#these aren't inside jokes if y'all are the only ones laughing

[kindahoping4forever]

As they fucking should

My personal favorite 😌

[ktaerssoi]

summary: you never check your phone, so when the team is live and you forget once again, the secret is out.

paige bueckers x reader

forgetfulness is better forgotten

(664)

it was a basic friday night, usual to the ones you had been having all year. your girlfriend, paige, had practice earlier so she was unable to hang out with you tonight. you had decided to go out with some friends from your psych class, knowing that by the time you got home paige would be too.

you guys went to some bar, ordered a few drinks and hung out for a few hours. you were, and always had been, one of those people who forgets to check their phone. this habit has posed a few problems for you, you never know where to be, when to be there, or who is even there, but the worst situation you had ever found was the one that took place later that night.

❛ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ❜

walking down the hall to your shared apartment with your girlfriend, you hear fimiliar voices coming from inside, the basketball team. you smile as you unlock the door, seeing them all and greeting them, you had yet to realize the fact that your girlfriend and one of her fellow teammates was missing.

you had been talking to nika for almost twenty minutes before you decided to go into your bedroom, what you had failed to notice was the text from your girlfriend saying she was live and ice's reminder before you walked in.

you saw KK and paige sitting by the desk, happy to see your girlfriend you walk over wrapping your arms around her waist kissing her forehead before looking up at her phone, quickly realizing what you had done.

you had just kissed your girlfriend on live.

You had just kissed your girlfriend who was not out to the internet, on live.

instantly you back up, and kk picks the phone up making up some lame excuse of a topic change. you bring yourself to look at paige, seeing a smile on her face. "why are you smiling? i feel so bad, i just messed up your plan." you talked quietly, number one to not be picked up by the mic and number two because you had just felt bad.

"baby its okay, it was just some silly idea, people knowing about us does not change the fact that i am with you." you nod at her words, looking to KK as you hear another "girl boo" come from the corner of the room. you nod, walking over to sit next to her and chat, choosing not to look at the flood of comments not only asking who you were but what you and paige were.

you and kk were on the topic of whether or not we think we could fit our whole head into our shoes if they were combined, you turn around when you hear your girlfriend, "kk, be so serious, we all know those ears aren't fitting in a shoe let alone your head." you laugh, giggling at a few funny comments that go by adding onto paige's joke.

its eventually brought up again that when you walked in you had kissed paige, and you're quick to lie. "y'all, i am drunk, trust me, me and paige would never date, but keep them edits rolling if you know what i mean," you mubble the last bit, laughing to yourself as you turn and see paige's cheeks a little pink.

a little after you guys end the live, you walk out to the team, and laughter fills the room.. "you guys would never date?" aubrey questions your lie, trying to hold back her laugh. you roll your eyes, "i didn't know they were live! i forgot to check my phone!" the whole team groans at this, all of them having dealt with the consequences of you and your forgetfulness.

"y/n if you don't start checking your phone more often im going to chuck it at your head." paige mutters, her hand around your waist as she rolls her eyes at your behavior.

guys i might be losing it. anyway, double upload who am i? this is so cheeks im sorry 😭 -kate

[yeeterthek33per]

Puddin' and Pie (Caitlin Foord x Reader)

A/n requested, hope y'all enjoy 😊

Training was running as usual. Well, at least from your perspective anyway. The team had completed their drills and were in their final stage scrimmages.

It was you, your sister Mackenzie, Steph, Sam, Charlie, Katrina, and Viney vs. Caitlin, Alanna, Lydia, Clare Hunt, Kyra, Alex, and Emily.

Your team is winning 4-1 in a 5 goal target. it was a best of 3 matches, with your team leading by 1 game.

Sam had already headed in two of your mini crosses, with Viney and you scoring one goal each.

Unfortunately, that meant the other team was out for blood, particularly the ever competitive Caitlin Foord and Alanna Kennedy.

You loved playing against them. They were both incredibly physical and honestly went a little rougher on you, being a part of their friend group.

It made it that much better when you scored on them.

Resetting for a throw-in, Katrina tosses you the ball and Caitlin suddenly steals it out from under you, nearly clipping you along the way.

You chase her down quickly, hand gripping her shirt just enough to pivot around her and take a swipe at the ball. You aren't quick enough, and Caitlin switches over to her other boot but ends up tangled with you, and you both hit the ground.

You raise a brow at the striker, a cheeky smirk making its way onto your lips when she shoves you off and pushes herself up again.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this, geez, people are gonna think you like me or something."

It's a joking jab at the striker, and she rolls her eyes and pulls you up. "Idiot." You brush against her as you walk past to reset the play, and it leaves goosebumps on her arm.

What you don't see is the look Mackenzie shares with Alanna. The I-told-you-so is very prominent in the opposing centre-back's eyes.

With that, Caitlin chips the ball to Alex and she takes off with it only to meet your sisters gloves again, and she backs up with a groan.

Mackenzie sends the ball back in to you and when Caitlin tries to fake you out and take the ball, you slip the ball between her legs and take off with it instead, sending a beautiful cross right to Sam's leaping header, beating out Lydia and a goal-line effort from Clare.

As you and Sam chest bump with a small cheer, the other team groans, and Lans hits the ground with a dramatic sigh of defeat.

A clap from Tony off to the side calls for the end of the scrimmages.

"Well done, you lot, excellent footwork from both teams. Defending is excellent as usual and Y/n, beautiful crosses to connect with Sam. Caitlin, good runs, Macca, excellent work." He signals you all free to go back to the change rooms, and the lot of you make your way back off the pitch.

Mackenzie slips up beside you, arm around your shoulders as you walk and you give her shove with a disgusted look on your face.

"Ew, don't touch me with those sweaty hands, missy."

She simply laughs at you, and you give her one more shove before jogging over to get a drink and head inside.

The lockerroom is chattery with the crowd of exhausted but lively women, and you find yourself smacking a few butts to encourage people to move so you can get to your locker.

Yours is between Steph and Caitlin's lockers, and as you approach, you find both sitting there, on their phones, though Caitlin looks up at your presence.

You give her a small smile, and she gives you a cheeky wink.

You grab your stuff and head for the showers.

After showers, you head back to your locker, grab your stuff and head back to the bus following behind Alanna, and tuck yourself in beside the defender, your sister already having taken your usual spot next to Caitlin.

She pokes her tongue out at you when you spot them and roll your eyes at her antics. Caitlin just chuckles and eyes you up subtly as you take a seat. Mackenzie nudges her a little.

She turns back to the keeper, having not realised she'd zoned out watching you, not unbeknownst to the person beside her.

"You listening, Foordy?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listenin'."

"Sure Foordy, anyways, we're looking at.."

Caitlin let's Mackenzie continue talking about this one tiktok she saw when someone walked past them and had seen some really weird-ass thing.

To her credit, she does try to sit and listen to her best friend, but ends up failing while she watches you animatedly chat with Lans.

Her eyes fall to the hair curling lightly at the back of your neck from the small amounts of humidity, just the tips of the long undercut you had.

They move over your face, your eyes shining every two seconds in the light when you turn in her direction to point something out as the bus drives past it.

The way your eyes crinkle with laughter at something Alanna says, the way your lips are curled up into a wide smile when you joke about not touching men with a 10-foot pole in the previous 6 years.

"Oi, Cait!"

There's a snapping in front of her face, and Caitlin jumps slightly.

"What is goin' on with you today? You're not listening again, jeez, and I thought my hearing was shit."

Caitlin's face goes red at that, and she pokes at the brunette.

"Sorry, I know, I'm sorry, just zoned out more than usual today, that's all."

"You and your bloody zone. You can't get out of it."

Caitlin laughs at that, "Yeah, whatever, I know, I'm sorry, jeez, continue."

The bus ride back is pretty smooth after that.

---------

The moment you're tucked into bed for an early night in your hotel room, there's a soft knock at the door, and you groan out.

You get up and check the peephole, and when you realise it's Caitlin, you let her in.

"Hi."

You grin.

"Hi."

She grins back

Her hands quickly pull you to her, pressing against you, a small giggle escaping your lips.

Your hands hold the back of her neck and shoulder as she kisses you. Her lips move slowly against yours, taking your bottom lip and tugging gently at it.

You let out a soft sigh as she squeezes your hips, and you push her gently to sit on the bed, straddling her.

You pull away for air and lean your forehead against hers with a small hum.

"You know you're gonna get us caught one day? You keep showing up at my door like that. My own sister doesn't visit this much." You say with a raised brow jokingly.

Caitlin just chuckles and moves you both, so she's lying down on the bed with you on top. You quickly find her mouth again, her tongue lazily dragging across your bottom lip.

You shiver as her hands slip up under your shirt.

But then there's another knock at the door and you jump up from her lap. You yell out.

"Who is it?"

"Who the fuck you think? Open up bitch."

You roll your eyes and gesture for Caitlin to do something other than stare at your ass while you open the door. She gives you a you-were-saying look and pulls out her phone.

You pull open the door for your sister and Alanna to walk in.

"You kiss mum with that potty mouth?"

"You kiss Nan with yours? Bitch, yours is so much worse than mine."

You poke your tongue out at her and smack at her.

"Bite me."

"Nah, I'll let Caitlin do that."

Your face goes red as both her head and yours whip up to face your sister, caught off guard.

"What are you on about?"

Alanna smacks Mackenzie, rolling her eyes.

"You were supposed to be subtle about it Macca, fucking useless."

She turns to you both, a gentler look crossing her face.

