#thanks hellsite (exasperated)

[tathrin]

Well, it turns out I'm a dumbass who doesn't understand how prompt-fills on AO3 work, so my LotR Secret Santa gift is a late delivery due to author-not-knowing-how-to-hit-the-damn-post-button-on-draft...but here it finally is, for anyone who wants to read a rambling meander on human genders seen through the eyes of a baffled elf and dwarf: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52665241

And more importantly, if you have not yet read the gift that was written for me, I cannot heap enough praise upon this masterpiece of Narvi/Celebrimbor/Sauron that oakenting Jarakrisafis created so please, go read about my favorite doomed ot3 of all time: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52667359

[1-800-kami]

R U MINE? feat. gojo satoru

gojo satoru has got to be the picture definition of a stereotypical college frat boy. he’s cocky, loaded with his daddy’s money, and dangerously handsome. it seems like common sense to stay away from him since you’ll never get more than a one-night stand out of it. 

that’s why you choose to turn a blind eye once you’ve come to the horrific realization: you’re in love with him. and you’re just itching to ask…

“are you mine tomorrow? or just mine tonight?”

IMPORTANT: part two is out! read here :)

content: 8k words, afab!reader, angst! fluff! heartbreak! n everything in between! implied smut, rich college frat boy gojo and hellcat driver geto 🤑, emotional rollercoaster, reader has a toxic ex, trust issues (?) gojo is absolutely insufferable, misunderstandings, use of words hoe, slut, etc., mutual pining, some jjk character cameos (wink wink) me writing very unfunny dialogue, no bc wtf is this, cheating implications, emo gojo (the worst warning of them all)

author's note: hello hello! my name is kami, i've been reblogging fics on tumblr for a while now but i've recently figured out how to work this hellsite, so i'm going to start posting fics that i write! thank you to those who enjoyed my nanami drabble <3 kisses 4 u all.

this fic IS split into two parts and there is smut in the second part. so just. prepare yourselves for that ig.

reblog and interact for a kiss ;)

“so… let me get this straight.”

“go ahead.”

shoko takes a deep breath, and you just somehow know that she’s pinching her nose in exasperation right now. “utahime dragged you out to a party in hopes that you would hit it off with somebody. you wander off on your own and later, she sees you and gojo–THE gojo satoru–giving you his number?!”

“uh, yeah. that’s exactly what happened.”

“do you even understand what you’re getting yourself into?! that man bags hoes like they’re pokemon!” you readjust the phone against your ear and sigh at shoko’s comment. 

“okay, first of all, never say that again. second, i rejected all of his advances. i didn’t even save his number.” you stare at the crinkled-up note in your hands, which proudly displays his number and a slick call me if you change your mind ;). you wonder if you could sell this paper to his fangirls–you’d surely make a little bit of cash out of it. “i’ve seen gojo around. i know that i shouldn’t mess with him. plus, he was drunk as hell at the party; i doubt he even remembers my name. to him, i’m just some chick that he’s frustrated at because she didn’t want to fuck him the second she saw him.”

“do you… do you share any classes with him?”

“i don’t think i do.. just, don’t worry about it, okay? i’ll throw away his number and we can put all of this behind us. here, i’ll do it right now.” you rip up the paper into a few pieces before tossing it in the garbage can. hopefully, you did it loud enough that shoko heard it through the phone. “i get that you’re worried for me. and i appreciate that, but i can handle myself.”

“just… no more mention of gojo anymore, okay? you’re right, y/n. let’s just put this all behind us.” shoko sighs, and you smile at that. problem solved. you threw away his number, and he’s most likely moved on to the next girl by now, so that was that. now, you just have to forget about satoru gojo.

all to never let yourself get hurt ever again.

it’s hard to forget about gojo.

not because of those dangerous blue eyes of his–getting anyone lost in them if they stare for too long. not because of his stupid silvery white hair, which makes him look like a mop, and sometimes like a paintbrush. not that stupid cocky grin of his, either…

...but because you’ve recently found out that he sits next to you for physics.

the revelation was truly disheartening. you thought you could avoid him for the rest of the year because as far as you knew, you shared no classes with him. however, you completely forgot about the fact that gojo never attends class in the first place, and you don’t even know what classes he’s in… because he’s never there. so finding out that the seat next to you in physics wasn’t just an empty seat, and it was gojo’s assigned one, was truly an experience.

“gojo.” the name alone makes your heart stop, and you drop your pen to look at the man your teacher was addressing. “finally choosing to attend class for once?”

speak of the devil.

there he was, in all his glory–the man you’d never thought you had to deal with ever again. the man who tried to butter you up with his corny sweet talk so that you would go home with him for the night. the man who persisted with talking to you, even though you were barely interested. the man, who, at the end of the night, insisted on writing down his number for you in case you changed your mind about him and gave him a chance.

you wanted to shrink into your seat and never resurface. 

“good morning, yaga!” he says rather loudly, with no regard to honorifics at all. a few giggles could be heard across the classroom–though geto suguru’s voice was prominent–satoru’s equally as infamous bestfriend. “and yeah! it’s surprising, isn’t it?”

what’s also surprising is how gojo took a seat next to you. you thought that there was a mistake, that your teacher would scold him for sitting somewhere he isn’t supposed to sit and relocate him elsewhere. however, yaga just grumbles and begins the lesson, leaving you helpless and unable to look at the man next to you.

you swear he’s burning holes at the back of your head.

pleasdon’tremembermeisweartogodpleasedon’trememberme-

“you’re that girl from the party, right?” he whispers, and you’ve never wanted to disappear so badly in your life. you slowly nod your head, turning to look at him, and he pouts. “y/n l/n. you never saved my number. hmph, i was looking forward to a text from you, too.”

“i’m surprised you even remember me, 'cause you were fucking wasted that night.” you twiddle your pencil, averting your gaze from the man. “and i never saved your number cause i threw the paper in the trash. it’s probably at a landfill somewhere, y’know.”

your words catch him off guard, and you laugh at how surprised satoru looks. it seems that’s definitely not an emotion he shows often. despite his initial reaction, satoru swears he could feel butterflies with the way your laugh sounds.

“not a common problem for a womanizer, huh?”

“what did you just call me?!-”

“y/n and gojo, do either of you have something to share with the class?” a dark blush of embarrassment covers your face, and somewhere in the back, you could hear geto snickering. gojo just smirks at yaga, seeming completely uanffected. “then i’d suggest you stay quiet the rest of this lesson. don’t make me separate you two.”

“i’d prefer that, actually…” gojo huffs at your comment, thinking of this as a lost opportunity if the two of you get separated. he does a once over at your appearance. you’re cute, but definitely not the party kind. you’re playing hard to get, and gojo finds it adorable–not a lot of girls go that way with him. however, gojo thinks you’re not just like any girl. there’s something different about you that intrigues him.

“did no one ever tell you that it’s rude to stare?”

“how could i not? you’re so cute.” 

“i thought you already learned from the party, gojo. i’m not interested in you.” 

the light blush coating your cheeks says otherwise. he smiles cheekily at the way you tried to hide your reaction to his words. you’re an enigma to gojo… and he’s drawn to you like a moth to a flame. he thinks he’s made his decision.

he’s gonna do whatever’s possible to get your number.

when the bell rings 30 minutes later, you shove your notebook into your bag, eager to finally leave the class that you had with that stupid paintbrush. that is, until he stops you with a question. “what class do you have next?”

he’s relentless. “why do you care?”

“i want to walk you to your next class,” he says, and smirks before saying his next words. “it doesn’t really matter if you tell me or not. i’ll just follow you anyways.”

you sigh, absolutely exasperated with him. he’s like a fly who keeps invading your personal space—always coming back no matter how many times you swat it away. he’s right, though. damn him for being stubborn. “i actually have this period free.”

“oh, sweet!” he chirps, walking with you out the door, making sure to greet geto before he leaves the classroom. “let’s go to the courtyard. i’ll buy you a drink from the vending machine-“

“i was gonna do that regardless if you were here or not.” you give him a look, and you can’t help but tug on your sleeves when you see people whisper to each other as you walk the halls with gojo. of course you’ve heard the rumors. the man next to you is the most popular guy on campus. girls glare daggers at you and the guys call his name, although he barely even acknowledges them. 

some common things that you’ve heard about gojo around the school are: “i heard he only talks to girls for sex,” “apparently his best friend geto is just as much of a player!” “i mean, who wouldn’t fuck a guy like gojo, though? he’s hot and loaded.” “that’s how he reels you in, though. he gets his hand in your pants and never calls you back again.” you know you should stay away from him, it’s common sense, but it’s hard to stay away from him when he’s the one who glues himself to your side. 

“well, now you’ll get a free drink and we’ll get to know each other! isn’t that great?” he smiles and you just grimace at his words. 

“i don’t need your money…”

“don’t care! can’t hear you!” he says, and you’ve seriously considered just making a run for it. at least you’ll lose him, and you’d finally be able to find peace for a bit. although, it would cause a scene, and gojo would probably end up finding you again somehow. 

“what can i do to get you to leave me alone?”

that piques his interest, even though he looks slightly hurt by your question. he thinks for a bit, and smirks. “i really do want to buy you something from the vending machine.. and i want you to spend your free period with me. i’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day if you do.”

“do you promise? like, actually?”

“mhm! pinky promise!” you feel like you’re talking to a prepubescent boy.

“then sure-“ you’re about to agree, but he cuts you off with one more condition.

“i also want your number.”

you feel like you’ve been cursed by a god, because having the most popular guy on campus be interested in you has got to be the most chaotic thing to ever happen in your life.

“what do you have me saved as?” 

the question comes from out of the blue, and you look up from the book you were completely absorbed in. you and satoru were at the school library, on a “study date” as he calls it, although it was more so just gojo inviting himself to wherever place you go, as per usual. this time, you have an exam to study for, and you explicitly told him not to bother you unless absolutely necessary.

you do have to say, though, he’s not annoying as you thought he was. he just nagged you way more the first day he sat next to you in physics so he could get your number. it’s been a few days since then, but still, you’d definitely be more efficient in your studies if you didn’t have him attached to your hip all the time.

“satoru, i told you not to bother me-“

“unless absolutely necessary. yeah, i heard you, and this question needs an absolutely necessary answer! contact names really say a lot about our relationship, y’know.”

“relationship? nobody ever said we were even friends-“

“don’t break my heart like that, babe. plus, you don’t call me gojo anymore! it’s satoru to you now,” his heart warms at that realization, and you scoff, especially at the pet name. “we are friends, unless you’d like to be something more...”

“if you say anything else i’m calling you by your government name. gojo satoru.” he looks especially wounded by that.

“ah! don’t do that, please. it feels like we’re a married couple and you’re really mad at me.” he cries and you can’t help but giggle at his words. you decide to entertain him a little bit, fishing through your pocket to find your phone. 

he almost passes out at what he sees on your screen.

“it’s just my number? you didn’t even save my contact?!-“

the shushes from your fellow students and the librarians aren’t even enough to calm gojo’s agony and despair. it also does nothing to stop your laughter, either.

from that day on, gojo’s contact was forcefully changed from his number to “satoru” (he initially added a heart, but you deleted it, much to his disappointment) and one of his many selfies from his stupid instagram account. how the hell can a college student even have thousands of followers?! you think. 

gojo just says that nobody can resist his shirtless post-workout selfies. you’re surprised that you didn’t slap him at his words.

you push him away.

everytime gojo buys your favorite drink, (it’s always on him, despite your genuine insistence in saying that you could pay for your drink just fine.) everytime he walks you to all of your classes each day, (he memorized your schedule just so he could do this) everytime he buys you your favorite foods on the rare instances that you let him take you out for lunch, (usually, this requires a lot of begging, and you mostly relent during class when you’re just exasperated and wanted to get some notes down.), and everytime he calls you by those stupid pet names of his, you think back to what the entire student body says about him, and you think back to your phone call with shoko, where she warns you to not associate with him so you don’t get hurt by anyone ever again, and you push him away.

you push him away even when you realize that if he just wanted you for sex, he would’ve stopped chasing after you when you didn’t text him after that night at the party.

and that thought alone scares you.

still, you’re not heartless. satoru’s been asking to take you out for a while, and you finally agreed to go today. he’s especially chipper about your agreement right now, walking with a slight pep in his step as he bit around his ice cream cone. 

the park boasts some beautiful scenery today, and little children are out and about. still, you underestimated the weather, and the cold uncomfortably nipped your arms as you internally cursed yourself out for wearing just a shirt. you crossed your arms as a subtle way to shield yourself from the cold.

“don’t play coy with me, y/n. are you cold?” satoru says with a cocky grin, and you huff at his question. surprisingly, he drops the teasing act and unzips his sweater, handing it to you. “here, take it.”

“satoru-“

“i’m not doing this to flirt or whatever you’re thinking right now. you’re shivering, and i’m just concerned for you, so please wear it.” he deadpans, and it’s the first time you’ve seen him be so… upfront? you kind of like it. it’s not him teasing you or him being flirty. it’s just him showing that he genuinely cares for you as a friend. you take the sweater with a nod and put it on, ignoring how your heart is thumping as you take in his signature smell. cedarwood with a little bit of musk. it’s not an overpowering scent, but it still envelopes your senses.

“nevermind. you look so cute with my hoodie on. i feel like we’re in a j-drama right now, y/n!”

you take back everything you just said.

a few minutes later, you two are near the kids playground when you decide to take a break from walking, sitting on a nearby bench with gojo. the chirping of the birds and the wind passing through the trees is quickly overpowered by loud crying. crying from the child right in front of you, in fact.

you’re about to ask him what’s wrong, but satoru beats you to it. he kneels in front of the kid, and coos, “hey, buddy. what’s your name, hm?”

he stops crying for a moment to look at gojo and shakily responds, “gumi-um, megumi fushiguro..” 

“megumi, huh.” he clicks his tongue for a moment. “why are you crying, megumi?”

“i-i don’t know where my dad is!” he cries, and satoru looks to you for help. you just shrug, unsure of what to do with the lost kid, until gojo’s face lights up, assumingly with a great idea.

“he’s most likely just around here somewhere. you can wait with us, and we’ll help you find him! say, do you want an ice cream to help you feel better, megumi?” the boy hesitantly nods, and satoru gives him a thumbs up as he takes him to the nearby ice cream stand. you’re watching this entire scene unfold, absolutely enamored with gojo for the first time. you didn’t think he had a natural talent with kids—but the way he’s making megumi laugh while he happily snacks on his ice cream says otherwise. an outsider could look at you three and assume that you’re just a happy family. 

you try to ignore how that makes you feel.

and as you wave goodbye to megumi once he eventually is reunited with his father again, (an intimidating man who gave you two an appreciative nod as he walked away with his son.) you realize something as you tug on the sleeves of your-satoru’s sweater. 

you’re in love with gojo satoru.

and fuck, that revelation scares you more than anything. the last time you had given your heart to a man, he had crushed it repeatedly until you decided that you would never let yourself be vulnerable like that ever again. 

and now, you're in love with your school’s notorious playboy—and it feels like you’re setting yourself up to be heartbroken again. you want disregard those rumors and shoko’s words so badly, but they still eat at the back of your mind even though the real gojo satoru is right in front of you, and he doesn’t match the characteristics of the gojo satoru in those rumors at all.

you also remember that he has one real best friend, geto suguru. you like to think that this is also what geto sees in gojo. the reason why he’s stuck around.

the reason why you want to stick around too.

you’re so busy in your head that you’ve just noticed gojo frantically waving his hand in your face. “earth to y/n? oh, good! i thought you had, like, a shock reaction from seeing megumi’s father. he looked a little scary, no?” 

“he looks like if a muscle came to life and started talking.” you whisper, and he laughs in agreement. burying your hands into the pockets of his hoodie, you smile. you don’t want to think about your current revelation with gojo right now. instead, you’ll stick with the present. and right now, you like the present.

you just don’t want to think about what this means for your future.

it’s the weekend, and you’re doing some work at the local cafe, gojo-free for once. only god knows what the man is doing at three pm in the afternoon on a saturday. not like you should be thinking about him right now, though. his presence alone has caused you to be behind on your studies, and you need to make sure you catch up.

you have to admit, you were a little unused to the silence. usually, the silence would be filled with gojo’s endless banter with you, as well as his terrible, corny jokes that are so stupid you can’t help but laugh. his seemingly never-ending presence was annoying at first, but now, you’re starting to yearn for his company.

it further fuels the pit of uncertainty in your stomach, and you hate it.

shaking your head with a sigh, you take another bite of your pastry and continue typing up the report on your laptop. the looming thought of this report’s impact on your grade and the need to pass this class helps you forget about satoru for a while. once again, you get lost in your academics.

the ring of the cafe bell breaks you from your trance. it was a natural impulse of yours to glance at everyone who entered the cafe, but once you did this time, you felt your heart drop down to your knees.

it was your ex. 

your ex boyfriend who destroyed the notion of love for you, because he made you feel it for a short time, only to throw it all into a pit of fire and leave you scrambling to find nothing but ashes. 

if you had to find the true roots as to why you’re so afraid to pursue a new relationship–you always find your ex in the center of it. and now, he’s right in front of you. you have to face him again when you refuse to shamefully admit that you’ve barely even healed from the emotional scars that he’d left behind. 

you feel as if an invisible hand has wrapped itself around your throat, blocking your airways and your ability to speak.

out of all the days satoru wasn’t here with you, it had to be this one.

