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deiliamedlini · 3 years

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Slipping on Ice

Summary: Link is forced to take his little sister Aryll ice skating at 7am, and they suddenly have to share the rink.

~Modern Zelink AU ~

Word count: 4644

Or read on Ao3!

“Link, you missed the turn!”

Aryll sat forward from the backseat and tried to point frantically at the road, only for the seatbelt to lock and send her backwards. There were several loud clicks, and she closed her eyes in defeat before Link could say a single smart word, because now she was stuck with the seatbelt completely trapping her.

“Can I fix my seatbelt?”

“No. We’re almost there. Suck it up.”

“You’re mean!” she groaned, leaning her head on the window.

Link glanced at her in the rearview mirror before making a U turn into the near-empty parking lot.

He leaned his head back against the hard headrest and closed his eyes, wishing he hadn’t promised his mother that he’d do anything if she let him go to a party over the weekend. He was 18, he shouldn’t even need to ask permission anymore.

“Come on! Come on! Come on!!” Aryll chanted, shaking the driver’s seat with her little hands.

“One day, Aryll, you’ll actually want to sleep in, and then I’ll wake you up to drag you somewhere stupid.”

“Nowhere is stupid!” she countered, whipping her door open and leaning against the window to eerily peer at him.

Glancing at the clock, he rolled his eyes. It was 6:58am and here he was spending the first day of his week-long vacation taking Aryll ice-skating. He double checked his wallet to make sure the 30 rupees his mother had given him were still there and then reluctantly dragged himself from the car.

Aryll was bursting with excitement, bouncing up and down as her plush coat swished with every excited move she made. She pulled her gloves from her pocket—her favorites that had seagulls on them despite the cold—and fiddled to get her fingers in as she stared into the glass door, waiting for whoever to unlock the doors.

Link, on the other hand, was miserable. He was so tired. He wasn’t one of those people who could function with a coffee and just 4 hours of sleep, so he closed his eyes for the next two minutes while leaning against the metal handrail. It didn’t feel cold; everything was cold. Why Aryll wanted to go to an indoor ice rink was beyond him, but he didn’t really care whether it was indoor, outdoor, or on the moon: he didn’t want to go.

“Fix your hat, Link,” she said to him, tapping on her own. She made a twisting motion.

Feeling for the emblem of the Rito Fliers on his knit hat, he pulled it off and retied his sloppily thrown-in ponytail before returning the hat so that the emblem was back in the center.

Finally, the employee came up to the door and stared at Link with equally weary eyes. Link didn’t recognize him, but honestly, he could have been at the party too, given his age and his general disposition that seemed ready to just die a little bit.

He let out a heavy sigh and unlocked the door.

Aryll didn’t even give him enough time to get out of the way before she’d accosted him.

“Hi! One adult and one child please! And we’ll need to rent skates!”

“I’m not skating,” Link muttered, grabbing the rupees. If he could avoid the skate rental and the admission fee, he could pocket the rest of the rupees.

Aryll glared at him as though he’d just told her that he’d killed her best friend. “You’re skating with me, or I’ll tell mom and dad that you didn’t. I’ll call them right now!”

Grimacing, Link handed over the rest of the rupees and told the man their sizes before turning toward Aryll’s smug expression. “No one wants to be friends with a dirty rat, you know.”

“I’m not dirty. And I haven’t told anyone yet, so I’m not technically a rat either.”

“No one wants to be friends with a smart mouth.”

“At least I’m smart.”

He made a face and leaned heavily against the counter until the guy returned with their skates. Link took them while Aryll bolted through the doors and into the rink.

It was freezing.

The chill hadn’t been enough to wake him up, but it was enough to make him a bit more alert. He looked around the deserted room, his footsteps echoing in the silence and making him more self-conscious than he already was about being here. What if Mipha saw him here? Would she laugh at him for his inability to skate? Would she make fun of him for spending the first day of his vacation with his little sister? Would she even notice he was there?

Not that any of that mattered. Mipha was dating Revali.

It was just a crush. On the most popular girl in school. Who was also gorgeous. But he’d never even said three words to her, so why would she care if he was here anyway?

“Hey! Link! Come on! Give me my skates!”

Shaking his head to snap himself out of it, he descended the stairs and tossed Aryll’s skates in front of her.

“Rude.”

“That’s for making me actually skate and blackmailing me.”

“I’ve seen you skate, Link. If you can even call it skating. It’s more like shuffling.”

“Shut up.”

Aryll grinned while she slid into her skates, testing them out before heading to the door onto the ice.

“Hey, wait!” Link called, gesturing to the spot in front of him.

“What?”

Link set his shoes down and knelt on the ground. “Put your foot up. It’s like mom never taught you to tie shoes.”

Groaning, Aryll threw her head back and set her skate against Link’s leg so he could retie it. The force that he pulled at the strings had her jerking back in surprise, and nearly toppling over, but she kept her balance and watched Link as he knotted the laces a few times. Admittedly, it did feel like a better fit when he was done.

“Other one.”

He shook his head as he pulled the loose strings. “Honestly, I thought you knew what you were doing.” He pulled the laces and Aryll swayed again.

“I do! I’m just… not the best shoe-tier.”

Satisfied, he patted the side of her foot. “Okay; go ahead. I’ll be out in a minute. But you know you’re kind of on your own, right?”

“Oh, I know!” she laughed, finally gliding onto the ice with an ease that Link was reluctant to admit he envied.

He put his own skates on slowly, glancing up every now and then to make sure Aryll hadn’t cracked her head open or anything terrible like that. He’d have no idea how to get to her if something happened, but she had been adamant that her classes made her good enough to know how to fall and how to jump and how to glide.

No one else knew how to ice skate, so sending Link was as good as sending anyone else with her. Plus, despite their occasional snippiness, Link would protect Aryll with his life, and their parents knew that enough to trust him alone with her at an ice rink. He’d find a way onto that ice faster than someone could call an ambulance.

Link let out a deep breath again and set his phone inside his shoe before standing up. It wasn’t as bad as he remembered. He could do this, for sure.

That attitude went out the window the second his first skate hit the ice.

“Oh, shit,” he hissed, already unsteady with one foot still on land. Land? Is that what it was called now?

“Sound carries in here!” Aryll chided, swishing by him tauntingly.

He waited until she was on the opposite side of the rink before clutching the boards for dear life, throwing his other foot over and slipping like was… on ice, he supposed. His feet couldn’t stabilize, and it was all up to his arms to hold him up until he managed to regain his balance.

Sliding his hand along the boards, he pulled himself as far as he could until the plexiglass took over, and he was forced to slide his fingers into the narrow gap for any grip.

He hadn’t lifted his legs yet, but he was where the net would be in hockey, so he let go for a second and glanced back at Aryll. “Better than you thought I could do, huh?”

She skated up to him and then turned herself backwards, judging him with her arms across her chest as she disappeared.

“Critic,” he muttered, trying to lift his foot. He could only manage to get his right off the ground, and he kept trying to dig the front of his skate into the ice to push himself forward, because that’s what everyone in those videos Aryll made him watch with her last night did. He managed a shuffle, and every time he felt himself going, he grabbed for that little spot under the glass to steady himself, and then dragged himself along.

“You really suck,” Aryll said on her next pass.

“Hey! Language! You’re like, five!”

“I’m not five!” she called back. It was a running joke between them because Link needed to do math to figure out Aryll’s age. He always had to subtract six years from his own age to figure hers out, but she still seemed younger to him. Maybe she’d always be that way just because he was the oldest. Maybe, she’d be in her thirties one day and Link would still think she was a teenager.

It took a long time and several taunts from Aryll, but Link made it around the whole rink once, while Aryll had probably circled it nearly two hundred times. He’d gone around again, but he was stopped, watching Aryll practice her jumps when he heard the echo of footsteps entering the rink.

It was a public place, he knew, but they’d gone early to avoid people, not to share.

But wow, any semblance of annoyance he had disappeared when he saw the girl hurrying down the steps with a gym bag slung over her shoulder.

She had long blonde hair that fell over her shoulders, and really that was all Link could see from that distance, but he did have a thing for blondes, and that was all he needed to feel an instant infatuation. But of course, his nerves shot up tenfold because now there was a hot blonde who’d watch him not know how to skate and probably fall on his ass.

He dragged himself around a bit more, trying to just keep his eyes on his feet instead of on her, but he was a sucker and glanced up.

She was watching Aryll with a fond smile on her face before she stood up and moved onto the ice.

Link shivered while he looked her over. She had a loose short-sleeved shirt on, her sports bra straps showing on her shoulders, and she was in a pair of leggings that hugged her a little too perfectly. He groaned to himself. She had to be hot. Physically, not temperature wise because honestly, she looked like she might be pretty cold.

After pulling himself along a little more—and then trying to shuffle his feet rather than drag himself like he was trying to lead a stubborn horse—he needed to pause to rest. So, he watched Aryll and the girl skate around the rink.

The girl neared him as she was making a turn around the rink, like a warmup, and smiled shyly at him when she noticed his gaze on her.

Shit. She probably didn’t want to be watched just as much as he didn’t. And Goddess, her eyes had been so green they’d nearly made him do a double take. But no! No double takes! She didn’t want to be watched!

It wasn’t until he heard Aryll’s loud “Whoa!” that he looked back out, clutching the boards again as he whipped his head and lost his balance. He expected to see Aryll on the ground, but she was just watching the other girl in awe. And honestly, so was Link.

She was spinning, but not like a normal person. Her arms were tucked against her chest and she spun like those people on the television who competed for medals and awards.

Her arms went out gracefully as she ended it like it was no big deal. Like she didn’t look like someone had just perfectly spun a coin.

She smiled at Aryll, and Goddess above, her smile was gorgeous and inviting and why did she have to be here?

The girl then leaped, some sort of near perfect split in the air before landing and sending Aryll another grin.

“How do you do that?” Aryll asked.

“Aryll!” Link called, chastising her. “Let the lady practice in peace.”

“No, it’s okay with me if it’s okay with you,” she said, stopping just in front of him.

Oh, she was so much prettier up close: freckles that scattered along her face, her long hair tied back into a much better ponytail than his own, glowing skin, impressive muscles. And she wasn’t too bad in the… no, he had to keep his eyes up! Only to be captured in her green ones. Expectant.

“What?” he asked, realizing that she was waiting for an answer from him, but entirely forgetting the question.

“I don’t want to talk to her or help her out if you’re not okay with it. That’s all. You are with her, right?”

“Yeah,” he said quickly, looking at Aryll’s clear eavesdropping expression as she pretended to be distracted, though her eager face gave her away. “Yeah, go ahead. She likes all that… spinning stuff.”

The girl bit her lip to stop herself from giggling at ‘spinning stuff.’ Goddess, he was stupid. What a stupid thing to say to someone who clearly knows what they’re doing.

He kept shuffling, trying in earnest now to block out their conversation so he could focus on the simple task of going forward.

His attention was torn between making sure Aryll wasn’t being kidnapped and wondering how he’d ever cross the rink to save her if she was. But all he saw was the girl demonstrating something before Aryll tried it, and the girl’s face lit up as she clapped in encouragement.

The entrance of the rink was back in his sight, so he was less concerned about watching Aryll and more focused on his feet.

Which is why he didn’t see the girl until she was right in front of him.

“You should move away from the boards and look up rather than at your feet. It’ll help.”

Even her voice was gorgeous. Goddess above…

“I’ll fall,” he said simply, his hand still on the board.

“Yeah. You have to fall.”

“You haven’t fallen and you’re doing all those… spins. So I don’t think that logic works.”

The girl skated backwards in front of him. “Do you really think I haven’t fallen?”

“No, of course not,” he muttered. Someone who was that good had to have learned through a few spills over the years.

“Then trust me. Look up and get away from the boards. Stop worrying about falling.”

She skated back over to Aryll, demonstrating something else for his sister to try.

With their attention diverted, he pushed away from the boards and kept his eyes on the wall straight ahead.

And promptly felt his skates slide away from him, wide and uneven, throwing him entirely off balance until he hit the ice with a hard thud.

Knowing that both their eyes were on him now, he tried to get to his feet quickly, but that only ended with him slipping and hitting his chin on the ground. So, face burning with utter embarrassment, he rested his forehead against his arm so he could scream internally for a hot second before trying again.

When he looked up, the girl was crouched down in front of him. “Do you need help?”

He could either: stay on the ice like a flattened pancake, or let the hot girl realize that he really is an embarrassment for being unable to get to his own feet.

Looking back at her, he was struck by how she didn’t smile. She wasn’t laughing at him, or enjoying his pain. She wasn’t pitying him either. She just looked… like this was normal.

“Y-yeah,” he found himself saying, taking her outstretched hand.

He shuddered at the contact of her skin on his. She helped him flip onto his stomach and then to his knees before she pulled him up. “Is this your first time skating?”

Lie, or tell the truth?

Something about her wide, earnest green eyes had him sucking up his pride. “No, I just suck.”

“Everyone sucks at the beginning. Once you get it, you’ll be flying like the Rito,” she laughed, tapping the emblem on his hat. Then she blushed furiously, her whole face turning a shade of pink as she let go of his hand and moved backwards. “Sorry. Personal space issues sometimes when I’m on the rink.”

“No, it’s okay,” he muttered, unable to get his voice any louder. His hands were out to steady himself, but he slipped again, landing on his knee.

This time, she did smile, but it was soft and she held her hand out again.

“Your sister could teach you. She said she’s been taking skating lessons for a while.”

Scoffing harshly, Link shook his head and glanced at Aryll, who was blissfully making loops around the rink, unconcerned with them. But he took her hand again.

This time, she didn’t let go. She shook it. “I’m Zelda.”

He glanced at their clasped hands and raised his eyebrows, shocked that she was even telling him her name. “Link.”

She gave him a tug before letting go of him, letting him coast in the momentum. “So, you… um… go to school around here?”

He looked back at his feet so they didn’t get away from him, but he heard Zelda tsk, so he looked back at her. “Yeah. I’m in my last year at Faron High.”

Her smile broadened. “I’m in my last year at Labrynna!”

Hot, kind, and his own age.

Link took her in, suddenly feeling guilty; as much as he wanted to fall again just so she’d offer her hand one more time, he didn’t know her. “I’m sorry for taking up your time. Thanks for helping.”

“I don’t mind,” she said, glancing at Aryll for a while. “I’m always here, so it’s nice to have a different morning. And I like meeting new people.”

And just like that, the guilt faded away from him. “Always here? You a professional skater?”

“Not professional,” she said, offering her hand again. “I’ve done competitions.”

This time, he didn’t know why she was offering, so he hesitated before getting sucked in by her genuine smile. She tugged him again and he started to glide with her again.

He chuckled and kept his eyes off his feet. “You good at it?” Zelda raised an eyebrow, so he quickly waved his hands. “I-I mean, you looked incredible, but anyone who can move forward deserves a medal in my eyes. So, my comparisons aren’t great.”

Zelda bit her lip and shrugged. “I’ve done well.”

That, Link knew, was code for ‘yes, I’m very good,’ but from someone far humbler than himself.

After checking on Aryll, Zelda nodded to herself as she looked over Link. “You’re doing better already.”

“I am?” he asked, glancing at his feet.

Which, of course, sent him lurching forward until he hit the ice.

Zelda giggled this time, covering her mouth to try to stifle it. “I’m sorry! I threw off your focus!”

Link groaned and made it halfway to his feet before taking her hand this time. Well, he was getting better at falling anyway.

She didn’t let go.

Instead, she held out her other hand. “I can help keep you balanced so you can try moving your feet.”

One more hit, and Link was sure he’d wake up from this dream. Because what was even happening right now?

Well, if this was a dream, might as well go for it. And if it wasn’t… what could he do that’s more embarrassing than he’d already done?

So, he took her hand.

She pulled him with her for a moment before gesturing to his feet. “You should try… you know… skating.”

“Right,” he said, admittedly holding her a little tighter as he tried to push off the ice but stumbled.

She steadied him, but before he knew it, she was clicking her tongue at him again. “Link, stop looking at your feet.”

The sound of his name on her lips had his head jerking up far faster than he meant to. He was like an eager puppy, and he knew it.

Once they’d gone around a little more, Zelda loosened her grip. “I’m going to let go. Keep going. You’re doing really good.”

He blew out some air as she released him, and his arms shot out to his sides to keep him steady. But he was doing it. He was going forward.

He couldn’t help the triumphant little laugh that escaped from his lips.

“So, you’re not hopeless after all!” Aryll said as she skated beside him. “It’s taken him forever to figure this out! I even tried to show him videos yesterday.”

Defensive, Link glared at Aryll. “I tried to do it their way. But I couldn’t figure out the toe thing.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow again. “Toe thing?”

“Yeah, they kept pushing off with their toe or something, but I can’t get it.”

Goddess, Zelda was perfect, because she lifted her foot up to show off her skate while still skimming backwards in front of him. “This thing?” she asked, pointing to a sharp barb looking thing in the front of the blade.

“Yeah, they pushed off with that, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it.”

Zelda laughed again as she set her foot down. “These are for figure skating. The ones you have on are for hockey. No toe pick. They’re different.”

“They are?” he asked, trying—and failing—to get a good look at his own skates. “I thought they were all the same.”

“They’re not,” she said, her cheeks pinching her eyes with her smile. “You know, you’ve been skating this whole time without falling.”

“It’s a miracle,” Aryll muttered.

Link turned to her with a glare. “You’d better watch it, because when I get really good, I’m going to pick you up and throw you across the ice, and you better know how to stick that landing or you’ll end up on your ass.”

“First off, language,” Aryll huffed. “Second off, that sounds fun, so go ahead.”

He scoffed and playfully pushed her, though it did little more than throw him off balance for a moment. And when he looked up, he could see that people were starting to come into the rink quickly.

Zelda sighed and watched them with a sad expression. “I know them. They always just completely take over the ice. It’s a pain.”

Link finally stopped moving when he saw who it was. Mipha, Revali, and their friends were laughing boisterously as they took their seats in the bleachers to get their skates on.

Zelda looked between them and Link. “Do you know them?”

“Kind of. They go to my school, but we don’t talk.”

Zelda stared at them, specifically at Mipha, before muttering to herself. “Wow. She’s really pretty. I’d kill to look like her.”

Looking Zelda over, Link was glad that Aryll had taken a turn around the rink without them. Because he didn’t think he’d have the courage to say anything if she’d been around as his audience.

“I know a stranger’s opinion isn’t worth anything but… personally, I prefer blondes.”

Whipping around, an incredulous look on her face, Zelda lost her balance and fell back onto the ice. She barely seemed like she noticed, pulling her legs up to her so she could stare open mouthed at Link until she regained her composure.

Her face was bright red, and she couldn’t quite meet Link’s eyes as she laughed to herself. But finally, she worked up to it and her gaze had him pinned.

“Yeah, I do too.”

Link nodded nervously before he started to chuckle and held his hand out to help her up.

She took it as a courtesy, but got up on her own so she didn’t pull him down when he’d spent so long getting his balance.

This time, when their hands lingered too long, the energy between them was palpable, and both of them were blushing.

Aryll skated up to them. “I’m hungry. Can we go to Windy’s?”

Link glanced apologetically at Zelda, and she followed them back to the gate, watching as they both pulled at the laces in much the same aggressively impatient manner. It had her grinning.

“You know,” she said when Link stood up. “I’m here at 7:30 whenever there isn’t school. I’ll be here tomorrow, if Aryll would like some more help.”

Her eyes were distinctively flirty, and Link was beyond glad that Aryll was still too young to recognize it, because she gasped in excitement. “Can we, Link?”

He didn’t look at Aryll, too entranced by Zelda’s blatant invitation. “We’ll ask mom, but if she says you can, I’ll bring you. If not… I might just come here alone.” His lips tipped up, and he prayed that the red in his cheeks and down his neck just looked like it was from the cold.

“No fair! But mom will say yes if you’re bringing me so she can go back to sleep!”

Link didn’t even realize how awake he’d become since Zelda came into the rink.

Zelda pushed a loose piece of hair behind her ears that had come free in her fall. “Okay then. I’ll see you both tomorrow. For lessons.”

Aryll beamed. “Maybe you can come for lunch with us tomorrow?”

Zelda bit her lip and looked over at Link, who was now staring at the floor so she couldn’t see his expression. But she thought he was cute when he was nervous. “Link? What do you think?”

Forced to look up at her, he knew she could see how eager he was to just straight out say yes. It was all over his face, and burning in his eyes. “If you’d like to,” he said carefully. “I have no objections.” He finished sliding his normal shoes back on before standing up.

“Okay. I look forward to it. I’ll see you tomorrow Aryll. Link.”

He stepped forward, a little too close to where she leaned on the board. “Zelda.”

Her mouth dropped into a smile as he used her name for the first time.

Link patted Aryll’s shoulder to lead her up the stairs before taking one more look behind him at Zelda.

They were halfway up the steps when Link pointed to Aryll. “Do not tell mom that there is a pretty girl involved.”

But Aryll smiled. “Your voice carries, Link.”

Spinning around on the stairs, he saw Zelda beaming as she giggled. But she—thankfully—pushed off the board and twirled once before skating away, her eyes on them until she no longer could see where they stood.

And when Link glanced at Mipha as they passed, and he felt that his infatuation with her had faded to near nothing from the time he’d gotten out of the car to the time he got into it once again. He knew he was doomed. because the only one on his mind now was Zelda.

He’d never been more excited to set an early alarm.

#legend of zelda #LoZ AU #modern au #ice skating #link #zelda #aryll #zelink #happy fic #for once!#was this inspire by my inability to ice skate? yes.#I'm sorry the title sucks but I could think of NOTHING #This is another 6am oneshot that I forgot to post the day I wrote it #oneshot #writing

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ghostwriteyes · 3 years

Text

Years Past

Sasusaku (Naruto) Fic. I don’t own the characters. They’re owned by Kishimoto

Modern AU, Childhood Friends AU, Neighbors AU, Non-Massacre AU

3,321 words

6 years old

They had a new neighbor coming. It’s been a while since the house across from them has been empty and now there are big moving trucks around the house. He peeked through the window and was disappointed because he didn’t see a boy his age, but a girl. He’s heard of cooties and he didn’t want them.

On the weekend, his mother invited the new neighbor to have dinner. He went with his mother to greet them at the door. He saw the pink haired girl hiding behind her mother, only peeking to see his mother. Her mother said something about she's shy and she was bullied in their last neighborhood.

“Hey Sakura. Your name is Sakura right? You have such wonderful hair” said his mother.

Then, the girl stepped a bit closer and the widest, greenest eyes he’s ever seen looked up to his mother and gave a firm nod and said “You’re very pretty”. His mother laughed and guided them in.

They had dinner that night, the 7 of them, and he didn’t know why he kept looking at those green eyes. He thought he wouldn’t really mind getting cooties.

12 years old

She was working on her homework in the living room, this damn physics homework that Kakashi-sensei gave last minute for Monday. She thought Sasuke might have finished already and thought of going to his house when her mother called,

“Sakura, come to the kitchen for a bit please”

“What is it, mom?”

“I baked too many cookies for my exhibition tonight. Can you give this bowl to Mikoto’s house?”

“Oh sure, was gonna go there anyway to ask Sasuke about my homework. We keep some too, right?”

“Of course honey”

She went across and brought her notebook with her and knocked on the door. When it opened, it was Sasuke.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“My mom baked too many cookies and wanted to give it to Aunt Mikoto.”