"Look, we know you two like each other, so I think it's best for everyone involved if you just went out already."

Caitlin is the first one to speak up.

"First of all, Lans, I'm 28, not 13, we don't just 'go out', second of all, what makes you think that's even remotely true?"

"Well, aside from the fact that you waited 'til your second point to ask me that, and also because you guys are constantly giving each other eyes, it's kind of gross and sad."

You roll your eyes at her and point at Mackenzie.

"I assume you think so, too? What's your take? Since you know, we're all barging into my room to question my love life and all."

"Look. I'm just saying, all evidence points to unrequited 'fuck me' eyes and both of you are being weird so just like, fucking ask her out already, plus Y/n, I know you were basically in love with her back in 2016."

You and Caitlin are silent for a minute. Should you tell them? Of course, you could always fuck with them first.

Caitlin seems to get the same twinkle in her eye.

They both have smug looks on their faces. It's almost too easy, really.

"Dude, what the fuck is wrong you both? Honestly, you need to fucking stay out of my love life, I don't like her like that, and never fucking will."

You pretend to get a hurt look in your eyes as Caitlin storms out. You use all of your pent-up childhood abilities and force tears as she leaves.

"You fucking idiots! Why would you do that?"

Mackenzie has the decency to look guilty, a look of surprise crossing her face. Had she been wrong? Caitlin had practically been fucking you with her eyes on the bus, and during training, and during like every day previously, though.

Alanna had a confused look on her face. She could have sworn it was the two of you she'd spotted out together at that bakery, sharing a small pie. Maybe it wasn't?

"Dude, look, I'm sorry, I thought-"

You interrupt her, pretend anger shining through.

"Look, Mac, I'm so fucking pissed with you, both of you, legit, just fucking get out, stay out of my love life and don't fucking talk to me."

You kick them both out, slamming the door.

They both sigh, before walking down the corridoor, exchanging guilty looks and swearing they'd have to apologise to you both later, not knowing how they'd fix this fuck up.

However, they both perk up suddenly, hearing a pair of footsteps jogging behind them. They turn to see you and Caitlin giving them the finger, Caitlins hand resting on your ass as you kiss her cheek.

"Wait a fucking minute!"

You both laugh as you dive into the room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind you before either of the sprinting pair can burst in on you.

"You fucking cheeky shits, open this door right now! You pair were already dating, weren't you? Shoulda fucken known."

You cackle on the bed as Mackenzie starts banging on your door, and Caitlin is on the ground laughing. Alanna just stands there with her hands on her hips next to the door.

Disbelief but also amusement crossing her features.

"Alright, Macca, C'mon, leave 'em be, you can grill them later."

Mackenzie pouts at the defender.

"But-"

Alanna immediately silences her.

"No buts, come on!"

She sulkily follows the girl back to her room.

--------

"God, I fucking love you, you're amazing."

You grin ear to ear at that. "Helps when we share the same thoughts, doesn't it?"

Caitlin is quick to jump you again, and you let out a hearty laugh when she's back on top of you immediately.

"Something like that, now shush and kiss me."

You don't need to be told twice.

-----------

"So like, obviously, they're already together, but where does the timeline start?"

Alanna is standing next to her wall of pictures, pointing at each one and dictating the time and date they were taken, like a conspiracy theorist.

Each one contains varying messages on instagram posts and pictures taken of you and Caitlin.

Mackenzie sits quizzingly on the bed, chin in her hand as she looks over the wall, listening to Alanna.

"Honestly, i think it started way before where you've got."

"But how? I've got literally every possible timeline mapped out."

"Remember that day back in 2021 in Tokyo? In the hotel, we left them alone for about two hours to go get breakfast, and we came back, and they were acting really weird, like weirder than usual. And then the next day, Y/n had a hickey just under her collar at breakfast?"

Alanna's mouth drops open.

"Oh my god. It all makes sense now."

-------------------

Should I make a prequel/flashback? 🤔

Idk. y'all decide 😊😉

[ronearoundblindly]

For Cevans + Bucky.. I curious what is each of their ‘toxic traits’ or ‘red flags’ in a relationship… assuming characters like Lloyd do find themselves in an actual monogamous relationship. Whether it’s jealousy, excessive possessiveness, manipulative behavior.. etc I’m curious to know your thoughts on whose what 🥰🖤

o.0 ok this is interesting...

And since you specifically brought him up, I'll start with Lloyd--Warnings for sexual references and toxic behaviors. MINORS DNI.

Lloyd Hansen

Not sure if there's a name for this trait, but I believe Lloyd would have a huge issue merging sex and feelings. He can fuck without thinking and be selfish. If he grows to actually respect someone?? Well...if he does care, I'm not sure he can bring himself to use a partner the same way he would a throwaway hole. Lloyd might have a bit of trouble bringing that pedestal down once he puts you up there.

That's what was so beautiful and easy for him before: he never cared; he could just enjoy himself and not give a shit about anyone else. This might lead to him finding release with others (cheating) when he can't bring himself to treat you the same way he did before catching feelings.

Steve Rogers

Passivity. (Is that a real word for this? Whoops.)

He's so patient and so stoic and so fucking passive, you just want to wring his neck sometimes. He will not ask if/when something seems off/awkward between you. Steve just waits for you to bring it up if you ever do. He doesn't really take charge inside your relationship. He will answer any question you pose straight to him, but otherwise, fucking nothing.

Bucky Barnes

Doomsday mindset. Buck spirals like crazy and always assumes the worst. If you laugh really loud at someone else's joke? You like them better. You're going to leave him. If you don't text or call him for one day? You don't want to talk to him, aren't thinking about him, and have moved on.

He relies heavily on proximity to assuage these fears, so leaving on extended missions is akin to torture. There's always a period of having to smother him in reassurance once he returns. Every. Single. Time.

James Mace

His greatest strength is his greatest weakness: practicality.

Mace is the fucking worst at casual romance; I bet you didn't even know this guy liked you until his tongue was deep in your mouth. It all seemed just professional, or just friendly, until suddenly it didn't, meaning Mace offers zero reassurance that you two are going anywhere. He may assume you two are fine...all the time...because he said he was fine and happy that one time three months ago. That's good enough, right?

Y'all know I love this boi to the sun and back, but his emotional openness is extremely lacking. He's the type I can see being broken up with A LOT simply because he won't fight to stay together/connected. He takes it for granted that you are together.

Curtis Everett

Lack of communication. Curtis will let things fester until the last second. He is a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to everything, bless, but Curtis is not a fan of deep and emotional conversations. This can--and often does--make you feel like your relationship develops super slowly and isn't solid/stable. He cares for you, but it's difficult to tell if you two are ever on exactly the same page until the end of the chapter. Playing catchup is frustrating.

Jimmy Dobyne

Womp. My least favorite of the toxic traits (weirdly, because it's not even the actual worst)--Jimmy is that old-school, typical man who expects a certain amount of subservience from his partner. He's not going to cook if you're there. He's not going to clean when you can instead. When it comes to you're own kids, he's defers to you unless specifically asked (when alone), not when in public.

And that's really the problem with this behavior: it looks to outsiders that he treats you equally and pulls his weight because he absolutely can. He just defaults to being the breadwinner/man of the house.

This could be overcome but only if you force the conversation a bunch of times. You work and are tired at the end of the day, but for some reason it's 'different' when he is tired from working and unwilling to do anything at the end of the day.

Johnny Storm

Petty, mindgame, stereotypical manipulations. Johnny is notoriously 'in-tune' with the ladies, but he is SO USED TO bimbos who play the games of dating (i.e. acting uninterested to make men chase them, saying the opposite of what they mean, etc.) that he plays them, too. He doesn't act as interested as he is. He plays it cool and hard to get and indifferent. He behaves as if any decent amount of time and affection is smothering and clingy. He doesn't let himself be vulnerable in any way...

...until well after most girls would have given up.

Jake Jensen

Insecurity. He's inexperienced and second-guesses everything he does. He takes advise from all the wrong people and gets it from places. Jake is not confident enough to trust his instincts, and it gets him into more trouble than he even realizes. After an extremely long time (and endless patience from his partner), Jake comes into his own, gets comfortable, and might take the lead every now and then.

Ari Levinson

Excessive possessiveness 100%. I've touched on this in a B&B story, but Ari doesn't own a whole lot. One of those few things is you.

I actually believe he's able to tamp this urge down a good portion of the time. However, if Ari is worn down or drunk, he can't moderate that you are his, he wants you right here, and he will fucking fight. You have to keep him on his best behavior around newer friends or business folk. He doesn't understand that professional courtesy might look similar to flirting. Sometimes you'll need to butter up men, but you'll also need Ari to not be around for that.

Ransom Drysdale

Also possessive but mostly JEALOUS. Jealous to the point a frequent stocking stuffer at xmastime is Jelly Bellies. It's a running joke; even if he doesn't particularly like every flavor in the bag, they are his jelly beans. Ran won't share. He fucking hates it. He hates sharing you for any amount of time or reason. Having family and friends is vaguely okay (male friends...eh, attractive male friends can eat shit), but having coworkers who get your attention? Fuck right off with that. Come home to him. Hold his hand. Sit in his lap. Don't smile at that person. Don't go out when you could stay with him.

[Main Masterlist; Who Would... Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

[lesbian-for-arthur-morgan]

Watching Horror Movies Together

Super Short Headcanons || Modern Au

Genre: Fluff Featuring: Arthur, John, Dutch, Javier, Charles, Sean, and Sadie Warnings: None - super casual writing

AN: I know no one requested this but I was on a horror binge last night and couldn't stop thinking about how these guys would act during a scary movie marathon so I wrote a quick thing in my notes app to post teehee~ ---> Requests are open! Check out guidelines if you have questions

<><><><>

Arthur Morgan:

Is not scared at all - literally impossible to scare.

