#the fact that they're big and have all that padding around your ears also means they block out a LOT of other sounds

[pastafossa]

Hey, may I know what headphones you use? I've been trying to find a good pair for a while now, but the ones I've read about are always slightly out of my price range. It's hell out here!

Oh god, it really is hell. Headphones can get so, so pricey, especially if you're looking for something good and not just 'uh yeah it... works???' That's why I loved mine so much!

My beloved headphone set, may it rest in peace, was a wired Hyperx Cloudx! There was a wireless version iirc but since I mostly write or game at my PC or on my laptop, I didn't need to worry about not being able to plug in.

I've tried headphone set after headphone set over the years, and all of them were either too painful for me to wear for long periods (whether it was gaming or writing), or prohibitively expensive looking at you bose.

These are literally the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. I cannot understate that. It's the first set I ever found that didn't bother my skin (chronic pain + nerve condition means rough fabric or plastic = ouch), didn't give me a headache from too much pressure, blocked out the majority of sound despite not technically being 'noise canceling', and they were affordable (got them on sale for 40$). They lasted me six years of almost daily use, carried me through 4 or 5 hour writing or gaming or show binging sessions, and only just started failing a few months ago. The insides are buttery soft with thick padding around the ears and band, my mic never had a problem picking up my voice when I was gaming with friends, and music quality is decent. Obviously they're a bit clunky if you want to wear them to the store, but for home or a cafe? They're amazing, and the mic is detachable so if you hate it, just pull it off.

If you're looking for a newer version, I ordered the Hyperx Cloud II, which is basically the same model, but with slightly more modern hardware for full surround sound. Much like when I bought the first set of headphones, these are currently on sale at Walmart for only $50 bucks, and it has all the same features and qualities (and comfort) that I loved in the first pair!

Basically if I'm looking for headphones at home, I'll always go Hyperx. The comfort is absolutely unmatched, especially at a relatively low price (sales happen fairly often), with decent sound.

[basilships]

Howdy Basil!!!!!!! Ilysm!!!!!! Thank you kindly for your sweet words about my birthday art for Jim, I'm so zazzed you think the folds in the shirt looked natural 😭!!!!!!

I wanted to also come ask: what ways does Warren like to cheer you up or comfort you when you're having a down day✨🥺💜?

Clover @tex-treasures

i always save these asks and then flip thru them like a big book of prompts and i'm choosing this one because i just recovered from having the flu AND having thrown my back out. im not even 30 and im already suffering from a bad back. smh.

warren likes big gestures of affection. he likes flying onto rooftops and watching the sunset, he likes balloons and bottles of champagne, he likes surprise trips to sandy beaches in the dead of winter by stealing the x-jet and worrying about the reprimand once he has a nice tan.

wes, however, is not big on these things. they're nice, sure, and it's romantic, yes, and he knows warren can afford it, but he's very much a homebody and he likes little gifts that aren't surprises. a "down day" as in depression— any of those will work (assuming wes has the energy for it), but a "down day" as in illness or chronic pain... they will not! this requires warren to switch tactics entirely.

he sucks at playing nurse, he really, truly does. the best he can do is hand wes medication and a cup of water, but he doesn't let that stop him. warren is incredibly kind and supportive, and if wes needs help, he will provide it. something like dislocating his knee or throwing his back out wes can handle— he can use his mutation to take the strain out of walking, but that's also exhausting, and he can't even think about doing that when he's sick as a dog. warren would insist on carrying him. warren would insist on cooking for him. warren would insist on doing anything he can to make it easier for wes, despite wes's utter loathing for feeling like he relies on others or like he's useless. exposure therapy.

the good news is, warren is a delightful person and wes is madly in love with him. just being around and talking wes's ear off, not expecting intelligent responses, is helpful. wes appreciates warren's insistence on sleeping beside him to watch over him, even if it means warren might get sick (warren is much better at being sick than helping someone sick!)

the short answer? anything. anything warren does helps wes. being near him. being kind to him. getting him water. telling him stories. helping him wrap his knee in an ace bandage. helping him onto a heating pad for his back. all of it is comforting, all of it helps. there is no wrong answer, except for the fact that wes doesn't really like sandy beaches and suntans all that much.

