when Bradley called Mav later, he would understand and extend the invite.

“Ahhh bummer. We were just exchanging numbers,” Zach nodded towards you, “so, maybe we can do something the week after?”

“Yeah, of course,” you said politely, “maybe next - ahh - week?”

Zach and Adam frowned at your sudden exclamation, but what they hadn’t seen was Bradley slide his hand underneath the waistband of your skirt and lace panties and dig his fingers into the top of your ass. Or the way he started drawing little circles with the pads of his fingers and dragged his nail down your spine. You swallowed.

He could see the goosebumps rising on your arms. Thankfully, your backs were both to the field and not the mass of parents and five year olds eating oranges.

“We uhh, we can work out the details on - Satur-day?” you stuttered out as Bradley dug his fingers into a rather sensitive knot on your back. 

“Sure, that’s fine...guess we’ll see you two around then?”

Bradley smiled at the two men for the first time since the conversation had started, but his good mood was more attributed to your slightly heaving chest, which he had perfect view of thanks to his height advantage. “Have a good night.”

With a brief glance back at the three of you, the two men set off to find their children - which they should have been keeping an eye on in the first place. Bradley retracted his hand.

You bit your lip and glanced up at him. “So, Coach Bradshaw, you gonna make me stay after practice for some one-on-one training? Promise I’ll try harder..."

“Nah, I got you booked for a private session later.” He leaned forward and kissed you, wrapping his arms around your waist, while you clasped yours around his neck. God, you smelled so pretty - he’d take you on the goddamn soccer field right now if there weren’t about twenty parents and five year olds around them.

Bradley only came back to himself and pulled away when he felt a slight tug on his joggers. He looked down at Gil. 

“Daddy? Can we get ice cream since I scored a goal? Please?”

A wicked smile crept across your face. “Yeah, daddy, can we get ice cream?”

Bradley threw back his head and groaned. God, you were fucking killing him tonight. He shot Gil an amused look. “If you can carry this bag,” he nodded towards the mesh bag at his feet, “all the way to the car, then we can get ice cream.”

Gil considered this and then grabbed the bag with his little hands. “Okay, I can do it! I can do it!”

The two of you laughed watching him slowly drag the bag across the grass and towards the parking lot. Bradley threw his arm around your shoulders pulling you close. 

“So, Max’s dad, huh?”

“Hmmm.”

“What do you mean hmmmm! I could see him making eyes at you from all the way across the field -”

“- He was not!” you protested.

Bradley snorted. “And you just happened to wear that tight little skirt to come to practice, huh?”

“Noticed that, did you - Gil, wait until your father and I catch up before going into the parking lot!” You glanced back up at Bradley. “I like when you get jealous, bubs, it’s cute -”

“- Cute!” He scoffed. “Hardly -”

“- Well, I suppose that’s not true, you were practically groping my ass on the field - isn’t that a Title IX violation or something?”

Bradley groaned. “Sweetheart, at least wait till we get home to start the dirty talk.”

“I make no promises - coach.” You winked and then walked ahead to meet Gil, shaking your hips with every step. “I’ll take Gil to Dairy Queen and we can meet you at home?”

Bradley stopped by his car. “You want ice cream, too?”

You turned around and scrunched your nose. “Not really, I actually have other plans in mind for dessert tonight...” Bradley groaned. “See you at home, daddy.”

thanks for reading x

prequel (ish)

[thevoidspeakz]

List of things Mike Wheeler has gone through canonically. Focused on Mike, though he went through some of these with others.

Might be updated with things I missed, and feel free to add anything!

Also please keep in mind that this is all just canon information we're 100% sure we have, so I'm not gonna get into his sexuality or anything, mainly because there's many different approaches to it and everyone has a different idea of it in their heads, so I'm sticking to canon for this

PS. I'm actually really fucking shit at articulating my thoughts into words. Like I am dog water at it so please bare with me.

Season 1 (12 years old);

Will went missing. His best friend who he's known since kindergarten suddenly goes missing while biking home from his house. Suddenly, one morning, Will's just.. gone.

Searching for Will himself. Going out into the dark woods at night in the pouring rain, against cop's and parent's orders to go look for Will himself because he just couldn't take losing him.

Will's body being pulled out of the quarry. At that point, Mike really lost all hope. There was no question now, his best friend was dead. Gone. Forever. No more Will the Wise, no more sleepovers, no more of his amazing drawings to put up on the walls. He was gone.

Meeting El. Hiding another kid from his parents in his own house while also providing food and shelter is a lot of responsibility, and I feel like people don't talk about it that much. Not to mention Mike, Dustin and Lucas had to teach El just about everything. What a friend is, what a promise is, she was totally clueless, and they had to take care of her. They were all the same age at the time. (I'm not saying that them having helped El was a bad thing, god no, but you have to admit it was a lot to take on for a group of kids.)

Losing El. They had just barely met El, and she was already being taken away by the same thing that took Will. They had to watch her be disintegrated right after they ran from Brenner and the Lab People, also watching them be killed by El (she wasn't wrong for killing them but it is a pretty brutal thing to deal with as a kid), and then from a fucking monster from another dimension. I don't think I have to explain this.

Jumping off the quarry. I can't handle this shit. Mike didn't almost jump, he jumped. That 12 year old kid actually jumped off of a fucking cliff. I really, really wonder what exactly he was thinking. There was obviously the part about saving Dustin, but I imagine Will being "dead" also had something to do with it. It was the same quarry his body was found in, after all. But just think about this for one second; Mike jumped off a cliff when he was 12. He was going to die there if El hadn't saved him. Why do people not talk about this. HE JUMPED OFF A CLIFF. WHAT THE FUCK.

Being bullied. Mike's been bullied his entire life. Pushed around and kicked around by Troy and the others, we see him mainly being called "frog face" and being a victim of homophobia, but who knows what else he's gone through.

Season 2 (13 years old);

Being forced to throw away his toys. He was forced to grow up by throwing out toys that not only had emotional connections and brought back memories, but also that Mike just didn't want to give up. He still liked playing with toys, and he was fully in the right to, there was nothing wrong with that. While we're talking about this scene, there's also the fact he had been acting up a lot after season 1. Plagiarizing essays, graffitiing the bathroom stalls, stealing money from Nancy, you name it.

Almost getting ran over by Billy. (thank you @lucybell52 for pointing this out!) No cuz what the fuck. What do I even say about this? Pretty minor in comparison to everything else he's gone through but jesus fucking christ that's still a thing.

Getting Will back only for him to be possessed. Mike was with Will the entire time he was possessed. He never left his side. Mike saw Will hurting, and had to hear him screaming, and crying and had to watch him suffer over and over and over. Just think about tiny Mike covering his ears, terrified, watching as Will screams for his life. Back in the shed, trying desperately to find his best friend, to get him back, talking to him and reminding him of when they met. The best thing he's ever done. That's what asking Will to be his friend was. And there was a risk of losing him again.

Watching Bob die. (thank you @/synthgay) Mike had to watch as a man got brutally mauled to death by demodogs, all while holding a passed out, limp Will in his arms. I can't even begin to imagine how much that would fuck up a kid's brain.

Billy when he came looking for Max.(thank you @runninguplenorahills for mentioning this <3) He nearly beat up Lucas, he did beat the fuck out of Steve (which the kids tried to help by putting little colorful band-aids on his wounds can you hear me sobbing?)

Season 3 (14 years old);

The Mind Flayer. Do I need to explain this? Having to see that fucking thing, let alone almost be killed by it????? It's a horror movie type creature made of melted people. MELTED PEOPLE. I have trouble looking at it even knowing it's fake. IMAGINE KNOWING IT'S REAL.

The Sauna Test. Flayed Billy screaming his guts out, breaking the window, almost choking El to death, almost getting beat up too when trying to save her.

Getting beat up by flayed Billy. Grown, very menacing and intimidating man who is way stronger than him, and who he's seen beat the fuck out of someone way stronger than he is also beat the fuck out of him.

The Byers moving away. At first this might not seem all that big of a deal, but he's losing El, and Will again, and that does take a toll on him (paired up with everything that happened in Starcourt), which we see in Lucas on the Line (following up with that).

Clear signs of depression in Lucas on the Line. Self isolating, spending all of his time in his room or basement playing nintendo, like, he literally does not leave his room, he's irritable and annoyed all the time... yeah.

Season 4 (14/15 years old);

The shootout at the Byers house. They were being shot at. He could've died. Will and Jonathan could've died. Unknown Hero Agent Man did die.

Trying to save UHAM/burying him. Yeah i don't need to explain this. Everyone trying desperately to save this bleeding, dying man, ultimately failing and having to bury his body. They were so damn casual about it too, Mike, Will and Jonathan. This is just the bullshit they've been forced to live with for the past 4 years at this point, and that is fucking terrifying.

El getting taken. Back with the losing someone you love and not knowing if they're dead or not. (even with Mike not loving El romantically, he still loves her and cares about her, remember that) Especially since they didn't leave off in very friendly terms.

Getting El back. (thanks again @/runninguplenorahills <33)Full of dead people everywhere, El crashing down a helicopter, everything destroyed. Good Lord.

Conclusion;

So, Mike has seen several people die and be murdered, has seen countless of monsters that come from different dimensions, has lost people time and time again, has gone through several near death experiences and more.

I'm pretty sure I missed stuff so please feel free to add on to this if you want, and i can add it to the post itself!

I mainly went through situations he's been in and not his feelings in this. I could make a post going into his internalized homophobia and all, but I feel like many people have already gotten a good look at that.

(@hey-its-bucky helo :])

[cheerstotheelites-if]

In your opinion,in a "Who is the cutest in the world contest",who would win between the child version ROs and Emery?

That's kinda tough, my guy.

I'd say none, because I love these idiots and Emery, but I wanna see your opinion too °<°

Weylyn: A shy kid back when he was younger. He'd hide behind his older siblings when new people try to approach him, though a warm burst of sunshine when he eventually warms up to them. Weylyn's always been the soft and kind, crying over a ladybug he stepped over on accident.

Fleur: Overall quiet when she was Emery's age, only speaking when spoken too. Very meek and easily frightened, especially when her father's around. She frequently clings onto the family butler Chiffon when she's out in public.

Zephyrine: Zeph's never really changed, always being a social butterfly. She's friends to the kids in her neighborhood and in her kindergarten class. It's rare to see her walk home or play alone, usually having a small group of friends with her.

Eliseo: Wasn't really as much of a trouble maker as he is now, but still a handful. He'll often vandalize the walls of the family mansion with markers (as children do) or get into places where they shouldn't be… Like climbing the giant as tree in the garden.

Cooper: Always have been a hyper minus the feral. Had the tendency to bite his older sister's and brother's hands when they try to pick him up or pat his head. Cooper was most likely to steal your shoes and hide them somewhere when he gets upset with you.

Ophelia: Well… Ophelia was and still is very mild mannered. Always in one corner or in an area seperated from groups of kids in her age, or just in the garden. She often comes back home with a frog, a toad, and sometimes a small bird.

Emery: Well… he's Emery! Innocence and curiosity personified! The little carrot, broccoli, and bell pepper hater! Our baby boi!

[inktog]

🐸

(cw: suicide)

Thinkin' about Sasha's drive toward heroic self-sacrifice.

"Hey, Anne? Maybe you're better off without me" (Reunion).

Grime accuses Sasha of using training as a distraction, she denies it, then she almost walks off a cliff in a reenactment of her suicide attempt (Toadcatcher).

"Me and Grime will hold him—just go!" (True Colors).

One. Sasha views herself as a hero. This is evident from as early as kindergarten, when she stands up to bullies on behalf of Anne and Marcy (The Third Temple). She postures as a champion of justice and light, driving away the forces of darkness.

I've seen multiple people express the belief that Sasha is selflessly motivated, that she only manipulates and coerces her friends because she thinks she knows what's best for them. I don't think this is quite correct. A lot of Sasha's behavior reads to me as selfish and driven by attachment issues: Don't hang out with your parents, hang out with me instead. See also…

This is what friends do, remember? They help each other get the things they want. […] Look. If a friend likes a pencil case, you get it for them. If you friend likes your new shoes, you give them to her. (Best Fronds)

…Sasha's old habit of making Anne—quite possibly the poorest member of their friend group, and certainly poorer than Sasha "You're uninvited from my pool party" Waybright—feel like she needed to give Sasha gifts, gifts including Anne's own shoes. I am hard-pressed to spin this as altruistic.

But I wouldn't be surprised if Sasha thinks she's always being selfless—convinces herself that whatever she wants is also, coincidentally, what's best for Anne and Marcy. It's a rationalization that allows her to keep playing The Hero without confronting her immoral actions.

Two.

You can definitely read this a kind of, uh, Shadow Weaver moment from Sasha: one last attempt to exert control over Anne on her way to the grave. "Yeah I'll die for you, but I'm gonna make sure you feel really shitty about it." But I'm more inclined to view it as a beautiful, fleeting moment of honest-to-Frog introspection—triggered by the duel, by Anne's forgiveness, and by the undeniable evidence that Anne is cared for and loved by her frog family. I think Sasha really is confronting her problems here, however much she later tries to repress her new self-awareness. (But I admit that even this reading can accommodate a little Shadow Weaver–esque guilt tripping. As a treat.)

Three. In both Reunion and in True Colors (albeit with some delay in the latter ep), Sasha is confronted with the immorality of her actions and/or the selfishness of her motivations, and proceeds to…well, here's to the importance of framing. Do you prefer "Sasha sacrifices her own life to save others, in a last-ditch attempt to live up to the heroic ideal" or "Sasha attempts suicide after her worldview and self-image have been shattered"? Because I think they're both true.

So that's one explanation for this pattern of behavior. Confronted with her own sins, she seeks self-annihilation—but only inasmuch as it allows her to fit the heroic archetype that she so desperately clings to.

(ETA: Forgot to mention this, but I started thinking more about Sasha's suicidal behavior after reading this fic by Carthel.)

[b0ynumber2]

"i hope we kiss goodnight"

Pairing: Noah Marshall x Dan Pierce

Rating: T

Word Count: 6.1k Summary: Halloween Night is famous for the spooky stories and violent ends, but what if a romance blossomed instead?

Author's Note: First of all, happy halloween to anyone who celebrates it! These past few weeks I've been busy brainstorming ideas for this, and managed to finish it for tonight. This fic takes place in an AU where the ILITW gang never met Redfield, so Jane's alive and everyone's a little more stable, but there is still some mild angst thrown in. The characters may seem a little OOC, so I apologise if it seems that way to you. English isn't my first language, so there might be a few screw ups. I hope you enjoy reading this, reblogs and feedback are heavily appreciated!

Halloween night was a lively night for Westchester, with all the spooky stuff Oregon’s got, it would be a shame if the small town missed out on them.

But it wasn’t the prime hour for trick or treating, partying or marathoning horror movies just yet. It was six in the afternoon, and a pair of siblings were in a room. The younger one, Jane, sat on a desk chair that has seen better years, and the older one, Noah, was laying down on the bed, seemingly blabbing on about something.

“.. He said he was matching with the football team again this year, as like a goodbye gift or something. Knowing him though, he’s gonna look like such a dork--” “Noah,” Jane interrupted.

“Hm?”

“You’ve been rambling about Dan for the past hour.”

Noah sat up, face now in shock, “Shit.. Have I?”. Jane nodded, having a small smirk on her face. It wasn’t the first time Noah’s done this, going on and on about Dan, but he’s been doing this for literal years, even before he admitted to having a massive crush on him to Jane back in sophomore year.. They were now seniors. Jane would be lying if she said she wasn’t tired of Noah’s obvious pining.

Who even was Dan? He was formerly known as Westchester’s High “Star Quarterback”, but he recently dropped football to focus on his dream career. He’s been Noah’s best friend since kindergarten, watching Noah go through the stupidest phases of his life such as his emo phase, still staying by his side to this day. Obviously, he’s got good ties with his other friends: Stacy, Lily, Ava, Andy, Lucas, Devon and Jane, but everyone in that group would agree that Dan and Noah had a really close, genuine bond. They brought out the best of each other, respecting the other’s boundaries yet occasionally going a little out of their comfort zone, like when Noah dragged Dan to roller coasters and haunted house attractions, or when Dan taught Noah how to catch frogs and bugs, they never left the other’s side during those events, and it wasn’t like they were planning to anyways.