Thinks horror movies are predictable and kind of boring.

However, God forbid a dog dies in the movie because he will get up and turn it off and say that the writers went too far.

Grumbles and groans on movie nights where you choose a horror movie, but will always wrap an arm around you and insist of sharing a blanket because he just likes spending time with you and being able to hold you close.

Will tease you for your bad taste in movies but secretly loves watching them with you and finds himself getting sucked into them every now and then.

John Marston:

Is on the edge of his seat the whole time.

Claims he's watching them because he thinks they're funny, but actually really enjoys trying to figure out who the killer is and who's going to die when and where.

Jumps at every jump scare but acts like he didn't.

He needs to watch a Disney movie afterwards so he doesn't have nightmares. Will say it's for your sake and not his, though.

Man acts all big and bad, but once the music starts to get intense and there's a long hallway on the screen he is looking everywhere but at the TV so he isn't jumpscared again.

Dutch Van Der Linde:

Probably taking notes during psychological horror movies on how to be manipulative.

Says the killer is misunderstood or that their tragic backstory makes the killing justified.

He will eat all the popcorn and then get upset when it's all gone. Cue the puppy eyes while he's begging you to go make more.

Spends a good forty-five minutes talking about how you and him would survive the movie because y'all are so much smarter than the main characters and would make it out of there.

Genuinely believes he's invincible and could survive any scenario.

Javier Escuella:

HATES horror movies because they genuinely scare him.

Well, he can handle slashers but he hates paranormal movies since he believes in ghosts 100% no questions asked.

Loves making a snack buffet for the movie - popcorn, candy, cookies, sodas, fries, and the works.

Encourages you to cuddle into him and hold him whenever you get too scared since he's so big and brave.

Will end up being the one hiding his face in your shoulder and holding you like a teddy bear because he got freaked out.

Charles Smith:

Loves to analyze horror movies in -like- an artistic way.

His favorite types are historical horrors because so much thought goes into them.

He will watch silly horror with you, though, like Scream and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, but will spend the whole movie making fun of you. Lightheartedly, of course, he's saying that those aren't real scary movies and that you're kind of a wuss.

The entire movie his arm is wrapped around you and pressing you deep into his side so that you can cuddle and be warm. It's a little too comfortable though and you end up falling asleep there more often than not.

Loves it when you do that, it makes him feel all soft and warm on the inside.

Sean MacGuire:

Makes jokes the entire time.

Literally has something to say every 2 minutes that has the both of you laughing instead of being scared.

Honestly, it's the only way he can get through the whole movie.

If you start getting sucked into the movie and he's too nervous to fully focus on the screen, he will start throwing popcorn at you to get your attention.

Halfway through the movie he will make you pause it so that he can have a mental break from all the scary stuff and gore. Totally turns into a make-out session and the movie is long forgotten.

Sadie Adler:

Absolutely nothing fazes her, she LOVES scary movies.

She knows all the behind-the-scenes info about every movie you watch too because she deep dives into interviews and essays after watching them the first time.

Her eyes are glued to the screen but will have you lay your head in her lap so she can run her fingers through your hair to soothe you when you get scared.

Makes fun of you when you react at a jump scare. When you look up at her with a frown, she'll press kisses all over your face until you can't help but smile.

She loves that she can make you feel comforted and safe when you're scared, secretly loves it even more when you try to go to bed after the movie and you're clinging to her like a koala because you're still a little spooked by the film.

<><><><>

I know summer isn't even close to over yet, but I am so excited for Halloween this year, so here's a little Halloween in July (think like that Gravity Falls episode)

Hope you enjoyed <3

[anonymooseforever007]

Ring Around the Roses

(Alfie Solomons x female reader)

Summary: Attempting to get away from the Shelby party chaos, Alfie and his wife sneak off into Tommy's garden for a little fun. It isn't until the next morning they discover the consequences of their actions and Alfie has to remind his wife what their marriage is really about.

A/N-Hi Y'all! Possible TW's for only the end of this include Mentions of death, Unhealthy coping habits and self blame! Also this is for K's (@runnning-outof-time) 3K celebration! Congratulations you're amazing and I love seeing you on here❤️❤️❤️ I hope you like this! I haven't done a celebration before really but I saw your theme and the idea spring into my head. Despite the warnings it's mostly fluffy until the time skip! Also there's one part that implies smut but none actually written! Enjoy ❤️

WC- 6.6k

Main Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure we can do this out here?"

"Do what dovey? I'm just taking a nice little stroll with my darling wife aren't I? Letting her get a quiet break from all those heathens inside."

You scoffed, knocking into your husband's side gently as the pair of you walked through the garden. For a man who seemed particularly fond of dark colours, Thomas Shelby's garden was particularly vibrant. 

"Oh hush, you only call them heathens because you're too scared to use the word friend."

"FRIEND!" Alfie scoffed while kicking at a particularly beautifully tulip that just happened to be nearby, just to prove his point. "No no no Dovey, THEY are not my friends, yeah. If I were to pick anyone to be my friend it certainly would not be ANY of them." 

You only rolled your eyes and shot a knowing smirk in his direction. For all your husband's spite and trickery, you knew he really did have a soft spot for the Shelby family.

"Alright love, I believe ya. That's absolutely why you immediately declined the invitation to come here tonight isn't it. Burned it in the fireplace correct? Told me not to put it in the calendar? Because you don't have plans at being anything other than vicious enemies is that right? The pie I brought tonight was a death threat wasn't it? Did you slip in some arsenic into the powdered sugar?"

Rolling his eyes at your teasing, Alfie couldn't help but smile as he watched you laugh at your own joke. Continuing your path through the garden you mindlessly reached back a hand for your husband a few steps behind. A clear indication of what you wanted. What you always wanted. Slipping his hand between yours, he let you drag him through the bushes, further from the party. With each step he could see you relax a bit more, as you enjoyed the scene around you.

"Is it quieter out here Dovey?"

Smiling softly, you only nodded your head before reaching out gently to touch the leaves of a nearby bush. Though the party was fun, it had gotten a bit loud and in the growing chaos you needed some air. So while Tommy and Polly were distracted trying to convince Arthur and Finn not to throw Michael in the lake, you and your husband had slipped outside. 

"Alfie, we should plant a garden of our own I think."

"Is that right Dovey? Does my lady want some bushes of her own to trim doesn't she?"

"I think we could get some nice rose bushes. I've always loved those."

"Roses, is that it? You got a feeling about those prickly little parasites don't ya Dovey? I never got why you liked them."

Chuckling you sat on the edge of a nearby wall as your husband dug his feet in the ground. You knew exactly why Alfred hated roses, and it still amused you to this day. 

It happened years ago, around the time you'd first gotten together. This was before Alfie was even able to grow a beard, and all his kisses resulted in a scratchy scruff that prickled your face. Way back when boxing was still his main pastime instead of "baking", both kinds actually and these days your husband finally knew how to make a decent muffin. In an effort to be romantic, he'd shown up at your work one day with a nice bouquet of roses. They were lovely flowers and you were immensely elated by the gesture, and especially amused since he'd bought the flowers from that very shop only the day before too.... However it was a shame you never got the chance to put them in water. See, somewhere between the ten steps it took to get from the door to your table, he had tripped and fallen flat on the ground. Don't worry, his face hadn't hit the hard ground, it was cushioned....by the thorny roses. Maybe it was a good thing the thorns had left so many bloody scratches. It meant you weren't able to tell his face had turned as red as the roses petals now surrounding him. Instead of the romantic date he wanted to take you on, the evening was spent with you dapping the cuts on his face with a damp cloth while he started at the wall, contemplating every life choice he'd ever made. That was the night Alfred Solomons decided he'd never trust a rose ever again. Not even the ones his darling wife sought to plant in her gardens.

"Alfie, come on! Roses aren't that bad, just because you had a little slip up years ago doesn't mean they all hate you."

Standing by up again, you held out your arms towards Alfie as music began to reach the garden. Shaking his head lightly, he set down his cane and took your arms, fully confident you'd be there to support him if his hip got too bad. You and Alfie had yet to dance tonight, caught up talking with others (which was really just your doing) and pointing out everyone who'd gotten too drunk and was trying piss in the plants. It wasn't something either of your minded to badly, the large crowds of people tended to make you feel a bit nervous and Alfie occasionally had a hard time keeping rhythm because of his hip. So most of your dancing was done in the back corners of the ballroom or privately in your kitchen, waiting for the midnight snacks to be done. 

However tonight, it seems you'd be dancing in Thomas Shelby's garden. Slowly but happily, you waltzed closely with your husband, stepping around the fountain and laughing as he stopped to twirl you ever few seconds. Other than the music from the house and the gentle crunches  of your shoes beneath the gravel path, the world was silent. When the song ended your husband gave you a gentle kiss and stepped back, though he was still holding you in his arms. Looking up above yourselves, you saw the constellations fitting the night sky.

"Ohh Alfie! Look at them! Aren't they beautiful?"

Beaming, you grinned up at the stars twinkling down on you before moving from your husband to a smaller empty plot of ground. You suspected that something was to be planted there soon, but paid no mind to the grime that would get on your skirt as you settled down to sit in the dirt. It was a nice little spot, right next to the rocky path and dug out in a manner that was lined on three sides by tall hedges. To anyone looking out if the mansion, the little alcove would have been completely invisible. 