[todoscript]

Can I request headcanons Separate for Bakugou Shinsou and Kaminari where It's their birthday and they run into their crush who didn't know and they feel bad they would have gotten them a present and they're like, name your price anything you want within reason! So they just take advantage of their offer for a gift of their choice and kiss them being all smug like, happy birthday to me

A/N | I tried getting this out on Shinsou’s birthday since Kaminari’s was also like 2 days before his, but not gonna lie, I took a fat nap that day. So happy belated birthday to Shinsou, Kaminari, and Bakugou.

Bakugou Katsuki

Bakugou runs into you during the night, where the day has now wrung dry and he’s about to head off to bed, early as always regardless of how special a day is.

No one really made a commotion about his birthday that day except the Bakusquad, and even they couldn’t get the boy to budge and celebrate with a party or even the candlelit of a cake.

After all, he’s the kind of guy to not give a crap about things like that, saying it’s just another day that marks him a year older, or whatever.

So when he sees you hovering around the door to his room, he’s more than confused.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

You turn to him with a fidgety demeanor, pressing the pads of your fingers together before answering.

“Well, I heard from Mina that today was your birthday…”

“Alright, and?” He doesn’t mean for his voice to come out that harsh.

Bakugou doesn’t want you to make a fuss about it, trying to hurry you along, but it’s also because his heart is palpitating at an abnormal rate with you so close.

You’re the girl of his affections and right now you’re here at the foot of his dorm. 

On his birthday.

Whatever happened for these particular events to align, he’s not sure if he’s grateful for or conflicted.

“I feel kind of bad not knowing about it so I was wondering if there’s anything you wanted, y’know before the day’s over.”

He’s taken aback by your offer at first.

You’d think he’d just outright tell you to give it a rest but he’s actually hesitant, contemplating even.

“Come on, name your price. I can get you food or anything else as long as it’s in my budget!” you tell him.

“Anything?” Bakugou grunts.

He’s never acted on any of his feelings before, opting to just admire you through bristled looks and occasionally treating you a tad bit differently in comparison to everyone else.

That’s when a brazen idea crosses his mind.

You nod, “Mhm! Just name your—”

Your words are suddenly taken right out of your mouth.

Quite literally as Bakugou closes the distance between you with his lips on yours and his hands gripping your arms to keep you still within that moment.

When you two part, you’re left with a searing sensation on your lips, your cheeks flourishing a blush.

You stare at Bakugou who looks back with a smirk yet an equally flushed appearance, hands grasping your wrist to tug you toward him so he can whisper in that gruff voice of his in your ear.

“Happy birthday to me.”

Kaminari Denki

It only seems fitting that a party is thrown to celebrate the birth of Kaminari Denki.

The class arranges a get together at the end of the day, with the common room decorated with streamers, balloons, and large colorful letters hung up reading Happy Birthday Kaminari!

Though everyone is all cheers and fun, you’re still bothered by the fact you never knew it was the boy’s special day today, not hearing about it until the girls told you everyone was decorating the dorms later to surprise him.

So even after the class successfully surprises Kaminari and lights the candles on his delicious cake (courtesy of Satou), you’re grumbling off by yourself on the couch with a slice of the confection in front of you.

The birthday boy sees this and, of course, he does not condone watching the girl he likes be so distraught on his special day.

“Hey, c’mon Y/n, why the long face? It’s my birthday you should be celebrating!” He plants himself right next to you, his arm smoothly hanging above your proximity on the couch

“Oh, sorry, Kaminari. It’s just I can’t believe I was the only one that didn’t know it was your birthday today,” you gripe as your fork trifles around the plate.

“Nah, Y/n, it’s no big deal! There were plenty of people that didn’t know, trust me.”

“Still... I wasn’t able to get you anything.”

You start chewing a piece of cake in your mouth. That’s when something daring strikes Kaminari in the back of the head.

He leans in close, leveling the juxtaposition between you two. “Y’know... there is one thing you could still get me for my birthday.”

“What?” you ask after swallowing the cake. When you look up, your thoughts are rattled by Kaminari settling his lips on yours.

All you do is widen your eyes and let the heat on your cheeks take over. He indulges in the sweet flavor abiding your lips thanks to the sugary icing of the cake, eventually separating to witness the near deer-in-the-headlights look on your face.

What breaks you out of your daze is the way his thumb brushes past and swipes off a bit of frosting he missed from the corner of your lips, bringing it to his mouth to lick off.

“Hm, sweet as I thought,” he teases.

“K-Kaminari!”