He grabbed the plate and muttered thanks and almost closed the door-

“Wait!” she brought her best puppy eyes, looking hopeful “I also wanted to ask about the physics homework” she lifted her notebooks in front of her face to emphasize.

After a sigh and a fine, he opened the door wider and she went in. “Where’s everyone else?” She looked around for people and saw no one. “Out.” She chuckled “Always the sociable one” he rolled his eyes to that.

They went to his room and worked on the physics homework on the small coffee table in his room. He taught her the questions she couldn’t answer.

When they were finished, she couldn’t help but say what she’s been thinking,

“Do you think we’re being too casual?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know- you’re a boy, i’m a girl, we’re in your room” she chuckled.

He rolled his eyes and smirked “would you rather be in my brother’s room” he knew about how she admired his brother.

“Ugh, you know I only admire him. It’s never anything like that” her elbows on the table and she rested her head on her hand and thought out loud “I think I’ve grown out of it though” their eyes met. There’s this look in his eyes and they stayed like that for a while just looking at each other.

She broke it with “especially since shisui’s been here more often” she rolled her eyes “they’re insufferable”. He chuckled. Then, his door suddenly opened,

“Sasuke, where did these cookies co- oh, Sakura! I heard your mom and dad are out for her exhibition tonight. Have dinner with us?”

“Sure, aunt Mikoto”

“Great! I’ll cook your favorites” she stayed for a while looking at the two just grown kids and frowned “Should I be worried?”

Sasuke raised his eyebrows and asked “what do you mean mom?”

“You’re a guy and a girl in a room.. should I-”

He groaned, “Stop mom, it’s nothing like that”

Sakura just chuckled and couldn’t help but notice the disappointment she felt. She tried not to think too much of it.

She didn’t notice Sasuke’s eyes who kept glancing her way during dinner.

15 years old

He heard whispers in the kitchen. Not unusual as his mother and father are the calm and quiet type, but this time there’s some wariness in their voice.

He was going to go to Sakura’s house to check why she wasn’t in school, but went to the kitchen first anyway. His parents immediately noticed and his father said,

“Sasuke, get ready. We’re going to go to the hospital.” Their faces showed that this wasn’t good news.

“What’s wrong?” His minds are racing

His mother was the one who answered, “Uncle Kizashi.. he was in an accident this morning and.. it’s not looking good”

Always the one-tracked mind, he didn’t say a word and ran to his bike to go to the hospital. He went ahead and as he arrived, his eyes immediately found Sakura alone near one of the rooms, eyes red and puffy.

He went closer, in a hurry, and fuck she’s been crying and she noticed him and she immediately went to him and reached him and she just let it all out, hands around his waist and head on his chest. His arms circled her, his cheek on her hair and they just stayed there.

After she was a bit calmer she realized that they were hugging. She felt awkward and let go, eyes averting his. She could blame the red face from crying hours on end.

“How is he?” his hands on her shoulders and he wanted her to look at him and he leaned closer.

She sniffled and said “His condition’s already stable, but… he’s not waking up” she teared up again and her hands went up to dry it off “I don’t know what to do, Sasuke”, for the first time that night she looked at him when his mother and father arrived,

“Oh, Sakura” his mother went to hug Sakura and his father knocked on the hospital door.

He noticed that Aunt Mebuki had been crying too and for the first time he also didn’t know what to do. No loud laughs and corny jokes, it was terrible.

He stayed with Sakura while the adults were talking and when they were about to leave, Aunt Mebuki said that Sakura should also go home and rest. After a few minutes of i’m staying, mom and i’m not leaving his side mom, no way, they were finally able to convince her to go home.

He went home alone on his bike while Sakura was with his parents. Later, he waited on her sidewalk. After they arrived, he shared a look with his mom and his mom nodded as if saying do what you need to do.

That night, Sasuke took care of Sakura. He made sure she ate (sakura, don’t be annoying, you have to eat) and left after she was already asleep (i’m here sakura, just rest, okay.)

——-

The next morning, he and his parents were having breakfast when suddenly, his mom said, “Sakura is really pretty, right Sasuke?”

Sasuke looked at his mother and why does it sound like she’s teasing me and he scrunched his eyebrows and looked at her weirdly.

“She’s intelligent, top of her class, very pretty, I heard she’s popular with the boys in school too-,” he frowned “-and she seems like a great daughter, right Fugaku?”

“Yes, she is. What are you doing Mikoto?”

Mikoto chuckled and said, “No, no, it’s nothing. I’m just thinking that Sasuke and Sakura’s wedding should be in winter so that Sakura can stand out”

He choked on his cereal and said, “Mother.” he looked at her teasing smile and narrowed his eyebrows, “Her father has just been in an accident, Mother”

She frowned and said, “I know.. I hope Kizashi can wake up soon so he can give her away on the wedding”

He looked to his father for some sanity only to see his father agreeing to what his mother’s saying. He stood up and left to go to school. Just when he was at the door he heard his mother shout “Say hi to Sakura for me” and he groaned.

——-

At school during lunch, he can’t help but glare at every boy who went to Sakura’s side. Naruto teased him, “you’re such a coward, Sasuke. All those glares, but no confession”, shook his head, “y’know, maybe I should have a go with Sakura instead”, teasing with his big grin and his wiggled eyebrows.

Naruto went home with a bruise on his arm that day.

18 years old

“God, I can’t believe graduation’s coming and you’re still single, Forehead”

“Shut up, pig.”

They were in Sakura’s room fiddling around with makeup and their dresses to wear to prom that weekend. She was just trying out her shoes when she saw Ino’s teasing smile and saw what was coming,

“Well, it’s not like there’s no one, right Sakura?” Ino sighed, “why is he not doing anything, you guys are clearly acting like you’re going out, but, just without the label” she rolled her eyes.

Sakura shook her head and said, “It’s nothing like that Ino, we’re just really close.”

“Nuh-uh, remember last week at lunch. That lanky boy was definitely gonna ask you out to prom but Sasuke glared at him from behind you and the boy ran away”, she chuckled, “Sasuke’s gonna be one scary boyfriend”

Sakura laughed, “Mmm I think that’s just him being protective, you know how he is with me, we’re childhood friends”

Ino sighed again, “Fine, whatever. But everyone can feel this tension between you guys, with the staring and all, it’s ridiculous, and it’s clearly not you two being” she finger quoted “just really close, or” she finger quoted again “just childhood friends”.

Sakura laid on her bed and sighed, “You know how I feel, Ino. but, with him you can’t really tell, you know. and our friendship is too valuable anyway.”

Ino shook her head dramatically “Oh, the most cliched reason for a coward”. Sakura threw her pillow at Ino while she was wearing lipstick and oh no, you didn’t and she lunged towards Sakura with lipstick on her hand.

——-

“Sasuke, you going to prom this weekend?”

His brother, Shisui, and some of his brother’s friends are hanging out at their study room turned game room. He just nodded at shisui’s question, barely looking at him, staring at the TV with Sasori beating Itachi in their game.

“You taking Sakura?” Sasuke muttered no and it’s none of your business. He was going to leave the room. But then he heard Sasori say “oooh, Sakura’s that hot chick across your house, right Itachi? Is she single?”

Sasuke glared and said “Itachi, let me play.”

After beating Sasori three times, he said nothing and left the room. Itachi and Shisui laughed and shook their heads and you just woke up the devil, Sasori. Sasori learnt that Sakura was definitely not single.

——-

That weekend, they were having breakfast together. Ever since Kizashi’s accident, Mikoto would sometimes invite Mebuki and Sakura for breakfast or dinner. He was still in a coma in the hospital and Mikoto just couldn’t help but reach out to them.

“Sakura, you’re going to go to prom tonight right? Are you going to go with Sasuke?”

Sakura casually said “Yeah, of course,”��

and Sasuke choked and tried to remember, did I ask her and forget, dammit dammit dammit.

“-We’re going together with our friends. Since there’s two of us here, our friends are gonna come to our houses to get ready”

he sighed internally and thought of how stupid he was and why did I panic and felt a pang in his chest wishing that they were going together together.

“Are you okay Sasuke?” his mother asked and he just nodded, barely looking at everyone else. He was always one to keep his straight face.

——-

That night he went to her house, along with Naruto, Sai, and Neji and his eyes widen as he saw her walk down the stairs and she’s so fucking pretty and he wished they were going together together and maybe I can just ask her now and maybe they can-

“My pretty daughter” Aunt Mebuki clasped her hands with some teary eyes “-I just wish your father can see you tonight,” Sakura smiled but he knew that smile and he just wanted to hug her and maybe I can and-

“Let’s take pictures!” fuck.

After some pictures were taken they went on their limo to prom and he just couldn’t, he really tried, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He didn’t really care anymore if anyone noticed. He didn’t care if she noticed cause she’s just so beautiful. He caught her eye and her eyebrows raised, questioning, and he just smiled. She blushed and averted her eyes and she’s so pretty.

——-

Later that night, they were the last to be dropped off. He noticed that she was quiet all the way home and he was quiet too and it felt like there’s this thing between them ever since their dance and any wrong word can just break it and he didn’t want that. He noticed her glancing his way and he wanted to ask but he didn’t know how and the limousine stopped.

He walked her to her door and he just stared at her and she stared back and he wanted to say something, anything-

“thanks, sasuke”, she averted her eyes and turned around and almost walked to the door, but then his body moved on its own, and his hand caught her wrist and she turned back and their eyes met and-

“Sakura, I-” he pulled her closer and muttered fuck, i’m not good with words and he leaned closer and he stared more at those eyes, those beautiful, beautiful eyes, his hand travelled to her neck and finally, finally, their lips met.

It started softly, hesitantly, chastely, and in seconds, she kissed him back, her arms around his neck, and he grew more confident and his hand curled around her neck, he pulled her in and he kissed her deeper.

They parted for air with their foreheads touching, his thumb stroking his cheek, “You’re so beautiful,” she blushed and she didn’t know what to say and just bit her lip, his eyes flickered to her lips and he groaned and then his body moved on its own again and their lips met for the second time that night.

They didn’t notice three pairs of eyes across the house peeking through the window, “Well, Mebuki, we should start planning that winter wedding”

20 years old

It was summer and they were back at home from college and their mothers have been more strict about them being in the bedroom together ever since they started dating, so they were in the living room of his house, watching a movie.

Their relationship felt like a breeze and Sakura was just so happy and Sasuke was, I can’t believe I didn’t confess sooner and when their friends found out they were all saying finally, free of the tension and the eyesmex.

They had fights like all relationships do but Sasuke just couldn’t stay away for too long and Sakura would always be forgiving.

They were going to have dinner at Sasuke’s house, but when Mebuki came, she was teary eyed and she didn’t speak for a while, and

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Sakura went to her mom and she panicked.

“Your dad.. He woke up.”

Sasuke said I’ll go with Sakura and they all went to the hospital.

They arrived first and went straight to his room and Sasuke didn’t want to intrude so he stayed outside.

“Sakura, is that you?” and she ran to him and hugged him so tightly and she didn’t want to let go. Five years, finally.

“Sakura, you’re all grown up.”

She recounted, the best she can do, of everything that’s happened. Mebuki arrived and they hugged, three of them, reunited. After a while, “Why did Sakura arrive first? Are you driving yet? Damn, I can’t believe I missed teaching you how to drive” Mebuki laughed and said “No, she went with her boyfriend”. Sakura groaned, embarrassed.

“Wait, is she and Sasuke finally going out? I have to hear this story, they were so oblivious” Loud laughs fill the room and Sakura didn’t care about any of the teasing and she just felt grateful that her dad’s back and that’s all she can think of.

——-

Later in the month, Kizashi was released from the hospital and they all planned a trip to the Uchiha Family cabin near the mountains to have a good rest with the hot springs and all. There were two separate cabins and Kizashi said one for the grownups, one for the kids- what Mebuki, let them have fun, we were young once. So Sasuke and Sakura were with Itachi and Izumi, his wife, and Shisui came just because he couldn’t miss out.

Everyone wanted to go to the hot springs, but Sasuke and Sakura said no, we’ll just play or hike or something and so they stayed in the “kids” cabin and they do have separate bedrooms but-

“Sakura, come” he took her hands,

“What is it, Sasuke”

“Just come here”

She followed him to his bedroom, and when they were in, he closed and locked the door and he pushed her against it and they just stared at each other and smiled. She broke the silence,

“Mm, don’t you think we’re being too casual, Sasuke?”

“What?”

She bit her lip, she knows what it does to him, and smiled teasingly, “I don’t know- you’re a boy, I’m a girl, we’re in your room-”

He groaned, “Shut up Sakura” and he kissed her.

25 years old

It was winter.

Aunt Mikoto, her mom, and Ino have been preparing everything. Those three have been inseparable since the day she said yes and Sakura could only agree to everything cause she didn’t care about parties.

She remembered how Sasuke would just laugh whenever she ranted to him on how big and complicated this party will be.

She looked in the mirror with her white dress on, and she couldn’t believe how far they’ve come.

——-

He looked in the mirror, fixed his neck tie, and looked again in the mirror, and fixed his wrist button, and this is nerve wracking and i’m gonna mess up and-

“Sasuke, sit doown, relaaax” and he just glared at Shisui and Naruto laughed and said, “you believe me now, huh, when it was my wedding you said I was overreacting”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and he said, “Naruto, you almost climbed down the window”

Naruto laughed and middle finger-ed him and, “whatever, at least you know how I felt now”

Itachi was the only calm one in the room as he said “don’t worry too much Sasuke, you’ll feel better when you see her, look forward to that”

Sasuke closed his eyes and took deep breaths and just imagined her and her white dress and how pretty she will be.

——-

He waited in the altar and looked to the door and saw the most beautiful girl and i’m so lucky and he couldn’t believe it sometimes and as she went closer their eyes met and she arrived at the altar and they just stared at each other and they forgot what they were supposed to be doing and Ino cleared her throat and Kizashi just laughed and Fugaku shook his head with a smile and Mebuki and Mikoto were all teary eyed and then they got married.

–

57 notes · View notes

kpop-sports-books-series-fangirl · 3 years

Text

PJO/HOO - You meet for the second time

Masterlist

Request form and prompt list

(F/S) means Favourite sport

Will -

You were sitting at home, your (non-godly parent) had gone out somewhere, so you were alone. You were on the couch, scrolling through your phone, with your favorite blanket and with music blaring through your speakers.

Suddenly instead of playing the next song, your ringtone started playing through the speakers. You checked who it was and it was a random number, but you picked it up. “Hello?” you asked. “Hello? Is this (Y/N)?” they asked. “Who’s asking?” you asked back. “It’s Will,” he replied. “Oh, from the mall?” “Yeah...” “So, are you back in town again?” you asked hopefully.

“Um, yeah, I was hoping you could show me around,” he said nervously. You met up in a park near the house and you showed him around and just talked. Soon, you realize that your (non-godly parent) is going to come home.

You bid Will goodbye and ran back home to set up the place before your (non-godly parent) came home.

Nico -

You were getting scolded by your (non-godly parent) for throwing a sleepover without letting them know when you heard a knocking on your window. You looked outside to see the boy from that night. He was waving his hand frantically telling you to come out, but you ignored him and continued to listen to your (non-godly parent).

Later that night, when you had gotten ready for bed, you thought you heard a noise in your room, but when you looked, there was nothing, so you just ignored it. Just when you got into bed, a hand clamped over your mouth. You tried to scream, but the face of the boy from earlier came into view.

You tried to thrash, but he was too strong. Suddenly you felt this weird sensation in your stomach and when you opened your eyes, you were in a different room. As soon as the hand let go of your mouth, you screamed really loud.

You looked around the room and saw an old dude in a wheelchair. He winced at your loudness. “Nico, how many times should I tell you that when you bring the demi-gods, don’t scare the life out of them!” the old man said. He then turned to you and said “Hello, my dear, I’m Chiron,”

Percy -

You went to the beach again, the next week hoping to meet Percy again. You went on the same day at the same time, but he wasn’t there, so you just decided to enjoy your evening. You walked along the water for a while, before changing into your swimsuit and jumping into the ocean.

After a while you decided it was time to go home, so you wrapped the towel around yourself as you made your way to the washroom to change. After you got back into normal clothes, you started to walk back home. About halfway there, you felt someone tap your shoulder and you suddenly got into a defensive position in case someone was attacking you.

That ‘someone’ held up his hands and laughed. “Hey, it’s just me,” You looked carefully and saw that it was Percy. “Oh, sorry, you just scared me,” you tell him. You talked while he walked you back home. You exchanged phone numbers so you could talk later on as well and then he had to go.

Frank -

After that day, you couldn’t stop thinking about Frank. But you forced your mind off him, to focus on your studies. You are in the 10th grade and you are studying for your end-of-term exams.

(Your non-godly parent) has stopped all your social media accounts for the time being, including quotev (A/N: just had to add it 😜), youtube, and many others.

One day after school, (F/S) practice and all your after school clubs, you are walking home when you think you see someone following you. You take the route towards the park, trying to formulate a plan of what to do. That’s when you realize that the park is closed and it is one of the most unsafe places in your neighborhood.

Without stopping, you open your bag and take out your steel water bottle in case you need to protect yourself. You feel the person getting closer to you, so you turn around, swinging your bottle at the person's head.

You hear a loud ‘DINGGG’ as the bottle comes in contact with their head. They double over, and before you take off, you recognize that mop of black hair. It takes you a second to realize that this was Frank.

“What the hell!?” You shout at him. “You scared me half to death!” Then you remember what you did. “Oh no, are you okay!?” you ask as you approach him slowly. He holds up a hand. When he looks up at you, you see a huge gash on his forehead. You gasp, surprised.

“My house is nearby, we can take a look at that cut there,” You say as you grab his hand and guide him to your house. You opened the little zip of your bag, taking out your house key and throwing open the door.

You drop your bag near the door with a ‘thud’ and drag Frank into the living room. You sit him down on the couch and shush him when he opens his mouth to say something. You grab the first-aid kit from the cupboard.

As you apply the antiseptic to the wound, you apologize to him. “I am so sorry! I didn’t know it was you! Then again, why were you following me in the first place?!” You continue to ramble as you paste a bandage on it. Once you are done, you look down into his brown eyes.

“Can I speak now?” He asks, amused. You glare at him before nodding and tearing your eyes away from his, focusing on cleaning the mess of bandages on the floor.

As you put the unutilized plasters and cotton back in the box, you try not to look up at Frank as you know, if you look in his eyes, you will never be able to look away again, and that would be embarrassing.

“Well, I saw you walking on the road, so I decided to give you a little scare,” he explains.

“Yeah, you should never do that,” You tell him. “Seems I learned that the hard way,”

You both sit there and talk until it hits you that you have a history test tomorrow. It was going to be on Greek and Roman mythology (A/N:*gasp!* What a coincidence!). When you tell Frank this, he announces that he is an expert in Greek and Roman mythology.

Your (non-godly parent) is out of town for a few days so he stays over and helps you study, though it isn’t easy concentrating on your textbook with Frank staring at you the whole time.

Let’s say, you ace the test!

Jason -

You are now boarded on the plane and despite the excitement, fall asleep, fulfilling the hours you missed the previous night.

When you stir awake, you see your (non-godly parent) is still asleep, so you turn to the other side to see Jason from earlier. “Oh, hi!” you say. “Hi, again,” he replies.

“Guess I’m headed to Manhattan too,” you say as you reach down to your bag and take out a water bottle. “Yeah,” he says. Well, this is getting awkward, you think.

Taking a sip from your bottle, you look up at him again. “So...wanna play something?” You ask him, your childish side taking over. “Sure, what though?” “Um...maybe a game where we ask each other questions? Get to know each other better?” “Um, okay...”

-Time skip-

“Please fasten your seatbelts, the plane will be landing in 15 minutes,” the speaker announced. You and Jason had been talking the entire time, about the most random things like music, T.V. shows, movies, books, people, life, and everything possible.

You wanted to ask him for his number, but it would be a bit awkward. Like are you just supposed to walk up to him and say ‘hey can I have your number?’ wait. That isn’t so bad…

“Jason, can I have your number? Just to talk once in a while, it was fun...” you say as you wait for the crowd in the plane to clear as everyone gets off. “I would give you my number, but I don’t have a phone..” he tells you. “Oh, well, here’s my number, call whenever you can!” You say taking out a pen and asking him if you could write it on his hand.

Leo -

Rrring! Rrring! You hear from your bag. Your eyes widen as you know it’s your phone. “(L/N)!” your teacher calls you out. “Phone!” she holds out her hand as you hand her your phone. “Detention after school today!”

“But ma’am! I have (F/S) practice today after school!” You complain. “Well, you’ll just have to skip it for today,” Well shit. Your coach was going to kill you, especially with a match coming up on the weekend!

You were going to kill whoever called you.

-Time skip-

After school, detention, and shouting from your coach, you were headed to get your phone back from the principal's office. You knock on the door. “Come in!” A voice calls. “Ma’am, I’ve come to collect my phone,” “Here you are, but you should know, you have to keep your phone on silent during the classes,” “Yes ma’am, sorry, it won’t happen again,”

Sighing, you switch on your phone as you head to the exit of the school building. You checked your notifications to see you had like 6 missed calls from an unknown number.

Your phone starts ringing again, suddenly, surprising you. You gripped it tightly before it slipped out of your hands. It was an unknown number, a different one this time. This is getting creepy, but you pick up the call and place the phone on your ear.

“H-hello?” You stutter into the phone. “Hello? Is this (Y/N)?” the other voice asks. “Who is this?” you ask. “Leo. The one who fixed your cycle?” he says. “Leo? You know, when I told you to call, I didn’t mean in the middle of the day! I was in class when my phone rang! I got detention and had to skip my practice! Do you know how mad my coach was-!” you were cut off by Leo. “Hey! Hey! I’m sorry for getting you in trouble, but I desperately need your help!”

“Why should I help you?” “Because you owe me one?” “Yeah, but you got me in trouble!” “Please (Y/N!)! I really need your help!” Leo says. For the first time, you notice how desperate he sounds.

“Okay. What do you need?” You ask him. “I and my friends need someplace to crash just for a few hours,” “Wait, are you and your ‘friends’ drunk?!” you almost shriek, scaring the guard who is standing at the entrance gate.

“No! I can’t- just, can I tell you after?” you take a deep breath before looking around and saying “Okay, my (non-godly parent) is out of town, so you can stay at my house for the night, I live at _____.”

“Thank you!” He cuts the call. You stare at the phone, shocked at what you just did.

When you reach home, Leo and his friends are not there yet, so you go in and start cleaning up the space a little. Picking up clothes, making the living room presentable. Your (non-godly parent) hasn’t been home for a few days, so you didn’t care what you did to the house.

Ding dong! You head to the door and take a deep breath before opening the door to reveal Leo, a girl and a boy both, your age. “Come in,” you say timidly.

Once they are on the couch, you turn to Leo, put your hands on your hips, and ask “Care to explain?” with raised eyebrows.

Travis -

You are stressed out. The list of things that you have to complete is only getting longer. All your responsibilities weigh you down. You need a break, just to get some fresh air.

You decide to take a walk to clear your head. Your legs lead you to the park. You sit down on the same bench as you observe the kids play, so carefree, burdenless, no responsibilities. Oh, how you wish you were like them.

This brought tears to your eyes. You just want a break, just one day, just forget about all that work, waiting back at home. You have to complete everything on time, submit all the work, no time for doing what you want.

You hug yourself and move your hands up and down, comforting yourself.