"What are ya doing now Dovey? Is this the thing you said we shouldn't be doing?" Alfie teased you from where he was still standing.

"I just wanna sit and watch the stars for a bit. Come," remaining seated you patted the spot next to you, "Join me."

Alfie walked over to the spot but when he got there, he only raised an eyebrow at you and tapped his hip with the cane. You stared for a moment and then it clicked. Laughing slightly at your forgetfulness, you stood up, bowing dramatically, and held out your arm. 

"Right right, I forget you have the hip of an overworked, ninety seven year old parlor dancer. Shall I assist you to the ground my dear sir?"

Alfie only grumbled, but his eyes twinkled as you teased him. If anyone else had made the comment they'd have been dead before they blinked, but you were different. Alfred Solomons was capable of many things, but some nights when his hip got bad, he needed help moving around more, especially if it meant going from standing to sitting on the ground. You were happy to help of course, but being married for over a decade didn't mean the pair of you were above lightly poking fun of the other. Only two years ago, you had accidentally scratched part of your eye and needed to wear an eyepatch for five weeks. The first thing Alfie had done when you walked out of the examination room and asked if he could get food for dinner, was reply with "does patchy wanted a cracker" in reference to the one eyed parrot you'd seen in a film the month before. It was just something you'd always done together even before you started dating. A dark humor you both shared, as if joking about the hurt could make it better. 

Holding his other arm, you gently helped your husband lower himself to the ground, squeezing his hand comfortingly when he let out a small groan. After helping your husband take a seat, you settled into your own again, leaning your head on his shoulder as you looked to the heavens. 

"You aren't really gonna plant roses are ya Love? What if something happens to them?"

"Like what? You assault them with your face again?"

"....Maybe? But like why do you really enjoy them? I still don't see the charm."

Sighing, you shifted your gaze and looked your husband in the eyes.  One of your hands moved up to his face, as you gently caresses the one spot on his face that refused to grow hair like the rest of his beard. You knew it was another old war wound, but this was actually one he had yet to tell you the story of. Gazing into his eyes a few moments more, you then changed positions so you were seated across his lap, one leg in either side of his.

"Why do I love roses?....Their petals are as soft as their thorns are sharp and given the right hand, their climb up any wall in their path. Not only that but their petals can have many uses for food or paint or even my blush. That means they are able to change their usefulness based off their situation at hand. They are able to adapt, nor are the helpless. Some people say the point of the thorns is to choke out anything else threatening to take the roses' livelihood." you gently held your husbands face between your hands as you continued, "I like roses because they remind me of you Alfie. Because they are beautiful, and strong, and dangerous. You are a gorgeous and strong man, and I know how badly you try to protect me every day. You are so kind to me, but I know how far you'll go for me. I would go just as far for you. You are my rose Alfred Solomons and so I love them as all they remind me of you."

Alfie was quiet for a moment, observing what you'd said. His hands sat on your waist, thumbs rubbing gently in your sides. 

"You saying I'm like a fucking flower Dovey, is that it?"

"Yeah, you're my flower though."

"....Alright."

"....You know why else you're like a rose love?"

"Why poppet?"

"Because it can be a pain in the ass to keep you alive sometimes."

Alfie only put his hand to his chest in mock offense, while your grinned up at him mischievously.

"Oi, now you better watch your words there Dovey."

"Make me Rosie," you whispered, grinning as your leaned closer to your husbands face, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw.

Gently Alfie leaned back, taking you with him until his back was on the ground. Hands, still on his face, you could feel the smile on his face. Slowly one of his hands moved to your head bringing you down so he could kiss you again. Sweet at first but it quickly increased in passion and vigor. Though eventually you had to pull back for breath, and it was then you realized his hands had already rearranged your skirts in a way overnight you both.

"Alfred? I know we can't do this out here?"

Your husband only laughed, reaching towards his belt as he pulled you close again.

"Slide down a bit farther and I think you'll see we definitely can Dovey. It's only a matter of being quiet enough to evade capture."

It was a nice little spot, right next to the rocky path and dug out in a manner that was lined on three sides by tall hedges. To anyone looking out if the mansion, the little alcove would have been completely invisible. And luckily, the music was loud enough to hide the sounds of rustling bushes...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't until the next morning when you realized what went wrong...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After making it back to the house last night and finding half the dog food "mysteriously missing", the pair of you had decided to call it a night. And since business was going so well Alfie had elected to take a few days off, hoping to spend more time with you. It also meant he'd finally be able to sleep in.....or so he thought.

A sudden crash woke Alfie from his slumber the next morning. 

Shooting up, he automatically looked to his right, and his heart stopped for a moment realizing you weren't there. Another clatter from downstairs and a frustrated scream from you had him practically jumping out of bed and grabbing his gun. You usually like staying in bed for a few more hours, especially when he was there, so the fact he could hear your distress from upstairs made him worry. 

Carefully Alfie snuck down the hall, peaking in rooms to make sure no unsavory figures were lurking behind the door. Another annoyed groan accompanied by various curse words hurried him to his final destination. 

"Love, are you alright?"

It was a stupid thing to ask as you were very much not alright. The kitchen was a mess, looking like every cabinet had been opened and all the contents pulled out. Pots and bass were laud hurriedly across the counters as you rummaged through every nook and cranny. A quickly glance into the living room told Alfie it was scattered in a similar state. But you hadn't responded to your husband, not the first time or even the second. It wasn't until Alfie stepped right up behind you, putting his hand on your shoulder, and turning your around to face him when you responded.

"I can't find it."

Your voice wavered as you admitted the truth. Looking down like a small child about to be told off, you averted your face from your husband's. Alfie was still confused, but he could tell whatever you were rallying about was obviously important.

"Can't find what Dovey? Whatever it is it's probably isn't too bad. I can help ya find it righty?"

"No Alfie you don't undertstand."

"Then help me understand Love. Let's get through this together like we always have yeah? Come on, tell your husband what we're looking for." Carefully cupping your face in his hands, Alfie guided you to look at him again. He could see the tears welling in your eyes as you spoke.

"....I.....I lost my wedding ring Alfie."

"Oh."

It was the simple oh that broke the dam. Stepping back from your husband, tears began to stream down your face as you shoved your fingers in you hair as if trying to hold in the stress.

"SEE I told you it was terrible. I...I woke up this morning and went to the bathroom and noticed it missing when I went to clean my hands. I figured I'd just taken it off la... last night but it wasn't by the bed table like I usually put it. Then I went through the bathroom and it wasn't there. I've gone through every room in this hours and I can't fucking find it!!! I don't ....I don't know where it is Alfie. I just... oh god." 

Covering you mouth with your hand, you realized where you lost the ring. 

"Alfie the fucking garden."

"The garden? Love you haven't made the garden yet, how could it be there?"

"No, TOMMY'S garden. It has to be there. It fell off last night when we were rolling in the dirt. I've been meaning by to get it resized. Oh fuck this is awful"

Alfie actually chuckled at your realization. Of course the ring would fall off in the most inconvenient place possible, but he wasn't about to tell you that.

"Thats alright Dovey we can just..."

Throwing your hands in the air you interrupted your husband, frustrated at yourself for a number of reasons. It stung Alfie's heart to see you like this. Carefully he dragged your hands from your face and pulled you into a hug. Soothingly his hands ran up and down your back as he tried to comfort you.

"We can just what Alfred? Waltz back over and demand he let us dig up the plants for it? He'd probably ask why and what are we suppose to say then huh Alfred? Oh you know, we lost it in the garden you see...Well what were you doing there Y/N? ...Nothing much just fertilizing the soil, pollinating the flower, playing like the rake and ho, rustling the bushes, sowing seed in the garden, FUCKING IN THE FLOWERBEDS!!!! No we can't do that Alfie we just can't! It's probably gone forever... I'm so sorry."

Alfie was the one to hide his face this time. He knew you were in distress but he was amused by one of your last sentences. You always were good with the innuendos. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to get you to calm down. He knew at this point you weren't so mad about the ring, as just overwhelmed by the lack of success you'd had in finding it.

"Yes love, we can tell him all those things and if he'd got any sort of romantic bone in his tiny, banged up little body he'd offer us shovels to dig if we need them. And if not then I'd wager every deal I'd ever have with his lot is out the fucking window isn't it. We've been married since before the little one of them was teething haven't we? It's not like they don't think we're fucking. Besides it's a decent fucking garden, Tommy should have know what he was doing when he made that little hidey spot didn't he? It'll be fine. And if I find it then I'll get to propose to you all over again won't I? I think if I got one wish left in the word it would be to do that again. Ask if you'd be mine forever and let you know I'll always be there. Love I promise. It's alright Dovey, it's ok. No need to get worked up about it's not such a big deal."

Thought he was trying to help, his last sentence only made things worse. Stepping pack from Alfie you threw your hands up again.

"IT IS OUR MARRIAGE ALFIE! And I've practically lost it like it means nothing at all! How can you say that!"

There it was. The really reason you were so worked up. Not because you'd lost the little ring. It was because somewhere in your mind, over the years you'd been together, you'd gotten the idea that if you didn't have it on your were almost betraying everything you held dear. As if you thought without the ring, all the vows you'd mad together were nil. Alfie couldn't help but laugh at that. He laughed hard too, like you'd told the funniest joke in their world. 

"You think that ring is our marriage?"

Stepping closer again Alfie took your arms and pulled you closer.