You lightly punch his arm before hiding your face in his shoulder. Your skin sears what feels like an abashed steam while the birthday boy chuckles a thanks for the “present.”

Shinsou Hitoshi

Shinsou is the newly admitted student in the hero course and now a resident of Class 2-A.

Being that he’s new around here, no one in the class knows that today is his birthday.

Well, except you.

How you came to get a hold of this information was earlier that morning, when you notice Shinsou’s former classmates from the general education department approach him in the hallways right before he entered the classroom.

They uttered their quick Happy Birthdays to him just as you walked past, much to Shinsou’s chagrin.

He didn’t want the class to dawdle about his birthday, since he’s not very familiar with the other students yet. But having the girl he’s crushed on since last year’s sports festival know this fact gave him mixed feelings.

Especially when you confronted the boy later that afternoon during lunch.

“Shinsou! How come you never told anyone it was your birthday today?” you ask, nudging his arm.

He figures you’d admonish him about it. You were too cheerful of a girl to run past a birthday, no matter how much he didn’t want you to hassle over him.

“I didn’t want anyone fussing about it, is all.” Shinsou asserts it’s better not to rile everyone up about a celebration, notably in front of party animals like Kaminari and Ashido.

“OK… but I still think you should do something, y’know, to make the day special,” you muse off, “Oh hey, I’ll just treat you! Yeah, anything you want is on me!”

Shinsou tightens his lips and hears the red-winged devil whispering from his shoulder.

You’re the girl he likes after all, and with an offer like that, he’s edging into temptation.

“You sure anything?”

“Well... yeah! I mean as long as it’s in my price range.”

“Alright, come here.” Shinsou wiggles his finger to beckon you closer. You comply, leaning in, awaiting his wish into your ear.

However, instead he cups your chin and tilts you forward to connect you to a brief graze of each other’s lips. His other hand brushes a strand of hair hanging by your cheek that he uses as an excuse to hold your face to him.

When you two finally lean away, your fingers touch over your lips, now mildly warm and growing hotter after the exchange.

You try to glance at Shinsou, but he immediately flicks your forehead to avert your eyes from the budding blush on his face.

“Thanks for the birthday present, Y/n.”

[skip-to-my-lup]

that’s not my name pt. 3

Previous

He has to admit. He has a bit too much fun the third go around.

It's summer and the local farmer's market is thriving. He's just finished buying the best fresh ingredients that his paycheck can buy, which is a surprising amount thanks to the sale going on, when a warm hand finds his. It's larger and a little sweaty, but not all-together unpleasant.

For a stranger's hand at least.

He's about to rip his hand from the unfamiliar grip, but a voice stops him. "C'mon, Lup." It's gravelly and a lot deeper than he'd expect from the smaller man. "You gotta stop running ahead like that. I'm going to end up losing you that way."

The man isn't unattractive by any means, but he is a bit too plain for Taako's tastes.  Which, if he's being honest, are quite refined. But, he has to admit that between the glasses and brown frumpy hair he's actually kinda cute. And, while the denim on denim would look absolutely horrible on most people he makes it work somehow.

This Lup person certainly is lucky.

He walks with the man for a few steps. He realizes that it's been a while since he's held someone's hand. It feels nice. But it also feels like he's cheating a little bit by not admitting to this poor frazzled man that he is, in fact, not his significant other.

"As much as I like the attention, my man. I don't believe that I'm the person you were looking for."

The man yelps and withdraws his hand as if he'd been burned. He looks Taako up and down before gasping. He points a finger at him and it takes an awful large amount of self-control for Taako not to be too offended.

"Are you Taako?"

"Got it in one." He laughs. "How'd you know?"

"Merle mentioned meeting a Lup look-alike on the bus about a month ago. I thought he was just trying to be funny, but it appears as though he wasn't lying."

"Was that the old dwarf or the big guy with the sideburns?"

The man guffaws. "God. Merle's going to hate it that you called him a dwarf."

"So, old guy then. Got it."

Taako watches as the man laughs even harder. It takes him a little while to get himself under control. He's pretty sure that the joke wasn't that funny, but he can't help the smirk that spreads across his face.

"Oh, man," He says once he's finally calmed down some. "Lup would love to meet you."

"At this rate I probably will, what with so many of you mistaking me for her," Taako says dryly.

A ringtone breaks through their conversation. It takes a second for Taako to recognize it, but he's pretty sure it's from an anime. The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone and… yes. That's definitely an anime phone case.

