#or let’s coordinate or busy schedules and make time to work together

[doublesidedgemini]

Part of the reason I started crying more was bc I was trying to plan a hang out with my bf but he texted me back and said he has to do this and that and this today

And then he sent another text and said I can text him when I’m ready and he’ll let me know what he’s up to and then I can decide if I want to come over

Yesterday he said something similar, “I’m welcome to come over if i want…”

At least today he texted me that he’s sorry he’s been so short on time BUT then he followed it up with “but I HAVE to do these things”

Which like I get it he’s extremely busy rn. But I texted him at the beginning of the weekend I had a lot of work to do as well if he wanted to be work buddies this weekend — didn’t acknowledge that. Then never texted me beforehand trying to set up time for us to work together, it’s always been a “I’m doing xyz and you can tag along if you want”

I told him he can just do what he needs to do today, which is what I told him yesterday. I haven’t seen him since last Saturday. This is the first week since we’ve started dating where I haven’t seen him and it feels really terribly bad :(

[justtwofriendsinmyhondacivic]

Mob bosses 141 x reader | 1.5k words

a/n: this is my first little writing that I couldn’t get out of my head after seeing this TT https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP86qTq5u/ … Let me know what you think ~.~

cw: mentions of violence, afab reader, mentions of military deployment, mentions of crime, sfw

summary: you’re a new assistant/ coordinator for mob bosses 141, after a long day they offer to take you to lunch. Wherever you wanted to go, you ended up taking them to White Castle! (They might not have this in London but oh well) Ghost doesn’t like pickles and you offer to trade with him. (PLEASE HEAR ME OUT ITS SWEET)

…

Aggressive. Scary. Unapproachable. These are all words used to describe the group of men that lead a successful crime syndicate in London.

They aren’t wrong.

These men after being discharged from the military with the horrors they witnessed understandably settle into a life of crime very easily. John Price, the man in charge is the stern one. He knows how to run a group to be efficient and did it without a lot of violence. Unless needed.

There was a very sick part of him who craved that bloodshed caused from his hands, a feeling that is deep down in him that he tries to resist.

The two younger men being ‘Soap’, and Gaz. They were what you could call the most normal out of the bunch. They smile with ease even if faked and are in charge of front of house business. But they are far from perfect. The PTSD they suffer from hits the hardest. They wear a mask of normalcy to hide the ugly parts of them.

And finally, Ghost. The walking wall of trauma, hidden by a literal and figurative mask of false security. Dark eyes, tracking every movement. Waiting for the moment he has to protect himself or the others.

All together they are a force.

It’s obvious why they are as successful as they are.

Insert you.

Quiet. Warm. Forgiving.

You were put into their radar when they needed a new person to help run their day to days. Make sure they have the correct people at meetings and help facilitate their days.

One of the henchmen that works for them, Konig, knew you from his past and vouched for you.

You are quick, quiet, and effective. Along with that you were in debt, and willing to stay quiet about things that aren’t exactly legal.

When they got your name, Ghost took his time tearing apart every detail he could on you and your family.

He found nothing concerning, just interesting. For a young woman you had no social media. No obvious photos of yourself. The only photo he found of you was from five years ago on your mothers social media page. It was you at your college graduation. The warmth radiated from your sweet eyes. Smile stretched beautifully across your blushed skin.

He only had one thought after seeing a naive person like you.

They are going to break you.

….

Price convinced them that they could try it.

The rest of the team is also very hesitant on the fact that you were sweet and young, but they were in no position to ever doubt their former captain. The man that only ever looked after them.

But what surprised them the most was the forgiving and resilient nature that you had.

Everyone had warmed up to you in a couple months of you in their space and running their day to day schedules. You are quick, efficient, and you make sure that they are well taken care of.

Making sure that they had dinner, tea, and keeping in mind their likes and dislikes.

Except Ghost.

He was skeptical, and made that well known. He hardly acknowledged your presence, and when he did it was snide remarks about how you weren’t cut out for this. He was convinced when they have to get into the gore of what they do, and when you eventually witnessed it, you would run.

But you never broke. Even when you walked into an active interrogation.

The smell of blood and rusty metal consumes the room. When you looked up from your notes you made eye contact with Ghost. The suit jacket was taken off and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

His bloody hands balled up, ready to hit the man tied to the chair. The other guys sat on the side watching Ghost work. They all made eye contact with you waiting for you to run as fast as you could away from them.

You were stunned, it took you a second to come back to reality. But when you did, you got right back into work mode. Even as the man begged for you to help him, and call the police.

You announced that they were late for a meeting but that you’re moving it a couple of hours to ensure they had enough time to get cleaned up and having a henchman pick up new suits.

They were all surprised but for Ghost you proved him wrong. Seeing you step up and take care of their needs just by understanding the situation without complaint, helped him warm up to you.

Just enough to stop the snide remarks and give you space to do your job.

…

After a long day of helping them with meetings and running around getting their documents in order, they were meeting free around lunch time. Price decided to take the team out to lunch. Including you.

He gathered everyone and had them follow to the car where the driver was ready. You weren’t exactly paying attention as you were organizing meetings for upcoming deadlines.

The team settled into their seats as you continued writing on your notes.

“What do you recommend, love?” The gravel tone in Price’s voice made you look up from the log of meetings and documents you were scanning.

The back of the SUV was a little cramped with all five of you. The widespread of Soap and Price thighs on both sides of you, with Ghost and Gaz in the seats behind.

“It’s up to you, Sir.” You said, looking back to your logs.

They all lock eyes above your head. A silent acknowledgement of how hard you worked to keep their heads above water.

Soap reached a hand up to take the log from your hands. Making your head snap up to question what he was doing.

“Gotta get tha’ pretty nose ou’ of the book, Bonnie” You huff feeling your cheeks warm. Soap chuckles at you.

“Call me John, love.” He sighed, you’re still not as comfortable with them as they are with you.

“C’mon, let us take you for a treat. Been working so hard, least we can do.”

Price’s lopsided grin helped put you at ease.

You paused to think. Looking up at Price after a minute in thought.

“Have you ever had White Castle?” They shook their heads, earning a dramatic gasp from you.

“I want you guys to try it! Can we go there?”

…

After walking in and ordering the team moved to a table in the back away from other guests. They haven’t been to somewhere like this since their deployment days. It was nostalgic for them, booths that were too stiff and placed too close to the table making them have to hunch forward a bit.

“You could’a picked a fancy place, love. Not a fast food restaurant.” Gaz shook his head, he felt out of place there. Their crisp suits and polished shoes squeak against the dirty ground. You all dolled up in a pretty blouse and a perfectly pleated skirt. And the two guards standing in front of your table.

“Well White Castle is very good! It's cheap, and you guys get to try it. Two birds.”A sweet smile on your face as the scared looking teenage worker started walking over to deliver your orders.

“Don’t ever worry about the price when we are with you.” Gaz said, looking at you as the pretty blush spread over your cheeks.

Before the worker could get close the guards closed in and took the trays. You smiled and told the boy thank you as he scrambled back to the cash registers.

As soon as they got the order they looked down at it confused.

“Why are these burgers so small?” Price said, burgers looking tiny in his large hands.

You shrugged munching on a fry.

“That’s how they make them.”

“Why don’t they make big burgers?” He asked picking up another one, even more confused.

“I never asked.” You said, tilting your head at him.

“They taste good?”

“They’re amazing!” You smiled.

Soap was already inhaling his food, earning a small smack to the back of his head from Ghost.

“Is that onions I’m tasting?” Gaz asked after a bite, looking pretty happy with the taste.

“It is.” You smiled.

“They got pickles on ‘em.” He notes.

“They do!”

Ghost looks up at you after pulling one of his burgers open, “What if I don’t like pickles?”

You were slightly shocked as he actually spoke a full sentence to you.

“Just tell them not to put them.”

“I’ve already placed m’ order.” He said looking slightly dejected, you know he doesn’t like speaking more than he has to, especially to people he doesn’t know.

“Mine don’t have pickles, let’s trade!” You said moving the small tray closer to him, smiling sweetly.

“You’d do this fa’ me?” He asked looking at you like you just offered to give him one of your kidneys.

“Absolutely.” You giggled.

He stared at your smiling face for a while in silence.

“If you have enemies that need taken care of, you come to me.” He says as he switches your trays.

Price eyes the interaction, hiding his grin in an okay tasting burger.

They need to take you out for real food one day.

[softshuji]

Track 2 ft. Sanzu Haruchiyo (campfire stories collection)

cw:yandere! sanzu, some suggestive content, some violence and drug usage, sanzu being weird and obsessive <3

Sanzu has your schedule down to a T.

You get coffee from the same cafe and you have one of those cute little apps that lets you get rewards the more you buy and because of this, you tend to stick to the same place.

You order the same thing every time. A vanilla latte and a croissant and you carry an extra bag so you can drop your croissant and lunch in it as you leave, and you smile at whoever happens to catch your eye- him on occasion though he wonders whether its intentional considering you always seem to be in a rush. In and out, quickly and efficiently.

Straight after this, you run to the supermarket to grab a small salad or boxed lunch and a protein shake or milkshake depending on the day and then you walk quickly in the direction of your building. It's not dissimilar to a bonten type- a little less luxurious and a bit of digging has told him you worked in finance for an accounts department of a larger firm. Small enough to go under bonten's radar but big enough to still pull in a small profit by the year.

Truth be told, sanzu isn't a huge fan of coffee anyway.

But he likes seeing you every morning, even though you've never spoken he likes how you smile and how you tap your lips when you're looking at the board or the menu, and how your outfits always seem to be so well put together and coordinated. You somehow seem to miss how everyone shies away from his table and gives him the kind of wide berth that is befitting for a man of his standing. So he drinks his unsweetened latte alone and then leaves once he's seen you enter the double doors of the building opposite your quaint little cafe.

There's been a few incidents however. A woman who knocks into you, looking down her nose when you profusely apologise for getting in her way and sanzu thinks about blowing the building up and bringing her head as a gift to you. She never bothers you again after that and gets the kind of scared look in her eye that reminds you of a skittish animal whenever she sees you. It's not long after she decides to forego getting coffee from there all together and you're none the wiser. The baristas are always good to you, and you praise them often saying they make the coffee just how you like it, taking it as just niceties when they seem to be pushy with offering you free food and gifts. And who are you to deny them when they're so kind? You always say you like to support your local businesses. You're smart like that.

On another occasion, a man almost hits you with his car as you're crossing the road and Sanzu stands instinctively, all consequences be damned- when you profusely apologise for not watching where you're going and quickly duck into your building. He puts a hand on his chest, splayed across his waistcoat, his racing heart now slowing and thumping against his ribs. He pulls out his phone then, talks low into the receiver, an eye trained on the cctv camera pointed away from his table in a very careless and tacky oversight by the managers, murmuring the plates and model of the car before he ends the abrupt call. You won't know and he has no intention of ever telling you that the driver's bloodstains were hard to get out his crisp white shirt and that he'd begged for his life and wet his clothes before Sanzu sliced his throat.

He hasn't told any of the others about these little escapades of course and they're often caught in their own love lives to realize he's sneaking around more often. But it's harder to hide it from Mikey. Not that he'd ever want to but it was getting difficult to explain why he was suggesting they take their more impersonal meetings in that cafe across the street, or why Sanzu was suddenly turning up with a hot latte every morning when he's not a big drinker at all.

'That girl? With the red lipstick?' Mikey says, his eyes roving over you as you stand to the side to put your purse away, sidestepping the cleaner who mops around the chairs.

Sanzu coughs, a red flush slipping across his neck and cheeks, a quiet mumble accompanying the kick of his feet on the linoleum. 'y-yeah, her.'

'Hm....'Mikey cocks a head to the side as he nurses a sip of his cappuccino. 'And what do you like about her that you can't find in one of the club girls?'

'The...the club girls?' The flush is crawling higher.

Mikey gives him a knowing look as he puts the styrofoam cup down and fishes in his breast pocket for a tissue before leaning down to rest his chin on his hand. He's feeling a little better recently. These escapades have been good to him, and Sanzu's excuses for getting outside have ensured he's seeing the sun more often. He doesn't have so much time to hide among the trove of his memories when they're following you to and from work and keeping tabs on you in the way they are.

'I know you haven't gone in over two months. The elder Haitani told me you've cut back on the cocaine too.'

'Oh.' He feels hot. The kind of heat that starts in his chest and traipses a line across his back, makes his shirt sticky with a growing film of sweat. He rubs a hand across his neck, trying to avoid Mikey's knowing and watchful eye. 'Y-Yeah, I just- y'know I don't need-'

'I'm not bothered by it. I don't care what girl you like or what drugs you take as long as you get your work done.' Mikey turns and watches you as you sit down at a table and pull out a book, some battered age old vintage thing and take a sip from your overpriced sugary drink, adjusting your hat and crossing your legs under the table. 'She's very pretty.'

'She is...' Sanzu says, a demure whisper that's uncharacteristic of him as he stares into his americano, deliberately avoiding catching your eye or Mikey's for that matter.

Mikey thinks he can see why a man like Sanzu would like a girl like you. You seem like the kind of girl who's in love with life, the innocent kind that's so easily breakable, that cries when someone else does, so trusting, the kind that takes pictures of the sunset just because she thinks it looks beautiful. He wouldn't have to ask permission from anyone to have a taste of his own. Maybe he will. Mikey needs some light and warmth too, and you seem the kind that might understand that. He imagines you might cry so sweetly for someone like him which would be an added bonus.

He clears his throat. 'So have you spoken to her?'

Sanzu shakes his head. There is a strange and jittery feeling in his bones, in his fingertips. The kind of thrumming he gets when he needs to do a line and drink himself stupid just to avoid being pulled under. He's slightly ashamed to admit to himself that he's getting desperate. He avoids the clubs all together and when he imagines another girl putting her hands on him, his skin gets itchy, crawls with trepidation and disgust and he has to pat his pockets for the packet of pills just to avoid blowing a hole in someone's head just because he feels weird and shitty about it all.

But he has thought about kissing you. More than kissing in fact. He'd like to peel your clothes back one by one, kiss you just shy of your bra before he slices it off and take his time to appreciate each and every sliver of skin, marvelling over every birthmark you no doubt have before he works you open to take him. He'd like to be gentle, and the thought makes him dizzy at how irrational and foreign it feels to him, would kiss your lips till they were red and swollen and you begged him so softly to touch you more. He'd maybe like to buy you nice things, take you to a proper restaurant, carry you to your apartment before you inevitably invite him in and you make love on the sofa before making love again on the bed and maybe he falls asleep listening to your heartbeat and it would be the good kind of sleep that doesn't feel tenuous and thick with grief.

'Hm you haven't spoken to her but you've been watching her for two months?'

'I wasn't-'

Mikey holds up a hand. 'Like I said, I don't care what girl you like but don't sit around doing nothing about it or someone else will just do it.' And then, more sombrely, a rare display of some unnamed emotion flickering across the expanse of his face, eyes flecked with something that is too big to name, 'Once something is gone, it's gone for good.'

Sanzu shifts uncomfortably and Mikey drains the last dregs of his overpriced lukewarm cappucino before standing. 'I need to see you later, but make sure you talk to the girl. Make her yours. Consider it an assignment for the end of the week.' And he pulls his coat around him before leaving, his collars turned up over the tattoo on the back of his neck.

Sanzu watches him leave with a strange mix of adoration and fear as he swirls the bottom of his cup around, watching the grains of coffee slip and slide over the porcelain white edge. Mikey's right. And then what? He'll watch some other guy take you, take what's rightfully his and for what? Because he was too scared to do anything about it.

'Hey, excuse me?'

A voice pulls him from his reverie, and you stand shyly in front of his table with your battered paperback in your hand, your hat in the other as your hair winds around your ears.

He freezes, hand paused around his cup, hard enough to believe he'll shatter it any second now.

'Uhm, I just wanted to say, I really like the colour of your hair.'

His throat is dry, sandpaper across his tongue. 'M...my hair?'

You laugh, a little incredulous and he wants to bottle the sound and drip feed it through his veins. 'Yeah, it's pretty, I love that shade of pink. It suits you a lot.'

His shirt is sticky with a film of sweat, harsh lights and breath coming too fast, a dizziness that has nothing to do with the caffeine. 'Th...thanks....' And he mentally kicks himself, squeezing the nails of his other hand into his palm, crescents indented on the ivory skin.

You wrinkle your nose. 'May I sit here?' you say and take the other chair when he dumbly nods, watching how your skirt flares at the waist, a tiny pendant peeking just shy of your shirt and he wants to dunk his head in ice water.

He doesn't talk much, and you fill up the space yourself. But it doesn't bother you as much as it should. He asks questions, and his eyes never leave your face, like he's committing it to memory and you talk animatedly, which he likes, because you seem so excited by something and it has his chest fluttering when he wonders how it feels to be loved by someone who loves so much and so often and so big.

You leave an hour later, and write your number on a napkin which you tuck into his breast pocket, firm muscle under your touch- and you tell yourself it doesn't matter if it doesn't go anywhere, that you're glad to have met this beautiful man regardless,

But Haru knows better. He expects to be seeing you more often now because after all,

he does have an assignment to complete.

Reblogs appreciated

[otakubimbo]

Revenge Is My New Last Name

Miguel O'Hara x F!reader CEO/Mafia Boss Au

Chapter 2: The Marriage

Summary: The wedding was upon you, and you still haven't told your own mother. For the sake of your mother, you were willing to do this, but what surprise did this wedding have in store for everyone.

MDNI

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The wedding preparations started almost immediately; it was set for two weeks since Miguel would soon be declared the head of the company. Every choice was taken without your consideration, and your stepmother made all the choices for you. You haven’t even had time to see your mother in days, on top of that, you still haven’t met your future ‘husband’. Through the whole process, Elaine is there snickering on about how you’re ‘getting sold off’ and marrying an ‘ugly mad man’. At that point, you were just numb to everything; it didn’t matter what she had to say, nothing mattered if your mother was okay.  It wasn’t like your life was yours anyway; it hadn’t been for so many years.

Currently, you have been dragged into looking at venues even if you didn’t have any choices; they still had to put up the appearance that you were a willing participant. The fake smile that you had constantly been wearing on your face was starting to hurt. In the middle of nodding and smiling, your phone starts going off. It was the specific ringtone for the hospital, and you scrambled to get your phone out of your purse, worried that something bad had happened to your mother. As you pull your phone out, Reese gives you a death glare as if not to answer.

“It’s the hospital,” You say before quickly answering, “Hello?”

“Hello, it’s Tiffany,” The head nurse says through the receiver.

“Hi Miss Tiffany, is everything okay with mom?” your voice trying to remain as calm as possible

“Yes, your mother is fine,” She starts, and you sigh in relief, brow still scrunched, wondering what the call could be for then, “She’s been asking about you every day, she seems worried. I’m concerned the stress may affect her health.”

You pause before answering, biting on the side of your thumb, a nervous habit you’ve never managed to break. “I know, I’ve been kind of busy lately,” You look up to see the wedding coordinator looking at you with genuine concern in her eyes and then there’s Reese looking absolutely pissed, “I should be able to visit soon.”

“Please do, but make sure you’re taking care of yourself too, kiddo.” Tiffany’s motherly side is coming out.

You let out a small chuckle, “Yes, ma’am, I will.”

“See you soon.”

“See you soon.”

You take a deep breath before you turn around to look at the wedding coordinator and Reese. Of course, Elaine is snickering behind her mother, you were sure she could feel the anger radiating off her, and that usually never went well for you.

“We can always reschedule if you need to leave, I know we are on a tight schedule bu---” The coordinator starts before being cut off by Reese

“No!” Reese interrupts before composing herself, “What I mean to say is that I would be more than happy to finish looking at venues for her. If that’s okay with you?” She says before looking at you with a tight-lipped smile.

Fuck it. You didn’t care about this wedding anyway and cared more about being with your mother. Reese would most likely pick the most expensive, most gaudy place, but it didn’t matter.

“Yes, that’s fine with me. I would really appreciate that actually” you say, making Reese take a step back, surprised at your kind response.

“If that’s what works for everyone, then that is fine,” The coordinator says, clapping her hands together, “Now go and see your mother, we will pick out the most incredible venue for you.”

“Thank you so much!”

You may have broken a few laws on the way to the hospital, but your mother needed to see you. On the way, you tried your best to think about what you would say to her. How were you going to explain getting married next week? By the time you got there, you had just come up with telling her the truth.