“y/n? is that you, sweetheart?” you wanted to vomit at the way he said your name. he had no right to say it so sweetly, when all he’s ever left behind is venom. 

“i don’t want to talk to you.” you cringe at the way your voice cracks, and you avert your gaze from him.

“please, just hear me out for a minute, baby..” he coos, and you hate the way he talks to you as if you were a child. “i know i fucked up, and i can’t change our past… but i can change our future together. if you take me back, i’ll show you how much i’ve changed-”

you don’t know how many times you’ve heard that stupid line before.

“god, you sound like a broken record with how many times you’ve pulled that bullshit on me.” you spat, loud enough to draw commotion in the cafe. your ex has surprise written all over his face–most likely due to your non-compliance to his words. “what, do you say that shit to all your hoes?”

your ex looks around, shrinking a little when he sees all eyes are on him. “now, now, y/n, no need to be like that-”

“be like that… be like that?! you’re telling me to be civil when you’re the one coming in here wanting me back, spouting some bullshit saying that you’ve changed, when i told you to leave me alone already!” you scream, and you could feel the tears bubble up in your eyes. you look down, so you aren’t able to see how everyone’s staring at you with pity. god, you hate pity. it makes you feel weak and vulnerable. the two emotions you absolutely loathe. “i just want you to leave me alone, god. i hate you, why won’t you just-”

“you fucking bitch-” he makes a move to lunge at you, and you instinctively take a step back, pure fear enveloping your senses.

you never feel the impact, though, as you see your ex being restrained by the cafe worker.

you remember him. the man who took your order earlier. he was an older man with a warm smile on his face, although you noticed how his cheekbones were slightly sunken, and he looked a little overworked. you jokingly quipped earlier that he should get some sleep before thanking him for making your order. he just replied, i get that quite a lot.

the size difference between your ex and the man is enough to discourage him from fighting back. he makes quick work your ex, dragging him out the door while he hysterically screams profanities to you on the way out. you assumed the worker threatened to call the police, because your ex scrambled up from the ground and ran away. you hoped this was the last time you would ever see him again.

“are you okay, ma’am? he didn’t hurt you, did he?”

you didn’t even realize that the worker was back inside the cafe. everyone was gradually returning to their own businesses, with the eerie silence being replaced by casual chatter once more. you also didn’t realize how much your hands were shaking, and you huff out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “y-yeah, i’m alright, and he didn’t hit me. i just… need a minute,”

you decide that you aren’t gonna get anymore work done like this, so you pack your laptop into your bag and slump onto the seat with a sigh. you bury your face into your hands. “is it a long story?”

“oh, don’t even get me started.”

he laughs at that, and you ease up a little. “i told him i’d call the police if i ever see him around here again.”

“that’s good to hear. though i’d prefer if i never see him in my life ever again.”

he hums at your words, and he turns to look out the window. “it’s getting dark out. do you want me to call you a cab?”

“no need, i’ll call my boyf–my friend. i’ll call my friend. he’ll uh, pick me up.” you’re still so shaken up you barely even register what you said to him. your eyes are frantic as you turn your phone on and look for gojo’s name in your contacts. you don’t know why you want him to pick you up out of everybody. you could ask utahime or shoko right now, but you just wanted nothing more but to see gojo.

the bell rings again, and you flinch at the sound. thankfully, it was just another customer. the worker sighs. “well, these orders aren’t going to be done themselves. just wave me over if there are any other problems, okay?” 

you nod absentmindedly, and he turns to leave, but you stop him. “wait, sir, what’s your name?”

“kento nanami.”

“thank you so much, nanami. i appreciate it.” 

“i’m just doing my job.”

“your job is restraining crazy exes of college girls and kicking them out?”

“‘it comes with the job description.” he teases, and you laugh lightheartedly. “and your name is?”

“y/n l/n.”

“anytime, miss l/n. again, just please… call me over if anything happens.”

“will do…” you say, pressing the “call” button on gojo’s contact. the anxiety is hitting you again, and you take a shaky inhale. you’re surprised at how he picks up almost instantly. “hey… satoru? yeah, can you come pick me up, please? i know i don’t normally ask you to do something like this but-”

“did something happen?”

“a lot happened, actually… i’ll text you the address. please, just come soon.”

“of course, y/n.” you could already hear him running out the door, hearing the roar of his car engine coming to life. “i’ll be there as soon as possible.”

he gets to the cafe in five.

you wave goodbye to nanami, thanking him once more as you get in the passenger seat of gojo’s car. 

it’s not your first time inside here, but you still can’t help but admire how… expensive everything looks. or maybe you’re just looking around because you’re stalling, and you have no idea where to begin with satoru. 

however, you notice that he’s not asking you what happened, and he’s not forcing you to explain anything to him. instead, he switches the gear shift out of parking and says, “do you want me to take you home?”

your eyes widen at his words, and you shake your head no profusely. the last thing you want to be is home alone right now, mainly because your ex knows where you live. you know he most likely won’t go that far with you, especially since nanami knocked some sense into him… but the possibilities still scare you. you take a deep breath before saying your next words.

“...can you take me to your house? i-i’m sorry for asking, i just don’t want to be alone right now cause i’m terrified and-” 

“y-yeah. i’ll take you to my house.” he says, and you’ve never seen him so nervous in your life. it almost makes you laugh.

“i’ll explain everything later. i just… wanna be somewhere safe first.” somewhere safe. you find his house as a safe place. gojo doesn’t know how to react. his heart is thumping wildly out of his chest, but he makes sure to put your own comfort before his feelings.

“you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.” he says, maintaining his cool by keeping his eyes on the road, one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear shift.

“but i want to, satoru…” you say. you can’t believe you’re doing this again. you’re crossing so many territories that you were so afraid to cross because of your ex. now, you think you aren’t that afraid anymore. not if you have satoru by your side. 

you place one of your cold hands on the gear stick, interlocking it with his. is he… shaking? “thank you for this.”

still. there are so many things you can’t say to him yet. you don’t know when you’ll be able to… or if you’ll ever be able to.

i love you. i love you but i’m too afraid to say it. i just hope that you’ll be able to wait for me.

“god, you’re killin’ me here, y/n.” 

that pit of uncertainty in your stomach has grown so large you feel it's about to consume you whole. you don’t think you mind much, though.

the two of you are lounging at his couch after satoru insisted on telling you to make yourself at home. there’s a movie playing, with neither of you paying attention at all, takeout on the coffee table, two glasses and a bottle of wine after gojo didn’t know what drinks to serve, and freaked out by pulling the first expensive drink out from his parents’ alcohol closet. has he never properly invited someone to his home before?

“so in short, you had a crazy ex who saw you at the coffee shop… and he was begging for you to take him back, and when you went off on him he called you a bitch and tried to hit you…” he recalls, a huge grimace on his face. “tch. the cafe worker shouldn’t have let him go like that.”

“i’m sure he learned not to mess with me after getting humiliated in public.. and nanami did more than enough for me.” you retorted, and he gave you a sour look. 

“oh, so you know the worker’s name now?” he says, and you could feel the tension build up in the air. oh. so he wants to do this with you? “what, is he your knight in shining armor?”

“he looks like he’s in his late thirties, satoru. i’m not into older guys,” you roll your eyes at his absurd questions and add, “what’s it to you anyway?”

“what’s it to me, y/n?” he repeats your words, and you could feel an argument coming, like you already didn’t have an exhaustive one with your ex. “you know how i feel about you-“

“what the fuck is that supposed to mean?” your voice is getting louder, all to hide your fear behind the implication of his words. you distance yourself from him on the couch.. much like how you distance yourself from letting satoru get too close to how you truly feel. “we’re not even together, satoru. you don’t get to control the guys that i talk to- hell, have you even seen yourself?”

you’re rambling, and all you want to do is shut up, but you can’t bring yourself to. “i’ve heard what our school says about you. y-you’re a playboy, right? and you only ever talk to girls because you wanna fuck them. i’m not stupid, satoru. i’m not different from any of them, right? you only chase after me because i’m playing hard to get and that pisses you off-“

“what… what are you even saying, y/n?” he asks, and it stops your rambling for a moment. you don’t know what you’re saying. you’re pouring out all the reasons why you’ve tried to push him away, the reasons why you were so afraid to give your heart to him. but now that you say them out loud, they sound outright stupid. 

“i started coming to class just to talk to you, i memorized your schedule just so i can walk you to class every morning. i buy you all your favorite food and drinks… i had to memorize your favorites too, by the way. and i have shit memory.” he’s screaming at this point, and you’ve never had satoru scream at you. there are unshed tears in his eyes, and it’s all overwhelming to watch this unfold. “and when you called me, i drove as fast as i could to you because you never call like that and i was fuckin’ worried!”

“so let me ask you a question, y/n… would i do all these things for you just because i want you in my bed?! i’d do anything for you, and you know that!” he’s crying. the gojo satoru is crying, and it’s all for a girl. if you told this to someone in your school, they’d call you a shit-faced liar. gojo satoru doesn’t cry for a girl. he makes them cry.

“i’m sorry for being skeptical, satoru! i just can’t help it when there’s so many rumors about you wanting to fuck girls just for the shit of it – and i’m conflicted on whether or not i should believe them because i want you so bad and i’m scared you’ll end up just breaking my heart and i don’t want that to happen again-”

he cuts you off. “you… what?”

you’re confused at why he looks so surprised, but then you backtrack on your words and you gasp. fuck. why did i say that? you cover your mouth and look away from him, refusing to meet his eyes.

those stupid blue eyes that you know you can’t get enough of.

“y/n… can you please say that again? i don’t want to do anything if i didn’t hear you right.” his voice is soft now, and you swear that you’re dreaming. this isn’t real. right? i’m gonna wake up soon. you dig your nails into the palms of your hands, leaving half-moon marks in their wake. it doesn’t work, and you don’t wake up, and you know you have to accept the fact that this is very real and it’s happening.

this is the worst leap of faith you think you’ve ever had to take in your life.

“i want you so fucking bad, satoru. and i’m realizing that you’re not just the stereotypical rich playboy that everyone talks about on campus—you’re a really great guy, and i guess i’m just scared to face that-” you don’t even realize that satoru’s got you cornered on the couch, and you can’t finish your words as he slots his lips against yours. hard. it’s the most passionate kiss you think you’ve ever had in your life, and it’s got your breath taken away in seconds. holy shit.

you quietly moan against his lips as you kiss back, cupping his face with your hands and wiping his tears away. you wish this moment would last forever, but you pull away so you can breathe. you meet gojo’s eyes, and they’re clouded with lust and desire, but you could tell he’s still a little uncertain. “we’ll talk later… just take me to the bedroom already,”

gojo doesn’t need another confirmation from you, and he lifts you up to carry you to his bedroom, practically tripping on his feet the way there.

a few hours later and a noise complaint from the neighbors, it’s safe to say that gojo satoru was the best one you’ve ever had.

“god, i’m never letting you go, baby.”

he’s tracing hearts onto your bare back. it’s littered with bruises and red scratch marks just from a few minutes ago, but you’ve never felt better in your life. you stare at the man who invited himself into your life just from an encounter at a party, and you thank your lucky stars that you agreed to go with utahime that night. “is something wrong? you’re starin’ again.”

“i’m sorry it took me so long to trust you. i’ve just been scared to open up my heart again, especially after him.” you don’t have to name “him” for satoru to understand. 

“i’m sorry too. i just got angry about the rumors and i also disregarded the fact that you’re scared to love again after your ex did all of that shit and-” he pauses, and sighs. “sorry. i’m rambling again.” 

he pulls you into another kiss, and this time, it’s sweeter, lighter, and full of love. “i’m going to show you what it looks like to really be loved, because it’s definitely not the shitty picture that your ex painted in your head. there’s way more to it than that.”

“i love you, y/n.”

“thank you, toru.” you whisper. maybe, one day, you’ll be able to find the courage to say it back. and it’s okay, because gojo is willing to wait an eternity for you. 

he’ll wait an eternity for you to teach you how to love again.

“look at how beautiful you are…” gojo says, appearing out of nowhere as he wraps an arm around your waist. you yelp, staring at your boyfriend through the mirror. he’s wearing a classic black tuxedo, with no doubt it being very expensive. it compliments the glimmering rolex on his wrist, and the thoughts running through your head about him and his outfit sets fire to your stomach.

“look at yourself first, toru… god, we should just stay home,” you tease, turning around to pull him into a deep kiss. it’s a friday, and gojo’s taking you out to attend geto’s party tonight. the two of you are going for several reasons. he wants to introduce you to his bestfriend, since you realized that you’ve never actually formally met geto before. it’ll also be your first formal “couple appearance”, as if gojo being attached to your side all the time doesn’t say enough about the two of you already. 

gojo pulls away, which surprises you. you pout at the expression on his face. “as much as i want to, suguru’s been bugging about you all week. i really do think it’s time for you to meet him,”

“hmph. alright.” 

“i’m tearing that dress off of you the second we get home, though.”

“satoru!”

“what?! not my fault my girl looks so damn hot all the time!”

this night is going amazing.

when satoru walks with you through the front doors, arm wrapped around your waist and the dress you picked out for tonight glimmering, you feel a little shy. the guys all whistle at the two of you, and the girls whisper amongst each other, but you and gojo don’t care. in his eyes, you’re the only girl he sees. the only girl worth being with here. 

“wanna go get drinks?” he asks you, cerulean eyes showing underneath his sunglasses. you nod, walking to the kitchen with him. you’re getting severe deja vu… you can’t believe you met gojo at the last party you were at. and now you’re at another party, with gojo as your date. you scan the crowd for utahime or shoko, wondering what you would say to them if they saw you with the man they specifically told you not to mess with.

it’s alright, though. shoko was wrong about those rumors, and gojo’s proving it to you.

“satoru!” the playful voice greets your boyfriend, and you turn to see geto suguru. you’ve seen him around campus, and he sits somewhere in the back of your chem class. you haven’t really had the opportunity to talk to him, though… and he looks a little intimidating.

“you must be y/n,” he says, offering you a freshly opened smirnoff from the drinks on the countertop. you thank him and grab the drink, taking a swig.

“yup! my lovely girlfriend,” gojo lets go of his arm around your waist to grab a drink. 

“you probably don’t know this, but i’ve been his wingman.” he smiles at gojo, who’s pouting, like he’s preparing himself for what suguru is about to say. “he’s batshit crazy for you, its insane.”

“oh? do tell.”

“when the two of you got together, he left me a voicemail at like… four in the morning? anyway, he was screaming about how he was the happiest guy in the world… or something.”

“that’s because i was!” you’re laughing at how unashamed satoru is about this.

“yeah, yeah, whatever.” geto clicks his tongue, pulling out his phone. “and he’s reposted you on insta to like, every drake song-”

“alright, me and y/n are gonna go dance.” he interrupts suguru, and drags you away from his best friend with a yelp. “nice talkin’ to you, suguru!”

“hey, i wanted to know more!-”

“shh, you don’t need to know about all of that.” the two of you are in the living room, in the midst of all the bodies dancing and grinding against each other. he pulls you close to him, and you feel his hot breath against your neck. “you look so beautiful tonight, y/n.”

“same for you, handsome. let’s dance, shall we?” you wrap your arms around him and just sway to the beat. you’ve never been much of a dancer, but everything feels natural as long as gojo’s with you. 

suddenly, the music changes, and one dance starts playing. you two look at each other, and you both burst out laughing at the same time. “have you reposted me to this song?”

“duh. it’s a classic.”

“can’t disagree with that.” you say, finding yourself grinding against satoru while wizkid’s part plays in the background. it feels like such a perfect night–you’re pulling satoru into a deep kiss, and he shoves his tongue down your throat while he’s leading you to a nearby couch. you’re seated on his lap, mimicking practically every couple in this party tonight. 

suddenly, you pull away, and you whisper, “i need to use the bathroom.” 

satoru smirks at your words, thinking that it’s a hint for something else, and you give him a sour face. “want me to join you-”

you hit his chest playfully. “that’s not code for anything, you perv. i actually need to piss.” 

he’s pouting at your words, but he lets you off his lap anyway, and holds your drink for the time being. “it’s at the second door in the hall to your right. be quick, please.”