Nerd.

"Sorry, I—"

Taako waves a hand. "I need to be going anyways. See you and your crew around I guess."

The man answers the phone. Taako goes to leave by the man holds up a finger "One sec," he says into the phone as he fumbles in his other pocket. He pulls out a small pad of paper and starts writing. After a moment he rips the paper out and holds it out to Taako.

"Here. "

"What's this?"

"My number. I—"

"You know usually I get a name before a number." Taako winks.

The man splutters, cheeks red. "I-It's not! I'm hap-p-pily—!"

Taako laughs.

Hard.

The flustered man before him groans as he rubs a hand underneath the bridge of his nose. "God what am I getting myself into."

"Probably a lot of trouble."

"Apparently." He sighs. "My name is Barry. I'm giving you my number because I'm pretty sure that Lup would like to meet you sometime, but she hasn't met you yet so I'd hate to just give her number out. So I figured, if you were interested, we could chat a bit more when we're not going in different directions. And then set up a hang-out between everyone."

"I'll… think about it."

Barry nods. "I get it. No pressure. Just knew I'd regret it if I didn't. Take care, Taako."

"You, too."

"Bye!" Barry gives him a friendly wave before turning around and bringing his phone to his ear. "Sorry about that. I had to…"

And then he's lost to the crowd. 

Taako looks down at the paper. Scrawled in messy handwriting is an unfamiliar local number below the name Barry. He's pretty sure that he'll never actually text the man. He can't deny that there's a growing part of him that wants to, but what would he even do?

He'll probably never find out, though, because just as he's about to stuff the paper into his pocket a young boy knocks into him, sending the paper flying, his groceries spilling, and himself falling to the ground.

He watches it all in slow motion. He tries to catch it, but the wind steals it away and he loses sight of it amongst the trees above. Tomatoes, schallots, and potatoes roll away. And, he crashes onto his butt, lightly scraping his hands in the process of catching himself.

And a bike whizzes through the spot that he'd been standing moments before.

"I'm sorry, sir!" The boy says loudly as he scrambles over to him to check on him. "Are you hurt?"

"No." He looks down at his scraped hands. It'll be a bitch in the kitchen, but he's dealt with worse. "I'm fine. How about you, though?"

"I'm good! But, may I say that those hands don't look all that good."

Normally Taako would push him away, but all these strangers coming in and out of his life in the last few months must have desensitized him some because he allows the kid in his personal space with no problems. The kid gently inspects his hands and he shakes his head at how torn up they are. Without missing a beat, he reaches down and unzips a fanny pack around his waist. Pulling out two large band-aids, a small alcohol swab, and a package of antibiotic he offers them to Taako. "Here. I'll go get your groceries while you put those on."

He doesn't give Taako much choice because once the items are no longer in his hands he's turning around and dashing off to retrieve his groceries. Taako is left sitting on his ass, shocked, and unmoving. All he can do is watch as the kid collects everything save for a squashed tomato. He shakes himself out of it and stands as the boy returns and starts putting his groceries back in the, miraculously untouched, bag.

"I'm sorry, again, sir. There was a bike coming by and you weren't looking so I had to—"

"It's okay, kid." He takes one last forlorn look at the trees before turning back to the kid. "I guess I should actually be thanking you, though. A beaten up tomato is better than a beaten up Taako."

The boy blinks. "Is that your name?"

He braces himself. "Sure is."

"That's so cool! Mine is Agnus!" He gives him a bright smile as finishes returning his vegetables to the bag. "It's nice to meet you, sir!"

"Angus?" A voice shouts above the crowd. "Angus, where are you?"

"Over here, dad!" He turns around and waves. At first Taako doesn't see any one and then—

One of the most handsome men, aside from himself, appeared to be making his way through the crowd in his direction.

It should be a crime to look so crisp in a pink button down shirt, black slacks, and shoes so shiny that he could see his own face in them. But no. Here this man was, a free man no less, and the literal definition of tall, dark, and handsome as hell.

"There you are!" The man kneels down to be down on Angus' height. "How many times do I have to tell you not to run off on me?"

"Sorry. There was a bike coming and I could tell that Mr. Taako here wasn't going to see it in time so I had to come over and make sure that he wouldn't get hurt."

The man groans. "That's very brave of you, but you have to be careful. I thought I had lost you."