Through your whole explanation, the frown didn’t leave your mother’s lips. Despite how weak and pale she was, she still had the energy to be upset. It seemed like a part of her was disappointed, and you couldn’t tell if that was towards you or herself. Before you could finish, she held a hand up to stop.

“If you’re only doing this for me, then I demand you put a stop to this.” Her tone was firm, stronger than you’ve heard in years.

An exasperated sigh leaves your lips, you knew she was going to be like this. You grab her hand, making it cup your face, “It’s for both of us, mommy. You’ll be taken care of, and I won’t have to worry about anything during residency.”

Your mother’s eyes sparkle at hearing about your residency. As long as you spoke mostly of the truth, one lie wouldn’t hurt. And maybe your husband would let you attend your residency; you doubted it, but the thought would at least put your mother at ease.

“You got your placement?” Her face was shining at you with such pride and excitement. You release her hand for your face and reach for your purse, pulling out the letter that you painstakingly ironed after wrinkling. She basically snatches it from your hands, reading it as her smile grows wider and wider. You can see the tears starting to form on her lash line.

“Oh, my brilliant daughter. Come here, hug your mother.” She requests, extending her hands out wide for you to place yourself into, “I am the most blessed woman to have such an amazing child as you. I am so proud of you, I’ll always be proud of you, I’ve always been proud of you. This is all you’ve worked so hard for, and you did it, baby, you did it all by yourself.”

It’s you who starts to feel the water making its way over your lash line. Besides curing your mother, the only other thing you’ve ever wanted was to make her proud. And you knew she was always proud of you, you did, but it’s different to hear it. The tears weren’t just for that, though; it was for the loss of what could have been. You knew you weren’t going to your residency, and as much as it made your heart swell from your mother’s pride but the knowledge that you may never get to your residency. It would all be worth it, though, worth it to continue to see your mother smile.

And that’s why you were there, now, sitting in a chair getting your makeup and hair touched up while you clutched onto the bouquet. It would be one of those days were your coils refused to be tamed, both your stepmother and hair stylist getting upset at its defiance. If you couldn’t do it yourself, at least your hair was rebelling for you.

Elaine looks annoyed, sitting across from you, her hair more easily slicked back into a low bun. You watched her with tired eyes, wondering why either of them bothered to show up. It can’t be to make sure you go through with it, they know you would for your mother. What was it for then? To watch as if you are legally bound to another family? To confirm if the rumors about your new husband are true? To gloat? You jumped out of your thoughts at a snatch of your hair.

“Ugh” Reese groans before sticking another Bobby pin in your hair, “If your hair wasn’t just so damn nappy.”

That comment pulled a smile to Elaine’s face, a wicked grin spreading as you knew she was about to say something cruel.

“At that’ll make it easier for your new monster of a husband to drag you around with” Elaine snickers at herself. Why does nothing bad ever happen to the wicked? What sins did you commit in a past life to deserve any of this?

Your eyes gaze down at your wrist, which holds the bracelet your mother gave you. It was delicate silver vines, adorned with flowers stoned with sapphire. ‘For your something old and something blue,’ she told you, a mixture of warmth and sadness in her eyes. You turned it around on your wrist, admiring how beautiful it was. At the very least, you had a piece of your mother with you since she couldn’t be here. Contract wedding or not, you still wanted your mom to be here, to see you, but you realized a long time ago that you would never get to what you ever wanted.

As you hear the door open and see your father, it is time to accept the fate that life has given you. This was it.

Your father nearly gasped when he saw you. “You look so beautiful, sweetheart.”

“I did the best I could,” Reese spoke up before you could say anything. Your lips immediately formed a tight smile.

“Thanks, Father.”

They arrange your veil, covering your face entirely. Before you could get up, Elaine comes towards you, that faux innocent smile that made your stomach churn, but so many people believed. She bends down as if hugging you to whisper into your ear.

“I can’t wait to see what kind of troll you’re going to marry. I would wish you good luck, but you don’t deserve it.” Her sickly-sweet voice rings in your ear, forcing you to bite your tongue as she places a kiss on your cheek. Oh, if only you could just head butt her right now.  It was as if she realized the fury that dwelled within you as she quickly scurried out. You had never put your hands on her before, but she could tell you were nearing your breaking point.

Once the doors are closed, it’s you and your father left in an empty room. He extends his hand out to you, but you ignore it, standing up on your own two feet, you’ve had to do for years now. You walked over to the mirror, and you truly did look beautiful, but there were no more sparkles in your eyes. The makeup was a surprisingly good match; you were thankful you weren’t two shades different from your chest. Truthfully, you didn’t think you’d ever looked better, and at least you could be happy about that. Your mother is going to love the pictures; she used to love dressing you up.

With a deep exhale, you turn to your father, “Alright, let’s go”. He places the veil to cover your face and loops his arm around yours. to your surprise, he’s shaking. You don’t dwell too much on it, he was the one who put you in this situation anyway, who was he to be the one nervous?

Before you can get through the door of the chapel, you hear an almost wave of angry whispers. What the hell was happening behind those doors? As the doors in front of you open, the music starts to play, and the whispers die down. Everyone turns to face you, while your eyes scan across the room. Your eyes fell onto Reese and Elaine, their faces upturned, and they looked down right pissed. A wave of confusion hits you as your eyes scan more of the room, it's packed full of people, and not many faces you recognize. For a man who they claim doesn’t have any mob affiliations, there were a lot of mob-looking characters around the room. As your eyes drift down the aisle, your heart starts beating in your chest as your breath starts to quicken. At the end of that aisle was one of the most handsome men you have ever seen. You almost dropped your bouquet as your eyes met even behind the veil; it was as if he could see through it; his gaze quite literally took your breath away, and you started coughing a bit. Your father rubs your back which causes your stepfamily to suck their teeth, because it wasn’t enough that they were getting everything that they want, your father can’t care about you at all to make them happy.

After you compose yourself, you begin to walk down the aisle, your heartbeat thumping in your ears so loudly you can barely hear the music. You didn’t think you would be nervous, you didn’t even think you would care, but here you were trying to break that piercing red gaze of his while remembering how to breathe.  He was built like a god, chiseled features, dark brown hair slicked back, his expression looked bored and annoyed, but his eyes held a surprisingly fiery glint. His eyes held a bit of curiosity as they searched over your veiled features, looking for you behind them. The moments down the aisle felt like seconds, minutes, and hours all at once until you finally reached the end.

“Who gives this bride away?” A voice next to you says, but you can barely hear anything. All you see is the man in front of you, only thinly clouded through the veil.  As more words get said around you, he slowly pulls back your veil, revealing yourself to him. His eyes flicker with what looks like recognition, but you would assume that he was surely someone you could never forget. As you finally looked him directly in the eyes, it was almost as if a surge of energy bounced between you two. You never thought the movies were true, where once you found your person, everything fades away, or if love at first sight was real, but if any of it were true, then you felt in your bones, in your spirit, that this was one of those moments. It felt like you were on autopilot, even when you said, ‘I do,’ you couldn’t even hear your voice say the words, but you felt your mouth move.  And then he was kissing you, finally remembering to breathe in those moments as you kissed him back, aggressive and passionate. Before you knew it, you were ripped from your new husband and smacked across the face.

“What the hell are you doing, you whore?” Elanie screams in your face, but before you can even respond, you are gently being pulled back, and several guns appear, pointing at your stepmother's face.

“You touch the mistress again and you die.” One of the men, who took a stance right in front of you and Miguel, says towards her. Your eyes begin to water as your brain processes the pain of the slap. A small warm hand comes to gently caress your face, turning your head to see a shorter woman with glasses.

“You okay, sweetie?” the woman gently speaks to you, scanning your face for any other wounds besides the reddening of her face. You don’t speak for a moment as the woman tries to soothe you, “I’m Lyla, I work for Miguel. Are you okay?”

The sound of guns cocking back snaps you out of your stupor.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m okay.” You respond, straightening yourself out. You walk past the men, slowly pushing them back to get to your stepmother, “With this, we are even; I don’t owe anything to the family after this. From here on out, we are no longer considered family. You don’t even wait for a response as you turn around and walk back down the aisle. Lyla and a few of Miguel's men follow behind you.  When you finally make your way back to the dressing room, you break down and collapse into tears. All you remember before you pass out is Lyla rubbing your back attempting to soothe you.

Taglist:

@lou-diaries

[rilakeila]

intro: we challenge you!

host club au! jjk x fem!reader x ohshc

gojo satoru is the head of jujutsu academy's elite high school host club with his friends: geto suguru, nanami kento, itadori sukuna, shoko ieiri, haibara yu, and of course, their princess manager. what happens when they go up against another elite host club on an exchange event with different schools? let's find out!

a/n: incredibly self-indulgent. i cant decide to do an entire series or collection of one-shots. however, even if i do a series, i'm always open to do an au within au !! lmk if y'all have any ideas and hope you enjoy this one! also it's def ouran vibes with how the scenes work out like nonsensical manners with the petal entrances and random objects appearing out of nowhere

(y/n) was already tired.

she knew the exchange event would triple her work as manager for her dear beloved buffoons and their work as hosts, but she foolishly accepted their offer to go anyway. between scheduling their events, accepting payments for various fan meetings, and then coordinating with both schools to confirm times and clothing - she was ready to retire. pension required and isolation from known society appreciated. at least distance away from the menaces called gojo satoru and itadori sukuna.

for once, to their credit, they weren't fighting each other. damages would be at minimal cost. good for her and jujutsu academy's reputation. although these two were never very concerned about the school's reputation.

and that's why they were about to duke it out with an intensely frivolous blonde-haired second year and what looked to be a very feral set of twins in their first year.

"they look so hot but so scary," murmurs surrounded the two groups.

(y/n) couldn't help but sigh, attention always seemed to follow them as they go. satoru naturally reeled in the girls, which would lead into the rest of the boys and shoko being noticed, ultimately turning it into a free fan-meeting for new potential customers. she wondered how she came to this predicament anyways.

"well, i'll be back. i just need to confirm some things with the head of the event," (y/n) flipped through her clipboard of papers, signing some things off.

"do you need me to come with you?" kento questioned, adjusting his uniform.

she shook her head, "no, i'll be okay. what i need you to do is watch over these buffoons."

both looked at the buffoons in question. haibara and shoko were already taking pictures in front of the flowers. these two that were least likely needed to be watched.

"this place looks so old," satoru complained a little too loud, earning a head shake of disapproval from nanami and (y/n).

"not too loud, satoru. you really should be more polite and humble, even if it looks garish," geto stretched his arms out before placing it behind his head.

"there's no places for shade," sukuna grumbled.

(y/n) pressed her lips together, pulled a parasol out and covered the pink-haired host, "okay, i'll be back. no funny business, kento is in charge."

"who put you in charge? do you have no respect for your president?" satoru seated his head on the top of (y/n)'s head, arms wrapped around her. she can practically see and feel the pout on his face, rolling her eyes.

she grabbed sukuna's free hand, placing the parasol in his hand to hold ("hmph."). she charged her head up, injuring the prince's chin to free herself from his grasp, "well, mr. president, i suppose you would like to go over some paperwork for the event."

"mommaaa, she hit me," he cried to suguru, who just hit the backside of his head.

"we'll make sure to behave, princess. come back safe," suguru waved her off. (y/n) looked at kento who just nodded, knowing that he was the only one she could fully trust. both throwing a thumbs up to each other.

after (y/n) leaving, the rest of the host club wandered around the grounds of ouran. there were multitude of yellow dresses and blue blazers directing other schools and vendors. kento was leading the group, watching yu and ieiri to ensure that they didn't get lost as they indulged in the small events that the ouran students were hosting. he trusted sukuna would keep suguru and satoru in check, mostly satoru.

kento paused in his tracks, hearing squeals behind him, 'there goes the president again.'

"he's so hot!"

"take your glasses off!"

"alright, alright, ladies. there's enough of me to go around," the dramatic movement just to take his glasses off was enough for kento to sweatdrop. the squealing increased tenfold. typically, suguru would line up the girls at their school for uniformity for their president. however, it looked he was preoccupied with his own set of girls. then, sukuna. and there is yet another group of girls.

"honestly, that took a lot longer than i thought," yu said, standing next to kento.

"that was inevitable, girls always fall for them, somehow, someway," shoko twirled her hair around her finger.

"hmm... as long as they aren't causing too much of a ruckus. we should be fine," kento huffed, shaking his head when yu offered him the snack bag that the ouran students were handing out as "freebies." what a word to have.

though, their heads snapped to a sharp gasp next to them.

a blonde with his jaw snapped wide open fainting backwards, only for a pair of orange-haired twins to catch him as he fell back. "boss!"

other than the blonde and the twins, there seemed to be a middle schooler and a taller man. another had glasses, and well, one looked ambigious, feminine-leaning perhaps.

"doesn't the blonde remind you of someone?" yu whispered to them.

"yeah, someone that we know... can't seem to think of who it is" ieiri questioned with yu, thought bubbles practically seen above their heads as they thought long and hard.

"what happened to him, kyoya-senpai?" the feminine-looking one asked.

"it may be due to the fact that his customers have been stolen," the glasses one answered. kento recognized him, kyoya ootori, as his parents frequently invited the ootori family to the quarterly nanami galas as a thanks to the partnership of two families.

"my princesses! how dare they look at another man," the blonde immediately rose from the ground in a familiar way to kento, yu, and ieiri. a dramatic point was directed to satoru, "you, white haired student! have you come to steal my customers?"

"that should be our cue to go to them," kento lightly tapped ieiri and yu's shoulders, signalling them to head towards their members.

the chattering from the female ouran students silenced. it was also as if the red sea parted, a direct showdown line between the two groups.

this is how (y/n) ended up, almost crossing down the half. luckily, she looked up in time to stand with her club, sweatdropping in between. she eyed kento with a 'i thought you had it controlled,' which was responded with a head shake and shrug.

"customers? you called these beautiful ladies customers? what a shame. would never think that you were their prince. who might you be?" satoru pushed his sunglasses back onto his face, causing "aww's" of disappointment from the crowd.

"excuse you, i'm tamaki, the prince of the finest club of this school. the ouran host club, of course," he offered his princely smile and a rose to one of the female student bystander, who squealed and seemed to almost pass out.

"i got it, they're one of the same," (y/n) perked her ears up to ieiri and haibara whispering to each other, raising an eyebrow.

"host club? must have fooled me, there's an entire child in your group," suguru laughed as he directed the attention to the small child with the bunny in his arms, only to raise an eyebrow once he saw the taller one behind him straighten up.

"i assumed these ladies wanted someone mature, refined," sukuna showed his signature smirk to the ladies to his left, some fainting and some reaching for him.

"we are refined, right? men?" tamaki questioned with certainty in his voice.

"well, we offer brotherly love and boy lolita, i'm not too sure if that exactly counts as refined and mature, senpai," the feminine-looking one said.

"additionally, we have female hosts to those who are interested," it felt like lights highlighted (y/n) and ieiri when suguru mentioned their female host services.

"well, we technically also-" the twins' mouth seemed to be tied up by tamaki with a sheepish smile.

"so, really, what is the point of this? we have a whiny prince on our hands that can't accept the fact his ladies are talking to actual elite people, well in terms of taste," sukuna scoffed.

"you're right, kuna, why waste time with this nonsense of a host club when we can entertain the ladies here on the way to our next activity. manager princess, lead the way to where we have to go," satoru winked at the ouran host club before allowing (y/n) to take the reigns as she normally does.

she was too far lost other than knowing if ouran's host club is anything like the one she is in, their pride was certainly on the line. the last thing she saw before she turned around was a defeated tamaki with the twins fanning him, where had she seen that scene before?

"wait, we'll challenge you during this exchange event with whatever there is to offer to see who's the better host club," tamaki called out to them, still kneeling on the ground

gasps were heard from their audience. the jujutsu academy host club (more so the guys, ieiri and (y/n) could care less about a hurt pride) turned and eyed each other, reaching a consensus.

"hmm.. we never back down from a challenge. when and where can we discuss the terms?"

"music room #3, 3 p.m. sharp."

"we'll see you there."

(y/n) surely didn't know what she was getting herself into during this exchange event. everyday was already interesting enough with her own club. though, let's see what happens.

till next time !

intro completed.

[tiredofthehumanlife]

Our children yearn for the waterpark

part one

barbie dolls: Jegulus x you

word:3.9k

summary:James takes you and regulus (along with your children) to a waterpark

warnings: your son is named Elliot, also you're referred to as Ren and Rena like the gn term for your parent so just yk it's not an oc i promise, pushing the trans James agenda, James is a baker and regulus is a stay at home dad/writer you’re a teacher just so you know, modern au I'm SORRY, James’ parents are alive, Regulus has freinds, Regulus hates the public water, Allusions to poc Luna harry and james, your race and elliots race is not menntioned everyone is welocome, you dont get in the water, Regulus is a sunscreen god he loves sunscreen so much, Harry is mentioned to have moms theyre giving divorce core mom and dad’s house, james drives a minivan, allusions to autistic reader and Elliot but its not specified, your swimsuit is not mwntioned or described so again everybody welcome, i hate typos oh my god

You liked dating James and Regulus. Your relationship was still very fresh, but their effect was hard to miss. They made you laugh all the time. James was very energetic, matching your kids well. Regulus was blunt and it relaxed your nerves of missing a hidden message in a conversation. And they were both great parents. Your kids already loved each other and they got along well.

School was out. Meaning both you and Elliot had loads of free time on your hands. With summer in full swing, you set up frequent playdates with Elliot’s two best friends. You wanted him to keep his strong bonds with them and it definitely wasn’t because you missed Regulus and James. Regulus was really self-employed. He stayed at home to raise Luna and to write his books. He could easily add a playdate to his schedule. James however was a baker with hours he had to meet. So he didn’t always have a clear schedule. Harry would stay with his grandparents, Euphemia and Fleamont, while James was at work. Harry also spent a lot of time at his Moms’ house. So making a playdate with all three children involved was harder than expected. Elliot still liked hanging out with Luna, and sometimes even Harry too on certain weekends.

Your phone rang as you were cutting up celery for Elliot. He was going through a peanut butter phase, eating it on everything. You picked up the call, holding the phone with your shoulder and the side of your face.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Pretty. It’s me.” You smiled at James’ voice. Just as you were about to tell him hi again, he started talking. “Lemme add Regulus.” You stayed silent as his side went quiet. You heard Elliot in the other room, clacking his toys together on the dining room table. You snagged a pretzel from the small pile on his plate. Soon enough James and Regulus both joined.

“Are you guys busy this weekend?” You scoffed at James. You heard Regulus sniffle a laugh on his line.

“James, baby, we’re always free. Do try to remember our professions.” You said as you smeared peanut butter onto Elliot’s celery.

“Right yeah, well I just accidently bought exactly six passes to this really cool waterpark,” James said, whispering the last word. You oooed while Regulus snorted.

“James, do share with us how you accidentally bought exactly enough passes for all of us and our children.” Regulus pressed. You heard Luna in the background let out a yell filled with laughter.

“Was that Luna?” You asked. Regulus explained that her uncles were over and attacking her with tickles. Regulus returned the conversation to the waterpark passes.

“alright fine, you caught me. I missed you guys. I’ve been so busy with work, I feel like I haven’t seen you all summer.” You cooed at James while Regulus let out a whine.

“He cares.” Regulus mocked.

“How adorable.” You joined in making James groan loudly. “What day were you planning on going to the p-a-r-k, James?” You spelled out where you were going so Elliot wouldn’t overhear and get excited. You turned around to the color-coordinated calendar on the fridge. It was mostly empty, you and Elliot preferred the company of each other than strangers. Though you had a really exciting playdate with Luna planned next Thursday. What a wild life you lived.

“This Saturday if that works for you two.” You glanced over at the empty box.

“Yeah, I could squeeze you in.” You muttered into the microphone as you turned back to Elliot’s plate.

“Lemme check my planner.” Regulus waited for a second. “Oh that’s right, I hate human beings. I'm completely free.” James let out a sigh of relief. You picked up Elliot’s plate, walking it to the dining room. Elliot was sitting in a chair, his little arms just barely reaching over the edge of the table, smacking two toy cars together. You set his plate in front of him. Elliot thanked you, shoving the peanut butter-covered celery into his mouth. You kissed his forehead, ruffling his hair before pulling back. You noticed his bare legs.

“Baby, where are your pants?” You tilted your head. Elliot pointed to the bathroom.