“no duh. i’ve got a cute date to come back to,” you say, walking away and traversing all of the bodies that smell like sweat and alcohol. you’re a little unused to this environment, but it’s alright. you fix up your makeup in the bathroom and freshen up a little, walking back to the living room to find satoru again. 

you wish you never did.

you were gone for four minutes. five minutes max. you come back to satoru, and your breath hitches at the sight.

on his lap was a random chick that looked like every other girl at this party. she was practically naked, since her outfit didn’t do much to cover her skin at all.

fuck.

you remember the first time you saw gojo at the last party you went to. the sight wasn’t that different compared to the one now. there were girls all over him, all fighting for his attention. and yet, it seemed that night, his attention was focused solely on you.

what bullshit that was.

your eyes are blurry, and the music is muffled in your ears. white noise fills your senses, and all you want to do right now is run.

so you do.

you run, not caring if gojo saw you at all or not. you run out of the party, eternally grateful that you didn’t pick out heels for tonight and settled for much simpler shoes. you run, despite the fact that you drew geto’s attention. you were already out the door before he could ask what was wrong. you run, just wanting to get away from everyone and everything. you run with no particular destination in mind. you stop running when you almost get run over on a red light, the car honking at you–screaming profanities as it drives by. it breaks you from your trance, and you sit on the curb of the sidewalk, letting all of your tears out on what was supposed to be a perfect night.

of course gojo didn’t think that you were different. you were just like every other girl to him.

stupid. stupid. stupid. you’ve never felt so stupid in your life.

when geto sees you running out the door with unshed tears in your eyes, he immediately panics. what the hell happened?

he goes through every room of the house, trying to find gojo, when he hears a bunch of commotion in the living room. he runs there, pushing past everyone, only to find a total disaster inside.

he sees gojo screaming at a girl dressed like a stripper, who was on the ground with tears in her eyes. satoru looks like he’s about to pop a blood vessel with how pissed he looks. there’s a crowd forming at this point, and geto knows he needs to intervene, so he drags his bestfriend away, who looks so distraught that geto could just wonder what the fuck happened.

they’re outside now, and its significantly a lot more quiet out here compared to all of the chaos inside. all the noise is coming from gojo—who won’t stop crying, and geto has no idea what to do or where to even begin. “fuck!”

“dude, what the fuck happened!?” satoru looks like he’s feeling every emotion at once. he looks pissed, pissed enough to punch a wall, and geto’s a little afraid that gojo might actually do that–or worst-case scenario, punch him. he’s crying, and geto hasn’t seen gojo cry ever since he fell off a swing in pre-k, so what happened must be really fucking serious.

“i don’t KNOW what happened, goddamnit! y/n went to use the bathroom and some slu- some girl came up to me and threw herself on my fucking lap! i was gonna tell her to fuck off but y/n saw before i was able to and now she’s gone and she probably thinks that i’m just some cheater when i’ve worked so hard to get her to trust me and-FUCK!”

he stops, trying to calm down a little, and gojo takes the shakiest breath he thinks he’s ever taken in his life. the red in his vision starts to fade, but he still feels helpless. “i just don’t know what to fucking do, suguru.” 

“i just saw y/n run out of my house a few minutes ago.” he says with a grimace, and he’s trying to figure out what to tell his bestfriend. “i’ve never seen you like this over a girl before. holy shit, you really love her, do you?”

geto thinks that gojo’s bloodshot eyes, the brutal names that he called that girl at the party, and the tears he’s shed for you are already an answer.

“this is your last chance to prove it to her, satoru.” geto fumbles through his pockets and hands him the keys to his challenger. gojo snatches them, hearing the car engine rumbling itself to life. the white-haired man thanks his best friend as he steps into the drivers’ side, with geto reassuring him, ‘ill deal with the chaos inside, you go ahead and explain yourself to your girlfriend’.

gojo swears that he’s never driven so fast in his whole life.

part 2 :)

[no6secretsanta]

Winter Love

From: @captainxan

For: @i-resent-this-hellsite

Their prompt: Most just about the main pair being happy. Maybe their reunion, or Au's welcome as well

Story Summary: Shion has been kept busy with a community project for the past month, so to make it up to Nezumi, he takes the day off work to get some last-minute Christmas shopping done together. Of course, shenanigans ensue.

*

“Here you go, Nezumi, dear.” 

“Thanks, Karan,” he responded, smiling as he took the Tupperware from the small woman. 

“Do tell Shion he works much too hard and that he should make some more time for his mother from time to time,” she said sternly, placing her hands on her hips. 

He found his smile widening, “Will do.”

She patted him on the shoulder, giving him a motherly smile, “Thank you, dear. See you tomorrow.” 

“See you tomorrow, Karan,” he repeated before leaving the bakery where they both worked. 

Nezumi had been working for Shion's mother for a few years now, and the three of them usually had dinner together a couple of times a week. For the past month, though, Shion had been working on a community project which kept him busy at all hours of the day and had resulted in him frequently calling to let them know he wouldn’t be able to make it. 

Nezumi knew how much working for the city meant to Shion, so he couldn’t blame him for how earnestly he threw himself into all of his projects, but at the same time, he was starting to miss him.

Not that he would say that out loud. 

After putting Shion’s leftovers in the fridge and feeding their pet rats, Nezumi settled down on their couch with a new book Shion had gotten him a few days prior. The other man had told him that while hurrying between meetings, he had seen it in a bookshop window, which made him think of Nezumi, and bought it immediately. 

Nezumi had gagged at the sappy story, but he knew (and knew that Shion knew) that he would read the entire thing, cover to cover, even if it was the absolute worst piece of garbage ever written, and give Shion a full literary review to prove that he had. 

As smart as Shion was, he didn’t like to read as much as Nezumi did.

What he did like was listening to Nezumi retell him the stories, head resting in his hands, nodding along, and asking clarifying questions as if he couldn’t just read it himself. 

“I like the way you describe things,” he had once said in his stupidly honest voice, and at that moment, Nezumi knew he was well and truly fucked. As much as he liked to pretend to be put off and bothered, he couldn’t say no to Shion in any capacity. 

“I’m home-” a soft voice called out as if summoned by Nezumi’s thoughts. 

“Hello, beloved,” Nezumi responded sarcastically, and he saw Shion jump in surprise. 

“Nezumi! I didn’t expect you to still be up at this time.”

“And I didn’t expect you to come home so late. I guess we’re both confused.” 

“Are you…mad?” Shion asked hesitantly, toeing off his shoes in the doorway. 

Nezumi sighed, setting down his book and gesturing Shion closer, “I’m not mad. I just-” 

“Just-” Shion prompted, sitting next to him on the couch and resting a light hand on Nezumi’s knee. 

“Karan says you should visit more. You haven’t come by the bakery in almost three weeks,” he said, reaching out to flick the other man on the forehead. 

“And what about you?” 

“What about me? I live with you.” 

“Have you not missed seeing me around as often?” Shion asked, batting his eyelashes prettily. 

“Not particularly,” he said, shrugging. “Karan is better company, anyway.” 

Shion let out a whine before throwing his head back against the couch and closing his eyes in exasperation. 

It was only while his eyes were closed that Nezumi let himself smile at the other's antics. 

“So does that mean you won’t care that I’m taking all of tomorrow off to spend more time with you? Or would you rather spend that time with my mother too?”

“I didn’t say that. Taking tomorrow off? Whatever shall we do?” Nezumi asked, leaning forward and smirking suggestively.

Shion placed his hand directly over Nezumi’s mouth before he could close the distance between them.

“I thought we could go Christmas shopping? Oh! And maybe we’ll have enough time to catch the tree lighting too?”

Nezumi carefully wrapped his fingers around Shion’s wrist to lower his hand away from his mouth. 

“You want me to take the day off work so we can walk through packed department stores and then watch a tree get plugged in?” 

“...yes?” 

Nezumi sighed, “I’ll text Karan now.” 

Shion gave him a wide smile before practically tackling him onto the couch.

*

The next day found them in the overcrowded mall, weaving through people who had also waited until the last minute to go Christmas shopping. 

Nezumi would have been more annoyed, probably start griping about just taking their chances with online shopping, but Shion’s hand in his own, and the very large cup of hot chocolate the other man had gotten him were staving off his complaints for now. 

“Nezumi! Look at that!” Shion suddenly said, pointing. 

“What?” he asked, looking around confused.

“You’re looking right at it! That sweater!”

Nezumi wrinkled his nose at the monstrosity Shion was currently pointing out to him- a bright green fuzzy sweater decorated with garland and small ornaments to look like a Christmas tree. And if that wasn’t bad enough… it was a two-person sweater. 

“We have to try that on!” 

“I’d rather die,” he responded flatly. 

“Nezumi come onnnn- Christmas only comes once a year!”

“It’s not Christmas yet,” he countered, choosing to be difficult. 

“Don’t be a Grinch! Let’s go!”

And though small, when determined, Shion could be pretty strong. He gave Nezumi a hard yank toward the open door leaving the other man with the choice between spilling his hot cocoa while letting himself be manhandled or just going along with the insistent pulling.

With a groan, he followed Shion into the brightly lit store, which was playing some shitty song Nezumi had probably heard at least five other times in the past couple of hours alone. 

Shion immediately zeroed in on the double sweater and made a beeline to the rack, holding it up with a triumphant smile. 

“Shion, I would rather you just shoot me than have that anywhere near my body.” 

The white hair man pouted prettily before turning toward the nearest store employee to ask if they had a dressing room. 

When they pointed it out, Shion looked at Nezumi expectantly until he let out a long-suffering sigh and followed him across the store to the fitting room. 

Once they closed the door, Shion wasted no time stripping out of his outer layer to slide into his half of the sweater. He gave himself a satisfied nod in the mirror before holding up the side Nezumi was supposed to fill. 

“Humour me, please,” Shion said, batting his impossibly long eyelashes, and Nezumi found himself praying to any god that would listen to give him the strength to not fold at this moment.

“What did I just say literally five minutes ago?” he asked, trying to find some way to avoid getting into the awful sweater. 

“I was hoping you would have changed your mind. You’ve already done half the work by getting in here with me!” Shion pointed out before using the hand that wasn’t currently swallowed by the sweater to pull on Nezumi’s leather jacket. 

He tried to hold out, but after a solid minute and a half of Shion whining like a damn baby, Nezumi tsked and began shrugging out of the jacket. 

“Fucking fine-” he said, feeling defeated. 

Shion cheered as he helped him into the sweater, their arms pressed close together, and their fingers seemed to lace together almost on their own. 

He took a moment to examine them in the mirror, and he had to admit…

It looked even uglier than it had on the mannequins in the store window. 

Nezumi looked and felt like Christmas had vomited all over them. 

While distracted by the bright green atrocity, he vaguely registered Shion whipping out his phone just a moment too late to stop him from capturing a burst of photos.

Nezumi cursed loudly, reaching out to grab the other’s wrist, but Shion found a way to keep the phone just barely out of reach. 

“Shion, I swear to god, if those photos ever see the light of day, I will kill you.”

“What was that?” Shion asked, holding his phone up high and snickering, “I can’t hear you over the sound of me making this my phone background.”

Nezumi had to fight the urge to wrap his fingers around the other's neck.

“Don’t be mad-” Shion said when he finished, pressing kisses to the side of Nezumi’s face. 

He tensed, pretending to be unaffected, until Shion started trailing his lips toward his neck. 

Nezumi turned his face to meet the other’s eyes, “I’m not mad, stupid,” he leaned forward to punctuate his sentence with a kiss. “We’re not wasting our money on this shit, though.”

*

The newest thing Shion had bribed Nezumi with to keep him in check was a giant candy cane that the absolute menace kept leaning over to take licks of, even though Nezumi had told him to just get his own. 

The tree lighting was taking place in a big (equally as crowded) plaza full of vendors selling food, clothes, trinkets, and other useless shit. 

Shion was determined to visit what seemed like every single one of them. 

They were at a crystal stand selling a variety of brightly colored gems in different jewelry forms. 

“Do you think Inukashi would like this?” Shion asked, holding up a piece of what Nezumi thought was possibly Lapis Lazuli. 

“I don’t think they like anything outside of dogs.”

“Hmm- you’re right. I wonder if we can find anything dog-related,” he said absentmindedly before starting to trail off again. 

Before he could get too far, Nezumi stopped him with a sharp tug on his hand. 

“What is it?” Shion asked, tilting his head. 

“I think Karan would like this,” he said, pointing to one of the necklaces. “It’s the same color as the flower you’re named after.”

“You’re right! Let’s get it,” Shion said, quickly reaching for his wallet. Nezumi felt vaguely pleased as Shion simply handed over his card without even asking about the price beforehand, confident that his mother would enjoy it because Nezumi said so. 

Once the necklace was wrapped up, they came across a stall selling art prints, other small trinkets, and handmade items. 

Nezumi waited a bit as Shion absentmindedly flipped through some prints, even willingly offering up his candy cane, before deciding to have some fun. 

“Are you going to get anything for Rikiga?” he asked conversationally. 

Shion suddenly crunched down on the candy cane, frowning hard at hearing the name of his moms ‘friend’. 

He shoved the candy back at Nezumi and quickly looked around the stall, picking up a small knickknack seemingly at random. 

“I’ll get him this,” Shion said, holding the tacky keychain as if it would summon the middle-aged man if he weren’t too careful. 

Nezumi snickered at the reaction, going back to flipping through his own stack of prints as Shion went to pay. 

It only took him a moment to locate the prints he was looking for: a series of prints depicting colorful pastries accompanied by absolutely terrible puns that he knew Karan would love. 

He had already gotten her a deep blue scarf that was sitting at home, and Shion had just bought that necklace, but he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to get her a little something extra. 

He could already see them hanging up on the bakery wall. 

“What do you got there?” Shion asked, leaning his head against Nezumi’s shoulder. 

“New prints for Karan,” he said, turning the stack so he could see the one on top. 

Shion hummed, “if you keep this up, you’ll become my mother's favorite.”

“It’s too late for that. I already am,” Nezumi responded, smirking. 

*

Once he paid for the prints, they wandered around for a bit more before finally finding a stall of promise.

“How about this for Inukashi?” Nezumi asked, holding up a dog collar, “We can get their name engraved on it and everything.” He gestured to the bone-shaped name tag. 

Shion let out a loud laugh, “That’s mean.” 

“This?” Nezumi asked again, this time offering up a bright green dog bowl, “Or maybe this instead?” A rubber chew toy.

By this point, Shion was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. 

“Nezumi, stop,” he took the bowl and toy from his hands and set them back down on the table, still smiling widely. 

“Then how about this?” he said, choosing to stop being difficult and pulling out a flat parcel to hand over to Shion. 

Shion took it in his hands with a curious face before reaching inside to pull out a print of a dog that eerily looked like the one Inukashi sometimes referred to as their mother. 

Shion cooed, “This is perfect. When did you get it?”

“Maybe you should pay more attention to me,” he said, shrugging and sticking out his tongue but refusing to give away all of his secrets. 

Shion hugged him, “Thank you for finding this.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nezumi brushed him off, rubbing his hands up and down the other’s back a couple of times before pulling away, “Now- let’s go find a good spot for the tree lighting, yeah?” 

Shion smiled, grabbing Nezumi’s hand and leading him toward the stage where the tree was set up. 

Once Shion settled on the perfect viewing angle, he tucked himself into Nezumi’s side, wrapping his arms around his waist. 

Nezumi resisted for a moment before giving in and draping his arm across Shion’s shoulders, bringing him in closer. 

Shion hummed happily, and Nezumi rolled his eyes at how easily pleased the other was. Not that he was complaining. 

He was too caught up in the feeling of Shion in his arms to pay attention to whatever the speaker on the stage was saying. 

Something, something, my honor to something…

It all faded away to background noise as he watched Shion, eyes sparkling and practically vibrating out of his skin with anticipation as a countdown started. 

Nezumi finally turned his attention back to the stage when the tree was turned on, the lights traveling up the pine needles in various shades of red and green, gold and white.

“This is nice,” he murmured amidst the cheering that had started up around them, leaning his head on Shion’s. 

“Oh?” Shion asked, pulling back to look at Nezumi teasingly, “What’s this? Are you enjoying seeing a tree get plugged in?”

“I…admit to nothing,” he grumbled in response. 

Shion laughed, pressing a quick kiss to Nezumi’s shoulder.

“That’s fine. I can admit it for both of us. I’m glad we were able to do this today. I love you,” he said softly, right up against Nezumi’s ear. 

Nezumi pressed a gentle kiss to Shion’s temple.

“I love you too,” he said, drawing the other man back in for a hug, “Should we start heading home?”

“Can we look at the tree for a bit longer?” Shion asked.

“Sure. As long as you want, your highness.” 

[clovermunson]

early morning [e. munson]

author’s note: the eddie brain rot still reigns supreme, and this is the hard-evidence proof of it, you wonderful little internet cryptids that make this hellsite go 'round. a domestic bliss eddie fluff fic idea would just not leave me alone until i sat down and wrote it, so the result of it is this quick little mess of a fic. boyfriend eddie just lives in my mind rent-free and somehow managed to pull me out of me writer’s block. this fic isn’t much, but it’s honest work lmao as always likes and reblogs (especially reblogs!!) are very much appreciated. however, i ask that you please do not repost my work and claim it as your own!! —morgan🖤

warnings: very vague mentions of recurring nightmares and trauma from previous adventures in the upside down, mentions of food and eating, eddie being a dork, tooth-rotting fluff, this could’ve been a much better written fic if my brain would just fucking woooork

pairings: eddie munson x reader (no specific pronouns are used, but certian descriptions can really be taken any way you want them to be— first time really writing something that’s gender neutral so please excuse any errors!!)

word count: *1.4k

tags: @ardent-musings (because i know you’re a sucker for domestic bliss eddie)

The early morning sunlight peeked through the blinds and curtains, illuminating your features in such a way that Eddie was completely and utterly mesmerized by them. It wasn’t often that he woke up before you, but when he did, he always found himself in awe with you.