"I know…" Angus looks down. "I'll make sure to tell you where I'm going next time."

Taako can tell that the man is quite exasperated, but the smile he gives is genuine despite that. He reaches forward and gives his son a hug. "I'd prefer there not be a 'next time', but I suppose I'll have to settle for that for now."

He stands, hand still on Angus' shoulder, and when he turns in Taako's direction, he's pretty sure that a lesser man would have melted on the spot.

"Are you alright?"

"P-Peachy."

Taako could slap himself for stuttering. Who was he? That Barry guy?

The man glances down at Taako's hands. "Are your hands okay?"

"Um…"

Taako looks down at them and fully registers the blood that was appearing in the scrapes, staining the unopened supplies Angus had given him.

Oops.

"Here, let me see them." The man reaches forward and takes Taako's hands in his own. Taako looks down at them as well and notices that they're starting to bleed a little bit where he had been unconsciously crushing the first aid supplies that Angus had given him. He looks up and finds the man frowning. "There's a bench over here, let me help you get these cleaned up."

"I'll get the groceries, sir."

Taako really wants to refuse, but he can't find the energy to. So, without much prodding on this handsome stranger's part, he's led over to a bench on the edge of the park near the market. It's a lot less crowded and offers a bit more privacy.

"Here," Angus says as he hands his father a pair of gloves retrieved from his fanny pack as well.

The man puts them on with practiced ease (Jesus was this guy a doctor or something?!) and reaches out for Taako's hands. He pauses and looks to Taako, "May I?"

"Sure, my dude."

He reaches out and takes his hands in his and they're… surprisingly gentle. And cold. He'll blame the chills he's experiencing on this man's cold doctor hands. 

Speaking of which…

"You know, usually I get a name before someone holds my hand."

Baring that Barry guy, anyways.

The man pauses in his careful scrutiny to look at him, abashed. "Sorry. The name's Kravitz."

"Nice to meet you."

"You as well." This Kravitz fellow smiles.

"Is it okay if I go over and look at the stand over there?" Angus pipes up. He looks… almost mischievious and Taako isn't sure how to take that.

Kravitz weighs the idea of his son going off again. "Please leave your fanny pack here, I feel as though I'll need the gauze in it. "

"Yay! Just come get me when you're ready to head out," Angus says with a wink. 

"And stay in—"

And then he's gone.

"That boy," Kravitz sighs. "Don't mind him. He's been trying to set me up with someone for a while now."

"Oh?" He winces as the man cleans his wound with a alcohol wipe.

"Sorry." Kravitz pauses, presumably to give Taako a moment to recover from the stinging in his hand. After a few moments he returns to the task at hand. "And yes. I overheard him talking to our neighbor, Killian, about it. Apparently it's his year-end goal."

"That's quite the goal."

"Yes it is," he laughs. "I don't have the heart to tell him that it's not that simple."

"I mean..."

Taako clamps his mouth shut and looks anywhere but at the near stranger before him.

Usually he has more control over his speech. And doesn't say more than two words to complete strangers and minds his own business when not at work. He also usually doesn't have any interest in dating a man with a kid.

But, if he was being honest, he was getting pretty tired of his usual routine.

"If you were interested I would like to pay you back for helping me. Maybe take you out to a local café or something? I know the barista at Vin et Poterie. She makes the best tea and dirty bean water you could ever imagine."

Taako is pretty sure that the offer is a shot in the dark from the way that the man focuses back on his hands while bandaging them with gauze. Part of him wants to take the offer back with a joke, but it isn't one.

Not really.

Kravitz gently tapes the bandages and Taako expects him to take his hands away. To let go. But, instead, he keeps a gentle hold on them. Taako looks down and can't help but admit that out of the strangers' hands that have held his own today, he much prefers these.

"Dirty bean water, eh?"

"Yeah," Taako laughs as he meets Kravitz's dark brown eyes. "I'm not much of a coffee drinker myself, but all of her customers are always raving about it."

Kravitz nods. "I suppose I didn't really have anything else important to do with the rest of my day."

Taako feels an excited fluttering in his stomach as the man holding his hands smiles at him.

Score.

"I'll have to drop Angus off with our neighbors, but I imagine you have to drop off your groceries at home as well?"

Taako looks down at the groceries. They were just vegetables and fruits… "None that need to be refrigerated right away."