Noah liked a lot about Dan. From his looks to his personality, but he understood Dan had flaws too, he was stubborn and too empathetic for his own good, and Noah was hot tempered and impatient, it was only natural for them to fight here and there. Even then, their banter never got extreme, and they were able to talk it out. That’s one of the many things Noah liked about Dan, that he doesn’t test Noah’s patience, that when Noah’s mad he gives him space, handing him small things he could distract himself with to divert from his anger, and they worked.

Noah didn’t see himself as someone that was super likeable. He liked to think he was bearable, but that’s about it. He never saw himself being Dan’s boyfriend in real life, he already got shittalked over his appearance and behaviour by the cheerleaders, he’d rather not deal with a bunch of homophobes like Ben and Cody. But he didn’t have to be open of course, but Dan was probably not even that into him.

“Heellloooo? Earth to Noah? What’s goin’ on in that brain of yours now, hm?” Intervened Jan once more. Noah blinked at her, brushing her off. “S’none of your business. Don’t you need to get into your costume?”

“Oh shit, you’re right-- We’ve gotta get ready super early since we’re walking all the way to Stacy’s place.” “Yeah, and half of the group already snagged Lucas’ car.” “.. Well, maybe there are other options?”

Noah tilted his head, raising a brow. Jane snickered lightly. “Well, y’know.. Dan got his driver’s license like.. almost a year ago, soo..”

“No.” Noah shook his head, his cheeks reddening lightly. “He’s busy, and probably driving his former teammates over.” “You don’t know that until you ask him, you stubborn wuss!” Jane argued, lightly nudging her brother’s arm. He avoided eye contact, huffing. “C’mon, literally everyone knows Dan has the biggest soft spot for you, if he does reject your offer he’ll do it nicely..”

“That sure makes me feel a million times better, thanks Jane.” Noah remarked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Jane pouted, getting up from her seat.

“Look, just ask, okay? If you don’t, then I will do it for you--” “Do not.” “Then ask Dan already! It’s not like you’re asking him on a date yet, jeez!” Jane got out of Noah’s room, leaving her brother sitting on his bed. He grabbed his phone, opening his messages.

Just ask.. He can do that. He’s done it before, so why is he so nervous now? He’s been in Dan’s car like.. once before, no big deal. Noah nodded, typing away his question.

‘hey was wondering if youre able to give me and jane a ride to stacys place?’

And the message was sent! Noah stared blankly at his phone screen for a bit, to see if Dan would respond immediately, to which.. He didn’t. Noah didn’t want to ponder on it for too long, so he put his phone down, getting up and heading to his closet, rummaging through it to find the same halloween costume he’s worn since sophomore year: a white bloody shirt with some baggy ripped jeans and a worn out jacket that is still oversized for him for whatever reason.

As he changed into the bloody shirt, his phone pinged from across the room. He decided to ignore it for a bit until after he got changed, out of convenience. He changed his pair of pants and grabbed the worn out jacket, plopping it onto the bed. Once he was finished, he finally snatched his phone, checking the notification.

‘oh im up for that, dont worry. devs coming along, is that alright?’

A sigh of relief escaped Noah.

‘yeah thats cool. sorry if it was sudden’

‘it wasnt lol we’ve still got like 2 hours’

‘well i already got ready if that tells you anything’

‘lol excited?’

‘you bet’

He was back with his obvious sarcasm, his friends’ are long used to it, so it wasn’t new, especially for Dan. He wasn’t one for parties, but being in a shitty place with his friends was better than being on his own. He didn’t like being alone much, but it’s a feeling he’s grown used to when he’s at home.

Ugh, why was Noah feeling sappy right now? He’s going to a party, he shouldn’t bring his own mood down, he was just.. nervous. He’s done this lots of times, hanging out with Dan, why is it that he’s getting nervous now?

He checked his phone, seeing nothing new, and shut it off once more. Maybe he’ll make himself something before he leaves.. Yeah, sounds good.

...

Noah headed down the kitchen, getting out ingredients for a grilled cheese sandwich. He turned on his stove, plopping a piece of bread onto a butter covered pan. He stood there, deadpan, as the bread was being lightly toasted.

“Noaaahh..” A voice called out from upstairs. Noah looked over, getting greeted with a familiar face.

Jane stood up the staircase with a grin, wearing a ripoff ghostbusters costume they got for like.. 10 bucks at a small store nearby.

“Nice costume. Matching with Devon again?” “Yep, Lily’s matching with us too. Whatcha making over there?” Jane said, walking down the steps. “Grilled cheese.” Noah responded, flipping over the lightly toasted piece of bread, planting a slice of cheese on top of it.

“Ah, the classic.. You know who’d enjoy it though?”

“Pfft, who? Pretty sure Mom’s lactose intolerant.”

Jane snorted, “I was gonna say mee..!” She arrived at the kitchen, leaning against the counter. “Gimme a bite-”

“Tch, no way- This sandwich is mine, make your own.” “You’re so mean, I can’t even cook that well.” “... Oh right, forgot that you and Devon somehow set off the smoke alarm making pasta.” “It was a one time thing, Noah. Besides, it happened…”

“4 months ago.” “4 months ago?!” Jane seemed bewildered, Noah chuckled, flipping the second piece of toast and planting it on top of the piece of bread with cheese. Jane’s bewildered expression turned into one of curiosity as she looked at Noah.

“So.. Did you ask him?”

“Hm?”

“Ask Dan to take us to Stace’s place, silly.” Jane lightly grinned. Noah blushed a little, lightly nodding. “Well, what did he say?”

“He said he can, Devon’s coming along with us too.” Jane gasped, now grinning widely, “Excited to see them again?”

“Uh, duh? They’ve been sick for like two weeks and I miss hanging out with them..”

“Knowing you two, you guys are just gonna play pranks on me.” “We’re playing cupid right now, Noah. Pranks can wait.” Jane winked, to which her brother blushed in response. Noah preferred not having anyone getting involved with his love life, and Jane respected that, though she does give Noah a nudge forward here and there when he’s being too stubborn for his own good.

On other news, Noah put his grilled cheese sandwich on a plate. The smell was one of nostalgia, as he made these years ago when their parents weren’t home. He still remembered the happiness in Jane’s eyes back when he made these, Noah likes to think she still expresses the same joy.

He cut the sandwich into two triangular halves, silently offering Jane the other half. Jane’s smile softened as she accepted it, Noah never liked hoarding his food for himself, and she’s grown used to that. It was a nice gesture, his food was amazing.

They ate the sandwiches together in the kitchen, enjoying the peace and quiet…

“Reminds me of when you were just a young boy.. Look at you now, Bob the Builder.” “Pfft, mom.. It’s not bad.” “I know, darling, I think it looks great on you.” The lady adjusted the young man’s plastic hat. “Go tell Picard your goodbyes before picking your friends up, m’kay?” A cat approached the young man, gently nudging his leg. He knelt down, petting his cat, soft smile on his face.

“See you later, buddy, I’ll miss you.”

“Don’t be back too late, Dan.” The lady let out. “I won’t.”

“And if Noah made something, do send it back here.”

“Not if I down it first.” Dan chuckled, getting up, adjusting his suspenders. He waved his mom and Picard another goodbye before exiting his house, getting into his car.

Getting in, he let out a deep breath. Dan was a little nervous, he’ll admit, but he refuses to accept why he was even nervous in the first place.

Who was Noah? Westchester High never seemed to care about him much, but Noah Marshall was considered a pretty quiet guy. Once you got to know him, he’d reveal himself as a passionate guy who was a sweetheart really, yet his sarcasm was strong, but he never meant any hard feelings. He’s got dreams, and Dan wants to see him succeed. Him and Noah were super close, he considered himself closer to Noah than Devon, which was a bit of a deal.

Noah’s dealt with Dan through his dumbest and lowest moments, like that one time he decided to get drunk because he couldn’t handle his exam stress only to have Noah sitting beside him in the bathroom as he threw up, or when Dan was really into superheroes as a kid and dragged Noah along to every movie premiere.

Despite all the good things about Noah, like his personality and some of his physical features, he had his flaws too. Dan tries his best to deal with them calmly, but he was stubborn, and Noah was impatient. Fights break out, but Dan never breaks Noah’s patience, he lets the other take time for himself, even if he’s equally as mad.

He shook his head, fastening his seatbelt and starting his car. He got onto the road, driving off to Devon’s place. He had the radio on, but the stuff in it was never that good. He usually just listened to video game soundtracks or the occasional alternative, sometimes he’d check out what Noah liked, and he’d like it too..

Dan sighed. Despite how he looks, he could never see himself being Noah's partner. He’s been hopelessly pining for him for years, he doubted anything would change anytime soon. He was likeable, Noah liked him, but definitely not in that way. But part of Dan still had that little hope that maybe his feelings were mutual.

.. Gosh, was the car getting hot, or was Dan’s face just awfully warm? He knew the answer, but no way was he going to fully accept it.

In other news, he was already in the woods, it was just a matter of time before he reached Devon’s place. He sometimes wondered why they lived all the way in the woods, which seemed a little inconvenient, but at least Dan got to entertain himself a bunch as a kid.

Talking about Devon’s place, he already got to the small neighbourhood it resided in. He parked himself, checking his surroundings before getting out of the car. As he took a few steps forward, he suddenly got greeted with loud barking from a nearby house.

“Cool it, girl-” A man’s voice called, possibly talking to the dog. Dan shrugged, scanning the area once more.

“Dan?” A familiar voice let out.

“Devon? Is that you?” “Oh my god.. Pfft.” Devon came into Dan’s view, wearing a ghostbusters’ outfit that seemed straight out of the package. It was clear they were holding in their laughter when they saw Dan’s costume. Dan simply stood still, a slightly awkward smile on his face.

“Can’t wait to see the rest of the team, you look so dorky.” Devon approached Dan, nudging his shoulder, “Where’s our ride?”

“Oh, right over there-” Dan pointed at his car only a few steps away, Devon simply nodded in response, heading towards the car, “Hold on, I’ve got the keys!”

Dan unlocked the car, approaching it as Devon got in the passenger’s seat. Eventually Dan got in as well, shutting the door beside him and fastening his seatbelt once more.

“Man, this party’s gonna rock, I know it.” “.. Yeah, I think it’ll be nice. You’re matching with someone too, right?” “Yep, Jane and Lily, I was gonna drag Ava in too but she was against it and decided to be a dead witch. Andy said he’d offer to be the ghost from ghostbusters, and I don’t know if he’s joking or not..”

Dan shrugged, smiling, “Guess we’ll see?”. Devon nodded, smiling back. Dan started the car once more, driving off the neighbourhood and into the woods once more.

“I know Stacy’s place is far, but you came to pick me up a bit early. What’s up with that?” Devon asked, glancing over at Dan. Dan’s face flushed a little.

“Ah well, actually- I’m picking someone else up. The decision was a little last minute, but I didn’t mind so-” “Oh? Who?”

Dan gulped, definitely aware he was never living this down, “... Noah. And Jane too, obviously--”

Devon laughed, nudging Dan lightly, “You’re such a softie for Noah, man. Did you offer a ride or something?” “He was the one that asked, actually.” “Oh my god, you’re the biggest softies for each other.” “Lucas is picking up like tons of people, I’m sure I was just a last resort-”

Devon sighed, rolling their eyes as Dan took a turn.

“Noah never sees you as a last resort, we both know that.”

“Well, maybe not a lot, but- Uhm-” Dan huffed, “Okay, I’ve got nothing.” “At least you’re honest, Daniel.” “Please don’t throw my full name in casually, it’s like you’re gonna lecture me.” “Pfft, chill dude. I’m just stating facts. Look..” As Devon started, Dan took another turn that led to a small suburban neighbourhood.

“I won’t pressure you, but you sure you don’t want to shoot your shot soon?” “Hm?” Dan raised a brow.

“You’ve been crushing on Noah for as long as I can remember. I’m not saying that you should do it tonight, but maybe ask him out at.. Some point?”

Dan went silent, most likely in thought, as he parked his car near one of the houses in the small neighbourhood. “I’ll.. maybe consider.” Devon smiled, “I’ll take that. Also, speak of the devil-” Devon pointed at the two familiar faces approaching the car. Dan unlocked his car as he watched along with Devon. Suddenly, the sound of two of the car doors clicking, along with two people rummaging in.

“Dev! It’s been like, forever! Your roots are showing too, y’know.” The redhead let out, leaning towards Devon’s seat. “It hasn’t been that long, Jane. As for the roots thing, I’m getting that worked on..” As Devon and Jane chatted amongst themselves the quieter one of the two guests looked over at Dan, silent for a moment.

“.. You clean up pretty nice.” The quiet one said, a small smirk forming on their face. Dan looked away basfully, chuckling.

“Thanks.” “Tsk, what are you even building anyways?” “Maybe a diner of some sort, who knows..” It was the other’s turn to look away bashfully, blushing, but a small smile formed on their face. Dan returned the smile, “Hit a nerve there, Noah?” “Like you’ll know. Start the car already..” Despite Noah’s words, he still had a small smile on his face as he leaned back to his seat, fastening his seatbelt. Jane did the same, still chatting with Devon. Dan started the car once more, driving off from the small neighbourhood.

“Ooh! I love this song! Can you turn it up?” Jane let out, leaning forward again as Devon turned up the volume, bobbing their head to the rhythm of the song. Dan and Noah sat idly, giving each other a look of mutual disinterest.

They did that sometimes, these little habits of giving each other a look or doing a small gesture, it was stuff like that that proved their closeness outside of their interactions. They were both pretty quiet around the group, so most of their interactions happened when it was just the two of them, it was comforting in a way. They could be vulnerable around each other without being judged. Obviously, they were comfortable enough to be vulnerable around some of the others, but Dan was definitely the most comfortable around Noah, as he felt like Noah.. related to him the most in a sense? Even Devon thought the two were pretty similar overall, so it definitely wasn’t just a him only thing.

Dan finally managed to get to Stacy’s place in a short span of time, Jane and Devon seemed to be having in the car ride, he’d like to think Noah also had his fair share of fun, even if he was quiet for most of the ride.

He parked the car in a safe place, only a few hundred metres from Stacy’s house, nothing the four of them couldn’t handle. He stopped the car, unfastening his seatbelt and getting off. By the time everyone got off, Devon and Jane already were way ahead of him, leaving him and Noah alone.

“They’re certainly in a good mood, huh?” “You know how they are, some things never change.”

“Pfft, true. Wanna go in together?” Noah asked nonchalantly, standing beside Dan. Dan nodded, smiling, “Sure. Would be pointless not to, we’re already next to each other.” He took a few steps forward, Noah managed to catch up quickly.

They walked together in silence, Noah having his hands in his pockets as Dan adjusted and dusted off his costume. In no time, they already arrived at Stacy’s front door.

“Not it.” Noah said, glancing over at Dan.

“You’re acting as if you’re in trouble.. You’re fine, man. Here, I’ll go first.” Dan responded, taking a few steps forward, motioning to Noah to follow behind him, to which he did. Dan knocked on the door, getting an almost immediate response.

“I was wondering when you two were gonna show up! I thought Jane and Devon were lying about you coming along, geez..” said a feminine voice, letting the two boys in.

“Sorry about that, Stace. They were already steps ahead of us by the time I parked the car.” “It’s okay, I figured.. Oh yeah, Jack and Carlos are over there if you wanna meet up with them.” Stacy pointed at two guys standing near the stairs. Dan nodded, waving Stacy and Noah a goodbye as he approached the two.

…

Noah waved back, glancing at Dan as he chatted among his teammates before taking a few steps inside.

“There’s some snacks and drinks in the kitchen, unless you plan on staring at Dan the whole time.”

“Shut up.” Noah responded, furrowing his brows. He didn’t want to be teased by Stacy for long, so he walked away before she could talk back to him. Stacy rolled her eyes, going back to welcoming in more guests.

Luckily for Noah, there were quite a ton of snacks and drinks he could choose from. He got himself a cup, pouring himself some coke, afterwards munching on some of the candy in the candy bowl. He finally had a moment to himself, not having to worry about being made fun of to death just for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, his eyes decided to subconsciously glance at Dan once more, noticing one of his teammates ruffling his hair as he grinned, blushing lightly. Noah’s eyes widened for a second before looking away, munching on the candy in his mouth a bit more slowly.