"Our marriage is so much more than that fucking ring love," he said, cupping your face between his hands again. "Our marriage is me stealing Ollie's shirt before every lunch date because his is cleaner than mine and wanna look my best for the best, that's you by the way. It's you grinning at me through the glass window at fuck O'clock in then morning when I've taken the dog out for a piss since you thought it'd be funny to lock me out in the cold in my fucking skeevies again. It's me paying a fuck ton of money to the flower shop down the street so you could get a rose every week I was away fighting. It's you spending hours patching me up after I had a bad fight even though blood makes you gag yeah. When you refuse to give me dinner until I give you a kiss and when I won't give you a gift until I've gotten a hug? Sharing a bath after a hard day? That's our marriage. You interrupting my meeting because you're so excited to show me a new book? Me interrupting your book club because I've just gotten back from a business trip? You demanding I come to bed and cuddle up, only to shove me off of you later when you're too hot? Me tightening jars in the pantry so you have to get me to open them? Making fun of each other's injuries, patchy? Don't you see it? You. Me. You. Me. You. Me. WE."

"Alfie..." You couldn't help but smile at your husband's words realizing he was right.

"Dovey, It isn't defined by a thin piece of metal with a tiny fucking stone that I stole off a rich toff at a boxing match one day. Our marriage is YOU and ME and every little moment in between. And I promise it's always gonna be just that. And do you know why that is Treacle?"

Alfie had moved his hands again, now resting them on your hips. Gazing at you lovingly he waited for your answer.

"Why Ally?"

"Because I'm your flower remember? I'm your fucking rose.... and you're fucking my sunshine, Dovey. I have no chance of living without you."

Wrapping your arms around your husband, you buried your face into his neck. Losing the ring you'd worn almost every day for years didn't seem so criminal anymore. 

"Alfred Solomons when did you learn to say something so romantic."

Your husband only chuckled as he step away, grabbing some of the boxes you'd pulled out in your panic. 

"A master never reveals his secrets Dovey. Now come on. Let's clean this up and then we'll go get you a new ring eh? Wouldn't want any gangly miscreant thinking they've got a chance with you would we?"

Looking at the damage you'd done, you couldn't but sigh, maybe it would have been better to wake your husband immediately before diving head first into your expedition. Now you were kicking yourself since you'd just redone all the work you'd don't last week reorganizing every thing.

"I'm not sure the jewellery shop will still be open today by the time we finish Alfred. I'm not even sure we'll be able to finish this in a week with the mess I've made."

Your husband just bonked you lightly with the broom he handed you and nudged you in the direction of the living room.

"That's alright Dovey. Because unless you've got some nefarious little plans I haven't heard of to steal my dog and run off, I don't think either of us is going anywhere anytime soon aren't we?"

You could only smile and kiss him on the cheek.

"I suppose you're right. We've got all the time in the world...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two years later...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Shelby, I want my dog."

The Shelby in question turned around, eyeing the woman before him. He knew this day would come. Only he expected it to be sooner, a few days, maybe even a week later...but now it was four months. Four months since he....despite his feelings towards the man, Tommy couldn't help but feel slight regrets for what he'd done. Especially seeing the state of her now, standing in his garden.

"He's just gone on a walk with Charlie and Finn. They should be back in an hour or so."

"I'll wait... I see you filled in that empty plot of ground. They're lovely flowers, I don't remember them being there two winters ago."

Tommy averted his gaze to the bushes you were pointing at. Indeed the small alcove where you'd hidden with your husband had been filled. In its place grew a thick rose bush, blooming with life. You smiled, and to anyone else, they might have thought your look truthful. And some of it was, thinking of the happy memories connected there. But Tommy could see deeper than that. Behind the smile he could see the same pain he had when he looked in mirrors. The pain that came from losing the thing you loved most. For as different as you both were, he knew the tactic you played, though the mask you wore was much brighter than his. And for now he decided he could respect that. He could pretend just for a moment, if only to help you. It was the least he could do, seeing as he was the reason you wore it... He was the one to pull the trigger.

"You're right. The gardener put them in almost two years ago, right after the party where Arthur and Finn tossed Michael into the lake. Do you remember that one? I saw you talking to my sister but never saw you leave that night."

A genuine chuckle left your mouth hearing his words. You played with the ring on your left hand. Only two years old and very expensive, but in that moment, it felt like you were wearing another ring again. One that was much older and worn, that you hadn't seen in years. 

"I do. That was certainly a night I'll remember forever. It's a shame you got rid of that little alcove. It was a nice little spot away from the world wasn't it."

Tommy could only nod and take another drag of his cigarette.

"Did Alfie ever tell you about the first and last time he gave me roses in person. I mean, of course he probably didn't and I'll have to tell you sometime, but I think you might find it funny. There's a lot about him I'm sure he hasn't told you. But then again, knowing him there's probably a lot he did..." You trailed off, staring at the flowers a bit longer, remembering that day over a decade ago, not really meaning to tell Tommy that, doing so anyway. After all, no one had heard from you in months, so it made sense to him, that you'd be eager to talk to anyone. Even the man you should hate most in the world.

Silence descended on the pair standing tense in the garden. There was so much to be said, but neither knew where to start. Truthfully, you'd only talked to Tommy a handful of times, but he felt like he'd already known you like his sister. He couldn't help but scoff, thinking of all the times Alfie had gone off on a tangent about you during a meeting. Sometimes, your mention had nothing to do what was being discussed at all, Alfie just liked to brag about the good he had. In the end it was Tommy who spoke up first, the guilt of his past actions finally caving in on him.

"Y/N, I'm sor..."

"Don't. Thomas, I don't want you to say sorry," turning from the vibrant blooms, you faced the capped man. "I don't want you to say sorry, because you know what? I don't blame you. You're completely alright. I'm not mad at you.... It's my fault I suppose. I could have stopped it."

Tommy raised his eyebrow, curious to what you meant, and also concerned. There was something in your eyes that made his stomach turn slightly hearing those words. But he couldn't exactly place why.

"What's that suppose to mean Y/N?"

You only let out a bittersweet laugh and stared out into the garden again, sitting on the edge of a familiar fountain before you revealed the truth.

"It's my fault he's gone I think. I should have known. I should have never left that day and I could have stopped it."

Tommy's brows furrowed as he sat down next to you. 

"What's that mean? You couldn't have known what his plan was? It's not your fault."

Absentmindedly, you picked at the leaves of a nearby bush. Though your voice was even, Tommy could practically see the war inside your head.

"It's how he kissed me when I left that day. I was only going to be gone a few days to visit my friend who was suppose to have her baby soon. Nothing dangerous. But it's the way he kissed me that should have tipped me off. He kissed me the way he did when he got on the damed train, in that damned uniform. He kissed me like he didn't think he'd see me ever again, going to die in the war. And I guess he didn't."

Tommy didn't say anything. He just let you continue. Something in his head told him, he needed to let your speak, he needed to keep you here tonight. If he let you leave today, no one would ever see you again and something in Tommy told him not to let that happen.

"You know I still haven't admitted it to myself just yet... The truth," standing up you began to pace around the fountain, circling the water. "Since I first got the call I haven't picked up the phone anymore, I'm scared of what I'll hear. I haven't opened any letters, because I don't want to see what they'll say. I still haven't even gone home yet. I've been paying for a hotel room by my friend's house and only leaving by when I need more food. I know it not good for me, but it's all I can find I can do. I've been telling myself it's just that. He's gone to the war again and he'll be back in a few months." Though you spoke with a smile as if talking about the weather, it was easy to see the pain in your eyes. You thought denying the truth would make the hurt go away. But it wouldn't, Tommy knew it was only a matter of time before you broke. And like with Cyril, he felt like he was the one who needed to help. So he decided to play along for now, letting you keep your act up. Atleast until he could figure out the best way to fix the mess he still felt he'd made.

"You tell yourself it's the war eh? Do you write him letters."

"Yes, I write him one almost every day. But I haven't sent any. Did you know that I was rarely able to send them to him during the war. Something about his post being secretive, and no one should know where it really was. So I'd just... write a letter everyday and when I got a letter that his squad was resting at a safe camp every few months I'd just send the packet of them.... If I was lucky I'd get one back, but most of the time I just had to wait. I learned a lot about waiting then. I learned it was better to laugh too. Laughing helped me stay sane."

Standing up, Tommy began walking with you as you stepped deeper into the gardens.

"Laughing eh? Well I guess it's better than what I did. Almost drunk myself to the grave and then fucked off in a caravan with my son for a month. Seems you're handling it better than me."

You could only scoff at his response.

"Oh don't worry, there's been plenty of drinks for me too. I'm a happy drunk though, so I guess it helps my plan. After all, as long as I'm laughing, I don't have time to cry. I don't think I'll be able to stop crying the day I begin. So I'm just trying to hold off as long as I can."

"Aren't we all."

Silence fell in the garden again, and the two widowed souls walked back to the house. It was starting to get back and Tommy had noticed Finn's car pull up a few minutes ago. When you reached the back door you were met with a fluffy beast knocking you over as soon he'd caught sight of you. Cyril was happy to have at least one of his masters back. The man taking care of his now treated him well, but he still missed life with his old owners, even if he couldn't express it in words. 

While you reunited with Cyril and applauded Charlie on the tricks he taught the dog, Tommy went to gather some of Cyril's things and have Francis prepare a room for you. Tommy had no clue where you'd take the dog, but seeing as you seemed adamant about staying away from Margret, and apparently didn't despise Tommy (somehow), he thought it made sense to let you stay the night for a bit. And something still told him to convince you to stay even if just for one day.