"Well." Kravitz laughs. "Then I guess we can drop Angus off together and then go off to enjoy some tea and dirty bean water."

"Sounds like a date."

And then they were off.

Next

[lastarabesque]

Best Friend Surprise (1/4)

Morning. Excruciating morning.

Nothing could ever compare to the pain that you are feeling right now. It pierces through your entire womanhood and lacerates the muscles in your body. Like a sharp edged knife, it tears every single tissue inside you.

You are all prepped for school but you are still rolling around your bed in your uniform. If only the pain would stop in an instant. You pick up your phone, left with no choice, as you dial a number.

"Seungcheol."

"What? I'm eating." He nearly ended the call when your voice echoed in his ear.

"Ya!" You raise your voice at him. At the very least, he should listen to what you are about to say.

"What's your problem?" He returned your exasperation before finally recalling the reasons why you get real irritated. Either you fought with your boyfriend or no way— "Red day?"

"How do you know me so well? I love you." Now when you're sweet talking like this, he knows you need something.

"You should atleast say that with sincerity." His voice is low when he responded.

"What?"

"I said why don't you ask your lovely boyfriend to buy those pads? It's embarrassing for me."

"If you're embarrassed then what more will he be? And, I'm not asking for pads. I only need a pain reliever so buy one along your way."

"Whatever. Hang up, I'm eating."

"Would you eat faster? I don't want to run late aga—" He ended the call because if not, you'll begin with your nonstop talking again. "That punk."

Seungcheol finished his food at once to get to you quick despite being grumpy about it. He may not show it but he cares for you a lot in his own ways not just as a bestfriend, but mostly like an older brother. He looks after you all the time and you're more than grateful.

"Good morning." The pharmacist greets him. He smiled back.

"Do you have any medicine for stomachache? Wait, technically not the stomach but the part where it hurts when ladies get their, um, well, period." Seungcheol looks like he's having a fight with himself. The pharmacist understood him anyway, she chuckled shortly before nodding.

"Dysmenorrhea, you mean. Here." The day just started, he hasn't even settled a foot at school but he already had his allowance deducted because of you. He doesn't really care much about it though. "For your mom or for your sister?"

"Not for them."

"So for your girlfriend? I knew it." She carefully handed him the small plastic bag.

"Yeah, girl friend."

"I suggest you also buy this.", pertaining to the chocolate bar displayed at the counter. "Chocolates release happy hormones. It can help remove her grumpiness."

"Give me two then. I think I need it more." He just knows that this is gonna be a stressful day for him.

He marched to your house, which is not really that far from his, just about two blocks away from the pharmacy right across their street. He didn't know that he'll need the chocolate as soon as he arrives at your residence because your boyfriend is waiting right in front of your gate.

"Dude." He nods at Seungcheol.

"Hey." Seungcheol awkwardly greeted back. He's not really close with your guy and they're uncomfortable together but he tries to put up with him for you. "Why don't you get in instead of waiting here?"

"Uh, actually I didn't tell her that I'm coming to pick her up today."

"Why?"

"Element of surprise?" He's definitely putting himself in danger. Surprise is the last thing you want anyone to do for you. You hate everything that is unplanned and Seungcheol knows better than your boyfriend.

"Surprise? Oh," Seungcheol ran out of words. Just thinking of how you would react to this is enough to make him speechless. "I'll get her."

Seungcheol opened your complicatedly designed gate easily as if he lives there, clearly shows how often he's been to your house. As he opened the door, your mom just knew it was him.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" She called out from the kitchen. He went to greet her first.

"Yes, mom. And guess what?" He rested his elbows at the mini bar while watching your mom prepare your lunch. "Her guy is waiting outside."

"Then let him in."

"He won't get in. He said it's a surprise." He has his voice real low as if sharing a very crucial information.

"Oh my god." Your mom remains calm. "He's trying to get himself killed."

"Well." Seungcheol shrugs. "I'll inform her before this gets worse."

"That's best. Go then, I'll pack lunch for you."

Sometimes when he's really clingy to your mom you think like she seems to like him more than you, her own daughter. It's fine though. Anyway, Seungcheol is like a brother already.

***

"Thank you." Seungcheol hugged your mom from behind before getting you.

"Are you serious?" You panic as soon as Seungcheol told you the unwanted information. Good thing you already ate the pill you asked him to buy.