It’s not unusual for Dan’s teammates to be affectionate through actions, he’s seen them do these types of things to him every now and then back when Dan was still in the team. It always kind of bothered him though, but he didn’t want to be mean about it. Dan seemed to not mind it so he shouldn’t mind it either, right? Noah wished that was the case.

He scoffed, a look of annoyance forming on his face. Noah shouldn’t feel like this, he’s happy Dan has people he enjoys being with, but sometimes he just.. Gets jealous. It’s natural, but it doesn’t mean it’s good. He took a sip of his drink, wanting to think about literally anything but that interaction. Like.. How fancy looking the lamp next to the couch is. Yeah, that’ll do it.

Footsteps neared his direction, but he brushed it off as someone trying to get the snacks as well. Eventually, a figure stood next to him. He ignored it, staring at his drink, frustrated expression still on his face.

“You okay?” The figure spoke.

“Swell.” Noah’s voice was hoarse, it was obvious he was annoyed at this rate.

“Well whatever happened between you and that drink did not end well. Noah, look at me.” The voice responded, and Noah looked up, shoulders slightly jolting once he made eye-contact with Devon. “Something ruined your mood, I noticed from across the room.”

“Nothing happened, Dev. Shouldn’t you be with Jane?” “She’s with Ava and Lily. Seriously dude, what’s bothering you? You don’t need to tell me, but maybe letting out will make you feel better.”

Noah sighed, rolling his eyes. He swirled his drink around for a bit before taking another swig of it. Devon stood idly, waiting for a response.

“I’m uh.. Tch, forget it.” “Noah..” Devon frowned, crossing their arms, but still willing to be patient with Noah.

“I just.. Maybe I’m a bit jealous.” The last word came out a lot quieter than the rest. Devon simply patted Noah’s shoulder. He didn’t shoo them away.

“Noah, it’s okay to feel jealous. Happens to the best of us. But Dan does put you on a really high priority, y’know.” “Yeah, but that doesn’t erase the fact that his teammates just bother me sometimes. Seriously, I don’t get why they’re so touchy feely with him-!” “Hey, chill for a second. Everyone expresses affection differently, and it’s not like they have much time left with Dan. Trust me, they won’t snag him for themselves.”

Noah huffed. “.. Dan seems to like it. I’m happy he does, but..” “You don’t feel like Dan’s as happy when he’s with you?”

Noah slowly nodded, taking a small swig of his drink. Devon let out a lighthearted chuckle, “You’re sometimes just as stubborn as he is, geez.” “The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re wrong. You should hear all the stuff Dan says about, he could talk about you for hours.” Devon said, smiling, “He cares about you a lot, more than his teammates. And I know the feeling’s mutual.” Noah’s frustrated expression softened, now curious if anything, “What does he say about me?” “Too many things, we’d be here all day. They’re all nice, though, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Noah blushed, taking the last sip of his drink and putting his cup down. Devon kept a smile on their face, munching on some of the candy.

“You’ve got all these chances to maybe.. ask him out. Maybe not tonight, but you should definitely tell him how you feel soon.” Devon shrugged.

“I.. might consider. Not sure how I’ll do it, though.” “I’m sure you’ll be a pro at it.”

Noah scoffed, but smirked ever so slightly. “You’re a bad liar.” Devon simply giggled, pouring themself a drink. He headed towards the backdoor, one hand in his pockets and the other reaching the door handle.

“Where are you off to?” asked Devon, perking up. Noah glanced back at Devon, shrugging, “Getting some fresh air. It’s already starting to get a bit lively.” He pointed at what seemed to be a dance battle happening between the cheerleaders and jocks, to which Devon snorted at. They simply nodded, giving Noah a wave as he opened the backdoor.

Dan’s teammates were long gone now, busy challenging the cheerleaders to a dance battle. He was glad he was stuck in the sidelines, because the battle was.. certainly going. He fiddled around with his hat now in his hands, since it was a bit of a hassle to keep it on.

“Bleuhghh, Danieelll..” A voice called out from the steps. Confused, Dan turned around, immediately getting jumpscared by whatever green monstrosity he just laid eyes upon. Whoever was underneath the costume of the ‘green monstrosity’ snickered.

“Gotcha! Happy Halloween, Bob the Builder. Do you like my costume?” said the voice, revealing itself to be Andy. He set his costume prop down, now actually showing his face and body. He was wearing a plain black shirt along with dark green pants, to sort of match with his costume instead of wearing neon green leggings.

“It’s terribly perfect for Halloween, Andy.” “I know right! Scared the crap out of Jane earlier, so much for being a ghostbuster, huh?” Both of the boys chuckled, grinning.

Dan observed the room once more, noticing Noah and Devon talking from afar. Or at least, telling each other goodbye before Noah opened the backdoor, leaving Devon to watch the battle happening not too far from them.

“Oh right..” Andy mumbled, a look of realisation on his face. Dan glanced at Andy, raising a brow.

“How’s the crush thing going?” Andy asked, tilting his head as he looked back at Dan. Dan simply shrugged in response, scratching the back of his neck.

“Not sure.. I’m working on it.” “Ogling at Noah isn’t really doing anything.”

Dan blushed in response, looking away. “I’m not staring at him, geez..” “You just were though?” Andy replied, a confused expression forming on his face. Dan let out a sigh, crossing his arms, one hand still holding his hat.

“Okay, maybe I happened to steal a glance at him.. That’s it, though.” He was being honest, he wasn’t staring at Noah for that long, he just happened to catch him leaving the party, that’s all. Andy nodded very slowly in response, squinting at Dan.

“Well, anyways.. Did you see Lucas’ costume? He actually dressed up for Halloween!”

“Wait, seriously?” “Yeah! Hold on, let me find him..” Andy scanned the area. It took him a bit but eventually he pointed at something, face lightening up. “There’s the man of the hour! LUCAS!”

Andy grabbed Dan’s hand and approached the person who was seemingly dressed up as a.. Pirate?

“What was the inspiration?” Dan blurted out, slightly surprised over Lucas’ costume choice. He quickly covered his mouth, embarrassed over the sudden question he just asked. Lucas turned around, facing Dan, simply chuckling in response.

“Since it will be my last year attending high school, I thought I should go all out. Of course, I didn’t want to do anything bizarre, so I went with an outfit that’d be the most.. ‘unexpected’ of me to wear?”

“So you went with a pirate?” Andy responded.

“Yep, the Theatre Club inspired me.” Lucas replied, smiling proudly. Dan and Andy glanced at each other, then back at Lucas, shrugging.

“Both of you have pretty good outfits too. I saw Andy’s earlier while picking him up, I’d definitely give it a prize of some kind. You and the football team put in a lot of effort too, Dan.” Lucas continued, taking a small sip of his drink.

“Dude, I’d give you like.. Solid third place. Just because of how unexpected you actually dressing up is.” Andy said, eating up some of the candy next to Lucas. Lucas and Andy kept talking, but Dan stopped paying attention for a bit now, occasionally glancing at the backdoor nearby. Eventually, after a few more minutes passed by, Dan decided to take his leave.

“I’ll go take a breather.” He let out, taking a few steps towards the backdoor.

“We’ll see you in a few?” asked Lucas, slightly tilting his head, to which Dan nodded in response. He headed, getting greeted with the fresh breeze of the autumn night.

…

Dan looked around the small outdoor patio, noticing not one single person outside, excluding a lone figure sitting on the far right on one of the seats. It was a bit dark out, so Dan couldn’t see their face well, but he instantly knew who it was already.

“Noah?” He called out, facing the figure. He heard a small shuffle before he finally got a response, “Yeah?”

He smiled, approaching the far right until he finally saw Noah’s face looking at him. He sat down next to him. Noah softly smiled back, still sharing a glance with Dan.

“Needed some fresh air?” Dan asked, to which Noah nodded in response. He nodded along with him in understanding.

“It’s a bit better out here anyways, don’t have to deal with the loud jocks pissing me off or getting dragged into dance battles or.. Something like that.” Noah added on, letting out a lighthearted chuckle. Dan understood what he meant, being in parties was overwhelming. It was nice when it was nice and quiet, just the two of them..

“Hey,” Noah started off, “Remember when we’d always swim around in Ava’s pool during the summer? Always jumping in together, having water fights.. Her dad would get mad over us staying there for too long.”

“Oh yeah..! Those times were great..” Dan replied, “Or when we’d always hide together in hide and seek and never get caught 90 percent of the time? We used to always hide in this one spot in the woods, and everyone took forever to find it!”

“Literally. Looking back on it, it wasn’t even a hard spot to find.” Noah added on, snickering. Dan laughed along with him, grinning. “You’re right though, it really wasn’t, but we were like.. Eight. Eight year olds are kinda dumb sometimes.” Noah nodded in response, still chuckling.

“Man, I just remembered.. Your mom used to give me the weirdest looks during my emo phase, and I could never understand why until now.”

“Pfft, haha! My mom just wasn’t used to that type of fashion sense, but she never found you weird to the point of making me not to be your friend. She knew I’d never do it anyway, I care about you too much.”

Dan looked over at Noah, who seemed to be.. blushing? Wait, no, it’s definitely his mind just screwing with him, Noah wasn’t that easy to fluster. He brushed it off as his mind playing tricks on him, ignoring it.

“Man, my mom always liked you, so she always lets me chill at your place whenever, as long as I don’t do crime and stuff.” Noah went on, soft smile on his face.

“Mine always liked you too. I used to drag you along to everything.. You’re practically like a second son to her too.”

“Oh huh, that’s.. Nice.” Noah went quiet for a moment, still having a soft smile on his face. “And what do you see me as?”

Dan was a little surprised by the sudden question, he couldn’t help but blush. He saw Noah as so much more than just a friend, but he couldn’t just confess to him out of the blue, but saying he was a friend felt.. weird. Weirder than he wanted it to.

“My best friend.” Dan responded with, slightly flustered. “And you? What do you see me as?”

“My.. best friend too.” Noah replied, nodding. But despite the solid reply, there was a tinge of hesitation in Noah’s voice. Did he.. think of Dan as someone inferior? Perhaps just an item? Or maybe.. Something more? That might be a little far-fetched, but Dan was far from opposed to having his feelings be mutual, but he could never tell if that was the case.

“Are you being honest with me?” Dan blurted out. “Huh?”

“I- Sorry, I just.. noticed your tone of voice being off. Is that your honest answer? You can tell me the truth, Noah, it’s just the two of us.” Dan gave Noah a reassuring smile, reaching out for the other’s hand. Noah stayed quiet for a moment, in thought, holding Dan’s hand. Noah’s hand was warm, it was nice to hold, especially with autumn having rather cold evenings.

“.. Maybe I wasn’t being honest, what would you do then?” Noah said, the first half coming out in a whisper. “I’d ask for your actual answer then.” Dan came back with, “Take your time, I don’t expect an immediate answer.”

Noah nodded, taking a deep breath. “Okay, cool.. Could you put your hat down somewhere? You’ve been holding onto it for a while.”

Dan’s stern yet reassuring expression from before turned into a small grin as he snickered, “Inappropriate timing, Noah, but you’re not wrong..” He plopped his hat down on the empty seat next to him, his other hand still holding Noah’s. “Well? What now?”

Noah held onto Dan’s hand a bit tighter, “Is it alright if I do something I’ll regret for years on end?” Dan raised a brow, “Depends on what you’re gonna do. If it isn’t anything illegal, then you can go ahead.”

The other male nodded, gulping nervously. His other hand gently cupped Dan’s cheek, which instantly made him blush like crazy. He didn’t want to assume so quickly, but with Noah leaning towards him so suddenly, he kind of got the gist of what was going on.

Before he could comment on what was happening, Noah’s lips pressed against his. He could feel the tip of his ears burning as the kiss lingered for a bit longer, but eventually, it had to come to a halt. Noah let go, face bright red.

“Fuck.” He let out, “Ah god, I screwed everything up, didn’t I? I shouldn’t have done this tonight, I shouldn’t have ever thought about this ever, I--”

“Noah.” Dan said, voice hushed, “Do that again.” “Huh?” “.. Kissing me. Do it again.”

“Wait, but that means-- M-mmn-”

Dan’s lips pressed against Noah’s, this time more desperately than their first. It wasn’t desperate enough to the point of a makeout, but Dan’s tongue traced Noah’s lips a few times, just to lightly tease him, causing the other to let out an unprompted groan. They let go once more, catching their breath.

“..A-as I was saying,” Noah started off, voice a little hoarse, “I guess you.. Like me back?” “God yes. I’ve liked you for years, Noah. I’ve been waiting to kiss you for a really long time.”

“Me too. God, me fucking too.”

They chuckled amongst themselves, still trying to process what happened in the last five minutes. Dan held onto Noah’s hand a bit tighter, smiling and laughing.

“I love you so much, Noah.” He said in a whisper, “Can we stay like this for a little longer?”

Noah smiled back, nodding, “Yes we can..” he answered, leaning towards Dan once more.

“I love you too.” He whispered to the other, running his thumb on the other’s hand.

[all-that-jazz-93]

American Dragon Timeline

I’ve been trying for a while now to figure out the timeline of this show, because it makes no sense in the order that Disney Channel originally aired the episodes. It also makes no sense in the episode list on Jeff Goode’s website, which he claims to be the proper chronology of events.

I had to come up with a few convoluted headcanons to make this work, but I think I’ve finally pieced together a coherent timeline (note that for a lot of the filler episodes, it doesn’t actually matter that much when they take place, I was just trying to stick as close to Jeff Goode’s chronology as possible.)

September 2004

Old School Training

It’s implied in this episode that Jake got his dragon powers very recently. They don’t say how recently, but given how new the whole thing is to him, I’d say it’s probably only been about a week or two.

Here’s where we come up against our first issue with canon. In The Legend of Dragon Tooth, Jake says he got his dragon powers when he turned 13, and in Shapeshifter, he says he’s a Pisces, which means his birthday would be in late February, or March. There’s no way the timeline makes sense if that’s the case, so my headcanon is that Jake is just like…really bad at astrology, and he somehow confused Pisces with another star sign.

We also have the issue of how far behind he seems to be in school (he’s 14 in early season 2, but still in 7th grade). So, two more headcanons to explain that. Number one, Jake’s birthday is actually sometime in early September, so he missed the cutoff to go to kindergarten when he was 5, and had to wait until he was 6, placing him a year behind (some places don’t allow kids to start kindergarten if they turn 5 after September 1st. I knew a boy in my old youth group who was almost a year older than everyone else in our grade, because he had an October birthday). Number two, at some point in elementary school, Jake was held back a grade. So the first episode takes place shortly after Jake’s 13th birthday, at the beginning of his sixth grade year.

Since Trixie and Spud are supposed to be the same age as him, that would mean they must’ve both been held back at some point as well (that especially makes sense for Spud—anyone who’s purposely failed as many tests as he has would almost definitely have to repeat a grade).

This would also make Rose younger than them. She’s very bright, and she seems like a good student, so it’s unlikely she was ever held back. But we don’t want her to be too much younger than them, so I’ll headcanon that she also has a birthday in early September, making her a year younger than Jake. If that’s the case, she’d be 12 in season one, and 13/14 in season 2.

Adventures in Trollsitting/Fu Dog Takes a Walk

The dogcatcher says that it’s September.

 September/October 2004

Shapeshifter Dragon Breath The Legend of Dragon Tooth The Talented Mr. Long Professor Rotwood’s Thesis Act 4, Scene 15 The Long Weekend Body Guard Duty Dragon Summit

This episode has to take place after Shapeshifter, Dragon Breath, and Professor Rotwood’s Thesis, since the Dragon Council makes references back to Jake’s actions in all of those episodes. It also has to take place before The Halloween Bash, which places it sometime in September or October.

 October 2004

The Halloween Bash

Jeff Goode’s website lists this episode as taking place between Ski Trip and The Hunted, but there’s no way that’s possible, because Ski Trip takes place close to Valentine’s Day, and The Hunted takes place during the Equinox (they don’t specify which Equinox, but it would have to be the one in September; it’s the only way the timeline makes any sense, even with the generous liberties I’m taking with these headcanons). So The Halloween Bash has to take place before Ski Trip. No one in this episode makes any reference to knowing Rose’s identity, so it works out just fine.