“Hamper,” Elliot answered.

“Well, good job putting them in the hamper but why aren’t they on your legs?” You asked.

“Didn’t wanna wear ‘em,” Elliot said, his mouth full of celery.

“Can’t argue with that, make sure you chew all the way okay.” Elliot nodded as you left to go clean the kitchen.

“One thing I will say though, I’m not getting that water. Do you realize how filthy those things are?” You tuned back into the conversation listening to Regulus list off statistics of how gross waterparks are.

“That’s okay, I’ll be in the water so I can make sure Luna doesn’t swim away or anything,” James said, clearing up the problem. You nodded.

“I’ll dry off Luna if you don’t want to touch the water on her, and we’ll lay a towel over one of those chairs that are shaded so we know it's clean. If you feel lonely, I'll sit with you and James if you feel tired we can swap places.” You offered, wanting to fill in any potholes in your plans.

“You are very kind, darling,” Regulus muttered. You cooed at him as you shoved the peanut butter back in the high cabinet so Elliot wouldn’t eat it all in one sitting and hurt his stomach.

“You guys are nasty. I was thinking maybe we carpool so nobody gets lost and it saves gas.” James said. You hummed while Regulus made a disapproving sound.

“James, there’s like twelve of us. Are you driving a bus?” Regulus said, poking holes into James’ ideas. If you were looking at James you assumed he’d be rolling his eyes.

“I have a big van. It has enough seating for us, I counted to make sure.” You hummed.

“Okay, baby, whatever you want.” You agreed, putting the celery into the refrigerator. Regulus sighed.

“I suppose that could work.” You snorted at Regulus’ faked disappointment. You heard Luna call for Regulus on his side.

“I’m being called for Yeti in my Spaghetti, I have to go.” You all said bye before hanging up.

Saturday came faster than you thought it would. You were packing a big bag of sunscreen and towels, in no time. You told Elliot he didn’t need to wear his goggles before you even got in the car but he was excited. You let it slide, you’re only seven once. You were a little anxious about the whole thing, you worried one of the kids would splash Regulus. You were worried they would slip on the wet concrete and crack their head. You worried Elliot’s goggles were too tight on his head. You heard an engine approaching. You looked out the window to verify it was James. Definitely his red minivan, bumper stickers littering the back. You turned around to Elliot.

“You know who’s in the driveway?” Elliot jumped up off the couch, bouncing on his feet.

“Harry and Luna?” You nodded. Elliot bolted towards the door. You were opening the minivan door in no time, a wave of hello’s meeting you and Elliot. Luna and Harry were next to each other in the back row.

“They wanted to sit in the back because they’re spies.” You hummed at Regulus’ explanation. You were able to fit Elliot’s booster seat in the back, next to Luna. You pushed the seat in front of them back, sitting in the row in front of theirs. Regulus was in the passenger seat, tilting his head back to see you. You smiled at him warmly as you buckled your seatbelt. James’ face appeared next to his, looking at you.

“Hi,” James said, a light air to his greeting.

“Hi.”

“Okay, waterpark here we come!” James said, loud enough for the back row to hear. The kids all squealed, thrashing their legs and arms around. Your trip to the waterpark calmed your worries. James and Regulus’ presence already working numbers. James apparently made a summertime fun playlist specifically for this. The kids seemed to enjoy it. Luna made her doll dance and Elliot made his car dance. Harry just made himself dance.

You six easily made it through the gates. You were holding hands with Regulus on one side and Elliot on the other. When you look back to see Elliot holding onto Luna’s hand and Luna holding onto Harry’s hand, you had flashbacks to watching ducks cross the road. James was in the front leading you all to his Harry’s favorite part of the waterpark. Regulus narrowly avoided a small kid with Nemo arm floaties splashing. You rubbed his arm in sympathy.

“I'll dry you off if you get any water on you, and I have hand sanitizer and butt wipes in my bag. Regulus knocked your cheek with his head in a thank you. James ran ahead, snagging a sunlounger for Regulus. You pulled a towel out of your bag, handing it to James. Regulus settled onto the chair, digging into his own bag. He motioned for Luna to come over, squirting a mountain of tinted sunscreen into his hands. Regulus smothered Luna in sunscreen, making sure she was covered entirely.

Luna had on an adorable bright orange swimsuit with ruffles around the edges. She had matching arm floaties that she talked Regulus out of, pinkie promising to stay in the shallow end. You knew that within an hour she’d want to go into the deep end and Regulus would have to talk her into a life vest and arm floaties. Luna was free though, slipping her Tinkerbell flip-flops off and splashing into the shallow end. You were in the kid's area so there wasn’t even really a deep end but you could easily imagine Luna tricking someone into taking her to the lazy river.

Harry was next in the sunscreen line. Harry had on a long-sleeved swim shirt and Lighting McQueen shorts. James had on just red shorts. He had already tossed his coverup tee off. You didn’t want to oggle him. James had antler tattoos following the path of the scars on his chest. Regulus’ shorts were blue, you expected him to stay under the shade the whole time.

James pulled his spray can of suscreen out of his bag. Regulus looked aghast at James even thinking of covering a human in that. Regulus slapped it out of James’ hands, using Luna’s sunscreen on Harry instead. Regulus forced James into using Luna’s sunscreen as well. Regulus smothered some over James’ cheeks. It made James fluster, giggling and needing to turn around to take a moment to himself. After Regulus smothered James and Harry in sunscreen, he pulled Elliot over.

You sat next to Regulus as he rubbed sunscreen into Elliot’s skin. You held onto Elliot’s hand, he was squeezing the life out of it. Elliot hated the texture of sunscreen but he liked playing in the water more than sitting in the shade. He just needed a little bit of comfort through it and he was okay. After Regulus was done Elliot moved into your arms for more comfort. You hummed, squeezing him tight. You rocked him gently, giving him all the praises he needed. Elliot eventually pulled back, leaving his shoes next to his friends’ and joining them in the water. You smiled at him splashing with his friends, the three of them flinging water at James, who pretended to die and crash into the water.

You turned back to Regulus, happy you were all together. Regulus was staring at you with a deadly serious look in his eyes. His palms were pointed towards you, you glanced down at them. Your smile slightly fell when you realized they were coated in sunscreen.

“Oh Regulus, I actually put some on at ho-“ Regulus shut you up by smothering your face with his hands. He removed them, smearing his hands down your arms. You sputtered, he avoided your eyes and mouth shockingly. Regulus returned his hands to your face, now gently rubbing it into your face. You understood now why this flustered James. Regulus had both hands on your face treating your skin with such love, making sure you were fully protected. He eventually sat back, adding more to his hands before looking up at you.

“Can I do the rest or do you want to?” You shrugged.

“I’m cool with whatever you want, babe.” Regulus sighed. He hated when people made him make decisions.

“I'll do most.” You hummed in approval. He rubbed sunscreen into most of your skin, handing you the bottle to finish. When you were done you squeezed some of Regulus’ sunscreen into your hands, facing him with the same severity. He looked up from rubbing some into his arms. He raised an eyebrow at you.

“I'll get your back, baby.” Regulus squinted his eyes at you. You grinned.

“Are you trying to steal my job?” You shook your head moving to sit behind him. You applying sunscreen devolved into you just rubbing the tension out of his shoulders. Regulus dropped his head back against you. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, lightly pecking his cheek on the way. You both watched as James picked Harry up by his ankles, wrapping his arms around Harry’s legs, and swinging him around. It made Harry giggle loudly, squealing and swinging his arms around. James gently set Harry back on his feet, splashing all three of your kids with a large swing of his arms. James left the water, squeezing his shorts out. He slumped down into the sun lounge chair next to you that you claimed with your bag.

He pulled his arms under his head, sighing. You admired the way the sun warmed his skin. You were not checking him out you were just checking for sunburns. Regulus pressed a kiss to your arm, leaning out of your hold. James opened his eyes, looking over at you both.

“So I was thinking, maybe we go out to eat after this.” You hummed nodding your head.

“You pick, I hate making decisions,” Regulus muttered. You patted his shoulder.

“Parenting must be hard for you.” Regulus nodded at you. He looked up when he heard Luna scream. Harry was splashing her. Elliot was near them staring at the lost water shoe sitting at the edge of the shallow water.

“Elliot, leave the shoe alone.” You yelled over at him. His head shot up, caught. He stood up and pointed down at it.

“Rena, it has no brother. Where’s the owner?” You shrugged at him.

“I don’t know, baby. Leave it alone, you don’t know what somebody could’ve stepped in.” Elliot pouted at you. Your yelling caught the attention of the other two. They stood around the lost shoe staring down at it. You stood up, joining them so now all four of you were standing around this lost shoe and inspecting it. You told them not to touch it running over to the nearby snowcone stand asking for napkins. You picked the shoe up with a napkin. The three children follow you to the trashcan. You set it on top in case the owner came back, and looked for it. You tossed the napkins into the trashcan, turning around to your little huddle of kids.

“Why can you touch it but we can’t?” Luna asked, staring up at you.

“I had napkins, and I’m an adult so I can make my own decisions about my health.” Luna pouted at your answer.

“That’s unjust,” Luna muttered under her breath.

“Can we have napkins?” Harry asked. You shook your head. Elliot scoffed.

“This sucks, you took away my shoe.” You dropped your shoulders.

“I’m sorry hun but you can’t have that shoe. it’s not for you.” You looked around the huddle to make sure they all understood. Luna pushed her wet hair away from her face. Elliot turned around and left, the other two following after him. When you returned to James and Regulus, you noticed how much Luna was fighting with her hair. It kept sticking to her face and annoying her. Her eyebrows were pushed together and she looked close to drowning her mermaid doll.

“Regulus, could I put Luna’s hair up? It keeps getting in her face.” Regulus shrugged. He reached over to his bag, pulling two hairbands off a key chain and handing them to you. You asked Luna if she wanted her hair up. She said yes and settled in front of you on the chair. You had James run to the snowcone stand and ask for a cup of water. You made sure her hair was damp, so you wouldn’t hurt it. You gently pulled her hair up into a ponytail, using the hair ties Regulus gave you to hold it. You patted her arms when you were done. Luna turned around and gave you a tight hug.

After another hour of the kids and James being rowdy, you were all tired. You stayed true to your word, drying Luna off with her towel while Regulus packed up his bag. With everyone buckled in the car, James started towards whatever food place he picked. The ride back from the waterpark was much calmer and quieter than the ride to. The kids were tired, you were tired, the car was tired. You glanced over at Regulus when you heard him mutter something. You noticed James’ hand resting on Regulus’ thigh. You smiled at that, glad you were all close. James smiled brightly at Regulus, making the car heat up with his joy.

“Well thank you, I like your swimsuit too.” You glanced at the backseat making sure all three kids were asleep.

“Oh, that’s why you invited us to the waterpark. To see me and Regulus half naked. I get it now.” James looked at you through the rearview mirror.

“No, I wanted you guys to have fun, don't soil my good name like that,” James said, giving you a playful glare. Regulus ignored you both, resting his head against his arm on the door. You noticed James’ thumb swiping back and forth in a soothing manner. You smiled at him before returning your attention out the window.

Eventually, you were gently rocking the kids’ knees so they would wake up. When they realized they had the prospect of chicken strips and french fries, they were scrambling out of their seats. You were sat at a round booth. It was more of a fast food than a restaurant place so your wet swimsuit coverups weren’t really a problem. You helped Elliot pick out his meal as James helped Harry. Luna apparently already knew what she wanted, busying herself with the sugar packets.

Your food arrived and you cut up Harry’s chicken strips while James caught you and Regulus up with what was going on with him. You slid Harry’s plate back to him. Elliot handed you the small bowl of ketchup like it was going to bite him.

“Nasty, Rena. I don't want it.” You nodded, taking it away. You set it between you and James so Elliot wouldn’t have to look at it.

“Oh thank you.” James dunked one of his fries into the bowl. You weren’t going to correct him and tell him you didn’t do that on purpose so you just smiled. You checked on Elliot, seeing him chomp into his chicken strips, tearing it away. He rawred before chewing properly. You put together that he was probably pretending to be a dinosaur. His favorite was a velociraptor. He liked that they looked like ‘stupid chickens’. You glanced over at Luna. She was chowing down on her burger. She ordered for herself. She did a great job too. Luna was very well-spoken, she seemed to have a big vocabulary. It probably had something to do with living with a writer. Especially a writer like Regulus.

You tore off a corner from your paper napkin. You rolled it into a ball before chucking it at Regulus. It hit him square in the forehead. Regulus set his fork down, looking down at the paper ball in his lap. He looked up at you and James both smothering your laughter. He reached over and covered Harry’s eyes before flipping you off. Elliot was luckily under the table getting his crayon off the floor. James dropped his fry. Regulus picked up his fork taking a proud bite out of his own fry. You ignored the fact he was eating fries with his fork and that he passed it to Luna.

“What about Luna?” James asked. Regulus removed his hand from Harry. Harry glared at Regulus before picking up another chicken strip.

“Oh, I already sawed that. Uncle B said it means I love you but Uncle Rosie told me the truth. Uncle B likes partial jokes.” Luna said, matter of factly. She kept her eyes on her burger before taking a bite. Regulus nodded at her.

“Practical, not partial. You used the phrase practical jokes correctly though. Good job, Lue.” Luna smiled with her cheeks full at Regulus. You understood why her vocab was so big now, it was Regulus. Elliot rawred again, making three claws with his fingers to pick up his chicken strips.

You were all strapped into James’ minivan and on the way back home, in no time. The kids were entertaining each other in the backseat. James had his playlist softly playing in the background.

“We should get together just us,” James said. Regulus looked away from his window raising an eyebrow at him.

”Is that not what we just did?” Regulus asked. James shook his head.

“No I mean like we should go on a for real date, not a playdate that we happen to flirt in the background. We go out just the three of us. Maybe not the waterpark though.” James explained, keeping his eyes on the road.

“I want to but it’s kinda hard getting a babysitter.” You said, looking between them. Regulus turned around to make eye contact with you.

“Elliot could spend the night at my house, I have like a thousand free babysitters,” Regulus said, waving his hand through the air.

“What will Uncle B teach my kind how to say fuck in every language?” You teased. Regulus pressed his lips togehter.

”He’s actually not that bad, he’s really good with kids. He just also has an odd sense of humor.” you squinted at Regulus. ” It's alright if you don't want him to babysit I can have Evan and Dorcas babysit. Evan is just as insane as Barty but he lowers it while around children. Barty doesn’t. Docas is super cool, she’ll probably teach Elliot how to sword fight with wrapping paper tubes.”

“Docas does sound sick.” You muttered. James cheered.

“See we can go out for real, Regulus you do the planning this time.” Regulus nodded at James.

“I actually really like planning, I wish I had my joural. I would’ve taken notes.” Regulus sadly muttered. Once you were back home, Elliot passed out on the couch. You smiled at him clutching his car to his chest. You were excited for Regulus to call you and start his planning process.

[hmhas-00]

Ch. 2

Hit me Hard & Soft

word count - 1.6k

A/N - dont forget to like and rb ♡

Starting next week, my new posting schedule will be Tuesdays & Thursdays! Stay tuned!

Billie's POV

Sitting in my studio, I tweaked with the autotune feature to perfect the extended version of L’amour De Ma Vie. I didn’t realize it was already 5AM until my phone buzzed. I looked down at my lap as the screen lit up, showcasing a text from Remy.

Remy: Wish me luck! Fingers crossed I’m not fired after last week. 5:02am

Billie: 🤞🏻 5:02am

Billie: I’ll pick you up later and we’ll head to the Rolling Stone interview together? 5:03am

My eyes glossed over the screen waiting for her to reply, as I straightened my back on the chair. I locked it and put it on the table, returning my focus to my production set up. With the amount of bullshit she’s dealing with, I have a feeling Remy might bail today and I can’t blame her. In the back of my mind, I wished she wouldn’t. Finneas was so busy with his own album, so I told him to do his own thing tonight. Truth is, I didn’t want to show up to any of these things alone. Was that selfish? Lately, everything I feel is amplified, including that lonely, empty feeling I get around normal people bedtime. That’s when I did my best writing in the past year. It’s nerve-racking having all of my thoughts and emotions broadcasted to the world, and now that the tour is coming up, all I can think about is how I’ll do it alone.

The phone buzzed, bringing me out of my own mind. Upon opening, I sighed and replied while getting up to finally go to bed.

Remy: I’ll just meet you there. I have a lot of work to do today I don’t wanna make you late. 5:15am

Billie: Okay, see you there. 5:15am

𓇼𓇼𓇼𓇼𓇼𓇼

The alarm rattled my brain, startling me to death. I flopped down my arm, patting around next to me and managed to find the source. My phone had 2 missed calls and a text from Remy. She let me know she’d be a bit late but would make it no matter what. Pulling a hair tie out of my tangled mess, I dragged my tired body out of bed to get ready for the interview.

𓇼𓇼𓇼𓇼𓇼𓇼

“Billie, you’re going to be sitting over here, and Gabe is going to be interviewing you today, sitting over there.”

The coordinator waved me over in the right direction. I sat quietly and waited for the crew to finish up lighting and camera. Eventually, my interviewer walked over and made himself comfortable.

I laughed in disbelief and looked over at the coordinator, “Gabe?”

“Yup.” He leaned forward, holding his hand out to shake mine. He looked so pleased with himself. I ignored his reach, raising my brow. “Okay… nice to see you again, Billie.” He sat back and stifled a laugh.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, and glared at him. Thinking about having to act civil around this piece of garbage for the cameras is making me sick. God, I cannot stand him and his stupid face.

“Are we ready?” He cleared his throat.

I adjusted in my seat, looking around one more time past the studio lights and saw no Remy. “Yeah.” I could tell these bright lights would bring on a wave of tics, if not the unfortunate situation before me. Cameras closed in and the interview began.

I was basically on autopilot, trying not to destroy this man with my eyes. The last time I was face to face with Remy’s ex was 2 years ago. I was screaming at him to get the fuck out of her apartment. She made him pick up his things after he broke up with her for some other girl. Gabe swore he was just chasing a job offer in NYC, but Remy had seen messages between him and someone else planning to meet up. I stood at Remy’s side as he denied everything. He started a crazy argument and threw a glass across the room. I was on the other side of the room faster than he could react. Remy had never seen me that angry before.

“So! Your fans want to know. Who did you write Lunch about?” Gabe asked, knowing it would piss me off.

“That’s what you want to ask me? Of all things?” I laughed.

“Curious if I know her, is all.” He shifted in his seat and shrugged, nonchalantly. I wanna rip off his dumb smirk so bad.

I looked over at the cameras to have my very own The Office moment, but my eyes were drawn to none other than Remy. She awkwardly stood with her arms folded. I gave her a satisfied smile and when she waved at me, I quickly realized this is the last situation she probably wanted to walk into.

“No, It’s just a metaphor. I want people to think about who they want to eat for lunch. It’s just a fun song.” I crossed my legs and resumed eye contact with him, reminding myself to not look unfriendly for the cameras.

“You’re obviously very private about your love life.” He flipped through his notecards. I tilted my head, focusing on how stupid his stage voice sounds. “You came out last year-”

“This isn’t exactly news.” I squinted my eyes, smiling sarcastically. “Do you have any questions about my new album, Gabe?” I chuckled a bit.

He laughed, brushing me off. He asked a few questions about the album and I dragged out the answers as much as I could, so he wouldn’t have time to ask anymore stupid questions.

I managed to muscle through the rest of the interview and as soon as it was over I walked over to Remy, leaving him behind.

We walked into the room I left my phone in. “What the fuck.” Remy mouthed and pulled me into a hug.

“I know, let’s fucking go.” I grabbed her arm and started walking towards the exit.

“Remy! Hey!” Gabe shouted, making his way over to us. “How have you been?”

I could feel Remy mentally wilting away. “Good, good…Crazy seeing you here.” She spoke softly, smiling timidly.

“Well, I’ve been great!” He held his arms out, arrogant as can be, as if anyone asked.

“Did New York not work out?” I butted in.

“It did, but Los Angeles is home, you know?” He responded matter-of-factly, not even bothering to look at me. “You know I just chase better gigs. Better opportunities.”

“Yeah… Good for you, I’m happy for you, Gabe.” She smiled, keeping her voice sweet and mellow.

“You still working at uhh…” This idiot couldn’t even remember where she worked. I always hated him. He didn’t care enough about her. She deserved way better.

“Yeah, I’m-“ Remy was cut off.