“Hey, you okay?” you hear a voice ask. You sit up quickly and wipe your tears. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” you say. You look up to see it’s Travis. “Oh, hi, Travis, right?” You confirm, knowing fully well that it could be his brother. “Yup, not Connor,” You send him a little smile.

“Running from him again?” you ask, teasingly. “Haha,” he replies smiling. “Can I sit there?” he asks pointing to the empty space on the bench next to you. You nod, letting him know it’s fine. He takes his seat.

“So, what’s all the crying about?” he asks. “Nothing,” “Oh come on! You don’t cry just for nothing!” “Some people do. When they can’t take the stress anymore about everything in life and they just break down but don’t have a reason to explain it,” “So, life’s stressing you out?” he asks. “That’s not what I said!” “Yeah, you did!” “Did not!” “Did too!” “Nope, did not,” “Okay, whatever! You still need cheering up! Come!” he says as he grabs your hand and drags you from the park.

“Where are you taking me?” you ask him. “I’m not telling you!” “You know how creepy that sounds to me right? You could be kidnapping me for all I know! I mean, I could use a little enjoyment in my life, but I don’t mean this!” while you were busy rambling, Travis had dragged you to a dark alley.

“Travis...where are we?” you ask, starting to get scared. “Watch this,” he says as he walks to the far end of the wall, and presses one brick, which causes a door to open in the wall.

You are closer to the entrance and you can see on the other side it’s an open field. Mesmerized, you walk over, through the door. You feel a tap on your shoulder, followed by a “You’re it!” and Travis running away from you.

You smile and take off after him. After a while of you both running back and forth, you lie down in the grass, Travis next to you. You relax for a while before you realize the time and jump up.

“I have to go!” you say as you run back out the door.

Connor -

You are bored. All of your friends are doing...stuff, and you are sitting here doing nothing. It is your day off from work. You decide to clean your room.

You pick up the pile of clothes in the corner and head down to the laundry room. Before you dump the laundry in the washing machine you go through all the pockets as you usually forget things in them.

All in all, you found your earphones which you’d been looking for since almost a week now (A/N: I actually wouldn’t survive that long without my earphones!), a folded piece of paper, your rubber band, a pencil (don’t ask), and a paperclip.

You put all the objects in your pocket of the jacket you’re wearing, thinking you’ll take it out later before you unfold the piece of paper to see if it’s something important.

It was the note the guy left, Connor.

You are free, have nothing to do. How bad could this guy be?

You pick up your phone and dial the number, and it rings a few times before a girl picks up, “Hello?” she sounds perplexed. “Um...hi, Connor told me to call this number....” “Connor! Oh, I’m gonna kill him!”

On the other end of the line, you heard an “Oooh! Is it for me?” followed by an ‘umph!’ and a “Catch me if you can!”

You are too confused about what was happening, and are about to put the phone down when someone says “Hello? Who is this?”

“Hi, is this Connor?” “Yeah, who is this?” “This is (Y/N), the girl from the ice cream shop,” “Oh yeah! I actually didn’t expect you to call!” “Yeah, well, I’m bored and I have nothing to do, so if you’re free, wanna hang?” “Sure…? Where do you want to meet up?” “Outside the Ice cream shop?” “Sure, I’ll see you there,”

-Time skip-

You are waiting outside the ice cream shop for Connor. A few minutes later, you see a hooded figure walking towards you. You turn away and start walking away when you hear “(Y/N)!?” You turn around and see it’s Connor.

“Oh, hi! You scared me,” you tell him. “Yeah, sorry. So, what do you want to do?” “Hang out?” “Ok….no. How about we prank people on the beach?” “Ok, but what prank?” “Replacing their sunscreens with mustard?” “Let’s go buy some mustard then!”

You guys spent all evening replacing people’s things, and getting caught by the cops, and escaping. Calling Connor, was the best decision you have ever made.

A/N: Hey guys!! The next part is out!! I'll link the first part below. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

-TheBlueBookworm is out~~!!!

#percy jackson #pjo preferences #percy jackson x reader #pjo fanfic #nico di angelo #jason grace #luke castellan #travis stoll #connor stoll #will solace #frank zhang

54 notes · View notes

jenodunno · 3 years

Text

Studying

a/n: aish i’m sorry i haven’t written in a while, i have no excuses for myself other that i had no inspiration to write. Anyways i hope you enjoy this cute little story of Jaemin tutoring you hehe

pairing: Jaemin x Reader

warnings: none ?

"How can you even get good grades in this class" You sigh looking at your boyfriend's test paper that the teacher just handed out.

"I don't know," He shrugs looking over at the grade on your paper "But I do know I'm better at it then you" He lets out a small laugh

"Instead of laughing you should be a good boyfriend and help me" You sulk, laying your head on your desk.

Let's just say Human Anatomy isn't the class you do best nor do you even like it, but the sadly you still need to pass the class to no disappoint your parents.

"Of course I'll help you out, love," He smiles looking at you before petting your head "I'll come over after school, like that we can get started"

"Wait, what ? Now ?" You asked in disbelief "I know I asked for help but not right away I want to rest my brain a little"

"Yah...no, the faster we study the faster you'll understand what's going on and anyways the next test is schedule for next week so it's best if you start now, love." He says letting out a small laugh at the end when you sighed once again for like the one hundredth time.

"Fine" You mumble burying your face in your hands.

Wednesday at your place, (A week till the test)

"Wait" Jaemin says trying to hold back his laughter while looking at the test you received back from your teacher yesterday because he's a great boyfriend and doesn't want to laugh at your failure "You're really going to tell me you don't know where the esophagus is,"

"No, I know where it is, It's just that-"

"Then why did you put throat instead,"

"Because technically-"

"No baby no, technically it isn't our throat"

“Well technically yes because when we eat food goes down in it-“

“I can tell this is going to be long” He sighs chuckling

“Heyy don’t laugh at me !” You huffed, pushing him lightly “can we take a break we've been reviewing for hours" You sighed

"It's only been 30 minutes, my love," Jaemin says and looks at you with an 'are you serious' face "And I pretty sure we'll need more than that if you don't know where the esophagus is" He chuckles

"You're really not going to let me go for that one" You say getting up off the floor

"Nope" He smiles at you, before kissing you on the nose.

Thursday at Jaemin's place, (6 days till the test)

"Maybe you'll focus more at my place" Jaemin mumbles opening the front door for the both of you.

"What's that suppose to mean" You say looking up at him

"I mean that, maybe studying in another environment that's not your usual one might help you focus more" He explains

"I practically live here with you, Jae" You looked at him laughing a little

“Yeah yeah whatever, come on” He laughs stepping a side a little letting you go in first before closing the door behind himself.

After getting settled on the kitchen counter with all the school work laid out in front of you guys and Jaemin to your left you try to pay attention. In the end you actually are paying attention to what Jaemin is showing and explaining to you, maybe he was right earlier....

"So as long as you can try to remember this graphic by heart you'll at least get a 10 out 35 on the test" He says trying to make you feel better

"Yah but that isn't enough," You blow out a breath

"I know it isn't, love, but that's still better than the grades you got yesterday, and anyways I'll try my best to help you" He says grabbing your hand into his own "Anyways let's focus on this chapter, most of the vocabulary and work that'll be on the test is in this chapter, okay ?" He says softly looking at you and when you nod at him he starts explaining.

After 2 hours of studying flying by, you both decide to take a break.

“You know I hope you focused more on what I was explaining to you and not my face.” He smirks before drink out of his water bottle

“W-what do you mean,?!” You answered back in a flustered state “I was paying attention to you.”

“Yeah to me or to what I was explaining,” He chuckles before raising an eyebrow at you “because to me it seemed like you were paying more to me, as in my face and not the work.”

"T-that's not true," You defended

"Come on just admit to it and I'll give you a kiss" He once again lifts the corner of his lips forming a smirk

"J-jaemin !"

Saturday at Jaemin's place, (4 days till the test)

You don't know if Jaemin is actually a really good tutor or he is a good tutor because suddenly you can understand things you didn't think you could or at least you think so. I guess you could say you were lucky to have him.

"Are you guys really studying on a Saturday ?" Jeno says walking in Jaemin's house as if it's his own with a basketball in his hands

"Hmm, Oh yeah I'm helping my princess over here not fail for our next test" Jaemin hums a response to Jeno barely acknowledging his presence "Anyways, do you understand the graphics over here, It's explaining how the fluids in-"

"What's up fuckers" Donghyuck says bursting into the living room with a football soccer ball in his hand "Jeez it's literally the weekend and you both are in here studying, tsk, you know it feels really good outside ?" He smirks at you, dropping his weight on the couch "I would say the weather is about 28 degrees with a few clouds and the wind is-"

"You know it's better to stay in here than to be outside with your presences," You playfully glare at him

"Oh come on, stop acting like you hate me when you don't" He laughs before throwing the ball his holding in the air before catching it again.

"Stop being lame Donghyuck," Jeno chimes in "Anyways come on Jaems, It won't kill to take a little break and have fun, right Y/N ?"

"Okay, okay fine how about about we take a small break," Jaemin says getting up before smiling at how happy you looked

Let's just say it wasn't a small break you both took.....

Tuesday afternoon in the library (The day before the test)

"I'll never understand why it's so important to learn this, I honestly don't care about the human anatomy and how it works," You whine pushing your folder away from you

"You know your only learning about this because you chose this course" Jaemin says letting out a small laugh at your defeat

"Yeah well I only chose the scientific course because I wanted to have Laboratory but even that is hard and boring, I should have chosen the literature course like that I would of gotten art and I'm pretty sure that is much more fun and less hard than this human body thing. And also I wouldn't be alone because Renjun is there" You ramble out.

Jaemin pauses looking at you, then looking at all the school work flared out in front of you both before letting out a small sigh with a light laugh at the end.

"Look baby, I'm going to be honest with you. I know we've been studying for this test since last week but going the way we are going and the fact that the test is tomorrow, you're going to fail this test, I love you, but there's nothing we can do about it now" Jaemin says looking over at you before you let your head fall on the table with a bang gaining peoples attention. Jaemin just smiles at them before bringing his attention back to you caressing your back

"I knew it, I'm going to fail again and like you said there's nothing we can do" You mumble out lowly with a sigh following at the end

Jaemin doesn't respond but just sits there and comforts you.

Wednesday, ( test day )

The moment the teacher handed out the test papers, you knew you were doomed. On the first page you barely understood anything and the second page even less, though on the third page there was the graph that you studied so hard to remember, which you shockingly did. While filling out the graph you started remembering a few things Jaemin had taught you a few days prior.

30 minutes passed by pretty fast before you heard your teacher's timer going off "Okay times up, everyone pens down" He then proceeded to collect everyone's papers before going back to his desk to grade them leaving the class to do whatever.

"So how do you think you did ?" Jaemin says looking over at you, who was staring at the bracelet you were wearing

"Hm ? Oh umm well honestly I'm pretty confident, after I completed the graph suddenly things you had explained came into my head and I feel like I got a lot of things correct !" You say cheerfully. You honestly do think you did pretty well, all the answers suddenly came into your head at one pointed so yeah you are confident in yourself.

"I'm glad to hear that you're confident, It puts me at ease knowing I tutored you well" He smile at you like always

"Of course you did, you're a pretty good tutor y'know now I understand why Jisung always comes to you for help" You laugh softly

"Good morning everyone, i hope that today has been a pretty decent day for you all" Your teacher speaks out to the class walking in front of his desk. "Now before you ask yes I've graded yesterdays test, I will now hand them out" Your teacher announces.

"Yay finally, I could barely sleep last night because of this." You giggled cheerfully

Your teacher finally reaches yours and Jaemin's desk handing out your papers. When giving Jaemin his paper, you didn't miss your teacher giving him a small pat on his shoulder before giving you your paper with a small smile on his face. Giving him a small smile back you checked out your grade on the top right of the paper. The moment your eyes landing on your grade, you practically had stars popping out out of them.

With a little squeal of happiness you turn your paper around to show it to your lover with a huge grin on your face.

"Look !" You beamed happily at your boyfriend "Ahh thank you so much" Leaning in giving him a hug

"You're welcome my love," He chuckles looking down at you on his chest, reaching to pat your head "But you do know that having a 14/30 doesn't exactly mean you passed"

But you were quick to look at him and shush him with a finger to your lips "Don't ruin it for me, it's the highest grade I've gotten in this class" As your face changed from having a playful pout on it to having a smile letting a few giggles escape from your lips.

#i'm pretty proud of this one #jaemin x you #jaemin x y/n #jaemin x reader #jaemin fanfic #jaemin soft hours #jaemin imagines #kpop fluff #kpop writing #kpop imagines

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cancerbiophd · 4 years

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Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker

THIS BOOK is life changing. (Even Bill Gates thought so!) I learned so much, and not just scientific facts that satisfy my curiosity. My (seemingly defunct) sleep habits have been validated, and I’m now empowered with ways to drastically improve my physical, mental, and emotional health. Ever since finishing the book I’ve been enthusiastically telling others to please read it.

Some things I’ve personally learned:

Being a night owl, early bird, or somewhere in the middle is genetic. We literally can not change this “habit”, because it’s not a habit; it’s a biological function. About 40% of people are early birds, 30% are night owls, and 30% are in the middle. The theory as to why we’ve evolved this way is because as a social species, this natural ability to take turns keeping watch at night improves our survival as a whole. Thus we as a society need to rethink and rework the ways that our world favors early birds and shuns night owls.

All teenagers have a shift in circadian rhythm that is different than young children and adults. They literally can not naturally fall asleep until well past midnight, and thus should not be waken up until after their 8 hours of sleep. What parents--and society--expecting teens to go to bed by 10 pm and wake up by 6 or 7 am for school is like asking an adult to go to bed at 7 or 8 pm, and then wake up at 4 am. Horrible, right? And yes, that chronic sleep-deprivation does have real consequences, such as a link to increased physical and mental illness.

The natural human sleep schedule is a continuous 7-8 hours at night, and a brief 30 - 60 min nap in the afternoon. Studies have shown that in cultures where this schedule has been suddenly disrupted (like a study in Greece), people with no history of cardiovascular disease suddenly showed a 37% increase in the chance of dying from heart disease (vs those who still maintained a mid-day napping schedule) over the 6-year study period. Yikes.

Oh, btw, that whole observation in Western Europe about people sleeping in 2 segments in the night (and waking up in the middle to eat, socialize, etc) is not a biological thing, but rather, cultural. That is not how humans have evolved to sleep.

I think we’re all kind of familiar with knowing that sleep is attached to remembering facts, but sleep is also necessary for learning new facts. Thus a good night’s rest is not just essential for doing well on tomorrow’s exam, but also for remembering tomorrow’s lecture in another class. To put it another way: you retain short-term memories in the hippocampus, but it has a storage limit (like a USB stick). Thus sleep helps move those memories into long-term storage so you can remember them, and by doing so, also frees up that space for new memories.

Sleep is also essential for learning new motor skills. If you’re having trouble with say, playing a difficult piece on the piano, try again after a full night’s rest. When you’re sleeping, your brain is still actively working perfecting that sequence of piano keys you need to press. Thus the adage of “practice makes perfect” should be amended to “practice and sleep makes perfect”.

Sleeping 6 hours/night for 10 days straight will cause a cognitive decline equivalent to staying up for 24 hours straight. And for those of us who keeps that exact same sleep schedule and think we’re “fine”, we really don’t realize how not fine we are because we think that’s our baseline normal. If you’ve ever wished to have more energy and be more productive, sleeping more may just be your magical wish-granting-genie.

Every hour in the US someone dies from a car accident caused by someone behind the wheel not getting enough sleep, due to the brain essentially “blacking out” to outside stimulus for a few seconds during a micro-sleep. As a perspective: a drunk driver is merely slow at reacting to say, slamming the brakes; a sleep-deprived driver going through a micro-sleep doesn’t react at all.

Heart attacks across the US spike significantly the day following daylights savings when everyone loses an hour of sleep. The opposite is true when we gain back that hour in the fall: heart attacks drop the following day. And that’s just one piece of evidence that sleep supports a healthy heart.

Sleeping 4 hours/night for just six nights increases your blood glucose levels so much you would be classified as pre-diabetic.

It’s well known that alcohol can disrupt REM sleep. What was interesting is that alcohol-disrupted sleep can interfere with memory (and thus learning) even up to three nights later, even if you get 2 full nights of sleep before consuming alcohol. Therefore, if you have an exam on Monday, drinking on the Friday before will interfere with remembering everything you’ve studied the previous 2 days.

Blue light, like those emitted from LED lightbulbs and the phone/tablet/computer screen you’re reading this from, stimulates our brain to wake-up and to stay awake. The evolutionary hypothesis for this is that we--and all land animals--evolved from marine life in the ocean, where the only visible light is blue, and therefore our brains recognize blue light as a cue to wake up.

And that’s just a small fraction of the super interesting life-changing things I gained from this book. So if you found these tid-bits fascinating, I highly suggest checking it out!

#science #books #biology #sleep #sciblr #why we sleep #m

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canary3d-obsessed · 4 years

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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed - Episode 02

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes!

(Masterpost ) (Previous Episode) (Next Episode)

Donkey Riding

way ho and away we go, donkey riding donkey riding way ho and away we go, riding on a donkey

Wei Wuxian and Apple are doing their best for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Xiao Zhan had trouble riding the donkey sitting side-saddle, so the Department of Questionable Practical Effects made him a fake leg to wear while riding regular style.

Can you spot it? It’s very hard to spot. It is very convincing.

Simple Pleasures

Wei Wuxian takes his time wandering up the nearest mountain, and half of the cultivators in the land also wander up this mountain because...Night Hunting! The cultivators are hot and thirsty from walking because they forgot that they all know how to fly.

Wei Wuxian relaxes by a well and listens to people stanning him.

Also

I’m going to say it: Wei Wuxian never met a drinking vessel he couldn’t blow.

Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet

The actress who plays A-Yan is named Zhang Linran. She probably has studied dance since she was 4 and now she gets her big break which turns out to be feeding an apple to a donkey. So let’s pause for a second to look at how beautifully she moves.

Reunions are Awkward, Part 1

Wei Wuxian meets up with one of his family members and it goes super well.

I...like Jin Ling? He’s much less of a douchebag than his dad, his uncles Jin, Jiang, and Mo (the three stooges), and every damn one of his Jin cousins. He’s genuinely brave (his Dad’s primary good quality) and his hair is on fleek. He’s still a whiny diaper baby, but I like him.

(much more after the cut!)

Then Jiang Cheng shows up, looking fine as hell and radiating peak arrogant-prick energy.

When he discovers that ‘Mo Xuanyu” stuck a piece of paper to Jin Ling, he tells the child to literally murder him. Excellent uncleing! A+++++ would recommend.

“In fact, literally murder anyone who uses Yiling Laozu’s tools, like talismans, lure flags, or spirit compasses - basically murder everyone in the Lan Clan plus those other fanboys we saw coming up the hill. Then get out there and make some friends, goddamn it!”

These nets full of cultivators on this daytime night hunt are the only time we ever see anything in a net during a night hunt. In fact dudes constantly go night hunting and the only prey we ever see is rock lady, murder turtle, and a couple of rag mops in the lake.

You Are Not Qualified to Speak to Me

Also radiating arrogant-prick energy on this occasion is Lan Wangji. He has been using pettiness as a weapon since long before he met this Jiang Cheng turkey, and he *brings it* when Jiang Cheng tries to have a conversation with him.

Letting your eyes wander everywhere except to his punchable face while you ignore his passive-aggressive questions? Quality work.

Dropping a silence spell on his child and then letting your own child explain it to him? Golden.

Lan Wangji is never ever going to forgive Jiang Cheng for what he did on cliff day, and his silence here is as pointed as an ice pick. I suspect the last words Lan Wangji actually spoke to him were “Jiang Wanyin, stop it,” sixteen years ago.

Jiang Cheng is actually the bigger person in this particular interaction, visibly mastering his temper and telling Jin Ling to take his medicine.

Reflecting

Wei Wuxian hangs out by a beautiful river and hallucinates for a while. River Jiang Yanli is nurturing and River Jiang Cheng is pissed off, so there are no surprises there. River Jiang Cheng thinks that Wei Wuxian is a promise-breaking douchebag. He’s not exactly wrong.

Courtesy of convenient gossiping cultivators, Wei Wuxian discovers that the 16 year old arrogant kid from the Jin clan who his brother from the Jiang clan has custody of is actually and quite obviously Jin Rulan.

Well fuck I guess now I care about something, that’s inconvenient.

Needing to help parent the child of the sister who parented him is what draws Wei Wuxian fully into his new life.

As soon as he has this realization, Apple comes back from roaming around, and never gives him any trouble after this for the rest of the story. Which...probably doesn’t mean anything.

Wen Gravesite

Does Wen Ning hang out here because it’s where he and his (dead) people came from? Oh great, now I am sad.

Judging by all the leaves on this grave thingy I’m going to say that this grave tender dude is, ah, not very good at his job.

Get him, Jingyi!

I feel like maybe we all focus too much on how Lan Jingyi is so hilarious and sardonic and not enough on how he is a such a biscuit.

Soul Grass

As mentioned in the previous post, Chinese spiritual concepts don’t always translate well into English. Soul grass? Sure, why not.

This is where Wei Wuxian’s Sherlock Holmes brain starts to work, although he still doesn’t remember really basic stuff about Dafan Mountain. Dying and changing bodies is rough on the old neurochemistry. This creates more opportunities for flashbacks, however, and if there’s one thing The Untamed deffo needs more of, it’s kissing flashbacks.

Temple Statue

Presumably grave-tender dude is also in charge of clearing away spiderwebs at the temple, because it’s not getting done.

Jin Ling walks into the temple blaspheming at full volume.

Since this isn’t a Greek story, he isn’t immediately struck blind for this. Then when he wishes for the statue to come alive, it obligingly does. Everything’s coming up Rulan!

Wei Wuxian shows up to rescue all the kids by throwing talismans at the monster which does not tip anyone off to who he is.

Baby Cultivator Babysitting

Lan Wangji chills out in the cultivators’ pavilion with Jiang Cheng and their mutual hate boners.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian forgets all about his nephew and turns into cool professor guy, explaining the basics of soul-eating to the baby cultivators and gleefully encouraging their fear of Hanguang-Jun’s punishments.

Because the Lan babies are good filial children they are super respectful and engaged with this random adult who is lecturing them. They also - like their own Hanguang-Jun at their age - see and admire Wei Wuxian’s intellect. It’s easy to forget how extremely smart Wei Wuxian is, because of how extremely dumb Wei Wuxian is.

Lan Jingyi suddenly figures out Wei Wuxian is not crazy.

Bis. Kit.

Then Rock Lady shows up and Jin Ling sticks 6 arrows into her while Lans Jingyi and Sizhui stand around not bothering to draw their swords.

I see a lot of comments about the bad effects in the statue sequences but I think Rock Lady is all right. The figure animation is decent and the lighting is no worse on her than on everything else in the scene. Her hair is nice, for a rock person.

Admittedly I just finished watching Guardian which has CGI monsters so bad they may have injured my retinas and possibly also my DNA, so the bar, for me, is pretty low. Rock lady clears it with room to spare.

Note: Wei Wuxian’s flute playing does zippity towards controlling the statue. Not sure what his plan was here.

Wen Ning Kicks Ass

Now we get to meet Wen Ning, who appears to be a stone-cold badass. Later we will discover how hilariously inaccurate that assessment is.