On his was back down the stairs he noticed something sitting on the table and there was a click in his brain. He remembered the curiosity brought to him that morning during breakfast, and suddenly a lot of odd business meetings made sense. He finally realized who'd messed up the empty dirt patch that night two years ago. Grabbing the object off the table, Tommy headed back to the drawing room. Inside you were still petting your beloved dog, even though Finn had taken Charlie to get ready for bed. 

"Y/N, I went up to grab some of Cyril's things, but I think it may be better for you to spend the night here. It's getting late and I don't think either of us wants the dog getting hurt if you were to crash."

You laughed gently at his words, not caring to ask about the hand behind his back. Not thinking much about his words, you accepted his offer. You knew you should be mad at him, hate him, even what to kill him, but you couldn't. You were too tried to be mad at anyone right now. Besides, it wasn't like you knew where you were going anyway. You just wanted to see your...his dog again. Maybe if you had that little piece left, it would make it easier to move on. It would make it easier to pretend you weren't alone now.

"Alright. I'll stay. But only so Charlie can give Cyril a proper goodbye. I'd hate to tear them apart, it seems they've made close friends."

"They have," Tommy smiled, genuinely happy thinking of how closely his son had bonded with the dog. "Cyril's stuff is in Charlie's room now infact. They've taken such a liking, I can't keep them apart. We can get his stuff tomorrow, but I do have one thing I think you may want now."

You looked towards the Shelby man curious. "What is it?," you questioned.

Silently Tommy extended his hand to give you the object he'd snagged from the table.

It was a single rose... But something was different about it. The stem seemed to have grabbed something buried within the dirt to take along as it began to grow. Twisting and turning all the way out of the dirt, outwards towards the sun, as if offering the shiny object up. An ages old promise from the rose to the sun of an endless truth, never broken even in death...

The rose was offering his sun a ring.

And not just any ring. A wedding ring. Simple and worn, it had been stolen off a rich toff from a boxing match many years ago. It had survived work and war, seen blood and lust, and so many other things. And while the ring didn't define the marriage it represented a promise you thought you'd never see again. But here now, seeing how tightly the rose stem had grown around it, you knew you'd never have to worry about that again. Not even death could stop the love the rose proposed to his sun. Even in death he'd still offer her life.

You couldn't even take the rose from Tommy's hand before you finally broke. Laughing at the irony, Tears streamed down your face as you sunk to your knees, all the pain you'd been bottling up coming out. And thus you sobbed, hard. So hard in fact, it felt like you couldn't breathe. And you sobs were still mixed with laughter of disbelief as a million memories ran through your head, but none as loud as the one of that night and the morning after. 

Two years ago you'd lost that ring. Alfie promised that he'd look multiple times whenever he went back to the house, even if it meant having the meeting in the garden like "a bunch of prissy ladies at a fucking tea party" as he'd called it. And for two years he'd had no luck until now. But today, your rose had finally found the lost ring, even if you'd lost him months ago. 

Setting the rose gently on the table, Tommy sunk to his knees too. Letting you grab onto him, for a shoulder to mourn on. He knew you needed it. For so long you'd shut yourself away, denying the truth and trying to act like it didn't affect you. You wanted to pretend your world wasn't falling apart and now you couldn't any more. He'd been he same way, except he didn't have anyone to help him. He couldn't burden his one year old son with his grief and he knew most of his family still resented Grace to some degree. They hadn't been as destroyed by her passing as he had. He didn't want you to be alone like he had. For as many terrible thing as Tommy had done, he couldn't bring it upon himself to leave you alone now. And so he sat on the floor, holding you in his arms as the cracked dam finally broke. 

That night, until the early hours of the morning, Thomas Shelby sat comforting the wife of the man he'd killed. And he would until she'd fallen asleep, finally worn out from her grieving. In the morning he'd offer breakfast and they'd get to talking about the loves they lost. They were still both hurt and broken and mourning what they'd lost, but they weren't alone now. For two people so different they both knew what the other felt so deeply. Little snippets and stories about happier times, while watching a little boy play with a big dog, laughing as the pair rolled in the grass. And while both still grieved, there was a peace to be found in being with someone who knew how they felt. 

And while they talked, Y/N played with the ring on her finger. It was new and expensive and fit just right. This one was only two years old and didn't have many memories but she loved it just the same. And upstairs by her bed sat another ring, but this one was held tightly by a rose she'd placed in a vase. This was the ring that she loved more, and the one she really wanted to wear, but she couldn't bear to tear it from the rose just yet. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to. Maybe she'd let the rose dry out and preserve it like she use to do someone's at the flower shop when she was young. But for now she's let it live as it was.

Holding on tightly to a promise that not even death could divide...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While all this happened a mailman was headed towards Birmingham with a letter from a dead man, asking about his dog and looking for his wife....

[pedge-stuff]

strawberry margs (pedro pascal x gn/m!reader)

a/n: same vague universe as “marked,“ per usual, yada yada.

happy belated labor day, y'all! tip your servers and thank your union reps.

(my union is on strike rn and, while it is ass, I'm very grateful for the people who are working hard to secure a better future for all of us. wga strong!)

summary: a totally normal labor day cookout with no big announcements whatsoever.

—————————————————————————

"Hey!" Pedro is slightly out of breath, flushed from the cocktail and the dry heat. Sometime in the fifteen minutes he's been gone inside the house, a tiny sombrero-on-a-headband has made its way onto his head. 

He plants a kiss on your temple, slinging an arm over your shoulder; the man gets a little possessive, after a couple drinks, but not in an unpleasant way. There's a pitcher of pre-mixed margaritas on the picnic table, and only a thin finger of the same drink left in his plastic cup. You squeeze the hand that now rests on your right shoulder. 

"Are you having fun?" 

Truthfully, yes. Parties usually aren't your vibe, and you'd been nervous about this one, for some reason. Had expressed as much to him, beforehand.

Oscar and Elvira usually host in the summer, the little patio attached to their apartment far surpassing anyone else’s outdoor space in the city. No reason at all to be nervous— you were just here, for the 4th of July, alone, kindly invited while Pedro was still filming in Morocco. (And oh, how the summer had changed.) Had been here almost every weekend since then, while things were shut down. 

But, this was the first party since… well. Since you’d put a ring on it, so-to-speak. 

The social etiquette of the whole thing has you flummoxed. Are you supposed to tell people? Is that annoying? Do you just not say anything? Wait for them to notice? Take the rings off and break up so you don’t have to do this at all? 

Ultimately, these are Pedro’s friends, so it’s been Pedro’s call. Not that you communicated that to him. Which might have been a mistake. Regardless, you’re deferring to him, despite the pit of stupid anxiety it left in your stomach leading up to the party. 

Not that you’re not proud of the ring, either. You couldn’t be fucking happier. Social anxiety is a tricky thing, apparently. (You might have way, way overthought all of this.) 

“Yeah,” you smile at Pedro, shaking cobwebs of shitty thoughts from your brain. “Yeah, this is lovely.” 

Another kiss, this one soft on your lips. He tastes a little fruity, some kinda flavored syrup in the margaritas. You’d accidentally opted for an IPA that tastes like ass, so you’re just carrying around the can as a prop. His fingers are sticky from something, you discover, as he licks them clean.

The arm around your shoulder steers you towards the long picnic table, around which most of the party is gathered: the hosts, and a few extended family members you’ve definitely been introduced to, before. Sarah is here, with Holland, which is a nice surprise. The kids are deep into a game of corn hole, in the small grassy area. 

You settle at the table, folding chair pulled flush against Pedro’s. A large hand palms above your knee, exposed below the inseam of your shorts. The sun is warm on your skin, fingers wet from the condensation of the can you’re pretending to nurse.  

“— the AMPTP doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” Holland is saying, from where you’ve entered the conversation. 

Oscar’s brother, whose name you should know by now, laughs. “Been four months now, though,” he shrugs. “You think someone would’ve budged by now, but—“ 

"Woah, woah." From his perch on his wife's lap, Oscar points, looking scandalized. “What the fuck is that!" 

Pointing, unexpectedly, at the ring on your finger. 

"Uh." Pedro's looks sheepish. 

"You're joking!" A hand dramatically clutches his heart, while Oscar swoons against Elvira. "I'm wounded. Sarah, did you know about this?" 

Across the table, she raises a glass, mockingly. "I picked out the ring." 

"That's not true—" Pedro begins to protest. 

"—Sorry, I forced him to make a fucking decision because he'd been agonizing over three options for like a month." 

Pedro shrugs. "I wanted it to be perfect," he says sheepishly, "sue me!" 

"No, no, backup," Oscar says. "I don't care about the rings. I can't believe you didn't tell me!" 

"I can," Elvira offers, "you've got a big mouth." 

He groans. "It's not like it was a secret!" 

Loud interruptions from across the table. "It was absolutely a secret, that's the whole point!" 

Oscar throws a hand up. "You already act like you're married, is anyone surprised about this?" 

"You were surprised." 

"I was surprised you didn't tell me! Wounded, frankly. Irredeemably. To the core." 

"Are you done?" Sarah rolls her eyes, squeezing Pedro's shoulder affectionately. "About damn time, but we're happy for you." 

She gestures at Oscar. “Yeah, yeah, we’re happy for you.” 

“With feeling this time.” 

“Guys,” Pedro interjects, “I wasn’t keeping anything from you. It happened two days ago!” 

