#probably gonna enter my scratch art butterfly

[aku-soul]

Day 23

Spent about thirty minutes on these all together, but gave up by the third one... Drawing realistically is exhausting. Oh also I might be autistic according to my autistic brother? I also have a monotone voice according to him too.

I'll probably ask my therapist to get that checked out next time I see her, so in like three days. Oh I also have anxiety which is not fun despite what some people might say. Neither are panic attacks. Won't rant/vent any longer so here's what everyone came for

[opalescient]

haikyuu fic recs — the most beautiful, lovely, breathtaking masterlist (vol. I)

so i’ve been binging fics to cure my sadness, and i thought that these select masterpieces were too magnificent to not be plastered on every billboard ever. some tore my soul into shreds, while others melted said shreds back whole, but all of them made me feel some form of sheer, unadulterated love, so. please enjoy! 🥰⛅️✨

note: all of these fics are exquisite and you should read all of them, but if you’re short of time, those with ☆ are my all-time favourites!

daisuga

butterfly in the subway by bigspoonnoya ☆ | T

Sugawara Koushi has no idea he's already in love with the man he's supposed to hate.

i lovelovelove how all the concepts tied in together like a perfectly wrapped gift

also very wholesome, made me feel so inexplicably warm. like, love can exist everywhere!!! despite everything!!! that’s just so inspiring

i revisited this many times, i think it was (one of) my first haikyuu fics and honestly. it set the bar so high and i have no regrets

you’d fit my lonely arms so perfectly by boxofwonder ☆ | G

“Oh. You're. Not Asahi.”

Calmed down enough that he can speak again, Daichi takes a deep breath, his smile settling on his face easily and wide.

“Not as far as I know, no.”

-

Suga accidentally calls a stranger instead of his best friend, tells him all about his burned batch of cookies before realising, and that particular mistake might turn out the best one he ever made.

major, major fluff

the buildup!!!

god this made my yearning for love so much worse

the perfect stranger by downmoon | T

There’s a man standing outside Suga's door.

Scratch that. Start over.

There’s a man he doesn’t know standing outside his door, holding his sleeping nephew in one arm, with another kid clinging tightly to his free hand.

so domestic please read the entire series from start to finish it has my whole heart

shoyou and tobio as their actual kids 🥺

these two parents are so in love it makes me wanna cry

asanoya

silica sand by lilien passe ☆ | G

Overworked, over-stressed programmer Azumane Asahi works on the top floor of a Shinjuku skyscraper. Nervous around his coworkers and terrified of the long drop on the other side of the window, Asahi falls into a miserable routine, only to have it broken one day by a simple message on the outside of the glass.

PLEASE. so well-written it makes my heart glow and ache simultaneously

made me ascend into asanoya heaven

such a brilliantly unique concept i love it A+

qué syrah syrah by loudlucy | M

Asahi wants to be a Master Sommelier. It's the highest honor in wine service, and the certification would allow him to live the life he's always envisioned for himself. Too bad the certification test is notorious for being the world's most difficult.

Most people fail their first time taking the exam, and Asahi is no exception, but he has more difficulty than most dusting himself off and getting back on his feet. Enter Nishinoya, a young man who shares his same dream, and who believes in their goals so fiercely it forces Asahi to embark on a delicious and sensuous journey of viticulture and validation.

AKA The Wine Tasting AU that literally no one even knew to ask for.

NOTE: You Do Not Need to Know About Wine to Understand This Fic!

another super unique concept!!! (´∀｀=)

my god their chemistry is amazing

the writing made me feel things ngl

stop my bones from wondering by cerasi ☆ | T

After graduation, Asahi hides from the world and needs help from a few sources to find his way back.

i want to write sonnets and sing ballads for this fic, it’s that beautiful

as always, Top Notch Writing *chef’s kiss*

no but i seriously... can i kiss the author? asking for a friend 😳👉🏼👈🏼

iwaoi

star-crossed by starlitcities | T

“I never thought I’d see the day that I’d envy a human,” Oikawa admits, showering himself in tiny suns, because he can actually feels those, like a fusillade of warm kisses on luminous skin that leave marks. To humans, they’d be freckles. Skin stars, Oikawa calls them. He didn’t make that up, a human did.

“Who created the rule that we can’t touch, I wonder,” Iwaizumi ponders, floating heedlessly through space.

“Maybe it’s because we can fly. Humans dream of flying, right?”

“I don’t think so.”

gsjsgsjshsjshsjsj star!iwaoi

they’re LITERALLY STARS

beautifulbeautifulbeautiful i love how the author conveyed the beauty of touch and humanity 🥺🥺

please bless yourself further with the sequel sun-kissed

conquering the great king by suggestivescribe ☆| E

Iwaizumi blinked his gaze over to Oikawa, "Last time was supposed to be a one time thing," he said, voice low, lacking some conviction.

Oikawa's lips twitched into a smirk and he brought them hovering just over Iwaizumi's, "One time thing, Two time thing, what's it matter as long as it's not a Relationship thing?"

yes.

in fact, this entire series (breaking the rules) features daisuga, kuroken, asanoya and it’s SO GOOD. every single one.

but anyway, character development!!!!! plot!!!!!!!!! writing!!!!!!!! i’m here for it all

tsukkiyama

campfire in your chest by deanpendragon ☆ | M

Kei realizes in their second year of high school that he’s probably been in love with Yamaguchi since they were ten. However hopeless he might be in handling that situation, Kei prays he’s at least not as hopeless as Hinata and Kageyama. But he just might be.

SO BEAUTIFUL

i am also a sucker for anything with stars, moons and all the love in between

no words to describe this work of art please just go read it and be blessed

under the lilac tree by raewrites | G

there’s a lilac tree in Kei’s backyard.

gorgeous in its simplicity

softtsukkisofttsukkisofttsukki

not as grandiose as the rest but the love written into every word, action and character is absolutely show-stopping

kagehina

saffron and cayenne pepper by dontsaycrazy ☆ | T

Cooking is hard. Even if you have your very attractive, very grumpy neighbor there to help you.

-

In which Hinata's lack of cooking skills are a danger to him and others. Luckily (or not), Kageyama is willing to teach him, if only for the sake of avoiding any burned down apartments.

the essence of their characters were captured so well and yet it’s like they’re completely new characters too? author, whoever you are, you totally owned this

this made me ship kagehina so hard

fluff! cuteness! lots and lots of cooing!

kuroken

the galaxy is endless (i thought we were, too) by cosmogony ☆ | T

soulmate

/ˈsəʊlmeɪt/ • noun

A person who was made from the same star as you.

-

// Kuroken AU where the last words your soulmate will say to you appear on your skin when you turn 16, and how Kenma and Kuroo learn what this means over the course of their lives.

ahhh here it is. beautiful, heartbreaking, soul-emptying agony. you want angst? choke on this, and your tears later on.

no but seriously please read this if you haven’t you won’t regret it at all i promise

written from kenma’s perspective so you experience every depth and multitude of emotion he does and it’s so raw and- brb imma go cry for a sec

knot in my heart by hearthope | T

There’s a picture. Kenma blinks, looking at the little calico cat, being held up next to the face of a guy with stupidly messy hair and a crooked grin.

Cute.

The— the cat. The cat is cute.

Just the cat.

-

Kuroo starts spending a lot of time at the flower shop Kenma works at. Kenma definitely isn't into him.

okay so i like it when authors unravel a normally stoic character’s full scope of emotion and give them depth, sue me.

anyway, back on the fluff train!

i absolutely f*ck with flower symbolisms, cats and bitchy best friends who have dirt on each other. the layers of romance, friendship and everything in between is so prettily developed 10/10

bokuaka

the jacket you never returned by daisuga ☆☆ | G

He leaned over, kissed Bokuto on the cheek, and smiled bitterly, eyes watery.

He will never remember. Not now, not ever.

What they were will now forever be forgotten.

-

"You used to call me Keiji, Koutarou."

YOU USED TO CALL ME KEIJI, KOUTAROU!!!!!!!!!!

i beg you to listen to Spiegel im Spiegel when it’s first mentioned in the story please

i read this and screamed through my tears for a solid 1.5 hours. i rarely cry.

no f*ckin regrets though i read this thrice already and it hurts so good every time

rules by conesofdunshire ☆☆ | E

In which Akaashi Keiji is an overworked accountant who stumbles upon Bokuto one night playing the piano in the lobby of his work. Bokuto is different, that much is obvious. But with such supreme musical talent and a smile so dazzling it rivals the sun, there's just something about him that brings Akaashi back every night.

this fic. this fic has my whole, broken, sobbing heart and laughing soul

gorgeous. breathtaking. magnificent.

bokuto is so WARM and akaashi is so STRONG and they both find the solace they need in each other and it’s all i want for me 😭😭😭

in another life by littleluxray | T

Sleeping didn't come as easy as it used to. Bokuto knew this, and now Akaashi did, too.

The hospital AU that no body asked for, but that I took upon myself to write.

this is a famous fic that i doubt any seasoned haikyuu reader wouldn’t know, and RIGHTLY SO BECAUSE, the PAIN. the pain. the pain.

i could feel my lungs shrivel up and my chest cave in on itself. fatigue and rest are things i struggle with too so this whole story resonated with me from start to finish, and it broke me. in like, the best, most revitalising way

i would read this again but it still haunts me at night. i need to heal from the first time before i have the guts to try one more time HAHAHA 😆💔😭

tea-stained polaroids by dalyeau | G

“I'm gonna date that,” Bokuto declares solemnly, and Kuroo throws a plastic spoon at his head.

mmmmmmm pretty photographer + personalised coffee cups + cute baristas = diabetic fluff fic

i smiled so much throughout this you have no idea. cheeks achey but so good

i may have squealed a little at the ending

kurotsukki

moonfall by batman | T

There is no unlearning Tetsurou, after all. There is only leaving him.

-

(Five things of Tetsurou's that ended up in Kei's home, and one that never left.)

the writing!!!!!! is pure beauty!!!! sheer grace!!!!!!! the construction of the AU and the romanticism and hsjsgsjshsj

didn’t cry but. heart ache and bittersweet smiles are another level of misery that is just as fulfilling

yea just pleasepleasepleaseplease go read it thank you and have a good day

hidden gem by realmSpinner | E

Things get complicated when everything you thought you knew about a guy changes, and they get even more complicated when you actually start liking those changes.

That guy working with you AND becoming your neighbor? That's just a cherry on top of the cake of confusion.

this AU was refreshingly different, and amazingly so

top!tsukki??? sign me the f*ck up

the whole plot, man. perfection.

pings by barfs ☆☆ | T

[5/02/16, 3:50:17 AM] Tsukishima Kei: Please wake up.

[5/02/16, 3:50:23 AM] Tsukishima Kei: I hate begging. You know I hate it.

[5/02/16, 3:50:34 AM] Tsukishima Kei: I bet you’re snickering at that, wherever you are.

[5/02/16, 3:50:53 AM] Tsukishima Kei: But, it keeps hurting and I don’t know why and it feels like shit and I know you could tell me why, but you’re not here and I would really appreciate it if you’d just wake up.

[5/02/16, 3:51:02 AM] Tsukishima Kei: You’re laughing at that too, aren’t you.

[5/02/16, 3:51:10 AM] Tsukishima Kei: Dying is probably up there in the list of top ten shitty things you’ve ever done, and you’ve done a lot of shitty things.

god.

you already know what’s coming, and yet. when it comes.

how the f*ck did the author make grief beautiful????????? (at the expense of me dying along with kei and everyone else i guess)

this fic will ruin you and bury you under all your pain (i hope you’re ready)

but also put you back together with the “sequel”

kyouhaba

close to the chest by darkmagicalgirl | T

It takes Yahaba thirteen years to realize he's different from the other kids, one to figure out how to hide it, and two more to learn to be happy just the way he is. Yahaba's journey ft. an extremely annoyed Kyoutani, best friend in the world Watari, and loads and loads of good senpai Oikawa.

cause i’m (not) alright with the slow, burn~

no fr, take slow and burn very seriously

overthinking yahaba? i understand. i do.

again, such an amazing fic; 10/10 recommend

safe here by crossbelladonna ☆ | M

“Raids are routine work,” Kyoutani tells to Yahaba before he can air the question. “Sometimes there is no sleep done until we accomplish something, say kill a certain ghoul. I guess they’re still going through the possibility that people in the accident are still alive huh?”

Yahaba quirks a smile, pushing his mask up his head.

“You’re alive.”

Kyoutani looks at him intently and all of the things that they’ve gone through for the past month seems to flash in his mind.

“Yes I am.”

i haven’t watched tokyo ghoul but i understood everything perfectly. such is the power of f*cking kickass writing

*cue ugly crying and a lot of unresolved angst*

like the grief??????? ruin me please thank you 🙏 (i think i’m a little masochistic)

rare pairs

mannequin men by surveycorpsjean ☆ | M

[bokuto/akaashi/kuroo/tuskishima]

The modelling world is full of hungry wolves, constantly clambering over the other, snarling and desperate. They fight, and they kill, trampling over anything in their path.

In this case, Akaashi fell in love with the wolves.

i did not expect this to be good, and it wasn’t. it was SPLENDID.

akaashi is so enamoured with them from the get go i love it

a tiny bit of angst that stabbed me in the heart, but the happy ending soothed it (thankfully, because if there wasn’t one i will sue)

characterisation, writing, plot development; everything is great. can you tell i’m running out of synonyms for ‘beautiful’

feel like gold by heronfem ☆☆ | T

[bokuto/akaashi/kuroo/kenma]

In which Kenma is unapologetic and comfortable with who he is, Akaashi learns a lot about himself in a short period of time, Kuroo is wildly in love and an eternal survivor, and Bokuto remembers that love doesn't cure mental illness, but having a support system sure helps a lot.

Or, the one where 4 young men get together, and are helplessly, hopelessly, utterly in love despite everything.

e.e. cummings?? poetry??? f*ck yes

so beautiful. i’m so star-struck by this fic it’s simply stunning

there are no words to fully capture how worth your time and heart and mind reading this fic is so please. do yourself a favour, and fall in love with this fic with me

the sky and guilt are the only feelings i have left by oopsthisisqueertoo ☆☆ | not rated

[bokuto/akaashi/kuroo]

Akaashi is at his wits end. He feels nothing. He's quickly crumbling as a human being. He wants nothing but sweet release of death. In his fourth year of college he drafts a plan for his suicide. He is to graduate, publish writing for others to be inspired by, and slip quietly away. Shortly after, he meets a dog walker named Bokuto who asks him out and Akaashi reluctantly agrees. Nothing matters anymore and he treats Bokuto like an obligation. Until he's not anymore.

TW: SUICIDE ATTEMPTS & DEPRESSION

this was... this gutted me entirely and filled my body with too many shades of agony

arguably one of the best haikyuu fics i’ve ever read

so beautiful in the most painful way fathomable; strongly recommend

april to may by surveycorpsjean | T

[bokuto/akaashi/kuroo/tsukishima]

They're an odd family.

The four of them? Parents?

But still, they're a family.