He couldn’t help but memorize every small detail of your features, from the way your lips curved up into a tiny smile every now and then to how the light freckles danced across the bridge of your nose and your cheeks. Despite the mess of blankets and pillows that your shared bed was, the scene in front of his eyes looked absolutely perfect.

You looked so peaceful that Eddie was afraid he’d barely move and disturb your slumber— something he didn’t want to do since you now had recurring nightmares after everything you’ve both been through, causing you to lose the much needed rest.

Carefully, Eddie sat up in the bed, gently throwing the covers off of his body so he could quietly leave the room and begin making breakfast for you, a quick, yet brilliant little whim he’d had that he thought could make your morning even just a little bit better.

He padded his way to the kitchen, careful to avoid the one creaky floorboard in the hallway. Once there, he began rummaging through the cabinets and fridge to find everything he’d need to make your favorite breakfast— pancakes with fresh strawberries, syrup, and whipped cream.

“C’mon, this can’t be that difficult, right?” Eddie mumbled to himself as he read the instructions on the box of pancake mix, “Easy stuff.”

He set the box on the counter, grabbing a mixing bowl from the lower cabinet, pouring the pancake mix into it before adding the necessary ingredients and whisking it until it was a smooth batter.

Using a measuring cup, he scooped roughly the entire ⅓ cup of batter, carefully pouring it into the skillet that was already heating on the stove.

“Shit, almost forgot.” Eddie muttered, grabbing a spatula from the utensil jar.

After a couple of minutes, he skillfully flipped the pancake over, the cooked side perfectly done. Eddie took a minute to admire his own handiwork before lightly pressing the spatula against it to ensure it evenly cooked.

Within a few minutes, he’d already made four pancakes for himself, topping them with a little bit of whipped cream, syrup, and some chocolate chips that he’d gotten from the bag you kept in the cabinet. He began making four more pancakes for you, making sure they all turned out perfect as well.

Eddie reached over to the utensil drawer to grab a fork for you, but he pulled it open with just a little too much vigor, causing it to fall right off of the track, and onto the kitchen floor. He let out an exasperated sigh, thankful that he at least managed to grab a fork before everything fell.

“Shit shit shit.” Eddie’s voice was barely above a whisper as he frantically turned to see the mess to his side. “Goddamnit.”

The clattering of metal against the tile floor of the kitchen had stirred you from your slumber. Upon waking, you’d immediately noticed that Eddie wasn’t in bed.

“That was definitely Eddie.” You yawned, stretching your arms out and over your head as you swung your legs over the side of the bed. Your eyes focused on the clock, reading 7:15 AM. You felt a slight shiver as the cool air of your home hit your skin, the thin pajama top and shorts you wore weren’t offering much warmth on their own.

You yawned once more before finally heading to the kitchen to see what was going on, but stopped at the end of the hallway that opened into the living room and kitchen area.

The mess of utensils still laid on the floor beside Eddie, as he’d taken the time to make a little whipped cream and strawberry smiley face on your pancakes, hoping it would help ease any tension he may have caused if he had accidentally woken you up.

“Eds?” You asked, voice still sleepy and slightly raspy. “Everything okay in here?”

“Huh?” Eddie turned around, his mouth hung slightly open in surprise, yet he was still just as amazed by you even when you’d just woken up and didn’t look the least bit presentable to the world yet.

“Oh, uh…yeah. Yeah! Everything’s fine.” He sheepishly smiled, “just making breakfast.”

“And a mess?” You asked, a giggle escaping your lips as you eyed the mess of spoons, forks, and butter knives on the floor.

“Yeah…” Eddie muttered, “guess I just pulled the drawer open with a little too much force and it just…fell out.” He chuckled, shrugging.

Your heart couldn’t help but get warm and fuzzy at the scene in front of you, Eddie’s hair in its usual wild state, his various tattoos all on display from his choice of not wearing a shirt to bed or putting one on when he woke up, the dark green and white plaid pajama pants that he wore almost religiously since you’d given them to him last Christmas hugging a little snugly against his hips. The feeling was only amplified by Eddie holding out the plate of pancakes to you, a goofy grin plastered on his face as he did so.

“Does the strawberry smiley make up for it?” He bashfully asked, hoping he hadn’t angered you even in the slightest.

“You’re safe for now, Munson.” You giggled, making your way over to the small dining area of your kitchen, “even though it’s still entirely too early.”

“Well.” Eddie rushed over, pulling out a chair for you. It was a habit for him ever since you first showed up during a Hellfire campaign, and he’d be damned if he just stopped being chivalrous to you. “at least I didn’t sleep in until noon, right?”

All you could do was smile and shake your head as you sat down and Eddie pushed your chair in.

“Who would’ve ever guessed that Eddie Munson, famed Dungeon Master of the Hellfire club would be such a master chef.” You teased as he set the plate of pancakes down in front of you, quickly returning with his own to sit across from you.

“Only for you, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead before taking his seat, “if the rest of the guys knew about this, they’d practically be burning me at the stake with all the teasing.”

“Maybe I should get you a little ‘kiss the cook’ apron then, hm?” You hummed, teasing your boyfriend as you took a small bite of your breakfast.

“Don’t you dare.” Eddie cracked a smile, the dimple on his left cheek showing prominently.

“Awe c’mon!” You fake-whined, “it would look so cute on you though.”

“Nope.” Eddie shook his head as he began eating, “nope. Still not happening.”

You felt a smile begin to part your lips, and you couldn’t hold back the laugh that accompanied it.

“Okay, fine. I won’t get you an apron.” You held your hands up in surrender before licking the little bit of syrup from your fork so it wouldn’t make a mess.

“But…” Eddie drawled, teasing you in retaliation, “you could buy me something like a ‘greatest boyfriend ever’ t-shirt and I’d wear that. Just an idea, y’know.”

“Oh yeah.” You nodded, playing along with him, “you’d definitely look cute in that. But you don’t need a shirt to prove that fact.” Your tone shifted to a more serious one, even though you knew Eddie would still joke around.

“But the shirt would be a nice little notice for everyone else.” He smirked, leaning back in his chair, “plus it’ll let everyone know I’m spoken for if they didn’t know it already.”

“Alright Mr. Munson, calm down over there.” You giggled again, gesturing to the pile of utensils and the drawer that still laid on the floor, “who’s gonna clean up that mess?”

“I’ll get it after breakfast and you can just go back to bed if you want to.” Eddie chuckled, “you can sleep in until noon today.” He finished his breakfast, offering to take your empty plate to the sink for you.

“I love you.” You made your way over to him and wrapped your arms around his waist, resting your head against his back as he rinsed the plates, “I’ll be waiting for you.” You slowly pulled away from him, giving him a playful smirk as you made your way back to the bedroom.

“I love you too, angel.” Eddie called after you, smiling to himself as he turned off the faucet and gathered the mess of silverware, wondering just exactly how he’d gotten so lucky to have you.

[qqueenofhades]

Read your contribution on the post concerning academics using "simply put" and holy jolly macaroni that was some amazing takes and wonderfully explained too. I hope you know how good you are at saying things, jeez

Heh, thanks. Not to get back up on my old person soapbox and rant some more (though in my defense, it has been an exceptionally trying week), but the growth of an entire generation who think that everything can be said in a tweet and that anything longer or more difficult is automatically Elitist and Unnecessarily Complicated is... frustrating. To say the least. This kind of anti-intellectualism masquerades as woke leftism on (you guessed it) Twitter, as well as Tumblr. And like... I am an early career academic. I got my PhD in 2019 and have been trying to find a full time job ever since (in the humanities, during a pandemic, aha help me). I am More than aware of all the problems with the institution, its arcane quirks and outright infuriating nature, its elitism (in some cases) and everything else. Believe me, I know about all the parts that suck! I know about them INTIMATELY! But the answer to that is decidedly not "academics are frauds who just want to trick you into paying a lot of money and/or gatekeep Real Knowledge" or whatever other ice cold idiotic takes I am subjected to on this hellsite on a nearly daily basis. Protip: left-wing people aggressively discounting expertise, promoting "it's right if I feel that it's right and never mind facts," and "anyone who doesn't write in a style that I, John Q. Public, can immediately understand is an Elitist Bastard" is, uh. Not any better than when the right wing does it. See: every time I am forced to read with my own two eyes that historians are hiding the Real Queer History from you, or similar.

I know that my learned colleague @oldshrewsburyian also has many feelings about how university faculty are often treated as the enemy, when the enormous right-wing power of university boards and governing systems is often entirely ignored. (Yes, that article is from Teen Vogue, which waved goodbye to its last fuck a long time ago.) It's once more analogous to the Online Left TM almost exclusively blaming the Democratic party for "not doing more," while acting as if the openly fascist death cult Republican party that controlled this entire country for the better part of the last four years doesn't exist at all.

Teaching in the United States, whether at the grade school or university level, is never a job that anyone gets into because they're going to make money. Only the most senior tenured faculty at really ritzy places make good money, and for obvious reasons, that employment model has almost vanished. Now it's at will, part-time, non-tenure track "visiting instructors," which are easier to change out or replace and don't require an expensive lifetime contract. And guess what? It means that faculty may not have a stable or permanent job for years after finishing up to a decade (or more) of post-secondary education. And a lot of people cannot afford to live like that. So they quit. Then the humanities are treated as even more of a "worthless" degree, the next round of budget cuts hits, and the cycle starts all over again.

Anyway. As I have said before, we are in this mess in large part because America (and the western world, which is not off the hook here by any means) has deliberately cultivated higher education as something that is unprofitable, difficult, wildly expensive (see: the student debt crisis) and otherwise relatively pointless to pursue, since even a college degree can't usually get you an entry-level professional job anymore. There are problems on problems, not least this impulse for everything worth knowing to fit into a single (often wildly misinformed) Tweet thread. Reading things that challenge you and force you to take it slowly and take notes and not be sure of everything is fine! It's actually good! People should do it more!

That isn't to say that individual academics can't be bad writers, because they absolutely can. And yes, I know that post was a random Twitter screenshot from a random meme blog, and here I come blasting in like Captain Killjoy. But the strain of supposedly socially enlightened anti-intellectualism that is incredibly prevalent especially among young, college-aged, politically leftist people is both ominous and exasperating, and if we are ever going to get everyone out of their echo chambers, we have to start somewhere.

[write-like-wright]

Oh my goodness, I simply LOVE your Herlock fics! Poor guy has virtually NO x reader fics and I'm desperate for more! Could I request a one shot of Herlock x reader, falling in love at first sight?

Thank you, anon! I'm here to quench the overwhelming Herlock thirst on this hellsite.

Pairing: Herlock Sholmes x gender neutral reader

Warnings: falling in love with Sholmes in spite of his human disaster status, fluff, Iris being babey

Word count: 1,005

Today by some blessed chance is one of those days when the sky is almost blue, the air almost clean and warm enough to be enjoyed without a coat. London autumns are rarely ever so kind to the inhabitants of the great city and you're absolutely determined not to waste the opportunity. You decide to take a stroll through your local park, a book in hand and some snacks carefully packed in your basket. Rarely do you get the chance to soak in some sun in the foggy capital of the British Empire, therefore every such occasion must be used to the fullest.

Unsurprisingly, the park is brimming with life. Young couples excitedly strolling through the grass hand in hand, children running around and laughing, even some elderly gentlemen who seem to have forgotten their beloved curmudgeonism for a day to enjoy the warmth. You settle down on a bench under the shade of a tree and open your book, hand digging through the basket for a snack to enjoy. Aha, a freshly baked cupcake with some pink strawberry frosting! You decide to take your time and enjoy your afternoon, nibbling on your delicious cupcake between paragraphs.

"Good afternoon!" A cheerful, high pitched voice pulls you out of your food-induced haze. It's a little girl standing before you, a wide smile on her face that reaches her bright blue eyes. "My name is Iris, Iris Wilson! I am ever so sorry to bother you, but the smell of those delicious looking cupcakes made me come over. I'm quite an avid baker myself, you see. Would you be so kind as to share your recipe with me?" How could you say no to that sweet little face?

The girl joins you on the bench and you give her the recipe and some of your cupcakes too, which she accepts eagerly. "Oh, thank you so much! They're ever so delicious! I'm sure Hurley would love them if he were here!" Hurley? Just then, an exasperated male voice reaches your ears. "There you are, Iris! Where in the devil did you wander off to?! We were meant to be playing hide and seek! I've been waiting in my ingenious hiding spot for a century now! There are thorns in my thigh, Iris!"

You are speechless. Is that her father? The resemblance is... certainly not there. "Hurley," Iris sighs, her head bowed. "We were meant to be playing catch... You just disappeared on me, so I assumed you got distracted by a case or such. I'm ever so sorry." Her eyes perk up then, "I've made a friend while waiting for you! How kind of them, to share some food and a recipe with me!"

"Oh." The man stills, as if only now noticing your presence. "How do you do, my dear? Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Herlock Sholmes. You've heard of me, no doubt?" Silence. "Well, how peculiar! I thought all the residents of our fair city knew my name!" He joins you on the bench through some bizarre twisting motion. "Nevertheless, I must admit, the sight of those cupcakes is making my mouth water. May I?"

You blink, utterly dumbfounded. "B-be my guest," you blurt out, offering him the sweet treat. He's an... interesting man, truth be told. His clothes are strange, odd trinkets hanging around his waist and... goggles? resting on his deerstalker hat. He certainly has a way with words you decide, listening to him blab on about his great accomplishments, Iris occasionally jumping in to correct or supplement his memory. "By God, what a pleasantly lovely day it is today, wouldn't you agree?" With that, he strips off his coat and hat, letting them rest over the back of the bench. He's quite handsome, you must admit. There is a certain boyishness to his look, face youthful but obviously not still a lad. His blonde curls are messy and falling into his blue eyes and he brushes them back with his gloved hand every once in a while. You just nod, hoping that you're not blushing and that he hadn't noticed you staring.

"I must say, my dear, as a connoisseur of all things sweet, you certainly know how to hit the spot!" You blink, definitely blushing at this point.

"E-excuse me?" He laughs, holding up his half-chewed dessert. "Why, these cupcakes of yours. Absolutely divine!"

"O-oh. Thank you, sir." You can't help but sound a bit disappointed. At the same time, you wonder what exactly is wrong with you.

"Quite welcome! Although I must admit, my dear Iris and I seem to have relieved you of quite a fair share of your food, yes. You must allow me to make up for it! Shall I treat you to some lunch? Perhaps dinner? I insist!"

You look at him, quite surprised by his boldness. Could he be... No, certainly not. "That sounds... lovely, Mr Sholmes. But really, I'm quite happy to share. You needn't concern yourself with paying me back or the like."

He laughs. "Nonsense, my dear! We won't take no for an answer. And please, call me Herlock, won't you?"

You smile then. "Well, in that case, I suppose I must accept. Thank you, Mr- Herlock." Mr Herlock. How foolish I must look, you think, the blush back in full force.

"Excellent, then! It's settled!" He looks around frantically for a piece of paper and something to write with. "Do stop by our address tonight at 8. I do quite look forward to seeing you." He adds, a bright smile gracing his youthful face.

I do? He does? Goodness gracious.

They bid you farewell soon after and walk off, the girl excitedly babbling about her new friend and the feast they must prepare. You stare at the back of the blond man, confused by the events that just transpired. As if feeling your gaze on him, he turns his head and shoots you a quick smile. You feel your cheeks burning.

Good lord, what a disaster I am.

[bigdrchief]

Reverse Personality 5 AU: Ryuji

Was inspired by some pictures depicting the Persona 5 cast with reversed personalities on Twitter (hellsite).

In this universe (RP 5), Ryuji decides to dedicate himself to being a honor student as a way to alleviate stress off of his mother, becoming one of the top honor students.

He joined multiple clubs as a way to build up his report card, including the track team. While a part of the track team, he begins to notice signs that his fellow teammates have been suffering injuries beyond what is expected. He eventually figures out that this was the result of the P.E. Coach Kamoshida, who would vent out his stress on the track members.

Ryuji would confront Kamoshida and attempt to appeal to his honor as a student. However, when it becomes clear that Kamoshida held no guilt towards his actions, in a fit of rage Ryuji kicks Kamoshita in the gut. In retaliation, Kamoshida broke Ryuji's leg, then fabricated injuries on his body to portray Ryuji as a mad delinquent with anger issues. With the principal's help, the track team was disbanded and a permanent black mark was left on Ryuji's record.

Despite his constant As and perfect attendance, the stain on his record would lead to Ryuji being isolated form his peers, viewing him as a mere brute as a result of the incident. Even the teachers would treat him harshly and have low expectations of him upon learning that he was the 'cause' of Kamoshida's injuries. This made Ryuji feel frustrated toward the school for turning a blind eye to the abuse Kamoshida had dealt, but lacking the courage to truly do anything else about it, and instead focusing on keeping his head down.