He launches into the tale, eggplants and double-rings and all. The hand stays planted on your knee, and you take advantage, laying yours on top to thumb over the band on his ring finger. Someone tops Pedro off, and you reach for a sip— strawberry, you determine, is the marg syrup. You’re not really listening, but you lean back, content to watch him retell the story. 

The next time he kisses you, as the sun sets into the Brooklyn skyline, you taste like strawberries, too. 

[fakesimp]

Blinded

Warning !

Nah, I don't wanna put anything here, good luck y'all <3

➶◜◝➴

There he stand before you, laughing along with you, joking around, like you both usually do. Followed with your other male close friend that always sticking around with you two.

The three of you are always together, you and him are so loud while the other one often just on the listening side, getting dragged on your stupid ideas.

Everything was fine, but the rapid beating of your heart makes things complicated and frustrating for you.

You can no longer see him as a friend, yet you are afraid he doesn't see you more than a friend.

Confessing to him will make your friendship in danger, you could lost what you have now just because of a simple 'i like you'.

Each day that pass make you go crazy, you never realize how close you two are until you realize your feelings that's building up inside of you.

His laugh are so contagious, you always ended up smiling whenever some stupid thing happened. The way his eyes twinkle as he laughed, the way he look at you make your mind go on spiral.

And everything that you thought was okay, are shredded down to pieces.

Everything was okay until he mentioned that he finally confessed to the person he liked, and now they're dating.

Your heart is broken, everything sounds deafening for you, you congratulated him despite the pain you felt. He thanked you, he patted your head.

But before he could touch the top of your head you stepped back, making him confused.

"Hey, are you okay?" His voice softens as he realized you're now looking down on the ground, hands turn into fists. You slowly knelt down, wiping your tears away.

"..No, I'm not okay" You replied in between your sobs, you look up at him, tears keep on flowing down from the corner of your eyes.

He stood before you, stunned, he crouched down before you, you noticed his hand is reaching out to you. "No-! ..No.. Don't" Your sudden rejection made him stop half way, confused upon your sudden reaction he is now just, crouched before you looking at you worried.

"... I'm too late now aren't I?" You said, making him tilt his head confusedly, "Too late? For what?" He genuinely asked. "...I kept them to myself for too long, until everything crumble before me today." You continued, refusing to elaborate on his question.

You're now sitting on the floor, looking at yourself for one moment before looking up at him, smiling pathetically at yourself, "...I have feelings for you," his eyes widen as he stare at you in silence, ".. I've seen you more as a friend, but as I suspected, I am nothing more than a friend" You said as you let out a shaky sigh.

".. I'm sorry, for liking you.." You apologized and wiped your never ending tears, "....No, I'm sorry for not being able to reciprocate your feelings."

. . .

The day after that, everything goes awkward for you, both of you slowly getting more further away from each other.

You now can only see him in the distance, looking at his lover so lovingly, that you wished you were them.

. . .

"Why won't you notice me?" He looked at you as you walk away, looking at him one last time before completely walking the other way around.

"I have been with you two, yet, you liked him more than me.." he clenched on his bag so tightly, "I've liked you before you realize your feelings for him.." he bit his lips in frustration.

"Why won't you give me a chance....?"

©fakesimp . 2023

A/n !

Aha, how are you guys doing on the rollercoaster? Good?

[tem60]

"fragile"

Jotaro x gender neutral reader

hii! it's my first oneshot I've written on tumblr. I hope it turned out ok. anyway, have a good day and enjoy the story from Jotaro's pov! he's a softie inside and we all know it

also I miiight be opening requests soon, I'll let y'all know when I'm ready<<

word count: 1981

warnings: there's that one swear word.. at the very beginning

Each day we're getting closer to ending it all. Each day welcomes us with difficulties such as stand user or other cases. And each day I can't help but notice how different they seem. They're anxious, but they smile at me, or other crusaders. They're being nice to everyone, even though they're also having it rough to fight and survive this hell of a time. Their stand heals our every wound even if it takes a lot of energy to do so. How can they stay so positive about everything like this? And why do I envy them at some point?

I'm scared of what tomorrow could bring, although I know I must stay strong for the others. It's getting harder and harder each fucking way to do so. And yet they stay happy, or at least it seems like that. As far as I know they were good at keeping secrets, especially about themselves and their abilities. After all, I saw their stand only a week ago, and we're on our journey for about a month now. After that fight with Anubis, the stand that used swordsmanship and his own strength at best he could to crush our lives, they did manifest it that day. That fight wasn't as successful as I wanted it to be but I've never been this tired in my life to even think about it. Or at least never been while on this trip. They showed their stand on impulse, as if they didn't mean it to and yet they'd done it. They healed me. I was tired and thought that another stand was after us, I got scared because how was I supposed to protect Polnareff, them or even myself at that point? However everything was alright, at least that's what they'd told me.

My mom.. what if we fail? I wouldn't be able to hear her caring voice, would I? I'm trying to be strong but it seems as if it's never enough. I'm getting tired, each day I don't think we're going to make it, but I always throw away these kind of thoughts to stay strong. After all they all rely on me, don't they? I rely on myself. I should be able to do it so.. why am I here, now?

I've never been worried this much in my life, not when I matured enough to be responsible for my actions. Why has it come to this? Me, not being able to sleep because of them, crying. It can't be real right? When have I become this soft for anyone? Weren't I afraid of being rejected before? And why do their voice rings in my head and I recall every moment they helped me get through something, even if I didn't ask for it.

I'm sick of it. I'm sick of them being all nice to me. I've had enough of seeing their face they make when I make an attempt on making a joke. I hate it when they laugh at it even though it wasn't that funny. Their eyes, God how much I hate them. Behind those eyes hides no pity, only indulgence and patience. I'm sick of liking the sound of their voice, the way their eyes focus on me to make sure I'm okay. Their touch. Gentle touches, I thought only my mother could give them. Their touches aren't needy or curious, they seek my consent before doing anything. They respect me a little bit too much, I hate it so much. Especially now.

I've just woken up from that.. dream I've had. It was bizarre, that's all I know. I heard some noises next to me, that's why I woke up in the first place, right? But I couldn't just turn around and see what was behind me that was making all this noises. I knew exactly what it was, I just couldn't do it. As if I was frozen, I couldn't move nor breathe, I just listend to the way they cried behind me on their own bed that was next to mine. I begged to move, to do something, and yet I couldn't. It was frustrating, I started to panic slowly. I've never thought that comforting someone would be this hard on it's own.

Hearing them cry broke my heart. I've never seen them sad, nor with a frown on their face. Always smiling, wishing best for everyone and hoping to keep them safe. And yet here they are. They must have snapped, what other could've happened that made them cry like this? They were crying quietly, as if afraid of waking me up even though I'm already awake, yet they don't know that. They don't know I can hear every breath they take, or the way they try to quiet down their hiccups just to not let anyone hear them.

We all have a hard time being here, in Egypt. I should've let them cry, right? That should help them more than my simple words, I probably won't make a whole sentence even if I tried. Then why bother? I'll just try and go back to sleep, why should I care about that?

Yet here I found myself slowly turning to face them. It's dark, the only light that is emitting their shaking frame is the moon itself, as if it was showing me the way. It made me move on my own, as if I was hypnotised. By what exactly? I'm not sure. My chest started to hurt really badly, I had to do something. But shouldn't I not care and let them be? Wouldn't it be best to let them do it themselves? In fact, I'm not sure myself. Automatically I stood up from my bed and walked towards them, their back was facing me so they shouldn't have noticed me. Unless they heard me stand up and walk up go them? They must have really kept the watch out for me. Why are they like this? What happened to them?

They turned to me as if scared that I would hurt them. But they weren't scared of me, no. They must have been afraid of me eavesdropping on their little cries, that's what made them catch their breath in their chest and look at me while all I did was look at them back. Stunned as I was, all I could do was cough awkwardly and look everywhere else but their eyes.

"You uh.. you alright?" I said while feeling the nervousness build up in my stomach and a certain pain in my chest as I said those words. Their tears were shining under the moonlight that came through the small window we had in this flat. Yet they seemed to just be shocked by my presence, especially since I was standing above them.

They hadn't said anything. All they did was catch my bigger hand in theirs and bring me down to sit next to them. So I did, with a little hesitation in my movements.

They couldn't look at me, I saw the way they tried to look everywhere else but me, I've done that minutes ago, that's why it was easier to notice it. But I didn't judge them for it. In fact, I opened my arms and offered them silently a hug. I don't know what's going on but perhaps this could help? My mum used to always hug me when I was distressed, it did usually help me but she.. she said a lot of comforting words that came straight out of her heart. I couldn't do it, I'm not as open as my mum is.

Thankfully they hugged me back, in fact with absolutely no hesistation. I secured them in my arms holding around their smaller frame and let them cry their eyes out as if I was a shoulder they could cry on. My frowning eyes were focused on the door that was behind them, I couldn't think about anything logically. All I had in mind was this urge to make them smile again, to help them get through it all, without knowing the reason behind it. I patted their head a few times, hiding it in my shoulder while their arms were around my neck, hugging it tightly and crying together, but this time not as quietly as before.

I didn't judge them, in fact I didn't do much at all. And yet after a few minutes they broke the hug and looked at me with this gorgeous smile I wanted to see before. This smile that keeps me up at night and each time starts a fire in my heart. Am I becoming too soft for them? Old man told me about that feeling when he met grandma. It was similar to what I felt towards them now. I envied them before but now I see that we have some things in common. They're like a sea of emotions and hobbies I wish to find myself swimming in everyday, even dive in the deepest parts of it if possible. So mysterious and dangerous, I want to be able to seek for answers on their behaviour. I need to know that they're okay.