“Maybe we should grab lunch one day. Catch up, you know?” He stepped closer to her.

I watched her face as she struggled to come up with an excuse. “Uh, I don’t know. Maybe-“

“She’s actually good, she just doesn’t want to hurt your little feelings.” I crinkled my nose as I forced a smile at him, turning us towards the door.

“Billie, it’s fine-“ Remy grabbed my arm with her free hand and held it there.

Gabe laughed, knowing how deep under my skin he could get. “You look good, Rem. We’ll talk later without distractions.” He looked her up and down, licking his bottom lip.

I glared at him, imagining me shoving him away from her just like I did a couple years ago.

He looked down at me and paused for a second, his lips forming an overly confident smirk. He stood close enough for me to smell that gross overpowering cologne. I could feel myself tensing up and clenching my jaw.

“What, you don’t get enough attention?” I lifted my chin, looking in his dark eyes.

He breathed out a laugh, poking his tongue into his cheek. “Why, you want to share some with me?”

I took a step forward, causing Remy to put her arm between us. “Come on, Billie.” She put some pressure on his chest, causing him to lean back a bit. “Let’s go.”

He looked down at Remy’s hand pressing on his chest, then back at me sneering.

“Billie, please.” I let Remy pull me away, knowing if I stayed any longer I’d break something on his face.

He laughed to himself. “It was nice seeing you both. Good to see nothing has changed.”

“Yeah, absolutely nothing.” Remy emphasized, pushing me in front of her so we’d walk away.

We walked out past the fans screaming and reaching their hands through the holes on the fence, and straight into her car. As much as it killed me not to say goodbye to them, I didn’t have it in me to fake it.

“I hated that.” Remy began, starting her car and letting out a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Remy, I could not stand his stupid fucking face. He was doing that shit to be disrespectful and I’m not gonna let him-“

“You can’t do shit like that! What if someone saw and wrote or posted about it?”

I put my seatbelt on, knowing I could’ve taken the high road.

“Dude you’re not actually thinking about seeing him right?”

“What? No! Why would I?” She pulled out of the parking lot, careful not to hit any fans.

“You seemed happy to see him.” I looked out the window as the people waving blurred from the increase in speed.

“No. I wasn’t. I just wasn’t going to attack him in front of his coworkers, Billie.”

“His team wasn’t in the room.” I mumbled.

She didn’t respond.

“I’m sorry, I just fucking hate him. He’s such a piece of shit.”

“Shit, did you date him too?” She laughed under her breath, looking over at me momentarily.

I laughed, shaking my head and realizing how fast things escalated. My body finally relaxed, sinking into the seat and running my hands through my hair.

[gladsforthelads]

Your mcs are soooooooo cute!!!

What do you think they're first date was like with their love interest?

Aww thanks!!!

I think my girls are cute too. ^_^

Hmmm.... As in terms of their first dates? I think it'd be a little hard between work, missions, and trying to coordinate days off. But I'll give it a go~

XAVIER & SELENE

Let's face it, these two work together more than anything, and while they're partners, they don't always have the same days off. Even when they do have the same days off, Xavier is unintentionally sleeping those 12-13 hours to physically recharge himself. Selene would text him, asking him if he was available, and her texts would go unread and she'd receive apology texts at like 2am.

So how does Xavier remedy this?

They have a really really tough mission, they're both exhausted, and on their way back to their apartments, he very casually sets up a reservation at the really nice hotpot spot downtown Linkon. While he is a lean, mean, meat eating machine, he knows that Selene is more of a vegetarian by comparison. She actually enjoys salads and greens, and he makes sure the hotpot spot they go to has the perfect balance of meats to greens.

He honestly doesn't know if she actually enjoyed it or was so starved after their mission she just consumed everything she saw, but she's asked if they could go again sometime, so that gives him some sort of hope he did right.

2. ZAYNE & LYLA

With Zayne being both a doctor and a workaholic and Lyla also being a workaholic, their schedules rarely match up unless Nero forces Lyla to take time off work. She's getting better about it because she's trying to open her schedule up more to match Zayne's availability, but with how new she still is at the Hunter's Association, she's still got a long way to go (at least in her head).

So, how does Zayne attempt a first date?

It was one of those usual checkup times where she waited around for Zayne after work and Zayne surprised her by stopping in a coffee shop on the way home. He got the second sweetest thing on the menu while she got the sweetest and they split a cheese croissant (though they really should have gotten two). It was as simple as that, but it set things in motion where Zayne started carving more time out of his busy schedule for her, and it's been that way ever since.

3. RAFAYEL & CORDELIA

Whenever Cordelia isn't actually bodyguarding him for one of his exhibitions or a special event, she is actually working as a Special Task Hunter and doing her job. Between Rafayel and her real job, she has very little off time, and when she is she's trying to catch up on sleep as much as possible. If she's not in bed, she's typically off running an errand with Rafayel or for Thomas and has on more than one occasion fallen asleep on the couch in Rafayel's studio. It's really draining her with how little free time she has and is desperate for a good R&R.

So, how does Rafayel rectify summoning her for the most mundane things?

Does exactly that because he knows she won't refuse her unless she suddenly gets called into work and sets up a quiet little picnic right on the beach, timing it just at twilight. She is, of course, agitated at first, but when she sees what he's actually cooked up, she easily forgives him and does take a little nap on his lap as they watch the sun go down.

4. SYLUS & ELARA

*Canonically, I count the Magnum Opus card as the official first date, so this is sort of a tag along to it. Yes, this is the one with the mannequins.

They both have entirely polar opposite schedules, night and day differences, only Elara has less free time and flexibility in her schedule compared to Sylus. While she's investigating other special cases, she's also trying to find Tobias, and other tedious missions that are back-to-back and apparently things only she can do. She texts Sylus when she can, sends messages with Mephisto when she can't and tries to sleep in as much as posssible.

So, how does the big bad boss of Onyichinus do?

Makes ridiculous demands for her to meet at the mall and try to act like a normal couple. She's entirely thrown by this, thinking this is some sort of coverup for what he's really after but as the day progresses, she realizes that it is simply that, a normal date. It's so normal that she doesn't know what to do, until he starts trying to buy every article of clothing, shoes, and jewelry he can find just for her. There's no way much of that will fit into her closet, which he knows, and that most of it will have to be stored at one of his bases, which he also knows, but her favorite thing about the date was getting ice cream on their way out the mall. She got a triple chocolate fudge cone, and he surprised her by getting a matcha dipped chocolate cone.

It was the closest she felt to anyone, and she secretly looks forward to more outings with him.

5. CALEB & MELORA

Caleb is of course the new colonel up in Skyhaven and Melora is busy training, fighting Wanderers, and writing up reports about her mission, so the time they get to actually spend with each other has to be planned months in advance and plenty of prayers to Astra that there won't be any outside interferences.

So, what does Melora do for one of their planned visits?

She scopes out the local fair happening in Linkon! They had all sorts of festivals that they went to as children, but since they've become the adulty adults they are, they haven't had much time for much else. With how busy Caleb's job keeps him, Melora really wanted to plan an event where they could relax, cut loose, and act just like they did as kids again.

Caleb is pleasantly surprised by the planned event and is so excited he can't help but feel like he's back in their childhood, especially when she gets them both red candied apples.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I hope you enjoyed this~

Please feel free to drop me another ask!

[yoshi17here]

₊˚ʚ🌱˚₊Dancing in the light of surprise₊˚🦕𖦹⋆｡˚

Note: THIS IS 3RD PERSON POV!!!

✩𔓘☀ᡣ𐭩YOSHI: Hello guys!!! I'm back with so many more projects !! but I hope you guys enjoy it!! please let me know anything

words: 565

paring:bf Ni-ki x reader any gender

Niki’s day had been a whirlwind of practice sessions, interviews, and photoshoots. Despite the exhausting schedule, he was determined to give his best in every performance. The studio was dimly lit, filled with the sound of rhythmic beats and the shuffle of sneakers against the floor. Niki was in his element, lost in the music, his movements precise and powerful.

Outside, Y/N watched through the studio’s glass window. They’d been planning this surprise for weeks, coordinating with Niki’s manager to ensure their visit wouldn’t disrupt his busy day. With a grin, Y/N carefully pushed open the door, stepping into the studio as quietly as possible.

Niki was so absorbed in his practice that he didn’t notice Y/N at first. They watched, captivated by his grace and energy. It wasn’t until Y/N clapped gently that Niki’s head snapped up. His eyes widened in surprise as he spotted Y/N standing at the edge of the dance floor.

“Y/N!” Niki called out, his voice a mix of disbelief and joy. He stopped mid-move, his chest heaving with the effort of his practice.

Y/N walked toward him, a teasing smile playing on their lips. “I thought I’d come and see how my favorite dancer was doing. You’ve been working so hard.”

Niki’s face lit up with a bright smile, and he quickly closed the distance between them. “I can’t believe you’re here! This is the best surprise ever.”

He pulled Y/N into a tight embrace, lifting them slightly off the ground. Y/N laughed, wrapping their arms around him. “I missed you,” they said softly.

“I missed you too,” Niki replied, his voice tender. “But you know, I’ve been thinking about you every day. You’re my motivation.”

Y/N’s eyes softened. “I’m glad to hear that. I thought you could use a break. How about we grab something to eat after practice?”

Niki’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “That sounds perfect. But first, I need to finish up here. How about you keep me company while I wrap things up?”

“Of course,” Y/N agreed, settling into a nearby chair as Niki resumed his practice. This time, however, his movements were even more electrifying, as if fueled by the joy of having Y/N there. The music seemed to flow with a new energy, and Y/N couldn’t help but marvel at how dedicated and talented Niki was.

As the final notes of the song played, Niki finished his routine with a flourish. He turned to Y/N, his face flushed and sweaty but glowing with happiness. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me.”

Y/N stood up and walked over to him, their eyes meeting with an understanding smile. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

Niki leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Y/N’s forehead. “Let’s make tonight special. Just us.”

Hand in hand, they left the studio together, ready to enjoy a well-deserved evening away from the hustle and bustle. As they walked down the street, Niki squeezed Y/N’s hand, feeling grateful for both their love and the small moments that made all the hard work worth it.

please don't be a silent reader, like if you liked this post.

YOSHI's Shelf

[bigbandithewada]

Feeling like putting down my find so here is

JV/Ant Davidson Timeline

(Can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on all info, can’t guarantee no bias no projection, not using there full names because guess what, so less info about them together if you google their names together my blog appears on the 1st page)

JV was raised in Switzerland. Did math and computer science in Switzerland. He found out he needed an engineer background to enter F1 so went back to England to get a master in that. Got to work at BAR(later Honda, Brawn, Merc) eventually. (He had a billion interview on him hustling his way to BAR but that’s not relevant to the story here)

Ant was raised in a middle class family. Went to Karting with brother and he was more interested and started to compete in Karting. He worked his way to Formula Ford and was lucky to get a sponsorship( the sponsor bought a house and let him lived there). His sponsor talked to him about career choice, at that time, test driver made a decent amount of money and that f1 seat seems a bit too distant. So Ant ended up in BAR around the same time as JV

Well JV was not that much of an engineering guy. His job going into Honda was a combination of some data analysis, coordination between departments and some engineer. There was no proper strategist job back in the days so he just bounced around. (The untold interview he said he was suppose to fix an electronic problem on the front wing, Evan Short ended up doing that. Not saying that he knew nothing but inferring from his other interview, he definitely needed help). (Even now strategist have “low” status in the team since only the principal strategist can go to the track and everyone back home’s job is make sure to feed enough info through TR that the principal’s eyes are always on track).

Meanwhile, Ant was doing amazing as a test driver, too amazing that Honda was reluctant to release him to do actual f1 racing. He missed a seat(which team I forgot) but Honda eventually agreed to let him race for Super Aguri in 2007. That team didn’t last.

Then came the Brawn year. Before 2009, JV and Ant were already starting to worry about their jobs and registered a company together. Company never took off because here comes Brawn GP.

After the championship, our champ Jenson was scheduled to do victory laps in the factory for the fans but he already buggered off to McLaren. Ant did the laps and JV was his engineer for that.

Then came the Merc years.

Ant was doing a bunch of different things then: racing in WEC, driving the Merc simulator and later became a sky sport host. Ant missed the chance of winning a championship(he also missed a podium due to bad luck in 2007) but he got one eventually. When Alonso returned to F1, Ant interviewed him asking if Alonso remembered them racing against each other in WEC, Alonso did not remember. Ant also did Jenson’s retirement interview. Ant also did some interview later saying he was too nice to be competing in this shark tank of f1, nice guy can’t win races.

JV was doing a bunch of different things in Merc as well. He was in charge of simulator, junior team, esport team and development data analysis software for premier league(honorable mention: he wrote the drivers code of conduct in 2016 to prevent Lewis and Nico fighting). Ant was a reliable simulator driver, JV was working a lot with Ant at that time(JV didn’t need to be present for the crowd strike thing but he was there…) (Also they Merc’s equipment to tune cars for their friend’s Karting league, naughty boys). I want to believe JV cares about drivers he works with, especially junior team (he went up to hug Esteban Ocon(Merc junior driver) after his 2021 Hungarian gp win(Merc strategy was a disaster that race)

Ant said JV is one of his best friends. He phoned JV a lot during the Honda and Brawn years. Ant also texted JV to ask for technical details when he started to comment for Sky( Ant joked in 2023 pre season test that JV is getting to busy with his TP job to reply to his texts). JV also bugged Ant for a VIP pass during Ant’s LeMans years. JV had spent time with Ant’s family doing barbecue for JV’s birthday. JV is Ant’s kids’ god father.

Projection time: Brawn and Merc years treated JV so well he probably is a bit idealist about things now. The stuff he said at Williams make sense if your work experience is a streak of championships. JV will probably never get a reality check so hard the way Ant exit F1(divorce? Idw). Knowing they are good friends make me happy.

(Some source from Ant’s deleted twitter account)

[setsuuestsu]

After the Trip

Note: I’m so sorry this literally took like 4 months to complete.

Sickie Hoseok | Word Count 7177

There was a knock on the door of his hotel room.

“Hoseok-ah, will you be ready to leave for the airport soon?” Sejin asks. “The car just pulled up out front.”

He glances at the clothes meticulously placed around the room. If he quickly folds them into his suitcase, he could probably be done within the next five or so minutes. 

“Coming!” he calls back, scurrying around the room first grabbing the socks he had hanging up to dry on the hotel lamp and the shirts he had folded and set on the desk. He places them in his suitcase (color-coordinating them, obviously) and then sets to work on the rest of his clothing. Five minutes later than he said he would be, he opens the door to the room and greets Sejin, who is standing outside holding two coffees with a suitcase and a carry-on bag next to him. One of the two coffees is handed to him and he bows gratefully to his manager. 

The older man shakes out his hand, most likely tired from holding the coffee for so long. Hoseok feels bad. He issues an apology, but the elder is quick to shake it off. “Are you ready to leave now?”

Hoseok nods, holding up his carry-on bag (Louis Vuitton obviously) and his suitcase (also Louis Vuitton). “I’m ready! Do you need me to carry anything for you?”

Sejin smiles. “That won’t be necessary, Hoseok-ah. I know you’re still tired from your performance.” 

That assumption is absolutely correct. It was only two days ago that he had performed at Lollapalooza, starting ten minutes early and ending ten minutes late because of how anxious he was. Thank God Jimin had come to support him, because he would not have had the energy to perform. His maknae had left the previous day, however, having had schedules to return to. And then after his performance, he flew to New York for some very important business.

“Try to rest on the plane.” Sejin says. “You have a schedule to return to once we get back. I wasn’t in favor of it, but …”

Hoseok understands. He is an idol, after all. He just wishes he could have a small break. But with the Busan concert drawing near, he knows it’s not feasible to ask for time off. 

They make it to the elevator and step inside. There’s a mother and a small child inside already. Hoseok awkwardly slides past them and heads to the back of the elevator with Sejin in tow. The manager looks almost comical in his large (and this is by Hoseok's standards) sunglasses and Hawaiian print shirt, despite them being in Chicago at the moment. The little girl is coughing and sniffling and Hoseok cringes, leaning more against the wall.

He internally panics. He doesn’t really get sick easily or often (excluding if one of the other members gets sick, since they’re all always together, so that doesn’t count) but he’s just done a long set and he’s exhausted and feeling weak already. A cold on top of that would not be pleasant.

But maybe it’s allergies. He shouldn’t jump to conclusions. It’s an elevator, it might be dusty. In fact, Hoseok feels his own nose start to tickle a little. He rubs it with his knuckles, willing the tickle to go away.

It takes a moment, but he’s good now. The kid coughs one last time before the elevator doors open, and everyone piles out. 

He spots the car almost immediately, the black contrasting to the rest of the cars lined up outside of the hotel. The driver hops out and assists Hoseok and Sejin in piling the bags into the trunk. Once finished, the driver motions for the two to get into the car. The two climb into the backseat and wait as the driver buckles himself in. 

Hoseok pulls out his phone as the car pulls out from the area of the hotel. He opens the group chat he has with the members and snorts softly as he sees some of the messages from Taehyung the previous day. 

Thankfully, it’s not terribly far from the hotel to the airport, so he probably won’t be too bored. 

He sends a quick text to the group chat to let them know that he’ll be at the airport soon. Of course, the members text back pretty quickly, sans Jungkook who could be doing all of the above right now.

Taehyung: See you soon hyung!

Suga hyung: Safe flight, Hoseokie.

seokjin hyung: Jwee-Hopeeee, let's go for drinks when you get back!!

Hoseok smiles and closes his phone. It won’t be long until he’s at the airport. Then he can spend time with all of the members when they’re preparing for the Busan concert.

Sejin hands Hoseok his passport, an item the managers tend to hold onto now ever since the Namjoon Incident. The two step out and behind them, the car holding his bodyguards stops. Hoseok bows in greeting at the two bodyguards and then proceeds to follow Sejin towards the doors of the airport. 

Immediately, he’s met with the sound of screaming. Fans crowd the barricades and he sends them as many finger hearts as he can until he nearly walks into a wall and his security guard has to pull him to the left. 

One of the security guards takes his and Sejin’s suitcases and the idol and manager are led to be boarded for first class once they go through passport control and walk through the metal detectors. 

“Do you have a mask?” Sejin asks, pulling his up his nose and mouth. 

Hoseok shoves his hands in his pockets, frowning when all he’s met with is a bit of lint and a small RJ plushie Jin had shoved in his bag before he had left. “No … I think I left it in my suitcase.”

The manager digs through his own pockets. “And I didn’t think to bring any extras … Maybe we could stop to buy  another one?”

Just then, the announcer calls for them to board. Hoseok frantically looks towards the duty free shop and the gate and accepts that he has no time to buy a mask. And yikes, who wants to breathe nasty, nasty plane air???

Sejin looks at him apologetically. “Try not to breathe?”

Hoseok wrinkles his nose and follows close behind Sejin to their seats. 

On their flight, there’s honestly a good amount of people flying first class. And by that, the other eight seats are full. Hoseok glances to his left and spots what is most definitely an ARMY as they are holding a Mang plush and he can see them mouthing the lyrics to The Truth Untold.

ARMY to the left spots him and Hoseok holds back a laugh as the person’s face turns red and they frantically wave at them. Hoseok waves back, then settles down in his chair, Sejin across from him. 

Behind him, Hoseok hears a mother and her crying child. The mother speaks in a language Hoseok can’t understand and he immediately gives up even trying.

Hoseok turns to Sejin. “Do I offer a lollipop? Would that help?”

The manager frowns. “I think the saying in America is ‘Don’t take candy from strangers.’” 

Hoseok nods in understanding, though he doesn’t truly understand. He would love candy …

Anyways …

The child continues crying and sniffling and Hoseok feels bad. He really wants to comfort the child but it is true that he doesn’t know the mother or the child and he doesn’t think they would appreciate some random guy trying to talk to them. 

Eventually, the rest of the passengers are boarded onto the plane and Hoseok turns to the screen on the back of the seat in front of him. It’s Rom-Com time, and now he has to decide which one to watch.

The pilot announces that they’re going to take off now and Hoseok buckles himself in. 

Thankfully, the child goes quiet and (probably?) falls asleep. Though then, the snoring starts.

Hoseok takes a glance at the snoring child and immediately shoves his headphones on, trying to block out the loud noise. It’s a fourteen and a half hour flight and if there’s too much noise, Hoseok would cry. 