While all versions of Wen Ning are delightful, this version of Wen Ning is also...strangely attractive? He’s got a Patti-Smith-Horses-Era vibe here, instead of his more usual lost-baby-dork vibe. And his dreamy “I have nails in my head” expression is intriguing.

I mean, he’s not a total snack like zombie Song Lan or pre-zombie Song Lan or blind Song Lan or post-zombie Song Lan, but this look is a good one for Wen Ning, is what I’m saying.

Reunions are Awkward, Part 2

Lan Wangji, who has 99% already recognized Wei Wuxian because of the haunted sword and the fierce jawline and beautiful neck and tiny tiny waist, is summoned by his flute playing as inexorably as the Ghost General was.

Jiang Cheng also recognizes Wei Wuxian and goes into full beatdown mode, thwarted (silently) by Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian attempts to preserve his incognito by sassing Jiang Cheng in as sibling-like a manner as possible.

Hanguang-Jun’s Pro-Ghost Agenda Has Been Clear for Some Time

This Jiang/Lan fight is hilarious when you consider the implications.

Macroexpression vs. Microexpression

Mo Xuanyu brought Wei Wuxian back using sacrifice summons, a dark ritual invented by Wei Wuxian that he, most likely, did NOT show to Lan Wangji back in the day. So it’s a pretty safe bet that Lan Wangji doesn’t know that Wei Wuxian was gifted a body, rather than stealing one.

when your brother turns around, you must whip him you will never live it down unless you whip him

When Jiang Cheng lets loose with Zidian, it’s not just because he’s angry. He’s using purple power to force Wei Wuxian’s ghost out of the body he’s apparently possessed. And Lan Wangji instantly STOPS him from doing that.

Clan Leader Jiang: this person has been possessed, against their will, by an evil ghost

Future Chief Cultivator Lan: Counterpoint: I am banging the ghost

Flashback Time

Welcome to your 30-episode flashback!

Once I used to join in Every boy and girl was my friend Now there's revolution, but they don't know What they're fighting

Let us close our eyes Outside their lives go on much faster Oh, we won't give in We'll keep living in the past

Road Tripping to Summer School

Gosh I’m looking forward to younger, kinder, more relatable Jiang Cheng.

...prick.

Incidentally, until now this episode didn’t know that Jiang Cheng has smile muscles, and neither did the person who glued his wig on for him.

I Like Rabbits

Here we have our first rabbit in a large collection of rabbit iconography that appears in The Untamed.

Instead of sending everyone to the Wikipedia page for Tu'er Shen I’m going to take this opportunity to rec the short film Kiss of the Rabbit God by Andrew Thomas Huang (tw: blood, tw:body-mod cutting) which you can read about and watch over at Nowness.com

Particularly if you are a queer person of Chinese heritage, check it out.

So. What the fuck are these? Are they food?

Are they made from wax? Or corn starch? or pig intestines?

Wei Wuxian runs off to get laid drunk and Jiang Cheng grumps about it. Jiang Yanli reminds him that being free is a Jiang Clan Rule, so really Wei Wuxian is following the rules by not following the rules. Does that mean he’s not free? My head hurts.

Jiang Cheng: yes but grump grump grump

Jiang Yanli: Nothing bad will ever happen because of A-Xian’s choices, trust me

Outro

Wei Wuxian faint tally: one Caught by: the cold hard ground

Soundtrack: 1. Donkey Riding by Great Big Sea 2. Living in the Past by Jethro Tull 3. Whip It by Devo

Fic prompt: Lan Wangji’s internal monologue while he sits in the pavilion with Jiang Cheng

If you write a fic from this prompt and want to share, please post a link in comments!

Bonus: Wang Zuocheng, macro-expression king

Episode 03 Restless Rewatch coming soon!

#the untamed #fytheuntamed #the untamed spoilers #the untamed gifs #the untamed stills #my gifs #my stills #restless rewatch #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #lan wangji #lan jingyi #c-drama #bl drama #the untamed memes

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eurydicees · 3 years

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top 10 ouran manga-only arcs

this is going to be such a long post i apologize in advance. the ranking system has absolutely no criteria other than "does this pass my vibe check.” bonus points were awarded if i could think about tamakyo while reading it; points were also awarded every time tamaki did something cool. this was a delight to make. anyways, without further ado, here are my personal top ten favorites, and no i will not be taking criticism.

1. THE TAMAKI EXTRAVAGANZA

(vol 16 chp 73 - vol 18 chp 80)

PLOT:

So much happens here that I couldn’t think of an actual name, and uh does it count as a single arc? Probably not, but I’m counting it as one because it has a single thread: Tamaki. My beloved. So. First, Tamaki finally, finally, finally moves into Suoh mansion #1, but when he gets there, he gets told that he’s only allowed to study the Suoh business and go to school and nothing else— meaning he has to quit the host club. Shizue threatens to out Haruhi as a girl and ruin her reputation— possibly losing her the scholarship— if Tamaki doesn’t break off all ties with her.

The Host Club disbands. Kyoya begins an Investigation™ into Tamaki’s mother— she had been incredibly weak and unhealthy when Tamaki was a child, but when Kyoya met her, she was pretty healthy. After some sleuthing, the hosts minus Tamaki discover that she probably had Bisco Hatori’s fictional version of lupus, which was cured by a mysterious foundation— which they discover was run by the Grantaine family, funded by the Suoh corporation, and actually researched by the Ootori conglomerate. Literally everyone is in on it. It’s fucking wild. Like. Huge “holy fucking shit I need to stop and take a breath” moment.

This information is suddenly released to the public, and then the Suoh corporation all vote Shizue out of her position, saying that she’s no longer fit for the job. She locks herself in her room and refuses to speak to anyone, breaking Tamaki’s heart. But now that she’s no longer top dog, Anne-Sophie can come to Japan— Yuzuru is super hyped and expects Tamaki to be as well, not understanding that Tamaki’s family fantasy includes his grandmother. Tamaki stops going to school and plays piano every day in order to cheer up the house, eventually luring Shizue out to listen to him play their shared favorite songs from J-dramas.

They begin to bond and Shizue sees that he’s not a failure because of his parentage, but it’s too late because Anne-Sophie is about to fly back to France. All is hopeless.

EXCEPT THEN. All of the hosts and all of the clients realize what’s happening and rush to help him get to his mother. They all adore him so much, and give their all into getting Tamaki to the airport. Shizue finally encourages him to go, realizing— with the help of Haruhi— that she has been bitter and selfish and Tamaki deserves better. They rush to the airport, and through a series of shenanigans that are no match for the combined power of the hosts and every single girl at Ouran, Tamaki makes it to the airport. They make it there JUST in time, and Tamaki gets a five minute reunion with his mother. Haruhi finally confesses to Tamaki that she loves him.

WHY I LOVE IT:

oh my God oh my God oh my GOD. Like. This is just. So much. So Much. We all know that I’m like. The #1 Fan of Tamaki Suoh. Like. President, vice president, treasurer, and secretary of the fan club, all at once. I love him so much, and this just gives him so much development. There is so much opportunity for him to grow and you not only really see who he is as a character, but you also see how much he’s grown as a person from his first introduction. You also get more of a glimpse into the world of Rich People, and the way that all of their families interact with each other, and then also with the way that they interact within their families. It’s just such an intense arc and it’s so beautiful and I love it so much.

2. THE SPORTS COMPETITION

(vol 10 chp 46 - vol 11 chp 49)

PLOT:

This one is HARD to rank, because I love it, but it also Hurts. Like. I genuinely cried over this one, though that’s not actually saying much because I cry at everything. So. Here’s what’s up. Tamaki gets into this idea of a sports festival, and then Kuze wanders in to fight Kyoya again, so Tamaki suggests a competition between the two of them. This is a very Tamaki thing to do, but Kyoya gets fed up with it and refuses to participate— until Kuze accuses him of being “Suoh’s pet” and that he’ll always let Tamaki win, and then Kyoya gets fired the fuck up.

But he’s still bitter at Tamaki for starting this, so the two of them stop talking and my heart breaks. This does not stop Tamaki from having heart eyes for Kyoya 24/7. Hikaru and Kaoru are assigned to competing teams, and begin their Very Long Journey into not being so codependent— Hikaru is on the red team with Tamaki, Haruhi, and Kuze; Kaoru is on the white team with Kyoya and Honey.

Essentially, each team goes through rounds of races in different areas that are like. Complete bullshit games, but whatever. It’s Rich People World. The white team gets ahead; the red team performs a scene from a Shakespeare show to rally their losing team together and begins to win, until they’re on even footing. The final race is between Kyoya and Tamaki.

There’s a heartbreaking series of panels of Tamaki just… thinking about Kyoya. I cannot get enough of it. Then there’s an even more heartbreaking series of panels of Kyoya just… thinking about Tamaki. You realize, alongside the other hosts, that Tamaki pushed for this race not really for benefit or fun, but to give Kyoya a chance to compete in something for real, without having to set it up so that Tamaki wins (as we see in the race for the central salon). It’s a chance for him to win and not put his family first. Tamaki still tried his best, because Kyoya would hate him if he threw the race, but he lost because Kyoya fought with the intention of winning for HIMSELF, and not just playing support to Tamaki or impressing his father.

Finally, in the last panel, it’s revealed that the class trip will be to France.

WHY I LOVE IT:

God it burns so good. So Good. The Tamakyo, the Hikaru & Kaoru character growth, the Kyoya development, the Tamaki being so so so good, the Kyoya being so brilliant, everything oh my lord. This is really one of the biggest points of Kyoya’s character development, and it’s the first place I’m going to point to when thinking accurately about who he is as a person. It shows who he is, and who he believes he is, and who he wants to be, and who other people see him as. It’s also just a Tamakyo goldmine, even though they don’t ever actually talk. It’s so beautiful and it makes me cry.

3. THE ORIENTEERING RACE

(vol 14 chp 66 - vol 15 chp 68)

PLOT:

In an attempt to make Tamaki realize that the hosts all love him just as much as he loves them, the hosts sans Tamaki put together an orienteering race. There are six checkpoints, each one with a task to be completed in order to get an ingredient that will make the best meal at the end of the race.

Hikaru and Kaoru play the return of the “Which one is Hikaru?” game, knowing that Tamaki has been able to tell them apart for a while by now; Nekozawa’s checkpoint is a quiz on cursed items, knowing that Tamaki is familiar with Beelzenef; Honey’s checkpoint is a game of whack-a-mole with little mini Usa-chans, knowing that Tamaki isn’t afraid of making him upset over a game, though all the girls are; Mori’s is a sword slicing thing to show that Tamaki will never give up on something; Haruhi’s is a “tell the truth or never pass” kind of thing; and Kyoya’s is a crossword puzzle of all the answers made up of things from previous club themes.

Tamaki pairs up with Konoya— who is in love with him and is the “perfect Haruhi” trope— and realizes that she’s incredibly different from Haruhi, and that he loves Haruhi for who she is and not who he thought he wanted her to be. He also realizes that— because the hosts have gone through all of this for him— they do love him for who he is, no matter what, no matter the bad parts of his personality, and they’re never leaving him.

WHY I LOVE IT:

Look. We know that anything about Tamaki is gonna make me happy. I am a simple woman and so easy to please. This is literally just three chapters about how much all of the hosts love Tamaki and want him to be happy. I cannot express in words how rewarding it is to watch Tamaki realize how important he is and how much he’s loved— because he is loved, he’s so loved, he’s so so so loved. This is also the arc with the building block / building a home metaphor, and it destroyed me both physically and emotionally (vol 14 chp 66). This is where the found family is really solidified, and we all love a good dosage of found family.

4. RACE FOR THE CENTRAL SALON / THE SCHOOL FAIR

(vol 6 chp 22 - vol 6 chp 26)

PLOT:

This is where the anime diverges from the manga, and I have to say that this version of the school fair is just so much better than the anime version. Like. Just So Much Better. Basically, the club is setting up for the school fair, and the best spot to set up— essentially, the spot that will get the most foot traffic form the parents— is in the central salon. To figure out which club is going to get the spot, they all compete in a literal race, both mind games and physical games and it just slaps overall.

The b-plot is that the Host Club is getting threatening letters telling them to drop out of the race, alongside blank papers that are sent with the notes; the hosts have to figure out who is sending the notes and confront it. This is the arc that introduces both Kuze and Yuzuru Suoh for the first time. Kuze is captain of the football team and Kyoya’s rival and also definitely his secret ex-boyfriend. Chairman Suoh is… just. A lot. Just. That’s it. A Lot. He’s A Lot.

Anyways, part of the winning race is capturing this crown that’s hidden on campus, which turns out to be at a swimming pool. The football team gets there at the same time as Haruhi, and Kuze pushes her into the pool and goes for the crown. Kyoya and Tamaki reach her at the same time— Tamaki’s instinct is to go for Haruhi, but Kyoya tells him to get the crown and thus the glory of winning, while Kyoya rescues Haruhi.

Later, it turns out that Yuzuru was sending the blank papers with harmless messages written in invisible ink as a prank to emphasize the literal hate mail that the hosts were getting. The follow up to the race is the actual school fair, where we meet Yoshio and Shizue. Fuck Shizue, not even going to get into that right now because I WILL cry, but just know that it’s even worse than it is in the anime. Yoshio, though, is eons better in the manga than in the anime— he is genuinely proud of Kyoya and says that he actually wouldn’t mind appointing Kyoya as heir.

WHY I LOVE IT:

Volume 6 does SO MUCH for Kyoya and Tamaki and we all know that I’m ride or die for the two of them. Kyoya finally gets a chance to shine as team leader and it’s what he deserves! Tamaki takes a little more of a backseat, which I don’t even mind, because Kyoya does such a good job of pulling attention here. The scene at the swimming pool is just so good— it really shows the huge amount of trust between Tamaki and Kyoya, and does a good job of setting up the relationship they need to have as Rich People, outside of their friendship, which is something that we don’t see a lot of. Overall, it’s a very Kyoya-centric arc, and it does amazing things for the development of his character and personality. It’s one of the biggest insights into how he functions as a kind of mastermind for the club. We also finally get Tamaki’s full-ish backstory, which genuinely makes me cry every time.

5. THE HITACHIIN FAMILY

(vol 10 chp 45 / vol 11 chp 51 - vol 12 chp 53)

PLOT:

So this is technically two plot lines, but I’m going to count it as one because it’s all about the twins, my loves. In vol 10 chp 45, we get a little insight into the life of the Hitachiin family and why the twins are as fucked up as they are. Quick rundown— their parents can tell them apart but pretend not to for whatever godforsaken reason; Kaoru admits he’s in love with Haruhi for the first time and Hikaru remains oblivious; Kaoru begins to realize how unhealthy he and Hikaru’s relationship is and how, one day, they aren’t going to be able to have all of the same things; there’s a cookie metaphor; Tamaki gets lost in the Hitachiin manion; it’s all a good time.

In volumes 11 and 12, we begin the actual split between the twins, where they realize that they can’t stay the way that they are forever. They can’t be one person forever. They realize this in a fight over Haruhi, where Hikaru suggests they “share” her as a sister, and Kaoru rightfully thinks this is bullshit. They get in their first— and only— genuinely real argument. Hikaru breaks down in Mori’s house, Kaoru breaks down at Honey’s place, literally no one is happy and I am crying.

Kaoru asks Haruhi out on a date, and then ends the date by explaining that he could never date her knowing that it would be hurting Hikaru. Haruhi is, understandably, very confused by this whole thing, and no one is telling her anything.

Kaoru then makes up with Hikaru, saying that he’ll give up on trying to pursue Haruhi, but tells him that they actually do need to live separate lives at some point— and that point might as well be now. He wants to break apart entirely, but Hikaru explains that while they need to break apart in a lot of ways and find their own identities, they can never fully forget each other. They agree that they can influence and love each other without depending on each other for a personality.

They keep up the incest ACT at the club, though. Bisco Hatori couldn’t manage to write her way out of that one.

WHY I LOVE IT:

So this one just. Really hits home for me. It’s a genuinely heart wrenching arc, and the progression of the whole thing was just so slow and so steady and it was so well done. The twins are two of my favorite characters in the show/manga, and their relationship is something that I can analyze for days, and this arc is a huge part of why it’s so interesting. It does amazing things for both of them as developing characters, but it does even more amazing things for their character growth as people. It also provides a nice catalyst for the Hikaru/Tamaki/Haruhi love triangle. Anyways, it made me cry and apparently that’s my only criteria.

6. THE FRANCE ARC

(vol 10 chp 46 - vol 12 chp 56)

PLOT:

On the Ouran 2nd year school trip to France, Kyoya decides he’s going to spend the trip searching for Tamaki’s mother, rather than spending it with the other students. He works himself to death trying to find her— he ends up literally falling asleep on the ground because he’s so exhausted from searching and taking literally no breaks. Kyoya finds her eventually, and has a really nice conversation with her— she has a bunch of photos of Tamaki, and clearly is constantly thinking about him. When he gets back to Japan, he tells Tamaki about her— about how beautiful she is, about how she smiles, about how she thinks of her son every day.

We get more of Tamaki’s backstory, and his close relationship from his mother and how his mantra— living life in Japan to the fullest and being as happy as he can be every day— all comes from his mother. She told him that she’s happiest when he’s smiling, and so when he leaves her behind in France, he decides to be smiling every day and make everyone around him smile as well.

While Kyoya is in France, Tamaki stays behind in Japan— he gets closer to his father, who offers to begin to train him to take over the Suoh business. He visits Haruhi, and tells her a little bit about his life in France, and Haruhi’s love for Tamaki begins to make an appearance for the first time.

WHY I LOVE IT:

So I went into this list thinking that this would be my favorite plot, so it’s wild to me that it didn’t even make the top five. It’s kind of weird and I didn’t expect it, but I’m still satisfied with this list. Anyways, I really love this one, even if it’s not the top five. It’s like. The ultimate Tamakyo story, and there’s just. There’s just so much to unpack there. Like. We don’t have time for me to go through the whole thing and analyze every part of it because there’s just so much of it. It’s so good, and it makes my heart grow three sizes. It’s another brilliant development piece for Kyoya, and shows his softer side, as well as just how much he loves Tamaki.

7. MORI AND HONEY GRADUATE

(vol 15 chp 71 - vol 16 chp 72)

PLOT:

Honey and Mori announce that, after graduation, they’ll be splitting up and going to different universities. This proceeds to emotionally destroy literally everyone except for them. Mori is challenged to a series of duels at the Kendo club in which he has to fight every underclassman who wants the honor of fighting him before he graduates. He’s exhausted and worn down, and he loses to a second year, which is bad for like. Honor reasons. RIP. Anyways. He reveals that he’s just been really worried about something but before he can tell anyone, he has to duel Honey. It hurts.

They start preparing for the fight— which Kyoya is capitalizing off of via movie rights and betting rings— and scare everyone that they’re going to never speak again. When the fight comes, they fight on the Windswept Hill™ at Ouran (the same place that Chika and Honey fight on way back when). They go for it and pull no punches, until Honey tries to do a flying kick and Mori catches him and gently places him outside of the boundaries of the fighting ring, thus winning the duel.

Because he won, he pulls out a sheet of paper in which he’s written down all of the things that Honey needs to do in university because Mori isn’t going to be there to take care of him: brush his teeth, cut down the cake by 90%, and stop bringing Usa-chan to classes. Mori felt that he didn’t have the right to tell him these things until they were on equal level because he had won the duel.

They make up and everything is okay— they graduate, everyone cries, including me. Kasanoda gives Mori flowers, it’s all very cute. Haruhi makes cookies, and when Tamaki goes running down the hallway to find her, they bump into each other and drop all of the cookies. While they’re picking them up, they share the classic ~accidental kiss~.

WHY I LOVE IT:

This is one of the only Honey & Mori-centric plotlines that gets fully fleshed out and like. More than a chapter. It really does lovely things for their relationship, and it’s the end of an era. Even though it’s the end of an era, though, the resolution is incredibly satisfying— Honey and Mori’s stories are wrapping up, but it’s really well done. It’s sad, but it’s a really rewarding ending. They’re such sweet boys. Also, it’s not like they’re gone forever, so it’s all okay.

8. REIKO x HONEY

(vol 10 chp 41)

PLOT:

Reiko is part of the Black Magic Club, and falls in love with Honey when he gives her a hand in getting up after she trips over Usa-chan. However, she believes that falling in love with Honey is equivalent to him “stealing her soul,” and so she uses “curses” to steal his soul back. These curses are basically just love spells.

In the end, Honey tells her to just, like, be herself. Talk about her interests. Get to know him. Be honest. Then she won’t need love spells to make him like her. Even if she messes up or is awkward or says something weird, he’ll still like her because she’s being true to herself. This is one of the only Honey-centric chapters, and Reiko is one of my favorite side characters.

WHY I LOVE IT:

They’re the OG goth x pastel couple. The blueprint for all other couples. Icons. I love them so much. This makes it on the list just because I love their relationships. I also love the whole Moral Of The Story, in that it’s important to be true to yourself. It’s so sweet it hurts.

9. HARUHI AND TAMAKI’S FIRST DATE

(vol 18 chp 81 - vol 18 chp 82)

PLOT:

So. Right after the two of them confess their love to each other, everyone expects them to get together and be a couple right away, but Haruhi is just kinda chilling. She’s not super stressed about dating, it’s just a relief to have said it out loud. Meanwhile, Tamaki is kind of a mess, stressing out over their first date and trying to make it as perfect as he possibly can. Seeing him so stressed, all of the hosts band together to help him out in planning a date. When Tamaki finally gets up the nerve to ask her out, he falls in the fountain and Haruhi has to fish him out. She’s then the one to ask him out to the amusement park.

In true Tamaki fashion, he gets incredibly stressed out again. He gets fashion advice from a series of unfashionable people. The hosts sneak around the amusement park and follow them around, finding out that it’s actually going really well, as long as they’re not interfering. After the Lobelia girls show up and try to sabotage the date, Tamaki and Haruhi run away— while Kyoya Handles™ the situation— and they go to her mother’s grave. There, it’s revealed that Haruhi will be going on an exchange program to America.

WHY I LOVE IT:

It’s just. So cute. Like. I’m Tamakyo for life, but I do adore them so much. It’s lower on the list because of the sheer amount of second hand embarrassment, but overall, I loved reading this one. Tamaki is just so genuine and earnest about everything he does, and I think these chapters do a lot to show why the two of them work as a couple. It also does lovely characterization points for Haruhi, and begins to wrap up the ending. Bonus points for a jealous and heartbroken Kyoya.

10. PRINCESS MICHELLE

(vol 9 chp 38 - vol 9 chp 39)

PLOT:

Princess Michelle comes to Ouran to do a week of school in Japan. After meeting her, Tamaki essentially puts him and the Host Club at her beck and call, doing anything that he can to make her happy, no matter how insanely extravagant her demands are. Everyone else finds this infuriating, until Kyoya points out that Michelle looks similar to Tamaki’s mother, saying that the last time Tamaki saw his mother, she was crying— and if he sees Michelle smile for real, it might help him picture his mother smiling again.

Overall, it’s just a very soft arc that begins to unfold Tamaki’s family-related trauma. It also kickstarts Tamaki’s realization that he’s in love with Haruhi and doesn’t actually have paternal feelings for her (that’s the whole next chapter, but make it funny rather than introspective); and it’s one of the moments that Haruhi realizes that Tamaki is genuinely just a good person.