So they'll support each other until the end.

aaahhhhh third gym as parents 🥺

so much fluff. i also love april and may

they’re still so in love there’s love in every millimetre of this fic :”)

that’s it for now! i’ll add more if i come across anymore good fics. i hope you enjoyed this list! if you have any requests/fic recs, or if u just wanna chat, feel free to just ask! hehe 🥰 k aight bye~

[astraeagreengrass]

Delicate

Steve has an important question to ask you

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

Word Count: 2.051

Warnings: Idiots in love, fluff

A/N: I couldn't let this month end without submitting something for 30 Days of Chris, a wonderful initiative by @jtargaryen18​ to celebrate Chris Evans and his characters. This was proof-read by @xbuchananbarnes​. The title and inspiration came from Taylor Swift's Delicate. I hope you like it ♡

Is it cool that I said all that? Is it chill that you're in my head? 'Cause I know that it's delicate (Delicate) Is it cool that I said all that? Is it too soon to do this yet? 'Cause I know that it's delicate Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?

Thunder clapped in deafening noise, briefly drowning out the relentless honking of cars stranded on 6th Avenue.

Storms weren't that unusual for New York City, but you always felt like they didn't belong - as if even Mother Nature's mood swings couldn't compare to the might of the concrete jungle, with it’s skyscrapers reaching as high as the sky itself. The city was a man-made wonder, cemented with defiance instead of concrete. It was the perfect place for a superhero to call home.

And his home was too far from yours, literally and figuratively. Still, Steve Rogers was nothing if not worth the effort of bracing the traffic from Brooklyn to Manhattan during rush hour on a rainy Friday evening.

You’d taken the day off work to get dolled up at your cousin's salon. Tried on different updos, changed your nail color twice and your lipstick shade thrice. Spent the savings you didn't really have on a dress you couldn't really afford and got blisters on your feet from practicing walking with stilettos. Going to a Stark Foundation gala was not a typical night in your life, even if you were maybe, sort of, dating Captain America.

It was a grey zone, the same shade as the heavy clouds that overcast the days you spent apart. Steve was spring; he was the early morning sun and fresh flowers blooming. A a week without him and the city - hostile and relentless and screaming his name at every corner - darkened.

You’d gone longer without seeing him, of course, but that was before he flooded your veins with golden infatuation. Steve Rogers was in your blood now and you didn’t even notice how he got there. Was it in late January, having coffee together after months of running the same trail? Or possibly in early March when you walked the Brooklyn bridge at night, just you, him and the specks of snow lazily trickling down from the heavens as Steve kissed you for the first time? Perhaps it was yesterday when his throathy, tired voice whispered through the phone: "I miss you".

You hadn't talked about it, whatever it was. You'd run together everyday, eat pizza at tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurants and kiss - soft pecks and gentle brushes to his nose and cheeks that'd turn into a tug of your bottom lip and a swipe of his tongue - but you weren't his girlfriend. He hadn't asked you to be. And maybe if he was any other guy you wouldn't have such anxiety over not knowing, but Steve was old fashioned.

The fragility of you and him was haunting. If Steve was spring then you were autumn, falling apart for him little by little, like brown leaves disentangling from their trees. It was terrifying to now know if he would be there to catch you before you hit the ground.

And yet, hope lingered. It lived in the scratch on fingertips as you paid the taxi driver and in the stray raindrops that wet your skin ahead of the doorman coming to your rescue with an umbrella. It trickled from your words as you gave your name to the hostess and swooshed the air around the skirt of your dress as you entered the main part of the building.

Hope was a tall, blond-haired man waiting for you on the top floor, the first person you saw when the doors open and you exited the elevator. Steve's handsome face breaks into a relieved smile, tugging at every one of your heartstrings. With one, two, three strides he has in you in his arms.

"Hi," he breathes out in your hair. "Thank you for being here."

"Of course," you whisper back, because there's honestly nowhere else you'd rather be.

Steve is sure his bones have dissolved, and the only thing keeping him standing is the press of your body against his. He feels frail, weak as he was before Erskine's serum; he feels strong, stronger than science could ever make him. He dies a thousand deaths and comes alive a million times in the brief, yet infinite moments of your hug.

"I love you," he almost screamed to the crook of your neck, holding it back at the last second.

Tony’s warned rung in his mind:

"Things are more casual these days, Capsicle," he’d explained one morning over breakfast. "You don't really ask if she wants to be your girlfriend. It happens naturally."

But Steve wanted to ask. He wanted to meet your parents and stress over making a good impression. He wanted to court you. He wanted to introduce you to every single person in this lousy party as his girl.

A throat being cleared broke you apart. A pretty redhead woman stands a few feet away, hands clasped behind her back and a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“You must be Y/N,” she smirks. “I’m Natasha.”

She was quicker than Steve's protest, snatching you by the arm away from him and into the glittering crowd.

"Romanoff!" he exclaimed.

"Get over it, Rogers," she retorted, then, as if you two were old friends, whispered: "Everyone's been dying to meet you."

Natasha maneuvered your bodies between the guests, nodding politely to some and waving to others, while Steve followed like a lost puppy. Unlike her, Steve wasn't as good as excusing himself from the admirers and he swiftly lost you in the sea of adulation.

By the bar, two men watched the scene, failing miserably at hiding their laughs. You knew them, of course. Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, Steve's best friends and teammates. Avengers - just like the woman holding onto you.

Bucky was more reserved, offering you a handshake and a pleasant smile, but Sam was a hugger and a hell of a good one. He had a mischievous grin when he said:

"I can't believe I've finally met the famous Y/N!"

You couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"I'm famous?!"

Bucky snickered.

"Damn right you are! Do you know how long we've been asking Cap to bring you over? I must say, there were times I thought you weren't real," he shrugged, still grinning, and Natasha playfully punched him in the arm.

"Ignore bird brain over here," she said. "Although he's right: it did take too long for Steve to introduce you."

"Only he didn't," Bucky quipped. "I'm sure I saw you interrupting their moment by the elevator."

"He was never gonna let her go if I didn't!" she justified. "Besides, it was his turn to interact with the mayor. I heard his monologue for the past two parties and I'm not doing it again."

Looking over your shoulder, you saw Steve a few yards away chatting - or rather, listening - to the mayor. He had his hands on his waist and a frown between his eyebrows, but, as if he felt you watching, his face relaxed and he smiled - bright and warm and Steve.

Sam whistled.

"Damn, he's smitten."

The mayor held Steve up for several more minutes - enough for you to decide to not vote for him if he tried reelection. And although it was a nerve-wracking to be in their presence at first, Natasha, Sam and Bucky engaged you in friendly conversation as if you'd know each other for ages, laced with easy going banter and funny anecdotes about Steve.

"So when we get to the first loop, Stevie's gone green," Bucky recounts "And lemme tell ya, I've never knew someone so skinny could throw up so much. The girl in the car in front of us started screaming because his guts went straight to her hair."

You laughed, a little louder than you would when talking to someone for the first time, but perhaps that was because Natasha made her drinks on the stronger side or because you could just picture Steve throwing up at Coney Island.

"Please tell me you're not telling her about that time at the Cyclone," someone groans behind you and a familiar pair of arms wrap around your waist.

You'd failed to notice how beautiful he looked when you walked in, or rather, how beautiful his outfit was. Steve was always handsome, but seeing him in a suit brought butterflies to your stomach. Your gaze followed the sharp line of the jacket, perfectly fitted to his broad shoulders, until they met his lapels and tie. He was an art piece, a sculpture, and he was looking at you.

"I'm stealing her back, Romanoff," he announced, helping you out of the bar stool before your new friend could protest. Whisking you away to a makeshift dance floor, Steve twirled you before tucking you closer than what would be considered well-behaved. His chest was as hard as a rock under the smooth cotton of his shirt, which smelled heavenly.

"I'm sorry about Natasha," he whispered to the crown of your head.

"It's ok," and it really was. "Your friends are nice."

Steve scoffed.

"They like giving me shit."

"I think they love you," you said, and only after your words were out in the open you realized their double meaning.

He pulled back by an inch, just enough to tilt your head up.

"I love them too," he smiled, and every single piece of you broke down in passion.

Neither of you were good dancers, but for a while you swayed side to side to the smooth sounds of the live band. It could've been minutes or hours - time was irrelevant next to the magnitude of Steve Rogers - but when he spoke again the room was noticeably emptier.

"I need to ask you something."

You nodded, wordlessly telling him to carry on.

"I know things are different these days," he mumbled, and anyone less attuned than he was probably wouldn't have heard it clearly. "But I feel bad about possibly leading you on."

Oh, no.

Oh, God, no.

You stalled, dropping your arms down and away from him, mouth twisting in a perfectly shocked "O".

"You're joking,” you stuttered. "You brought me here to say you're leading me on?"

It made no sense. You'd been talking everyday, even while he was away for his mission. You'd met his freaking friends. You hated being the girl that freaked out over being dumped - were you being dumped? Or was Steve just not into you the way you were into him? - but disappointment rung loud in your ears and left a bitter taste in your tongue.

"What? No!" he exclaimed. "I don't want to!"

"You don't want to?"

"I don't want to lead you on but I feel like I am," he blurted out, cheeks getting pinker by the second.

"Oh, that is rich," the remaining guests were beginning to stare now, but you couldn't care less. "Are you even sure of anything at all?"

"I know that I don't want to keep doing this," he motioned for the space between you, “if we're not on the same page."

That was it then. The end. And you'd spend so much money on this dress!

"Well, I'm sorry for wasting your time," you whispered, tears threatening to spill at any moment. "I really thought you liked me."

You turned to leave, disappear down the elevator and forget this night ever existed, but Steve grabbed your arm as if you weighed nothing, infuriating you even more.

"What?" you seethed. "You'd fooled me for months. Can't you let me go now?"

"You think I don't like you?" he was flabbergasted.

"Clearly you don't since you feel oh so terrible about 'possibly leading me on'," you air quoted his previous statement.

"I don't want to lead you on into thinking I don't want anything serious," he said. "I want serious. I want you to be my girlfriend."

Yes.

Oh, God, yes.

"Really?" you gasped.

"Really," and nothing was more beautiful than his smile. You'd keep it in your mind's locket forever.  "I'm in love with you, Y/N."

Outside, the rain was still pouring. It would go on throughout the weekend, washing away the last of winter, but inside spring had arrived in the soft, welcoming lips of Steve Rogers.

By the bar, Sam slid a hundred dollar bill to Bucky's metal hand.

"I told you he'd do it,” the Sergeant smirked.

"Yeah, yeah. I just hope he gets better by the time he proposes."

[retrovirge]

Camp Starlight (+ Contest!)

Hey y’all!

So, I had an idea for a contest!!! So basically, here’s how it goes:

Artists can draw any scene from this very story that they so desire, whatever image comes into their head for inspiration. You post it and tag it with #starlightdrabbledraw and leave a link to this post in your own (you dont have to, but it would be preferred!) and boom! You’re done! (I’m holding this on amino too so the winners will be selected from both platforms.)

I’m gonna make it so entries are due October 15th :3 you can totally enter after that, you just won’t be eligible for prizes :))

And uh I’m also gonna be giving out prizes! So here they are!

1st Place

Either: a longer short story (A story that’s anywhere from 2000-4000 words, maybe more), two short stories/extended art drabbles (at the most 1500 words) or four drabbles/art drabbles (under 1000 words) (keep in mind if you choose the longer story it will take me quite a while due to my own personal reasons.)

2nd Place

Either: A short story/extended art drabble (at the most 1500 words) or three drabbles/art drabbles (under 1000 words)

3rd Place

Two drabbles/art drabbles

4th Place

One drabble/art drabble

(Please keep in mind I can’t write all prompts because some give me a lot of writers block, so I may have to ask to change prompts with you if you win. Also, for art drabbles, I will need proper, linked credit to the artist so I can message them and ask if I can repost.)

So yeah, there you go! There will also be honourable mentions and stuff, but yeah! AnYways, onto the story! (Which you can totally just read on your own if you don’t feel like entering the contest ^w^)

⚠️Triggers⚠️

Remus’ innuendos, mentions of fire, mentions of bugs

Word Count - 3132

~

”Come on, kiddos! Let’s go camping, it’ll be fun!”

Those were the words that Patton had spoken a few nights ago. Roman had mixed feelings about it. Virgil was anxious. Logan was... Quite eager, actually, but didn’t show it. There was so much nature to study out there, he was very much excited. Janus didn’t seem to care, and Remus seemed to be marvelling at all the mischief he could cause while camping.

And that’s how they found themselves in the car a few days later. Roman and Patton loudly singing in the front seat, Remus occasionally butting in and changing the lyrics to ‘more fun ones’ (Patton did not like that very much), with the other three sides covering their ears in the backseat, passing around looks of mutual annoyance.

The car ride felt like forever, but they had eventually pulled up at the campsite. They parked the trailer, pitched the tent (cause there wasn’t enough room for everyone in the trailer), and set up anything else they needed to. And then they went off, deciding to check out the campsite. Patton decided to have everyone split up into groups of two, and allow them to rotate whenever they wanted. After making sure everyone was okay with that, off they went. Logan went with Janus, Roman went with Patton, and Virgil went with Remus.

So what were they all doing? Well, Janus and Logan decided to go through a walk in the forest. Logan was going a little nuts and jotting down notes for any unknown piece of nature he spotted, while Janus was simply admiring everything. Holding leaves in his hands, smelling flowers, stuff like that. He looked over at Logan, sighing as he watched him zip around. “Nerd, come here-“

Logan looked up, a look of confusion spreading over his face. He hopped up from where he was kneeled, walking over to Janus. He raised an eyebrow. “How may I assist you?”

Janus surprised him by simply sNatching his notebook. “Hey-! Janus, you can’t-“

”Shush, Logan. You /don’t work enough/, alright? Why don’t you just live in the moment with me for a bit?” The snake man asked, head tilting to the side as he cocked his eyebrow into a raise.

Logan opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again, letting out a sigh, realizing Janus would not let up if he refused. “...Fine.”

They walked on, Logan’s eyes flickering around curiously as Janus took his time to admire nature. Logan would occasionally glance over with pleading eyes for the notebook, but Jan just shook his head at him, giving a small smile when Logan sighed.

Eventually, they found some animals. Some bugs, some squirrels, even some birds. Logan found himself kneeled down, holding a White-spotted sawyer. Janus on the other hand, took out some bird seed and got a bird onto his hand. They were both silent, growing content with their current actions and habitat.

• • •

Meanwhile, Roman and Patton were off discovering the children’s playgrounds of the campsite. Roman found himself going between sliding down a slide and spinning on a... Spinny thing, while Patton was going between swinging on the swings and sliding down a pole. The pair ignored any weird looks they got from kids, along with other adults that happened to be around. They were just having fun, and they knew that.

Roman let out a loud laugh as he slid down the slide for the umpteenth time, looking to Patton with a grin. “We should go to parks more oFten, Padré! It’s so much fUN!”

Patton responded with a big smile as he swung as high as he could on the swing, a loud laugh escaping him. “I know!! Good golly miss molly, we really do.” He grinned, slowing down the swing a bit before hopping off with a laugh. “I wonder if there are any more parks down here??”

Roman let out a gasp, now on a spinning pole. “Patton, you’re a genius!” He hopped off of his pole, stumbling over to Patton due to being dizzy from the spinning. The moral side tilted his head, smiling at the prince. “We should look around more! I’m not sure how long we’ve been at the park, actually.” He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck, then clapped his hands together. “Well, that’s okay! We can change that!” He smiled at the eager nod in agreement he received from Roman.