 February 2005

The Ski Trip

Valentine’s Day was actually on a Monday in 2005, so presumably this episode takes place the weekend of February 11-13.

 March 2005

The Egg/The Heist

Easter was on March 27 in 2005. This is how I know The Hunted takes place during the Autumnal Equinox; Rose was still in the city during Easter weekend, a week after the Vernal Equinox.

Eye of the Beholder Ring Around the Dragon Jake Takes the Cake

 May 2005

Fu and Tell/Flight of the Unicorn

Flight of the Unicorn takes place on Memorial Day, which was May 30th that year

 May/June (or September) 2005

Keeping Shop

Hong Kong Nights

I know Jeff Goode’s website says this is the last episode of season one, but I absolutely cannot accept any episode besides The Hunted as the season finale, so I’m just gonna recognize that the council has made a decision, but elect to ignore it.

 September 2005

The Hunted

The Autumnal Equinox in 2005 was on September 22

 Late November/Early December 2005

Half Baked

Jake says it’s been three months since Rose left. It couldn’t be exactly three months, because that would place this episode in late December, and school would be out for the holidays. So presumably it’s late November or early December, and Jake is rounding up when he says three months.

The Academy

This one would pretty much have to take place very soon after Half Baked, like within a week or two.

 Late December 2005

Breakout

This episode establishes that 88 and 89 are in the city working as apprentices to the Huntsman, so it has to take place before the Christmas episode, which they also appear in.

Hairy Christmas

January/February 2006

(Most of these don’t actually have to take place in January or February, aside from Dreamscape and Fool’s Gold. The rest could be pretty much any time during Jake’s 7th grade year. I’m just trying to stick to Jeff Goode’s chronology, and keep at least some of the episodes in the order he listed.)

Hero of the Hourglass Bring It On Family Business Something Fishy This Way Comes The Doppelganger Gang Dreamscape Fool's Gold

 February 2006

The Love Cruise

They never explicitly say it’s Valentine’s Day, but the whole concept of the Love Cruise seems like something a school would do for Valentine’s Day. Also adds an extra layer of heartbreak, because it means Jake and Rose’s breakup happened on the one-year anniversary of Jake finding out Rose was Huntsgirl. Ouch. February has not been kind to Jake.

On the other hand, I’d prefer to headcanon that Jake and Rose got to spend the whole summer together before their breakup, going on dream dates every night and not having to set their alarms for school in the morning (can we just let them be happy for a little while? PLEASE?!?!?!?), so maybe the Love Cruise wasn’t on Valentine’s Day, and instead was just some random school event at the beginning of their 8th grade year.

 May 2006

Feeding Frenzy

They spend three days visiting Jake’s family, so it’s either Memorial Day weekend, spring break, or summertime. Most likely Memorial Day or spring break, since Jake says in this episode that he’s been the American Dragon for a year and a half.

 May/June 2006

A Befuddled Mind The Rotwood Files Haley Gone Wild Switcheroo

This one takes place after The Love Cruise, because Jake and Rose’s recent breakup is a minor plot point, so it only takes place at this point if we headcanon Love Cruise taking place in February.

Young At Heart

I know this is supposed to be a later episode, but going by this timeline, Jake would be 15 for most of his 8th grade year, and in this episode Jake, Trixie, and Spud talk about being 14, so it has to take place during 7th grade

 Summer between 7th and 8th grade

A Ghost Story

 Late September/Early October 2006

Homecoming

I never went to public school (I was unfortunately homeschooled), but it’s my understanding that middle schools don’t do Homecoming. So my headcanon is that it was actually just a junior high prom or something, but a few students on the planning committee approached Sun Park and begged her to let them model it after the Homecoming dances at their older siblings’ high schools. Sun was delighted by their enthusiasm, so of course she agreed.

 Any time during their 8th grade year

Supernatural Tuesday Siren Says Shaggy Frog Nobody's Fu Game On Bite Father, Bite Son Magic Enemy #1

 February 2007

Year of the Jake

Chinese New Year was on February 18th in 2007

 March 2007

Furious Jealousy

Trixie and Spud put together a Daylight Savings themed school event, so this episode takes place either in October of 06 or March of 07. We’ll go with March because it’s closer to the end of the series.

 June 2007

Being Human

Haley and Gramps both say in this episode that Jake is 14, but he would actually be 15 by this point (even if my whole timeline is wrong and he actually is a Pisces, he still would’ve had his 15th birthday already). Presumably the writers just weren’t paying close enough attention to their established timeline, but the in-universe explanation is…sometimes family members forget your age; my best friend keeps saying her youngest sister is 15, when in fact her sister is turning 17 this year. Sometimes you lose track.

 Summer after 8th grade

The Hong Kong Longs

Presumably this episode takes place around July or August, which means Jake and his friends would be almost 16 by this point (and Rose would be almost 15, assuming my headcanon about her being a year younger than them is accurate).

[heylookafanfic]

Title: What Could Go Wrong?

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x daughter!Reader, 

brief summary: With your dad, Aaron Hotchner, being the BAU unit chief, he did whatever he could to protect you. When you get invited to a party for the first time, sneaking out doesn’t sound so bad. What could go wrong?

word count: 3,706 words

requested: Nope, original! (send in those requests!) 

warnings: cursing, getting roofied, getting yelled at, predatory men

Your dad, Aaron Hotchner, was extremely protective over you not only because his job can put you and your brother, Jack, in danger but he already lost a family member and refused to lose another. Having an overprotective father meant you had a list of rules.

The door was to remain completely open when your significant other came over and no sitting/laying on the bed

No leaving the house after sundown

You can’t sleep over at anyone's house, they had to sleep over at your house

You have to ask to go somewhere

If your dad wasn’t home and the doorbell rang, you couldn’t answer it

And that is just the surface. You understood why your dad was so strict but you never got to have a life. To make things worse, your friends always post pictures from parties on Instagram and all you could do is sigh and keep scrolling knowing you’ll never get to go to one.

One day, you were in communications class listening to the professor lecturing about the upcoming semester project. Luckily, you got to pick your group for it and when they dismissed the class to find partners, you quickly turned to your best friend,Vanessa.

“I guess we’re partners, huh?” you chuckled

“Of course!” she said

“So, what do you want to make our project about?”

“I have no idea. I barely paid attention this chapter”

“Try to think out of the box a bit. What’s gonna make ours stand out?”

“Since the class is about communications, how about human interaction?”

“What about it?”

“Like how you haven't had any human interaction lately” she said with a smirk

“You know my dads strict. I can’t even breathe without him being on edge” you said

“You need to live a little Y/N. You’re in college and you’re still being treated like a kid.”

“I know, I know but I don’t know how to convince him to let up a bit”

“Here’s the thing, I’m going to a friend's kickback tomorrow night. This is your chance to finally hang out with someone who isn’t me, Jack or your dad ”

“He’s gonna say no regardless even if I tell him that you’re going with me.” you said

“I’m not saying to sneak out but...” she said with a shrug

“You know he has cameras around the entire perimeter of the house, right?”

“Just say you’re sleeping over at my house”

“Can’t do that either, remember? All sleepovers have to happen at my house”

“I understand having to be cautious because your dads in the FBI but doesn’t he realize that you’re in college?”

You thought about it for a second.

“That’s it! How about you sleep over but I’ll say that you forgot your meds. That’ll give us an excuse to leave”

“Won’t he be suspicious though?”

“Probably not. He trusts you out of all of my friends”

“You’ve got a point. What time am I coming over?”

“What time does the kickback start?”

“9 pm”

“Come over at 7. We’ll be finishing up dinner and it’ll give us time to get ready”

“Awesome”

The both of you packed your backpacks and went home. This would be the first time you’d be sneaking out and you were pretty nervous because so many things could go wrong but you’re with your best friend so, what could possibly go wrong?

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

*Hotchner Household- The next day*

You were in your room finishing up your psychology homework when your dad called you and Jack down for dinner

“Y/N and Jack, come down for dinner” he yelled from the kitchen

“I’m almost done! Give me two more minutes!” you shouted

“Come down now before it gets cold”

You sighed and closed your laptop. As you were walking out of your room, you saw Jack coming down the hall.

“I’ll race you to the dinner table. Loser has to wash dishes tonight” you challenged

“You’re gonna lose like you did last time” he said

“That’s only because you pushed me, short stuff” you chuckled

“I won fair and square though, didn’t I?”

“Anyway…ready, set, go!”

The both of you raced down the hallway and downstairs. Your dad heard all the stomping and already knew what was up. You lightly pushed Jack and he tumbled towards the couch by the living room. Your dad had his hands out by his sides, waiting to see who would finish 1st. You ran and tagged in, winning.

“You pushed me!” Jack complained

“I won fair and square though, didn’t I?” you chuckled

“Dad, Y/N cheated and they said that I’d have to wash dishes after dinner”

“Karmas a bit-” you were cut off

“Enough you two. Go wash your hands and make your plate” your dad said

*During dinner*

“So, how was everybody’s day?” he asked

“I found out that we’re dissecting a frog in class next week” Jack said

“They still do that?” he asked

“Yeah, everyone in my class thinks it’s cool but I’m not looking forward to it”

“Why is that?”

“Because, it’s gross. I asked if I could do an extra credit project instead but my teacher said no”

“Sorry bud. How about you Y/N? How was your day?”

“It was okay. We were assigned a group project yesterday so Vanessas coming over later to study. Is that cool?”

“Which Vanessa?”

“Dad. You’re kidding, right? The same Vanessa I’ve been best friends with since kindergarten?”

“Oh, her. Yeah, she can come over. What’s your project about?”

“It’s a research slideshow about human interaction”

“If you have time, you should drop by the office and ask your aunts and uncles for help. Especially your uncle Spencer. He’ll tell you everything you need to know; easy A” he said

Suddenly, his phone chimed.

“Work?” you and Jack ask

Your dad shook his head and took one last sip of his drink before getting up from the table. He was running around the house grabbing his go bag and work essentials.

“I don’t know when I’ll be back but if I’m not back later tonight, Y/N you know the drill” he said

“Close and lock all doors and windows, don’t answer the door, Jack is to be in bed by 9:30 and lights out at 11” you recited

“And Jack?”

“No video games or TV until homework is done and Y/N is in charge” he groaned

“Good. Y/N?”

“Yes?”

“Vanessa is the only one permitted in the house. Understood?”

“Yes sir”

“Alright, bye! I love you two!” he said

Your dad rushed out the door, hopped in the car and sped off to work. Your dad pretty much being on call can be annoying sometimes because he’s usually away for a few days and misses out on family time. Usually, it’s a bummer but tonight, it was working in your favor.

“Now what?” Jack asked

“How about we finish up dinner and I’ll help you with your homework so you can have the rest of the night to yourself?”

“Sweet!” he responded

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

*Later that night*

Vanessa had already been at your house for 2 hours and while Jack was getting ready for bed, you were about to leave for the kickback.

“What time did you say your little brother goes to bed?” Vanessa asked

“9:30”

She sighed

“We’re going to be late by then. Can’t we leave earlier?”

“We can’t. If I’m not here to make sure he’s asleep, he’ll be up all night”

“Jacks like what, 10? He’ll be fine. Plus, it’s a Friday night. It’s not like he has school tomorrow.”

You gave it a second thought. Jack is old enough to put himself to bed and the party wasn’t going to be worth going to if you were late.

“Fine. Give me a second and then we can go” you said

You walked down the hall to Jack’s room and knocked.

“Come in” he answered

“Hey bud, are you almost ready for bed?” you asked

“Yeah, I gotta brush my teeth though.”

“Listen, Vanessa and I are going out for a bit tonight. Would you be okay if you were by yourself for a few hours?”

“You can’t leave! Remember what Dad said? ‘No leaving the house after sundown’ ?”

“I know, I know but it’s only for tonight and since Dad’s out at work, I’ll let you stay up and play video games until I get back”

“Won’t we get in trouble? If he finds out, we’re gonna be grounded”

“He won’t find out unless we tell him….which we won’t. Right?”

Jack thought the situation through for a second.

“Right” he said

“Cool. Vanessa and I are leaving in about 5 minutes. Rules still apply to you though. I don’t care who rings the doorbell. If it’s not me or Dad, don’t answer it. Understood?”

“Yeah”

“Alright, all the doors and windows are locked so you’re safe here as long as they stay closed. I’ll be back in a few hours. Love you!” you said

“Love you too!” Jack responded

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

*At the kickback*

This was your first time sneaking out of the house and honestly, you didn’t think your plan would work. You thought that by now you’d be at home getting an earful from your dad because you got caught but, what perfect timing?! Your dad getting called into work the same night?! It’s actually kind of funny how things work out. What could go wrong?

You and Vanessa pulled up to the party and parked in the driveway

“You ready Y/N?” she asked

“Yeah. I just can't believe our plan actually worked”

“I know right? You’re old man needs to let you live a little. You deserve to enjoy your youth. Now c’mon”

As you two walk in, loud music blares from the speaker and there’s people everywhere. Beer cans on the floor and furniture, red solo cups spewed about the floor, the smell of weed in the air and you can tell every guy is wearing cheap cologne because of how musky it is. You thought parties like this only existed in movies.

You knew a few people but due to not being the biggest social butterfly, you decided to cling to Vanessa all night.

“Y/N, this is my old theatre buddy, Vaughn. Vaughn, this is my best friend Y/N!”

“Hey, nice to meet you!” he welcomed

“Nice to meet you too!”

“Vanessas told me all about you”

“She has?”

“Yeah! Best friends since kindergarten?! You two go way back”

“Definitely!”

“This is actually Y/N’s first kickback!” Vanessa chimed in

“Your first? You’ve never been to a party?”

“Not really, my dad’s very overprotective so I never get the chance to really hang out”

“What changed his mind?”

“Actually, he’s out of town at the moment so, he doesn’t even know”

“Ahhh, sneaky you!” he chuckled

“Hey, I’m gonna go get a drink really quick. You guys want anything?” Vanessa asked

“I’m good but thanks” you said

“I’ll go with you” Vaughn said

“Y/N, I’ll be right back but in the meanwhile, go get out of your comfort zone a bit” she said

“Nice meeting you….”

“Y/N” you said

“Y/N! Right. I’ll see you later” Vaughn said

Vanessa and Vaughn made off into the kitchen and that left you to your own devices. You still weren’t comfortable enough to go and be social so you made your way to the couch. Luckily, you spotted the host’s dog and whistled at it. It trotted over to you and jumped up into your lap. This would be your comfort zone for the rest of the night.

*An hour later*

The host's dog had surprisingly fallen asleep while you scrolled through your phone. You weren’t gonna lie. You were sort of envious that it could sleep through all the noise. As you continued scrolling you noticed someone heading your way.

“Is anyone sitting here?” a voice asked

You looked up to see a tall figure with broad shoulders.

“Uh, no. You’re good to sit”

“Thanks” he said

You resumed scrolling on your phone

“Nice dog” he said making small talk

“I’d say thanks but it’s not mine. It just curled up next to me and fell asleep” you spoke

“With all this noise?”

“Exactly what I’m saying!” you chuckled

“I’d kill to be a heavy sleeper” he said

“If only, right?!”

You two sat in silence for a second

“I’m Brady”

“Y/N”

“Nice to meet you. So, how’d you find out about the kickback?”

“My friend is friends with the host so she invited me”

“That’s a good friend!”

“Yeah, this is my first party actually”

“Really? How?”

“Overprotective parent”

“Ah, I know your struggle. Well, if you don’t mind, how ‘bout we drink to that?”

“Uh- okay. Thanks!”

“What’s your poison?” he asked

“I’ll take a beer please”

“A beer? Ooh, so you like to play it safe huh? I’ll be right back”

Brady got up and walked into the kitchen. You were actually excited because not only is this your first party but someone came up to you instead of the other way around.

“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” a voice said

You turned your head and it was Vanessa

“What took you so long?”

“I was getting a drink, remember?”

“It took you a whole hour, 60 MINUTES, to get a drink and find me?!” you joked

“This place is huge”

“It’s a condo ‘Nessa”

“Anyway, you’ve been sitting by yourself this whole time? I thought I told you to go and socialize!”

“I did! I met this guy, Brady, and he’s getting us drinks”

“Oooo! I know you had a little game in that beautiful brain somewhere. Well, let me go before I ruin your moment. I’ll be in the living room if you need me” she said

Vanessa ran off again. Just as she left, Brady came back with drinks.