WHY I LOVE IT:

I wasn’t sure that this one would make the list at all, but I do really love this story. It’s pretty short, just two chapters, but it’s overall really sweet. I like Michelle as a character a lot— she seems a bit like a bitch at the beginning, but she gets fleshed out and given an actual personality as the chapter goes on. It’s a really good example of Bisco Hatori’s writing.

HONORARY MENTIONS:

Mei (character): probably the most significant character in the manga that doesn’t appear at all in the anime, which is pretty tragic, but I think that the anime really wanted to emphasize that Haruhi doesn’t really have any female friends / friends outside of the hosts. But anyways, she’s Misuzu’s daughter and Haruhi’s friend; she’s lowkey transphobic but she’s getting better! Had a brief crush on Tamaki but she ends with being the #1 Tamaharu stan. Great friend to Haruhi.

The masquerade ball: Haruhi's going away party, and the reveal that she's a girl.

Haruhi gets kidnapped: Haruhi is kidnapped and held for ransom, the hosts find her and break down doors to get there.

#ohshc #ouran manga #ouran koukou host club #ouran high school host club #ouran liveblog #ouran #ouran high school host club manga #please rb this i worked SO HARD on it #also please add your opinions #there are a few different lists that are valid. and many that are not.#i will vibe check your lists if you post them

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dragonclaw29 · 4 years

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Top Ten Anime (Sorta)

Hello everyone it is that time of year again, time for my annual top ten anime list. In order not to be boring I have removed any repeats from any previous years. If you want to find those you can search my blog for top ten anime and they will come up. Well I know you didn’t come for my ramblings so here is the list.

10. Devilman Crybaby

This show I think reflects what sin actually looks like and what it does to a person. Akira is a high school boy whose friend has a mysterious past. A past which will come to dominate not only their friendship but the world as we know it. When demons are on the prowl one might find themselves stooping to their level.

9. Erased

How does the disappearance of a girl from a mans childhood have anything to do with his mothers death. A man must find out in order to prove his name, and stop tragedy from repeating itself. I would say more but I don’t want to ruin any surprises.

8. Darker than Black

BK201 a mysterious Contractor involved in the deaths of dozens of people. Ever since 4 gateways around the world appeared people with powers have started to manifest no more so deadly than BK201. With a great opening and a fun character cast from all over the world, Darker than black will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

7. Demi-Chan wa Kataritai

In a world where human looking monsters exist it is up to teachers and parents to make sure that they can integrate successfully into society. This show is a cute story about a group of friends trying to fit in despite their differences. Demi-chan is adorable, funny, and has a great message and is a show I could recommend to every one.

6. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

If you have been on tumblr for longer than six seconds and were into anime you already have heard of this show. Its great.

5. Paranoia Agent

Japanese society is thrown off its hinges when a mysterious bat wielding man starts to terrorize Tokyo. A mascot designer lies at the heart of this. This show takes no prisoners with its mystery and I am certain you will not guess the twist. Ps. Best episode is number 10, objective fact.

4. Konosuba

If you were to actually isekai the average teenage boy this show is what I think you would get. I love this show its hilarious, the art style is great, the characters lifelike. Kazuma the main character suddenly finds himself dead and in front of a God. When asked what to bring to the other world he demands that the god comes with him, hilarity ensues. In short this two season show will make you cry laughing.

3. Tasogare Otome x Amnesia

The only romance anime on this list Tasogare amnesia tells the tale of a man and the ghost who fell in love with him. This show is surprisingly funny with some really emotional scenes. I fell in love with the shows heroine and her antics as she harasses the only person who can see her.

2. Shinsekai Yori

Oh god do I have so many thoughts about this show. I can’t sum them up in a short paragraph. If I had to say anything it would be that everything about this show is designed perfectly to have you stay up late at night thinking about it. This show is not for the faint of heart but it promises one of the best stories ever written. Only reason it wasn’t in my top ten last year was because I still wasn’t over it.

1. Ima soko ni iru boku

Why does man do evil? That question is explored in this show as the main character Shu is thrust into a world he doesn’t understand but is very much like our own. This show gave me whiplash between the first two episodes, and if you watch it you will know what I mean. I won’t say much on it, it will ruin the effect if I do but be ready to see both the cruelty and beauty of man.

So thats this years list done and dusted. As per usual feel free to message me to ask questions or tell me that I am wrong. If you have any anime recommendations send them my way. Big shout out to @drunkusaurelius for watching many of these shows with me and being just an awesome person. Also make sure to check out @sassymomfriend who will upload their own top ten list, tell her I say hi and that not all of my anime choices are life scaring just most of them.

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blouisparadise · 4 years

Photo

Here are some amazing bottom Louis fics posted or completed during the month of July. We really hope you enjoy this list and that you give these fics a lot of love.

Happy reading!

1) Your Good Time | Explicit | 3070 words

Louis nodded along with what the guy was saying, apparently his arousal taking over his brain to mouth filter as he said, “Who would want to hide a fit bloke like you? That guys an idiot.” Louis scoffed, dramatizing the word ‘idiot’, giving the guy a sly smirk. The guy leaned an arm against the bar, turned his body to Louis and fixed him with a curious look before he held out a hand.

“M’Harry.”

Louis and Harry meet in a bar when Harry's date is an ass. Inspired by Temporary Fix by One Direction.

2) I Push You To The Limits | Explicit | 3846 words

Louis is a brat who likes seeing his boyfriend get jealous and possessive over him.

3) Overkill | Explicit | 4354 words

Louis was never going to get over how fucking attractive Harry was. How glorious his big, tall, curvy body was. The feeling of Harry behind him, hot and heavy, trapped on the tube after they’d been somewhere during rush hour. His thick hands, full of pretty rings sometimes, handing Louis a cup of coffee, then getting one for himself.

4) Too Nervous to be Lovers | Mature | 6445 words

Louis doesn't want to spend quarantine with Harry, his straight roommate, who doesn't even acknowledge his existence.

5) Fratboy In Love | Mature | 6830 words

Harry Styles was a frat boy who loved to sleep around and flirt with boys and girls. Louis was a good uni student who loved to stay in and study and wasn't much of a partier.

Insert his best friend Niall who talks him into going. Louis gets drunk and ends up sleeping with harry. The next day he leaves before Harry wakes and tries to avoid him at all costs. Thinking Harry wouldn't care since Louis was just another conquest. But what if Harry did care. And actually have a crush on Louis. Read and find out

6) My Sunflower | Mature | 7057 words

Louis would rather be sunbathing at the beach with his friends, not slaving his spring break away in his father’s flower shop.

7) Waiting | Explicit | 8023 words

Louis Tomlinson was Harry’s omega, of this Harry had always been sure. Unfortunately for Harry, Louis seemed to think they were just best friends. The six weeks that Harry has to live with Louis were going to be rough.

8) Shine Light Upon Your Ground | Explicit | 8506 words

Note: The fic pairing is Louis/H, which the reader can picture as Harry or Henry Cavill.

Louis sighs again and fiddles with the bracelet on his wrist, twisting the charms around and petting the fake diamonds.

“How much for a night?” A deep voice suddenly asks him. The man who approaches him is already pulling out his wallet and flicking through a bundle of bills. Louis, who had been sitting at the bar completely innocent and minding his own business, lets out an offended, strangled sound.

“Excuse me?” He demands, straightening up in his seat. The hem of his dress creeps further up his thigh but he pays it no mind.

9) Glistening Under The Sun (You're My Honey Soaked Love) | Mature | 8996 words

“Oh Petal,” he picks her up nuzzling the top of her head with his cheek as she nibbles on the lavender, “How lucky are we? I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy, the only thing we have to be sad about is that soon I won’t be able to hold you like this,”

10) Connected To The Heart | Explicit | 9059 words

Note: This is an coda scene for this fic.

“Your stage cue is way too close for you to be wearing that look you’re wearing,” Louis informs him. He can’t stop himself from looking up at Harry through his eyelashes, the silk of Harry’s dress shirt brushing against the backs of his knuckles.

“Twenty minutes,” Harry agrees. His breath is minty from the gum he was chewing earlier, fresh and warm. “Twenty minutes can be a long time, baby.”

This time, Louis has to force himself to roll his eyes. “Not nearly long enough for the way you always want to fuck me.”

11) Fuck U Betta | Explicit | 11438 words

There’s something about having Louis like this, exposed and desperate, that makes a primal urge bubble up from deep inside Harry’s chest. Desire mixed with something else, something unquantifiable. It’s the thing that makes them want this, need this. Nothing else will satisfy them or quench their thirst.

OR the one where Harry likes the thrill of the chase, Louis likes to be chased, and everyone gets what they need… in the end.

12) Kiss Me In Your Chevrolet | Explicit | 11569 words

"Yes, Lou?" Harry asked, rubbing his tired eyes. A gust of wind came through the open windows, sending chills down Harry's arms as a light rain began falling outside. He closed his eyes again and let his head fall back to the couch arm rest.

"Can we go there?" Louis asked, probably pointing somewhere. Harry opened his eyes and felt his heart jump in his chest, a magazine page a couple of inches away from his face. Startled, Harry closed his eyes and breathed heavily, trying to collect himself.

Harry blinked a few times to focus his eyes on the page Louis still held in front of his nose. "You want to go to the Grand Canyon?" He furrowed his eyebrows, tilting his head to the left to look at Louis' face.

13) Pull The Trigger | Explicit | 12007 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic, which is #16 on this list.

Louis has never been alright with killing. Will that change when he learns what it's like to be the one holding the gun?

14) Open All Night | Explicit | 12537 words

It’s six in the morning when Harry finally makes it back home.

Harry's a bartender, Louis' got a nice ass and a shit taste in men. They make it work.

15) Among Other Things | Explicit | 16073 words

“Harry, it’s 7:45, oh my god, my class starts at 8:15,” and Louis wants to cry. Harry’s busy under the bed trying to find the tiny silver key but Louis knows that fate just hates him and he needs to find a way to get up. “Harry, I—fuck,” Louis whines. Harry stands up in a rush.

“I can’t seem to find them. It. The key.”

Or, Louis’ the teacher of Harry Styles’ daughter. Their paths shouldn’t cross like this. This meaning Louis showing up to school handcuffed to a headboard.

16) A Bullet And It's Gun | Explicit | 18156 words

Note: The sequel to this fic is #13 on this list.

Louis’ parents arrange his marriage with Harry. He’s fully ready to accept that he’s going to be a sad and lonely person for the rest of his life. But then Harry starts proving himself as more than just an asocial man with money.

17) By Such Slight Ligaments | Explicit | 26764 words

Note: The fic pairing is Louis/Henry Cavill.

A late night visit to a patient sets off a series of events that will turn Louis' world upside down.

... Here there be monsters.

18) At Your Fingertips | Explicit | 27384 words

He finds himself wrapped up in sheets in bed on Thursday night, staring at the familiar name on a new story that was posted the night before.

His fingers twitch, ready to hit play and surrender to his impulses, saving the regret and turmoil for later.

And still he hesitates, internally praying that he’ll somehow gain the strength to exit out within the next few moments before he inevitably loses his patience and hits the button.

Three…

Two…

One.

Play.

19) Forgot My Roots Now Watch Me Bloom | Explicit | 28334 words

Lonely transit worker Louis pulls his longtime crush, Peter, from the path of an oncoming train. At the hospital, doctors report that he's in a coma, and a misplaced comment from Louis causes Peter's family to assume that he is his fiancée. When Louis doesn't correct them, they take him into their home and confidence. Things get even more complicated when he finds himself falling for Peter's brother, Harry. Loosely based on the movie "While You Were Sleeping".

20) Push You Out, Pull You Back In | Explicit | 31544 words

Harry hates feeling vulnerable. Louis is set on breaking through his tough facade.

21) Baby Blue | Explicit | 39439 words

Harry Styles takes his time coming out to greet them. Louis only knows what he’s seen on file and what he’s heard them talking about, but he fully lives up to the image he had inside of his head.

He saunters down the front steps of the farmhouse in his Levi’s, brown snakeskin boots curving out from underneath the denim Louis’ sure he had specially made. He’s got on a plaid button-down tucked into the jeans because of course he does, curls spilling out from either side of his cowboy hat around his sunglasses and country-tan skin.

“Harry Styles,” he drawls, extending a hand to Louis’ manager, “Pleased to meet ya’ll.”

22) Lidocaine And Palm Trees | Explicit | 44653 words

Heat, fake tans and lots of traffic.

Harry never expected to earn his living this way when he moved to LA.

Louis didn't think he could ever be the same after his divorce.

A lighthearted story about two guys trying to find themselves in the vibrant, sprawling city of Los Angeles, with a side of technical porn industry stuff.

23) Sleeping On Our Problems | Explicit | 67369 words

Louis sleeps with Harry and they have more than just catching feelings to worry about.

24) Truth Would Be | Explicit | 91869 words

“You want me? I’m not a… a thing to be owned!” Louis stuttered, still very angry and confused.

“Hmmm…” The alpha tapped his lips as if he was contemplating something. “Last time I checked, the debt was paid off and the only thing I had asked in return was… you. So technically I do own you.”

“You are crazy…” Louis muttered as he began to back towards the door. Harry’s impossibly green eyes turned a shade darker, but his tone was still teasing and light when he said, “Maybe I am…”

The I-paid-off-all-your-debt-so-you-are-mine AU in which Omega Louis wants to be left alone by Alpha Harry but it's super complicated when he starts to not hate the alpha all that much.

25) Collision | Not Rated | 224594 words

Note: This fic was finished in 2018, but two new epilogue chapters have been added.

Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

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#bottom louis #top harry #blp fic recs #monthly fic recs #fic recs #blp #larry

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notchesandbullets · 4 years

Text

Saving Her (Ojiro Mashirao x Wolf!Reader)

Part 6: Shopping for clothes, food court and boba experience served with Ashido’s endless shipping and topped off with an incredibly protective Dadzawa.

Word Count: 5.8k

After another hour of shopping around the huge mall, Aizawa decided now would probably be a good time to try and round his students up. Since if there were any problems tracking down those problematic and ridiculously talented children, he could deal with it before it got too late and past their curfew.

Besides, you still needed clothes and he was not equipped to handle that. As Kayama said, he had the fashion sense of an emo teenager going through his rebellious phase. The thing was, she had been saying that since she met him, so it lost its effect a long time ago.

"Heeyy, Ojiro-kun!! Y/N-chan!!!"

The both of you turned around to see Uraraka waving enthusiastically at you. Yaoyorozu and Ashido were with her, along with Shoji, Asui and Hagakure coming from the opposite direction.

Ojiro had spared his teacher from having to call all of them and simply sent a message in the group chat.

You didn't even want to know how often they used it based off of the glance you got when he pulled out his phone and let you see. In the span of the six-inch screen, you had caught a glimpse of topics ranging from food to homework to bodily functions and your head was spinning.

Aizawa sighed boredly and you threw him a sly side glance as Jirou, Kaminari and Ojiro ran out to meet the rest of the group once the boy by your side ensured you would stay with the only one responsible here.

"You're not really tired, are you, Aizawa-sensei?" You asked cheekily, skipping over to him.

He huffed out a laugh as he leaned against the wall. "You're cute, kid. Cut it out."

"I can't help it~" You whined, pouting childishly.

You protested as he ruffled your hair. Unlike when Ojiro did it, he was rougher and always messed it up. Nearly patting it down so it laid flat, you glared and the nerve he had to laugh outright at you had your mock frown wavering into a bright smile.

The sound made your eyes sparkle happily and he caught on quick.

"You did that on purpose, kid." He stated with a sigh, already feeling himself succumbing to your adorable nature.

No one should be that cute. It wasn't good for his heart.

He raised an eyebrow at you as you scuffed your feet on the ground, a cheeky smile still plastered on your face.

Aizawa ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head slightly. You were cute, even with how reluctant he was to admit to sometimes. Damn, he was getting a soft spot for you.

But the instant Ashido cooed, he returned to his stiff, normal, rugged teacher self.

"Alright, get going." He said dryly, gently redirecting you towards Ojiro who was holding out his hand to you before following. "We don't have all day."

"Technically, we do." Kaminari whispered in your ear and you giggled, covering it up with Aizawa fixated a glare on the two of you.

You held up your hand in surrender. "We are innocent."

"Yeah, yeah, likely story." Aizawa didn't believe you for a second. "Just go."

You skipped on ahead, Ojiro glued to your side. The girls flocked around you, Yaoyorozu leading the group to a different clothing store that she and her companions had been at earlier. This seemed much more suited to you, not to mention, a lot more affordable.

You were picking out a couple of things that seemed nice but you were really taking a gamble. You never had been clothes shopping before and weren't really sure what to expect. People mostly dressed you in whatever they wanted you to be presented in.

Luckily, Yaoyorozu swooped in to help.

Ojiro was surprisingly pretty knowledgeable about fashion too and when asked, he had blushed before proudly gushing about his little sister who he usually took on all her shopping trips when their parents were busy working. She had quite an acute fashion sense.

A huge pile of clothes later, you were shoved into a fitting room, with Shoji, Kaminari, Ojiro and Aizawa all waiting outside like some kind of odd band.

Either that, or a very disgruntled dad who was forced to tag along with all his unusual children.

The girls were gushing over each item that you put on, rushing out to get different sizes if the ones they picked didn't fit, making you show the boys and guardian everything that you liked.

You tended to gravitate more towards comfy clothes but there were a few Yaoyorozu and Hagakure found that were both beautiful and versatile. Those were an immediate yes from Aizawa and Ojiro, wanting you to have as much variety as possible.

Everything the girls had picked out that you show them complimented your figure beautifully but was still modest.

While you weren't looking, Shoji had selected some shoes for you, noticing that the ones you had one were practically falling apart on your feet. They were sturdy but had a geometric pattern that you found you rather liked a lot.

Thanking him, you beamed and he hid a smile.

Aizawa paid for all of it without batting an eye and you felt guilty for making him spend his money.

"You're not making me do anything, kid." He called out, as if he could read your thoughts. "I'm doing this because I want to provide for you, not because I feel forced to, got it?"

Besides, he had more than enough thanks to his hero work and teaching at the school. He rarely splurged on anything, the last thing being his old yellow sleeping bag which he had gotten years ago.

This wasn't even going to make a dent in the funds he had saved up.

You sniffled, nodding once. His bluntness took you by surprise but you concealed it well. You had no idea he could be so caring. You were overwhelmed by his generosity and the kindness of the people that surrounded you.

How did I get so lucky? What did I do to deserve this?

Aizawa's hands grasped empty air where the bags had been a minute ago, glancing at his students who were now in possession of your newly purchased things but shrugged, leaving them to it. Less work for him.

He watched them stumble one after another, all of them eagerly making their way to the food court. He checked the time on his phone, suppressing a yawn. It was about time to eat anyway.

Finally. He could sit down and take a nap.

You yelped as Ashido suddenly grasped your arm, pulling you along and you stumbled a few feet before righting yourself. Your hand slipped out of Ojiro's and you shouted in surprise as she took off like a racecar.

"Wha... Where are we going?!" You exclaimed as she sped ahead, dragging you along with her and leaving everyone else in the dust.

She excitedly pointed up ahead and you followed her finger.

"What's 'bubble tea'?" You asked innocently, never hearing of it before.

Your friend gasped in shock that you had never had the pleasure of experiencing the best thing in the world but then the wicked smile that crossed her face as she got behind the line was borderline evil.

"Oh, you're going to love this!!" Ashido said, her eyes gleaming.

When it was your turn, Ojiro finally caught up to the two of you. He was out of breath but all the tension in his body dissipated as he spotted you, safe and sound next to the pink girl. Unknown to you, he had zipped after you the second your hand slipped out of his but he had gotten swarmed by the crowd and lost sight of you.

Thankfully, Ashido hadn't taken you too far.

You squeaked, drawing your hands into your chest as you were crushed to his chest. "O-Ojiro-kun?"

"Geez, Y/N." He breathed, exasperated. "Don't scare me like that."

His scolding was light since he obviously knew it wasn't your fault but he was still concerned. You mumbled an apology and he hastily corrected his mistake, reassuring you that you didn't do anything wrong and you sank into his embrace, relieved.

Seeing as how it was your turn to order, he reluctantly let you go. You wandered up to the counter to shyly ask the barista what was good for someone who hadn't tried boba before and the girl launched into an advertisement of all her favorites.

Ojiro was busy sending a quick message to Aizawa to let him know that he had found you when Ashido slinked into his field of vision.

She bumped his hip with hers, pumping a fist into the air. "Oh, lighten up Ojiro, she's safe with me!! I won't let anybody take her!!"

She knew of the people after you but she had no idea about the incident that had occurred inside one of the stores just hours ago. As Ojiro clued her in, her eyes went wide and filled with guilt.

"Holy... I'm so sorry, I had no idea." She said, shoulders dropping as her usual energy dulled down. "Is she okay?"

Ojiro nodded, not once taking his eyes off of you. "Yeah, she was a bit shaky at first, but who wouldn't be? I think she's okay so long as we don't leave her."

Ashido nodded understandingly.

Seeing as how you were having trouble deciding what to get after a multitude of options from the enthusiastic barista, you turned back to Ojiro helplessly.

He slid up behind you, hands on your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder.

"Can we please have one regular milk tea with tapioca, a chai milk tea, and a taro milk tea with no ice, half sugar and tapioca, please?" He requested of the nice girl behind the counter, squeezing your side to let you know that everything was alright and you relaxed in his embrace.

Talking to strangers freaked you out even though she seemed nice enough. You just didn't like looking like an idiot who didn't know what they were doing, lacking the social skills everyone else seemed to have no problems with.

Ashido beamed, hopping over from looking at the menu to where the two of you were standing.

"No way, you remembered my order?!" She shrieked in disbelief and awe as she heard the complicated order. "Ojiro, you're amazing!!"

You had to agree with that statement. She proceeded to tell you of the time when she ordered it back when they were at Yaoyorozu's house to study for the upcoming exam, saying that there's no other way he could've heard it if it wasn't from back then.

You latched onto her story as if it was the most incredible thing in the world.

As Ojiro paid for the drinks, you helped carry them back to the table where Aizawa was sitting, Ashiso slurping on her drink already with a dazed look of joy on her face.

The underground hero looked out of place with children, families and teenagers milling around him.

He was sitting at a table by himself with several huge bags from various stores, most of which were very girly in design, signifying everyone's purchases. Seemed like everyone had left their stuff with him. You felt kind of bad but he looked like he didn't care so you suppressed it.

You set down the cups, glancing around the packed food court.

"Where's everybody else?" You asked.

Aizawa gestured to the ramen stands on the opposite side of the food court. "It's close to dinnertime, so they went to go get some food."

On cue, Ashido's stomach rumbled loudly.

"Oops." She grinned, tossing the now empty cup in a nearby trash can. "That's my cue!!"

Your eyes were as wide as saucers. "You finished it already?! It's been two minutes!!"

Flashing you a megawatt smile, she flounced off in another direction, presumably to get some food.

Uncertainly, you sank down in a chair across from Aizawa. Now that you thought about it, you were kind of hungry, but this was normal. All you had to do was not think about it and then the urges would go away.

Eventually.

You really didn't want to ask them to buy you anything, they didn't owe you anything and they've already done so much for you. One day without food wouldn't kill you.

Aizawa could read you better than that.

"Ojiro."

The boy looked up as his teacher called his name.

"She's hungry. Go get some gyūdon for her." Aizawa instructed without batting an eye at your flabbergasted expression.