And then they were off. On an adventure to find another park. Wandering through the campground, skipping and admiring animals and flowers, singing random songs, all in all, just bois bein bois.

Soon, they stumbled upon another park, eyes widening at just how much bigger this one was. The last one had a small playground and some swings, but this one had two climbing areas with slides, one of those circular shaped things where you could hop on and spin it, and last but not least, a swingset for both babies/toddlers and anyone older than that. It made the last playground pale in comparison.

Patton and Roman were of course quick to get to work testing all the playground equipment, the two coming up with a number system to rate the ‘fun-ness’ level of each one. Because why the heck not?

Patton even discovered a cool looking bug, and Roman snapped a picture of it on his phone so they could ask Logan about it later. Patton found the bug kinda creepy, but Roman held it no problem, only letting out a high pitched scream when it flew away. Because let’s be honest, bugs can look kinda scary when they fly away, unless it’s a butterfly.

All in all, they were enjoying themselves, happily playing and discovering and laughing like a group of kids.

• • •

Then you got Virgil and Remus.

The pair had decided to go searching around for anything to do really, Virgil trying to keep Remus’ head out of subjects such as what he could possibly throw in the fire, or how easy it was to set everything aflame. He claimed it was for scientific reasons, but Virgil knew this wasn’t Logan he was with.

So he simply gave Remus a small jar with some dirt, telling him he could get some worms because a few of the sides had mentioned wanting to go fishing at some point. More specifically, Janus. Logan said he might join in, and Roman had said he wanted to watch to see what they would catch. (Janus did not look amused, knowing Roman would probably scare all the fish away.)

Virgil kept a close eye on Remus, wandering around himself. He couldn’t figure out for the life of him what to do, so he just went and bought some firewood. By the time he emerged from the store, Remus was there, jumping up and down and yelling about how he caught a twisty pink earth noodle.

After a bit of chatter, Virgil and Remus wandered back to the campsite, where Virgil tried to get a fire going. However, his fear got the best of him and he chickened out. (But luckily, Janus came back to get something and gladly lit the fire for him, before leaving.)

So now they were simply sat around the fire, roasting hot dogs for dinner. Well... Virgil was. Remus was just throwing them in the fire. After about three hot dogs being thrown in (Virgil telling him “stop it.” every single time-) Virgil looked up with a sigh. “Remus!” He hissed. “Quit throwin’ hot dogs in the fire! They weren’t very cheap and we’re gonna run out!”

Remus just let out a laugh, smirking at Virgil with a raised eyebrow. “Well, I guess if we run out, I’ll just have to use yours then~” He laughed at Virgil’s reaction, aka an obnoxious groan and facepalm. “Oh my g o d, shut up...” Remus just grinned at him. “M a k e m e.”

Virgil stared at him for a few seconds, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. He shook his head and looked down at his own cooking hot dog, twisting it in circles slowly. “You’re paying for the next batch if we run out.”

Slowly, the rest of the sides began to make their way back to camp, just in time for the sunset. Remus did in fact have to go buy more hot dogs, and soon the sun was setting, and they were all roasting and or eating hot dogs around the fire, laughing and talking.

Eventually the conversation got to sleeping arrangements. They brought three tents, so that meant two people per tent. After some decision making, they chose the same groups they went off in today. Logan and Janus, Roman and Patton, and Remus and Virgil.

They roasted marshmallows around the fire, most of the sides roasting golden marshmallows, unlike Remus, who completely burnt his marshmallow and ate the s’more in one bite.

After dinner and s’mores, the sun had completely set, and they chose to go on a walk down to the dock that was by the lake. At first, Logan hadn’t wanted to go, but soon after, he was proven very wrong, and he knew damn well he was extremely glad that he was dragged on the walk.

The reason? Upon arriving at the dock, Logan took one look up and any negative thoughts, emotions, and words all just faded away.

Stars.

Hundreds of beautiful stars freckled across the night sky, the light of the moon reflecting in the ocean. He swore he could almost see galaxies among the bright lights, his eyes widening as a shooting star bolted across the sky.

It was truly beautiful.

Logan could sit out all night and admire every star individually, and he knew even then he wouldn’t be able to take in the full beauty of all the stars visible to him, even by morning.

Sitting down at the end of the dock, Logan let his eyes flicker among the stars. He tried to take in the beauty. Take in the light. Truly enjoy the stars. And he was. Well, until...

”Hey- guys?”

Everyone perked their heads up to look at Virgil, who had spoken. He had his eyebrows furrowed and he was looking around. “I... Don’t mean to be a party pooper, but... Could we go back-? It’s... Kinda spooky out here.”

Roman let out a loud groan, making a dramatic noise. “Come o n ! We ju st got here! Look at the stars!” He threw his arms out, flopping down next to Logan. “Look at the beauty our universe holds! Look at mE, for crying out loud!” He pointed at himself, making Logan facepalm.

Virgil sighed. “...Okay. I can just go back myself, then.” He mumbled, crossing his arms and turning to leave, only for Patton to stop him. “Ah, ah ah! You aren’t leaving on your own, us 6 have to stick together! So we’re all going back right now!” He said, making Roman huff. “But- but Patton! We’re adults!! We can stay out here alone!”

“Yes, and I’m well aware of that. But I don’t want you guys to stay out here alone! Something could happen!” He said, making the other groan. “Come on, we’re going.” He began to walk back with Virgil.

Logan had a visible frown on his face as he got up, making Roman tilt his head and go over to him, letting Jan and Remus walk ahead of them. “You good, nerd?”

Logan sighed. “Satisfactory, yes.” He said as they began to slowly walk. Roman frowned. “You’re a bad liar. You can talk to me, y’know?” He said quietly, starting to look around.

Logan was silent, and Roman didn’t push it. He didn’t want to make Logan mad at him, so he simply left it. Until Logan did speak. “...I am simply... Unhappy about leaving the dock. The stars were quite remarkable to look at, and... I’m unsure if they’ll resemble this exact, beautiful state again.” He said quietly, frowning and letting his head bow, quietly watching his feet move forward and drag back with every step he took.

Roman frowned a little, letting out a sigh. “...I see. I’m sorry, Logan.” He said quietly, pushing his hands into his pockets. “That’s quite an understandable reason to be upset, if it makes you feel any better.” He pointed out, making Logan sigh and nod. “Thank you, Roman.” He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. “...Well, we are almost back at camp. I suggest we put out the fire and make use of our tents for the night.” He said, receiving a nod in response from Roman.

After arriving back to camp and talking a little more, they did just that. They put out the campfire, confirmed sleeping arrangements a final time, got ready for bed, then ducked into their tents. Everyone fell asleep quite quickly, except for Remus, who kept getting mumbles from an annoyed Virgil saying, “Go to hell to sleep.”

Oh, and Logan. He was laid out in his tent, his glasses next to his sleeping bag as he lay curled up, shivering from the cold and sighing. He could hear Janus’ soft breathing from the sleeping bag next to his, and part of him wanted to wake him up so the nerd wouldn’t be confined to his lonesome, but he wasn’t going to take sleep from Janus for his own comfort.

He eventually did lure off to sleep, soft snores escaping him as he lay curled up in the beanbag, his mind slipping into a dreamless, yet relaxing state.

It was a long night, yet peaceful.

• • •

”Logan- Logan! C’mon, wake up-!”

”Mmh...?”

Logan stirred in his sleeping bag, eyes slowly opening as his head turned to face wherever the whisper-shouting voice was coming from. His eyes fluttered open, and he let out a small gasp as Roman was suddenly there. The prince pressed his fingers to his lips and shushed Logan, whispering to him. “Shh... C’mon.” He carefully left the tent, and Logan was just confused at this point.

He glanced around tiredly, grabbing his glasses and putting them on after rubbing his eyes, turning to look at Janus’ sleeping bag. He was still there. Still fast asleep, unphased by Roman’s sudden appearance.

Logan opened his mouth and then closed it, letting out a sigh. He carefully crawled out of the tent, frowning confusedly when he noticed it was still dark. ...What was Roman planning?

Getting up, he quietly zipped up the tent, then made his way over to Roman. “...What are you doing?” He whispered, a confused frown on his face.

Roman just grinned at him, taking his hand. “You’ll see.” He whispered, taking him out of the camp area containing the tents- where everyone was still sleeping, Logan assumed- turned left, and began to walk.

Logan asked questions all the way to their destination, until they eventually began to near it, and it clicked in Logan’s mind.

They were going to the dock.

”Roman, why...” Logan’s face was full of confusion as he turned his head to look at the prince-like side, who just smiled at Logan. “You said you wanted to see the stars for longer, did you not?” His voice came out in a soft, gentle tone as he guided Logan onto the dock, stopping near the endHe smiled at the nerd, carefully going down and laying on the dock, ignoring the wetness of the wood below him. He gazed at the sky for a few moments, then looked to Logan again. “...Well, are you going to watch the stars with me, or not?” He said, to which Logan shook his head as if he was snapping out of something, then carefully nodded, slowly laying down next to Roman.

They were quiet as they silently laid there, gaze flickering among the pretty stars that rested above their heads, just enjoying the stars and each other’s company.

”Mmm... Logan?”

”Yes, Roman?”

”...Do you know a lot about astrology?”

”...I’d say so, yes.”

”Can... Can you teach me a bit?”

”Why... Certainly, Roman.”

And so Logan began to talk quietly, falling into a ramble. About constellations, about the solar system, things like that. Roman stopped watching the stars, turning to gaze at Logan with fond eyes. He could listen to him talk for hours. Although Logan’s voice may have seemed monotone and lacking most emotion, Roman liked it. Adored it, even. He wasn’t sure why, but Logan’s voice was just beautiful to him. God, Logan was just...

Roman wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, but it happened before he could stop it. Next thing he knew, he was moving closer and closer, until eventually...

His head moved up, and his lips were on Logan’s.

Logan was shocked by it at first, his eyes wide. Roman realized what he was doing and pulled away, letting out a gasp. “Oh- jesus, um- I’m sorry, I didn’t m-mean to do that-“ He started to get up. “I-I can just-“

Logan pulled him back down before he could go, pressing their lips together once again. Roman let out a gasp, freezing for a moment before slowly melting into the feeling, closing his eyes and returning the kiss. “...Hm.”

They stayed like that for god knows how long, just smoochin’ under the stars. They both felt calm, and quite good.

Eventually, they pulled away for air, both panting as they stared at each other. Roman was the one to break the silence. “...W-Wow.” Logan blinked, nodding in agreement. “...Y-Yeah. Wow.”

Roman gazed at him for a few more minutes, eyes slightly wide. He eventually took a small breath and let out a little laugh, Logan responding with a flustered smile. The creative side carefully laid down next to Logan, and they stayed quiet. They could talk about the kiss later, but for now they just wanted to enjoy the stars, and enjoy each other.

Eventually, they fell asleep under the night sky with a small smile occasionally coming up on both of their faces, fingers intertwined which eventually led to the two scooting closer to one another.

You can imagine the fun that pursued when Patton woke up and was unable to find Logan or Roman anywhere.

~

apologies if this seems rushed ^^;

[bumblebeereus]

Summer Nights and City Lights.

Word count: 2084 A/N: I’m back with this nonsense of me writing stuff. It's been a while. English is not my first language so sorry if there’s any typo. Sorry for the spacing if you’re reading this from your phone. Hope you like it, read it as an anyone’d like. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

She’s stuck at work, she’s not as lucky as his boyfriend so she couldn’t enjoy her vacation with him yet. He was in the USA right now with his friends, he said that he could wait until she had her holidays but she encouraged him to go and have fun with his friends instead. He deserved it, he had a tough end of the season and she was sure that he’d thank her later for pushing him to do it even tho he was against it at first.

She’s looking at the last picture he has sent her, he’s smiling at the camera shirtless probably while tanning or enjoying some time on the pool. She can’t believe that the man in the photo is indeed her boyfriend, she’s so lucky that sometimes she feels like she’s dreaming. She melts when she sees the freckles on his face, she loved them it was one of her favourite feature about him she adores them. She texts him back saying that he’s looking handsome and that she misses him. She should be focusing on the screen in front of her instead of daydreaming about his boyfriend but no one could blame her for doing so. She spends the rest of her day doing exactly that, daydreaming about him and trying to work in the middle of it.

Going back home to an empty house was the hardest part about him being away, she deals more or less fine when it’s during the season because he’s back in three days top, but he was gonna be away for two weeks, she’s glad he has left tons of t-shirt to wear at home while he’s away. She meditates opening a bottle of white wine while she watches yet another documentary about serial killers, her favourites, but drinking alone wasn’t as satisfying as it was drinking with him while they argue about what they were watching, after months of being with her he ended up liking those kinds of documentaries as well. If you can’t beat your enemy join them…right?

Staring at the fridge while debating whether to go for the healthier snack or let her emotions choose the snack was her newest hobby. Because hummus with crudités was amazing but cheez-it were even more amazing. She was lost in her own debate when the front door opened and for a second she thought she was going paranoid for all the serial killer's documentaries she has watched during her life but she’d bet her life on it, she heard the front door opening. She was about to handle a knife when she saw him and her jaw dropped to the floor. “What are you doing here?! I thought you were some kind of serial killer! God, you almost gave me a heart attack” He burst into laughter walking towards her with his arms open for her to bury into them and that’s exactly what she did after slapping him in the chest for scaring her like that.

“You shouldn’t be allowed to watch all those serial killer documentaries alone.” He kisses the top of her head as he feels her hands on his back holding him tight “Someone would say that you missed me, love.” She looks up at him and she’s yet again weak in the knees just by looking at him, it should be illegal to be that cute. “I missed you like crazy, but you were supposed to come home in four days…why are you here? Not that I’m against the idea of having you back early but I thought you were having fun with the lads.” He cups her face looking at her, he missed that face like crazy and just by looking at her he knows that he made the right choice. He was supposed to be with her, and his friends were the ones that encouraged him to come back if he was missing her, one week and a half were more than they expected him to be apart from her, they bet on it indeed. “It was fun, I had a great time but I simply felt like my place was here. I had a great time with the lads but I needed to be back home with you, that’s all.”

When they first met she thought he was cute but once they started dating he was even cuter than she thought. No one has ever looked at her the way he did and still does, she still gets goosebumps every time he whispers “I love you” before going to bed or in the early hours of their mornings, the butterflies never left her stomach whenever he was around. She couldn’t picture herself with any other man but him, she wanted him to be her last. She strokes his hair, a little lighter thanks to the Los Angeles sun while she admires his freckles. “I missed you so much, I’m glad you’re back home.” She snuggles against his chest while he lost both of his hands under his t-shirt caressing her back. “I missed you more, believe me.” He kisses her lips leaning on the kitchen counter, he breaks the kiss only to breathe again “Why don’t we open a bottle of wine, and see one of those documentaries that you love?” She claps excited for his plan and he laughs looking at her in awe, he has the most incredible girl he could ever ask for. He grabs the bottle of wine as she grabs the glasses and both walk towards their living room snuggling against each other, his hand stroking her hair as she rests on his chest. Home sweet home.