"Why would I even joke about it?" He retorted as he opens a pack of chocolate. "But I bought this to calm you down. Here." He shove a piece in your mouth, you almost choke if the thought of the surprise doesn't dominate your mind.

Super annoying.

Surprises are not really a big deal but you just entirely hate the thought of having to react to it. It burdens you and pressures you a lot. Having things planned and laid accordingly is better than taking anything out of the blue. It's not a good attitude and you are trying to work on it but you can't be ready for it as soon as today. Especially because you have your period.

"I'm not supposed to tell you about it so act surprised, okay?" You glared at him shortly.

"Ugh, I hate this!"

"Aigoo," He clicked his tongue. "This is why you shouldn't date guys you don't know well and guys who don't know you well."

"You're the only guy who knows me too well, Cheol. Don't even suggest." You slung your bag and flew out of the room, almost banging your door. Your mom heard the heavy footsteps as you come to the kitchen to get your food.

"Calm down, honey."

"You didn't have to bother, mom. I can just eat cafeteria food but thanks." You kiss her cheek goodbye as she sends signals to Seungcheol. Seungcheol gave her a thumbs up before following you out of the door.

Just as said, your boyfriend is waiting outside when you walked out. You tried to act surprised despite the fact that you already knew about it and hated it before it happened. Seungcheol wants to laugh on your face for your awkward reaction but he couldn't do so after seeing your boyfriend buying the act. He can only shake his head.

Now, next to all this is Seungcheol's unbearable thirdwheeling. It's somewhat a usual thing now but he still can't get used to being silent whenever your guy is around. There's no other option but to zip his mouth and listen to your sweet talks and nonstop giggling. He gave out a heavy sigh for the nth time as you walk. He actually spent the weekend in his hometown and there are events that happened which he wants to tell you. He has stories about the breathtaking sceneries he saw, the great food he ate, the warm people he met and the unforgettable experiences he had but he can't cut through the conversation to even say a word. He just silently trailed behind the two of you as you go on with the lovey dovey moments, breathing a sigh once more.

It hasn't been a month yet since you started dating the guy but Seungcheol still remembers the day you told him about it, freshly, as if it was just yesterday.

"Then do so." He forced himself to say. "Just don't come crying."

"O-okay..." You are surprised of how cool and uninterested he was. "I'll try."

It may be the idea of having your first boyfriend or the thrill and flutter which got you there but whatever it is, Seungcheol just dislikes the thought of you having a boyfriend.

Simply because it was not him.

He saw him intertwined his fingers with yours, it killed him inside. He wants to beat him up for touching you, for even laying a finger on you but he's not in the place to do that. He doesn't have any right too. You glance at him from your shoulder as he press a faint smile. He has to be ready for all of this. Especially because not just a simple skinship may happen next.

He knows that he can do better and he's more fit for the role but he still let you do what you want because he doesn't want to tell you yet. Neither of you is ready for it plus he thought you'll get over that guy after a while and break up but seeing your smile as you walk together scared him. Because what if you eventually fall deeper and never leave the moment?

***

"What?"

"Cheol," You kick his chair right across yours but he didn't look back. There's no teacher around but he's acting so serious over a book with his chin on his knuckles.

"Um,.. I just forgot to thank you yesterday. Thank you." Not that it's a very urgent matter but it has been your habit to always make sure he knows that he is appreciated. Well, partly is because you want to initiate a conversation. He's just acting indifferent these past few days, honestly not just recently but way before. You can't exactly recall but it started around the time you had a boyfriend. He just suddenly became so distant and difficult like he purposely doesn't want let you in.

"Whatever. Next time ask your lovely boyfriend to do that for you." His voice is so soft it's almost inaudible. His seatmate then stood up to leave his seat and the room so you took the chance to sit next to him. Only to find him sleeping.

"Wow, I really thought you're reading this stupid book." You pull his head to rest on your shoulder because he's struggling in his position. "Did you stay up late for computer games again? Why are you this sleepy?"

You stare at him from your shoulder, scanning his features for good seconds and realizing again that damn, your bestfriend got really beautiful eyes. You always envied him for it. Those pair of orbs that you always look into whenever you converse with him. You can willingly get lost in it and he doesn't even know.

"I'm having a girlfriend soon." He suddenly cut your thoughts with his announcement. His voice is weak and his eyes remains shut.

"You're what?" Oh, how you hate surprises.

"I said I think I'm having a girlfriend soon."

+++++