The headphones don’t do much, and the child continues to snore. 

He very much so wants to scream.

♪♪♪♪

Halfway into the flight, Hoseok feels his nose start to drip. He frantically reaches for one of the napkins he had saved from the last snack the flight attendant had given him. 

He blows his nose, taking care to be as quiet as possible so as to not disturb some of the other passengers.

He sniffles, nose ever so slightly still running. He blames it on plane air quality. And if you know, it’s not quite the finest. Plus, now he’s fine. 

Maybe he needs a nap.

Another two hours later, he wakes up from his desperately needed nap and his head is aching. 

It’s not because he’s getting sick. It’s because of the way he slept. Yeah … that’s it. Neck pillows don’t really work anyways. They’re like … a sandbag for the neck. Not. Comfortable.

He glances over to Sejin, who is currently enticed with some American rom-com. He’s watched that one before. Yoongi had picked it out last movie night, claiming that he had owed Jimin one or something. 

That was obviously a lie.

His nose tickles ever so slightly and he rubs at it with the back of his hand. “Heh-hh”

The manager glances over at him, pulling an earbud out. “Did you say something?”

Hoseok wills the sneeze down and shakes his head. “No.”

Sejin goes back to his movie and Hoseok lets out a breath he had no clue he was holding. It’s bad enough to get sick. It’s even worse when other people find out. 

And besides, he’s not sick.

The kid with the mother sitting behind him coughs loudly and Hoseok cringes. What is it with kids and germs these days? Is every kid just automatically germ-infested? He thinks to predebut Jungkook and how he would sit with him if his maknae would come home from school under the weather. 

The tickle in his nose grows even stronger and he has no time to search for another napkin. He quickly cups a hand over his nose. “HhITSCH!”

A few people glance over at him and Hoseok sinks down in his chair. That was so loud and embarrassing and he’s never wanted to be ejected from the plane more than this moment.

His nose tickles again and his hands frantically fly to cover his face. He tries his damn hardest to stifle, pinching his nose as tightly as he can. “hh-ngxst!”

Unfortunately, that stifle meant that his nose is now frustratingly wet. And he’s out of napkins.

He glances over to Sejin, who once again is engrossed in his movie.

“Hyu’g.” he softly calls, though his voice is congested so it doesn’t come out sounding quite right. “Do you ha’be a tissue?”

Sejin looks up and stares at him for a moment. Hoseok stares back.

He blinks. Neither of them move.

Sejin seems to snap back to reality because once Hoseok’s words echo in his brain, he snaps to action. “Do you want the lotion infused ones or the regular?”

Ah … he feels like Jungkook now. Usually things like this happen to the maknae, not him. But, he digresses. “Lotion please.”

At this rate, if he doesn’t take the lotion infused tissues, his nose is going to be red and feel so uncomfortable. And he feels another sneeze building up in his sinuses.

Sejin digs through his pockets, then seems to realize his movie is still playing. He stops for a minute and Hoseok feels his heart drop. He needs that tissue. He feels so gross.

“Hyung,” Hoseok softly calls. “Tissue?”

Sejin quickly returns to his manager-ish self. He eventually fishes out a little pack of tissues after searching through his carry-on bag. He hands them to Hoseok, who gratefully takes one and immediately holds it to his nose. He sneezes as quietly as he can, and thankfully, no one looks over at him. He blows again, and then once he’s finished, he crumples up the tissue and sets it to the side to be thrown out. He takes an antibacterial wipe and wipes down his hands. 

By now, he’s hopefully done.

But as luck would have it, he’s not. An hour later, Hoseok feels a tickle in the back of his throat and the next thing he knows, he’s trying to hold back a coughing fit into his fist. Sejin reaches over and pats him on the back. 

From the seat behind him, he hears the child’s voice talking to the mother. “Mommy, that man is being really disruptive.”

Hoseok frowns, forehead creasing. Hadn’t the child cried for like, a hot half hour before the flight? He shakes his head. Children don’t know any better. He himself cried often as a child, his sister always attesting to that. 

When the flight attendant brings him his dinner, Hoseok feels a strong tickle deep in his sinuses. He stutters out a breath and then turns so he doesn’t sneeze directly on her, instead turning into his opposite elbow. “Hah-tschh!”��

She hands him a napkin, sets his tray down, and then moves to assist the next person. He blows his nose, the sound quite pathetic, and then sniffles. He’s starting to become congested now and despite the few naps he’s taken throughout the flight, he’s exhausted. He feels like he could sleep for days, perhaps even weeks at a time. 

Although hungry earlier, now that the food is here, Hoseok really isn’t hungry. He closes the lid on the container of bibimbap the flight attendant gave him and curls up to the side, shutting his eyes once more. 

♪♪♪♪

The next time he wakes up, the plane seat screen tells him that there’s four hours left in the flight. He feels even more congested, if that’s even possible, and his nose is running again. 

Using his last napkin, he blows his nose, trying to blow as hard as possible, since it’s the last napkin and he has too much shame in asking for some more. 

Sejin looks over at him and seems to realize that Hoseok is starting to become unwell. “Is it allergies?”

Can allergens even reach him from his high in the air? He voices this thought to Sejin who nods. “Yeah, pollen can stick to other passengers, or the air may be too dry in here for you.”

Judging by the tell-tale tickle in the back of his throat whenever he gets sick, this isn’t allergies. But one can dream. So in that case, Hoseok shrugs. “Maybe.”

His sinuses tickle and he raises his elbow to his nose. “Heh-ITSCHiew!”

“Do you need antihistamines?” Sejin asks, already rummaging through his carry-on. “I thought I might have packed them …”

Another minute passes, and eventually Sejin emerges empty-handed. “Apparently I lied to myself. Sorry, Hoseok-ah.”

The dancer waves him off. “Don’t worry about it, hyung. I’ll be alright.”

But now he’s a snotty-nosed mess and he doesn’t have any napkins left. Sejin, seemingly reading his mind, waves down the nearest flight attendant. Hoseok quickly shields his nose with his hand so she doesn’t have to see how gross he feels

“Could we have some more napkins?” Sejin quietly asks. 

The flight attendant nods. “We have tissues too if that’s better.”

Hoseok’s eyes widened. Were they gate keeping the tissues this whole time? He pleads with his eyes for Sejin to get the tissues instead. 

The manager nods in understanding. “Hoseok-ah would like the napkins.”

Hoseok smacks his forehead with his non-busy hand. Sejin bows in apology. “Sorry, we’ll take the tissues. Oh, and another bag of those chips… the nacho cheese flavor? Those were good …”

Thankfully, since they’re first class, the flight attendant returns quickly and Hoseok is graced with soft, soft tissues. 

Once he finishes blowing, his throat tickles slightly and he muffles a cough or two into his elbow. Sejin reaches over the aisle and pats him on the back. 

“I’m going to return to my work.” Sejin announces softly. “You look tired, so get some rest. But if you need me, just let me know.”

Hoseok knows that the “work” that Sejin is talking about is just another movie, but he gets the point. Besides, the man has already done so much for him.

He nods, eyes threatening to slip shut. “Thank you, hyung.”

♪♪♪♪

The last, final time he wakes up, the first few seconds are pure bliss. But then a headache slams into him full force and he can’t help but let out a groan. 

“Shhhh.” the annoying kid behind him says, finger to his lips. “We have to be quiet. Mommy says that it’s time to sleep since we’re almost there.” 

The ARMY with the Mang plushie glares at the child. “You can’t say that to J-Hope-ssi!”

The kid blows a raspberry and Hoseok gets scared that this argument will escalate, but thankfully, the pilot calls over the speakers for everyone to put their seatbelts on since they’ll be landing in a couple of minutes.

Hoseok tries to sniffle, but frowns when he realizes his nose is completely blocked. There’s an uncomfortable tickle in the back of his throat and he covers his mouth with his sleeve, trying to muffle the coughs as best as he can. 

“Are you alright?” Sejin asks, perhaps finally realizing that Hoseok isn’t feeling well. And maybe Hoseok himself is coming to that conclusion that it’s not just his allergies. 

“I feel like I might be coming down with something.” Hoseok admits, rubbing his nose with the back of his wrist. 

Sejin frowns. “Does it feel like a cold?”

“Yeah. I feel really stuffy …” 

The manager feels Hoseok’s forehead with the back of his hand. “You aren’t warm. Once we get you back to your apartment, I’ll run and grab you some cold medicine. You should be fine in a few days.”

Hoseok nods. All he really wants to do is shower and then sleep and never open his eyes ever again. 

The pilot announces that they’ve begun the descent back to the ground and Hoseok sniffles thickly, feeling more and more miserable by the minute. 

“Are you buckled?” Sejin asks, glancing down at Hoseok’s waist. When he notices that the idol isn’t buckled yet, he reaches over the aisle and tightens Hoseok’s seat buckle for him. The dancer can only give him a grateful nod as he’s so exhausted despite sleeping for hours. 

Once they land, Hoseok can’t really remember what happens. He knows that someone must have grabbed his suitcases because the next time he’s fully aware of his surroundings, he’s in a van with Sejin seated next to him. The elder hands him a pack of tissues that a staff member must have gotten from somewhere and Hoseok is so grateful that he can’t help the tiny tear that slides down his cheek. 

“I know Seokjin-ssi wants to go drinking with you.” Sejin jokes. 

“Hyung knows I can’t hold my liquor.” Hoseok says with a sigh. “Besides, I just want to sleep until the Busan concert.” 

The manager pats his arm. “Don’t worry, we’re heading to your apartment now. We’ll be there in less than an hour.”

Hoseok lets out a congested sneeze in response, pulling out one of the tissues from the little pack. It feels like heaven on his nose and he can’t help himself from grabbing another. 

“Can we stop at a pharmacy or something? I don’t think I have enough tissues at home.” 

Sejin shakes his head. “We’ll get you home and then someone will go and get them for you.”

“Hyung, it’s okay, I can get them.”

“Hoseok-ah, you don’t have a mask. Someone will recognize you.”

Hoseok sighs, unable to argue with that. He really wants those tissues though …

“I’ll go in and get them.” Sejin offers. He turns to the driver. “Once we get close, could you stop at a nearby pharmacy?”

The driver only nods, and the van is left in silence once more. Hoseok takes this time to shut his eyes. He feels a tickle in the back of his throat and turns to the side, coughing harshly into his elbow. 

He must doze off because one moment, they’re only just leaving the airport and now, they’re parked in front of Hoseok’s apartment. Hoseok feels his nose tickle and he lets out nearly a dozen sneezes, all hastily covered and half stifled. Noticing how the driver and Sejin stare at him in concern, he feels his cheeks burn in embarrassment. 

The driver takes his bags out from under Sejin’s in the back of the van and wheels them towards the elevator. The manager takes Hoseok by the wrist and gently pulls him to where the driver is. Hoseok hasn’t realized how dazed he is until now.

“What floor?” the driver asks, voice soft.

Wait … he can’t really think straight.

“Um … five?” He guesses. 

Sejin frowns. “It’s floor twelve.”

Ehhh. Close enough. He would have made it there eventually.

Hoseok muffles another sneeze into his elbow. His head is starting to feel more congested and heavy by the minute and he really wants to lay down again.

“Almost there.” Sejin assures Hoseok quietly, patting him on the shoulder. Hoseok slumps to the side, resting his head on the wall of the elevator. The manager frowns and feels Hoseok’s forehead again.

“You have a slight fever.”

Hoseok sniffles, coughing weakly. Great.

At last, they reach his floor. Hoseok’s hands are shaking too much to enter the door code. 

Sejin rests a hand on his arm. “I’ve got it.”

He enters the code and immediately, Hoseok is hit with the smell of his apartment. It lures him in, draws him towards his bedroom, where he flops down with an undignified huff. The driver rolls Hoseok’s luggage to the corner and bows deeply before leaving. The idol makes a mental note to write a thank you note later once he’s feeling better. Sejin sets a shopping bag down on the nightstand and leaves the room. He comes back into the room a moment later with a bottle of water and then digs in the shopping back and pulls out a bottle of cold medicine. He opens the bottle and presses two tablets into Hoseok’s palm, and then hands him the water. “Take these, okay? You’ll feel better.”

Hoseok nods, swallowing the tablets without hesitation. Sejin sets a box of tissues next to him and then pulls the throw blanket (Snoopy themed) at the bottom of Hoseok’s bed over the dancer. Once he’s finished tucking Hoseok in (the idol was almost positive that the manager would have kissed him on the forehead) , he heads towards the door. “Text me when you wake up, okay?”

“Thank you, hyung.” Hoseok sleepily murmurs.

The manager gives him a soft smile and heads out of the apartment.

♪♪♪♪

The next morning Hoseok feels even worse. 

As soon as he wakes up, he’s hit with such a strong sneezing fit, he’s breathless by the time he finishes. He doesn’t have the strength to lift himself up, so he resigns himself to laying in bed all day. By now, he’s only been awake an hour and he’s already half finished with the box of tissues.  

On the nightstand to the right of his bed, his phone starts to buzz, an obnoxious ringtone so loud, Hoseok feels like a spike has been driven through his forehead.

After laying still for a moment, contemplating his life choices, Hoseok reaches for his phone and answers. “H’llo?”

“HOBI-HYUNG!” Taehyung yells so loud, Hoseok feels like his head is being squeezed like a balloon. Holy fuck, Taehyung is loud.

“Taehyungie.” Hoseok greets, at a much more respectful volume than what the second maknae greeted him with. 

“I heard that you’re back in Korea!” 

“Yeah. I got back last night.” Hoseok explains. “I’m still so …” He takes a break to yawn, “tired.”

Taehyung hums. “Are you up for visitors? Jungkookie, Jinnie-hyung, and I wanted to see you as soon as you got back.”

That comment makes Hoseok smile. “Ah, I want to see you guys too. But I’m kind of sick right now. I caught a cold on the way back.”

“A cold?” Taehyung nearly shouts. “And you didn’t tell us sooner?”

“I didn’t want you guys to—“

He hears the sound of the code being put into his door. He sighs and would have facepalmed had he had the energy to do so. He hears the door swing open and the sounds of hurried footsteps on the way to his room. Despite all this, he’s smiling. He really missed his members and even under the circumstances of him being sick, Hoseok is really glad to see them.

“Don’t get too close.” Hoseok warns. “This cold is no joke.”

Seokjin rolls his eyes. “You could have easily prevented this. It’s summer for god’s sake. Were you even taking vitamins?”

Hoseok pouts. “Of course I was.”

“Jungkook-ah! Go to the store! You know, the one … the one …” Jin starts, snapping his fingers repeatedly, as if that’s actually going to help him remember.

Jungkook bounds over. “Your old brain is acting up again.”

Jin fumes, slapping the back of Jungkook’s head jokingly. “Just remember the store name for me and go there, okay? I’ll text you the list in a minute.”

The maknae grabs his wallet and with a wave of his hand, he’s gone.

Hoseok feels his nose tickle again and he groans. It’s only ten o’clock in the morning, but he’s already ready for this day to be over. He plucks a tissue out of the box and lets out a ragged sneeze. He blows his nose loudly afterwards. 

The eldest member pats him on the head. “You sound horrible, HobiHobi.”

Hoseok sniffles, but that doesn’t help at all. He’s far too stuffed up for anything to really help. 

Taehyung enters the room again (when did he even leave?!) with a wet washcloth and lays it down over Hoseok’s face. “It’s warm, hyung! It should help your congestion.” 

And actually, it is helping a little bit. 

“Jungkook suggested it.” Taehyung explains because of course the maknae did. Jungkook was like a walking, talking, breeding ground for cold germs. The poor maknae was down with a cold at least once every month or two. It was an annoying cycle, although thankfully the maknae didn’t really contract serious illnesses because of this. 

“Yoongichi and Namjoonie are bringing over some more blankets. They should be here soon.” the eldest says. It makes Hoseok furrow his eyebrows. There’s tons of blankets in his apartment. Why would they need more?

Jin seems to be able to read his expression. “Yoongi-ah doesn’t want to admit that he’s worried. The blankets are his excuse.”

That sounds about right. But of course, Hoseok knows that his Yoongi hyung cares about him a lot. 

Hoseok coughs softly, throat tickling no matter how many times he clears it. The coughing gets worse and worse until he’s left barely able to sit up any longer and Jin is eyeing him worriedly, looking as if he wants to step in, but there’s really nothing else he can do. 

“Jungkook should be back with some medicine in a few minutes.” Jin finally says. “Do you want to keep laying down? Or do you want to sit up? I think sitting up will be better for your lungs, so I’m gonna sit you up.”

The second youngest frowns. “Why did you ask him if you were gonna do it anyways?”

Jin’s eye twitches. “Don’t you have a wall to talk to?”

“What does that even—!”

Hoseok blocks out the rest of the conversation. Usually he loves the banter between his members but right now, he really isn’t feeling well and all he wants to do is relax and not have to follow along to the conversation.

“Think there’s …” he starts, trying to remember what he was about to say. “I think there’s some cold medicine in the bathroom. Sejin hyung bought some yesterday.” 

Jin nods. “Taehyung-ah, go grab it. And some water too, okay?”

The youngest in the room nods and hurries off. 

Jin sits back down on the edge of the bed next to Hoseok’s sick, aching body. He starts running his fingers through Hoseok’s bangs and the dancer is so blissed out, he’s nearly asleep. “Sorry you don’t feel well.”

Hoseok hums. “Least it’s after I performed …”

Jin nods and then a moment later, Taehyung returns with the bottle of cold medicine and a glass of water, Yoongi and Namjoon in tow. His fellow ‘94 liner gives him a small wave and a concerned look while the elder rapper immediately rushes to the side of the bed.

“Seok-ah,” Yoongi greets, slightly breathless. Hoseok is confused about that part. Did he run here? “How are you feeling?”

“Could be better.” Hoseok croaks out, then immediately clamps his mouth shut. Does his voice really sound like that??? Yikes …

His younger hyung presses a gentle hand to Hoseok’s forehead with his brow furrowed and a frown crossing his lips. “You’re warm …”

Jin shoves a thermometer from god knows where into Hoseok’s mouth under his tongue and then scowls. “You didn’t tell me you were running a fever.” 

There’s a silence as they wait for the thermometer to beep. Once it does, Jin yanks it out of his mouth in order to read the degree.

“Yah … 38 degrees already.” the eldest sighs and shakes his head. “You really need to take better care of yourself.”

Hoseok goes to pout, but just the action of scrunching his face must make the congestion in his nose shift because now his nose is tickling quite badly. He quickly rolls to the side to where his nightstand is and plucks a tissue out of the box. He holds it to his face and waits for the oncoming sneeze. 

“Heh-TSCH!”

Yoongi frowns, patting him on the head. “Bless you, Seok-ah.” 

The elder waits for him to blow his nose a couple more times before speaking again. “Joon-ah and I brought you some blankets. And I think there might be some throat lozenges that we may have brought too.”

“Thank you, hyung.” Hoseok says gratefully, his voice cracking every other word. He must sound so pathetic.

Yoongi smiles, gummy and small. “Don’t mention it.”

Jin frowns. “There’s too many of you guys in this room! Namjoonie, Taehyungie, go home! Hoseokie needs his rest! And we’re still waiting for Jungkook-ah to return, god! Text Jimin-ah to not even show up at this point, I can’t believe he’s even late for this, Jesus Christ! Can make it to Chicago on time but not one building over from his my ass!”

Hoseok’s congested brain can’t even keep up with how fast his hyung is talking. He sniffles a couple more times and then reaches for another tissue. His throat tickles again and once he’s finished blowing his nose, he’s thrusted into another coughing fit. 

“Shoo!” Hoseok can make out Jin yelling before he collapses against his pillows, too tired to continue sitting up and following along to the conversation.

“Close your eyes.” Yoongi whispers, tracing his fingers down Hoseok’s cheekbones and over his forehead. “Jungkook-ah is still shopping and he’ll be back with the soup ingredients in a while. I’ll wake you up after Jin-hyung and I are finished.”

Hoseok nods faintly and that’s all he remembers before he fades out. 

♪♪♪♪

The sensation of his forehead being traced once more brings him back to consciousness. 

He keeps his eyes shut, relishing just how cooling the hand on his face feels. He lets out a tiny sigh and shifts in the bed slightly. 

The hand moves down to his eyes, which he hadn’t even realized were burning a bit from having been so exhausted earlier. Then, to the bridge of his nose, maybe in the hopes of loosening his congestion? It ends up doing just that, though not by much, but enough that he can breathe just a bit easier. 