He wakes her up with kisses along her neck, collarbones, shoulder, and jaw. He takes his time waiting for her to be fully awake, he has missed her sleepy face every morning while being away, she stirs a little stretching her arms to end up tangling them around his neck hugging him. “Good morning beautiful, as much as I’d love to have a slow morning with you, you need to get out of bed. We’re leaving.” She opens her eyes widely looking at him with a frown. “We are leaving where? I’m not in the mood for having breakfast out, to be honest, I’d rather have it here.” She pouts waiting for him to give up but she doesn’t know what he has in mind for her. “We’re leaving at the airport, your luggage is downstairs perfectly packed so you just have to get ready.” She sits immediately as soon as those words leave his mouth, he has to be messing with her right now, he couldn’t, right? “Please, tell me that you’re kidding.” “I’m not, we should be at the airport in one hour to get out of the bed and get ready before we miss our flight.” In one of their first dates, he asked where she’d get lost if she had the chance and she chose Mykonos so that’s where he’s flying them.

She hasn’t stopped smiling since they arrived at the airport, she has always been the one that gives everyone surprises but she can’t remember the last time that someone surprised her, that person not being him of course. Because he loved seeing her face lights up just like right now, he could live for moments like this. She’s walking with her hand entertained with his, both looking in awe at the views in front of their eyes. She heard that sunsets in Mykonos were something else but she couldn’t imagine how beautiful and mind-blowing they’d be, it’s better than she expected them to be. Her head rests against his shoulder as they stare at the sunset, his hand on her thigh stroking it slowly as he turns his head to look at her, in a room full of art he’d still look at her.

“I’ve never been happier, thanks for all of this and all you do for me.” She confesses as she intertwined her hand with the one he has on her knee at the moment. “You don’t even need to say it.” He kisses her temple resting his lips there, lingering the moment between them “I’d do anything for you, you needed a break too. You’ve been there through the whole season for me and hasn’t been an easy one.” For her being there for him when things went rough wasn’t anything to point out, when she decided to date him she knew that things could happen and the least she could do for him was being there for him through thick and thin. That was love after all. “I’ll do it a thousand times again because that’s what love’s about. And I know you’d do the same. I mean you booked a weekend for us in Mykonos because you thought I deserved a break!” She scratches the back of his neck poking his cheek with her finger. “I love you” He smiles warmly at her before leaning to kiss her holding her tight against his chest not wanting to let her go. “I love you.” He laughs because finally, he won. Since they started dating there was a battle going on between who said “I love you” and “I love you more” both arguing about who loved more between them and finally she decided to let go.

They’re walking back home, she’s walking with her arms around him while they talk about nonsense, she loved that she could talk about everything with him from work stuff to why veterinarians aren’t called dogtors. He let her be herself since day one, she never had the feeling of having to fake when she was with him. The lights that decorated their private pool were on making the whole scene even more beautiful, she was seated on the curb of the pool, his feet moving the water enjoying the feeling of the water against her skin. She takes a sip of the glass of wine on her side and decided to finally entering the pool completely resting her arms on the curb admiring the views of the city lights at night, Mykonos was breathtaking no matter if it was sunrise, sunset or night.

She feels two arms holding her waist tight and then a kiss on her bare shoulder, she smiles putting her hand over his intertwining their fingers, she throws her head back leaning it on his shoulder. He kisses her cheek before resting his chin on her neck. “These views are amazing and yet you’re still my favourite thing to look at.” Luckily for her, he’s holding her, otherwise, she’d drown. He can make her melt within seconds with just a few words and it’s not even fair, the worst thing is that she’d never get used to that. “Tell me once again what I did to deserve someone like you, please.” She looks up at him in awe, and because of that, she lost the moment when he placed the velvet box perfectly open in front of her. He bought it months ago but he never found the perfect moment to pop the question during the season and while he was away with his friends he planned the perfect proposal for her and finally felt like the perfect moment to do it.

It was all about them now, not her work, not his football simply, they were finally alone with nothing to think about but them. He wanted her to remember everything about this day, he wanted to make her feel at least one per cent of how she makes him feel. She was the best thing in his life, she was the only one for him, he wants to spend the rest of his life by her side and he wants her as the mother of his children. He has never had anything more clear in his whole life, he wanted her no matter what, it was her or no one. “You tell me” He whispers holding her with one arm while he rests the other on the curb of the pool making her look at his movement, her eyes instantly locking on the velvet box in front of her as she covers her mouth with her hands “Can I say now that I love you more?” He wipes the tears that stream down her face, he said that he’d do anything to never see her cry but this is the only time he’s happy to see her tears.

[speter-sparker]

Spideypool fic rec #1

*** favorites

other recs by me: X  

1. Seven Ways To Woo by ann_fortunately [one-shot, 10K, POV peter] ***

summary: "I have a mission. Seven days, two people, one purpose, and three years of doing it absolutely wrong according to the social rules of pursuing romance."

or: Peter and Wade have known each other for three years now. If in Peter's opinion Wade has suddenly started acting strangely, it's most probably true.

why you should read it: friends to lovers fic that is so sweet your teeth will rot on spot. A+ characterization with Peter Parker as a pining smart-ass, Wade Wilson as a smitten kitten, and me as a shaking mess. The pacing is consistent and easy, the wording is smooth, and every time I read it my stomach fills with butterflies.  

2. Propositions by stuckybarnes [three-shot, 8K, POV peter]

summary: “Yeah…” Deadpool drawls. “Anyway, Pretty Boy, I have a proposition for you.” This makes Peter kind of want to throw up. Propositions by Deadpool always end up with them in varying degrees of pain, and a lot of explaining to do with the Avengers.

OR

Wade finally convinces a very tired Peter to go to New York Comic-Con with him and enter a Deadpool and Spider-Man cosplay contest, sure they'll win. Obviously. It doesn't go exactly as expected, and Peter is not thrilled.

why you should read it: pre-relationship fic with ASD Peter. More humor than fluff, but its a close call. Their relationship is well written and the characters feel lived in. The characters are fun and on spot, with a charming plot that is executed with as much grace as can be afforded to these two characters. 

3. It Had to Be You by fancastical [two-shot, 20K, POV peter]

summary: Or, Five Times Deadpool Recognised Spider-Man and One Time He Didn't

why you should read it: friends to lovers. this fic was originally a one-shot, with the first chapter being the 5+1, but chapter two came in as a lovely surprise, and while I myself am hesitant to read or even like “afters” in fics, the second half feels as natural and is just as entertaining as the first part. It's the kind of fic you'll find yourself trying to hide your smile while reading and squealing with delight. 

4. Peter's Ghost by QueenRamsia [three-shot, 27 K, POV wade]

summary: Peter is dead. He’s been dead for two years. But he’s still with Wade. He haunts him every second of the day. Wade turns around and there he is, watching him through his dingy apartment window. His voice has been added to the cacophony of Wade’s mind. And Ellie is growing up alone.

why you should read it: post-relationship. okay, not gonna lie: PLEASE be careful what mindset you go into when reading this. The entire thing is an angst fest, and at its lightest is bittersweet. When I finished reading, I couldn't even cry. The story does have a satisfying ending that I would describe as hopeful and deals with the aftermath of losing a loved one. Ellie is wonderfully written in this, and she and Wade share some tender moments and scenes that were stunning. The way they write grief and learning to live after loss is phenomenal, and the plot is captivating and entrancing. 

5. morning in the burned house by antivenom [WIP, 34 K, POV alternating]

summary: Wade’s got a defense mechanism. Grin and bear it.

But the thing is, Wade’s angry into his bones.

(Or, this is what happens when a seemingly unassuming, run-of-the-mill hit gets personal)

why you should read it: enemies to friends to lovers. this isn't light-hearted Wade Wilson. It's more akin to his origin comics, where his laughs feel more like tears. The humor is dark yet charming, and while flashbacks are USUALLY to be a no-go for me, the author does a tremendous job of making every bit of their story captivating and enchanting. Wade and Peter learn about and grow from each other, and watching their relationship go from “fuck this guy” to something more is captivating and the author nails it. 

6. Join the Club by HashtagLEH [WIP, 53 K, POV alternating]

summary: Homeless and mute after everything Peter has been through, he somehow makes friends with Deadpool, as Spiderman. And then he meets the Avengers, as Peter.

Or, alternatively: “Spidey and Deadpool: the Mute and the Motormouth” (a title by Deadpool).

why you should read it: pre-relationship ft. the Avengers. The fic focuses on Peter and coming of age in less than ideal circumstances and builds relationships that feel authentic and kind. It is an interesting take to have a character known for his quips silenced, but the author handles it well and with grace. 

7. BF(F) by Carol989 [6/6, 10K, POV peter]

summary: Five times people thought Wade and Peter were a couple which, seriously, where did they get that from? They are not a couple, stop asking. They are just friends now, and did plenty of friend stuff. Like kissing. And one time people were right.

why you should read it: pre-relationship. Oblivious Peter, smitten Wade, dare I say more?

8. Half Your Age (Plus Seven) by fancastical [17/17, 80 K, POV peter]

summary: In which Deadpool has oddly specific and frustrating morals, Spider-Man has excellent friends, his lab partner has an opening for a bassist, Johnny Storm has the warmest feet, and everyone has had enough of hearing Peter talk about Wade Wilson (except Aunt May: she’s always glad to hear he’s back in town).

why you should read it: friends-to-still-friends-to-STILL-friends-to-lovers. Pining galore ft. Aunt May, Johnny Storm, Mj, and some curious band friends. While the focus is on Peter and coming to terms with his love life, the relationships he has with the other characters (BFF johnny storm is my weakness) are what make this fic. LOTS of relationships and character growth all throughout. For those of you who want a head over heels in love Peter pursuing Wade, this is the fic for you. For those of you hesitant to that (like me), this is also for you. Just... all of you, read this. 

9.  In Which Peter's an Oblivious Idiot by coffea [one-shot, 3K, POV peter]

summary: The five times Wade tells Peter he loves him and the one time Peter gets his head out of his ass.

why you should read it: pre-relationship. oblivious peter and pining wade. sweet and funny and smooth as fuck. 

10.  Off The Record by crookedswingset [16/16, 138 K, POV alternating] ***

summary: Peter Parker is a corporate lackey whose sole job is to root out problem executives who waste Oscorp’s money and time. Wade Wilson is a reserve Avenger on the hunt for a prize even Iron Man couldn’t nail down: the real identity of everyone’s favorite webhead. 

Too bad most people think Spider-Man is Harry Osborn.

why you should read it: hands down my favorite spideypool fic. The world-building is fantastic, all the characters (and there are a LOT) are wonderfully written. If I could marry a work of art this would be it. 

11. Petey and Wade are obviously an item, so why is Spiderman trying to be a Homewrecker? by isaDanCurtisproduction [21/21, 38 K, POV peter]

summary: So, Peter and Wade are dating. Wait, scratch that, they are totally engaged (Peter will show you the ring). Fiances for life, amiright?

Everything from here on out should be totally happy-go-lucky, right?

Right?

If your answer was, "Of course not, Peter's life will never be easy," then you're on the right track.

Peter's life is difficult, and as far as anyone (himself included) knows, it's never going to be easy. 

...But why do the Avengers have to hurt him like this?

why you should read it: established relationship (duh). Focuses heavily on Peters relationship with the Avengers team. All of them are well written, feisty, and you can't help but laugh at the horrible situation Peter/Spidey finds himself in. 

12. we're on a highway to hell (with a little bit of heaven) by dabblingwithwords [22/22, 107 K, POV peter] ***

summary: Hydra has had Peter in their custody for three years. Deadpool is hired to break him out. Throw in an alien symbiote, motels, and superhero explosions and things get gay.

why you should read it: strangers to friends to lovers. wonderfully written, with venom playing wingman, wade playing mother, and peter being exasperated. the plot is captivating and the tension is riveting, keeping you on your toes and holding your breath. watching wade and peters relationship grow is wonderful. Watching them fall in love is breathtaking. Every time I read this I feel short of breath and NO not cause of my asthma. couldn’t recommend this lovely thing more. 

13. Wolves by Saucery [WIP, 53 K, POV peter]

summary: Peter is falsely accused and sent to jail, where he meets the violent ex-mercenary, Wade.

Or: Prison daddy Deadpool looks after his boy.

why you should read it: okay, okay, okay. The pining is *kisses fingers* superb. Despite what it sounds like, the fic doesn't dive immediately into “I'm horny let's DO this”, rather the relationship develops organically and the tension (both sexual and plot) is palpable. Watching Peter navigate his new life is like watching an intense game of chess, where he's going head to head against mob bosses, the system, and a new mysterious program that just might be too good to be true. 

[sky-casino]

Ink-tainted Hands

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Jaehyun x Reader

Word Count: 4,200+

a/n: I’ve been into brush pen calligraphy lately and this plot about having Jaehyun as your only classmate in a calligraphy workshop suddenly came into mind lol. Hope you enjoy!

  It was a breezy and sunny summer day when you arrived for the first time at your new dorm near the university campus. You unpacked your luggage for a couple of hours till lunchtime and as famished as you were, you quickly ran down the stairs and headed out to find a place to eat. You spotted an America-style diner on a corner a few blocks away and to your happiness almost ran to the place. After a few minutes, the waitress on roller skates delivered chicken and waffles and a tall glass of milkshake to your table. After a quick prayer, you munched down on the meal.

You took a few minutes after finishing the food to just look around the diner and outside its windows. This would be your surroundings for the next three years and you couldn't say that you weren't pleased. Everything looked so bright, lively, and fun. Your mom wanted you to stay at home longer but you convinced her to let you move to the dorm two weeks before your freshman classes begin as you wanted to get accustomed to the place as early as you can. Also, you were pretty much thrilled to start living on your own and feel the independence.

As you observed your surroundings, you noticed the cork board that served as the diner's bulletin board. It piqued your interest so you stood up and walked to it. Pinned to it were announcements and event invitations of various kinds. There was something about a charity concert, a flea market, and list and schedules of different 2-week workshops offered by the city's public library that are on a discount for students. The last one caught your attention. In the list, there were workshops for calligraphy, sketching, painting, creative writing, and baking. You instantly clasped your hands together as a physical expression of your excitement upon reading the word 'calligraphy'. Calligraphy has been a rising trend in your area recently so you told yourself to learn it as soon as an opportunity arises, and it just popped up in your face like this.

"Schedule is MWF at 10am to 12 noon, 2 o'clock to 4pm, and 6pm to 8pm. Today is a Sunday and it.. already starts tomorrow?! Shit. I need to sign up today!" You exclaimed right before running out of the diner, but then you realized you had no idea where the library was and how to get there, so you went back to the diner to ask one of the waitresses.

You learned that it was just walking distance from the diner and so you ran and ran until you reached the entrance.

"Hello, may I know where I can sign up for a workshop?" You asked the security guard after you caught your breath.

"Good afternoon. Just proceed to the reception area."

"Alright, thanks."

You entered but almost quickly stopped in your tracks because you were surprised to see how beautiful and modern the library was. It wasn't the typical library, it's a learning hub.

"Good afternoon and welcome! How may I help you?" The receptionist greeted you.

"Oh, hi. I'm here to sign up for the calligraphy  work shop?"

"Let me check if there are any slots left first."

You silently prayed in your mind that there is a single slot left.

"Hmm, we only have slots left for the 6PM time slot."

You didn't know whether to be happy or sad. You were glad that there was still a slot for you, of course. But you didn't exactly like to attend the latest time slot. You were hoping for either the 10AM or 2PM class. Nevertheless, you gratefully accepted and paid for your slot before leaving.

The next evening, you found yourself running down the stairs of your dorm and on the brink of being late to the workshop. You decided to take a 1-hour nap before you had to leave to make sure you won't feel sleepy during the late-night workshop.