It would be easy enough on your stomach, since he was sure you lacked the proper nutrients you needed for a girl your age. This would suffice for now until he could come up with a meal plan for you to get adjusted to your new normal. He was not going to have you starve from now on.

Nodding once, Ojiro sped towards where they were selling it but not before his teacher halted him to hand him ¥10,000. His eyes widened as he took in the hefty amount.

He looked mildly uncomfortable. "Aizawa-sensei—"

"Get something for yourself too, I don't care what you choose." Aizawa interrupted swiftly, his hard stare leaving no room for argument. "Make sure it's an appropriate enough meal for dinner though."

As Ojiro left to go hunt down some gyūdon, you swung your legs happily, beaming at the gruff man sitting across from you. His rough exterior and indifferent demeanor hid it well, but you still saw it. That softness in his gaze when he thought no one else was looking. He loved his students.

"Stop that." He said flatly as he caught you staring but you just giggled.

"I can't help it." You countered, resting your chin in the palm of your hand, your ears swiveling easily. "It's cute."

Aizawa snorted at that. "Enough, Y/N."

You conceded but the laughter in your eyes didn't fade and he shook his head, already done with your antics.

You knew exactly how much you were annoying him, which is why you were surprised when he suddenly asked you,

"How are you doing with all of this?"

He scrutinized you closely and your mouth opened and closed, at a loss for words. The possibility of you having done something wrong crossed your mind and your anxiety spiked.

Glancing down, you squeaked. "What do you mean?"

His eyes narrowed at you and you gulped.

Aizawa sighed, running a hand through his hair. He should've phrased it better. He knew by now you were insecure of your place, still figuring things out for yourself. His class had been a culture shock to you.

"How are you adjusting?" He corrected himself quietly, studying your facial expressions.

You contemplated his question before giving your answer.

"I think I'm doing okay," You said slowly, scratching your fluffy ears in thought. "It's been kind of weird having a place to call home and people who actually don't see me as a pet but it's nice."

Aizawa's jaw ticked and he clenched his hand into a fist at your honesty, overcome with the sudden urge to hunt down the Quirk Traffickers right then and there. He was taken aback by such a strong feeling.

The last time he felt something like this was when the League of Villains threatened his students at USJ.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down. He was a pro, he knew how to handle himself better than this.

However, all logic and reasoning fled the instant he saw it.

Aizawa moved faster than you could blink, catching the wrist inching towards your ears in an iron grip and stopped them from making contact.

"Don't touch her." He seethed, warning coming through clear as his eyes flashed red, the pressure on the boy's wrist making it clear that he would snap it if he so much as looked at you again.

As a pro-hero, he wasn't allowed to threaten them with bodily harm, but he couldn't help the anger that bubbled up when the gang of boys tried to lay their filthy hands on you.

"Are you okay?" He asked again but for a different reason than before as security intervened and took over.

You nodded, slightly dazed at how fast it happened.

You hadn't even sensed them behind you, caught up in your conversation with him that you had lost awareness of your surroundings. You felt a bit ashamed of your own helplessness but grateful that he had protected you. Your ears were sensitive and touching them was an intimate gesture reserved only privileged for certain people.

"Do you want to leave?" He asked caringly, eyes concerned, not taking any measures to hide his worry.

You shook your head. You weren't that shaken up. He took care of it before anything even happened. You almost were completely unaffected.

"I'm okay..." You mumbled, fiddling with your hands in your lap as your fingers shook. "Thank you, Aizawa-sensei."

He nodded to you before sinking back down in his chair. You picked up where he left off, asking about his well being. He seemed surprised to hear you ask about him but he answered that he was fine.

You seemed disappointed in his reply but before he could follow it up with a very brief elaboration, you cut him off.

"Do you think anyone will want me?" You asked, tears pricking the corner of your eyes as the more recent development started to catch up to you.

You were sure that if you didn't have these ears and tail that people wouldn't just try to touch you out of nowhere. You were sure that if you had a different quirk, maybe your parents wouldn't have given you up.

"What did I do wrong?" You whispered brokenly.

Aizawa's heart shattered as he heard that. "You didn't do anything wrong, kid."

You sniffled, ears drooping sadly. "But... But if I—"

"It's not your fault that they left, they were shitty parents for leaving you." He interrupted brazenly with a fire that took you aback as he swore in front of you. "You deserve someone better than people who leave at the drop of a hat."

He seemed like he was speaking from experience but you didn't pry further, certain he was already uncomfortable with all your anxiety and insecurities.

"You didn't have to do all of this, you know." The defeat in your small voice made him bristle.

Who the fuck treated you so bad that you didn't expect decent respect and kindness?

"You signed the paper but you don't actually have to do any of the stuff it says." You continued quietly, not noticing how the man across from you was shaking with anger. "I can find another place to stay, you won't have to pay for anything, I can manage on my own. I don't want to be a burden to someone as nice as you."

If he was angry before, he was livid now.

You jumped as he suddenly stood up, chair falling over from the force, drawing the attention of a couple of bystanders.

He strode over to you, crouching down in front of you. The bags piled high on the table obstructed the view for most of the people around you and they begrudgingly went about their business when he glared at them.

You, however, couldn't look away.

"You better listen, kid, because I'm only going to say this once." Aizawa ground out, jaw ticking. "I didn't sign that agreement out of pity. I signed it because I want you to be able to live a life not hindered by fear. I don't want you to have to live looking over your shoulder everyday because you're scared you're being followed, that's why I signed it."

You were at a loss of words by how passionate he was. The emotion cracked his steady tone and betrayed his true state. He was frazzled by your half-conscious words you spewed out, taking them to heart and relating to you on another level entirely.

"Were... were you..." You trailed off.

You couldn't bear to say it.

But he shook his head. "Not Quirk Traffickers. But I was raised by people who weren't exactly kind or the forgiving type."

He didn't divulge anything else and you didn't point it out, knowing he said that to you more for your own benefit rather than your own. Similar to you, he didn't seem like he wanted pity. He said it so that you saw that he understood.

"You're not living out on the streets. I'm not doing any of this because I feel like I have to, I told you, I want to do it." He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "Look, kid, you might not see it yet, but I actually don't mind taking care of you, okay? If you find someone else you want to live with, that's fine."

You were about to object that you couldn't envision someone caring for you like he had but you couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"I will talk to them first, though, before you go with them." Aizawa continued authoritatively, slipping into da— teacher mode. "If they're unsuited to care for you or if they're criminals then you can't go with them until they prove to me that they can take proper care of you and keep you safe. If you— Why are you laughing?"

You had doubled over in a fit of giggles, tears leaking out of the corner of your eyes as you laughed uncontrollably.

He lifted an eyebrow, unamused. "Kid, what are you doing?"

You bit your lip but your eyes creased, giving your smile away. "I-I can't breathe!!"

It took a couple seconds and several deep breaths but you finally got ahold of yourself and cleared up his confusion.

"It's just... you sound a lot like a dad, or at least, I think that's what a dad sounds like." You tapped a finger to your chin thoughtfully, mulling it over.

You completely missed the way he froze when he heard you say 'dad'.

Swinging your legs, you ducked your head. "I... I know I didn't say this before, and you could definitely say no if you want to!! But, I-I d-don't really want to have anyone else be my guardian."

Aizawa was able to breathe a little bit better after hearing you say that and his eyes softened.

You squeaked as his hand plopped on your head, ruffling your hair and being careful not to knock into your ears.

With great difficulty, he held back a smile. "Alright, kid, we can do that."

Your ears perked up and he gave you a lopsided smile, but the fondness in his gaze was unmistakable. Goodness, he would put away all the villains in the world just to see you this happy.

"Really?!" You practically shouted and he chuckled, not even caring about the dirty looks the two of you were getting as a result of your loud volume.

He shrugged to hide the skip his heart did when you looked up at him so lovingly. "Sure, I'll talk to Principal Nezu later and see if we can work out a more permanent arrangement."

"Adoption?" You asked curiously.

The innocent question sent his heart rate spiking and he nearly choked on air. You had no idea just how bad he wanted to adopt you.

"Don't you want me to foster you first, kid?" He joked but it came out strained.

That was a pretty big decision to make and usually the adult was the one to decide to take on a kid. For you to bring it up so casually caught him off-guard.

You frowned, pouting slightly. Maybe you moved too fast. Obviously, he wanted to see if he could even handle a mutt like you before he even though about adopting you and—

"Stop that."

His sharp command whistled through the noise in your head and you blinked, focusing on his face and wincing at the intensity of his narrowed eyes.

"Whatever you're thinking, I didn't suggest fostering because I don't want to adopt you. I just want you to be sure you want to have me as your... parent." Aizawa finished, unsure if he had earned the right to call himself your dad yet.

He shuffled over to the other end of the table and righted his displaced chair. "You'll turn 18 soon enough and by then you could live on your own if you want."

Ah, there it was.

Your expression cleared. He was worried you wanted him to adopt him only to find out you guys couldn't get along for whatever reason and then up and leave. Whether it was you or him doing the leaving, it would impact you both and he didn't want you to make a mistake you would regret.

Adoption was a serious decision and it wasn't like either one of you could get out of it if it didn't work out.

You weren't completely oblivious. You knew there was a chance of this failing, but you were willing to take this chance and he was willing to accept you into his life more permanently.

To know that he was thinking of you first only sealed the deal.

You swallowed hard. You only had courage to say this once.

"I don't remember my parents or what they were like. I only know what it's like to have friends because Ojiro-kun showed me how. I don't know what to expect when it comes to having a dad to depend on or anything like that." You took a deep breath, growing quieter. "But... I do want someone like that one day."

Even if it didn't come right away. You could wait. You waited an eternity, what was a little longer?

Aizawa nodded, understanding where you were coming from. "Well then, I'll talk it over to Nezu and make sure my adopting you won't affect you getting into UA."

Your jaw dropped to the floor. "What?!"

"Uh huh," He clicked his tongue absentmindedly as he scrolled through his texts on his phone, completely disregarding your shock. "He said you could enroll in the general studies but off the record, you'll be taking hero courses."

They didn't want to attract the traffickers' attention. They would keep you under the radar as much as possible while you attended.

Pocketing the handheld device, leaned back in his seat. "You're a good kid, Y/N."

You beamed at him and he cracked a smile. No matter what you went through, you always seemed to bounce right back. No matter how bleak the darkness was, your light burned even brighter.

One day, you were going to be a force to be reckoned with. He could already see it.

"You'll still have to take the entrance exam." He stated and you nodded eagerly.

"I'll do my best!!" You cheered.

He chuckled, folding his arms over his chest. He had no doubt about it.

By the time Ojiro got back to your table, he was surprised to find you and his teacher conversing as if it was the easiest thing in the universe. He was certain Aizawa didn't have it in him to openly express emotions other than exhaustion.

Well, that and boredom.

Ojiro tilted his head at the two of you in confusion, holding a tray that contained three bowls of steaming hot food. "Did I miss something?"

You bit your lip to suppress a smile and Aizawa raised an eyebrow but neither one of you answered him.

Setting down the tray, he served the food. His gaze fell on your tail, which was happily swishing behind you and he decided that it didn't matter if you didn't want to tell him, he was just glad to see you enjoying yourself.

Your mouth watered when the food was set down in front of you but Aizawa was surprised to find three helpings of gyūdon rather than just two.

Reaching into his pocket, Ojiro pulled out the remaining yen he had stuffed there earlier to his teacher and your eyes went wide.

Similarly, Aizawa's eyes narrowed in suspicion at the amount left. There was no way there should be this much left after buying this much food.

"Ojiro..." He warned with a sharp look, daring him to confirm his suspicions.

The boy had an apologetic look on his face but stood fast. "I used your money to pay for Y/N's but I used mine to buy ours."

Before his teacher could say a word, Ojiro rushed out. "You haven't eaten anything yet so you must be hungry too!! I'm sorry Aizawa-sensei, I just thought—"

Aizawa held up a hand to stop his rambling. He was nearly as bad as Midoriya.

"It's fine. Thank you." The man said curtly, reaching over the table to split a pair of chopsticks for you. "But you're not allowed to do it again."

"But sensei—!!" Ojiro protested.

Aizawa gave him a look that shut him up quickly.

You had been trying to ignore their disagreement. Tension never did sit too well with you and even though you knew that Aizawa wasn't really mad at Ojiro, you couldn't help but flinch at their raised voices.

So when they finally took notice of your unease and quieted down, you could focus all of your attention on satisfying your rumbling tummy.

You stared at the big bowl before you. Rice and beef soaked in aromatic broth had you salivating. Garnished with steamed edamame and a sprig of parsley, the beef bowl almost looked too good to eat.

But it smelled so good.

You were about to take a huge bite when Aizawa firmly instructed you to blow on it first. Pouting, you did as you were told and by the time you did eat it, you didn't burn yourself.

You laughed at him sheepishly as he sent you a knowing glare afterwards, knowing full well that you would have burned your tongue in your eagerness if he didn't stop you.

Kicking your feet happily, you took a sip of bubble tea for the very first time, beaming brightly at the two of them as the sugary drink flooded your taste buds.

You almost poked a hole in the straw with your canines by accident when you bit down in your haste to chew the tapioca pearls.

Ojiro looked on excitedly as you experienced boba for the first time, matching your energy and Aizawa's gaze was soft, fatherly. But he was not going to admit that to either of you.

You wiggled in your seat, vibrating with energy after that meal and the drink that you counted as an unofficial dessert.

Aizawa even ate, begrudgingly, but it still counted since you refused to give up on him.

You were slightly concerned when he still didn't touch his food even after you and Ojiro were almost done with yours. The way he picked at his food disinterestedly was a bit alarming. It was as if he hadn't been doing a good job of taking care of himself.

You frowned as you watched him longer, only for nothing to change.

Aizawa had been startled when you grasped onto his arm, pleading with your eyes for him to eat what Ojiro had so thoughtfully bought for him, saying that you were worried about him. He had tried to shove you off, change the subject or even get Ojiro to pry you off of him, but you persisted.

Finally, Aiawa sighed, giving into your puppy eyes and ate his portion.

You cheered, high-fiving Ojiro, the victory in your eyes not dimming even as he fixated a glare on the two of you.

It lost its potency as you flat out ignored him, giving all of your attention to the blushing tail boy beside you.

Everyone else that came with you to the mall had finished eating faster than the three of you did since they had gotten theirs earlier, so they went looking for you. Imagine their surprise when they saw their teacher laughing for the first time after you cracked a joke.

The girls had gathered around you and you had to admit, while you never had gyūdon before, it was now your favorite food.

You had waited to try the bubble tea until Ojiro got back, unsure which one was yours at the time since they were vastly different in color and you didn't want to accidentally drink the wrong one.

Aizawa was no help since he didn't drink that stuff so you were forced to wait until your friend returned.

Of course, this led to you trying to guess which one Ojiro had intended for you while he was still gone, your guardian looking on in amusement as you went back and forth between the two options. You weren't even trying to make him smile and yet, he couldn't help it.

Aizawa shook his head at you when you had practically pounced on the cup as his student pointed out which one he had ordered for you, his amusement only increasing when you drank it so fast that it almost came out of your nose when something he said made you laugh.

You cried at the uncomfortable sensation, willing it to go away as everyone chuckled at the expression you were making.

Ashido gave you a hug to make it go by faster. But once you could breathe again, a sly smirk crept up her face as Ojiro offered you a sip of his.

You were curious so naturally, you accepted. Only after you took a sip did Ashido crack.

"That counts!!!" She shrieked excitedly, Uraraka and Hagakure squealing alongside her and you were left in the dark.

"Huh?" You squeaked, blinking down at the drink in your hand, wondering if you had done something wrong.

You glanced at Ojiro but he looked just as puzzled as you.

He shrugged at you helplessly, turning to the pink girl practically vibrating in the chair she had stolen. "Mind clueing us in?"

The smile on Ashido's face could only be classified as devious. "YOU KISSED!!!"

It was indirect but it still counted!!! And she was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Ojiro nearly choked on his saliva and you violently coughed, the boba going down the wrong way as she declared it so loud every single one of the surrounding tables heard her.

Aizawa almost fell out of his seat.

Needless to say, for the rest of the time you were there, Ashido wouldn't let it go and relentlessly teased the two of you until you were both cherry red from embarrassment, refusing to look at each other.

But as you filed out of the Kiyashi shopping mall back to the car, his tail crept around your waist to guide you in the dark and you couldn't see it, but his bashful smile matched yours all the way there.

Taglist: @katsukis-sad-angel

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goldenchan-fx2thepeacock · 3 years

Text

Don’t Go Running Off Into Danger, Even If I Do pt 3

Hek. I woke up today and found that my FNP phic has 41 notes and my DGROIDEIID phic is gaining attention and reblogs; holy shit. And I woke up at noon. It’s Saturday. I sleep in on such days. Anyways. Last I checked, Val and Danny were gonna go get Dani, but we need some Dip and Mabs action cause I forgot last night. I will probably develop an uploading schedule later. For now, just have random updates. I might even make a side blog for this shit.

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Chapter 3

Dipper stood off in the background as Danny got into an argument with a dracula ghost. By the amount of times he heard Plasmius, this must’ve been Vlad. Danny looked pissed when he finished. He still took Dipper and Mabel to their classes, but when they tried to find him at lunch, he was absent. “I wonder where he is?” Mabel pondered. “I’m sure he just had something to do,” Dipper replied. Some guy walked up to their table. “Hey, you’re the kids Fenton is touring. Listen, he’s Phantom and I have proof!” “And you are?” Mabel said patiently. “Wes Weston. Listen, you gotta believe me!” “We legit just moved here, we have no clue what you’re talking about. Leave us alone,” Dipper said. Wes looked taken aback. “Fine! Fenton better worry. I will expose him. I just need more proof,” Wes stalked off. Dipper and Mabel exchanged a look. “Should we be worried?” He asked Mabel. “He seems to have it under control,”

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Danny stared off into the daylight as they flew. Val set down. “Come on. She’s fine. Why are you losing it?” “Just a certain Wisconsin Ghost told me about you keeping her,” “Vlad?” “Wait, you know?” “I’ve known since I met Dani,” “Jeez. I’ve known since I met the guy during my parents college reunion. I’m still pissed at him for that whole invisble wall fiasco,” “That was him?” “Yeah. I mean, I started it, but he kept trying to get in my mom’s pants. I needed to put him down a peg,” “You made his wall invisble!?” “Yeah. But it’s not like being naked on camera is going to tell the public any secrets,” “I’m confused. Why do care so much?” “It’s nothing,” Danny grunted. They were headed to the basement. “It seems to be something,” “I have things I’d prefer not to reveal to the entire school,” “No one saw your dick. You managed to catch it in time,” Val was confused. Danny laughed. “Hey Val. Why would a guy have a female clone? Oh right. I forgot to tell you. Dani is more or less my clone because Vlad was being extra creepy,” “Weird. So she isn’t your cousin. Wait. OH MY GOD! Danny, I understand completely. If Dash knew, you’d be dead meat,” Val caught on quickly. Danny couldn’t but laugh at the dead meat. “Hey! What’s funny?” “I am dead meat Val!” “I’m an idiot. Anyways, we’re here,” She opened the basement door. Dani was sitting on the couch. “Danny? Val? What’re you guys doing here. Shit, sorry Danny,” “It’s fine. She knows,” “Who else knows anyways?” Val said. “You, Jazz, Tucker, Sam and literally all the ghosts,” “Vlad included?” “Vlad included,” “And Amity Park can’t connect the dots?” “No one knows Danny Phantom has a human life. I’d be seriously pissed if someone told the general public,” “That’s fair. Anyways. We’re here because a certain Dracula cosplayer told Danny you were in danger,” Val said. Danny snorted. “Dracula cosplayer? I have to use that on him,” “Why would anyone think that’s a good look?” “My ‘dad’,” Dani said. Thus causing both her and Danny to break out in laughter. “Where does the whole cousin thing come in?” Val asked. “My ‘Unkie Vlad’. It’s his way of making me family,” “Unkie?” Val looked lost. “I like being a little bitch to him,” “He deserves it! You should expose him,” “If I expose Plasmius, Masters exposes Phantom,” “Oh jeez,” “And there is a very good reason not to expose Phantom. And they wear way too much white,” Dani said quietly. “I’d prefer not to get dissected,” Danny said haughtily. “They already want to,” Val made a noise of disgust. “How could anyone with a set of morals do that?” “Heh. I’m a ghost. Not really real to most of the world. I don’t have feelings. Don’t feel pain,” Danny repeated what the ghost hunters had told him way too many times. “That sounds awful, but we should get back to school. Cya Dani!” Val waved and put on her helmet. “Hey, wanna leave the quick way?” “What do you mea- AAAAAAAH!” Val screamed as Danny made them both go intangible and up through the roof. “Never. Do that again,” “Hey, at least you didn’t end up going through the table and random floors and get banned from handling anything fragile,” “I’m confused,” “When these powers first came in, I was stuck dropping everything. From my pants to beakers,” “Oh jeez. So, why aren’t nerd and nerdette with you?” “Tucker had to go see a doctor out of town and Sam’s mom took her to this convention thing. They’ll be back tomorrow,” “No comment on the nicknames?” “They’ve been called worse,” Danny shrugged. “And I’ve been shoved in way too many lockers to care,” “I have one last question. Why on earth would you try to date me when I was trying to kill you? And why did you destroy the suit when I could’ve been inside?” “That’s two questions. But Fenton and Phantom needed a distinction, and I knew you weren’t inside. Technus was controlling the suit,” “You are a mystery,” “I’d like to keep it that way,” “You won’t tell anyone my secret if I don’t tell anyone both of yours?” “That makes it sound like you’re going to tell one of them,” “That’s not what I meant,” “We need to come up with an excuse as to why The Red Huntress suddenly has a truce with Phantom,” “Later. I need coffee,” “I couldn’t agree more,” The plume of blue air showed up. “OH COME ON!” “What,” “I have to deal with something,” Danny sped off.