And then a finger is tracing down the slope of his nose. Hoseok feels his breath hitch and his nose twitches. He needs to sneeze, and he needs to sneeze now.

He weakly reaches his hands up to gently swat the hand on his face away. He prays that whoever it is (most likely Yoongi due to the hand size) won’t feel offended. 

It isn’t much longer until Hoseok is sneezing, a congested sound due to just how stuffed up his nose is. It must be messy because Yoongi(?) presses a tissue directly to his nose as the second sneeze bursts out of him.

“Bless you.” Yoongi murmurs, waiting for Hoseok to blow into the tissue. He crumples it up once the dancer does and tosses it into the trash can into the corner of the room. 

Hoseok sniffles, feeling just as miserable as he was when he fell asleep. He slowly opens his eyes, which are slightly watering. Yoongi is sitting next to him, body angled above Hoseok’s to the side and he helps the dancer sit up. 

Once he’s sitting up, Hoseok feels the dizziness set in and he thinks he might be running more of a fever now. The congestion shifts in his nose and it isn’t long before he’s stifling a string of messy sneezes into a tissue. Yoongi starts running his fingers through his hair again, then hums softly. “You have a fever again.”

The dancer groans, but that irritates his throat, so he quickly shuts up. His nose is running again, even though he had just blown it. Yoongi presses another tissue to his nose and Hoseok blows into it, having lived with Yoongi for so long that he’s not even embarrassed at this point. The elder fixes Hoseok’s blanket so that it’s tighter and more around him and Hoseok nods gratefully. 

“Are you hungry?” Yoongi asks. “Do you want some soup?”

Hoseok shakes his head. He feels a pit in his stomach and it’s making him nauseous. “No… what time is it?”

The elder glances at his phone. “Around seven o’clock. You’ve been asleep for the last couple of hours.” 

Hoseok brings the corner of the blanket up to cover his mouth as he coughs. He really feels worse than he did yesterday. He sniffles, but he can barely breathe through his nose since it’s so blocked. “I wanna go back to sleep.”

The elder rapper nods. “Okay. We’ll be here when you wake up, okay?”

Hoseok nods and then he’s fading out again.

But sleep doesn’t really come easy.

♪♪♪♪

He’s back in Chicago in his trailer. He’s just seen J. Cole and although he couldn’t get a picture or even get his idol to notice him, at least he got to see him (from a distance). 

At least he’s here, breathing Chicago air and representing BTS and furthering the name of the group. Although Jimin couldn’t make it, he had gotten many “good luck’s” from his members. 

“Becky G just cancelled.” his manager states. “She got held up at the airport. We’ll just use a backing track, okay?”

Hoseok nods. They had made a backup plan for this scenario just in case she couldn’t make it and while it was a bummer, it wasn’t out of the ordinary that a featuring artist wouldn’t be able to make a performance. Artists are busy people. “Should I keep going with the choreography and keep it the way it is?”

His manager shakes his head. “No, we have another choreography planned for this. We don’t have time to teach you so follow the backup dancers’ lead.”

Huh?

All he can do is nod, however, because managers know best. He’s ushered to the corner of his trailer and handed an outfit to change into. It’s a pale pink and long, skin-tight hot pink pants. Hoseok holds in a breath. Were his and Jin’s wardrobes switched back in Korea? Was Jin now practicing in the outfit Hoseok had decided on for his performance. But there’s no time. He’s going to have to wear it.

“You look so ugly!” one of the makeup artists exclaims once he’s done changing. This brings in a crowd of staff. “Get his makeup done immediately, I can’t look at him like this!”

Another woman ushers him to a chair and quickly pushes him down. “Quick, quick. I need to fix your eyebrows. I might have to wax them a little.”

Hoseok whimpers. He hates the feeling of being waxed, despite having dealt with it for many years as an idol. 

“Fix his nose.” one makeup artist looks at him in disgust. “He has a huge pimple.”

Immediately, Hoseok covers his nose with his hand. He doesn’t feel anything …

“No time!” the manager yells. “He’s late! He needs to be on stage now!”

Hoseok’s wrist is grabbed and he’s yanked out of the chair and out the door of the trailer. His manager pushes him onto the lift that’s going to spring him onto the stage and starts a countdown on his fingers. Hoseok closes his eyes and sucks in a breath. 

“5 … 4 … 3 … 2 …”

Hoseok braces himself.

He jumps and it feels so freeing and when he lands he’s going to sing and he’s really so excited to see …

No one.

There’s no one there. 

The field is empty, it’s so empty that the security guards left. All of the park is closed down and inside, he can hear the faint sound of laughter. 

Is he being laughed at? He really doesn’t know.

His heart drops and he feels like crying. Why is no one here? Is he really that disappointing? He slowly walks down the stairs attaching his “box” and the stage. There really is no one here.

Then, he hears footsteps behind him and he spins around. Maybe this is all just a prank. Maybe everyone just happens to be in on this prank. 

“Look at you, so disappointing.” his manager says, tutting at him. 

Another person walks up and Hoseok can see that it’s Jin. “Didn’t you wonder why we couldn’t be bothered to come to Chicago with you?”

Hoseok reels back. That stings. He opens his mouth to reply but the entrance of another person cuts him off. This time, it’s his fifth grade math teacher and he has no clue how she got here. 

“Still so stupid.” she snarls. “Couldn’t do anything right back then and certainly can’t now.” 

“-seok.”

“No son of mine will dance on a stage.” his dad spits out.

“-seok.”

“So ugly, why did he even take his mask off?”

“-Hoseok”

“Why can’t he be more like me? Mom’s traveling to work without us just for him?”

“-up…!”

Hoseok lets out a sob and he falls to his knees as the people crowd around him and he claws at his hair and his chest is heaving and he can’t breathe and …!

“Baby, wake up!”

Hoseok’s eyes slam open and he knows he’s crying because he can feel the tears running down his cheeks and maybe it’s the fact that he feels infinitely worse that’s making him cry or it was just his nightmare but he really doesn’t know and he wants someone to hug him so badly.

Jin is staring down at him, brows creased and he looks so worried that Hoseok just wants to pat him on the back and tell him it’ll be okay, but he really doesn’t know. 

His head pounds and he can barely see straight. He coughs and his chest hurts. The congestion is also worse too and it feels like his nose is on fire. 

“We’re getting you help.” Jin says, a hint of panic in his voice. “Just relax, okay? Yoongi-ah is bringing the car around.”

He can’t recall if he says anything in response or not. Maybe a groan slips out but either way, Jin just looks even more worried. He feels his body being picked up and he’s carried somewhere, most likely the car. 

Whoever’s driving drives fast. Hoseok finds himself shivering and immediately, someone helps him sit up and he’s leaned against someone really warm. He’s thankful for that. 

He feels a burning in his chest and then he’s coughing, and it’s like he can’t stop. He’s gasping for breath and everything’s so hot, hot hot, and he feels like passing out. 

“Stay with me, okay?” Jin murmurs, worried. He’s sitting with Hoseok, so they must be in the backseat, and he gently pats Hoseok’s cheeks. But it’s not really working and Hoseok can feel himself slipping away anyways. 

The next time he really knows where he is, there’s two strangers looking down at him, who he presumes to be a doctor and a nurse, considering how they’re dressed. They must swab him or something because his nose feels like it’s burning and then he’s sneezing once, then twice, then three times and it takes him a few more seconds until the tickle eventually goes away. 

He shivers despite the hoodie he’s wearing. It’s large on him and it smells like Taehyung, so it must be Taehyung’s. He buries his nose into the collar of it and shuts his eyes once more. Jin rubs his back and he appreciates it. He feels so awful. 

The doctor must have left the room for the swab results because he comes back a moment later and Hoseok is finally, finally, gaining some awareness. Jin helps him sit up, but then his chest is heaving and he has to double over into a coughing fit.

“You have the flu, HobiHobi.” Jin says worriedly. “Did you feel that bad?”

Hoseok frowns. They already had the results? How lucid had he not been?

Jin seems to realize his confusion. “You were really out of it for maybe a half hour give or take. You’re a bit dehydrated, so until you finish that IV bag, you’re not going anywhere.”

The door to the room slams open and a wild looking Yoongi hurries into the room. “Is he alright? Is it pneumonia? Where is he!”

The eldest member pats Yoongi on the shoulder. “He’s right here. It’s a pretty bad case of the flu, but he’ll be okay.”

Yoongi breathes a sigh of relief. “You really worried me, Seok.”

“Sorry, hyung.” Hoseok murmurs, feeling the congestion still building up in his nose. 

No one speaks for a moment. Hoseok listens to the hum of the machinery and it starts to lull him to sleep. He’s feeling better with more fluids in him, and maybe this time he won’t have any nightmares. 

A hand cards through his hair and that’s it until he’s finally closing his eyes.

[cthrnschumacher]

I'm Yours - Ch. 11 Need You Now

Y/N POV

Since our late-night conversation, it felt as though life and university had made some unspoken pact to collide and accelerate with relentless intensity. Ironically, it had to be the moment Toto left for Brackley.

At first, his absence had felt like a weight—something I carried in the quiet moments, in the spaces between obligations, in the breaths I took when the world around me stilled just long enough for the loneliness to creep in. It wasn’t always sharp or overwhelming; it was something dull and persistent, an ache rather than a wound. I would catch myself reaching for my phone, expecting a message, a voice note, anything to remind me that he was still just on the other side of the screen. But of course, reality always settled in—he was busy, I was busy, and life had a way of making sure we both felt it.

The initial haze of missing him had been softened by the inevitable pull of routine, but not in the comforting, predictable way routine usually felt. This wasn’t the ease of slipping into a rhythm; this was the sensation of being thrown into the deep end of an ocean with no time to tread water. Lectures and tutorials stretched into the evening, each professor seemingly competing to make their class the most demanding. Research projects were no longer just exercises in academic curiosity—they were intellectual marathons that required endless revisions, constant re-evaluation, and a level of perfectionism that could drive anyone to the brink.

And then there was work—my other divided obligation. Balancing an already precarious schedule with part-time shifts that, while necessary, drained whatever energy remained at the end of the day. Some days I barely had time to eat, let alone breathe, rushing from one commitment to the next with the kind of determination that wasn’t sustainable but had somehow become the norm. The hours blurred together, punctuated only by caffeine refuels of any form and the occasional five-minute mental breakdown in the nearest quiet corner of the library.

The unspoken pressure of expectations tightened around my shoulders with each passing week. Deadlines loomed like storm clouds, growing darker and more ominous as they approached. The demands weren’t just academic—there was the pressure to be on top of everything, to excel, to prove that I was meant to be here, that I could handle it. And I could, I reminded myself, because this was something I signed up for. I had known, from the moment I chose this path, that it would be a relentless pursuit, one that required sacrifices and sleepless nights.

But knowing and experiencing were two very different things.

Still, I loved it.

Even as exhaustion settled deep into my bones, even as the days stretched into nights with little reprieve, I loved the challenge. There was something exhilarating about being at the edge of your limits, about pushing yourself further than you thought possible, with the help of caffeine of course. There was a strange satisfaction in looking at an assignment—one that had taken hours of research, countless cups of coffee and energy drinks, and an unholy amount of stress—and knowing that it was good. That it was yours. That it was worth the effort.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t hell getting there.

And you’d think that professors, after years of teaching, would have learned to space out assignments. They were once in our shoes, weren’t they? Surely, they remembered what it felt like to juggle multiple courses, to balance academics with everything else life threw at you. Surely, they knew that having three major deadlines in one week was a death sentence.

But no.

It was as if they had all convened in a secret roundtable discussion, nodding in agreement as they plotted the ultimate test of mental and sometimes physical endurance. There had to be some sort of conspiracy among faculty—a carefully coordinated effort to make sure students never experienced a moment of peace. It wasn’t enough to have one overwhelming workload; they had designed their syllabi in infinite synchrony, all agreeing that now was the time to challenge their students’ mental, emotional, and physical limits.

Despite the long hours spent buried in textbooks, toggling between dense research papers and frantic notes scribbled in the margins, there were moments when focus eluded me. No matter how much I willed myself to drown in academia, my mind betrayed me—slipping away from the rigid confines of theory and analysis to something softer, something warmer.

Toto.

It was infuriating how easily my thoughts drifted to him—how, no matter how tightly I tried to grip my focus, he always found a way to slip through the cracks.

I could be neck-deep in research, sorting through endless journal articles, cross-referencing citations, building a foundation for a paper that required more mental energy than I had left to give, and suddenly, there he was—soft and steady in my mind. The memory of his voice, deep and warm, would filter through like a whisper between the words I was reading, making it impossible to concentrate.

It wasn’t just any memory of him that distracted me—it was always the intimate, unguarded moments. The way his voice softened when he was tired, dipping into something slower, something a little rougher around the edges, like he wasn’t just speaking, but feeling every word. Or how he called me Schatz like it was second nature, like the word belonged to me and me alone. It lingered in my mind long after he’d said it, taking up space in my head in a way I never invited but never really resisted either.

And despite everything—the pressure, the expectations, the chaos of my own world—he still made time for me. Even in the middle of a schedule that would overwhelm anyone else, he never let a day go by without something. A message. A voice note. Sometimes just a simple Thinking of you. Those three words, in his voice or on my screen, had the power to derail me completely.

And I hated that I missed him this much. Not because I regretted what we had. Not because I wished it was different. But because the missing was inconvenient. It was distracting. It was a twinge I couldn’t afford to dwell on when I had so much to do with so much at stake, especially soon to be a fellow. But the heart, especially the in me, is annoyingly stubborn, and emotions have a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect them.

Like in the middle of a lecture, when the professor’s voice faded into the background, blurred into nothing more than a low hum as my mind replayed the way Toto had laughed the last time we talked. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners, the way he leaned back in his chair with that knowing smirk, the way he looked at me—like distance didn’t matter, like time zones were irrelevant, like for those few stolen minutes, I was the only thing in his world.

Or during an impossibly long study session, when exhaustion settled deep into my bones and my brain refused to cooperate, and I found myself staring at my phone, wondering what he was doing at that exact moment. Whether he was in a meeting, whether he was having his third—or fourth—coffee of the day, whether he was thinking about me, too.

Or in the rare quiet moments, when there were no distractions left to drown in. When there were no papers to write, no chapters to read, no deadlines to chase. When I was alone in my room at home, and there was nothing but silence. When my bed felt too big, and my hands felt too empty, and my heart felt the space where he used to be. That was the worst part—when the missing had nowhere to hide. I told myself I didn’t have time for this. That there was no room in my life for longing. But time had stopped listening to me a long time ago.

So, I buried myself in work.

I filled my days with lectures and assignments, letting them consume every waking hour. I let the deadlines dictate my existence, let the pressure push me forward, convinced myself that if I just kept moving, the missing wouldn’t feel so heavy. That if I never stopped, if I never let myself sit in the quiet for too long, I wouldn’t have to feel it.

But it was always there.

Lurking beneath the surface.

Waiting for the quiet.

Waiting for the moment when my mind wasn’t occupied with something else, when my hands weren’t flipping through pages, when my body wasn’t running on borrowed energy. Because even in the chaos, even with an ocean between us, he was still the one thing I couldn’t shake.

But It wasn’t sadness, not exactly. More like an ache—a dull, persistent thing that settled in my chest, pressing down in the moments when I allowed myself to remember just how far away he really was.

It was strange, the way distance worked. How it could feel suffocating and hollow all at once. How it could make a person both incredibly present and impossibly far away at the same time. But despite the thousands of miles, despite the time zones and the packed schedules and the inevitable exhaustion, distance had done little to sever the connection between us.

If anything, it had forced us both to try.

It had made us intentional. Made us carve out time in impossibly busy schedules, made us reach across time zones and hold onto whatever moments we could steal. Somehow, without ever really deciding on it, texting had become an intrinsic part of my day. It was woven into the fabric of my routine, as natural as morning coffee or the inevitable rush between classes.

A brief check-in between lectures—How’s your day going?

A shared meme sent in the middle of a tedious meeting—This is you.

A voice note recorded in the dead of night, when the weight of the day felt too heavy to put into words—I wish you were here.

Sometimes, it was nothing more than a single emoji. A subtle reminder that we were thinking of each other, even when words failed.

And then there were the video calls.

Not every day. Not always planned.

But when they happened, they felt like stolen moments. Like pressing pause on reality, just for a little while. Like stepping out of our separate worlds and into something that was still ours.

They were late at night for me, during the rare hours when my schedule slowed enough for me to breathe. For him, they were stolen moments between obligations—minutes taken from work lunches, from late-night meetings, from whatever chaos his role demanded of him that day.

And yet, despite the exhaustion, despite the miles, despite everything else pulling us in different directions, we always found our way back here.

Back to each other.

Like this morning.

The sun was barely up, spilling golden light through my window, casting long shadows across my desk. My coffee sat half-finished beside my open laptop on your desk, notes sprawled in front of you, the remnants of last night’s study session still lingering in the margins. I should have been reviewing my research. Should have been preparing for another grueling day of lectures and deadlines.

Instead of focusing on my work, instead of crossing off the long list of tasks demanding my attention, my phone was in my hand. Thumb hovering over his name. Hesitation lingered, just for a second, that familiar internal debate surfacing—Is he too busy? Will I be distracting him? Should I just wait for him to text first?

But then, I remembered the way he always answered. The way, no matter how packed his schedule was, he somehow made time. With that thought, I pressed call. The screen flickered to life, and there he was.

Seated in what looked like a conference room, the sterile white walls behind him doing nothing to soften the exhaustion in his posture. He was wearing a crisp white shirt, sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, collar undone just enough to make him look almost relaxed—if not for the slight crease between his brows. His dark hair was slightly tousled, evidence of too many times running his hands through it in frustration. A plate of half-eaten pasta sat in front of him, next to an almost-empty cup of coffee.

But none of that mattered.

Because the second he saw me, the tension in his face eased.

"Morning, Schatz." His voice was low, warm, tinged with quiet exhaustion.

I smiled, curling my hands around my coffee mug, soaking in the simple comfort of seeing him.

"Morning for me," I teased, lifting my mug as if to prove it. "Lunchtime for you."

Toto exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "And yet, here you are, calling me instead of working."

"And yet, here you are," I countered, arching a brow. "Picking up."

A slow smirk tugged at his lips, his head tilting slightly in surrender. That smirk—mischievous, knowing, effortlessly charming—made the miles between us feel smaller, just for a second.

It was moments like this that made the distance easier to bear.

I shifted, tucking my legs beneath me on my desk chair, the ceramic of my mug warming my fingers. "Exactly why I called," I admitted. "Figured we could have a meal together, even if we’re in different time zones."

His expression softened slightly, and I caught the way his lips curved—subtle, but undeniably affectionate. "And here I thought you just wanted to check if I was still alive."

I smirked, taking a slow sip of coffee. "That too."

Toto shook his head, but there was amusement in his eyes as he picked up his fork. "How’s uni?"

A sigh escaped me as I glanced at the open notebook beside me, pages filled with frantic scribbles and hastily highlighted lines. "Intense. I think my professors had a meeting and collectively decided to assign all major projects at once. Either that, or I’ve just lost my ability to manage deadlines."

His brows lifted slightly. "That doesn’t sound like you."

I huffed out a quiet laugh. "I’m managing. Barely. But yeah, it’s a lot."

Toto tilted his head slightly, studying me through the screen in that way that always made me feel like he saw more than I was saying. "Are you sleeping enough?"

I groaned, already regretting mentioning anything. "Don’t start."

"Schatz—"

"Yes, I’m sleeping," I cut in, narrowing my eyes at him. "Not… well, but I’m trying."

Toto gave me a look—the kind that said he absolutely did not believe me. His gaze was unwavering, like he was calculating how much he should push, how much I was willing to admit.

I knew he was about to start lecturing me on efficiency, time management, optimizing my schedule—because that was so much easier for someone who operated like a machine.

So, I changed the subject.

"And you?" I asked, tilting my head. "Work swallowing you whole yet?"

He let out a small sigh, running a hand through his hair, further disheveling the already unruly strands. "I’d say no, but that would be a lie."

A faint murmur came from behind him—someone speaking in German, their voice just out of frame. He turned his head slightly, responding with a quick, clipped reply before looking back at me.

I raised a brow. "Work?"

"Always," he muttered, reaching for his water. "Half the team thinks I’m permanently glued to this chair."

I hummed knowingly. "Not entirely untrue."