You ended up being five minutes late and were pretty nervous of the possibility that your classmates will look at you and worse, the teacher will reprimand you. 

"Whatever." You muttered before slowly opening the door. 

First of all, the teacher wasn't there yet. Second, you only had one classmate. Yes, one. And he was looking at you as you entered the room. He was a bit far and you could only see his side profile, but damn you already knew was fine as hell. 

You made your way the chair beside him on the first row.

"Hi." He said with a shy smile as you sat down.

 "Hello." 

"My name is Jaehyun." He said as he reluctantly offered his hand for a handshake. This time you realized he had dimples that made him ten times more attractive.

"Y/N. Nice to meet you."

"Looks like we're the only ones in this class. Maybe no one else signed up for this schedule?"

"Well, I didn't actually join this time slot. But I was told that this was the only time left that had available slots." You replied.

"Really? Same! When did you sign up?" Jaehyun asked excitedly, finding it amusing that you were in the same situation.

"Yesterday after lunch. You?" You asked with a laugh.

"Yesterday at around 5PM."

"We were probably the last two people who registered.  So here we are." You said with a dramatic sigh, earning you a laughter from Jaehyun. His dimples now more prominent than ever and you were just staring at them, even long after his laughter died down and turned into a smile. You didn't know that he was staring at your face at the same time, resulting to a moment of awkward silence. He was about to laugh out of amusement again but the door opened, revealing a lady in her mid thirties, your teacher.

"Good evening and I'm very sorry for my tardiness." She quickly greeted.

"No worries, it's fine." You quietly replied, uncertain if you even had to respond to her apology.

"Hmm.. there are more students than I expected." Your teacher stated as she prepared the materials. You and Jaehyun looked at each other, confused.

"To be honest with you, I didn't expect someone will be in this time slot. But anyway, let's start. Come and get your materials: a nib, a straight nib holder, a small bottle of black ink, and practice sheets. For this week, you will be learning pointed pen calligraphy and for next week, we will use brush pens. These two tools result to two different styles of modern calligraphy, which what this workshop is about." 

Holding the materials and listening to your teacher's words ignited your enthusiasm once more.

During your first night of workshop, you learned the fundamentals of pointed pen calligraphy: you should fully dip the nib into the ink until it reaches the base, light strokes are usually done upwards, and heavy strokes are normally done downwards. Before you know it, the two hours were already up.

"That's all for tonight. See you the day after tomorrow. Kindly clean up before you leave. The library closes in thirty minutes so move quickly. Good night." The teacher advised.

"Noted, ma'am. Thank you." You replied.

"Damn, I didn't think calligraphy was easy at all but I didn't expect it to be this hard. Look at my strokes! So messy!" Jaehyun sulked. You only knew each other for a couple of hours but you instantly feel comfortable with each other like close friends.

"Well, as what she told earlier. Practice makes-"

"Perfect." Jaehyun interrupted you.

"No. Progress. It's progress, Jaehyun. Because no one is perfect." 

"Oh.. yup. You're correct." His embarrassed expression caused you to burst into laughter, and you had no idea how red his ears were at that moment.

"Alright, miss. We need to clean up our desks and our tainted hands. So I'd gladly appreciate if you could.. you know, stop laughing at me?" He was even more sulky by now and you decided to stop pissing off your new friend whom you discovered to be quite sensitive.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, mister." You raised both your hands to show you surrender while taking off the scratch newspapers on your desks that served as a protection from the ink.

"I'm starving. Would you like to go get dinner? Only if it's.. fine, of course. You might have somewhere else to go or someth-"

"Sure. I'd love to. I'm starving as well and I got zero plans after this." You were clueless as to why you felt some butterflies in your stomach to the prospect of having dinner with this guy, but you were sure you're suppressing a smile.   

"It's up to you where we'll eat. You know a place?" Jaehyun asked you as both of you stepped out of the library.

"Hmm, there's a diner around that block. Wanna try?"

"Absolutely. I want some burgers and fries right now. You seem to be familiar with the place. You live here?"

"Oh, not at all. Just moved to my dorm yesterday morning. I had my lunch at the diner yesterday and it's actually the only restaurant I've seen so far."

"You got to be kidding me. I'm the same! Moved here yesterday after lunch." Jaehyun said as the two of you entered the diner. 

"I'll have bacon, eggs, hashbrown, and chocolate milk shake." You told the waitress.

"I'll get the triple decker burger, fries, and iced coffee." Jaehyun ordered.

"Wait, okay. So, are we gonna go to the same university? Seoul National University?" You clarified with a hidden thrill in your voice.

"That's right. But I'm taking up Architecture. You?"

"Multimedia Arts. Wow, this is good, right? We already have each other as a friend even before classes start two weeks from now."

"Yup. At least we already know someone in school. Also, I was thinking, maybe we can practice what we learned from the workshop earlier? Maybe in the afternoon before the Wednesday session?" Jaehyun suggested as the waitress placed your orders on the table.

"That'd be great. I was planning to practice anyway."

Half an hour later, Jaehyun offered to walk you to your dorm.

"Thank you for accompanying me here, even though there was absolutely no need. I appreciate it."

"No problem. It's late already and I had to make sure you get back here safely." Jaehyun flashed you a shy smile.

"Well, see you on Wednesday afternoon at 3PM?"

"Yup. I'll text you where it will be. Which reminds me.. I don't have your number yet?"

"Oh, right." You said before proceeding to dictate your number.

"Thanks, will text you. Good night and it was really nice to meet you. You're cool." 

"Wow, this is the first time someone, let alone a guy, has told me that I'm cool. Thank you very much, Jaehyun." You dramatically placed your hands on your chest.

"It's true, though. See you!" He saluted at you playfully before walking off.

You jogged up the stairs to finally take a shower and a good night's sleep, but most importantly, to get on the phone to call your best friend and tell her about this dashing young man who's also into calligraphy.

After doing your nightly beauty routine, you jumped into your bed as you excitedly waited for your best friend to pick up the call. 

"Hey Seulgi! Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Hi! Nope! I'm just binge-watching on Netflix. What's up?"

"Oh my god, I need to tell you something urgently." You said, emphasizing the last word.

"Spill!"

"I honestly can't believe that today is just my second day in this city but it's already going so great? It's surreal."

"Did you meet a cute guy?" Seulgi squealed.

"Yes, and he's not just cute. He's super cute. Jaehyun is his name." You said dreamily.

"How did you meet?"

"He's my only classmate in the calligraphy workshop I told you about yesterday. We had dinner tonight after the session and he invited me to practice calligraphy on Wednesday afternoon. He asked for my number too. Oh and, it turns out he's a dormer here too and we're both going to SNU. We clicked so well right away. God, this is too good to be true." 

"It sounds perfect! I just hope that he's single. Please, God." 

"I know we're going too fast but I agree. I really hope he is.”

“You need to find out soon if he's single and ready to mingle."

"But how will I ask that? I don't want him to find me weird."

"Just say something like 'Will your girlfriend attend SNU too?'. Assume innocently then watch out for his response. That's how we'll know." 

"Great advice. Alright, I'll talk to you again soon. Good night."

"Night and sweet dreams!"

"Sweet dreams." You hung up and stared at the stars outside your window, thinking about dimple boy.

 Wednesday afternoon arrived and you were on your way to the cafe that Jaehyun texted you the name of the night before. "He's so considerate." You thought to yourself as you read his text again to follow the directions from your dorm to the said cafe. "He could've just sent me the name and leave it to me to find how to get there but he gave clear directions. Sweet."

When you entered the cafe, you easily spotted him as his tall figure was standing and moving around his chosen table. You wondered for a second what kept him busy and you realized that he was covering the entire desk with newspaper as a safety measure. Neither of you wants to stain the cafe's table or you might end up cleaning or paying for the damage.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." You greeted as you put your bag down on one of the chairs.

"No problem. Have you ordered?"

"Not yet."

"You can place your order first, I already placed mine."

"Alrighty."

When you came back with your chicken-pesto sandwich and iced macchiato, he was already sitting and settled down, ready to start. Then you suddenly remembered what Seulgi said the other day, “You need to find out soon if he’s single and ready to mingle.”

You cleared your throat while you felt your cheeks burn before asking, “So, do you have anyone else attending SNU too? Like friends and.. a girlfriend? You could hear your heartbeats thumping, scared of what his reaction might be.

“I have some high school batch mates, but they’re not taking up Architecture and we’re not really close. I don’t have a girlfriend. But I’m flattered that you think I have. Thank you.”  The last part made him laugh and you laughed with him as a sign of relief.

You spent the next couple of hours bent down as you repeatedly practiced writing the entire English alphabet, both the capital and small versions of each letter.

"My back and neck are in pain." You whined.

"Same here. I didn't know calligraphy could be so physically taxing." Jaehyun said in an almost defeated tone."Let's stretch it out." He continued, the two of you standing up and doing every stretching exercise for the upper body that you know.

When you sat back down, Jaehyun absentmindedly rubbed his right knuckle on his nose, leaving a medium-sized black stain.

"Why are you laughing?" 

You couldn't even answer him as you continued to laugh hysterically. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Your nose-" Your laugh interrupted your own words. 

Jaehyun quickly used the front camera of his phone to check his face and you actually saw the moment he got embarrassed.

"Shit." He muttered, frantically looking for a clean napkin on the table but you used it up already. 

"Here, lucky for you I have wet wipes." You handed the item to him, feeling sorry for laughing so much at your embarrassed friend.

"Thank you."

"Sorry, should've told you sooner instead of laughing my ass off."

Jaehyun looked at you, surprised. "No worries. I'm not mad or anything." He assured you with his dimples. 

You were about to pick up your pen when Jaehyun suddenly told you that it was already 5:30. The two of you cleaned up and packed your bags quickly and walked briskly to the library for your second calligraphy session.

The second week of the sessions just began and you found yourself more excited for this than the last one, all because of the new tool you will be using: colorful brush pens. Oh, and of course your cute classmate is also a reason to look forward to the new week.

"Thank God, this is easier and more fun to use." Jaehyun said after the teacher went to the restroom.

"I know right! I've always had a good feeling about brush pens." You whispered as you tirelessly practiced using your pink brush pen, struggling to contain your vigor which made Jaehyun chuckle and gaze at you longer than usual.

On Wednesday that week, your teacher gave you a final assignment: write a word or a short phrase using your choice of method: pointed pen or brush pen. "Submission on Friday. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." 

"It's exciting but I don't know what to write." You said after the teacher made her exit.

"Hmm, yeah. Same. But I don't wanna think about it yet. Dinner?"

"Let's go."

Thursday morning, you texted Jaehyun if he wanted to meet with you at the cafe to work on the assignment.

"Sorry, I can't. I have other errands to attend to and can only work on it late tonight. But see you tomorrow! Really sorry!"

You were dismayed and it made getting up from bed a bit harder.

"It's totally fine. Yup, see you! :)" You sent.

You washed your face and made yourself a cup of coffee before sitting down by your desk. Pens and papers were laid out and you just stared at them for five minutes, contemplating what word or phrase you wanted to write. Which colors to be used will follow later.

The next day arrived and it was also the last day of your calligraphy workshop. You were a bit somber as you walked to the room, clutching your assignment to your chest. You texted Jaehyun earlier if he wanted to meet up before the session so you could go together but he said that he had to fix something in his dorm room and that you should go ahead. And you did, that's why you're now alone in the room, ten minutes early.

You looked at your work and slowly smiled at it as a physical manifestation of your high level of  satisfaction. A few minutes later, the door opened again and you expected to see Jaehyun, but it was the teacher instead. 

"Good evening." She greeted.

"Good evening, ma'am." You replied, but at the back of your head you actually wanted to say a sarcastic remark about the fact that this is the only time she was punctual, and it's the last session.

"Where's he?"

"P-probably on his way already. Just had to fix something in his dorm." 

She replied with a nod. It was awkward for you to be alone with her and you repeated in your mind for Jaehyun to arrive already. After a few seconds, he busted into the door, panting. 

"Sorry I'm late." He huffed as he sat down beside you.

"No worries. We'll end this session early as I just need you to present your works. Explain why you wrote what you wrote and why you used the method you used. Then before you go, I'll give you your certificates. Y/N, you first." Your no-nonsense teacher instructed, taking a seat in the same row as you and Jaehyun.

"Okay." You said as you stood up and went to the front.

"Hi. This is what I wrote: Let New Adventures Begin. I decided to write this phrase because I'm... about to start college next week. I also moved here from another city so it's my first time to be independent. I'm excited but also very nervous and clueless about things so I wrote this to encourage and motivate myself. I used brush pens and blended orange and pink colors because I wanted it to look bright. I decided to use this method because brush pen calligraphy is not that strict when it comes to rules, unlike the pointed-pen method. I can be as creative as I can be and show my personality with this method and tools. Yeah, I think that's all. Thank you." You finished with a nervous but relieved smile.

"Very good, Y/N. Both your work and presentation is excellent. Jaehyun, your turn."

"Thank you so much, ma'am." You said as Jaehyun slowly rose up from his seat.

Once in front, he took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "Sorry, I'm just a bit nervous."

You giggled and offered him an encouraging smile.

"Okay so, this is what I wrote."

You were surprised to see your name. "My name?"

"Yup. Your name, because I want to give this to you as a gift." Jaehyun said with a nervous chuckle before biting his lip.

"What?"

"Jaehyun, please make your presentation cohesive." Your teacher said as both of you were clueless about what Jaehyun was saying.

"Sorry. But.. yes. I wrote your name because I was planning to give this to you as a gift. You've been a very cool friend and you always patiently help me improve my calligraphy skills and we really get along well and fortunately, we will be studying in the same university and I don't know but... I just like you so much. I enjoy our time together a lot and I hope that even if this workshop ends we will remain close friends because..." Jaehyun interrupted his own ramblings as he looked at you with a serious gaze. You felt yourself sweating a bit and holding your breath.

"....because I want to see if we can be more than that." He finally said. "Oh and before I forget, I used brush pens because you love brush pens. Also, I was late not because I was fixing something in my room but because I had to buy a frame in the bookstore so I could frame this. I just didn't want to give you a paper, I wanted it to be more presentable. This is also why I rejected your invitations to work together for this assignment, because it’s a surprise. And yes, I know this is not the best calligraphy work but I really did my best." He chuckled.

"Alright, I didn't expect such a presentation. But well done, anyway. Just avoid rambling on and on. Here are your certificates proving that you finished and did well on this workshop." Your teacher shared as you and Jaehyun locked eyes with unreadable expressions.

"Guys?" Your teacher called out.

"Sorry, ma'am!" You said as you rushed to her to get your certificate, not knowing that Jaehyun's gaze still lingered on you.

"Thank you for participating." She said as she held out her hand for a handshake.

"We should be the ones to thank you, ma'am. We really enjoyed and learned a lot." You shook her hand.

"Y/N's right, ma'am. Thanks a lot." Jaehyun said during his turn for the handshake.

"You're very welcome. Alright, I'll be leaving now. Seems like... the two of you have a lot to talk about." She smirked.

"Yes we do, ma'am." Jaehyun answered and you were scared of the looming conversation you two will be having.

"Okay, goodbye." Your teacher said.

"Goodbye, ma'am." You and Jaehyun said in unison.