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Dipper and Mabel looked at the chaos in the caf. “Students! Hide under tables! Ghost Hunters and/or Phantom will be here soon,” Mr Lancer yelled into a megaphone. “Already here!” Someone yelled. A flash of white said Phantom. There was blue ghost throwing boxes around. “I am the BOX GHOST!” It yelled. “Yeah, we know. Just say it already,” “I will win this fight with boxes of... spoons! BEWARE!” “Don’t you know not to bring a spoon to a knife fight?” “You do not have a knife!” “No, but I do have a thermos!” Phantom pulled out a green and grey thermos and flipped the lid. “I will not stay in your cylindrical object!” “Looks like you’re gonna have to,” Phantom pressed a button and a beam of light came out of the thermos and sucked the Box Ghost inside. “Is everyone okay?” Kids pushed out from under the tables. “Phantom! Will you sign my book?” Dash said. This must be a cruel joke. “Ghost boy! The Fenton Peeler is back in action,” “Whoops, gotta go!” Phantom dashed off as Jack and Maddie Fenton came rushing in. “Darn it. Missed him again,” They ran off. Danny walked into the caf and ran over to them. “You guys are lucky that your first ghost attack was the Box Ghost. Harmless,” “Doesn’t look very harmless to me! That’s gotta’ve been at least a level 5,” Dipper opened the journal. “Nah. Box is a solid 2. Hardly a step up from an ectopus. Might get concerned if Desiree shows up. She’s a level 5,” “What’re you?” “We more or less tested it. Pretty sure I’m a 7,” “That means they aren’t a big concern to you most days,” “Mmm. King Pariah was a level 10. That was terrifying. Vlad’s an 8. Convinced he’s a 9,” “Okay,” “Skulker gets to be a 6 on a technicality. Without the suit, he’s a 1. He can be an 8 on a bad day. I think Frostbite is a 9. He won’t bother you guys though. Dan must’ve been a 9, but I’m not going into that. Technus is an 8, but can be a 10 if he gets his hands on the right tech. Clockwork is an 11, which technically doesn’t exsist, but Clockwork breaks the mold. He won’t bother you unless you end up destroying the world in the future,” Danny shivered. “Who’s Dan?” Mabel looked confused. “Nobody. Just a horrible way to learn not to cheat on tests,” Danny shivered again. “But that’s not important. I didn’t cheat on the CAT,” “Your life seems more hectic than Gravity Falls sometimes,” Dipper said. “Where is that? I’ve never heard of it,” “Oregan. Never Mind All That,” He knew the rules. “You know, the way you say that is kinda creepy,” “We’d be breaking the law if we told you why,” “Jesus. Well, it’s not like we’ll get another Pariah unless an idiot thinks it’s a good idea. He’ll never get his hands on the crown of Fire,” “Time Out,” Dipper and Mabel looked around. “Umm, CW, why aren’t they out with everyone else?” “They’ve met Cipher. At this point, I cannot pause time for them,” “Eh, whatever. Mason, Mabel, this is Clockwork. What’d you need?” “I actually came to speak to you about the Crown of Fire. In defeating Pariah, you gained ownership,” “I, uh, did what now?” “Gained ownership of the Crown. Though in your case, it would be the Crown of Ice,” Clockwork repeated. Danny looked lost. “I don’t need to be the King of the Ghost Zone,” “Someone must take the place. It’s your duty,” Danny looked like he was about to have a full on panic attack. “Can it wait?” “Two years is a long wait as is,” “B-but it went thousands of years before!” “Because they failed to remove the crown and it wasn’t a singular person,” “What’s two years in the Ghost Zone? As far as I’m concerned, that doesn’t seem like a long time. Walker was gonna give me a thousand year prison sentence,” “You get some time, but I’ll tell you, if you take the crown, the Ghost Zone enters an era of peace unprecedented,” “Danny, what’s happening,” Mabel asked. Danny snapped and started hyperventilating. “I can’t. No. Why? I just wanted to keep the world safe! Is that too much to ask?” “Daniel, you do get time to think about it. Just remember, time can pass however fast or slow I want it too,” “Right, of course. Cya CW,” “Time In,”

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Danny trudged home. Exhaustion and anxiety gripped him. Mason and Mabel had been concerned, but he wasn’t about to explain everything. He’d talk to Sam and Tucker tomorrow. It didn’t help that he’d had gym after lunch. At least there wasn’t any more disappearing walls. “Danny! How was school?” Mom asked as he walked in the door. “Great!” Danny said and rushed upstairs. He’d deal with The Box Ghost in a minute. Jazz stood in his doorway. She didn’t know about Dan, but she did know about Pariah. “Danny, is everything okay?” “No, everything is not okay!” “What happened? Is it Dash again? We should report him,” “It’s not just that. You remember the Pariah incident?” “Yeah, you don’t just forget that,” “Well, turns out that by beating him, I ‘gained ownership’ to the crown,” “That doesn’t sound bad exactly,” “It’s horrible!” “How?” “I just wanna be a kid, ya know? It’s hard enough living a double life, but ruling the Ghost Zone? I’d have no chance to do anything remotely useful in the human world,” “You wouldn’t need to. If you ruled the Ghost Zone, ghosts wouldn’t come here anymore,” “The King can’t enforce rules in the Human World. It’s just scary,”

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Aight, that’s a chapter, I guess. The ideas tend to come from random places, and my brain is running out of ideas. I need to do another “planning session” which is coming up with scenarios in my head to make sure they make sense.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #jazz fenton #maddie fenton #jack fenton #dipper pines #mabel pines #clockwork #crown of fire #gravity falls #crossover #trans!danny #trans!dipper #dash baxter #valerie gray #danielle (dani) phantom #bill cipher (mentioned)

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fandom-hoarder · 4 years

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listen I have so many questions about Stanford Sam, like this kid who was raised in the wild, barely aware of acceptable social conduct arrives with his 2 ectoplasm stained t-shirts at his dorm and like ????? is he very aware of it at first? or does he think he's hiding it well? and like moving in with Jessica?????? he doesn't know how to water plants and that you have to pay electricity bills ??? Like obviously he's not stupid, we know that!! But there are certain things about ordinary everyday life that are just impossible to pick up when you're raised like that. And this is just surface-level stuff, like I feel overwhelmed just thinking about how many tiny things I do in a day, just normal life stuff that I've always done, that Sam would be like ???? so weirded out by, or maybe creepily fascinated ??? Would he try and copy everyone around him maybe??? and then all the odd things that he'd probably do !!! like just basic marine survival nonsense he's dad probably taught him applied in mundane life situations that would make him stand out and he wouldn't even notice !!! And he thinks he's doing fine, people seem to accept him, but then suddenly someone mentions like... TRL or something and he's like ??? and then Dean picks him up and it all falls to pieces, because it's so EASY and ingrained and he doesn't have to pretend and it puts it into perspective how not okay he was doing at Stanford even when it felt like he was ?? god I'm just rambling, like I barely even have headcanons, I'm just so overwhelmed by all the possibilities of how this would play out !!!!

Holy crap, first I wanna apologize if this has been sitting here awhile. The Ask notification location in settings instead of notifications on the app is so weird and I get them so rarely I don’t think to check. (and the website shows that I have 4 but this one is the only one it’ll show? How does tumblr work? Oh yeah, it doesn’t lol.)

Anyway, I have so many thoughts on this! But they’re not necessarily cohesive?! Like first we all know Sam is super smart. He’s curious. He’s inquisitive. But he’s also sheltered in weird ways. There are things he’s known about the world that most people would never know about, let alone kids his age at any given time; yet the existence of those things--and the understanding that therefore potentially anything could be real--also lends itself to keeping him childlike--he had an “imaginary friend” at age nine and believed in the Easter bunny through age eleven, which is much later than the average probably???

By middle school, he definitely would’ve been feeling the strains of his otherness around his classmates, even if they weren’t constantly moving around, but of course the nomadic lifestyle just makes it even harder.

I think Sam is a very observant person, though. He figured out something was up with their dad and The Truth at age 8! So people watching is Sam’s saving grace for getting along in the mundane world. He definitely learns to mask his otherness by mimicking mundane people.

And I get sidetracked here because then I start thinking about exactly how their childhood went. We know John used Pastor Jim and Bobby as childcare/parenting support to some degree. I don’t think we really know anything about Caleb, maybe I’m forgetting something, but my headcanon is that Caleb functioned as a “fun younger uncle” type to Sam and Dean: cool, responsible in a pinch, but mostly not given childcare responsibilities because of his wilding tendencies. (they learn swears accidentally from Bobby and John, but Caleb TEACHES them.) Sam and Dean didn’t even know about Missouri until s1, so she’s off the caretaker list. They had that babysitter they met up with in uhh... Swap Meat! But largely we assume that Dean had a lot of the caretaking responsibilities; maybe with temporary babysitters in other places the same as Swap Meat.

And lbh you just can’t expect well-rounded, informed child-rearing from a kid only four years older. There’s a reason I associate a lot of weechester flashbacks with Sammy watching TV like in Something Wicked, because literally little siblings are A LOT and sometimes you just want them to sit still and quiet and leave you alone for a bit omg.(wait, give me a minute, I’m imagining little 6 year old Dean on the phone with Bobby because John ran out for food supplies and isn’t back yet and Sammy is still asleep but Dean’s creeped out in the longterm room they’re staying in because he KNOWS about the supernatural already. but then bobby gets on John’s case about it--and instead of never leaving Dean alone with baby Sam again, Dean learns from John’s belt not to call anyone when he’s left alone unless it’s an ACTUAL EMERGENCY. Or maybe, because marine, John doesn’t use his belt; maybe he uses PT instead and every time Dean thinks about calling Bobby for that reason again, his abs ache from the memory of punishment situps, or his arms get suddenly shaky thinking about doing pushups til he just couldn’t anymore.)

I haven’t read all of John’s Journal, and I know it’s not actually canon, but IIRC the bits that I’ve read from the wiki show John and the boys staying with a family friend in Lawrence for a few weeks, MAYBE a few months before John visits Missouri and everything STARTS. I think if he hadn’t picked up and left with them then, the family friends would’ve been contacting CPS because they’re starting to think John’s grief is making him unhinged. (I really want to read the journal tbh--there are bits I’ve seen that make me fantasize even more about boyking!sam storylines... but I’m getting even more off track.)

So we’ve got this weird/interesting dichotomy of kids that are groomed with these hyperspecialiizations, too weird to really fit in with other kids but sheltered from the actual hunter life also--like the fact that there ARE other hunters, like as a THING, not just their dad’s rando friends that, as kids, they may just assume know about the supernatural because their dad told them! (jfc they’re SO PRIMED to be each other’s entire world omg I’m gonna die)

So like, by being quiet and observant (an imaginative kid, by nature and by nurture as John starts to take Dean out more and leave Sam alone with his own thoughts), Sam would pick up a lot of things. But they’re never anywhere long enough for him to fully grasp everything and he would definitely suffer a bit from the Dunning-Kruger effect--not having enough knowledge about a thing, but having just enough that you don’t realize you don’t.

Let’s say Sam observes and picks up some things about normal residential life by being around a few mundane babysitters. The nature of John’s “work” would mean that, even if they were in a more in-home-daycare-like situation, they’d be likely to be the “after hours” kinds of kids that are still there when everyone else is picked up and the babysitter would normally be doing their normal life stuff: changing clothes, cleaning up from the daycare kids, making dinner, etc (sam and dean would definitely help, either out of kindness or duty or because it’s agreed that if they help out John will get a discount on their care costs--don’t mind me, just projecting my childhood onto the winchesters hahh. I’m NOT going to go off on a tangent about Dean already having so much experience caring for babies cuz of Sam. He definitely doesn’t have all the under-4s following him around begging for attention while he burps one of the three babies their babysitter cares for after a bottle. it DEFINITELY didn’t make Sam (age 4, 5, 6 maybe) jealous enough to repress the memory so that over a decade later he would claim that Dean doesn’t even LIKE kids.)

Uhh... what was I talking about? Oh yeah, Sam. Observing normal life. Anyway so maybe after things settle for the day, sometimes a babysitter will sit at the dining table with the weekly bills and their checkbook and do the bills. And Sam kind of loves things like this: it feels like something important; it feels like playing school before he was old enough to go (quick aside here: John totally enrolled Sam in school early, both because that’s the only way his age works with canon timeline and because it would make life easier if Sam was in school just like Dean--more cost-and-time efficient.) And maybe Sam goes and sits at the table and just. Watches.

And then he asks questions. When he’s curious, he doesn’t keep his questions to himself as a child (unless the subject is expressly forbidden: see Dean’s reaction when Sam brings up Mary). But his age would inevitably limit the scope and understanding of those questions. Adults are generally disinclined to fully explain the adult world to children, especially when it comes to finances, and in the 80s and early 90s?? With most of the adults of that time that I knew, those kinds of questions were considered rude and nosey. He might understand that adults have to pay bills; he may even understand something about utilities; but he wouldn’t necessarily understand all the requirements and frequency.

Though their nomadic lifestyle wasn’t stable by any “normal” definition, one thing to be said about mostly living out of motels is that your power is never cut off, or your water, or your heat. There’s always television, usually with cable. And the only form of payment you see going on is dad handing over cash or plastic at the front desk--one and done. My headcanon usually disallows the idea that they would’ve squatted in empty houses when Sam and Dean were kids (John makes plenty of bad decisions but I just don’t see him staying in a place without power or water with CHILDREN. Teenagers? SURE.) They would learn how to clean house and make proper beds even when it wasn’t always necessary with housekeeping available--both because of John’s military parenting style and because John would be most likely to opt out of daily housekeeping to lower the risk of having people ask questions.

So yeah, there are so many little intricacies of the mundane world that Sam wouldn’t be conditioned to even think about. Even the realization that he doesn’t know enough about regular life, as he grows up and longs more and more for that very thing because he’s never had more than a glimpse of it, wouldn’t necessarily be enough.

Would his natural curiosity lead him to ask those questions? He can’t ask John because he already asked Dean and got a dismissive answer because ‘what does any of that matter, Sam? we’ll never have to worry about that shit.’ and if Dean seems borderline offended by the sheer audacity of the questions in the first place, he knows John will be worse.

In the 90s, life skills were still kind of a thing in most U.S. schools. But in a really inconsistent way. Sometimes it was in health class curriculum; sometimes your math class would actually do a short focus on balancing a checkbook and banking if there was a chapter, but a lot of times those parts get skipped. You never use the whole textbook. Sometimes life skills was only in Home Ec, but H.E. was completely elective in my area when I was in middle school (the same exact years Sam would’ve been in middle school) and I’m assuming the same for most of the U.S. Sam may have taken it, or he may have taken something else instead (wood shop or computer class were the alternatives in my area). Maybe the nature of school hopping meant that he HAD to enroll in Home Ec, because resources for the other electives were finite, but somehow always managed to miss the bills and budgeting portion. Maybe he couldn’t even take Home Ec due to class size or resources and they just put him in a study hall for that period. (Maybe they put him in the computer class, where he mostly does book work until he gets a turn on the PC he has to share with his classmate.)

As an observant person, Sam totally would’ve known about TRL, I think. There’s no way at least one group of kids in the halls or lunchroom wasn’t talking about it every day in high school, especially with the advent of Britney Spears and Eminem and Jesse freakin Camp. Maybe he goes to someone’s house to try to hang out or to study and they turn it on and Sam watches raptly because it’s such a strange phenomenon and he hardly ever gets to hear new music, much less watch the videos. But he can’t actually get into it because the fangirls are annoying and his analytical mind won’t let him suspend his disbelief about how the voting works. (Maybe he tries giving it another shot in their motel room sometimes, but Dean vetoes that bubblegum pop shit IMMEDIATELY--no Sam, look, that shit isn’t REAL music; most of them don’t even play instruments. And it’s really not fair because Dean TOTALLY watched MTV’s The Grind in the early 90s for his fix of suggestively gyrating bodies before he figured out how to access porn without getting caught.)

Sam and Dean actually make a LOT of pop culture references, which always fascinates me. I imagine they did a lot of TV watching and VCR/movie renting in the times they weren’t working on a case with/for their dad (projecting again; my dad’s house was a very boring place on his weekends). The nature of Dean’s idolization of John and disinclination to let Sam have his own separate likes means they have a mix of age-appropriate pop culture knowledge and a lot of Boomer-era TV and movie knowledge--Dean more than Sam, maybe when it comes to things like cowboy movies and TV lol.

Anyway, as the realization that he doesn’t really know how anything works crept in, maybe Sam would try to lowkey create situations where he could ask his friends/his friends’ parents those normal life kind of questions. But maybe after his first few tries, he’s become so uncomfortably aware of how weird he is to even need to ask that he stops asking. Maybe he starts to tap into his specialized skills and starts snooping/creeping around their houses to try to glean knowledge. Maybe he scours the library for books on ‘what you need to know for life’--I have the urge now to do a google search on actual titles of books on this subject that may have existed at the time, but I’ve already spent a lot of time on this without going into research spirals. lol Maybe he can’t find exactly the things that are pertinent--still doesn’t fully realize that, though--and in the meantime his cache of esoteric knowledge continues to build.

So he gets to Stanford and he mostly understands how the financing works; enough to get by with enrollment and stuff. He understands that he’ll need to get a job of some sort to make ends meet because he’s there to be normal and normal people don’t pay for everything with scammed credit cards and billiards money; he knows that much. But he doesn’t really know about wages, minimum wage, freaking payroll taxes, etc. (I feel like Dean would’ve had odd jobs as a teen, some legit some under the table, but that the nature of John (and Dean) wanting to keep Sam home and safe would’ve made the subject of Sam working through high school a banned topic. And anyway, much as I’m not a fan of the characterization in Drag Me Away (From You), what Dean said to Sam about the impossibility of getting into college with the way his academic career would look is accurate. So Sam would’ve probably spent most of his free time on academics so he could get the fuck out, rather than trying to get a job.

Maybe having to buy his textbooks would be a surprise? John probably always qualified for Sam and Dean to be on free lunch/free book programs in public school, not to mention the likelihood of the records being at least partially counterfeit. But at the same time, John was probably very hands off with their school enrollment crap once the boys were old enough to handle it themselves, so Sam would at least have an inkling.

Sam would be a weird mix of no-boundaries and too-secretive, and his first attempts at acting normal would be a bit too put-on. He’s got experience acting per 1x16 (oh, maybe he did drama instead of home ec somewhere lol), but acting on stage is so much different to acting in a more personal setting. On stage you have to exaggerate your movements to project all the way to the back. Early-Stanford Sam, I guess, is a bit like Soulless Sam. He knows there’s something off about him compared to the people around him, and he just does his best to pretend he’s the same as them without calling attention to his differences, which ends up coming off robotic. A little Stepford. A little uncanny valley. He learns to bite his tongue every time he’s about to let something normal only to his family roll off it; learns to be even more vague than he used to be, because now he’s around strangers ALL THE TIME.

At some point, Sam has a little-but-big breakdown about a payment he missed or the fact that he had to steal shampoo because he didn’t even have toiletries in his budget and couldn’t even afford a bottle of White Rain or Suave, so since he was stealing anyway he got the special brand he really likes and then feels too awful to even use it and doesn’t wash his hair for a week. Brady takes pity on the cute but hapless puppy-boy who is a physical and academic behemoth but has obviously been living off-grid on some kind of militia commune for the past forever--at first the rumor was that he was Amish on rumspringa but the amount of times Sam has busted out some supremely random survival knowledge in casual conversation changes that rumor quickly--and has no understanding of the world. And by the time he moves off-campus with Jess, Sam has this masking thing down pretty well; he can almost forget he’s not normal sometimes and Jess only knows about his previous helplessness in a cute, anecdotal kind of way.

And then Dean comes and gets him and Sam’s all “you and Dad still doing credit card scams?” and Dean’s like “well hunting doesn’t pay the bills.”

AND SAM’S LIKE, NEITHER DO YOU DEAN! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT BILLS ARE?! BECAUSE I DIDN’T AND IT WOULD’VE BEEN NICE TO KNOW!

#ask #@princessconsuelapark #stanford era #sam winchester #pre-stanford era #sam n dean #john winchester's a+ parenting #long post

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mc-lukanette · 4 years

Text

Grade for Each Other (Part 9)

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8]

Luka stirred to the sound of idle conversation and the smell of breakfast being cooked. He rolled onto his side, enjoying the comfort of the couch-turned-bed, but still let out a groan at his own grogginess.

The idle conversation ceased at the simple noise.

"A-ah—!" Marinette's voice rang out, only for her to clam up a moment later.

He opened his eyes, turning his head towards her as he sat up.

She buried her face into her hands and whined. "I really did wake you! I'm sorry, Luka!" She paused, then peeked out from between her fingers, greeting him awkwardly, "Um... good morning, by the way."

"Good morning, and don't worry. Even if you did wake me up," he began, knowing that he couldn't be sure if he'd woken up normally or not, "this was the best thing that I could've woken up to."

He enjoyed the way her face heated up at the comment. Maybe it was the fact that he'd just gotten up, but he supposed it was more bold than his usual.

Sabine, who Luka only just now noticed was there, greeted him as well. "Good morning. Marinette and I were just talking about you and how she wanted your breakfast to be perfect for you."

"I-I didn't say that!" Marinette argued. "...Even if it's true!"

She turned away from Sabine's amused expression and glanced at him, embarrassed. He simply smiled at her, reassuring her without words that everything was fine. She smiled sheepishly back at him.

Then, his eyes wandered downwards, and he realized that she hadn't changed into her normal clothes. She was still in her pajamas.

Marinette's eyes drifted on him as well, probably noting the lack of his hoodie+jacket combo. Her eyebrows rose, at which point she looked down at herself and noticed what he already had.

Her head jerked up. "I-I'm going to change!" she shouted, dashing away for the stairs while hugging herself as some form of cover.

Luka muffled his chuckle with a hand - hopefully it hid his blush too - then slipped his blanket off and got up from the couch. He approached Sabine, now able to see what sort of breakfast she was preparing, and it was close enough to pick up the separate scent of a completely different breakfast. Glancing towards the second aroma, he noted what he presumed to be his and Marinette's breakfast, though it was impossible to tell what it was due to how heavily wrapped up they were. He guessed it was to help keep in the heat.

"She never wakes up this early, you know," Sabine commented.

Luka made eye contact with her, having almost missed what she'd told him due to being distracted by what Marinette had prepared.

"She doesn't usually have a boy over, much less one that she's so comfortable around," she continued. "So, thank you. You're good for her."

He's good for her.

Luka knew (or at least figured) that it didn't mean what he hoped it did, but it nonetheless made him happy to hear that Sabine could tell that he had an effect on her. He'd always seemed to exude an aura of calm that made it easier for people to relax around him, but he was always surprised when it extended to someone as excitable as Marinette.

Last night was still fresh in his memory. He could spin it however he wanted and think that she didn't realize it in the moment, but Marinette had definitely been flirting with him; the wink had made it obvious if nothing else. She had also almost definitely been checking out his usually-covered arms just a minute ago before she'd dashed into her room, which stroked his ego far more than normal since her first crush had been an actual model, made to look good at all times.

He couldn't deny that they were close. He couldn't deny that her parents seemed to like him. He couldn't deny that his desire to be with her romantically was starting to drown out his attempt to convince himself that Marinette didn't feel for him in the way he dreamed of but never hoped for.

Claudine's voice did an encore in his head. "A good song will never come together if you don’t try."

Luka stared ahead at nothing, deep in thought. "...Mrs. Cheng—"

"You have our permission to date our daughter."

He was so tired that he needed a moment to replay the last few seconds in his head and realize that he hadn't finished what he’d been going to say. Given that, he could only glance at her, letting out a very coherent and well thought out, "I do?"

Sabine was looking back down at her pan like she hadn't just granted him access to Marinette's lips. "We see perfectly well how you feel about Marinette, and Tom would not stop talking about you when we went off to our room last night. We were worried about Marinette adjusting from being away from—" She stopped short of saying 'her friends' and opted for, "—everyone in her old class, but she's been doing much better than we thought. We... haven't always given her the credit she deserves, and while a lot of it was just her, she made it very clear that you've helped. We don't have any reason not to trust you with her."

Luka was positive his face must've looked absolutely stupid, being some sort of mix between confused and pleasantly surprised. He was also more awake than any amount of caffeine would've made him.

Sabine, still not looking at him, let out a small giggle. Completely changing the subject before he could reply, she asked, "Do you have a backpack or anything you need to get from your home before you head to school, or are you planning on getting it on the way?"

He blinked, finally closing his mouth as he processed that. Moving for once in the past minute or so, he took a step back and gave her an acknowledging look. "Ah—thank you."

He supposed he could've been thanking her for any number of things, but didn't have the brainpower to clarify on what it was. He turned quickly, but forced himself not to speed-walk to the door despite a desperate need to get his mind working again.