His lips twitched. "Cheeky this morning, are we?"

"You bring it out of me."

His phone buzzed on the table beside him. He glanced at it briefly but ignored it, his attention still on me.

I recognized that look.

It was the I should be going, but I don’t want to look.

"You need to go?" I asked, already bracing for the inevitable.

Toto hesitated, then shook his head. "Not yet. I’d rather stay here and talk to you."

My fingers curled a little tighter around my mug.

"Good," I murmured, staring at him through the screen. "Because I miss you."

Toto’s grip on his fork tightened slightly. His gaze flickered—something unreadable crossing his expression before his voice dipped lower, quieter. "Ich vermisse dich auch, Schatz."

I swallowed, my chest tightening at the weight of those words. The sincerity in his voice, the quiet admission of something neither of us could change, settled deep in my bones.

"I miss you too."

Toto let out a slow exhale, his gaze steady, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes.

"I shouldn’t be this distracted at this hour of the day," he murmured, the corner of his mouth twitching into a small, self-deprecating smile.

A small laugh escaped me, breaking through the quiet. "Well, at least you’re eating. That’s progress."

"Not by choice," he muttered, nudging his mostly finished plate as if it had personally offended him. "Apparently, I’ve developed a reputation for skipping meals, so I now have people making sure I don’t starve."

I shook my head, unable to suppress my amusement. "You would absolutely survive off coffee and adrenaline if they let you."

"Also not untrue," he admitted, setting his fork down with an air of finality. His eyes softened slightly as he leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. "But I prefer when you’re the one reminding me to eat."

Something warm and unspoken bloomed in my chest at that.

It was simple, really—the way he said it, the way he meant it. He never needed to elaborate. It was in the way he looked at me, in the way he lingered on the line even when he should have hung up, in the way he always answered my calls, no matter how chaotic his day was.

"Of course, I care," I said, my voice quieter now. "Even from an ocean away, I care."

Toto let out a slow breath, nodding. "I know."

A comfortable silence settled between us, not the kind weighed down by distance or longing, but the kind that felt like an understanding—an acceptance of what we were, of where we were, of the space we occupied in each other’s lives, even with the miles stretching between us.

"I’ll call you later?" he asked eventually, though it wasn’t really a question.

"I’ll be waiting."

He lingered for a second longer, his eyes scanning my face like he was memorizing every detail, tucking it away for when the distance felt too vast, too unfair.

Then, with a quiet sigh, he murmured, "Talk soon, love," before the screen went dark.

I stared at my phone for a moment, my fingers still curled around the edges as if keeping the connection alive a little longer. The warmth of our conversation lingered, wrapping around me like a quiet comfort.

Even across time zones, even with the chaos of life pulling us in different directions, he still made time.

And for now, that had to be enough.

I let out a breath, setting my phone down beside my coffee mug. The silence in the room felt different now—less hollow, less lonely.

The open notebook in front of me beckoned, the half-finished notes and highlighted passages waiting for my attention. With a resigned sigh, I picked up my pen, rolling my shoulders as I refocused on where I had left off.

The words on the page blurred for a moment, my mind still half-stuck in the conversation, in the way his voice had sounded when he said my name, in the quiet way he admitted missing me.

But there was work to do.

And so, with a deep inhale, I forced myself back into the rhythm of academia, back into the world that didn’t pause for distance, for time zones, for longing.

The weight of missing him hadn’t disappeared, but for now, it could wait.

[taatianaad]

An Unforgettable Birthday

The sun had barely risen when Alex Cabot was already awake, busy with preparations. It was Y/N's birthday, her girlfriend, and Alex wanted it to be a special day despite their busy work schedules.

At the office, Alex had coordinated with some colleagues to discreetly decorate the conference room with balloons and banners before Y/N arrived. She had ordered a cake from one of the best bakeries in the city and bought a meaningful gift: a silver bracelet with a small heart-shaped charm.

When Y/N arrived at the office, she suspected nothing. She was focused on pending cases and the day's responsibilities. Alex, trying to contain her excitement, greeted her with a quick kiss and a smile.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Ready for a productive day?" said Alex, trying to keep the surprise.

"Yes, as ready as always," replied Y/N, returning the smile. "Although I wish I could spend more time with you today."

Alex winked at her. "We'll see what we can do."

As the morning went on, Y/N immersed herself in her work, unaware of the preparations in the conference room. Alex exchanged a few quick messages with Casey Novak, ensuring everything was ready for the big moment.

Finally, just before lunch, Alex approached Y/N's office. "Hey, can you come with me for a moment? I need your help with something in the conference room."

Y/N nodded, curious. "Sure, what's up?"

"You'll see," said Alex, taking her hand and leading her down the hall.

When they reached the conference room, Alex opened the door wide and let Y/N walk in first. The look of surprise and joy on Y/N's face when she saw the festive decorations and the cake was priceless.

"Happy birthday, my love!" exclaimed Alex, hugging her from behind.

"Oh my God! I didn't expect this," said Y/N, her eyes filling with tears of happiness. "Thank you, Alex. This is amazing."

At that moment, Casey Novak entered the room with a bottle of champagne and a wide smile. "Happy birthday, Y/N! Alex really outdid herself this time."

Y/N laughed, feeling overwhelmed by the love and attention. "Thank you, Casey. This means a lot to me."

Casey joined them, opening the champagne bottle and pouring three glasses. "To many more happy birthdays," toasted Casey, raising her glass.

After the toast, Alex took a small box from her pocket and handed it to Y/N. "I have something else for you," she said, watching her girlfriend's reaction closely.

Y/N opened the box and saw the beautiful silver bracelet. "Alex, it's gorgeous. Thank you so much," she said, kissing her tenderly.

The rest of the afternoon passed in an atmosphere of joy and camaraderie. Y/N enjoyed the cake and the laughter shared with Alex and Casey, knowing she had wonderful people in her life.

At the end of the day, as the office lights dimmed and the bustle of the workday calmed down, Alex and Y/N stayed a few moments longer, enjoying the peace and each other's company.

"Thank you for making this such a special birthday," said Y/N, cuddling up to Alex.

"Anything for you, my love. You deserve the best," responded Alex, holding her tightly.

Together, they left the office, ready to face anything, knowing that their love and mutual support made them invincible.

[giant-tiny-fiber-friends]

Stitching Together!

I'm organizing a virtual group stitching event hosted on the discord! This is based on my availability to host, but just as a reminder, anyone can coordinate their own groups if they'd like, it doesn't just have to be me!

So I forgot that my schedule changed literally right after I made this poll. If anyone has availability anytime during the day (Central North American Time) on Thursdays, let me know!

That said, it seems like most people can make it on a Saturday, and since it's a little short notice right now, I'd love some feedback about a good start time!

I imagine it'll probably go on for an hour or two, since I know life can be busy. Thank you all for the support so far!

[oiblackestsheep]

Letters to MBTI: ESFJ

Dear ESFJs,

My opposite! You and I... we don't tend to run in the same social circles, most of the time lmao. But you know what, that's okay! I recognize that just because we aren't incredibly close, doesn't mean I don't see you and appreciate everything you do.

Our cognitive functions appear in reverse order and nothing reminds me of that better than getting to spend time with one of you. You find ways to be pragmatic, punctual, and inclusive of everybody in ways that I can't even manage to do in my dreams.

And when I say inclusive of everybody, usually, that extra effort goes towards making sure that people like me are included and welcomed to the group/community activities, and I really can't express how grateful I am for that. Or rather, usually, I couldn't express that because it's hard to do that verbally when you feel socially awkward, but here, I'm gonna let it rip.

So let's get into it!

I've found myself in enough social situations where I felt a bit like an outcast wallflower (which can earn you points on the internet, but not so much irl lmao), and it's the healthy ESFJ who recognizes this and decides to make the concentrated effort to help break the ice when I'm not quite sure how.

You never run out questions to ask to keep the conversation going and you always find a way to make me (and probably the other introverts) feel like we have a voice and a place at the table in any social setting. Especially when everyone else present knows each other and I'm the new person. This is such an important skill you have and I don't think you hear enough thanks from the people you help, most likely because we don't always know how best to say it.

Not to mention that you are likely the one who organized whatever event is happening, which most people take for granted. It's not easy being the one to accommodate everyone's schedules and coordinate all of the necessary components for social gatherings.

Or business gatherings! It's not all just birthday parties and baby showers with you guys; you've got serious business to get through, and all the while have to remember things like dietary restrictions, seating arrangements, appropriate time slots for all facets of the gathering. You're the one who has planned out the whole day from start to finish, hearding everyone else around, and everyone else has the luxury of going along with all of it without even noticing.

An introverted perceiver like me doesn't know the half of the hard work it takes to make these things happen!

I hope that it is as helpful to you to have me brainstorming new, potential solutions to your technical problems as it is to me when you make sure that everything is going according to plan and everyone gets the chance to comfortably and genuinely participate in all of our collaborative events.

You really do examplify everything I'd like to be better at. Maybe we should hang out more! We may not always have the most in common with our interests, but I think we could learn a lot from each other. Keep doing what you're doing ESFJs. You really are the glue that holds us all together and makes everyone feel safe!

[taomyou]

The Romance of Reimbursements - Chapter 12

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Reader Status: COMPLETED Summary: There’s a guy you see every Friday on bus 143, and you think he’s pretty hot. It wouldn’t hurt to tell your best friend about him, would it? or, you and Levi take the same bus home from work every Friday, and you fall in love slowly, clumsily, and with all the time in the world to fold as many paper stars as your heart desires. Word Count: 7.1k Tags: slow burn, friends to lovers, modern au, office au, fluff, romance, meet-cute, matchmaking (A/N: this fic is entirely available on ao3 here if you would like to read it there instead!) Chapter Navigation Accompanying Playlist

the coat

And so begins a new addition to your normal day-to-day. In addition to looking forward to your weekly check-ins with Levi, you now get to skip over to the bus stop on Fridays with a quiet bloom in your chest from the excitement of trying out a new tea.

After Levi gave you that first box of citrus tea, you’ve taken to texting him a bit more often. You thanked him that first night of, and you gave him your first ranking of many: 8/10. He sent back nothing, but when you came to the bus stop the following week with a box of bitter leaf tea, he texted you his own rating: 7/10.

He also tells you he already has his own blend of it, so he sends you an accompanying picture of his countertop with his teas on display to make sure you don’t end up with any repeats. You do the same with your own tea cabinet, and the next Friday, you bring gentian root tea to make up for last week’s blunder. He scolds you because he brought you something too, but you force him to take it anyway and tell him to hold onto the chamomile tea for the next week.

He texts you just as you hop into bed for the night: 3/10, tastes like shit

The feeling that comes with exchanging tea with him becomes something you want to hold on to for longer than the short 30 minutes you spend with him every week.

It isn’t like there’s no longer a cloud that follows you around though. Erwin comes back to the office as if he was never gone for that one week, and that also means that he comes back with just as much paperwork for you. Clients seem to somehow come more frequently and with less patience for you too.

You still sometimes have to haul your work over to the Chinese takeout spot across the street, but at least you know that there’s someone who’s willing to come pick you up and let you make stupid shrimp fried rice jokes if you end up having to miss the bus.

You like to think Levi's holding out an umbrella for you, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

So when you text him on the last Friday of March to let him know that you won’t be able to get out of the office in time to catch his bus, you get a phone call from reception at 3:05 telling you that a Levi Ackerman will be at the bottom floor’s lobby whenever you’re ready to leave.

✰

Hange, though not neglectful of your own friendship, hasn’t coordinated any group outings since they’ve gotten together with Moblit.

Not that they actually said they started dating, but it’s obvious enough when they call you on random nights to gush about their time spent together.

You’re also still not supposed to know who they’re dating. You know that Hange keeping up the façade of having a secret lover is just lighthearted fun and that they aren’t at all embarrassed to be with him, but they’re so unserious about keeping it up that it’s almost laughable. Hange lets it slip that their “secret man” isn’t scheduled for a business trip for quite some time and that that’s why they haven’t been able to hang out with you and the rest of the crew as of late, but you reassure them and make sure they know you’re happy for them.

And you really are. You’ve caught Moblit coming out of their apartment unit four times already, and he always has a goofy smile on his face as he waves to you on his way out. Sometimes you’ll even see the two of them walking around the shared apartment green space together, and you take paparazzi-type pictures of them from your window so you can tease Hange about it when they finally go public about their not-so-secret relationship.

It warms your heart to see your best friend so exuberantly happy.

Maybe that’s why you haven’t bashed their head in yet.

“What are we doing here?!”

They look over at you quizzically as they unbuckle their seatbelt. “You know where we are?” They then let a Cheshire grin grow on their face, and they lean over the center separator between the two of you. “You know where we are.”

“So what if I do?”

“Have you been here before?”

“...No comment.”

When you woke up this morning, you expected to just sleep in to try to forget all the stress of yesterday. You had to rush to finish all your end of the month reports yesterday, having forgotten the deadline, and you felt absolutely terrible walking out of the office. It wasn’t too late when you finally finished everything, just a little past 6, but when you got to the lobby, Levi was there sitting at one of the offside tables doing work on his computer, and you felt even worse that he waited that long for you.

When he spotted you, he didn’t say anything. He packed up his things, got up from the table, and let you follow him to the bus stop. When you both got onboard and seated, he didn’t talk either. It was his turn to give you a new tea to try, and he handed you the tin without saying anything. You gave him a weak smile and leaned over to tap your shoulder to his in thanks, and he asked if you were alright.

You said you were tired, and he nodded in understanding before asking if you were up to talk. You said you were, and conversation carried on just as it did every week. You went home soon after, made yourself a cup of your new hibiscus tea, and texted him a 2/10 ranking before eating a miserable dinner and jumping into the safety of your bed.

When you woke up this morning, you did not expect it to be because of Hange knocking on your door. Nonetheless, you got up, let them in, and got ready when they told you that you’d be coming with them to whatever they had planned. They wouldn’t tell you what you were doing, but they said to look nice so you slipped on a cute dress and a coat before joining them in their car.

And here you are now, being dragged to Levi’s front doorstep by your mad scientist neighbor.

Hange rings the doorbell, and Isabel opens the door.

“Hange! What’re you doing here!?” Isabel exclaims, going for a hug. Hange opens their arms to accept it, and they both laugh as they jump up and down and spin. From over Hange’s shoulder, Isabel smiles at you as well. “It’s good to see you, Astraea!”

You sheepishly wave to her. “Hi.” With all the noise, Furlan comes to the door. You wave to him too over Hange and Isabel’s still-hugging forms. “Hey Furlan.”

“What’re you guys doing here?” Furlan asks.

Hange untangles themselves from Isabel. “We’re here to pick up Levi!”

“We are?” You ask.

“You are?” Levi deadpans, now at the door too. He’s wearing casual clothes, probably not having changed from sleeping, and his hair isn’t done. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, and he looks away to yawn.

He looks… pretty cute.

Hange’s voice breaks you away, and you refocus your attention onto them. “Yeah! I’m taking you and Astraea with me!”

“For what? Can I come too?” Isabel asks.

“You have a midterm on Monday,” scolds Levi, moving forward to knock the back of her head.

“So what?” Isabel challenges.

You giggle behind your hand, and everyone except for Levi laughs with you.

“Sorry, sweetie, you know you have to study,” Hange comforts, hugging Isabel and cooing as they pat her head. Isabel nods and wipes away a fake tear. “But yeah! Get ready, Levi, we gotta leave soon!”

“What makes you think I’m going?”

“Oh, come on! Astraea and I came all this way!”

“Hange, it’s barely a 15-minute drive,” you gently remind them.

“That’s completely irrelevant!”

“What the fuck are you even dragging me to?”

“Again, irrelevant. But shoo! Go change!"

You laugh again, and Levi looks at you. You wave to him, not having greeted him yet. “You heard them.”

He grumbles before turning back into the house, presumably to get ready. Furlan and Isabel practically push you and Hange inside the house, and the four of you gather at their couches. Isabel and Hange are enamored in their own conversation on one couch, and you and Furlan watch them from the other.

“Any idea what they’ve got planned?” Furlan asks.

You slump further into your seat, tugging your coat closer towards you. “No, but that’s Hange for you.”

He chuckles, nodding along. “True. They used to drag Levi everywhere when they were in college.”

You nod and close your eyes, trying to envision that dynamic. It’s not hard to see, especially when they still do the same to you and everyone else, but the image of a younger Hange forcing a younger Levi to go to… the mall or something is surely interesting. 

“You think he’s gonna be mad we’re stealing him away?” You ask.

“If it was just Hange, he’d be planning an airstrike in his room as we speak.”

“So… yes?”

“Nah, I think you’re good.”

You don’t really understand, but you don’t want to question it. To pass the time, you make small talk with him to fill the silence, and it’s pretty nice. He sounds just as exhausted as you are, and instead of talking about anything actually related to his work, he just complains about relatively minor details that inconvenience him in his day-to-day. You parrot the same sentiments back to him when he asks, and that’s just about enough to give Levi the time to come back with different clothes.

He looks cozy in his turtleneck and dress pants, and his hair’s probably got some kind of gel in it now.

He sneaks up behind Hange and Isabel to pinch their ears. They both yelp at the contact, but then laugh when they see that it’s Levi.

“Ready to go?” Hange asks, starting to get up. Levi rolls his eyes, but he starts heading over to the shoe rack to put on his shoes.

Hange says their goodbyes to Isabel and Furlan, and you do the same. Hange is out the door first to start up the car again, so you stick behind at the door to wait for Levi to finish getting his things together. He meets you there after he’s gotten his wallet and keys, and he follows you to Hange’s car which is parked across the street.

“Morning,” you greet. You can’t look back to see his reaction when you cross the road, but you imagine he rolls his eyes.

“I appreciate you not saying ‘good’ in front of that.”

Hange cheers when they see the both of you, and you hear the sound of them unlocking their doors to let you in.

You slip into the back seat behind Hange, thinking that Levi’s going to go for the passenger seat, but as you’re putting on your seatbelt, you hear the door adjacent to you open. Levi and you make eye contact and the click of your seatbelt rings loud in your ears, but neither of you say anything and he gets in the seat on his side.

Hange turns back to the two of you, their arm around the headrest now. “Are you guys both back there to kiss or something?”

Your face goes red, but before you can bark anything back at them, Levi chimes in. “No. We literally just hate you so much that neither of us want to sit next to you.”

You laugh, and you lean over as best as you can to bump shoulders with him. “Yeah, sounds about right.” Hange gives you a weird look, so you stare back at them. “What?”

They just wordlessly shake their head and turn back to move the car into drive, and you’re off to wherever Hange decides to take the three of you.

✰

“Where the fuck are we?”

In the distance is a large convention hall, and you can see people walking in and out of the doors. It doesn’t look all that different from the conventions you have to attend for work, so it’s probably something similar to that.

Hange locks their car, and you can hear the jingling of their keys as they put them into their bag. “Just follow me!”

You and Levi look to each other, shrug, and follow as Hange practically skips their way over. Hange hums a tune as they walk, not bothering to make small talk, and soon enough, you’re all at the entrance. From their bag, Hange takes out three bright blue wristbands and hands two to you and one to Levi.

“Put these on! It’s white side up!”

“What are we even doing here?” You ask. Looking around, though, you can just barely see that the door people are headed for has a banner on top of it: Paradis Science Exposition and Showcase!

“My company needed somebody to man their booth for the expo today, and I figured it’d be fun if we all did it!” They beam, turning to face the banner. They stretch their arms out to make a bigger show of reading the words. “Besides, it’d be great for your resume to work at such a prestigious event.”

“We already have jobs,” Levi points out.

You nod. “Yeah, why would we even put this on our resumes? We already paid thousands of dollars for grad school, I don’t think an expo would make any difference.” This would’ve been a great event for Isabel to come to, though. It’s a shame she couldn’t come with you.

“Details, details. But help me put my wristband on!”

“Why do we need them? Did you have to get tickets?” You ask.

“Nah, they’re just so that event security can identify the vendors.”

Looking back at the banner again, you shake your head with a smile. It’s always refreshing to see Hange interact with their work, especially when everyone else you know resents at least some aspect of their job, and if volunteering at an expo is what will make them happy, then you’ll do that for them.

You’re also already here, and you might as well make the most of your time.

Levi would probably disagree, though, since he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “You dragged me out of my house to make me do manual labor?”