“Una cerveza for the party virgin” he said

“What?” you chuckled

“One beer like you asked” he chuckled

“Oh, thank you!”

“To your first party and to many more” he toasted

You two clanked your cups together and took a swig

“For someone who seems to be so sheltered, you sure downed it with no problem” he said

“Well, my Uncle Dave is italian so everytime we go to his house, he cohearses my dad into letting me have a little wine. He says the drinking age in Italy is 16 so, why not?” you chuckled

“Lemme guess, he’s the crazy relative in the family?”

“No, that’d be my aunt Penelope but he’s a close second”

The two of you talked about family, your dream career and your taste in music for about an hour. You were starting to think that maybe it was a good idea to sneak out. You would have never met Brady and the more you found out about him, the more you started catching feelings for him. Or maybe that was the beer talking. Speaking of beer, you were starting to think that that beer didn’t sit right with you. You started feeling dizzy and sick to your stomach.

“Hey Brady, I gotta go talk to my friend really quick but I promise I’ll be right back”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just not feeling the best”

“Do you want some water?” he asked

“I’m fine. I need to find Vanessa though”

You stood up and immediately sat back down

“Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want to lay down?” he asked

“I’m fine” you said

You didn’t notice but you started slurring your words. Things were going downhill and fast. Brady didn’t….no, he couldn’t have. Things were going so well with him and you thought you could trust him. He couldn’t have possibly done that to you. You couldn’t yell for Vanessa over the loud music let alone stand up without falling over. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.

“Come on. I’ll take you to one of the bedrooms and you can lay down there until you feel better” Brady said

Fuck. You knew what you wanted to say but you couldn’t speak without slurring your words. Everything you said came out as incoherent. Brady stood up and helped you stand up, using him as a support. He started walking you towards the back until you felt a hand yank your hand

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” a voice yelled

Vanessa. Wait.. the voice was masculine.

Vaughn.

“I’m just helping them lay down. They’re tired” Brady said

“Leave them the fuck alone” Vaughn said sternly

“Mind your business dude” Brady retorted

“I know them so it is my business. I’m not going to tell you again. Leave them the fuck alone”

Brady dropped you but Vaughn quickly caught the rest of your body.

“Have fun with them, douchebag” Brady stormed off

Vaughn fireman carried you into the living room and sat you down

“Hey Y/N. It’s Vaughn. Are you okay?” he asked caringly

“Mmmrrmgh” you slurred

Shit.

“I’m gonna get Vanessa. I promise I’ll be right back, okay?” he said

Your head lulled around and you couldn’t move your limbs. All your energy was draining. This made him panic. As he tried to get you to squeeze his hand to get a response out of you, everything faded to black.

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

*45 minutes later*

You woke up but everything was blurry and everything sounded muffled. You were laying down but your sickness was worse because you were being jostled around.

“There they are. Hey sweetheart. Sir-” a voice said

You looked up and saw a dark figure. Your head was on someone's lap.

“Y/N? Come on sweetheart, keep your eyes open for me” the voice said

You took a few shallow breaths before attempting to sit up

“No no, stay still, okay?”

That voice was way too familiar and it made you feel at ease. There was only one person that could clear the clouds out on a rainy day with just their voice

“Aunt Penelope?” you softly spoke

“At your service!” she said

“Y/N?” another voice said

“Dad” you cried

“How’re they doing?”

“They opened their eyes a bit and heart rate is still pretty high but they’re stable” Penelope sighed with relief

“Dad? What’s happening?”

“Y/N? Can you hear me?”

You nodded your head.

“That’s an affirmative” Penelope relayed

”Listen, we’re heading to the hospital right now. You were drugged and you stopped breathing. We’re almost there so just hold on for me, okay?” he said

His voice was borderline quivering. He was scared but wanted to stay strong for you and the team. He already lost Hailey and lord forbid he was going to lose you too

Penelope rolled the window down a bit  so you could get some air but right before she could touch the button, your eyes closed again.

“Sir-”

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

*At the hospital*

You opened your eyes and saw a handful of blobs that got clearer as your eyes adjusted to the light.

“There they are!” said Rossi

“It’s about time” said JJ

“You were scared us for a second there, kid” said Morgan

Your whole family was there, excited for you to finally pull through

“Y/N!” Jack said excited

He hugged you and you had no choice but to hug him tighter. On any other day you’d be wrestling him for the remote but considering what happened to you tonight, you needed a hug from him

“For the record, I didn’t tell dad” he stated

Everyone laughed

“I got you lavender and chamomile tea, your favorite” Reid said popping his head in

“Uncle Spence!” you said

As you grabbed your tea, you saw your dad out the corner of your eye. Uh oh.

“Can we have a moment, please?” your dad asked

Everyone filed out and the door closed. He walked over to the blinds to close them.

“How’d you find out?” you softly asked

“Vanessa called me practically screaming that you were dead! You’re lucky that the case we’re working is local! What were you thinking?! You lied to me, waited until I left the house to sneak out to a party and thought ‘what could go wrong?’ ?!” he raised his voice

“Dad, I’m-”

“What? You’re sorry?! Y/N, before we got there, you died in Vanessa’s arms! How do you think I felt? I couldn’t get to you fast enough. I had to push my way through a bunch of teens just to find my kid dead”

“What do you want me to say dad? I’m sorry that you’re still dealing with trauma from mom dying, so much so that you’ve become a helicopter parent over Jack and I? If that’s what you’re looking for, it’s not my fault that she’s dead. ”

The room went so silent you could hear a pin drop.

“I didn’t mean-”

“I know”

Your dad started tearing up

“When I saw your body laying there, all I could see is your mom all over again. I was afraid that I’d have to tell Jack that his only sibling is gone, plan another funeral, and spend a lifetime beating myself up for not being there quick enough.”

“Dad, it wasn’t your fault though. It’s Foyet’s. He’s long gone now and you did what you could. This? This was my fault. I never should have snuck out. I never should have lied to you. Had I listened, none of this would have happened”

“None of this is your fault. It’s whoever did this to you’s fault.  The sneaking out part, I would have found out eventually and you would’ve been grounded until eternity but to find out this way? I could care less about punishment right now, all I care about is that the Hotchner kids are safe. The BAU might be my job but being a dad comes before anything”

He hugged you and squeezed you tightly.

“I love you more than you’ll ever know Y/N. Don’t you ever scare me like that again”

“Yes sir and I love you too”

A knock came from the door before being slightly opened

“Garcia wanted me to let you know that Quantico PD has the perp in custody and he’s being processed at the station” Prentiss softly said

“You hear that?” your dad said

You smiled

“I get to have a field day with him tomorrow. He has no idea what he has coming to him”

[threeletterslife]

Propinquity (Law of Seesaw)

→ [6/7] of the Glossary Series

→ summary: You first meet him on a seesaw. What a surprise, your relationship with him is exactly like that of a seesaw too—there are ceaseless ups and downs. So much so that you wonder when it’ll end. 

→ pairing/rating: yoongi x reader | PG-13

→ genre: 50% fluff, 33% angst, 17% crack | e2l!au

→ warnings: profanity, mean insults

→ wordcount: 9.2k

♫: Seesaw by BTS

You can't remember the last time you've gone a week without fighting.

There is always a new problem that arises. A new argument that is sparked from the depths of trivial problems. Then Yoongi stops talking to you for a day (or days if the fight is serious) and sleeps downstairs on the couch until he wants to crawl back to you and apologize. Other times, you're the one who has to drag yourself to your boyfriend's study with a plate of his favorite fruit and an apology in your head.

But it seems like the fighting never ends.

Now the bed feels cold. It is empty. Just like you.

You know that Yoongi's downstairs, either working with his new client (through the dead of the night) or already sleeping on the small couch. Though you're supposed to be mad at him, you worry. The couch isn't good for his already deteriorating posture. But you can't nag at him now. It'll result in more arguments.

When was the last time you and Yoongi didn't fight, though?

The correct answer is never.

From day one, you and Yoongi were destined enemies.

"Hi." You're a proud little child, standing up straight with your hands on your hips. A bit chubby and round in the middle but you flaunt the extra weight. "My mommy says I need to make friends before kindergarten starts."

"My mommy says not to talk to strangers." The young boy peeks at you through his shaggy black hair. He rocks the paint-nicked seesaw by himself, kicking his feet off the ground only to come back down with a light oof.

"I'm not a stranger," you scoff, crossing your hands over your chest. "Let me play on the seesaw!"

Yoongi doesn't even have time to answer because you're crawling up on the opposite side already. "H-Hey!" he yells but he's too late. The moment you innocently perch upon the seesaw, you’re slammed to the ground and Yoongi's lifted up high in the air.

Ah, the weight difference.

"GET ME OFF!" Yoongi screams. "GET ME OFF!!"

Your eyes turn wide. You hadn't meant to scare the boy. You thought everyone wanted to fly up in the air, and you were just granting the little boy's wish. In your head, you didn't even think of the possibility that Yoongi is afraid of heights. (Which was stupid of him to even try playing on the seesaw in the first place.)

"GET OFF!" Yoongi yells viciously at you. His face has turned a bright shade of pink and purple.

You think he looks like he's about to suffocate.

"I'M SORRY!" you shriek as you dive off the seesaw.

Yoongi lets out a high-pitched, ear-piercing scream as he subsequently flings off the seesaw. He lands on his butt several centimeters away from the rusty playground equipment and bursts out crying.

You gasp. Oh no. This was bad. Very, very bad. So you do the first thing that comes to your head: run away.

The boy's cries become louder and louder as you sprint in the opposite direction, but you grit your teeth and dash on. Eventually, your guilt for throwing off a boy from the playground seesaw dissipates when your mother buys you ice cream for lunch. Food is always the solution.

You have no idea that day you accidentally made a little boy cry was the day you met your future boyfriend. You just thought you met a crybaby coward.

And he thought he met the devil. If the devil was a chubby little girl with chipmunk cheeks and rolls on her arms.

You two had no idea you would meet again.

So far, the first day of kindergarten isn't going so great. All the other girls brought their barbies to class. You brought your stuffed animal snake—Mr. Slithers.

And now the other girls don't really like you. Because "snakes are icky!" Their words, not yours.

If they only knew this week was a rainforest theme in your head. Every day of the week, you would prepare to bring a new stuffed animal that lived in the rainforest. Today would be the green snake, then tomorrow, the tree frog and so on. But no one applauds your genius planning skills.

So you mope around for half of the day. The girls are playing princesses with their stupid barbies and they won't let you join because a snake cannot wear a ball gown.

You end up poking at the seesaw in the kindergarten playground. It's boring when there's no one else to sit on the other side. Mr. Slithers isn't heavy enough to seesaw with you either. You want your mommy.

"You!" a high-pitched voice shrieks.

Jumping, you whip your head around to see the little boy. No. The same little boy who you accidentally flung backward on the seesaw.

"Are you gonna throw me off the seesaw again?" he yells. For such a skinny little boy he has quite a loud voice.

"I didn't mean it!" you yell back.

"You need to apologize to me!"

"No!"

You run away again.

And just like a real big stupidhead, Yoongi tattletales on you to the kindergarten teacher, Mr. Kim. In your defense, you didn't even do anything to Yoongi at kindergarten, so Mr. Kim can't make you apologize to stupid Min Yoongi.

Mr. Kim agrees with your defense. But he doesn't approve of you using the word, stupid, so you have to apologize to Yoongi anyways. While you're positively livid, Yoongi is triumphant.

That is only the start of the rivalry.

In first grade, Yoongi calls you fat.

You aren't normally one to waste your time tattling to the adults, but Yoongi did it to you in kindergarten so it only feels right to get revenge. But apparently calling someone fat is much worse than calling someone stupid. Yoongi has to apologize to you and he has to sit in the time out corner. He also gets a call home so his parents are notified of his bad behavior.

In second grade, you start losing weight. Not because Yoongi called you fat. But because you figured you should start exercising to be as healthy as your gym rat parents. When you tell the second-grade class you want to become a football star and you've planned out your whole athletic pathway, Yoongi is the first one to rudely laugh at you. So you make sure to boo his presentation when he brags about writing a whole book by himself (it's called Dot Goes to School—pretty mediocre stuff). Both of you have your recess privileges taken away.

Staying in for recess with someone you absolutely despise is not worth the satisfaction you got from teasing them. So you and Yoongi become more discreet in your never-ending ways to spite each other.

In third grade, Yoongi calls you a stick during recess. He makes sure to say it loud enough so you can hear his insult but not as loud so the playground monitor doesn't hear. Sneaky brat. You turn to him with flashing eyes and tell him very upfrontly, "Says you."

The rivalry still exists in fourth grade, when both of you feel like you're too old to play on the playground. The seesaw incident is still ingrained in the backs of both of your heads, though. So even when you and Yoongi have your separate groups of friends, you still manage to be mean to each other.

For instance, the day before the annual fourth-grade square dance, you and your new group of friends spread a rumor that Yoongi has cooties. As a result, no one wants to be his partner the next day.

But then your partner, that brat, Park Jimin calls in sick on D-Day and so your plan backfires in your face. You dance with Yoongi. And now you have cooties too.

In fifth grade, girls are starting to talk about boys during recess. When the shy, cute Gayoung confesses her crush on Min Yoongi, you have to excuse yourself from the friend group. Instead, you go out on the fields to play soccer with the guys. Thankfully, cooties are 'for babies' in fifth grade, so you have free reign with the boys.

Park Jimin confesses he likes you in sixth grade. He tells you that you are pretty. But his confession was definitely not in your schedule. You're supposed to go to swim practice in five minutes. So you wave him off. Not because you hate him. But let's face it. The boy ditched you in fourth grade and you had to dance with Yoongi. Plus, now Jimin's Yoongi's friend. There is no way in hell you are going to butt noses with Yoongi's friend.

The whole grade goes in an uproar when they find out you rejected Jimin. You couldn't care less.

Seventh grade is weird. You finally get your period. And the new sex-ed class collectively makes everyone embarrassed. It also starts the influx of period jokes from yours truly, the boys. Whenever a girl is in a bad mood, the boys yell, "YOU MUST BE ON YOUR PERIOD!" You make note of every guy who says this. Then the second time they yell that to a poor girl, you hold up a tampon with ketchup on it. It shuts them up so well that all the girls in your grade start to carry around tampons and ketchup packets.

Surprisingly enough, Yoongi isn't part of the rowdy group of boys who make insulting period jokes. He's gotten much quieter over the years (middle school must've brought some sort of maturity on him), but he still finds ways to make your life miserable.

When there are rumors that Jimin will ask you out to the Halloween dance, you actually prepare to accept—maybe just to spite Yoongi. But turns out the whole rumor was a lie made up by the boy you despise. So you're rendered embarrassed.

In eighth grade, to your surprise, Gayoung asks Yoongi out. Of course, Yoongi would say yes. He knows you hate Gayoung. She had grown ample boobs and fit in with the popular girls who talked about boy bands and got dress-coded every day. You have no idea why such a popular girl would ask out a nerdy, rat-faced boy. But apparently, Yoongi is conventionally handsome. What a load of bullcrap.

It irks you even more when they become a revolutionary couple—the first time a girl has asked out a boy.

You make a bet with your friends that the couple won't last a week. Your wallet cries that year. You lose nearly ₩30,000.

By tenth grade, they are still dating.

You're starting to wonder if Yoongi somehow got his grubby hands on a love potion. There's just no way that whiny asshole can keep a girlfriend for that long. But according to your friend who is friends with the friends of the friends of Gayoung's friends, Yoongi is a good boyfriend. You want to gut yourself after hearing that.

Gayoung is always bragging about how Yoongi buys her flowers before class, and she makes sure everyone knows of this by posting pictures of the aromatic bouquets on Instagram. Yoongi often writes her little love poems and short stories, and though you're 100% sure Gayoung doesn't read them, she posts those online too. God, she is so annoying that you unfollow her. (You've blocked Yoongi's account a long time ago.)

For the most part, though, when hating Yoongi is not on your mind, your life is pretty normal. And you're definitely content. You and a sporty transfer student from America, Jungkook, have hit it off. It's fun taking him around everywhere to taste test all the convenience stores in Korea.