You went and packed your things right after she left, the room now filled with silence.

"H-here. This is for you." Jaehyun stuttered as he handed his framed work to you.

"Thank you so much, Jaehyun. It's beautiful." You graciously took the work from his hands, glancing up at him as many times as you could, which was twice because you still felt shy about everything he said earlier.

"I'm sorry for doing that earlier. I know I should've talked to you in private. I put you in an uncomfortable situation, I'm sorr-"

"It's fine. Don't worry. I was surprised but it's okay, I'm okay." You assured him with a smile, patting his shoulder.

"I hope this doesn't... affect our friendship." Jaehyun said with furrowed brows, obviously still worrying despite your assurance.

"It doesn't. It won't. You know..." You guessed it was your turn to confess.

"Hm?"

"I.. I like you too. You're cute and dorky and full of energy all the time, always curious and enthusiastic. And I can't stop looking at your dimples!" Confessing lightens the heart indeed, you thought to yourself.

The two of you were giggling in the atmosphere of first love until Jaehyun put on his serious face.

"I just want you to know that I don't want you to feel any pressure, I can definitely wait." Jaehyun said and you swore to the gods  you felt your heart swelling with love and admiration.

"I know. It's better if we take things slow, right?" 

"Of course! Friends to best friends to girlfriend and boyfriend." He teased, causing you to smack his arm. "By the way, I found a cute coffee shop some blocks away from here. Wanna try?"

"Is that even a question?" You sassed, rolling your eyes.

"Well then, shall we go now, my lady?" He said as he dramatically offered his bent right arm for you to link your left. You accepted his arm and found your way out of the library. 

[pinkevilbobdoesthings]

Okay, okay, I really hope you guys like this chapter. It took a lot of editing to get it to be presentable, but I think it should be a good one.

Here’s Chapter 6 of “The Mess”.

_______________________________

Life became busy for Jester, and Beau was the one who had to deal with it. After Jester’s call to the Traveler, she had to start preparing for an art show. It wasn’t going to be a very big show she said, but she had only two and a half months to prepare for it.

Beau stared at the hundreds of tiny statues drying on every surface of their apartment. “And where are we supposed to sit here?” There was a crunch under her shoe. “Or stand?”

Jester looked up from the diorama she was working on. “Oh. Um, maybe you could just go over to that hot goth girl’s house? You keep swooning over her.”

“Shut up. You can’t just take up the entire apartment with your art.” Beau turned away trying to hide her blush.

“Sorry, Beau. I just don’t have a lot of time to work on this with school and helping Caleb,” Jester said with a frown.

And here comes the guilt. “Look, I don’t want to be an a-hole about this, but ask next time you make our place an art studio.” Beau paused. “How is Caleb doing?” She already knew the answer to that question. The library has been finding Caleb hoarding books again.

“Not that good. Nott says he kinda won’t eat unless Frumpkin’s eating with him and he doesn’t really talk anymore.”

Beau swore. “That frickin’ sucks. Why doesn’t Caleb just drop the class?”

“He needs it to graduate,” Jester said. “But I kinda wish he’d drop it anyways.”

“This university is messed up.”

Jester laughed, but it wasn’t her usual light hearted giggle. It was harsh and dry. “You’re telling me. Beau?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know how to hide a body?” Jester asked her head ducked down avoiding eye contact.

“No? Jester, should I worry about what you’ve got planned?” Beau asked.

Jester shook her head. “No, it’s just a joke. Nothing to worry about.”

Beau raised an eyebrow and shrugged. It was none of her business. “If you say so, but if you need to kill a bastard, I got your back.”

Jester chuckled and this time it was her proper laugh. “Okay, Beau. Thank you.”

“Hey, that’s what roommates are for, hiding bodies.”

********************

The days were all blended together even if they were different from one another. They dragged and were heavy on Caleb. It felt like he could never breathe properly and was always on the verge of suffocating.

It was the 86th day of the semester and Caleb was surviving. That may have been a lie, but he was still living and not in a psych ward. Jester walked with him to Professor Ikithon’s classroom and Frumpkin was draped over Caleb’s shoulder. He stared at the classroom door as Jester gave his hand a squeeze. “Are you ready to give me Frumpkin?”

Caleb could hear his heartbeat thrumming in his ears as he thought about entering that class by himself again. And he wasn’t ready for it. He shook his head.

“Okay, I can wait til you’re ready,” Jester said with a kind smile. It was so easy for her. She probably didn’t even know just how good she was.

Frumpkin nuzzled the side of Caleb’s head. Caleb knew that he should return the favor of comfort by giving Frumpkin a scratch, but his limbs just felt so heavy. Time went by and Professor Ikithon entered the classroom completely ignoring Caleb. A cold wave of terror swept over Caleb and all he wanted to do was run.

Meanwhile Jester bristled with rage. “I’ll kill him,” she muttered. “I’m gonna kill him.”

Caleb wanted to take her hand and tell her that it was okay, but it wasn’t okay. The last thing Caleb wanted was for Jester to get involved in this mess. Nothing was going to be okay.

“Do you need me to go into the class with you?” Jester asked.

“No,” Caleb said. It was small and numb out loud but it felt like a forceful cannonball coming out of him. He didn’t want Ikithon anywhere near Jester.

Jester’s eyes widened a little bit. “Oh, okay Caleb. Do you want to go in now?”

“No.” He knew that he should go in, but he was just so tired and worn he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“Alright, we can wait a few more minutes,” Jester said.

“No.”

“You … want to skip class?” Jester asked.

Caleb nodded.

Jester bit her lip but nodded. “Frumpkin prefers your company anyways. Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand and led him out of the building. “I’ll take you home.”

Caleb shook his head. He didn’t want her to miss her class for him.

"Will you be good for going home by yourself?" Jester asked.

Caleb started to nod, but he shook his head instead. He didn't feel ready to go by himself.

"Want to go to my class with me then?" Jester asked. "The Traveler is super cool and nice and I'm sure he'd like to meet you too."

There really wasn't anything else for Caleb to do so he nodded and followed Jester to her class. It was a small classroom with desks and not an artist studio like Caleb had expected. The class had already started and a man all in green with a lilting voice was speaking to the class. "Jester," he said turning to her, "I was wondering if you would be joining us today."

"Sorry, Travelr, running late. Is it okay if I have a guest with me today?" she asked.

Caleb ducked his head down as the Traveler looked him over. There seemed to be a permanent smile on the Traveler's face. "Is this the famous Caleb?"

"Uh huh," Jester said. The entire class turned to stare at Caleb making him want to disappear.

"He can take a seat in the back," The traveler said.

Caleb crouched in the back of the back of the class petting Frumpkin. The class was discussing some kind of art theory that meant absolutely nothing to Caleb, but Jester was absolutely fascinated by it and was leaning forward in her seat adding her opinion and talking animatedly about whatever theory they were discussing.

"What do you think Caleb?" the Traveler asked as Caleb was starting to zone out.

Caleb jolted up nervously not certain what to do. "Oh, Caleb doesn't' really talk," Jester said. "He's quiet like that." He nodded his cheeks turning red. Even if he did talk like a normal person, he didn't know enough about art to really say anything.

"Ah, then what do you think Jester?" the Traveler asked.

Jester continued the discussion with ease and went on about colors. Caleb could listen to her talk about that for hours even if it made no sense to him. He didn’t realize just how much he missed just spending time with Jester and listening to her. Most days he wasn't up to it, but skipping class seemed to if not replenish his inner battery kept it from getting completely used up.

The class ended and Jester went back to Caleb. "I hope you weren't too bored. It’s too bad I couldn't sit with you. But at least you had Frumpkin."

Caleb nodded and gave Frumpkin another pat. The cat purred in response.

"So will you introduce me to the incredible Caleb?" a lilting voice asked.

"Oh!" Jester straightened up. "Caleb this it the Traveler! He's basically the coolest professor on campus. And this is Caleb, he owns Frumpkin."

The Traveler smiled at Caleb with bright white teeth that almost but not quite edged on predatory. "A pleasure." He extended his hand towards Caleb.

Caleb nodded and shook his hand.

"Aren't much of a talker are you?"

Caleb shook his head.

"He's been sick lately," Jester said. "But he's getting better."

Caleb stared at her. Was he getting better? Some of the numbing fluff that swallowed him up felt less all encompassing.

Jester held on to Caleb's hand. "He's been a real inspiration for my art."

"I can see why. His bone structure is impeccable," The Traveler said examining Caleb.

Jester giggled. "Not like that. He's why I'm doing my art show."

The Traveler stood up a little taller. "Really? He's the one who-"

"Yeah," Jester said interrupting him.

"Well, I hope you get the results you are looking for," the Traveler said. "The show's next week. Are all your pieces done?"

Jester shook her head. "I have just a few pieces to perfect, but I'm real close to being done."

Caleb looked at her. He hadn't heard about her doing an art show, but he hadn't been listening a lot lately.

"Oh, Caleb didn't I tell you. I'm doing a big, well not big big, but for me a pretty big art show. You should totally come," Jester said before turning to the Traveler. "Have you invited the guest of honor?"

"Not yet, but the invitation needs to perfect. Something he can't turn down."

Jester squealed in excitement. "Thank you! I don't think he'd take an invitation from me. Well, I should let you get ready for your next class. Let's go, Caleb." She led him gently by the hand out of the classroom.

It was a nice day outside and Jester walked at a slow pace like she was walking a meandering pet, but maybe that was a good description for Caleb. "Today's a good day for you isn't it Caleb?"

Caleb nodded. He wasn't anywhere near Professor Ikithon which made it a great day for Caleb, but he knew that wasn't what Jester meant. Caleb's head was clearer than it had been in weeks.

"I'm glad. I was getting real worried about you," Jester said. "I was starting to think that you were out of good days, but you're not." She smiled brightly at him, and Caleb once again wondered how did he get so lucky as to know her.

They kept walking to the apartment complex. Jester led Caleb to Nott's apartment. "Here you go, Caleb."

He stared at her for a long quiet moment. "I wasn't bored." Jester's eyes grew wide. When was the last time he had spoken out loud to her more than just ‘no’? "At your class, it wasn't boring."

A grin broke out across Jester's face. "I'm glad. I've missed your voice, Caleb." She gave him a quick hug and then went to her own apartment.

Caleb stared after her. If he could’ve, he would've kept talking just for her, but as easily as the words came out, they got locked up in him again. But maybe she would think they were worth the wait.

****************

Jester was full of nerves. It was the night of her art show opening, and she couldn't keep down the butterflies down in her stomach. Mentally, she kept going down a checklist making sure that there was nothing she had forgotten.

“Relax,” said the Traveler. “It’ll be fine. At this point, all you have to do is smile and explain things in the most pretentious way imaginable.” Jester giggled despite the nervous feeling in her stomach. "That's better."

"But what about the guest of honor?" Jester asked. "Are you sure he is coming?"

The Traveler smiled. "Of course, I have my ways. Now is your boy going to be here?"

"My boy? Wait, Caleb?!" Jester turned a bright shade of red. "We're not like that!"

"Oh that's a disappointment," the Traveler said.

Part of Jester agreed with him there, but she didn't want to put any pressure on Caleb and she had a feeling that he probably wasn't ready for that sort of thing. Maybe he'd never be, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from being friends. There were a lot of pretty people that she would've liked to kiss that she ended up just being friends with. "Caleb should be coming," Jester said. Nott said that she would bring him for Jester.

Caleb had completely stopped going to Professor Ikithon's class. It was going to ruin his grade, but his mental health was worth more than that. He was doing much better over the past week even though he remained quiet most of the time and still seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown. But he'd smiled once at Frumpkin. Jester saw it and it was his first smile in months. The only thing that would make things better was if the police or the university finally did something about Professor Ikithon. Though, if the art show went right, he shouldn't be a problem anymore.

The Traveler looked at his watch. "Showtime," he said with a smile.

******************************

It was a good day for Trent Ikithon. His meetings went well, and he managed to get a student to have a panic attack. He prided himself on his strict policies and ability to weed out weak students. Just the week before, he had finally managed to get 'Mr. Widogast' to drop his course. And with Professor Ikithon's course being a mandatory one for graduation, it was just a matter of time before Bren finally leaves the university. Why the mess of a boy was allowed back in was a mystery to Trent.

And now Professor Ikithon had been invited to a highly prestigious event at the fine arts center on campus. He hadn't heard all the details about it, but it was a chance for him to get some more influence if he played his cards right. A smug smile rested on his face. A perfect end to a perfect week.

That smile quickly left his face when he got to the event. An art show of some student apparently, but that wasn't what bothered Trent. It was the placard announcing the title of the show; 'The Dickithon Collection'.

“Professor Ikithon!” a bright cheery voice sang out his name. The voice belonged to a short, chunky girl with blue hair. “I’m so glad you came to my art show. It wouldn’t be the same without you.” She smiled a bit too much.

“This is your doing?”Trent glared at the placard.

The girl nodded. "That's right I'm the artist Jester Lavorre." She did a mock curtsy. "I have to admit that I was worried that you weren't going to come. You were the muse and inspiration for this show and my art.”

Trent raised an eyebrow. He never had much to so with the art department. "Am I now?"

"That's right." The girl nodded with more energy than Trent cared to deal with. "Allow me to present to you my show." She took him by the arm and dragged him to the first piece.

Trent grounded his teeth as he presented to a bust of himself. A bust of himself made entirely of tiny male anatomy. "Juvenile."

"I know, I know. It’s super obvious, but I just couldn't get rid of the idea once I got it," the artist said. "I think I did a good job using the different colored dicks to capture your liver spots."

Tugging his arm away from the annoying artist, Trent brushed himself off. "I will not be mocked in this way. You will hear about this later."

"But, you haven't seen the rest of the show," the artist said. "I think you'll find it super interesting."

"I highly doubt that." He turned to leave and went pale at the sight of a familiar photograph. It was one that he had of a certain dean in a compromising position. Or at least that was what the original was. This was a recreation of it, but with statues of once again male anatomy. There were more photographs just like it of the different pictures he had taken over the years for blackmail. Trent looked back at the artist. A big sweet smile was pasted over her face.

"I thought you'd find this fascinating. I worked really hard on all this," the girl said.

A rage filled Trent. "What do you think you're doing?! Is this blackmail?"

"Oh no, that's what you've been doing. No, I'm just expressing myself through my art. And I've got a lot to say."

"What do you want from me?" Trent asked. "Money? A scholarship? Guaranteed straight As?"

The artist shook her head. "I'm not interested in any of those things. I just want to show you the rest of my work. Now this next one I call 'Bribery in Dick Major'."

It was a collage of letters in the shape of male anatomy(the girl had a sick obsession with it). There was nothing special about the letters at first. They were all plain white paper on the schools official letterhead. But getting closer he realized that it was actually his letterhead. Trent read one and horror grew in him. All the names including his own were blacked out, but they were all about the bribes he had taken to let undeserving rich brats into the school.

"A little plain, true, but not all art has to be big and flashy. Some statements need to be quieter I feel. The next piece is on a much smaller scale, but it’s interactive." The girl dragged him to a pedestal with what looked like an ant farm on it.

She shoved the ant farm into his hands. On closer inspection, it was full of loose sand and small objects like a tiny camera and yet another piece of male anatomy. Trent was getting really tired of those. "You have to find the items on the list,” the artist said.