“It’s for the good of the public! It’s a free event, and we are simply providing resources to those who wish to pursue the sciences!” Hange beams. You lightly grab hold of their hand to put the wristband on for them, mindful to keep the white side facing the outside, and you do the same on your own wrist.

“So it’s unpaid manual labor? Be thankful you’re my fucking ride back.”

“Don’t worry, we can just take the bus back,” you joke, turning to face him now. He still has his wristband in his hand. “Do you need help putting it on?”

“That’s if I’m even going in,” he complains, but he still raises the wristband to you.

You roll your eyes and take it from him. You grab hold of his wrist to help orient it so you can put the wristband on properly.

You ignore the spark that shocks you when you touch his hand. It’s probably just static anyway.

You tug the paper snug on his wrist. “Is this too tight?”

“No.”

You hum then, and you take off the protective sealant to get the sticky side ready to put on. You apply it onto itself, and you rub the spot to get the seal fully stuck together. “Done.”

He hums too, and then Hange leads the both of you into the building, their eyes on their phone as they try to navigate the space and find where the booth is. Soon enough, you see a relatively well set-up area marked with a sign with the words Titan Company. Hange motions for you and Levi to come to the back part of the booth, and there you see Moblit, Erwin, and Mike.

“Oh, hello!” Moblit greets the three of you. Hange goes for a hug (and everyone else looks at one another with knowing smiles) while you and Levi wave at him from behind Hange’s shoulder. Levi gravitates towards Erwin, so that leaves you with Mike. It isn’t really awkward, especially since he’s been generally welcoming of your presence in the group, but you haven’t ever really talked to him personally before.

“Nice to see you around,” he greets. You nod, a polite smile on your face.

“Yeah, you too.”

Ok, you take it back. This is kind of awkward.

“You doing okay?” He asks.

“Yeah, I think so. Any reason you ask?”

“Not really. Erwin just mentioned that-”

He’s interrupted when Hange does a loud alligator clap to get everyone’s attention.

“Listen up, everyone! We are not here to mess around! We have work to do!” They announce, hands now on their hips. You and everyone else exchange looks with one another, but nobody says anything and Hange continues. “I need two people to walk around giving out flyers, two people to sign us in at the event coordinator’s booth, and then Moblit and I will stay here to do the fun stuff!”

You’re close to the divider keeping the front and back parts of the booth separated, so you take a few steps back to get a better look at it. There’s a few informational flyers laid out on the table, a couple of large boxes on the floor, and a huge standing wheel with prizes written on the slots. Probably some sort of spin-to-win situation.

“Does this have anything to do with science at all?” You ask.

“Of course it does! They can only spin the wheel after they’ve answered a survey, and I’m gonna talk their ear off about everything I do at work!” Hange beams.

Moblit smiles gently at them, not that they’re looking back at him to see that. “That sounds great.”

“I know! So, who wants to do flyers?”

You look around at everyone else, and since no one else is volunteering, you raise your hand. “I can do it-”

“Actually, let’s have Erwin and Mike do flyers. They’re super tall, so there’s no way anyone could ignore them!”

“Are you trying to say something, Four Eyes?” Levi barks.

Erwin chuckles, and he puts his hand on Levi’s shoulder. “That’s not all that bad of an idea, Hange.”

Hange grins, and they quickly rush past you to get the flyers from one of the boxes at the front of the booth. They hand stacks to both Erwin and Mike. Mike, who’s closer to you of the two, hands you one of the papers so you can look at it, and Erwin tilts his stack so that Levi can read the one on the top.

There’s some general information about Titan Company and what they do, as well as the location of the booth relative to the rest of the convention hall and a QR code to a link about internship opportunities. You aren’t entirely sure what Isabel is going to grad school for, but you imagine that this could be something for her to at least look at. Before you can take your phone out of your coat pocket to take a picture to send her, though, you see Levi doing exactly that (presumably for the same reason).

You guess since this leaves you and Levi with the task of going to the event coordinator’s booth, you’ll ask him on the walk over there.

Moblit’s gone to the front of the booth too, and he comes to the back with a clipboard and a pen to give to you. You take them from him, and he points to where you’re headed on the map that’s on the paperwork attached to the clipboard and explains what you’re supposed to do there. Levi drifts over to you to also listen in, and soon enough, you, Levi, Erwin, and Mike have all been kicked out of the booth by Hange.

Erwin and Mike were instructed to go in the opposite direction of you and Levi, so you ask Levi once you’re out of earshot. “Did you take a picture of the flyer to send to Isabel?”

He looks down over at the clipboard you have, and you bring it up so you can both look at it as you walk. “Yeah, she needs to start doing shit like that before grad school.”

You hum. “That’s nice. That you were thinking of her.”

“Hard not to when I always have to hear her complaining about vet school applications,” he laments.

“She wants to be a veterinarian?” You ask. It does sound fitting for someone as bright as her.

He nods out of the corner of your eye, and he takes the clipboard from you to look at the paperwork behind the top sheet. “Since she was an annoying little shit.”

“Don’t you still think she is?”

“Of course.”

You laugh, and the both of you turn into a different lane. “Well, either way, that’s great. She seems like a smart kid.”

Soon enough, the both of you reach the coordinator’s booth. There’s a long line in front of it, and you groan when you see it. “I should’ve tried harder to get the flyers.”

“You really want to talk to random strangers right now?”

“Fair point, but it’s better than waiting.”

He shakes his head, but he leads you both to the end of the line. You ask the person in front of you to make sure that you aren’t waiting for the wrong thing, and you sigh as you roll on the balls of your feet.

“That restless?” He asks.

You shrug, putting your hands into the pockets of your coat. “There’s a lot of people.” Looking around, there’s a huge crowd in the convention center that walks along the long rows of booths and kiosks.

There are some spots that look interesting, though, like a jewelry stand at the corner and a glass trinkets booth near where you’re standing in the line presently. Maybe you can check them out if you have the time before leaving today.

Levi hums, flipping through the paperwork again. “Yeah. There are.” You look around, not wanting to disturb him if he wants to concentrate on reading the papers, but he speaks up again. “Was the tea yesterday that bad?”

“What? I think a 2 out of 10 is pretty good,” you joke. “I don’t know, maybe I was just in a sour mood and that’s why it tasted so bad.”

“You got out pretty late. Something wrong at work?”

You wince, looking away to avoid seeing his reaction. “I guess so. I forgot to do my monthly reports, so I had to rush them all yesterday. Sorry you had to wait so long.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t be sorry. It’s better than having to pick you up and be subjected to your fucking shrimp jokes.”

You playfully roll your eyes. “I’m sure everyone else would laugh at them.”

“They’re just as unfunny as you, then.”

You shake your head with a tight-lipped smile. “You just don’t understand us.”

The person behind you in line taps your shoulder and points to the empty space in front of you and Levi, and you apologize before taking a couple steps forward, Levi following closely behind. “But really, I do appreciate you waiting for me.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

You feel a vibration in your pocket, and you take out your phone to see a text from Hange telling you to get food for everyone on your way back. “Hange says to get food on the way back,” you parrot to Levi.

He raises an eyebrow. “There’s food vendors here?”

“That’s what I was thinking.” You send a text back to Hange to get a picture of the map again, and you zoom in to see that there is indeed a dedicated area for food. You tilt your phone to him so he can see.

“Huh,” he says plainly.

You nod and bring your phone closer to you so you can read the small text. You go back to your messages to ask Hange what they think would be good for everyone to get, and they tell you to just get whatever (and that you’ll be paying, not that you mind either way).

You and Levi make more small talk until the both of you reach the front of the line, and you’re surprised to see the waiter from Sina’s. “Marco?”

He was still writing something down on the paper in front of him, but he looks up at the sound of his name. “Yes?” He pauses. “Oh! Aren’t you the couple I served at Sina’s?”

You nod. “Yeah, it’s nice to see you here.”

You’ll choose to ignore that he still thinks you’re a couple, and Levi doesn’t say anything about it either.

He rubs the back of his neck with a shy smile. “Just trying to get some more service hours, you know?” You nod in understanding. “Anyway, let’s get you signed in.”

Levi hands the clipboard to him, and Marco flips through everything, humming occasionally. “Not to be rude, but I didn’t gauge either of you as scientists,” he says after a few minutes of writing things down.

You tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “We’re not, just here to help our friend run their booth.”

“That sounds fun. Could the both of you sign your names here? I know you don’t work there, but I still need signatures to confirm the booth placement,” he says, sliding a form and a pen out to you. Your first instinct is to read the fine print because… well, you’re a lawyer, but when you catch yourself, you giggle and just go to the bottom of the page to sign. You move aside so Levi can do the same, and Marco slides the paper back after Levi’s done.

He pauses for a second to check the signatures, but it does seem like he’s taking a while to do that. “Everything okay?” You ask.

He blinks before frantically nodding his head. “Yeah, of course!” He signs his own name at the top corner of the paper before going to a folder to put it away. “Well, you’re all set to go. Have a good rest of your time!”

You and Levi both thank him, and then you move out of the way so the next person can get their things signed off. You notice Levi looking at the glass trinket booth a bit further away now, so you point at it. “Want to go take a look before we have to get food?”

He shrugs, but you just take that as a yes and lead the way over. A collection of small glass fruits immediately catches your eye, and you stop in front of that part of the booth to take a closer look. Levi’s next to you looking at the glass flowers that are on display next to the fruits.

“Do you have any questions?” The lady behind the display asks you. You shake your head, raising your hand slightly in a wave.

“No, but I’ll let you know if we do.” She nods and goes to tend to another customer at the other end of the display case. You join Levi in looking at the florals. The white lighting of the convention hall is too bright to do the glass any justice, but you still think they’re beautiful. “Thinking of getting any of them?”

He shakes his head, tracing his finger over the glass case. “I have enough of these at home.”

You’re a bit surprised. “You collect glass?” You didn’t see any when you were over at his place, but maybe that’s because you’ve only ever been in the living room and kitchen. Maybe he keeps them somewhere else to keep them safe? Glass is fragile, after all.

He shakes his head again. “My mom made them, she was a glass sculptor.”

“That sounds like a cool job. What does she do now?”

He pauses, looking over at the glass fruits. You take it that he wants to look at them closer, so you step back and switch places with him. “She’s dead,” he says. Before you can say anything, he cuts in again. “Don’t be weird about it.”

You hum, opting to look down at the glass flowers again. “Wasn’t planning on it.” There’s a pause again, and the two of you slowly make your way through all the pieces on display. You hope he doesn’t feel awkward, and you don’t say anything else to avoid saying the wrong words.

You reach out to grab one of the business cards set up in front of you, and you take a quick look at both sides before getting out your wallet to put it inside. Levi watches as you do it, and you stretch your arms out upwards and yawn.

“Guess it’s time for us to get food. I haven’t had breakfast, so I’m starving,” you tell him. He nods, and you take out your phone to pull up the map again. He follows you as you navigate through the crowd, and soon you’re in line for some noodles and drinks to bring back to the group.

He’s been quiet so you aren’t sure if you’re meant to say anything or stay silent, but after you’ve placed the orders for everyone and taken the receipt (and prayed that you’ve remembered everyone’s taste preferences correctly), Levi turns to face you again.

“You aren’t going to ask me anything about it?”

To be honest, you weren’t. “It isn’t my business,” you tell him. “You can tell me about it if you want to, but I wasn’t going to ask.”

He blinks before walking away from the stall and towards a lone bench where you’re meant to wait for the food. He tilts his head to tell you to sit first, and he follows soon after.

“Good to know Hange and Erwin’s nosiness hasn’t rubbed off on you,” he says. You roll your eyes and lean over to bump shoulders with him.

You seem to be doing that a lot lately, huh.

“I know when to be nosy, and I’m pretty sure family matters aren't one of those situations.”

He scoffs. “Sounds rich coming from a family attorney.”

You playfully go to step on his toes. “I’m not at work, so just consider yourself lucky.”

When you take your foot away from his, he moves so that the sides of your left and his right shoe are touching. “I don’t mind telling you about it,” he says softly. It’s so quiet that you can barely hear it over the noise of other convention-goers, but you smile over at him.

“Okay.”

Before either of you can keep the conversation going, though, you hear your name being called from the booth. You scramble to get up and dust the backside of your coat clean, and you and Levi both head over to get all the food. Thankfully, the vendor’s kind enough to give you a large box for you to keep the food in one space as opposed to carrying six containers with no other support, and Levi takes it from him with a nod. The bottled drinks come to you in a small plastic bag, and you thank the vendor before taking it.

You insist that he can switch the box with you when his arms get tired, but he rolls his eyes and just walks off in the direction of Hange’s booth. You laugh as you go to catch up with him, and you try to spark up some more casual conversation as you make the somewhat long journey back. The topic of Levi’s mother doesn't come up again, probably because it isn’t just the two of you sitting alone anymore, but you don’t mind.

And soon enough, you see Hange in the distance talking to an equally enthusiastic child with their parents about what you would guess is a huge scientific phenomenon, and the rest of the crew waves when they see you and Levi coming with the food. Once Hange’s done and the child has a chance to spin the wheel for a disappointing bottle of hand sanitizer, they gather you and everyone else at the back to eat.

It’s awkward, to say the least.

The table has just barely enough space to even put down the box. There’s no chairs, so you all have to awkwardly stand as you eat your food. Everyone has to check with the rest of the group to make sure that they’re grabbing the correct drink before taking a sip, and it’s honestly pretty cramped with the six of you.

Still, it’s fun. You nearly drop your food at the stories Hange tells of all the people who come by, Erwin and Mike talk about all the ways they’ve figured out how to get people to take their flyers, and you tell them about seeing Marco at the coordinator’s booth.

The day continues nearly the same way it started. Now that Moblit’s gotten a feel of what Hange’s meant to do at the booth, Hange eventually drags you with them to take a look at all the other vendors while Erwin and Levi stay back at the booth to help keep Moblit company. Mike excuses himself to go look at a scents booth he saw during his flyer run with Erwin, and the rest of the day goes without a hitch.

You and Hange come back with even more food (that you’re forced to pay for) at dinnertime, and since the event’s over, you’re able to get the tables cleared just enough to actually use them to eat. The boxes of flyers and other items are all empty by now, so you all use them to sit on while you eat, and you have to cover your mouth multiple times to hide your laughter when Mike, Erwin, and Moblit all fall through their makeshift chairs and land on their butts during dinner.

Hange hands their keys to Levi, telling him that you both can go to the car while they and Moblit “finish cleaning up,” and you and everyone else laugh before shaking your heads and heading out. You say goodbye to Mike and Erwin before you can get out of the building since they parked at a different lot than Hange did, and you hum to yourself as you walk over to a different exit with Levi.

When you step out of the building, though, you’re bummed when you see that it’s raining. It’s not super heavy, but it’s definitely enough for you to not consider it light. You should’ve paid more attention to the weather, but to be fair, you didn’t really anticipate going out today at all. Looking over at Levi, he has the same reaction to the rain.

“Have an umbrella?” You joke. He obviously doesn’t, but it’s still funny to you.

He turns to lightly flick you on your forehead, and you yelp. “Obviously I fucking don’t.”

You giggle to yourself, rubbing at your forehead before shrugging off your coat. You shiver at the cold, but you still take it off completely and hold it out in front of you. Your phone, wallet, and keys are all in your hand as well, having made sure to take them out of your coat pockets.

“What the fuck are you doing? Put that back on, it’s freezing,” he scolds.

You step closer to him and drape your coat over both of your heads, and you force him to take hold of the edge closer to him. He fiddles around with the area a bit, but he eventually gets a grip on it. “We can at least try to not get wet.”

“This is a fucking terrible idea,” he barks. You wave him off with your free hand before pointing in the direction of Hange’s car.

“It’s that way, right?”

“Yeah.”

And just like that, the two of you hurriedly make your way across the wet parking lot to get to the car. You yelp when you accidentally step in a puddle and when a car just barely misses the two of you, but the coat helps a lot. It’s not big enough to fully shield either of you from the rain, but it’s definitely enough to at least keep your heads dry. 

You again choose to ignore the spark that you feel when your arm is pressed up against Levi’s in an attempt to make the most of the coverage the coat provides.

When you reach Hange’s car, you hold the coat up above Levi as he fishes out the keys from his pocket to unlock the car and turn on the engine and heater. You let him slip into the backseat first when he’s done with that, and you quickly follow in after to get inside too.

Finally seeing the horrendously wet state of your coat, you laugh. Well, at least it was enough to keep you both somewhat dry. You roll down the window so you can wring out as much water from it as you can, but that hardly does much when the rain just fills the fabric back up with even more water. You resolve to just keep it folded up neatly on your lap to not get Hange’s car too wet, but Levi leans over to put it on himself instead.

“Your pants are gonna get wet,” you tell him.

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, no shit. You’re the one wearing a dress, just let me hold onto it.”

You lean over to tap shoulders with him once again. “Thank you, then.”

He doesn’t say anything else, instead taking out his phone, and you do the same until Hange comes back. By then, the rain’s lightened up, and they point and laugh at the rainwater that soaks Levi’s pants. You kick the back of Hange’s seat on Levi’s behalf, and he thanks you before completely ripping into Hange and telling them to just drive you all home already.

Moblit calls Hange a few minutes into the drive, so you and Levi just do your best to tune out their conversation until you reach Levi’s house. Hange says that they’ll hang up to escort Levi back to the house, but he tells them that it isn’t necessary and gets out on his own after leaving your coat on the now-empty seat. Hange look to you instead, and you shake your head before you follow Levi to the door.

He slows his pace when he notices you following after him, and you walk side-by-side until you’re at his door. He awkwardly stays in place even after he unlocks the door, so you speak up.

“It was nice seeing you. Today was fun,” you tell him.

He looks up from his doorknob and nods at you. “Yeah, but that’s only if we’re ignoring all the shit Hange puts us through.”

“Yup.”

He turns the knob to open the door, but before he steps inside, he reaches into his pocket to take something out. “Here.”

He holds your receipt from earlier to you, and you tilt your head in confusion as you take it from him. “When’d you get this?”

“Figured you forgot to take it out of your coat, so I got it when you made me hold onto it. You know, before we got absolutely demolished by the rain.”

You smile thankfully at him and hold the receipt closer to you. “Thank you, Levi.”

He nods, now stepping into the house. “Get home safe.”

“You too,” you say instinctively. He only rolls his eyes at that, and you wave to each other before you have to make the short walk back to Hange’s car. They’ve ended their call with Moblit at this point, and they welcome you back into the car when you open the passenger door.

“Did you have a good time today?” They beam, getting ready to drive the both of you back to the apartment.

You shuffle to get yourself better seated, and you look out the window towards Levi’s house with a smile as the car starts moving.

“Yeah. Thanks for taking me along with you.”

“Of course! Also, when we get home, can we make some cookies together at your place? It’s so cold, and I really want something sweet!”

You laugh, and you turn back to Hange to lightly shove their shoulder. “Yeah, sure. As long as I don’t have to pay for them.”

They burst out into laughter, and you join them as you ease into conversation to carry you back to your shared building where you know you’ll have to stop Hange from eating the cookie dough.

All the while, you fold paper stars from the receipt Levi handed back to you with a small smile on your face.

✰

When Marco gets back to his and Jean’s shared apartment that evening, he immediately rushes into Jean’s studio space and excitedly hugs his boyfriend from behind. Jean’s surprised at the sudden contact, but he welcomes it and tilts his head back onto Marco’s shoulder.

“Welcome home, babe,” Jean says, putting down a paintbrush and turning to face Marco. “How was the expo?”

“You know that one celebrity in my field that I’m always talking about?”

Jean hums. “Yeah, the one that doesn’t ever let his picture get taken? What about him?”

“I met him today at the expo!” Marco beams. Jean raises an eyebrow.

“How did you know it was him?” He asks.

“He signed his name at the station I was working at! I didn’t even know it, but he’s the same guy I took that picture of when I was at work!”

Jean pauses before turning back again to face the painting in front of him. “The one you suggested I paint?” It’s still a work in progress and he’s only just started blocking in the colors,  but he has more than enough time to continue working on it. It’s a semester final anyway; he just wanted a head start.

“Yeah, him!” The twinkle in Marco’s eyes isn’t missed by Jean, and it warms his heart to see his boyfriend so excited. “Though, I never would’ve expected him to have a girlfriend. People always say he never has time for anything outside of work.”

“Hey! I’m always busy with commissions too, but I make time for you!” Jean whines.

Marco just laughs, and he snuggles up further into him. “Yeah, you do. Thank you, babe.”

✰

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