Until the day you catch Jimin and Gayoung lip-locking behind your favorite kimbap store. You and Jungkook look at each other with wide eyes. Before Jungkook can stop you, you snap a quick picture of the action and run away, tugging your friend along with you.

"Dude, you should delete that picture," Jungkook says for the billionth time.

"No can do," you tell him. "I'm sending it to Yoongi."

"To spite him?"

"Duh."

"Aren't you helping him by telling him his girlfriend is a cheater?" Jungkook challenges.

You squint. "You're actually right, Kook. Then I won't tell him."

"Isn't that a little bit too mean?"

"What??"

"I mean, they've been dating since eighth grade. It's been nearly two years, right?" Jungkook points out. "I think Yoongi deserves to know."

"Don't you dare!" you gasp.

"Sorry, Y/N," Jungkook shrugs. "It's just the right thing to do."

Two days later, Gayoung comes to school wearing not the school uniform but a short skirt and tight shirt. Her arm slings around Jimin, her apparent new boyfriend. Yoongi is nowhere to be seen.

Rumor travels around fast. And they're all accurate for the most part.

But it's not very satisfying to see Yoongi missing from all the action. The whole school day, you wonder where the fuck the boy is. Maybe he's crying his guts out. You've never experienced heartbreak before, so you're not sure if you have the right to say Yoongi necessarily deserves it. You can say though, that he had it coming. After all, all those years he teased you, he hadn't felt a single bit of remorse.

Sucks for him.

It's dark by the time you begin to walk home from school. You'd stayed late to brush up on your horrible chemistry skills so you wouldn't completely fail the final test. On the walk back, you notice the familiar playground. You'd grown up with that thing. But it's been a while since you've cared enough to stare at it.

Usually, the rusty old playground is empty. But today, a figure sits in the shadows. More specifically on the seesaw.

It brings back memories. That had been the same seesaw that had started your rivalry with Min Yoongi. And someone's sitting on it.

You squint, your curiosity getting the better of you as you creep towards the figure. Oh god. Once you see the outline of the person, you know this isn't going to be a very fun experience. Ew, you think. Gross.

But that's until it occurs to you that the person is crying.

Holding your breath, you walk closer to the crying boy. He's shaking, hands covering his face. The other side of the seesaw is up in the air.

He's crying about Gayoung, you realize.

You breathe out. "Need someone to sit down to fling you out again?"

Yoongi jumps. He hiccups. Then he quickly wipes away the tears streaming down his face. "Shut up."

You grin, sitting down on the other side of the seesaw. And this time, neither of you fling off. It is completely balanced.

"What are you doing here?" Yoongi croaks when he realizes you're not going to be leaving any time soon. He sniffles, but for the most part, he hides the fact that he'd been crying very expertly.

"I dunno." You shrug. "What are you doing here?" When there's a pause, you add, "I didn't see you in school."

"Oh, didn't know you cared."

"I don't."

"Figured."

"Did you break up with Gayoung?"

Yoongi laughs scornfully. "No. She broke up with me."

"Yikes, really?"

"What is your deal, Y/N?" Yoongi sighs. "Are you going to laugh in my face? Tell me I deserve this?"

"Not anymore..." you grumble. "Because now there's no element of surprise."

Yoongi rolls his eyes. "I reckon you spread the rumor?"

"...The rumor?"

"Yeah, the fucking rumor!" Yoongi shouts, throwing up his hands. "You're the one who told everyone Gayoung was cheating on me!"

"Woah, there! I didn't say anything about it!" you yell. "It's not my fault your ex decided to hook up with Jimin!"

"What??"

"Here! I have the fucking receipts!" You whip out your phone, aggressively swiping through your photos before landing on the exact one you were looking for. When you show Yoongi, his eyes turn wide but his posture deflates. He looks defeated.

"She actually cheated...?"

The way he says it with wide eyes and a slumped attitude makes you feel a tiny bit of pity. But the habit of being mean to Yoongi sticks.

"I'm not even surprised."

Yoongi glares at you.

"I mean," you say with an innocent shrug, "she's been eyeing other guys since you started dating her."

"I know..."

You are not about to show sympathy to Min Yoongi. You are not going to let down your guard. You are going to stay cold and emotionless—

"I'm... uh... I... er, I guess I'm sorry."

Yoongi lifts an eyebrow. "Why are you sorry?"

"Well, it just seemed like you really liked her—"

"Nah."

"Oh?"

"This is going to sound very stupid."

"Try me." You grin. "In my eyes, you always sound stupid. Remember? I got in trouble for calling you stupid in kindergarten."

Yoongi rolls his eyes. "How could I forget?" He grips the seesaw handles. "I don't think I've ever really liked Gayoung."

"Damn, this is tea," you gasp. "Why bother dating her for so long, then?"

"Ha!" Yoongi laughs. "Good question, Y/N. I don't know," he says sarcastically. "I was probably trying to piss you off. Didn't think it'd last that long."

"Oh??" You raise your eyebrows. "But didn't I just see you cry over Gayoung?"

"Er—"

You definitely caught him in a lie. Though it's dark, you can imagine Yoongi flushing a bright shade of pink—he does that when he's guilty. Not that you cared enough to notice over the years.

"It's okay she's with Jimin now. Not your problem."

"Is this your half-assed attempt of trying to solace me?"

"No?" You make a face. "Why on earth would you think I'm trying to solace you, Yoongi? You called me fat in first grade."

"I see you still hold grudges."

"Oh, that's really my only talent," you snort.

"Aren't you a really good planner?"

"Me?" Is this a compliment you hear?—and from the Min Yoongi?

"Yeah, you're going to plan the graduation ceremony, right? They hand-picked you from the student council, didn't they?"

"Well, uh, yeah." You raise your eyebrows in both surprise and suspicion. "Didn't think you'd care."

"I don't."

Of course.

"Okay, fine by me."

"Why are you even here again?"

You pause. Actually, why are you here? You could've just simply walked away and never had this conversation with Yoongi. But you'd stopped. And now you're talking with him. You answer him truthfully. "I really have no idea."

Another pause.

"Are you gonna ask me to leave?"

"... No."

"Oh." You cock your head. "Okay."

The two of you stare at each other. A staring game commences.

But Yoongi blinks first, claiming you the victor of the little contest. "You can stay if you want."

You scoff. "Excuse me, I didn't know I needed your permission."

Yoongi throws his hands up in the air. "Do you always have to fucking pick a fight?"

"You're the one who starts them!"

"I didn't even say anything mildly rude."

Okay, he might kind of have a point. Maybe all those years of hating him have ingrained permanent hatred in your head, so whatever comes out of Yoongi's mouth seems like an insult that you have to respond to with equal rudeness by reflex.

"Where did we even go wrong?" you sigh, rubbing your forehead.

Yoongi snorts. "Literally right here. On this seesaw."

"You're right," you laugh. This is probably the first time you and Yoongi have agreed on something; it's a foreign feeling that doesn't quite settle right in your stomach.

"Remember when Jimin had a crush on you?"

"Oh stop—" Just one single sentence brings back so many memories.

"Now he's downgraded to girls like Gayoung," Yoongi snorts.

"Oh?" A wide smile stretches across your lips. "Are you saying I'm an upgrade compared to that vile girl?"

"When you put it that way, I'm not so sure."

In any other circumstance, you'd think Yoongi's attacking you again, putting up another unnecessary fight. But right now, it's obvious he's just teasing you.

"Let's face it, Yoongi. I'm better than your ex, aren't I?" you tease right back.

"Barely," he grumbles, but he mumbles under his breath, "but yes."

Thankfully, your owl ears pick up the last part and you grin haughtily. "That's all I needed to hear." Just by habit, you glance down at your watch, frowning when it reads a little past 10 p.m. You're definitely behind schedule right now. Strangely, though, it's kind of worth it, talking to your self-proclaimed nemesis without ripping each other apart with moderately hurtful words.

Yoongi takes notice of you checking the time. Always the same, he thinks. He can't remember the last time he saw you without a watch.

"Anyways... it's getting kind of late..." you say. But you're careful not to stand up from the seesaw—just in case you'll accidentally fling Yoongi off again.

Yoongi nods in agreement. "Yeah." But what he hears next is beyond what he would've ever thought would come out of your mouth next.

"Wanna get some cup ramen? I know a good convenience store nearby."

"With me??" The words slip out of Yoongi's mouth before he can maintain his stoic, chilled composure.

"Why not?" You shrug. "Maybe tonight's the night we can finally stop fighting and act civil for once."

"I am getting tired of the back and forth bickering," Yoongi admits. "Not a bad idea, Y/N."

"I come up with genius ideas once in a while." You flip your hair back and grin. "We just can't stay out before 12 because I need to plan my friend's birthday party before 1."

"I'll get you home by then."

"You're going to walk me home? How boyfriendly."

"It's a habit," Yoongi grumbles.

"A good habit. Keep it up, Min," you laugh. "Then you'll get a new girl in no time."

The two of you count to three before carefully getting off the seesaw together. There are no accidents this time. Everything seems... balanced.

The most what the fuck moment in your life comes when you wake up one morning and realize the person you text and hang out the most is, indeed, Yoongi. Months ago, the thought of him made your blood boil. Now, he's just a friend—a very close friend, too.

Entering eleventh grade with Yoongi by your side is weird. Every other school year, the two of you tried to stay away from each other as much as possible. Yet this year, it's the complete opposite. The two of you solace each other. Even if that involves heavy teasing and harsh verbal exchanges.

"You idiot!" Yoongi shrieks. "And you just let her get away with it?"

"Why yes, why yes I did!" you scream in your shrill voice that makes Yoongi almost flinch back. "What was I supposed to do? Yell at her and tell her I deserved to be class president and not her? Tell her to her face that she cheated the votes?"

"Yes?!"

"Well, I didn't have the guts!"

"Why do you always run away from your fucking problems?"

Yoongi's words pierce through your heart and suck up your anger, replacing it with regret. He’s right though. When something doesn't go the way you planned, you have a habit of ditching. You're afraid of the consequences that will follow when you freestyle everything. And Yoongi knows this.

"I-I... I just... It's easier," you sigh, slumping over your desk seat. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Fight back maybe?" Yoongi's tone is softer after he sees you become dispirited. "I mean, hey, you win some, you lose some."

"I know... I just feel like I'm always losing these days."

"It's okay," Yoongi says. His big hands awkwardly pat at your back. And as funny as it is that he's attempting to comfort you, you're actually well comforted. "Doesn't matter whether you win or lose. What matters is the experience."

"Wise words."

"Well, I'm a wise person." Yoongi gives you a shit-eating grin.

"Oh god."

Sometimes, Yoongi's the one who breaks down, though it's not as often as you do. But once the storm comes, it's hard to make it leave.

"Please don't talk to me right now."

"But Yoongi," you plead, knocking on the door to his room. "I had to practically beg your parents to let me in!" you whisper angrily. "Come on, open the damn door!"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Do you want me to break the door down??"

Silence follows and a small click indicates that the locked door is now open. You carefully turn the knob and push. Yoongi faces you immediately and the way his eyes are red and his cheeks are wet is indicative of a beforehand hysterical crying session.

"Oh, Yoongi..."

"I said I don't want to talk about it," he mutters. But you know he's just saying that because talking about it will make him cry again. You know him too well.

You pull him into a hug. "Maybe music isn't for you," you say. "It's okay if you failed that path. There are many more to take."

He's silent, squeezing you tightly. But you don't mind the silence at all. It's more peaceful that way, and you know he's actually listening to you when he's not talking.

"You're good at writing aren't you?" you whisper, patting his back. "Maybe that's your path. And if it isn't, so what? Poke at every pathway until you find one that's just right for you."

It's advice for yourself as well. Yoongi's upset that he was rejected from a music audition he was preparing to pass for years; he knew he wanted to pursue music and he did it, though it might not have been very successful. You, on the other hand, have no idea what you want to do in the future.

"I guess we both have to start on new paths now, right?"

By twelfth grade, you and Yoongi are beginning to bicker like a married couple. At least, that's what Jungkook says.

"For the last time, we do not sound married!"

Jungkook rests his head on the palm of his hand. "Sure. Sure."

"The thought of even being romantically interested in Y/N gives me goosebumps," Yoongi snorts.

"But the good kind of goosebumps if you know what I'm talking about," Jungkook says. He wiggles his eyebrows in such a suggestive way that you mock vomit.

"Okay, gross," you groan. "The day I catch feelings for Yoongi is the day the whole world will end."

"Um, right back at you," Yoongi frowns. "Don't worry," he says, giving you a cocky grin. "I'm very repulsive. You'll never catch feelings for me."

"We'll see about that," Jungkook snickers.

Every year, Yoongi writes you a birthday letter. Even now, in college, he manages to find time to make the same effort he's made for the past two years. Every year, he somehow makes you cry with his elaborate words. And every year, Yoongi films it because he's a little shit.

This year though, the tone of the letter is much, much sweeter than you expected. Almost as if it's a love serenade and not a platonic letter to your best friend. The writing is elaborately flourished and fluffed up to the point it sounds like a love poem. And you swear Yoongi spritzed perfume on the envelope because the letter smells (shockingly) amazing. The message itself doesn't make you cry. Instead, after you finish reading it, you stare up at Yoongi's camera in shock, jaw dropped open but no words coming out of your mouth. Yoongi seems to like that reaction a lot, and he even zooms up on your dumbstruck face to make fun of it later.

He'd written ten things he loves about you. And it drove you crazy that you didn't know whether it was platonic or romantic.

Love, Yoongi. He'd signed the letter. Not the usual, From your bestest motherfucking greatest friend, Yoongi.

What the fuck did 'Love, Yoongi' even mean??

And it happens so that the two of you fight about it later on.

"This year's birthday video is the best one yet," Yoongi laughs as he tries to turn the camera around to show you the screen.

You jerk away, frowning. "That is not funny."

"Why? Didn't like my letter this year?" He's teasing you but you're annoyed.

"It was different."

"A good different?" Yoongi nudges your shoulder, a smug smirk plastered on his lips.

"Literally, please, stop. Before I wipe that smirk off your face."

"Okay, okay," Yoongi sighs, raising up his hands in defense. "I bet you're just salty you can't name ten things you love about me."

"You're right, right now, I can name zero things," you scoff.

"Liar. You wouldn't have stuck by my side for this long if you didn't love me."

The fact that he's right makes it more irritating.

"Fine. One. You're an asshole—"

"Come on, is that really a reason?" Yoongi laughs. "This isn't ten things you hate about me, you know."

"Hear me out. You're a certain species of asshole that I find slightly more bearable than any other asshole," you say. "I think you're a tolerable asshole. It's a compliment."

"Thanks?"

"Two. You're an idiot—"

"Is this how the rest of the reasons gonna go?" Yoongi scoffs incredulously. "My letter was heartfelt at least!"

"No, but you're a bearable idiot. The kind that irks your strings just enough to make you pissed but not enough to make you explode. No idiot is tolerable but at least once in a million years you give good advice." You shrug as Yoongi shakes his head in denial.

"I always give good advice."

You roll your eyes. "Three. You're not very good looking—"

"I shouldn't even have asked," Yoongi grumbles. "Why did I fucking bother?"

"No, but you're not ugly. Isn't that good news?" you giggle as Yoongi just shakes his head at you. "It's perfect! That way, you attract people with your personality and not your looks! It's a compliment," you add when Yoongi glares at you.

"Whatever," he says.

"Four!" you say triumphantly. "You are drama-free. Except with me. But I'm an exception because I'm special."

"You got that right," Yoongi mutters underneath his breath. "What about five?" Compared to a minute ago, he looks more interested in your list now.

"Five? Well, you're genuine," you say nodding your head. "You wouldn't let me walk around with an eyelash on my face or spinach stuck between my teeth."

"Yeah 'cause you'd embarrass me too because you'd be by my side," Yoongi protests.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that."

"Fine. Six?"

"Six... hm..." you hum. "You have pretty eyes."

Yoongi laughs out loud. "Thanks, I guess."

"Seven... let's see... hm..." You rub your chin thoughtfully. "Well, you put the toilet seat down for me."

"My mother didn't raise a hooligan."

"I actually agree with you on that one," you say, laughing. "For eight, I want to just say you're a good friend."

"You stole my number 8 on my letter to you!"

"Yoongi, you should just be glad I even repeated it back to you," you giggle. "Wanna hear nine before I forget?"