When the P5 Protag and Ryuji end up in the Metaverse, and after Protag first awakens his Persona Arsene, Ryuji and Protag would split off to find an exit. Ryuji would end up encountering Morgana, and recognizing that he was trapped, would attempt to find a way to break him free. Eventually, he ends up calling Protag for help, and they end up freeing Morgana, who comes to view Ryuji as his hero.

Guided out of the Metaverse, Ryuji views the place as a way of finally delivering justice onto Kamoshida. Hoping to use his knowledge of Shadow Kamoshida's actions to his advantage, Ryuji manages to secretly film Kamoshida abusing Mishima, and attempts to leave the school. He is caught by a teacher, however, and recognizing the teacher to be one of the supporters of the anti-bullying campaigns and one of the few teachers who didn't treat Ryuji any differently after the 'incident', he reveals the film to said teacher in the hopes of garnering support. However, said teacher promptly turns him in to Kamoshida, only desiring a chance to gain credit with the King of Volleyball. Kamoshida makes his usual spiel of expulsion, and then kicks Ryuji out.

Realizing that the school system was corrupt, Ryuji breaks down since being a Honor student was in his eyes the only possible way he could help out his mother. Protag learns of this, and helps calm him down. On Morgana's suggestion, the three decide to go and change Kamoshida's heart via the palace.

Inside said palace, when the three end up trapped thanks to the Shadow, Ryuji is crestfallen at the realization that no matter how hard he works, shitbags like Kamoshida will stomp on his triumphs like nothing. Eventually, he resolves that he can't play nice with the system, and that he is going to pave his own justice forward, even if it means completely overthrowing the law, gaining his Persona Captain Kidd in the process.

This Ryuji is studious and meticulous, but also very stubborn in his beliefs. When he believed that being a Honors student was his only way of succeeding in life, he refused to budge until confronted with the pure corruption of the school system. Naturally, he can be very passionate when it comes to school subjects, and is exasperated at the little mistakes people make.

He is also a surprisingly patient teacher, often showing Morgana the many wonders of Earth and taking the time to explain the tiny details as well.

He keeps a strict workout routine which he follows daily, and encourages people to be active often, but also to understand when to rest. That said, Ryuji tends to cram study over night if he even suspects that he might get a grade below a 90.

Still a fan of Featherman.

Ryuji's Phantom Thief costume would not change very much, with the only difference being that his clothes would resemble certain expensive clothing lines, though this is not obvious when you first look at it. This reflects his desire to pursue justice elegantly even if others simply mistake him for a brute.

Also he wears glasses in real life.

PART 2 ANN

[zackcollins]

i fell into a burning ring of fire || t. konecny/n. patrick

masterlist

Author’s Note: It's been a hot minute since I've written an RPF story. I've mainly been focusing on my reader-inserts/imagines because those have been what I've had the motivation to write lately. Well. I got some inspiration to write this from browsing this hellsite yesterday. A random prompt thing came across my dash that said something to the effect of: "Imagine Person A Teaching Person B..." and then it listed off some examples. A few of the examples were pitching a tent, skipping stones, and steering a canoe. So, uh... naturally my brain decided I needed to write a fic where Teeks showed Patty how to do all of them. The only problem is that it kinda got away from me and it ended up way longer than I anticipated. This is literally the longest one-shot I've ever written. And it only took me 11 hours to write all of it, which is some sort of feat all on its own. I only beta'd it with the basic Grammarly so any mistakes that remain are my own fault and I apologize for them. I did the best I could to not have them be there. GIF credit to manybumblebees!!

Warnings: There’s a little bit of smut. I did my best to describe what was happening but as someone who has never been in any kind of sexual situation, I’m not sure if it came out sounding right. Let me know if it sounds right and if there’s anything I can do to improve it. There’s also an undertone of pyromania, in the sense that the campfire gets them both horny. There is also an exhibitionism thing going on because they’re preforming the smuttiness in the middle of their campsite, where they could be seen by anyone that walks by said campsite.

Word Count: 7.2k+

Title: Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

Additional: If you found this by Googling yourself, are in this yourself, or know someone in this, please click back. No harm was meant in the creation of this fic. It's a complete fabrication that my mind decided needed to be written based on a stupid prompt list. I hope you enjoy!!

“Patty,” Travis said, exasperated. “The tent pole goes through the hole with the same colour lining as the colour of the pole!”

Nolan scoffed as he threw the tent pole and the tent onto the ground. He glared daggers at Travis as he stalked over to the picnic table and sat down.

“Whatever,” Nolan grumbled.

He motioned to the tent and then to Travis.

“If you know how to do it, you do it.”

Travis blinked before he grabbed the tent pole that Nolan had thrown down. He turned his back to Nolan as he grabbed the tent and threaded the pole through the correct hole.

He turned to look at Nolan. Nolan had a sour expression on his face. Travis rolled his eyes and dropped the tent. 

“Get over here,” Travis said. “The whole point of this was to teach you to pitch the tent.”

Nolan huffed before he stood from his seat and walked over to Travis. He grabbed one of the tent poles and the tent. He motioned with his head to the coloured lining that matched the colour of the pole. Travis nodded and smiled. Nolan rolled his eyes as he threaded the pole through the hole.

Travis allowed Nolan to thread the rest of the poles through their correct holes. Nolan grumbled a few times, annoyed that he was the one that had to do all of the work. Travis reminded Nolan that he was the one that had asked to learn how to set up the tent in the first place. Nolan seemed none too pleased with that answer but didn’t argue with Travis to try to change his mind.

Once the tent had all the poles threaded through it, Nolan smiled sarcastically.

“There’s your fucking tent,” he said as he glared at Travis.

Travis covered his mouth with one of his hands and snorted. Nolan glared harder at Travis as he walked to the picnic table. As soon as he sat down, Travis walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We’re not done yet, bud,” Travis said. “We need to lay the tarp out and stake the tent down.”

Nolan scoffed and flipped Travis off. Travis snorted again as he walked to the back of his truck and pulled out the tarp and the bag of tent stakes. He tossed the bag of stakes to Nolan. Nolan reacted just in time to catch the bag before it beaned him in the side of the head. He gave Travis a side-eyed glare as he walked over to the tent.

“Fuck you, asshole,” Nolan grumbled. “That almost hit me in the head.”

Travis rolled his eyes as he walked over with the tarp. He laid it down where he wanted the tent to go and looked up at Nolan.

“I thought you had your eyes on me,” Travis said, apologetically. “Sorry.”

Nolan scoffed as he handed Travis four stakes. 

Travis went around and placed one stake in each of the corner rings of the tarp. He shifted the tarp a little before he nodded his head in approval. 

“Can you go grab the hammer,” Travis asked. “It should be on the back seat of the truck.”

Nolan handed Travis the bag of stakes before he walked over to the truck. Nolan grumbled the whole way to and from the truck but he did return with the aforementioned hammer. Travis gave Nolan a thumbs up and switched Nolan the bag for the hammer.

The ground was harder than Travis expected so it took longer to hammer the stakes in than he would’ve liked. Once they were finally in the ground, Travis threw the hammer down and muttered a few choice words. He heard Nolan try to suppress a laugh but it ultimately failed and Nolan erupted into a fit of laughter. Travis cracked a small smile when he turned to look at Nolan.

Nolan had braced himself on a nearby tree, the bag of stakes dropped at his feet. He was doubled over in laughter and his face was slightly red. He had started to wheeze from the force of the laughter. Travis felt butterflies flutter around in his stomach. It had been ages since he had seen Nolan act this carefree. It was nice to witness again, even if it would only last a short time. 

When Nolan came down from his laughter high, he wiped his eyes of some tears that had accumulated there. Travis felt his stomach flutter with butterflies again as he looked at the blissful expression on Nolan’s face. Travis swallowed every emotion that had risen in his throat and cleared his throat.

“Can…” Travis paused. 

Travis’ emotions ramped up again when he saw the look on Nolan’s face. Nolan looked peaceful and happy. Travis’ fucked up brain took that to mean that Nolan was peaceful and happy because of Travis’ presence. Not for the fact that Nolan had just spent a good five minutes in a laughter fit over some stupid shit that Travis had done. It was a problem that Travis had thought that he had under control. Evidently, he was wrong.

“Can I do what,” Nolan asked.

Travis snapped out of his daze and looked at Nolan. Nolan had a neutral look on his face once again, which was more normal from him. 

Travis sighed, took his hat off, and raked a hand through his hair before he situated his hat back on his head.

“Can you pass me the tent,” Travis asked. “I need to put it on the tarp.”

Nolan nodded before he walked a few steps to the tent. He handed it to Travis and Travis smiled weakly as thanks. Nolan smiled and nodded his head slightly in return.

Once the tent was situated on the tarp and staked into the ground, Travis and Nolan made their way to the picnic table. Travis opened the cooler and grabbed a couple of turkey sandwiches. Nolan smiled as he opened the Ziploc bag before he took a bite.

“Jesus,” he muttered, though it sounded odd because he still had some of the sandwich in his mouth. “This is cold.”

Travis rolled his eyes as he took a bite of his sandwich and swallowed.

“It was in a cooler full of ice,” Travis said. He took another bite and swallowed that before he looked over at Nolan again. “Did you really expect it to be warm, Patty?”

Nolan flipped Travis off and took another bite of his sandwich.

“Fuck off, Teeks.” It sounded garbled again because Nolan had another mouthful of sandwich.

Travis shook his head and chuckled around the bite of sandwich in his mouth. That caused him to swallow some of his sandwich the wrong way. He coughed and sputtered a couple of times as he looked helplessly at Nolan. All Nolan did was smirk around the last piece of his sandwich.

“That’s what you get for being a smartass,” Nolan said as he licked a dollop of mustard off of one of his fingers.

Travis took that opportunity to flip Nolan off. Nolan chuckled as he opened the cooler and grabbed a couple of water bottles. He handed one to Travis and placed the other one in front of himself on the picnic table. Travis gave Nolan a thumbs-up as he finished the last of his sandwich.

Travis took a quick drink from the water bottle. His throat was sore and needed the refreshment of the water to calm it down. He sighed happily when the water did what he intended it to do.

“How about we go to the lake,” Nolan said, his voice a little strained. Travis found that odd but he decided not to comment on it. “I want you to teach me how to skip stones.”

“Of course,” Travis replied. “We can rent a canoe after and I’ll teach you how to properly steer one while we’re at it.”

Nolan nodded as he slid out of his seat at the picnic table and started to walk down the path to the lake. Travis finished his water bottle before he slid out of his seat and hurried after Nolan.

Once they were at the lake, Nolan pulled Travis into a section that was away from most of the people that were already there. Only a handful of other people were around them as they made their way to the edge of the lake.

“First off,” Travis said as he bent down to look at the stones, “you’ll want to find the flattest stone you can. Flat stones tend to skip better.”

Nolan nodded as he bent down beside Travis.

The two scoured the shore for fifteen minutes before they both found what they deemed their ideal rocks. When they met back at the original spot, Nolan looked rather excited as he rocked back and forth on his feet.

Travis chuckled as he squeezed Nolan’s elbow. Nolan immediately stopped his motions and looked at Travis with a soft expression. Travis raised an eyebrow but kept quiet about that. Instead, he focused on the reason they were at the lake in the first place.

“Alright,” Travis started as he turned to face the lake, “you want to hold your hand sideways.”

Nolan held his hand sideways as he was instructed to do. Travis gave Nolan a thumbs up with the hand that wasn’t in possession of his stone.

“Flick your wrist a couple of times to get a handle on the motion.” 

He flicked his wrist but held onto the stone.

Nolan did as instructed once again. Travis smiled and gave Nolan another thumbs up.

“The last step is to repeat that motion until you feel comfortable enough to release the stone.” 

Travis repeated the motion five more times before he released the stone. It skipped along the water three times before it stopped and sank into the water. Nolan smiled and repeated his own motion three times before he released his own stone. It skipped across the water four times before it stopped and sank into the water. Nolan made a satisfying sound and looked at Travis.

“Ha,” he said. “I skipped more times than you.”

Travis rolled his eyes, smiled, and playfully punched Nolan’s shoulder.

“Good job, Patty,” he said. “That means I’m a good coach.”

Nolan scoffed and knocked Travis’ hat off of his head. Travis mumbled as he picked the hat up from the very edge of the water and squeezed it to try to get the water out of it.

“Asshole! That was a new hat!”

“Why the fuck would you wear a new hat on a camping trip?”

Travis paused and looked at Nolan owlishly. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before his facial expression turned sour.

“Oh, fuck you,” Travis mumbled.

Nolan smirked and chuckled.

“Let’s go rent that canoe now,” Nolan said as he motioned in the direction of the campground’s boat rental building. “They better have life jackets because I’m not about to get into a canoe with you if they don’t.”

“Oh, fuck you times two,” Travis said.

Nolan knocked Travis’ hat off again before he booked it up the beach in the direction of the boat rental building. Travis cursed to himself as he picked his hat up out of the edge of the water and tried to squeeze dry it. When he was satisfied that it was as dry as it would be, for now, he put it back on his head and hurried after Nolan.

When he caught up with Nolan, Nolan had already paid for the canoe and the life jacket rentals. Travis felt somewhat guilty for that.

“You didn’t have to pay, Patty,” Travis said as they slipped their life jackets on. “It was my idea. I should’ve paid.”

Nolan chuckled as he tightened the straps on his life jacket.

“Consider it a treat for all the things you do for me,” Nolan said. 

Travis could’ve sworn he saw Nolan wink at him but he was just as certain it was an illusion caused by the rush of endorphins that had gone to his head at Nolan’s words.

Once their life jackets were fastened properly, they hoisted the canoe over their head. They stopped briefly at the campground map to find directions to the canoe launch before they continued.

It was a lot harder to see with a canoe over their heads than they had originally thought. So, it took a little longer than anticipated to arrive at the canoe launch. But it was worth it when they finally arrived because the scenery was gorgeous.

Travis snapped a few pictures of the willow trees that hung over the water and some of the lily pads that floated along the shoreline. Nolan instructed Travis to stand in front of the willow trees so he could get pictures to post on his private Instagram. Travis pulled a couple of stupid faces and Nolan chuckled at the absurdity of them. 

“You’re a dork, Teeks,” Nolan said.

Travis felt his entire body burn red-hot at that. His stomach swooped and his heartbeat picked up slightly. He swallowed but his throat remained bone-dry. He hated that Nolan had this effect on him.

“Don’t you know it,” Travis said, though it sounded more like a frog croak. 

Nolan raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word on the matter. Travis sighed and ran a hand across his forehead in relief. When his hand came off covered in sweat, he cursed internally. There was no way he could hold his composure while they were in the canoe together.

“Ready to go,” Nolan asked as he walked up to stand by Travis at the front of the canoe.

Travis nodded as he stepped out of his shoes and tossed them into the canoe. Nolan stepped out of his own shoes and tossed them alongside Travis’ in the canoe.

Nolan motioned for Travis to get into the canoe. Travis tilted his head in confusion but he did do as instructed. After Travis was properly situated in one of the seats, Nolan slowly dragged the canoe into the water.

“Fucking hell. That’s cold,” Nolan said as soon as his feet touched the water.

Travis chuckled as he used one of the oars to push the canoe the rest of the way into the water. Nolan thanked Travis as he carefully maneuvered himself into the canoe. The canoe rocked a couple of times but Nolan was able to get himself into a seat without any issues.

Nolan grabbed the other before he sat the same way Travis sat. Travis hummed his approval as they started to row the canoe out into the lake.

“I didn’t even have to tell you,” Travis said. “I’m impressed.”

“I know a few things,” Nolan replied, voice a little sheepish.

Travis smirked as he continued to row the canoe.

The first turn on the lake came up and Travis lifted his oar out of the water. Nolan wasn’t fast enough and got his oar caught in between two rocks. The canoe jerked as Nolan jostled the oar back and forth to try to free it.

“Nolan don--”

Before Travis could finish, Nolan jerked the oar with one particular hard motion and freed it. That motion jostled the canoe violently. Travis and Nolan tried to steady the canoe but they overcorrected too much and ended up in the lake.

Travis glared at Nolan as they floated beside the canoe.

“And you said I was the one we had to worry about,” Travis said, a little annoyed.

“Oh, fuck off,” Nolan said as he grabbed onto the canoe.

Travis grabbed the oars and their shoes out of the water and flung them back in the canoe. Nolan gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up. Travis rolled his eyes as he grabbed the other end of the canoe and helped Nolan swim the canoe back to the canoe launch. 

When they carried the canoe out of the water, Travis and Nolan sat on the shore for a moment. Travis huffed one breath. Two breaths. Three breaths as he sat there. He heard Nolan huff a couple of heavy breaths from beside him.

“Let’s agree to never do that again,” Nolan said as he stood. He unclasped his life jacket and threw it into the canoe. “I don’t have a swimmer’s body.”

“Mood,” Travis said as he stood and shucked his life jacket into the canoe.