"And why are you having me play with a child's game?" Ikithon asked. She gave him a list. It seemed harmless enough at first. A mascot costume, a horse, those sorts of things. But then he noticed that they got odder. A bathroom door, a noose, underwear. Trent's heart nearly stopped when he realized that each one of those things were part of a scandal that he helped covered. The only thing that he couldn't remember anything for was a cat.

"Can you find all of them?" the artist asked sweetly. "I have to admit that I made it pretty tricky, but I think you're probably pretty good at this sort of thing. After all, you're good at hiding things."

Trent was seething by this point. "Listen here, you little trollop. I have ways of making you regret this. Don't think that you can just get away with this."

"Get away with what? I'm just putting on a fun little art show. There's one last piece that you have to see," Jester said as she led him to the final pedestal. A cloth covered it hiding the piece from view. "This is a private one. Not for everyone's eyes, but I thought that you should see it."

She lifted up the cloth revealing what it was hiding. It was a bathtub in the style that the dorm rooms had on campus on a much smaller scale. The tub held water in it that had a peculiar sheen and smell to it. Floating in it was a torn up yellow spiral bound notebook. The pages with all water logged, but the cover was still legible and had his handwriting. At first, it meant nothing to Trent, just a weird piece of art, but then he noticed on the side of the bath a scrap of paper was plastered to it and it read 'Bren' with a line through it.

"How did you? What did you?" No one was to know about the Bren experiment. The only information he had on it was hidden in his office. There were no witnesses, and it wasn't like Bren was able to talk about it.

The smile that the artist wore the whole evening now had fangs to it. "Oh, I have my ways."

Trent stared at her. She was a monster. "You pay for this. Just you wait." Somehow she must've broke into his office. He started to leave, but a hand caught his arm.

"Oh, please do stay, Professor Ikithon," said a man all in green with a lilting voice. "The police aren't done searching your office yet and really, since you're going to have to wait for them anyways, why not have some nice hor devours?"

“The police?”

The man nodded. “Oh yes, they were really agreeable with helping Jester. Though, we’d thought they would’ve gotten the warrant for your office long before tonight’s show, but we’ll just consider this as a happy coincidence.”

Trent sputtered. “You could’ve easily have planted that evidence. You won’t be able to prove anything.”

“That’s what a court of law is for,” the man said.

“Don’t think you can get away with this so easily,” Trent snarled.

The artist gave him an innocent smile. “Well, technically, we already have. Turn around.”

Trent turned around to see several police officers approaching him.

“Mr. Ikithon, you’re under arrest,” an officer said. “Anything you say can and will be used against you.”

Handcuffs were rough slapped onto Trent’s wrists and he was led away from the art show. "You will hear from my lawyer," Trent shouted as he was dragged away. He looked away and his eyes locked on a familiar sight, Bren and his ridiculous cat. "You! I don't know how, but this is all your fault!"

Bren turned towards Trent, but a crowd appeared between them and Bren disappeared from sight.

***********

Caleb was nervous all day about the art show. He had never been to that sort of thing before. Art was never really his thing, but if Jester wanted him there, then he'd be there. After Nott dropped him off at the fine art center, Caleb thought he heard Professor Ikithon and had the urge to run and hide, but when he turned Professor Ikithon wasn't there amongst the crowd. It must've been his imagination.

"Caleb!" Jester shouted. She was smiling at him and was in a beautiful dark purple dress.

"Hi. Am I underdressed?" Caleb was just in his normal clothes. He felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb next to Jester.

Jester shook her head. "You're not, but Frumpkin is."

"Oh, sorry?"

"Don't worry, I'll fix it." Jester pulled out a small bow tie and clipped it to the front of Frumpkin's harness. "There now he's all handsome."

Frumpkin pawed at the bow tie at first, but then he settled back down on Caleb's shoulder. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Come on, I want to show you everything," Jester said and she softly took Caleb by the hand.

Caleb raised an eyebrow at the name of the art show, but Jester just went on about how she was struck by inspiration. A laugh made its way out of Caleb forcefully when he saw that dick bust of Ikithon.

"You like it?" Jester asked sounding a little nervous.

He nodded.

"Oh good. I have to admit even though this was technically for a grade, I mainly made this for you," Jester said.

"Why?" Caleb asked. It didn't make any sense that she would do anything for him. This must've took her hours, and he just took up her time having her watch Frumpkin.

"Cause you're my friend."

Caleb stared at her in surprise. "I am?"

"Well, yeah. At least I thought so," Jester said looking down. "I'm sorry if I read into things, but I just thought we were."

"I thought you were Frumpkin's friend," Caleb said. "No one would ever want to be my friend."

Jester leaned forward. "But I do want to be your friend. We have fun together."

"But I'm sick and my brain's a mess and I'm pathetic and weak and dumb for always needing a cat and-"

Jester grabbed both of Caleb's hands, and suddenly it felt like all there was in the room was her. And Frumpkin. "Caleb! Caleb, you're none of those things. I mean, yeah, you're sick and stuff, but you're not pathetic."

"I barely spoke to you in weeks," Caleb said weakly. "I'm a terrible friend and you don't deserve that."

"And you don't deserve to be alone, Caleb. Ikithon was the worse to you and kind of completely screwed you over," Jester said. "I don't blame you for being sick and hurt."

Caleb searched her face to see proof of a lie, but she was being sincere. "You don't?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't. I want to keep being friends with you, Caleb."

"You do?"

"Yeah I really do," Jester said. "And do you?"

Caleb nodded so hard he could feel his brain rattle. "I want nothing more than to be friends with you, Jester."

Jester giggled and smiled the purest smile Caleb had ever seen. "Then here's to being friends."

_______________________________

Notes:

The next chapter will be the epilogue. I have to admit that I didn't expect this fic to be so long, but it was a fun one to write.

[marvelous-fiction]

art therapy

steve x reader (fluff)

word count: 1950

summary: steve doesn’t know what to expect when he shows up to art therapy, but it certainly wasn’t you 

“Mr. Rogers… Mr. Rogers… Mr. Rogers!”

Steve’s attention is pulled from the city skyline that he had been staring at listlessly. He lets out a small sigh as his attention shifts back to the therapist seated across from him. He felt a little guilty having not learned her name, however, she was the fifth therapist he’d seen in two months. The longevity of this particular woman wasn’t to be expected, so it probably didn’t matter one way or another.

She adjusts her glasses slightly, steely gaze regarding him. He shifts uncomfortably.

“Would you like me to repeat the question, Mr. Rogers?”

Steve feels color rising to his cheeks, “Yes, ma’am.”

Her thin lips press together in a small smile, “I had asked if you think these sessions are useful to you.”

The question catches Steve off guard, however, the answer is obvious. Ever since things had settled down, it had been decided (for him, not by him) that he should speak to a therapist twice a week. It made sense, to some extent; having jumped so quickly into a world he didn’t know, throwing himself into battle after battle, it would take a toll on anyone. He understood this was for his own good… but it didn’t seem to be doing any good.

“I’ll take your silence as a ‘no’ then.”

Steve nodded. He didn’t want to make her feel bad, it certainly wasn’t her fault.

“Of course, that’s certainly fine. This,” She gestures between the two of them in the small, plain room. “Doesn’t work for everyone.”

Steve lets out a small sigh of relief. For some reason, this feels like a bit of weight off his shoulders.

“However… you can’t get off the hook that easy.”

Steve watches curiously as she rips a piece of paper from her notebook and jots down a name and address.

She hands it to him, “I hope this helps.”

Steve stands outside, flipping the paper which was now folded and creased numerous times, before taking a deep breath, and stuffing it in his back pocket. He steels his nerves and push the door open. Bells jingle as he steps through the threshold, into what immediately makes him think of the aftermath of a tornado.

Plants big and small, flowered, prickly, and leafy decorate the windows cills, shelves, and a few tables. The room itself hosts long wooden tables and a scattering of chairs, all painted vibrant hues and patterns. Hanging from almost every inch of wall space are hundreds of paintings of every variety; oil, acrylic, watercolor amid drawings done with charcoal, pencil, pastel, from every subject from landscapes to portraits to seemingly random shapes.

He is so distracted by the visual stimulus around him that he doesn’t see the golden retriever bounding towards him until it’s right in front of him, tongue hanging out, tail waging. Steve smiles softly, bending down on one knee, complying to the obvious request as he begins to scratch the dog behind it’s ears.

“He likes you!”

The voice pulls his eyes off the dog and up towards arguably the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. The late afternoon sunlight that streams through the windows illuminates her in a way that makes her seem to glow. Her smile could’ve met up the darkest night, her eyes twinkling like stars.

Steve shoots up to his feet much to the displeasure of the dog who bumps its head into Steve’s leg as if to say, “Excuse me I’m still here.”

“Uh.… Hello, ma’am.”

She laughs and he swears it’s the sweetest sound he’s ever heard.

“God, please don’t ma’am me. I’m hoping I have another ten years at least before that starts happening.” She smiles good heartedly, holding out her hand, “Y/N L/N.”

Steve sticks his hand out, all too aware how sweaty his palms had become. “Steve.”

As he shakes her hand he has to remind himself not to stare. It proves to be a challenge…. and shit, he still shaking your hand. He pulls back a little too quickly. But if she notices, she doesn’t seem bothered by it.

“What can I help you with today Steve?”

The way she says his name is as sweet as honey. He wishes for a brief moment he could hear her say it a thousand times a day.

“I’m here for… uh… art therapy class.” He can feel his cheeks heating up again, but the kind smile that spreads across your face immediately quells his nerves.

“Well, that’s great! You’re a little early; I’m still setting up but you’re more than welcome to take a seat, look around, or play with Brady.”

You gesture to the golden retriever still giving Steve the puppy dog eyes treatment. Steve smiles, back scratching the back of his neck, “Alright, thank you.”

Holy crap. You try to call me a racing heart as you collect paint brushes from the back room. Were your handshaking? Yes. Yes, they were. But you were willing to cut yourself some slack as a literal adonis had entered your studio.

You love your job; you had worked so hard for so long and it paid off. You manage to create your own artwork as well as teach a variety of classes like art therapy, children’s morning art classes, and wine and art nights, to name a few. Lost in thought, you turn a little too quickly in the small supply closet and knock over a container of markers. They fall unceremoniously to the floor scattering on impact.

“Are you alright?” You hear Steve call from the main room.

You pop your head out of the small room, smiling embarrassedly, cheeks flaming.

“I just drop some supplies, it’s fine.”

Much to your despair, he moves away from the wall he had been examining and strides towards you, “Let me help.”

You step out of the room, still holding the paintbrushes awkwardly, to make space for the giant blonde angel now bending down to collect the markers in question.

“Oh! Thank you…” You nervously tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Not a problem at all.” Steve replies, gathering up the remaining escapees.

He stands, flashing you one million dollar smile, “Where should I put them?”

“Right over there would be great.” You gesture with the brushes to the container from which they had fallen. He quickly returned them, placing the lid carefully back on.

“Thank you.” You can’t seem to wipe the smile from your face.

“You’re welcome.”

How can anyone eyes be so blue? You have to remind yourself to breathe, although being so close to this handsome stranger has your heart racing.

“Hello?” A gravelly voice calls out from the front of the studio, forcing you to tear your eyes away from Steve’s.

You step back into the main space, investigating the new arrival. It was an art therapy old timer, and 80-something year old army vet with a gruff exterior, but a heart of gold.

“Hey, Stewart! Happy Thursday.” You place the the paintbrushes on the tables around the room as Stewart scoffs, shuffling towards his favorite emerald green chair.

“Bah. They ran out of glazed donuts down the street.”

You try to fight off the smile playing at the edges of your lips, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Stewart plops himself down in his seat, before his eyes land on Steve. His bushy eyebrows pull together as he points a bony finger in his direction.

“Who’s he?"

You reach into the small mini fridge on one of the counters and grab a Coke; Stewart’s favorite, and bring it over to him.

“This is Steve. He’s joining us today.”

Stewart grunts a thank you, cracking open the soda, “I used to look like that to, ya know.”

Now, it’s impossible to supress your smile, “I believe it, Stewart.”

Steve makes his way over to Howard’s table, “Do you mind if I join you?”

Stewart looks Steve up-and-down, “… You gonna try to talk to me about what’s hot on the inter-webs dot com or the newest game on your portable phone?”

Steve chuckles a little under his breath, “No, sir. That’s not me.”

Stewart nods once, “Well, alright then.”

The bell atop of the door rings again, pulling your attention from the touching scene, as you smile to welcome the newcomer.

Only a half hour into class and Steve feels more relaxed and at ease than he ever did in the confined space of the therapy room. The class is ten people concluding himself, and his friend Stewart. They had all at least smiled at him when Y/N introduced him, if not came over to introduce themselves. It seemed like a nice group, although he was a little anxious about the teenager who kept glancing at Steve and then back at his phone, a dubious expression on his face. He didn’t really want to be Captain America here.

But he’d worry about that later. Right now he was focused on his still life painting. Well, mostly focused.

Every few minutes, his attention is drawn back to Y/N. He peaks around his canvas, watching her eyes she leans over, pointing something out to a middle aged woman… Shelley, he thinks. Shelley responds, and the two of them laugh.

Steve find some self smiling at the very sound, in spite of himself.

“Keep it in your pants, son.” Stewards graft chuckle draws his attention back immediately.

“I’m not… I wouldn’t…” Steve stutters.

Stewart seems to find this even more humorous, “Calm down, this ain’t an interrogation, I was just messing with you. I don’t care what you do with your time.” Stewart dips his brush back into the paint, squinting a little at his work, before continuing his still life.

Steve glances back at Y/N, who swiped your hand across your cheek, as she smiled proudly at another student’s work, unknowingly leaving a streak of blue paint behind.

“Do you… uh… know if she’s… seeing anyone?” Steve asks tentatively.

Stewart glances back him, “Heh?”

“Y/N, is she seeing anyone?”

Stewart raises an eyebrow, “Not that I know of, but I also don’t go sticking my nose in other peoples’ business.”

Despite this old man’s sass-filled retort, Steve finds the smile has returned to his face as he begins mixing his paints once again.

You almost sigh in relief when the class comes to an end. You’re not sure you could stand the butterflies that have been fluttering around in your stomach much longer. The sun has long passed set, and as your students head out into the night, they wish you a good weekend.

However, one certain individual seems to be hanging back; Steve. He gives Brady one last pat before stopping in front of you by the door.

“Thank you so much… This was really great.”

“You’re welcome, you’re really talented Steve, I hope you can join us again next week.”

Steve scratches the back of his neck, a light blush dusting his cheeks, “Yeah, I’d really like to.”

“I’m… really glad to hear that.”

The two of you stand in silence for a moment. Should you say something? Was the silence a bad sign?

Before you can figure out your next move Steve hastily replies, “Thanks again. Have a great night.” He pushes the door open and quickly exits.

Your shoulders droop ever so slightly. You don’t know what you were expecting, but you secretly wished for a little something more.

You head over to a nearby table to start gathering up supplies, when the bells over the door ring out again.

You spin around to see Steve, breathing a little heavy, cheeks still pink.

“Would you like to get dinner with me sometime?” He asks, breathlessly, smiling softly.

You nod, a wide grin spreading across your face, “I’d love that.”