Your friend sighs but he nods.

"You're a very good writer. And I'm not just saying that to boost your already enormous ego or anything, but I genuinely think you can write," you say. "And I love that because then I get these good ass letters on special occasions. It's weird how you can choose each word so carefully that all of the meanings fit in this gigantic well-flowing story. And you'd think you'd use all these hard vocabulary words to throw me off, but your writing's easy to read and comprehend. It makes it more impactful." You quirk your brow at your friend who finally looks satisfied. "Is that enough?"

"Yes, now that's more like it!" Yoongi grins. "Butter up my ego a bit more, won't you?"

"Can't. I don't have a number ten for you." You shrug. "Sorry."

"C'mon, you can only think of nine reasons why you love me?" Yoongi leans into you, poking your cheek. "I thought of eleven but I had to take one off. This isn't very fair."

"Oh? What was the eleventh?"

"It was more of a joke so you don't need to know."

"Excuse me? I love jokes—even though I don't take them very well."

"Yeah, well, I especially don't want you to take this a bad way," Yoongi says.

"Was it something mean about me??"

"Kind of."

You frown, scrunching your nose. "Try me."

Yoongi shrugs. "Fine, then. I called you oblivious. Happy?"

You lean back from your friend, giving him a disgraceful look. "Me? Oblivious? First of all, no. And second of all, why would you love that about me?"

"Oh, I don't know, because you're so oblivious you can't even tell that I like you??"

One look at Yoongi and you can tell he's dead serious. "Woah," you breathe. You want to ask him to repeat what he just said to see if you heard him correctly the first time. But he's already looking a little impatient at your delayed answer. So you gape at him, muttering a soft, "Like? As in...?" You can't finish the sentence.

"As in love?" Yoongi finishes for you. "Sure."

"Bro..."

Yoongi rolls his eyes. "I thought the letter made it obvious, Y/N."

"Well, I thought you were joking." You fidget with your hands. "Damn, Yoongi, now what the fuck am I supposed to say?"

"Do whatever you want with that information," he says, shrugging so nonchalantly that you wonder if this man even has feelings.

"Broo..."

"And if that means you're gonna keep saying 'bro,' then I guess that's fine too." He gives you a shit-eating grin.

"No, it's just that... wow. Since when??"

"Like, a year ago? Bit after Jungkook called us a married couple," Yoongi says. "But I'm so dead inside I hid it pretty fucking well. I kept thinking it'd go away too, but man, I still like you now, so I guess the feelings aren't going away anytime soon."

"But what are you proposing??" You run your hands through your hair. "That we go out??"

"Okay, you said it, not me."

You huff. It's weird. This dynamic you have with Yoongi. One moment you're bickering and the next, Yoongi's confessing his feelings for you. Strangely, though, you're not as turned off as you expected.

"One date."

Yoongi raises an eyebrow. "One date?"

"You can buy me dinner, and if it goes horribly, we're going right back to friends," you bargain. "In the case that it goes well, then, uh, you tell me."

Yoongi laughs. "Oh, I'll be the one to tell you, all right."

And unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the way you look at it), he's right. Four days later, your relationship with Yoongi becomes official. It irks your strings that none of your friends are even the slightest bit surprised about your newfound romantic relationship with the man you'd known for way more than half of your life.

"We all saw it coming, Y/N," they tell you. "We're actually surprised you two didn't date sooner."

But Yoongi is actually a good boyfriend, so there are no regrets. Aside from the small bickering here and there (the married couple kind of arguing), your relationship with him is sound. And the fact that not much has changed in the way you treat each other since you began dating makes you wonder if you were technically in love with Yoongi this whole time but you were way too blinded by your stupid senses and habitual, platonic teasing that you didn't think you actually liked him romantically. It doesn't really matter now, though. Because you're with him anyway.

Yoongi's love language is quality time and coincidentally, so is yours. College becomes a blast. When you're not studying, you're with Yoongi and when you're not with Yoongi, you're 'studying,' but really thinking of your boyfriend.

Yoongi has a way of plaguing your mind. It's been like that since you were little, too.

Once out of college, things become more difficult. Marriage matures into a serious question that neither you nor Yoongi is ready for. So both of you put it off.

As soon as you secure a job as an event planner and Yoongi becomes a professional grant writer, the honeymoon phase of the relationship plummets to the ground.

For nearly eighteen years you were a victim of Yoongi's 'teasing.' His judgmental remarks. But there is a time and place to be a critique.

"Oh, come on, the food isn't even that bad, Yoongi. Just a little bland. That's it."

"There was a hair in my soup," your boyfriend complains. "I'm asking for another bowl."

"Okay, fine, but don't ask for the manager like last time."

"Last time, the waitress called me a tightwad!! What was I supposed to do?"

"Just let it slide? You yelled at her for bringing you bad food when she didn't even cook it! Can you please stop acting so above everybody?"

"Whatever." Yoongi sets down his silverware. "I'm gonna Uber home." He tosses you his credit card and it slides across the wooden table and stops right in front of your dish. "And I'm going to write a Yelp review of this shitty place."

"You're not a fucking entitled writer! Stop acting like one!" you call out to him as he turns his back to you and storms away.

You end up eating dinner at a restaurant by yourself. Yoongi's right, the place is shitty, and the food is bland, but it's not downright intolerable.

Often, these days, it feels like your relationship with Yoongi is spiraling downward. The two of you cannot seem to agree on anything. It reminds you when you'd hated him in your younger years. But you can't hate him now; you live with him.

He's unavoidable.

Usually, Yoongi drives. The car feels foreign to you only because you normally don't sit in the driver's seat. The short mixtape of songs Yoongi wrote and produced for you plays the moment you turn on the engine. He'd gifted that to you a few months ago, after one of your bigger fights. You let the soft serenades play as you drive home.

No matter how many times you and Yoongi fight, the two of you make it up to each other somehow. There is no fight without a resolution. Yoongi will be waiting for you when you get home.

And he is. He's waiting with a blueberry yogurt cake from Paris Baguette sitting on the kitchen island and a letter in his hand. A written apology. Because Yoongi thinks he conveys his feelings better in writing than with spoken words.

"I'm sorry for storming off..." he says almost shyly. The man is nearly twenty-five years old but he sounds and looks like a guilty child with his lips pulled out in a pout and his eyes glancing nervously at your face to see if you weren't going to yell at him. "I, uh... didn't write the Yelp review."

How can you stay mad at that?

"And I wrote you an apology..."

You walk closer to your boyfriend and hug him. "Thank you..."

"Yeah," he says. "And good news, the cake will be really flavorful compared to what you had for dinner."

You smile. "Good thinking."

After a storm, there is always a rainbow. When there is a down, there is an up. And vice versa.

"Can we please stop planning every single fucking second of our lives?" Yoongi says exasperatedly. He flings away the brochure you had handed him that detailed the week's trip to Hawaii down to the last minute. "We're going on vacation. This makes me feel like I'm going to a stupid summer camp."

"If we're going to Hawaii, we shouldn't just relax around in the hotel all day, Yoongi," you scoff, gathering the abandoned brochure and tugging it to your chest. "There's stuff to see on the islands. We need to try everything my friends did! Why would we even go to Hawaii if we're not going to do these fun activities?"

"Come on. 7 o'clock breakfast? 8 o'clock hiking up to the falls? 10 o'clock scuba diving in the ocean? 12 o'clock lunch at the top of a big ass hill that we have to climb up ourselves? 1 o'clock zip-lining meters in the air? 2 o'clock festival? I could go on, but isn't that too much? When can we breathe?" Yoongi shakes his head. "No way. And all of that's just in one day. And the second day is even worse. Y/N, I want to go there to rest."

"If you wanted to rest, then you can do it at home," you argue. "Why go to Hawaii to rest?"

"There are different types of resting," Yoongi sighs. "What's a better way to fall asleep than in front of the ocean? We get to relax in a hotel, which means we won't have to make our beds or cook our meals or even do the dishes. That's relaxing for me."

"Well, it's not relaxing enough for me."

"Come on, Y/N. We went to Banff and you planned every single second of the trip there. I thought it was miserable. Can we please relax just once? For literally one trip?"

"But I already booked everything..."

Yoongi curses. "Why are you always four steps ahead of everything? It's unnecessary!"

"Maybe I'm not four steps ahead and you're just four steps behind!"

"Oh, so you're telling me that everyone else in the world plans their days down to the last second." Yoongi rolls his eyes. "Bullshit, Y/N."

"It's not my fault you're so—so, fucking lazy!"

"I'm not lazy!" Yoongi's eyes flash as he slams the dinner table. "You're just too high maintenance! Fucking nobody can keep up with you!" Before you can react or even yell back, he pushes his chair away and stands up, stomping away in a fury. You can hear him enter his study. There's that familiar door slam again. And the click of the lock means you won't be getting in that room anytime soon.

You're left by yourself, clutching the Hawaii brochure to your chest. A little angry at yourself but a lot madder at your boyfriend. With a bitter scream, you toss the brochure in the trash and curl up in a ball at the side of the couch.

But the thing about you and Yoongi is that with time and space, you recognize each other's perspectives. The rest is history.

Three hours just crying out your pent-up anger gets the irritation out of your system. By the time you're done though, you're a little hungry and guilty. You make a few phone calls and switch things around.

"Hey." You knock on the door of Yoongi's study. You're too afraid to turn the knob yourself. "I know you're in there."

No answer.

"I canceled the excessive activities..." you whisper against the door. "We can plan the trip together... I mean, better yet, we don't even have to plan anything at all... We can be..."—it pains you to say but—"spontaneous."

"Go away. I'm trying to work."

Sometimes Yoongi takes a bit longer than you to come around.

But by dinnertime, he's crept out of his study and has already ordered takeout from your favorite restaurant. The steaming pile of white rice and perfect side dishes lie on the dinner table, waiting for you. He waits for you too.

"I got a new client," he says, looking down at his hands. "And I got your favorite food." You notice that he's holding the Hawaii brochure you'd thrown away. It's a little wet on the sides. Maybe because Yoongi had to wipe off the remnants of the leftovers in the trash that had stuck onto the paper. Your boyfriend finally looks up at you. Shyly. Almost cautiously. "Wanna compromise?"

"Compromise?"

"We plan half of the trip and wing the rest of it," he offers. Yoongi slides you the brochure. "See, so I was thinking..."

You've always hated roller coasters. They are almost always unpredictable with head-jerking twists and turns that bring you closer to vomiting the contents of your stomach rather than pure bliss. There are one too many ups and downs.

Yoongi likes to joke that your relationship with him is a roller coaster. Only because there are too many dips that rocket up to the sky only to plummet down again. You disagree. Because, eventually, no matter how shitty the ride is, roller coasters do end. Your relationship with Yoongi is not over.

You like to compare your relationship with Yoongi like the ocean waves. But during a tsunami. The ups are great; the towering waves give you a beautiful vantage point. And it's all fun and games until the waves crash down on everything you once loved, destroying them. And the process repeats so much that in the end, there is nothing left.

That's what you feel now. Empty.

Alone in the bed with Yoongi downstairs and nowhere to be seen near you.

After a while, even the highs of the relationship makes you feel numb. The lows wreck you past your breaking point. It takes more time to find resolutions—the fights go on for longer than days, even weeks.

When you were younger, fighting with Yoongi was irritating at most. Now, they leave you sobbing and drinking alone in the corner of the bathroom. But it's so late in the game.

You've known Yoongi for over eighteen years of your life, since kindergarten. You keep telling yourself that he's the only one in the world who could understand you; and you're the only one in the world who can understand him. But other than that, you can't find another reason why you're with him.

Sometimes, you listen back to the mixtape he made you years ago. The lyrics don't apply to you now. And this year, for your birthday, he half-assed a letter for you last-minutely because he was 'busy.' Busy drinking with his friends the night before. You've stopped planning your dates for months.

Actually, when was the last time you went on a date with him?

You can't recall.

Maybe the back and forth arguing you and Yoongi had gone through in the majority of your relationship was a sign—a bad sign. If only you hadn't met him on the seesaw that day. Then maybe none of this would've happened.

You might be dating someone you have things in common with. Maybe someone you don't argue with as much.

Falling asleep with tears in your eyes that keep the pillow wet until morning is an occurrence that you're too familiar with. It is an occurrence you want to stop. When Yoongi isn't downstairs by morning, you're thrown into further misery. He usually works from home... He must be really angry to leave without saying anything.

You eat breakfast by yourself. Lunch consists of ramen. And dinner... Yoongi's still not home so you skip the meal altogether.

By 9 p.m., you look at your phone. You don't want to be the first person to break—the first person to apologize—but you worry. Will he hang up on you? Tell you to go away? The possibilities seem endless.

So much thinking hurts your head. Some fresh air might do the trick. Before you know it, you're wandering around a familiar rusty playground again. It brings back childhood memories. When your hand trails across the paint-chipped monkey bars, you're brought back to when you were only six years old. The towering obstacle had looked so big when you were little. Now, you could easily cross the bars by simply walking.

It's strange to see the once-bustling playground be completely empty and in the dark. You hear that they're going to tear down this place to construct a little convenience store so no one must've visited this playground in a very long time. You'll miss it when it's gone. You had a lot of fun around here.

Just as that thought passes through your head, your eye catches sight of the seesaw.

Ah, the start of everything.

Slowly, you walk towards it. Each step makes your feet sink further in the smoothed over gravel but you manage to sit at the very edge of the seesaw. Immediately, the other side flings up in the air. It reminds you of when you flung Yoongi in the air. A pretty funny memory. But not right now. Thinking about Yoongi now hurts.

You hate it when you start to contemplate the worst-case scenario. A breakup. Moving out. Stress. Tears.

You run your fingers across the rusty handle of the seesaw. Hopefully, things don't come to that. But how much longer can you handle the arguments? They seem to be elongating as time passes. What if one day, the argument lasts a month? Several months? A year?

If there is one thing in your life that you strive to achieve, it's predictability. With Yoongi, there is none of that. He makes last-minute plans out of nowhere and doesn't tell you until the last second. Then you have to go on a frenzy to reschedule everything. It is a cycle that you've become sick of. And he's sick of you planning everything.

That has been the issue of the last ten fights.

The same issue.

And it's unfixable.

You and Yoongi are rock bottom on the very floor of the Mariana Trench. The back and forth game of banter has turned into something more serious, and it just isn't as light-hearted and funny anymore.

"Hey."

You nearly fall off the seesaw at the sound of Yoongi's voice. He's got his hands shoved in his pockets and he looks like he was awake for more than 24 hours.

"H-Hey," you say.

"The seesaw, huh?"

"Yeah." You nod. "The seesaw."

Yoongi smiles but it's not a very happy one. Even now, you don't think either one of you wants to apologize for the fight.

"I've been thinking," Yoongi sighs. He doesn't spare you another glance before he sits on the other side of the seesaw. You're suddenly jerked up in the air. There used to be a balance but it seems like Yoongi's gained some weight—or you've lost a lot. "Remember when I said our relationship is like a rollercoaster?"

"And I said I disagreed."

"Right." Yoongi sighs. "I take that back. We're not like a rollercoaster. We're in a game."

"A game?"

Yoongi gestures at the seesaw. "This is our game."

"...The seesaw?" You raise an eyebrow at the man but Yoongi doesn't budge.

"Yes. Look." Yoongi pushes off the gravel with his feet, putting himself in the air while sinking you to the ground. "And when you push..." Following his words, you launch yourself back in the air. Yoongi looks up at you as he sighs. "We're always on opposite sides, opposite places."

"Even when we try to balance," he continues, trying to lift his body to bring you down to the same level as him, "we fail." He ends up higher than you now and you look up at him.

"Some game this is..." you mutter.

"It's a game of ups and downs," Yoongi tells you. "It's tiring, isn't it?"

"Of course it is."

"And like all games... there is an end."

You raise both eyebrows. "Oh."

"From day one, you know... we weren't really supposed to get along," Yoongi says. "But somehow seeing each other every day, bickering with each other... all of that let us be in closer proximity with each other. And then we thought we were meant to be."

"You're analyzing our relationship?" you scoff.

"Don't act like you haven't done the same, Y/N."

You're silent.

"It doesn't matter whether we love each other at this point, Y/N... Does it? Love or not, I don't think I can live like this."