Nolan rolled his eyes as he handed Travis his shoes. 

“Dork,” Nolan muttered.

Travis felt another wave of red-hot heat wash over him as he slipped into his shoes. His stomach clenched and his heartbeat sped up ever so slightly. He was so far gone on Nolan that it was ridiculous.

They brought the canoe back to the boat rental building without any problems with the canoe. The only problem Travis had was that he had stared at Nolan’s ass the entire time because it looked great with the way his wet pants clung to it. If Nolan noticed, he didn’t mention it. That made Travis feel both relieved and guilty. He was relieved that he hadn’t been caught. But he felt guilty that he had looked in the first place. He knew better than to let his eyes wander on someone that so clearly didn’t return his affections. 

“I wanna go to the playground.” Nolan’s voice cut through Travis’ thoughts. “The picture on the map shows that there are a tire swing and one of those spinning circle things.”

Travis choked on a laugh. Nolan raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

“Patty,” Travis said, voice hoarse. “They’re called merry-go-rounds. Not,” Travis made air quotes as he spoke, “‘spinning circle things,’”

Nolan huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Does it make a difference,” he asked. “You still knew what I meant, shithead.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m sorry.”

A ray of sunlight beamed in Travis’ eyes right then. He cursed and blinked a couple of times. He thought he saw a look of concern on Nolan’s face. He also thought it was an illusion caused by the sunlight in his eyes. After he rubbed his eyes, Nolan’s facial expression was as blank as ever. Travis sighed because he didn’t know what to believe anymore. Nolan didn’t seem to clue into what was wrong because he directed Travis down the path to the playground without another word.

When they got to the playground, there were a few younger kids there. They were all on or around the pirate ship playset and sounded like they were in the middle of a re-enactment of a sea monster battle. That made Travis smile because his favourite playground activity as a child was to pretend that he was a pirate and that Lawson was the sea monster because Lawson was always the larger of the two of them.

“The tire swing is free,” Nolan said, elated. “Let’s go!”

Travis was jerked forward just then as Nolan dragged him over to the tire swing. Nolan quickly maneuvered himself into position on the tire swing and sat with his back to Travis.

“C’mon Teeks. Push me,” Nolan said, voice full of a joy that Travis rarely heard.

Travis swallowed the dryness that had manifested in his throat before he walked around to the front of the swing. Nolan nodded eagerly as he held onto the chains on either side of him. Travis smiled weakly in response and hoped that would suffice. He wasn’t entirely sure he could trust himself to talk and not say something stupid right now.

Travis grabbed the tire swing and started to rock it back and forth. Nolan’s face lit up. He started to giggle as Travis started to rock the swing faster. Travis swallowed another patch of dryness in his throat as he grabbed the inside of the tire swing. He ran counterclockwise as fast as he could before he quickly reversed and ran clockwise as fast as he could. It was at that point that he let go of the swing and allowed the momentum he had created to move Nolan.

Nolan was all smiles and giggles as he spun around on the tire swing. The longer he swung, the louder he giggled. Everything about this made Travis’ stomach do somersaults. When Nolan was happy and in a good mood, it made Travis feel happy. If Travis could live in this moment forever, he would. It was perfect for him.

“Teeks,” Nolan said. “That was awesome. Thank you so much.”

Nolan wobbled over to Travis and wrapped him in a hug. Travis hadn’t been aware that the tire swing had stopped but he wasn’t about to complain if it meant that Nolan would continue to hug him.

When Nolan pulled back, he grabbed Travis’ wrists and placed his thumbs on the pulse points. Travis’ brain seized its functions momentarily as it tried to process that action. Travis hoped Nolan wouldn’t notice the deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. Luckily for Travis, Nolan didn’t mention anything. All he did was jerk Travis backwards and drag him to the merry-go-round.

Travis was unceremoniously shoved onto the merry-go-round. He glared at Nolan but the glare quickly fell from his face as Nolan grabbed the railing and started to run in a circle. Travis stumbled for a moment before he gripped the railing with the tightest grip he could muster.

The faster Nolan ran, the faster Travis felt his heartbeat race. He felt his stomach lurch into his throat and his head started to swim from the inertia that was being placed on his body. 

“Have fun, Teeks,” Nolan said.

Travis barely processed the words because his brain was too overstimulated from going repeatedly in circles. He managed to give Nolan a weak thumbs up before he dropped to his knees on the merry-go-round.

As the merry-go-round started to slow down, Travis took breaths to steady himself. It helped somewhat with the inertia problem on his head but it still felt it was in a pressure cooker.

When the merry-go-round finally stopped, Travis took a deep breath before he braced himself to stand. He stood still for a moment to try to gain his balance. When Travis felt ready, he took a few steps and nearly fell over. Nolan rushed forward and helped steady Travis.

“Shit,” Nolan said as he held Travis by the waist. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fuck you up that badly.”

Travis waved a hand dismissively before he placed it on Nolan’s chest.

“All,” Travis hiccupped, “good.” He hiccupped again as he placed his other hand and head on Nolan's chest.

Travis hiccupped a few more times as Nolan held him steady against his chest. The soft rhythm of Nolan’s heartbeat helped relax Travis enough to get him to stop with the hiccups. When Travis looked up at Nolan, he noticed that Nolan’s cheeks were dusted with a soft pink colour. Travis swallowed thickly as he stepped far enough back from Nolan to get his hands to fall from Travis’ hips. Travis cleared his throat and ran a hand along the back of his neck. Nolan shifted from foot to foot as he looked at Travis.

“Let’s--”

“How about--”

They spoke at the same time, though they stopped when they realized the other had started to speak.

Nolan had an apologetic look on his face as he motioned to Travis.

“Sorry,” he said. “You go ahead.”

Travis smiled weakly as he removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. After his hat was placed back on his head, he looked up at Nolan.

“How about we go back to the campsite,” Travis said. “We can start a fire to roast hot dogs and make s’mores.”

Nolan smiled with the corner of his mouth and nodded.

“I was gonna suggest we get dinner anyways.”

Travis smiled and patted Nolan’s chest. Travis didn’t miss the way Nolan blushed a deeper pink at the action. Travis swallowed thickly as he and Nolan walked towards the campsite. 

Once they arrived, Nolan gathered the firewood while Travis went to the cooler to grab the food. When Travis arrived at the fire pit, Nolan had already arranged the firewood to be burned. Nolan disappeared for a moment and returned with their camping chairs and the campfire skewers. Travis smiled as he placed the food in his chair.

“Thanks,” Travis said with a smile. 

Nolan nodded as he slid into his own chair. 

“The lighter is in the cup holder on your chair,” Nolan said as he motioned to Travis’ chair. 

Travis reached into the cup holder and pulled out the aforementioned lighter. He gave Nolan a thumbs up before he walked over to the firewood. He took a moment to gather some leaves and twigs to place in the fire pit. Nolan titles his head in confusion but he nodded a moment later when Travis lit the pile of leaves and twigs on fire.

Travis stepped back and watched the fire smoulder underneath one of the logs. It would be a while before it grew large enough to cook on but the sight of it always got him excited for what was to come. 

“You’re a pyro,” Nolan asked, though it came out as more of a statement.

Travis startled a little, surprised that he had said that out loud. He swallowed the dryness in his throat as he walked back to his chair.

“I… uh…” Travis decidedly didn’t look at Nolan as he grabbed the food and placed it on his lap as he sat down. 

“Maybe,” Travis whispered, his face red-hot with embarrassment.

“That’s hot,” Nolan said as he tried to suppress a giggle.

Travis glared at Nolan as he opened the marshmallows and flung one at Nolan’s head.

“Bitch,” Travis said, though there was no anger behind his words. 

Nolan giggled as he grabbed the marshmallow and shoved it in his mouth. Travis short-circuited when Nolan started to chew the marshmallow in the most obscene way imaginable. He felt his nerve endings flare when Nolan made direct eye contact with him. Nolan smirked and started to move his tongue in the most obscene way possible. Travis swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to focus his attention on the fire pit.

The fire had started to ignite the bottom of the firewood and Travis shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Normally, he would say it was from the fire but he had entered this on unfair grounds because of what Nolan had done. He couldn’t be sure of the fire or Nolan’s obscenity had caused this reaction. Travis glanced at Nolan and saw that he was on Instagram on his phone.

A loud crackle drew Travis’ attention back to the fire pit. Travis shifted in his seat again, though he tried to do it discreetly. Another loud crackle made Travis swallow and clear his throat involuntarily. Nolan looked over at him, though he didn’t say anything before he looked back down at his phone. 

Travis noticed that the fire had started to grow. He swallowed again and shifted in his seat another time. Travis glanced at Nolan and jumped slightly when he noticed that Nolan had his eyes trained on him.

“Jesus,” Travis said. “You scared the shit outta me.”

“You really are a pyro.” Nolan motioned to Travis crotch and completely ignored what Travis had said. “I didn’t think you were serious.”

Travis looked down and felt himself blanch. His pants had a noticeable bulge in the front of them, even with the food in his lap.

“Look… Patty,” Travis said, though his voice sounded foreign to him.

Nolan lifted his hands from his lap and Travis blinked once. Twice. Three times. Nolan had an equally noticeable bulge in the front of his pants.

“Me too,” Nolan whispered and bit his bottom lip as he looked at Travis.

Travis’ brain whirred and functioned so slowly that he was surprised that the sound of dial-up internet didn’t come out of his ears. Nolan waved his hand in front of Travis’ face; that broke Travis out of his trance. He shook his head a couple of times to regain his composure before he focused his full attention on Nolan.

“Sorry… I…” Travis stammered, still unsure of what to say. “I just…”

Nolan placed his hand on Travis’ shoulder and squeezed gently. Travis relaxed a little, both with that and the soft expression he saw on Nolan's face. Nolan smiled at Travis and ran a thumb along Travis’ cheek before he dropped his hand back into his own lap.

“I haven’t found someone like me in a long time,” Nolan said, voice surprisingly steady.

A loud crackle from the fire caused Travis and Nolan both to shift in their seats. Travis looked up at Nolan and Nolan sheepishly looked over at Nolan. Travis saw the way Nolan looked at his crotch and swallowed thickly.

“We can, if you want,” Travis paused when he saw Nolan perk up in his seat. “But I don’t want it to be a one-time thing.”

“Like… a fuckbuddies type thing,” Nolan asked. Travis didn’t miss the fact that Nolan sounded disappointed as he said that.

Travis shook his head.

“Like… a boyfriends type thing.”

Nolan released a breath and looked at Travis.

“Thank god,” he mumbled. “I thought I was the only one.”

Travis felt himself blush as he looked at Nolan. He took his hat off and placed it in his lap before he ran a hand through his hair. Nolan chuckled before he leaned forward and grabbed Travis’ cheeks with his hands.

“We’re oblivious morons,” Nolan murmured as he soothed his thumbs along Travis’s cheeks. “Aren’t we?”

All Travis could do was nod; he couldn’t find the capacity to form any words. His brain was too busy having a spaz attack over the fact that Nolan Patrick was finally about to kiss him after he had pined after him from basically the moment they had met.

Nolan stared into Travis’ eyes and Travis stared back. Travis saw a mix of anxiousness and love in Nolan’s expression. He reached over and ran a hand soothingly along Nolan’s upper arm. Nolan relaxed into the touch and leaned forward to rest his forehead against Travis’ forehead.

Nolan huffed a breath again Travis’ lips, which caused Travis to shiver. Travis glared at Nolan and all Nolan could do was give him a smirk.

“Just kiss me already, you asshole,” Travis said before he connected his lips with Nolan’s.

Nolan rolled his eyes and chuckled before he returned the kiss. Travis mentally high-fived himself as he deepened the kiss with Nolan. This kiss was better than anything he could’ve ever imagined. Nolan was by far a better kisser than Travis had envisioned him to be. He kissed Travis gracefully, delicately, yet there was a desperate hunger behind the kisses that made Travis’ stomach clench and his pants pull tighter in the crotch.

When the two pulled back for air, they stared at each other. Travis swallowed thickly when he saw how dishevelled Nolan was. His hair was askew, his lips were red and swollen and his cheeks were rosy. Travis reached over and brushed some of Nolan’s askew hair out of his face. Nolan smiled and leaned into the touch.

Travis opened his mouth to say something but the fire crackled just then so all that came out was a half-hearted moan. Nolan shifted in his chair as he looked at Travis. Travis swallowed thickly and moaned again when the smell of the fire reached his nostrils.

Travis placed all of the food onto the ground, grateful that it was all packaged in some sort of plastic.

“Fuck…” He moaned, closed his eyes and ground his hand against his crotch. “That smells so good.”

When Travis opened his eyes, Nolan was on his knees between Travis’ legs. Travis nearly choked on the air as he looked at the expectant look on Nolan’s face.

“I…” Travis coughed to regain his composure. “I didn't mean right this second, Patty. We’re at a fucking campground. Anyone could walk by and see us.”

Travis didn’t miss the way Nolan swallowed and the way his eyes briefly darkened.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh,” Nolan said, mockingly.

Travis sighed as he looked at Nolan. Against his better judgement, he unzipped his pants and shimmied them and his boxers down just enough to allow Nolan access to his cock. Nolan licked his lips as he cast a glance up at Travis.

“Thank you,” he mumbled.

“Yo…” Travis started to respond but his reply was cut off when Nolan licked the head of his cock. “Fuck.”

Nolan smirked as he swirled his tongue around the head of Travis’ cock. Travis shifted in his chair. The sensation from Nolan’s tongue mixed with the sight, sounds, and smell of the fire was enough to drive him crazy. 

When Nolan finally took him into his mouth, Travis had to bite his hand to keep quiet. Nolan quickly pulled off and looked up at Travis.

“Make noise, please,” Nolan said, an unreadable expression on his face. “It turns me on more when there’s a higher probability that I could get caught.”

Travis nodded. Travis moaned loudly a moment later when Nolan sucked the head of his cock into his mouth. 

The fire crackled again which caused Nolan to thrust against Travis’ leg and moan around his cock. Travis squeezed his eyes shut and resisted the urge to thrust his hips into Nolan’s mouth. Nolan pulled back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Travis swallowed when he saw the strands of saliva that hung from Nolan’s hand when he moved it away from his mouth.

“You can fuck my face, Teeks,” Nolan said. “You won’t break me; I’m not delicate.”

Before Travis got the chance to respond, Nolan put Travis’ cock back in his mouth and swallowed it all of it down. Travis moaned and thrust his hips into Nolan’s mouth. It felt so good to have the pressure of Nolan's mouth around his cock. That mixed with the sight, scents, and sounds of the fire were almost too much for Travis to handle.

Travis tried to time his thrusts with the crackles of the campfire. He mostly succeeded but the pressure and suction from Nolan’s mouth made the rhythm hard to follow. The longer Nolan kept up his pace, the harder it was for Travis to match the rhythm of the campfire crackles. 

After one particularly loud crackle from the campfire, Travis felt vibrations around his cock as Nolan moaned. Travis thrust erratically and tried to tap Nolan on the shoulder.

“Patty,” Travis said, frantically. When Nolan kept up his pace, Travis tapped him on the shoulder again. “Nolan… Stop. I’m gonna…”

Nolan looked up at Travis and blinked right as the campfire crackled. Travis cursed, thrust his hips one more time, and orgasmed into Nolan’s mouth. Nolan swallowed all of Travis’ ejaculate and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand when he pulled back from Travis’ cock.

“C’mere,” Travis said as he pulled his pants and boxers up. “It’s your turn.”

Nolan blushed as he quickly sat down in his chair. Travis raised an eyebrow and tilted his head as he looked at Nolan. He cast a glance down to Nolan’s crotch and swallowed the sudden dryness that had formed there.

“You…” Travis started but stopped to swallow another patch of dryness. “You came in your pants from giving me a blow job.”

Nolan nodded, his face and the tips of his ears bright pink. 

Travis swallowed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Fuck, Patty,” he mumbled. “That’s incredibly hot.”

Nolan smiled weakly as he looked at Travis.

“I would’ve liked it if you got me off with your mouth or your hands,” Nolan said. “But the mixture of my exhibitionism kink and the campfire was just too much, apparently.”

Travis chuckled as he looked over at the campfire. 

“It should be good enough to cook with now.” 

He reached down and handed Nolan the Ziploc bag with the marshmallows. Nolan raised an eyebrow but smiled as he opened it and handed Travis two before he took two for himself. After taking a moment to throw the bag away, Nolan returned to hand Travis the campfire skewer. Travis nodded his thanks as he skewered the marshmallows onto it.

When Nolan got his marshmallows on the skewer, they both smiled at each other before they placed their skewers over the campfire.

Travis sat silently and listened to the sounds around him. The main sound he heard was the campfire. It made his body buzz with electricity, even after he had already orgasmed.

Another sound he heard was the distant call of a loon. He guessed it had come from the lake. When he had booked the campsite, the website had mentioned something about the lake being a hotspot for loons.

Another thing Travis heard was distant screams and loud music. He scoffed as he twirled the marshmallow skewer around the fire. Maybe there were two kinds of loons the lake was known for.