While passing the stairs, he added, "I'll head to my house and get my backpack while Marinette is getting—"

Marinette's voice suddenly rang out from her room, "W-wait! Wait, I'll come too!"

He looked up, Marinette opening the trapdoor with her jacket only half on and her backpack's top strap in her hand. She scrambled to slip her arm through the remaining sleeve and put on the backpack itself as she rushed down the stairs to stand next to him.

"You don't have t—"

"—I know!" she cut him off, apparently expecting his reassurances now. "But... it's okay, right? I can?"

He nodded, giving her a warm smile. "Of course."

She beamed at him, then gasped, turning and rushing for the counter. "Oh! Let me get our breakfast first!"

She picked up the two wrapped breakfasts, observing the wrapping with a critical look to ensure it was right. He smiled, admiring her energy, then turned away and headed straight for the door. He opened it quietly so as to not disturb her concentration, standing off to the side and simply waiting for her.

She returned to him happily, a grateful look on her face as she led the way downstairs. He pretended not to see Sabine's knowing look before he closed the door behind him.

"I never thought I'd be glad to not have my school right next door," Marinette admitted on her way down the steps, one arm carefully hugging the wrapped breakfasts to her chest like they were something precious. "We get to go on a nice walk and have breakfast together!"

Her behavior wasn't making Sabine's comments seem any less valid. He wanted to think on his walk to his house and clearly that wasn't something that was going to happen.

Marinette reached the bottom of the stairs first due to the excited skip in her step. She looked back at him with a smile, blindly reaching for the door and opening it, then waited for him like he had for her.

Her not looking the other way meant that he saw what - or who - was on the other side of the door before she did. "...Jule?"

Marinette's expression became confused. She glanced to the side, then jumped at the sight of Juleka standing there stiffly and looking down at the sidewalk.

Luka picked up his pace to get to them. He had no idea how long she'd been standing there, but he was sure that she'd never knocked; not because he knew he would've heard it, but because her expression told him that she hadn't had the confidence.

Even once he stood in front of her, Juleka was as still as a statue. It's why Marinette was all the more jumpy when Juleka's arm suddenly thrust outward, Luka's backpack in hand.

Ah. So that was her excuse for showing up.

Eager to break the silence, he took it with a grateful, "Thanks."

"Mm," she let out.

It wasn't a word, but he hadn't expected one.

Juleka's eyes flickered to Marinette, who was still standing confused by the door. Juleka simply turned away, taking two steps before stopping. She didn't glance back at them, but her head was partway to doing so, making her current expression a mystery to Marinette's eyes.

"...Sorry," she finally murmured, not waiting for a reply as she continued walking.

Marinette tilted her head, then glanced at Luka. He put his backpack on and met her gaze with his own, though didn't say anything because he could see the metaphorical gears turning in her head.

A thoughtful expression replaced her confused one as they walked outside together.

——————

"You'd still be okay doing work for Kitty Section?" Luka asked, surprised that she'd actually brought it up without him having to ask.

Staring up at the sky, Marinette replied, "Yeah," then repeated with more confidence, "Yeah, definitely. I didn't want to cut everyone off, and even though I was hurt, I'm willing to be friends with at least the rest of Kitty Section again, as long as they're okay talking about it. Besides..." She looked down at the breakfasts still held against her chest, then grabbed the larger one and held it out to him with a fond smile. "I really hated the idea that your sister wouldn't want to get along with me when we're so close. I know she's not like that, but still."

Normally, he would've immediately banished any implications he could've taken from her saying something like that, but this time, he let the notes settle on the song sheet with all the others. He took his breakfast from her hand, giving his second, "Thank you," that day that could've been taken in any number of ways.

Marinette fiddled with the wrapping on her own breakfast, Luka watching to know the best way to unwrap the top but looking away before she'd done it fully. It felt like he'd be spoiling himself on what his own breakfast would look like otherwise.

He copied what he'd seen, undoing the top of the wrapping as the scent of baked goodness hit his nose. At first glance, it seemed like a crispy ellipsoid-shaped bread that was large but small enough to hold properly with one hand. It was clearly seasoned, perhaps lightly buttered, and the feel of it made it obvious that it was filled.

He took a bite before he could start embarrassingly salivating in front of Marinette; however, it proved to be a poor decision, as it was so delicious that he let out a noise even more embarrassing than that. Marinette must've heard of too from the muffled squeak he'd heard afterwards.

He straightened, blushing but nonetheless savoring the bite in his mouth. There was no way he was going to swallow like he was trying to get it over with, even if Marinette knew that wasn't the case. He dared a glance at her, seeing her curious gaze.

After the bite went down his throat, he groaned. "Sorry. It's... really good."

"O-oh, no, I-I'm glad!" she assured. "I ran the recipe by my mom and dad a bunch of times and made sure all the flavors lined up, and that it was still healthy enough and I made a smaller third one just to taste and make sure it worked!"

"It shows." He took another bite, managing to suppress any noises this time. The now-visible inside of his breakfast was a myriad of colors that looked as good as it tasted.

How much work had she gone through in one morning to make everything as perfect as she could?

Once he swallowed, something occurred to him and he looked at her with concern. "Were you up that early to do all of that for me? Of course I'd love to do this with you more, but wouldn't you have to get up that early every day for us to do this?"

"No!" she insisted, seeming horrified that she'd worried him at all. "I mean—yes to the first question, sort of, technically I was doing it for us—but no on that second one! I can make things in advance and freeze them if I have to! I won't lose sleep or anything, I wouldn't want to do anything to worry you, Luka!"

He felt relieved, but gently pointed out, "I want you to sleep well because you care about your health, Marinette, not because you think it'll worry me."

She blushed, her pout telling him that she knew he was right. Still, only a moment passed before she grinned teasingly and asked, "So you wouldn't worry about me?"

He snorted, grinning in return. "I'd worry a lot. I wouldn't be able to hit a single note on my guitar."

She beamed, her walk getting an extra bounce from his words. He was tempted to keep teasing her - to tell her that she looked really happy to hear about him not being able to play his guitar properly - but he quite liked the sound of her bouncy footsteps.

Thus, they walked in silence for a while. Luka considered it to be for the best; if they kept teasing each other, they'd never finish their breakfast that Marinette had so painstakingly made.

He somehow managed to eat the rest of his food without making any more noises that would’ve made it seem like he'd been eating terrible food all his life. He ate decently, really, but Marinette's food was just that good in comparison and he couldn't believe she wanted to go out of her way to do this for him every day they went to school together.

Just as he was looking around for a garbage can to discard his wrapper, the wrapper itself was snatched out of his hand. He glanced over at Marinette, seeing that she had the top strap of her backpack in her mouth. With both wrappers in one hand, she went to open the front pocket with the other.

Luka drew closer to her, brows furrowed. "You don't have to keep them in your backpack, Marinette," he told her. The wrappers were definitely not clean, as he could see crumbs and the darkened areas of the wrapper where hints of the butter had rubbed off.

Marinette ignored him. He first thought that it was just due to her mouth being occupied, but then she triumphantly retrieved a ziplock bag from the pocket and Luka's mind clicked with an acknowledging oh.

She slipped the wrappers inside, then stored the bag inside the pocket and zipped the pocket back up. Returning the backpack to her back, she gave him a beaming smile. "Thanks."

He blinked. Placing a dramatic hand to his chest, he asked playfully, "You're thanking me, Marinette? I haven't done anything but eat your amazing food."

She gently poked his arm, then returned the backpack to her back. "You know what I mean. It's nice not walking alone, and you didn't even complain last night when my parents were—" She made a vague gesture between the two of them. "—you know."

He chuckled, waving dismissively at her. "I don't mind your parents. They were really nice," he assured.

"I know, but—" She pouted adorably. "—I still wanted to be the one to ask you to stay for dinner!"

It amused him that she had remained upset about that. "I stayed anyway at least, right?"

Sighing, she threw her hands up. "I guess! It's just..." She paused, arms dropping back down.

He felt her hand come in contact with his own, looking down to see the backs of her fingers touching his. He looked back up to see that she was eyeing his face, as if checking for something. Whatever it was, she apparently found it, her fingers moving to slide properly to the other side of his hand so she could clutch it.

"I got tired of other people forcing me and trying to work things out to make sure it was how they wanted." Smiling warmly, she added, "If I get to spend time with you, I don't want it to be because of someone else. I want it to be our choice."

He couldn't form a response, though she apparently didn't expect one with the way she looked away from him and focused on where they were walking. He glanced at their hands again, Marinette's grip gentle but with no intent on letting go.

He couldn't help reflecting. Every amount of romance knowledge he'd ever received (courtesy of Rose's excited ramblings) told him that the circumstances were more than appropriate for things to advance, and if he turned off the part of him that kept insisting that Marinette's actions could be interpreted in any way, it really did seem like she was dropping every hint possible that this was so much more than friendship. He'd have to be incredibly dense to suggest otherwise.

Suddenly, he felt bad, realizing how much had happened without his involvement. He took time to watch over and comfort her, certainly, but she was on another level.

She'd been the one to suggest the "study date date." She'd be the one to give him a gift. She'd been the one to suggest walking to school and eating together.

And now, she was the one who initiated them holding hands.

Even outside of her, his friends had been the ones to prepare accordingly and give them alone time, while Tom and Sabine practically treated them like they were already dating. Luka had always been of the belief that Marinette should set the pace of their relationship, but where was the line between letting her comfortably make choices, and making her work for it despite him doing nothing outside of reciprocating her gestures?

She deserved better than having to do all the work. It'd never been fair to her to have to make all of the decisions, and she'd been doing all the work seemingly her entire life.

He knew - better than everyone else - exactly how much she'd been working, for both herself and the rest of Paris.

"Luka?"

He was jerked out of his train of thought by Marinette's voice. She had slowed their walk and was looking at him worriedly, her frown lopsided in thought.

"Is everything okay? You look like you're thinking too hard." Though her brows were still furrowed, she smiled and tried to joke, "That's my job."

His expression softened, mostly out of its natural reaction to her. "It's alright," he assured.

Making a decision for himself, he stopped in his tracks, still holding onto Marinette's hand. She stopped as well, looking at their hands and then to him.

"Luka—" she began, but cut herself short. Whatever emotions he was showing must've given something away, as her mouth remained slightly open in curiosity, her eyes never leaving his.

"Marinette." He took a breath. "...Do you want to go on a date with me?"

Her mouth opened wider, a small noise coming out but forming no words.

"A real date," he clarified. He then continued, almost hastily, "There's no pressure, and it can be wherever and whenever you want. I just want to date you, as long as you want that too."

She was still, but he was more than willing to wait for her response. They'd already left early thanks to Juleka, so they had plenty of time.

Not that he would've minded being late if it was for Marinette's sake anyway.

Finally, Marinette blinked, then blinked again, this time rapidly. Her posture relaxed and she started breathing again. "...Yes."

His heart skipped a beat. She stepped closer to him, letting go of his hand so she could put both hands firmly on his shoulders and repeat seriously, "Yes." Growing excited, she leaped forward and squealed, throwing her arms around him in a tight but comfortable hug. "Oh my gosh, yes!"

He didn't stagger at her weight being thrown at him, but he might as well have. He felt like he'd been knocked over, all his breath leaving his lungs.

He loved it.

He returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm, giving her a loving squeeze. She let out a happy noise, nuzzling into him and making him realize how warm she was. He knew immediately that he wouldn't have to explain to his friends what had happened since the last time they saw him.

"...Oh!" Marinette gasped, pulling away from him. "Wait! I don't even know where we could go! I'd have to think—and plan—and figure out what the best time would be—"

He cut her off with a laugh. "I can wait. You can text me whenever you figure it out."

"I will!" she said resolutely. She then turned and placed one hand on the lower half of her face, looking deep in thought as she blindly reached back for his hand. He let her take it, fully willing to be dragged to school with her if she so desired.

He was so lost in the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears that he almost missed her whispering to herself.

"And I'll be there." There was a shake to it, but the resolve was apparent in her voice.

"I... I'll definitely be there."

[Part 10]

#multi chapter: Grade for Each Other

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amanda-glassen · 3 years

Text

The Wonder Years: Part 6

While getting ready for her first school dance, twelve-year-old Olivia starts a path toward discovering who she is truly meant to be. Parts 1-5 can be found under the the tag #alex and liv: the wonder years

Thank you to everyone who reblogged the last chapter and an extra special thank you to @imaginaryoperagloves @oliviaswifey and my lovely anon for your comments.

...and a very happy day THREE of birthday week to my love @ghostwritingcabenson

Olivia had kissed her girlfriend just three more times before Abbie and Serena interrupted their time alone. She had now kissed Alex a total of five times and each kiss had been better than the one before. And it’s going to keep getting better.

“You guys missed the best thing to happen at the dance,” Serena excitedly told her best friend. She sat down on the bench next to Alex and squeezed in as closely as she could so Abbie could sit down on the other side of her. “Logan in our homeroom asked Ava to slow dance with him even though he’s with Allie and when Allie found out she splashed an entire cup of punch on him and his white shirt. Everyone, even the seventh and eighth graders, were laughing at him. He’s such a creep. It’s gonna be the topic of conversation all day on Monday and I can’t believe you guys missed it.”

“What were you doing out here anyway?” Abbie asked. “Were you sick of the eighth graders? The way they dance is just grinding on each other. It’s so gross and they think they’re so much cooler than everyone.”

Serena gasped. “I know why they were out here.” She started to stare at her best friend’s face. “Something about you is different, Alex. You’re glowing and you’re like a whole new woman. You and Olivia were kissing! Tell me all about it. Did she slip you the tongue? Wait, you can’t tell me that in front of her. Call me as soon as you get home and tell me every detail.”

“What?” Alex’s eyes widened. “No! Olivia and I don’t do that! We just kissed normally.”

Serena nearly pounced on her best friend. “You and Olivia kissed? I’m so happy for you! You still need to call me tonight and tell me everything, though. Are her lips soft? Abbie’s are really soft and she wears vanilla chapstick. She tastes like a birthday cake and you know how much I love birthday cake.”

“I’m right here, Serena,” Abbie said in a frustrated tone of voice. “And none of that slipping the tongue stuff for us either. That’s so gross. I have enough spit of my own. I don’t need yours, too.”

Olivia glanced over at the pick-up and drop-off area and noticed a man around her mom’s age pull up in a black sports car. Her mom drove a hybrid and hated men who drove sports cars because she said most of them were pretentious, but Olivia had to admit it was one of the coolest cars she had ever seen.

“That’s my uncle Emerson,” Abbie told them. “My parents are having date night tonight so I’m staying with him.”

“Can we check out his car?” Serena asked. Before Abbie could respond, Serena grabbed her by the hand and started hurrying her over.

“You want to see it, too, don’t you?” Alex asked Olivia. “Nevermind. I don’t even have to ask. Let’s go see it.”

The car was a brand new Mustang and Olivia was in awe of the interior and all the features it had. “Uncle Em, these are my friends Alex and Olivia,” Abbie told him, bringing Olivia out of the trance she was in from staring at the car. “And the beautiful girl in the same dress as me is my girlfriend Serena.”

“It’s nice to meet you girls,” Emerson said to them. He was handsome and well dressed with brown hair and brown eyes and Olivia was sure she had seen him somewhere before even if she couldn’t figure out where.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” Olivia blurted out.

“You’re Serena Benson’s daughter, aren’t you?” Emerson asked.

“...yeah,” Olivia hesitated. “Do you work with my mom?”

Emerson shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen your mom in thirteen years. She and I were best friends in college. We did everything together. She was in my fraternity’s sister sorority and I found out her dorm room was a few doors down from mine. We were both pledges at the same time so we’d swap horror stories about pledging every night at the cafe on the first floor of our building.”

“My mom never talks about college,” Olivia said glumly. “She doesn’t show me pictures either, but I saw her sorority keepsake box this past summer and I think that’s where I recognized you from. You guys went to formal together, right?”

Emerson slicked his hair back with his hand, trying to recall when he and Serena had gone to formal together. “Freshman, sophomore, and junior year,” he said matter-of-factly. “Now that I think about it we went every year other than senior year because your mom moved back home to LA when…”

“When she was pregnant with me?” Olivia asked. She could feel Alex, Abbie, and Serena staring at her, but she didn’t care. Whenever she asked her mom or even her aunt and uncle who her dad was, she was always met with a vague answer of her dad being someone her mom knew in college, but she was now face-to-face with someone who could possibly give her answers and she didn’t care how anyone reacted to her getting them.

“Would you girls excuse me?” Emerson asked. “Olivia, do you want to step aside and talk? I can see you have some other questions and it’s better if I answer them privately.”

“I’m her girlfriend,” Alex crossed her arms. “Olivia and I don’t keep secrets from each other, so anything you can say to her can be said to me.”

“Is that okay with you, Olivia?” he asked.

“...yeah,” Olivia responded nervously, now wondering if this conversation was still a good idea.

The three of them were standing close enough for Emerson to keep an eye on Abbie and Serena but far enough for the two of them not to be able to hear their conversation.

“Your mom was something,” Emerson chuckled. Judging by the expression on his face, Olivia could tell he was thinking of fond memories. I’ve finally found the right person to give me answers. “She was president of Phi Delt in her junior year. She was sick of weekly weigh-ins and all of this asinine stuff the girls were forced to do so I got a call from her at 3 a.m. and she’s saying she had an epiphany and that she’s going to run for president so she can change everything she hated about the organization. She laid out her entire campaign plan for me and I remember being so in awe of her because her plan worked. Serena was so fiery and so much fun. That woman was my everything when I was an undergrad. She found out she was pregnant a couple of weeks after our junior year ended. She had gone back home to LA for the summer and she called me a few minutes after she found out she was pregnant. She ended up taking a year off of school and I never saw her again.”

“She should be here any minute,” Alex said, her arms still crossed as she talked to Emerson. “If you and her were such great friends, I’m sure she’d love to see you.”

“I better not,” Emerson responded. “Serena and I had a falling out. I’m not sure she’d be as happy to see me as you think she’d be.”

“Why?” Olivia asked. “Did it have to do with my dad? If you were her best friend and the person she spent all her time with, you had to know him. Can you tell me something about him? Anything?”

“Were you jealous of him?” Alex narrowed her eyes at Emerson. “She liked some other guy so that’s why you stopped talking to her?”

“There was no other guy,” he said to Olivia, completely disregarding Alex. “That May, when she got pregnant with you, there was no other guy.”

“How?” Olivia asked. “If there was no other guy, then how did she－oh. You’re my...” It had suddenly become too much for Olivia. She wanted to cry, she wanted to hug him, but mostly she felt angry with her mom for keeping him from her all these years.

She knew she only had a couple of minutes left with him, so she clinged to her dad tighter than she had ever clinged to anyone before for fear that the moment she let go, she’d realize that this had all been a dream.

Emerson wrapped his arms around her, placing a kiss on top of her head. “I’ve been waiting so long to hold you, ever since I found out your mom was pregnant.”

“You have?”

“I loved your mom with all of my heart,” he said as she caressed Olivia’s back to comfort her. “I wanted us to be a family, but she didn’t want that. She didn’t even want me to see you, but I’ve watched you grow up online. Your mom and I aren’t friends on social media but I’ve seen your pictures through friends of friends. Abbie says you’re a great basketball player. You and I have that in common. I played when I was your age and in high school.”

“I get it from you then,” Olivia managed to say through her tears. “My mom knows nothing about sports.”

“Olivia,” Alex tried to get her attention. “Your mom should be here any second now. We have to go, unless...Emerson, you’d like to see Serena? Serena and her perfect girlfriend who is tall and strong and can probably hurt any man who messes with Serena.”

“Your girl is a fiery one, too,” he said to Olivia. “I know your mom should be here soon, so I’m going to give you my number and you can call or text me anytime you want.”

Olivia pulled away so she could get her phone out of her back pocket. Once she got his number, she immediately texted him so he could have hers. Her text message simply read, ‘Hi, Dad.’ but she had waited a lifetime just to be able to call someone that.

Olivia watched her dad drive away, wondering if she’d get the opportunity to see him again or if her mom would keep him from her for another 12 years. I don’t care what she says. This is her fault. We could have been a family this whole time but she ruined it for us. She ruined everything.

“I don’t like him,” Alex said as they walked over to where Jamie’s car had just pulled up. “There’s something creepy about him. Your mom seems cool, Olivia. She’s even taking us for frozen yogurt right now when most parents would never do that for their daughter’s boyfriend or girlfriend. If she’s cool about other things, don’t you think there’s a good reason why she never told you about him? And he knows your mom wouldn’t want you to talk to him, but yet he says you can text him behind your mom’s back? A responsible adult would first try to make amends with your mom and then build a relationship with you.”

Before Olivia could respond, Serena came rushing over to her. She had removed her stilettos and set them down on the grass so she could walk faster. I don’t even want her touching me. But the moment she was wrapped up in her mom’s embrace, Olivia couldn’t bring herself to be mad at her. “Ollie, sweetie, why are you crying? You had me so worried.”

She felt the softness of her mom’s sweater dress and smelled the familiar scent of her Burberry Blush perfume and the product she used whenever she wanted her hair in beach waves. Everything about her mom felt like home and she never wanted to upset her or do anything to hurt the woman who loved her more than life itself.

“We just found out something very disturbing, Ms. Benson,” Alex began. “Mrs. Rodriguez, our science teacher, is giving us another science project. It’s really going to cut into Olivia’s ESPN time.”

“My girl,” her mom said as she began to caress her back the same way her dad did just a few moments before. “Is that what’s wrong? You know I’ll help you with your project.”

“Yeah,” Olivia nuzzled into her mom’s shoulder. It wasn’t exactly a lie. She did have a project.

Her mom placed a kiss on Olivia’s nose. “I love you so much Ollie. You’re my smart girl and I know you’re going to do great on your project but if you ever need help with anything at all, you can always come to me. Now let’s go get you girls some frozen yogurt. I want to hear all about your date and get to know your Disney princess.”

“Ms. Benson, stay here. I’ll go get your shoes,” Alex said. “They’re Louboutins. They should not just be lying in the grass.”

“Your girlfriend knows her shoes, Ollie.”

“She knows everything,” Olivia beamed with pride.

“Apparently she knows how to kiss, too, because I can see some glitter lip gloss on your lips.”

Olivia immediately covered her mouth. “Mom, I－wait, is that a mark on your neck?”

“I’m allergic to our fabric softener,” Serena quickly responded.

Olivia was grateful when Alex returned with her mom’s shoes and they could finally drop the subject. “Ms. Benson, your cheeks are so pink. What blush do you use?”

“Oh, I’m not wearing any,” Serena responded. “I only wear foundation, mascara, and lipstick.”

“You’re glowing!” Alex told her. “I need to know your skincare routine.”

Olivia took a second glance at her mom. She did look different. Her cheeks were pink, her lipstick that was usually perfectly applied was somewhat faded, and she had a dark mark on her neck. What did she….oh, MOM! Yuck! She was making out with Jamie right before picking us up. I’m never gonna be able to look Jamie in the eyes again.

But on second thought, now she can’t ground me for kissing Alex. If she does, I'll ground her for making out with Jamie.

Olivia wasn’t sure if she should talk to her mom about meeting her dad or if she should even continue texting him behind her mom’s back no matter how much she wanted a relationship with him. But she had until the end of the night to think about it. For the next hour, she was going to eat some frozen yogurt with gummy worms in it and try to avoid getting grounded.

#cabenson #alex and liv: the wonder years #alex cabot #olivia benson #law and order svu

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