It's ridiculous. You're having a grown-up discussion possibly leading to a breakup on a fucking seesaw of all places.

"You want to separate?" Your voice comes out smaller than you expected. When it becomes a reality, it's much harder to digest.

"You've been thinking about it too, right?" Yoongi sighs. "I mean, I heard you call your mom the other day. And it didn't sound too good."

Guilty. "Well, yeah, I've been thinking about it... Just... I just didn't think it'd become a reality so soon." And you always thought you would have initiated the breakup, not the other way around.

"Yeah... I felt bad you always took initiative with things so I decided to save you the stress and do it myself."

"Wow. Thanks." You shake your head. "Real thoughtful."

"Right?" Yoongi grins. "I don't think a lot will change if we break up. We've always hated each other a little."

You let out a wry laugh. "I'll never forgive you for calling me fat."

"And I'll never forgive you for calling me stupid."

"Looks like we're even."

"Yeah, for once." Yoongi shrugs. "I guess we can be platonic roommates until I find another apartment."

"Sounds good to me." You ignore the tears welling up in your eyes as you try to smile. "Let's get off this seesaw to seal the deal then."

"The end of the game." Yoongi's voice shakes just enough for you to know he's crying.

And as the two of you walk back to your shared apartment with tears streaming down your faces, you realize you wouldn't have it any other way. A breakup any later would be regretful—even wasteful of time. A breakup any earlier would've left you to separate forever. A breakup now is perfect.

You're acquainted enough to still possibly be friends. But not bound by marriage to make the procedure worse and more complicated.

Of course, you love Yoongi. But sometimes, you love the wrong people—the people you don't belong with, the people who won't make you happy. You're just glad you didn't run away in the beginning. Yoongi taught you a difficult rivalry, a difficult friendship, a difficult relationship. But you don't always have to go the hard way.

When a relationship becomes like a game—repetitive with the addition of wins and losses—that's when you know you can stop.

You'll be on the easy route now and find someone who is as crazy about planning as you.

You look up at Yoongi. His cheeks are wet with tears but he doesn't necessarily look sad. Instead, he looks hopeful. Like he'll find somebody who can appreciate his love for leaving sarcastic Yelp reviews or somebody who loves spontaneity as much as he does.

And when he finds that special somebody, you'll be happy for Yoongi. But, of course, not before you tease the living shit out of him first.

—masterpost

—masterlist

[jlalafics]

#16 “Are you hurt?” “No.” “Then why are there bruises all over your face?”

And now for some teen Everlark...

“You want him to notice you, right?” Johanna, her cousin, asks. “The first thing is that you have to make him see that you’re a girl.”

Johanna is a seventeen, a good four years older than Katniss. She’s popular and pretty—her dark magnetic eyes capturing the eyes of many boys in the senior class. However, it isn’t just that; her cousin exudes a confidence and allure that she could only dream of imitating.

“What do you think I should do?” Katniss asks over the phone.

Downstairs, her mom and dad are getting ready to head next door to help the Mellarks set up for the party. Prim, her three-year-old sister, is already is there, playing with Delly, who is Rye Mellark’s girlfriend and the Everdeens go-to babysitter.

“Well…have you tried some makeup?” Johanna suggests kindly. “Some lipstick…eyeshadow…blush?”

“I don’t know how to put any of that stuff on!” Katniss tells her in a panic.

“Do you have magazines? Seventeen? Teen Vogue?”

“No, I’ve never really been interested in them,” Katniss admits. She’s seen the other girls in class looking through issues of Seventeen, but those kinds of magazines didn’t interest her as much as the life cycle of a frog or the works of the Brontë sisters. “I’m just not like the other girls. I’m different…I don’t even know why I’m trying.”

“You like him a lot, don’t you?” Johanna muses over the phone. “Okay, why don’t you gather a few things from your mom’s makeup stash? I’ll guide you over the phone.”

“Okay,” she readily agrees.

“So, you’re going to need some eyeshadow, blush, and maybe a nude lipstick…”

++++++

Katniss practically skips over to the Mellarks, an hour later.

It might’ve taken a few tries, but she had managed to follow Johanna’s careful instructions.

Now, she’s a new person—in a butterscotch baby doll dress and brown ankle boots—as she opens the door and steps into inside the Mellark home. She’s spent most of her childhood there and they always leave the door unlocked, in case she wants to hang out with the boys.

All the adults are gathered in the living room, chatting over coffee and her mom spies her first.

“Katniss—OH!” Her eyes widened and she shoots up from her spot next to her husband to join Katniss in the entryway. “You look…different.”

“I borrowed some of your makeup,” Katniss says. “Are you upset?”

“No, sweetheart,” her mom replies. “But uh…how did you know what to do?”

“Johanna taught me over the phone,” she tells her.

There’s a series of stomps as Rye and Delly come downstairs. In Delly’s arms is Prim, who squeals at seeing Katniss. As the couple get to the final steps, their eyes zero in on Katniss and they immediately freeze.

“Who did this?” Rye asks immediately, concern in his eyes.

He’s always been protective of Katniss, seeing her as a little sister. Katniss can understand why a new look might make him worry about her getting some attention.

“Katniss has decided to try a new look,” her mom informs the couple hurriedly. “Doesn’t she look like a whole new woman?”

“Oh yeah!” Delly walks over to her, a tight smile on her face. “I have a lipstick that would go great with it. Why don’t we go upstairs—”

The conversation is interrupted by a group of boys coming from the backyard. Vick and Gale Hawthorne, who live across the street, are arguing over the right way to pitch, their catching mitts on, while Evan, Delly’s younger brother follows behind with Pe—

“Whoa.” Vick stops in front of her. “What happened to your face?”

Gale puts a finger to her carefully applied blush. “Are you hurt?”

Katniss swipes his finger away. “No.”

Vick peers even closer. “Then, why are there bruises all over your face?” He steps back. “Is that makeup?” He begins to cackle loudly. “I think you went a little overboard—”

“Vick.” Mrs. Hawthorne has suddenly joined them, eyes hard. “Why don’t you go home?”

“What did I do?” he yowls.

“You didn’t learn the proper art of subtlety,” Rye growls, leading the boy out the door.

“Katniss?”

She turns at the soft, kind voice to find Peeta Mellark approaching her, his luminous blue eyes gazing at her in worry.

“Hi, Peeta,” she greets him with a nervous smile. “Happy birthday.”

Katniss tries to tap down the excitement of Peeta seeing her new look.

Maybe now, he’ll see her as more than his teammate on the softball team. She might not be as developed as some of the other girls in class, but he can’t deny that she’s not a girl, especially with her new makeover.

“So, you’re going for a new look?” he asks.

She wants to say it’s all for him, but instead just nods in nervousness.

Katniss has to know. “Do you like it?”

There’s a panicked expression on his handsome face and his pallor goes scarlet.

“It’s…interesting,” he finally tells her.

Something sinks at the look in his eyes. “You hate it.”

Katniss can feel her face begin to crumble and she heads towards the door, stopping suddenly when she catches her reflection in a mirror next to the door.

She’s hideous.

The brown eyes shadow is spread too thick on her lids, some of it has traveled under her eyes making her look bruised. The blush is streaked on her cheeks; she looks like she’s been slapped on both sides and the lipstick makes her look ghoulish.

Katniss should have listened when Johanna said less was more.

Throwing the door open, she rushes out, slamming it behind her and barely making it home before bursting into tears.

++++++

She’s getting ready to go to bed, sans makeup, when there’s a knock on the door.

Her mom steps in, giving her a gentle smile. “Now, there’s my girl.”

“I’m not a little girl,” Katniss bristles, sitting on her bed, and crossing her arms. “Not like anyone even notices.”

“I’ve noticed,” her mom replies, joining her, and putting an arm around Katniss’ shoulders. “Maybe I’ve just been in denial because I’m not ready to let go. You’re my first baby.”

“I’m tired of people not seeing me,” Katniss tells her.

“People see you.” Her mom lifts her chin. “You have no idea the effect you have on people.”

Katniss looks to her. “What do you mean?”

“There’s someone who wants to see you on our porch.” Her mom stands and tugs her up. She quickly undoes Katniss’ braid, combing her fingers through to define her daughter’s waves. Then her mom goes to her closet, grabbing her long burgundy cardigan. “It’s chilly, so wear this.”

She eyes her mother. “Okay.”

“Don’t stay out too long,” her mom replies with a slight grin. “Your dad won’t be too happy.”

Together, they leave her bedroom, separating at the stairs so her mom can go check on Prim.

Downstairs, her dad is in the living room. He looks to her, warmth in his gaze.

“Give him hell, sweetheart,” he advises with a wink.

Katniss nods her head before going to the front door, opening it then stepping out.

Peeta is standing on the porch, hands in his pockets. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?”

“You left my birthday party,” he replies. Going to a corner of the porch, he reaches down and grabs a small white box. “I didn’t want to blow out all my candles without my best friend.”

“Oh.” Katniss tries to hide the sting of disappointment at the word ‘friend’ even though it’s attached to such a magnanimous title. So instead, she sits down on the steps and pats the spot next to her. “Alright then. Let’s blow out your candles.”

Peeta sits down, opening the box and revealing a single cupcake—chocolate with buttercream icing, her favorite—with a candle sticking up on top.

“Before I light this,” Peeta begins. “Why did you suddenly decide to wear makeup? I mean, it’s not something that I thought you were interested in—"

“Because you don’t see me as a girl, I get it,” she interrupts in frustration.

“No!” Peeta lets out a frustrated breath before turning to her. “I know you’re a girl…a lot of people know you’re a girl…a lot of guys, specifically.”

Katniss shakes her head. “No one ever looks at me—”

“Because I tell them not to! Because you’re not some piece of meat that they can ogle when you walk by with your hips swaying…” Even in the darkness, she can see his reddened cheeks. “…I’ve always seen you as a girl and I hate that other guys are starting to notice. Because…uh…I mean…I…um—”

She takes his hand, worried that he’ll start to heave. Knowing Peeta, he’s probably forgotten his inhaler at home.

“Take a breath and continue,” she says.

“Because I always thought of you as just mine,” he admits quietly. “Since that day in Kindergarten when you sang the Valley Song in front of the class. You were so brave. And I always thought that maybe you were singing for me…”

“I was.” Katniss’ mouth rises in a soft smile. “I’ve always been singing for you.”

Peeta’s own mouth bursts into a wide grin.

“Good—I mean, I’m happy that we are…and it was…just for me.” Anxiously, he runs a hand through his golden locks as he pulls out the lighter from his pocket. “Why don’t we just blow out the candle?”

“What about singing ‘Happy Birthday’?”

“Everyone already sang it, and it was ruined because you weren’t there,” he tells her. “So, it’s okay.”

“I’ll just sing another song.”

Katniss searches her head for the perfect tune. Suddenly, a song comes to mind.

Her mother once said that it reminded her of Katniss in some way. At the time, she laughed it off.

How could Vanessa Williams have any insight on the life of one Katniss Everdeen?

Now, as she sits face to face with Peeta, Katniss realizes that her mother understands her more than she realizes.

She looks to Peeta. “Don’t laugh, okay?”

He shakes his head vehemently. “I’d never laugh at a serenade.”

Katniss shakes her head in amusement before clearing her throat and singing out:

 “Sometimes the snow comes down in June

Sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon

I see the passion in your eyes

Sometimes it's all a big surprise…”

 She closes her eyes, realizing how much she relates to the lyrics and that maybe there are other people out there who wish for the kind of love that she wants from Peeta. The kind where your first love can become your last love.

Her mother always said that she was much too wise for her age.

Her eyes open to find Peeta in rapt attention, and their eyes meet, his own soft and filled with something that makes her ache.

 “Sometimes the very thing you're lookin' for

Is the one thing you can't see…”

 He is suddenly sitting much closer, so close that she can count every little freckle along his cheeks…every little eyelash…

Katniss swallows down her nervousness and continues her song.

 “But now we're standing face to face

Isn't this world a crazy place?

Just when I thought our chance had passed

You go and save the best for last…”

 There’s a moment of quiet and her hand covers his.

“Happy birthday, Peeta.” She takes the box in his grasp along with the lighter and lights the candle. “Make a wish.”

Peeta gives her a small smile before blowing out the candle.

“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what you wished for,” Katniss jokes.

He shakes his head. “I can show you.”

“How—”

Peeta suddenly cups her face between his hands and presses his lips to hers.

He tastes of sugar.

Her own hand reaches to the nape of his neck as she tilts her head to slot her lips closer to his.

It is everything Katniss could have ever hoped for in a first kiss.

Reluctantly, they pull apart, panting, and grinning.

“That’s what you wished for?”

Peeta nods, still breathless. “That and a chance to take you to the movies tomorrow night.”

“Alright,” she agrees immediately. “I think I know what I’m going to wish for my next birthday.”

Peeta puts an arm around her, pulling her to his side. “What?”

“For Peeta Mellark to be my boyfriend.”

He beams. “I think you’re going to get that before your birthday.”

++++++

“How long am I going to allow him to be out there?”

“Theo, stop peeking out,” his wife tells him. “It’s creepy.”

“Suze, they’re out there feeding each other cupcake pieces like newlyweds!” The man turns to his wife. “Why did you allow this? I thought I would have more time before fending off a boyfriend!”

“It was going to happen, anyway,” she replies easily. “Give them five more minutes.”

“And then I can turn the sprinklers on them?”

Suzie Everdeen shakes her head at her husband. He has conveniently forgotten that they had gotten together when they were around Katniss’ age.

And they never looked back.

For now, she’ll give him this one thing.

“Fine.” She kisses her husband’s cheek. “I’m going to bed.”

Less than five minutes later, Suzie hears the screams of the young couple as they are soaked by the new power sprinklers that Theo installed last week.

 FIN.

 Song: “Save The Best For Last”—Vanessa Williams

[thepenguinclub]

#cuteboyfriendchallenge: extra info!

Essentially this is just little tidbits I came up with while I was writing #cuteboyfriendchallenge.  The actual story is here.

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

Fun facts about this AU:

They’re all in their junior/3rd year of college

Roman and Patton got together the summer after their freshman/1st year

Logan joined the relationship that November (on his birthday) (in sophomore/2nd year)

Virgil joined in September of junior/3rd year

Patton and Roman were besties in High School

Logan they met in their first year

Virgil was introduced by Remus in their second year

Remus is Roman’s twin and appears in a lot of his videos

Roman is TikTok famous and depending on his mood he is both proud and embarrassed of that fact

The famous YouTuber “Sleep” is actually one of Roman’s friends Remy

Patton is a frog/pastel/overall/bucket hat/toddlercottagecore gay

Logan is a nerd gay

Roman is a theater gay

Virgil is a guy that you don’t think is gay until he makes a joke about it and suddenly a lot of things make sense gay

Virgil is a military brat (his mom is in the marine corps) so he and his little sibling Elliot are both in great shape cause their mom made them

He also dabbles in boxing and mixed martial arts

Roman is also very fit because he dances

Roman is a fine arts theater major with a minor in dance

Virgil is a nursing major with a minor in art cause he loves art

Patton is an education major (wants to be a kindergarten teacher)

Logan is double majoring in engineering and astronomy (wants to be a NASA engineer

Logan is trilingual, he can speak English, Korean (his father is from Korea) and German because he took it in school and is one of those weirdos who actually remembers the language they took in Middle and High School

Virgil can also speak a lot of languages, he can speak English, Portuguese (his mother is Brazilian), Spanish, Italian, and can pass in French and Japanese (mostly because he moved around a lot growing up and had to learn the languages)

Patton was raised by his father, his mother left when he was 1. He has no siblings, but he does have a golden retriever that he loves more than anything named Chip.

He’s from Florida

Logan is an only child and has a mom and a dad that really want him to succeed, but they aren’t cruel about it

He’s from Massachusetts

Roman has a twin brother named Remus, and they were raised by their dads.

He’s from California

Virgil is from all over the place, but he was born in North Carolina

He was raised by his single mom, but when he was 13 she married a woman who already had a child

Elliot is seven years younger and Virgil loves them very very much

The group goes to college in California

Remus goes to a college in Idaho and his boyfriend (high school sweetheart) Janus goes there too

Remus knew Virgil as online friends, then found out he went to school with Roman and introduced them

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My ao3, have a good day! <3