Travis sat and watched the marshmallows for another couple of minutes before he was satisfied that they were done. He grabbed the bag of graham crackers and chocolate from the ground. Travis carefully propped his skewer against his chair as he opened the bag. He took four graham crackers and two pieces of chocolate before he handed the bag to Nolan. Nolan smiled as he grabbed exactly what Travis had grabbed.

Travis quickly placed his marshmallows onto the graham crackers and placed the chocolate on top. He squished them together and hummed with satisfaction when the marshmallow and melted chocolate oozed out the side. Nolan chuckled as he did the same.

When they bit into them, Travis swallowed thickly as a smudge of chocolate stuck to Nolan’s nose.

“There’s some chocolate on your nose,” Travis mumbled around a piece of s’mores.

Nolan tilted his head. Travis ran his finger over his nose and that seemed to click with Nolan because he ran his own finger over his nose. When the chocolate came off on his finger, he smiled and licked his finger clean. Travis short-circuited and coughed at the way Nolan sucked on his finger. Nolan smirked at Travis as soon as he popped his finger out of his mouth.

“Asshole,” Travis said. “You knew exactly what you were doing!”

Nolan put the last of his s’mores into his mouth and sucked his fingers clean of any excess chocolate or melted marshmallow. Travis short-circuited and coughed again.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Nolan said coyly.

Travis grabbed his campfire skewer and poked Nolan with the end that hadn’t been in the fire. Nolan chuckled and tapped Travis on the tip of his nose. Travis rolled his eyes and stuck the last of his s’mores into his mouth.

“Teeks, look,” Nolan said as he pointed at the sky.

Travis looked up and noticed that the sky was dotted with stars. He blinked to himself because he hadn’t realized that it had gotten dark.

“Wanna stargaze with me,” Nolan asked.

“Yeah,” Travis mumbled.

Nolan smiled as he went to the truck and spread their sleeping bags out beside the truck. Before Travis walked over, he doused the fire. He stuck around for a couple of minutes just to make sure it was actually out. The last thing he needed to do was start a forest fire. He could never live with himself.

When he got over to Nolan, Nolan was already laid out in his sleeping bag. Travis crawled into his and laid next to Nolan. Nolan reached his arm around Travis and pulled him up against his body. Travis sighed happily as he wiggled around to get comfortable. Once he was comfortable, he laid his head atop Nolan’s chest. Nolan sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of Travis’ head.

“The stars are pretty,” Travis mumbled, suddenly overtaken with exhaustion. “But you’re prettier.”

Travis smiled weakly as he felt Nolan’s heartbeat increase ever so slightly. Travis squeezed Nolan and mumbled a couple of sweet nothings into his neck. Nolan hummed and pressed another soft kiss to the top of Travis’ head.

“You’re pretty too, Teeks,” Nolan said.

“Thanks, Patty,” Travis mumbled.

Travis yawned and wiggled a little bit more to get comfortable again. Once he was satisfied, he closed his eyes and steadied out his breaths.

Travis felt himself suddenly jerk back into a stream of consciousness. He went to complain but he noticed that Nolan had directed his attention towards the sky. Travis grumbled as he lifted his head to look upwards. Travis blinked when he noticed some shooting stars streak across the sky.

“Make a wish, Patty,” Travis said as he dropped his head back against Nolan’s chest.

Travis wished that he and Nolan would be together forever and have a happy family with three adopted kids and three dogs. He didn’t care what genders his and Nolan’s children were as long as they were happy. He just knew that he had names picked out for them already. He would name them Morgan, Carter, and Elliott because he respected Frost, Hartsy, and Moose a lot and those three names were gender-neutral from what he understood. He also knew what he wanted to name the dogs. He would name one of the dogs Gritty because how could he not? He would name the other two dogs Beezer and Ghost because he also respected Joel and Shayne a lot. He just hoped Nolan wanted what he wanted.

“Yes, of course,” Nolan said into Travis' hair.

“Hmm,” Travis mumbled somewhat half-heartedly because he was almost asleep. “Of course what?”

“We can name our kids Morgan, Carter, and Elliott. I think Frost, Hartsy, and Moose would be honoured. And we can name the dogs Gritty, Beezer, and Ghost. I think they would be honoured too.”

Instead of shame for the fact that he said all of that out loud, Travis felt warmth travel through his body. He felt a gooeyness settle in the pit of his stomach as he felt Nolan’s steady heartbeat against his cheek.

“I love you, Patty,” Travis mumbled. “Always have, always will.”

Travis smiled softly when he felt Nolan wrap his other arm around him. Travis smiled again when he noticed that Nolan’s heartbeat hadn’t changed its pace. It had continued to beat at the same pace it was at before Travis had said what he had said. That proved to Travis that Nolan wasn’t scared or surprised by the prospect of what he had said. 

Nolan placed a soft kiss to the top of Travis’ head. Travis yawned and closed his eyes. He felt himself start to drift closer to sleep. He wanted to fight it for as long as he could because he wanted to be awake to hear Nolan’s reply, whatever it may be.

Travis didn’t have to wait much longer because Nolan sighed softly and kissed Travis’ forehead before he nestled Travis’ head into the crook of his neck.

“I’ll love you forever, I’ll love you for always,” Nolan paused to kiss Travis on the top of the head. “As long as I’m living, my Teeks you’ll be.”

Travis sighed as he felt himself drift closer and closer to sleep.

After a few moments of silence, Travis heard soft snores from Nolan. Travis smiled to himself and fell asleep to the sound of Nolan’s snores.

The last conscious thought that Travis had was something he would cherish until the day he died.

He felt safe and secure in Nolan’s arms.

[millenniumcelebration]

@cajolions​ tagged me to list my top ten favorite characters! this was SO hard. when it comes to characters i change my mind constantly so this is not a hard and fast list. i am also very tired so this is borderline incoherent :)

kathryn janeway (star trek: voyager) when i say she’s my mom, i mean i discovered her at age twelve and voyager reruns raised me. she is not the best captain ever but she is strong and determined and smart and caring and i love her more than any other character. also i wouldn’t be who i am today without j/c :) dana scully (the x files) i am fifteen eps into an x files rewatch and falling in love all over again. she is SO exasperated constantly but she has so much love for mulder despite the fact that he makes her crazy. she’s also a smart badass scientist (do i have a type? yes) and she just means the world to me! she can do anything and didn’t deserve all the shit chr*s c*rter did to her!

jadzia dax (star trek: deep space nine) yes, again with the scientist women!!! plus finding out my favorite ds9 character was the center of the Gay Ep™ was absolutely life changing and. i just love her. she is so bright and funny and wonderful :)

cj cregg (the west wing) competent as hell, tall, takes no shit, but also is so full of love. whether she’s getting upset about injustice or just a turkey getting pardoned (or not), or balancing an egg on one end, or getting promoted to Chief Of Staff. i love her, i love her friendships with the senior staffers, and i want to be just like her one day (except minus d*nny bc what horrible taste! wtf!)

t’pol (star trek: enterprise) her GROWTH!! she goes from absolutely hating everyone on the enterprise to pretending she wouldn’t die for all of them. and yeah, we’re back to scientists again, what of it! she’s wonderful and makes me cry regularly and i think about azati prime (”i don’t want you to die!”) all the time, thank you. also? she’s genuinely hilarious but pretends she’s not and i love it

kim wexler (better call saul) i didn’t know who kim was a month ago and now she’s the love of my life. so it goes! she is so smart and driven and capable and i am fascinated by her relationship with morality. i cannot wait to see what she does next. sadly, she also has poor taste in men but i love her anyway :)

kira nerys (star trek: deep space nine) star trek really made her and tried to tell us she’s straight???? her???? anyway i love her. i love her sheer faith in the prophets (and sisko!), how she’s really not cut out for working on a starfleet station but makes it work anyway and grows into her new role, and how she has overcome so much but is still so kind. i also love to ardently ignore every awful bf they gave her!

luke skywalker (star wars) he just. he believes so fiercely. he believes in the force and his friends and even his father. he is so nice to droids and i think that’s wonderful. he’s also just the most powerful jedi ever (get fucked, yoda) and i think it’s neat that m*rk h*mill says he’s gay if i want him to be

ellie sattler (jurassic park) my wife!!!!!!!! she is so wonderful and brave and smart!! i love how she throws herself into helping with the dinosaurs, and is so awed by them, and gets shit done (thus i genuinely love jurassic park 3 even tho she’s barely in it). i also want to be her

romana (d*ct*r wh*) well THIS is embarrassing! but i guess when you think abt a character constantly ever since 2013 she’s gonna make the list! anyway, i love her and she’s the smartest person to ever be on the show. not that i’ve watched it, because i haven’t

as always alice is the only person i know on this hellsite these days but if anyone reads this and wants to also do it, go for it lol

[coleisunderrated]

My 100th Post

I can’t believe it happened so soon. I made it to 100 posts without being eaten alive on this hellsite. To celebrate this milestone, remember that post with my headcanon of Ash perfectly mimicking Zane’s voice? I went through with the idea of making a short story based on Kai’s quote so here it is!

Kai sat in one of those rooms where prisoners get to talk to friends and relatives while being separated by those glass walls. The orange jumpsuit was so uncomfortable, especially because he was literally wearing nothing else. Apparently, being a ninja doesn’t make him exempt from the law but it better be worth it...

“Where is he?” Kai’s ears picked up a familiar silky smooth voice carrying hints of exasperation.

An officer guided the white ninja to the room where Kai awaits him. Zane sat on the other side of the glass and stared at him with a face that was worthy of being next to the word ‘disappointment’ in the dictionary.

“Zane! Thank god you’re here!” Kai didn’t care how pissed the nindroid was and he still wouldn’t respond but it didn’t matter. The fire ninja will get what’s been promised to him. After several moments where no words were exchanged, the fire ninja went straight to the point.

“So... now are you gonna lemme smash?” Kai bluntly asked.

“Why would I want to do that after what you just did?!” Zane finally broke his silence in an incredulous tone and looked at the fire ninja like he was some sort of disgusting creature. Everyone else in the room turned to stare at the normally calm ice ninja yelling at Kai.

“But that’s what you told me to do!” The fire ninja still insisted.

“I would never allow you to do something as foolish as that!”

“And yet you did! You called me at exactly 11:28 from McRonald’s!”

“I wasn’t there at the time!”

“Then where were you!?”

“I was at the Samurai X layer helping Nya and Pixal all morning! I told you I was going to meet them and I even made food for Nya and Pixal doesn’t like to eat! There was nothing to necessitate a visit to any eateries!”

“Wait, so you’re telling me you didn’t tell me to run around Mega Monster Amusement Park naked singing All Star!?” Kai asked, not happy that he humiliated himself all for nothing.

“NO!” The ice ninja was one iota away from the robot equivalence of a brain aneurysm.

“But you really said that and I have proof! I just need my phone!”

“Officer, if you please.” Zane beckoned the security guard to fetch the device.

The brawny guy searched through Kai’s confiscated items and soon found the fire ninja’s phone and handed it over to Zane. With a simple scan, Zane gleaned the password and searched through the records of all the calls Kai received and found the most recent contact. The phone number didn’t match up with anyone the ninja know. Zane couldn’t believe Kai was so trusting as to accept a call from a complete stranger.

“This is not a number any of us have ever contacted before. Why did you even answer in the first place?”

Just listen to the voicemail!” Kai urged the nindroid to keep investigating.

With some reluctance, the white ninja checked the voicemail from the number. Little did he know he’s in for an unpleasant surprise.

“Greetings, Kai.” A voice that sounded just like Zane’s spoke, leaving the ice ninja stunned. Only Pixal could replicate his voice but she never left the Samurai X lair so it can’t be her.

“I have something very important to tell you but only if you call back.” Whoever imitated Zane repeated with each and every ignored call.

“Apparently, you did call back...” Zane glared at Kai. He still can’t believe the red ninja allowed himself to be duped so easily.

“Luckily for you, I had our conversation recorded in case you’re still in denial!” Kai remained defiant and Zane was tempted to leave him right then and there. Still, he planned to discover the truth and played the recording...

“Zane, is that you?” Kai’s voice played out.

“Of course it’s me. Do you not recognize the voice of the one you love?” The same person replied again with a perfect impression of the nindroid’s voice. It was so strange for Zane to hear his own voice coming from someone else besides himself and Pixal.

The more Zane listened, the more appalled he became. This imposter had potentially defamed his character and manipulated Kai into tarnishing his permanent record. Not only that but they said a bunch of stuff the real Zane would never say. He still can’t believe Kai fell for it. The white ninja wasn’t going to let this person go so easily. He’s going to find them and deliver karma.

“I must get to the bottom of this.” Zane didn’t hesitate to begin his own quest to solve this mystery.

“Wait! But who’s gonna bail me out!? You can’t just leave me here! Zane!” Kai banged on the glass but the white ninja was out of the building within seconds.

He better get back before he has to go into those prison showers...

Zane went straight to Borg Industries and searched the data of the phone number. Turns out the owner of the phone was someone named Brent M. That’s one clue down. Next, the nindroid searched for all the Brent M.s in Ninjago, assuming the owner of the phone had some sort or relation with anyone the ninja knew. He looked through their family history, Bookface accounts, and even Instameter. It was time-consuming but a ninja never quits. The nindroid kept snooping until something caught his glowing optics in the ninteenth Brent M.’s Instameter. He recognized the person that apparently had blood ties with him.

This Brent was a distant relative of none other than Ash, the Master of Smoke. Looks like he’ll be paying the elemental master a visit...

One moment the Elemental Masters were minding their business and the next thing they knew, a freak blizzard struck their house. Before they could investigate, a figure clad in white marched in.

“Zdravstvuyte Zane!” Karlof greeted the nindroid cheerily, oblivious to the bitter cold and the ice ninja’s dark expression, “Why visit at time like this?”

“Where. Is. Ash?” Zane glowered, his voice distorted with rage and the calm way he spoke made it all the more terrifying.

“Oh! Ash hiding in kitchen! Ash! Say hello to Zane!” Karlof unwittingly ratted out the Master of Smoke he spotted under the table in the other room.

It took less than a split second before Ash found himself encased in ice from the neck down. Right in front of him was Zane and now he wished the phrase ‘if looks could kill’ was true because death was much more merciful than what the nindroid probably has in store for him.

“You were the one who called Kai, am I correct?” The ice ninja hovered over the incapacitated Elemental Master with a voice to match the terrible cold.

“W--w what are y-you t-t-talking about...?!” Ash asked through clattering teeth.

“Don’t feign innocence. I tracked down the call and you’re the only person with access to that number as well as knowing Kai’s.”

The Master of Smoke should’ve known Zane would find out. The nindroid never knows when to quit.

“Dude, it was just a prank!” The Master of Smoke confessed, “No one was physically hurt so what’s the big deal?”

“Oh? And what if I get destroy all your belongings and then say it’s just a prank? Will that make it better? I can do that right now if that’s what you think.” Zane went for the cupboards and found Ash’s collection of snacks from his home country.

“Y-you’re not r-r-really gonna d-do that a-are you?” Ash asked but the white ninja didn’t respond. The nindroid mutely dropped a handful of Gansitos onto the ground and began stomping on them.

“No! Anything but that! Stop!” The Elemental Master begged but the nindroid moved on to the de la Rosa Mazapan and scattered the fragile peanut candy all over the already ruined Gansitos, completely ignoring Ash’s pleas. He paused to give him an ultimatum, “Did I hear something? Oh well. I won’t stop until I hear an apology.” With that, he moved on to the Pulparindo, tearing up the tamarind pulp into shreds.

Ash still pleaded but Zane kept destroying his precious hoard like he didn’t exist. The nindroid crushed every last Vero Mango lollipop until he moved on to the next snack...

“No! Not the Takis! Anything but the Takis!” Ash cried out and still, the white ninja ignored him. He opened a bag and fetched a bottle of milk and was about to pour it onto the super spicy snack until...

“Okay, okay! Fine! I’m sorry! I’ll tell everyone the truth! Just leave the Takis alone!” Ash finally caved in, now a blubbering mess.

“Are you gonna tell them everything?” Zane made sure Ash was being truthful. He wasn’t going to accept a half-assed mumbled fake apology like Lloyd does all the time.

“Yes! I’m sorry! Now let me go!”

The white ninja took an uncomfortably long time pondering over the thought of freeing Ash.

“Okay, but not only will you have to tell Kai the truth but also...”

Several hours later...

Kai was surprised to see Ash with Zane once he finally returned.

“Zane, what the hell is Ash doing here?” Kai asked.

“Tell him.” Zane curtly ordered the Master of Smoke to speak for himself.

“Uh... you remember that call ‘Zane’ sent you...?” Ash started.

“Yeah...?”

“It’s actually a funny story. You see, it all started when...”

More hours later...

Before he knew it, Kai was now stuck in a specially made fireproof cell in the Kryptarium Prison. Zane stood before him but this time, he couldn’t bring himself to even look at him.

“What did I do this time!?” The fire ninja complained.

“Really? You’re asking me that after committing attempted murder and arson?” Zane retorted dryly, “Now I’m gonna have to wait for Ash to get out of the hospital before he can make up for what he did...”