His face lights up, crystalline blue eyes sparkling, “Thank goodness."

a/n: i hope this was okay! i go to art school, but im not entirely sure what art therapy consists of, so my apologies for that! there might be a part two we’re really just gonna have to see how it goes :-)

[lukeysgirl]

Relentless | Calum Hood Series Pt.1

                                              Part O N E 

Request: Being the cousin of Ashton Irwin was exciting, especially when invited to their tour to hang out with his best friends. You found yourself becoming fond of Calum Hood, who finds you annoying from your constant appearance. But what would happen if you stopped giving him that attention?

Word Count: 3k+

A/N: ah, the first part of my very first series!! I hope you all enjoy and please do reblog a ton so more people can enjoy it! Thank you all for the support and I truly hope you enjoy xx OH also!! depending on how many notes this first part gets, ill resume this series steadily

Parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty. [DONE]  

                                              I M A G I N E 

LONDON, 13:05 P.M.

“Are you sure this is really okay, Ashton?” You mumbled, uncertainty playing at your voice as you tightly held the latch of your luggage. Your cousin, Ashton Irwin, looked back at you, giving you a smirk before he kept looking forward. 

“I wouldn’t have spoke with your principal if I thought it wasn’t okay,” Ashton announced as the two of you walked around the large airport. Guards surrounded the two of you as you spoke. Nervously clutching on your luggage, you take a big gulp and sigh. You even tightened your grip on one of the straps of the book bag you were wearing. 

“You’re right, but..” You paused, still unsure about everything. Accidentally distancing yourself and losing track of your thoughts, Ashton quickly took initiative and grabbed your luggage for you. “Ash–!”

“Y/N, stop worrying so much, alright?” Ashton spoke softly, with confidence written all over his wide smile. “Besides, I think this is a great opportunity for my favorite cousin to see the world! Especially when you get to see it with me and my best mates!”

“Mm, you’re right!” You chirped, your heart fluttering once more when hearing about travel with his best friends. You knew about 5 Seconds of Summer and were extremely fond of the boys as well as their music. 

It was nothing you’d brag about, but you grew up listening to their music. Living next to Ashton as a kid made it so easy as to listen to their rehearsals in the garage. You used to sneak over and hide outside of the garage as they played, becoming familiar with their tunes and memorizing lyrics. Soon, Ashton found out about your sly ways and rather than forcing you to avoid the band, he actually invited you to watch all of their rehearsals. 

“Try and have fun, okay?” Ashton cooed, patting your head with his large, calloused hand. This was a familiar feeling to you, as he always touched you this way whenever you were anxious or somber. It always recharged you when you were out of battery. “You’ve been with us before– we’re just 4 stupid boys in a crappy band always making the most out of every day.” 

“You’re not stupid!” You exclaimed, looking at Ashton sternly. He solely returned with a smirk and sly eyes, not believing in your statement whatsoever. “Not that stupid, anyways.” 

“We still haven’t matured completely so you’re gonna have to forgive us,” Ashton admits, having you snort as you guys reached the exit. As you did, you saw, first-hand, all the girls that crowded the pick-up area. Ashton had warned you about them, but you didn’t expect it to be so intense. 

“Ashton!”

“Ashton can we have a photo please!?”

“I love you so much, Ash!” 

Ashton smiled at them fondly, returning your luggage to you so he can take photos with them. You understood, smiling as you watched your older cousin interact with the people who loved him as much as you did. 

It always tickled your curiosity about the life of a celebrity. What was it like to be idolized? To be adored so much by people who don’t know you as much as your family did? Watching Ashton interact with them now, all content and eager, it makes you see how far that boy has come. 

Your mind then struck you with the thought of the other boys. Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford and… Calum Thomas Hood. 

Before you could even think, a guard politely touched your back, indicating for you to walk toward the black Jeep that had just pulled up. You nod, feeling your luggage get taken from your touch. A guard took it and began carrying it towards the jeep while the rest of the guards protected you from the many fans surrounding you. 

“Mm, everything okay, loser?” Ashton asked, poking the tip of your nose to grab you from your distant mind. You shook your head and smiled, rolling your eyes before entering the back of the car. 

“Shut up, dork,” you joked, receiving a playful nudge on the shoulder before Ashton closed the door. He pushed your side a bit, slightly squishing your body with his before he moved a bit away from you. “Ungh, you’re so obnoxious sometimes!” 

“Yeah yeah, shush,” Ashton chuckled, patting your head once more before turning towards you to converse. “Are you excited to see the other guys? It’s been years since you’ve seen those losers.”

“I am, actually,” you respond fondly as the car pulled away from the airport. Your stomach filled itself with butterflies just thinking about seeing the other 3. You always wondered how they grew up to look like and become. Surely you’ve seen recent photos, but there’s nothing like seeing someone in the flesh. Especially the boys you grew up with for a long while. 

“Luke and Michael are anxious to see you!” Ashton cheered, leaning his phone towards you so you can see the messages on the screen. “They haven’t stopped texting me about it since I left to come get you. They wanted me to update on everything. Just to make sure your flight was good, of course.”

“Mm, they’re so kind,” you reply with a small smile. You then looking down, feeling a bit of blood rush to your cheeks. You felt yourself grow shy, but you were itching to ask. “What about Calum?” 

“Eh,” Ashton started, putting his phone away. He crinkled his nose a bit and scratched the back of his head, in some sort of fake track-of-thought. “He didn’t really think much of it. When I told him, he just nodded and continued using his phone.” 

“Oh…” You mumbled, looking down at your feet distantly. Disappointment surged through your veins, but you didn’t want to show it. Covering your feelings with a wide smile, you nudge Ashton’s shoulder with yours. “Oh well, I’m ecstatic to see them!” 

The driver pulled over at the Lanesborough Hotel, one that you’ve heard so much about. Ashton calls it the bait for all ‘IT’ celebrities. Several maintenance came from the beautiful hotel, opening the door for you and Ashton as the two of you escaped the car. 

“Welcome back, Mr.Irwin,” one of the maintenance boys greeted, having Ashton nod his head at the polite gesture. “I hope your trip went well?”

“Mm, it was quite nice,” Ashton said, nodding at the polite worker before he went off to assist in carrying your luggage. You held your backpack tightly as you rushed to Ashton’s side. You watched as the maintenance workers placed your luggage on a trolley before waiting for Ashton’s guidance. 

Ashton nodded in approval before gesturing for you to follow. Guards swarmed you once more, new faces intimidating you as they helped you cut through the crowd of fans that packed the lobby. You glanced behind you to see guards surrounding the maintenance with your luggage as well. It was so strange to see how famous people are treated. 

“I hope you aren’t scared of heights,” Ashton said casually, walking down the luxurious red carpet that led to a huge elevator. He pressed the up button, seeing an elevator soon appear as it opened its doors to you. Entering, you quickly get behind Ashton as the guards, maintenance, and trolley enter the place. A few of the guards stay outside to ensure no fans enter. 

“Heights?” You repeat, bringing the topic back after the transition into the elevator. Ashton chuckled, pressing the Penthouse level before the doors closed and the elevators soon began to take you up. 

“We sorta live on the top floor of the hotel,” Ashton admitted. “We’re only gonna be there for like, two more days, but still. We could get you another room at the lower level if you’d like.”

“You sound like the pretentious manager of the place, Ash,” you giggled. You soon caught yourself and snapped your neck over to the maintenance that held your trolley. “N-no offense to your boss, of course, I’m sure they’re not entirely pretentious!” 

“Dummy.” Ashton patted your head, reassuring you as the elevator slowly reached a stop. Everybody allowed you and Ashton to leave first, having Ashton guide as you all followed. The door to the Penthouse suite was just a few steps forward, having you watch Ashton swiftly fish out his key card from his pocket. 2 guards were stood by the door, one at each side as they watched Ashton approach them. 

“Are the boys inside?” You whispered at Ashton as the hallway was holding a destructive silence. 

“Mm, they are.” With that, the drummer dipped his card into the slot, receiving a green light of confirmation before twisting the doorknob. Letting it open, Ashton held the door and gestured you in. You stood froze, nervous to even dare take a step in. Ashton chuckled, gently pushing your back as you tripped inside. 

You were introduced to another life, seeing a large window with a fantastic view of most of London. Leather couches were ornate with gold pillows and fuzzy blankets. They were set in front of a TV inches longer than the Wall of China. To the left held a kitchen suited for a chef that aced the culinary arts with more than a simple PhD. To the right held a doorway that probably led to a hallway of things unknown to you. 

“Boys!” Ashton called, scaring you back to reality as he urged you to enter the suite. You stood in awe, taking in everything as your luggage was placed delicately inside the suite. A few moments later, you hear the shutting of the door while Ashton popped up next to you. “My cuzzo is here! C’mon out, you lazy lads!” 

Quick feet were heard trotting down the stairs, having you question how many floors this suite actually has. You look over at the hallway, listening as the noise became louder from that direction. You then got a sliver of a face that got larger and larger as it got closer. 

“Holy shit, is that–?” Michael chirped, surprise painted all over his face as he stared at you intensely. You eye him up and down, seeing how pale and fairly thin Michael remained. But he was much bigger than before, there was more muscle. He was also much taller, which became slightly intimidating with those forest-green eyes of his. 

“Mikey? Oh my gosh–” you began, having been cut off as Michael grabbed you into his arms and gave you a tight squeeze. It was a big, warm hug, the ones you recalled this big dummy gave you all the time when you guys were younger. Even the scent of Michael Clifford remained, the scent of pizza and cheap cologne. 

“Y/N, how the fuck did you grow this big?” Michael gushed, holding your shoulders to push you back and eye you. “Holy shit, look at you!”

“I’m only like, a year younger than you, loser,” you joked as you reached up to touch Michael’s platinum hair. “Same goes to you, punkrocker. You seriously gotta keep away from the bleach, my dude.”

“I try, but the colors call to me!” Michael said wistfully, looking distantly at the ceiling as though he was a Broadway actor. You then look over to the blonde that was just a few inches behind Michael. 

“Luke?” You asked, shocked when he nodded his head. “Holy– look at you!” You ran over to the tall, lanky boy who was no longer a boy. Entering his arms, he gave you a tight, genuine hug. Pulling back a little bit, you looked up at Luke, who was smiling fondly at you.

“It’s been so long,” Luke responded, his voice deep and very hoarse. Your eyes widened at this discover, patting his chest as he held your arms. 

“Your voice!” You exclaimed, pointing at his Adams apple as he smiles widely. “It’s so deep and not so fetus-like anymore! Holy shit, Luke!” 

“Yeah, Daddy Long Legs over there really did grow some!” Michael pointed out, having your snort at Luke’s nickname. Luke rolled his eyes, letting you go before nudging Michael’s shoulder. 

“Fuck off, your legs are just as long and skinny as mine,” Luke pointed out, sassily turning away as Michael burst into laughter once more. You giggled, happily amused by your childhood brothers. It was absolutely breathtaking to see them transform from boys to men. It felt good, though, to see that their goofy personalities remained untouched. 

“Where’s CalPal?” Ashton wondered, hanging his arms over the boys’ shoulders as he looked over at Luke. 

“He’s upstairs, being stubborn and Skyping Mali,” Luke informs, rolling his ocean eyes. 

“He was being real stubborn though,” Michael said. “He was like ‘fuck off, leave me alone’ and what not. I don’t even know why– he hasn’t seen you in years!” 

“Mm, yeah, but he did find me quite annoying…” you awkwardly mutter, scratching your temple. “Don’t you remember that small crush I had on him when we were in middle school?”

“Aha, yeah!” Michael joked, rushing over to you as he put his arm over your shoulder. “But you were so cute and young– it wasn’t your fault that you fell for such a dashing boy like Cally.” You blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed to recall these memories. 

“Mm, let’s go find him, yeah?” Ashton suggested, receiving a nod from everybody before Michael began to guide you to the hallway.

He still held you, talking about all the exciting plans he had while you joined them on tour. You felt happy listening to them, but you couldn’t help feeling worried to see your first crush. It’s been years since you’ve seen Calum. You wondered as to how well he grew and if he still is the same, kind Calum as before. 

“Yo Calum!” Ashton shouted from behind as we reached the roof of the place. So this was the penthouse, you thought as Michael guided you over to the lounge. There were comfy-looking beach chairs propped around with umbrellas around the huge pool. Next to that was a barbecue area as well as a huge Jacuzzi. There was a bartender at the mini bar, shaking up a few drinks as he greeted you all. 

“Can’t you see I’m busy?” Your eyes darted over to the back of one of the occupied beach chairs. You saw a head of black hair, having it become a better view as Michael led the both of you closer. You became inches from the chair, looking from behind and above. You saw a small Mali in Calum’s phone screen, but heard nothing as it was muted by headphones he plugged in. 

“Stop being damn stubborn and say hi to Y/N!” Michael insisted, slapping the back of his head. Michael then escaped behind you as Calum let out a deep, frustrated sigh. 

“Gimme a sec, sis,” Calum spoke, his voice still as nasally as before. But it was much raspier than before and much deeper than it was a few years ago when you guys were younger. You watched as the tall boy removed his headphones and rose from the chair, stretching his arms a bit to adapt his legs to standing. 

Although you were looking from behind, you noticed the muscles built in Calum’s legs and his back. His biceps were quite huge, seeing a sneak peak of one of his tattoos as he stood. He was draped with a simple white tanktop and black basketball shorts. He was even wearing sandals due to the Spring, almost summer, heat. 

He dramatically turned around, having your heart stop immediately from the sight of Calum’s front. He held a stern, dull face, but still had you swooning over it. His chiseled jawline complimented his plump lips and chubby cheeks, seeing small freckles sprinkled randomly around his face. His big nose led up to those deep, almond eyes that took you back to the years when you saw the boy learning to play the bass. 

Your eyes danced down towards his torso, his shirt teasing you of his juicy pecks and ink. His toned body made you bite your bottom lip, having your eyes go down a little more to see the front of his legs. Though he was still a bit skinny, he had more muscle in him as well as his incredible tallness. His legs were super hairy, too, but that was expected from a man. 

Calum Hood was definitely no longer a ‘boy.’

“What?” Calum scoffed at you, breaking you from your fantasizing. Your eyes crawled back up to meet his, having blood quickly rush to your cheeks from the contact. His lips remained with this pout full of distaste. 

“Calum…” You said softly, awestruck from seeing your first crush glow up into a piece of irresistible ass. “It’s been so long… just, hi.” You were breathless, your words flowing unsteadily in the presence of the Maori boy. 

“Hi, just stay out of my way, okay?” Calum responded, his monotone voice plain and bored before he turned back and returned to his seat. He quickly plugged his headphones back into his ears, crossing his legs as he held his phone up. “I’m back, sis.” 

“O-okay…” you whispered, unsure as to how to take Calum’s response. Michael and Luke grabbed you into a hug. 

“Don’t mind him, he’s always this sour,” Luke informed, the two boys attempting to comfort you. And as much as you appreciated it, you couldn’t help but feel your heart sink down to your stomach. That once sweet Maori boy, the boy with the nasally, broken voice and shitty acoustic guitar. That boy who once wore the baggiest uniform and biggest smiles. That kind boy who once held words that nobody but you has heard before. That very boy that you fell deeply for was gone, and you couldn’t help but feel something break inside. 

The Calum Hood you knew years ago was no longer the Calum Hood you just met in the flesh. 

I really hope you all enjoyed this part. Let me know if you guys like it > ASK. Thank you all <3 

Gabby xx