“And that is...?”

“Originally, I was going to make him pay for you bail but that will have to wait.”

“Really? You let him off the hook that easily?”

“Not exactly,” Zane retorted with an eerily calm aura, "That alone wouldn’t have been good enough. He will also have to drive me to my appointments with a therapist for separation counseling.”

“Hehe, gotta love when your humor switch is on!” Kai chuckled.

Zane stared at Kai coldly and briefly opened his chest panel to reveal the switch was off. Without saying a word, the ice ninja left.

“Zane...?” Now Kai was getting scared. What if they really do break up? Even worse, Zane was already gone.

...

The anguished cry of the ice ninja’s name echoed across the entire realm of Ninjago.

[jojoingjoseph]

11/10, best joseph on this hellsite imo. Keep up your great work kuro!!

beep beep, how’s my portrayal?

he has RISEN… ALSO fuck off. oh mygod you damn people and your damn validation hgnlkshgnlkgnkgj shoosh, stop validating me and my boy. >:TTTT

(no fuckign thank you. I love you all and jhsklgsgkJG -makes exasperated hand motions-

[apathbacktoyou]

15 for 15

I was tagged by @libbyweasley (who i can never tag??) and also @colaismywater thanks for the tag, my dears :)

1. Are you named after anyone?

nope, the only people who ever get my name right know it from a film tho haha

2. When was the last time you cried?

today, at work, because my coworkers are exasperating and all strong emotions make me cry so i angry-cried lol

to quote faulnak: their incompetence is almost admirably astounding

3. Do you have kids?

nah

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

their general vibe, i think?

6. What’s your eye color?

brown

7. Scary movie or happy ending?

happy ending!!! always

8. Any special talents?

can make any and all conversations about sinara somehow.

9. Where were you born?

Baden-Württemberg

10. What are your hobbies?

wasting my life on this hellsite? idk, falling asleep whil attempting to read or write lol

11. Do you have any pets?

no :(

12. What sports do you play/have you played?

I used to do lots as a kid, like swimming and karate and gymnastics but now i just kinda... get outta breath carrying my groceries up the 3 flights of stairs to my flat lmao

13. How tall are you?

like 172cm idek

14. Favorite subject in school?

math when i had a good teacher, but english and german mostly

15. Dream job?

genuinely do NOT wanna have to work ever, so i don’t want to need a job. i’d like to be a writer or if i miraculously became super rich i have many, many ideas for charity work i’d do and organisations i’d found

aaaaand i have no clue who hasn’t been tagged yet so if you haven’t and want to: tag, you’re it!!

[shrimpyboke]

a;skdjfa;kwje;kfja @kuroushi, happy birthday!!! It’s a little early cause time zones, I know, but I wanted to wish you a happy day (and every day), and I don’t think I ever told you, but you were the first friend I made on this hellsite, so thank you for making me feel welcome and for your support and advice whenever I felt lost/down. I know how much you would love for OiKuro to meet, so I hope you enjoy this short fic I wrote for you! 

Words: 2905

"Have everything?" his mother asked, searching the back of the car for probably the sixth time already. Oikawa felt his frown deepen as his eyes deadpanned. His grip on the box tightened, bouncing it once to gain a better hold, and he shifted his body to minimize the soreness he knew would come later. The tapping from his foot increased in speed.

"Yes, ma. I have everything. If not, we can always come back down to get it," he sighed. The box really was getting heavy. His mother hummed, and he could see her lean out before changing her mind and ducking her head into the back seat again.

"Ma!" he snapped, though the effect was betrayed by the fond exasperation that laced his tone. Turning his head, he met his father's eyes, and the older man shrugged, impressive for someone who was balancing three boxes in his arms.

"All right, all right," she muttered, defeated, and though he couldn't see her, he could imagine her eyes sweeping the car floor for anything that might have slipped out of the tightly packaged boxes. Finally, she emerged from the car, her head barely missing the hood as she stepped into the sunlight.

He watched as she swooped down to grab at the last box, slightly turning her head towards the vehicle again. Then she visibly steeled herself, turning only to kick the door shut, and when she turned back to face the pair, she was only left with her husband. She gave him a questioning look, and he only nodded his head towards the stairs as his answer. Barely catching a glimpse of the flash of white and mint green, she shook her head and clicked her tongue, "That boy..."

Oikawa was already antsy enough waiting for his mother to finish her inspection. He'd seen the layout of his dorm room, and unfortunately, because it wasn't a corner room, he and his new roommate would only have one window. And he desperately wanted the bed next to that window.

Fumbling the box in his hands, he shifted it over under his arm and against his hips, hoping desperately that it wouldn't slip from his grip. He dug into his pocket, fingers searching until they felt the unfamiliar warmth of metal, and pulled out the key. With a jolt, he secured the box against his side and stuck the key into the lock. When it didn't give a telltale click, he jiggled the knob.

"It's open!"

Oh. Fuck. Please, please, plea—

He finally managed to swing open the door. The first thing he noticed was the head of spiky, messy hair that sat atop a face of pure mischief. The second thing he noticed was the young man that laid next to him, a shock of white and black hair hanging off the edge of the bed. The last thing he noticed was that they both occupied the bed next to the window.

Internally, he made an odd choking noise, heart sinking as he shifted the box back so that it sat in the palm of both hands. Both students turned to look at him curiously. Ok, maybe it wasn't as internal as he thought.

The one with the mess of black hair leapt from the bed and made his way over. He was tall—just a tad bit taller than Oikawa himself, and he suddenly felt conscious of his height. Instead, he plastered a smile on his face and said, "Hey, I'm Oikawa Tooru."

The other young man grinned, and even if it was good naturedly, it still looked as if he was ready to pull a snake out of his pocket and chuck it at him. His eyes slightly reminded him of a cat's as they searched him, and his entire demeanor screamed 'instinctive.'

"Kuroo Tetsurou," he introduced himself, and before Oikawa could say anything else, Kuroo plucked the box out of his hands and set it down on the desk next to the door. "Do you have anything you need help with?"

The young man lying on the bed rolled off and brushed down his shirt, "Yeah! We can help! I'm Bokuto Koutarou. I live next door and I'm his," he pointed at Kuroo, "friend."

Before he could respond, the door swung open behind him, and his parents came barreling in, multiple boxes in arms. His father stumbled slightly, the three boxes in his arms wobbling dangerously. Oikawa made to go help before it could all collapse, but Kuroo got there first, whisking the boxes out of his hands and stacking them neatly on top of the desk.

His father blinked in surprise, staring at Kuroo, who responded with a nod of his head in greeting. Bokuto moved forward to help his mother with the boxes.

"Are you his roommate?" his mother asked, rubbing her forearm where Oikawa could see the reddening marks on her fair skin. Bokuto laughed, the sound coming out loud and joyful, "No, I'm his roommate's friend. That's Kuroo, his roommate. Do you guys have anymore boxes? We can help out."

With their help, everything was moved in faster, and after thanking his roommates profusely, his parents had given Oikawa their last goodbyes. His mother had yanked him down to kiss him on the cheek and as he stood, red faced but happy, she grinned fondly.

"Don't forget to call," she said, pulling him in for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her small frame and inhaled the scent of her sweet shampoo. His father threw an arm around them both and muttered, "And come visit when you can, but school comes first."

"Volleyball?"

"School."

And then, they were gone. It was a little odd, being alone without his parents and Iwaizumi by his side—he felt a little lonely, and pushing the feeling to the back of his mind, he started unpacking, digging his clothes out of his bulging suitcase.

"Do you play?" Kuroo asked. Bokuto had long gone back to his room, moping about his dying phone. Oikawa turned towards the sound and followed Kuroo's gaze to the volleyball that sat atop his bed.

"Yeah, I've played since I was a kid."

"What position?"

He didn't pause from stuffing his clothes into the drawer, making sure to shove his winter clothes more deeply into the small space. Maybe it'd all fit? He hoped it'd all fit. The dorm wasn't very big, but he'd find a way to make it work.

"Setter." Then he couldn't help but add, "I've been a setter for almost my whole life."

Suddenly, their door slammed open, and the two roommates jumped, Oikawa dropping the coat that lay in his hands.

"I sensed volleyball talk!"

"KNOCK NEXT TIME, BO."

"...sorry."

--

It turned out, Kuroo had a personality that matched his troublemaking grin and narrowed, scheming eyes. Though he was still respectful of Oikawa's space, his words were laced with underlined teasing that were meant to bait his roommate. And god forbid, Oikawa fell for them all, and he responded with equally barbed jabs (that may or may not have been fueled by his saltiness at not getting the bed he wanted.)

--

"Are those alien faces?"

"Yes, and?"

"Looks just like you."

--

"Really, Kuroo, cats? They're printed all over your pants."

"Gotta enjoy the finer things in life, my friend."

"Cats."

"I repeat, finer things."

--

"You look like crap."

"Wow, Oikawa, I didn't notice. How do you even look relatively ok at seven thirty in the morning?"

"Beauty is pain."

"Yeah, a pain in the ass."

"Like you."

--

"Why do you have so many cat things?"

"Why do you have so much alien shit?"

"...touché."

--

"Do you even own a cat?"

"I dunno, do you keep an old, wrinkly extraterrestrial being hidden in our room?"

"That would be you."

"Harsh, my friend. Harsh."

--

"He's something else, Iwa-chan," Oikawa sighed, leaning back until his head hit the wall. Kuroo was gone—either holed up in the library or up to some sort of weird ploy with Bokuto.

"Maybe it's cause you bait him with your shitty personality." Iwaizumi's voice crackled over the line, the static interfering with the nostalgia that would soon come into play. Oikawa was used to having conversations over the phone with his best friend, but that was usually at night when he knew Iwaizumi was right next door. Now, it felt odd—a little empty, if he were being honest—to be speaking to him when they were hundreds of kilometers apart.

"I don't start anything! You should meet him—you'd probably say he has a shittier personality," he huffed, resisting the urge to cross his arms indignantly. There was a puff of air against the speaker, and Oikawa could practically see the grin and quiet laugh that he missed so much in his head.

"It's hard to beat your crappiness—"

"Iwa-cha—!"

"—but, give him a chance. It's only been a few days." The words were said with a gentle firmness that quickly shut him up. It brought a pang of homesickness that throbbed in his chest, and he sighed into the phone for the nth time.

"I guess," he paused with resignation. "Since when have you gotten so sentimental? It doesn't fit you, you brute."

"Shittykawa, I swear to go—"

--

The first few days of practice rolled around smoothly, and, on the first day, Oikawa wasn't sure why he was so surprised to see Kuroo stretching in the corner of the gym with Bokuto talking his ear off as he literally vibrated from excitement. When their eyes had met, Kuroo had sent him a wide grin under baggy eyes, and for a moment, he was thankful that he wasn't the only one who was filled with nerves.

Their upperclassmen were intimidating. Though Oikawa was taller than a few of them, the entire team gave off an aura of intensity and critique that he hadn't felt since he'd first entered high school. And when he announced that he was a setter, he didn't fail to notice the change in expression in one of the taller players, his eyebrows rising in interest along with a sneer that stretched across his face.

--

His first serve was almost there, hitting just out of bounds, and he cursed, mumbling under his breath at how the trajectory was just a little off. Turning to face the coach, he noticed the same player smirk, nudging one of the others with a critical expression lining his face. It sent a feeling of inferiority sliding down his throat, thick and unpleasant like sludge.

Coach motioned for him to go again, waving his hands in a circular motion as a way of saying 'go on.'  He nodded in response and Kuroo tossed him a ball. The familiar leather hit the palm of his hands, and he inhaled deeply, the scent of air salonpas and sweat intermingling to create a familiar recollection of all the nights he spent perfecting his serve.

Taking a slow step forward, then another, he started at a run, bending his knees and leaping into the air. This part always left him breathless, and he could see the entire court in his vision. The situation was in his hands, in his control, and as the ball left his fingertips, he swung with his other arm. The leather colliding with flesh made a sharp sound that echoed through the gym, followed by the slam of the ball as it rocketed to the ground with immense speed and precision.

The satisfaction was short-lived, as when he landed, it sent a spark of pain shooting from his right knee. The shock and pain caused him to stumble forward, and he pushed himself to fall on his other knee, ears ringing and sweat beading down his temple. Gritting his teeth was the only way to keep from making a sound, and he struggled to keep his labored breathing under control.

Suddenly, a shadow cast itself over his crouched form, and he glanced up. Kuroo bent down, eyebrows furrowed, frown deepening with every new detail he took in, and he gripped Oikawa's arm.

"Can you get up?" he asked, voice low. With that, everything seemed to shatter, and he could hear the murmuring that surrounded them. He nodded, stumbling slightly when he attempted to lift himself, and Kuroo wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him.

"Fucking hell," he hissed. Kuroo didn't say a word, choosing to lead him to the bench. He murmured his thanks when he slumped down on the cold metal, and the murmuring around them faltered to staring.

"He doesn't look fit to play." The words rang, loud as it echoed throughout the gym. Though the situation was true for the moment, the implications were clear, and Oikawa's gaze drifted to the same player before, whose arms were crossed against his chest, dark eyes piercing as they bore down on Oikawa's injured form.

The shame from his weakened state left no words in his mouth, and he looked away, swallowing heavily as he pretended not to hear. He couldn't believe it was happening again—maybe he had overworked himself again. But if he didn't, then he'd never make it any higher than he had now. He'd be stuck flying at the same altitude, wings heavy and burdened as they gave into the obstacles that lined his path. He'd never be able to one day face Ushiwaka on the court, never be able to face Tobio-chan again. He had to work harder, push himself further, make sure he—

"That's not very teammate like, is it?" The sentence came out as a drawl, the question ending in a lilt. Underneath, his words, though always teasing, had never held this much malice. Oikawa looked up to see Kuroo directing his gaze lazily at the player, arms crossed.

His stance was casual, knee bent, head cocked, as he bore his gaze into the other player. The smile that curled on his face was one of forced politeness, and Oikawa could make out the twitching muscle in his jaw. Everything about him was tensed, from the fingers that curled on his upper arm to the intensity in his glare.

And in that moment, Oikawa understood.

Could see the lithe power that made to readily strike when provoked. Could comprehend that this was the true captain of Nekoma that Kuroo had mentioned his position to be once before. Could no longer doubt the grace and threat that sat in the shoulders of Kuroo Tetsurou.

"Not very team-like at all," Bokuto chimed in, and all eyes fixated on him. It was much easier to read his expression, his brows furrowed and frown deepened, the look of confused displeasure marring his face. His large, owl-like eyes followed the other player's movements, and he gripped the volleyball tightly in his hands.

The silence and tension was palpable with the older team member refusing to back down. Kuroo's smile had slipped from his face, and he was now openly glaring at him, eyes dangerously alit with barely concealed fire.

"Everyone, back to serving. Yamada, that's not how you talk to a new teammate, especially towards another setter. And Oikawa, I've heard and seen much about you, so go get that knee checked out and make sure you're in the gym again tomorrow morning," coach interrupted, his voice loud and commanding, and the tension broke. Yamada sent a scathing glare at the injured setter and turned away, now focused on his drills.

"You all right?" The question was quiet, and Oikawa jolted, tilting his head up at Kuroo, who was watching him with concern.

"Yeah," he said, rubbing at the knee, "thanks—a lot—I mean it."

A slow grin spread across Kuroo's face, and he huffed a laugh.

"That's what old, wrinkly extraterrestrial friends are for."

--

The next week found Oikawa curled up on his bed, a book cradled in his lap as he flipped through the pages. The boredom was unreal, and Mondays always meant no volleyball. It was a strict regime of his, and he briefly debated breaking it.

Deciding it wouldn't be a good idea for his knee, he exhaled with a puff of air and threw the book from his lap. It flopped on the bed, bouncing once before landing face down on his rumpled sheets. He stretched his arms up, feeling his bones pop with satisfaction.

Mid-yawn, the door slammed open, causing him to choke, and Kuroo and Bokuto came tumbling in, laughter loud and boisterous as always. They greeted Oikawa loudly, Bokuto's voice quickly overcoming Kuroo's and his friend had to shush him.

"We have neighbors!" Kuroo hissed.

"But I'm your neighbor," Bokuto hissed back.

They glanced at each other, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter. Idiots, the both of them.

The two dropped their backpacks on the floor and made their way to the door. This time, however, Kuroo stopped, a hand holding the edge to keep it open.

"Hey, you're welcome to join us if you want. We're going for food," he offered.

Oikawa glanced down at the book again and then back at Kuroo. Pursing his lips in thought, he pretended to think for a moment. Then he shrugged and swung his legs over the edge.

"Why not?"

"You sure you're ok being seen with aliens?"

"I'm sure I'd fit in."

"I'm sure you would."

[gaylibertariansc]

Oh, thank God, someone on this hellsite who understands the actual history of the Civil War. I've been so exasperated reading all the crap said by people who basically just remember what they heard in highschool and took a quick Wikipedia refresher.

Thank you, though some people are currently accusing me of being totally ignorant of the war.