That realisation was the reason why I let myself slip a small smile, also in response to them lifting corners of those lips that said so many nice things to me, to all of the crusaders or other people I never cared to acknowledge. And now, those specific lips opened up a little to leave only a few quiet words for me.

"Thank you, Jotaro" - was what they whispered this night. I didn't do anything and yet they thanked me for it. Why did it leave a warm feeling in my chest? They were just appreciating the silence that fell between us. "It means a lot" then they added. I smiled up even more after those words, but quickly hid my face under the brim of my hat.

"Don't mention it." I told them while still having my arms around them. Since when was their touch so addictive? It's like I didn't want them to leave my arms. "Do you.. want to talk about it?" was what I said next, not being sure of what's bound to happened next.

All they did was shake their head, I didn't push any further, knowing how I myself didn't appreciate others doing it. Minutes has passed and we lied down on the mattress, it was a cold night after all, that was why we lied down together. I decided to sleep next to them that night. Why? Even I have no idea. The feeling of not being there for them hurt a lot more than one could've imagined. They didn't seem to mind me sleeping next to them so.. I believe it's alright.. for now. As long as I get to be their safe spot in those dark times, I'm sure we'll be fine.

That night I promised to keep them safe, no matter if their problems were huge, or trivial. I refused to believe that I could be no longer next to them to spend similar moments like these. That was another reason why I wanted to keep on fighting. I wanted to help my mum, save those who are dear to me and to have this ability of seeing Y/N next to me, simply having them close around and safe.

I felt their arms sneek around my waist. I smiled under my nose and put my other hand around their frame in hesistation. That feeling was satisfying. And it was mutual, I felt them relax under my hand which resulted in me taking a deep breath and surprisingly finding myself also relaxing in their touch.

That night, was also the night they both finally got a good sleep while being on this journey for about a month now.

so yeah this is it, I hope this small piece brings some comfort to your lives, cus I know things can get tough.. to anyone who needs this: im proud of you and hope youll be doing better soon! i believe in you guys so much :D and thank you for your time!

[daandyli0n]

so. hey fnaf fans. i had A Thought.

do y'all think that any of the MCI kids + Charlie and the Crying Child (i call him Adrian) just hung out with lonely kids in the restaurants? do you think they ever said or did anything odd that the living kids just kinda brushed off at the time?

like, hear me out:

- Charlie letting overwhelmed or bullied kids spend time in the Prize Corner during the quieter times, away from the loud music near the stage and away from other kids. they'd draw, vent about their problems, or even just talk about their days. all while Charlie would just quietly listen and nod, giving advice where she believes it's appropriate.

and sure, she looks like she's wearing makeup to look similar to the Puppet, but hey, they aren't gonna judge! it looks nice on her anyway.

- Susie watching others play games in the arcades, sometimes telling them how to win. she looks and acts like a bubbly six-year-old who just wants someone to talk to and play with. she even rambles on about her dog when she's allowed to.

sometimes she seems really sad and quiet, talking about how she wants to go home, how she still hurts, and how she doesn't understand why she cant leave. some kids try to help her find her parents, to convince hem to take her home, but they don't have any luck. she seems to disappear into the crowds shortly afterwards, though.

- Gabriel always wants to watch the band, and sometimes kids will see him sitting near the stage, still watching and listening. other times they see him, he's always hiding behind corners, in the shadows.

sometimes, he doesn't even say anything. if people interact with him, he'll run off into other rooms, only to mysteriously vanish.

- Jeremy, the prankster he was in life, constantly makes funny faces at other kids, sometimes making them laugh, other times annoying them. he jokes with scared, sad kids, playing games with them.

the kids do wonder, though, why adults ask who they're laughing at. can't they see the boy making silly faces at them?

- Fritz, usually off by himself while watching Foxy's shows, generally attracts other lonely kids to him like moths to a flame. they sit near him, trying to give him company. sometimes they'd talk about pirates with him.

however, when people would ask who they were talking to, they'd try to introduce him, only for him to be gone. what's more, he'd always seem to disappear when Foxy was done performing...

- sometimes, kids are just assholes. they find keys to the Backstage area, dare their friends to go back there, only to lock them in. those kids find two oddities back there, after they manage to calm down enough, obviously. one was a weird golden bear, looking eerily similar to Freddy, only his bowtie and hat were purple and he wore a purple vest. the other oddity? this weird kid who called themself Cassidy. they'd keep the kids company, talking with them, giving them a nice distraction until an employee came to get them out.

however...one little girl tells a weird story. in her case, the man who came to get her was some guy with the name "Dave." upon him unlocking the door, Cassidy had gone from calm, happy to talk, to almost dead silent, a death grip on her arm. "Mr. Dave," as she'd called him, could clearly see her and Cassidy...but he almost seemed more shocked to see Cassidy. as she tried to get up to leave, Cassidy wouldn't get up from the floor, still holding onto her arm for dear life, still giving "Dave" a death stare. eventually, they let her go, but she felt panicked as "Dave" took her out and locked the door, Cassidy still inside. she stared at the door for a couple of more hours until she left, and then...Cassidy was outside again. she just remembers them hugging her, muttering something about just being worried that she'd get hurt, and then declining as she offered to let them come home with her. her mom got worried about the clear as day bruise on her arm, but more concerned about the fact that she said that another kid gave it to her. she never saw Cassidy again after that day.

(Afton knows he could've done something that day. the opportunity was practically handed to him on a silver platter; a young child, alone, in the backroom, on a day the cameras were malfunctioning. it would've been far too easy.

but, well, Cassidy was right there too, and they clearly weren't going to let him remotely hurt her. they had her arm in a grip so hard that he's shocked it only left a bruise, not outright broken it. he knows that Cassidy was holding back. had he tried to even tried hurting her? whatever restraint Cassidy had would've gone right out the window.)

- kids would find Adrian off on his own, crying. some kids would offer to sit with him, or show him the animatronics. upon seeing how scared he was, some would either decide to sit with him, just to give him company, or promise to stand between him and the animatronics, so that he wouldn't have to see them. other times, he'd approach kids who were scared, upset, or crying, and sit with them. some of them would talk about how they were called "crybabies" or "scaredy-cats." he would just nod. "It's okay. I've been called those things, too." sometimes he suggests that maybe they could hold hands and watch the animatronics together, so maybe they'd both be less scared (he remembers Cassidy doing it with him, all the way back then. he wants to help other kids like Cassidy helped him).

some kids do have to wonder, though...why is he always crying? and why does he always wear bandages on his head? did he get hurt?

of course, years go by, and memories fade, but not always completely. those with more odd experiences would look up the names of the kids they met, wondering where those kids ended up.

they find newspaper articles, kids who vanished years before they would be encountered, missing children posters with smiling photos of kids, taken in the days, weeks, months before they disappeared. they still looked the exact same as they did when they went missing. they find two other articles: one on a girl who was slain and then left for dead in the alley at Freddy's, and a boy who lost his life in a tragic prank gone wrong. suddenly, other details line up for the now-adults, remembering those odd kids they met. their pale skin. their oddly quiet nature. adults and other kids not seeing them. the vanishing into the shadows within seconds.

and it makes these adults wonder, with a growing feeling of dread in their guts:

what exactly had they encountered at Freddy's when they were kids? odd children, or spirits that roamed Freddy's halls?

[cherrycola27]

Snow on the Beach

Paring: Rooster x Reader

Warnings: slight language, some drinking, mostly fluff!!

You took a deep breath and sighed as you exited the Uber. It was New Years Eve and some how, your teacher friends had convinced you to come out to a bar, a Navy bar to celebrate the holiday.

You pulled your cardigan tighter around you as the unusually cold California air blew past you.

"Y/n" babe, you can't expect anyone to see how good you look if you stay wrapped up in a sweater all night." you best friend Ariel said to you as she looped her arm around yours.

"No one is going to pay any attention to me once they see y'all" you quipped back. It was true, in your group of teacher friends, you always felt like the ugly duckling. While Ariel, Melissa, and Joni all had magazine cover ready bodies, perfectly styled hair and perfectly done make up all the time, you were thicker in the hips and thighs, your middle was definitely softer than theirs, and it was a miracle if your hair was styled in anything other than a messy bun. And you hardly ever bothered with makeup. You taught high school science, most of the time you were in safety goggles and a lab coat anyway.

They never made you feel any less than them, and they always included you in their activities and every time you went out with them, the encourage you to put yourself out there, but you weren't like them.

But, not matter your differences, they were still your tribe and you loved them and you knew they loved you.

"Y/n Collins! What have we said about being so negative on yourself?" Mel chasted you.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I'm only here to make sure you guys are safe. I didn't come to get a guy. Obviously!" You state as you gesture to the black dress you had on, sure it was nicer with a thigh high slit on one side and a halter tie detail around the neckline, but it was plain compared to their glittery outfits.

"It's New Years Eve honey! You never know what could happen! Joni encourage as the four of you walked in.

The bar was packed with people. There was a sea of Navy uniforms, and the testosterone and desperation was thick in the air. Your group quickly made their way to the bar and ordered their usual, you were just about to ask for a ginger ale, when a cranberry mule, your favorite drink was thrust into your hands.

"It's New Years and we have an Uber.... live a little!" Ariel yelled over the music.

She was right you should live a litte, so you drank and danced with your friends and were trying to have a good time, until one by one they were hit on and whisked away by a man in uniform.

You sighed and went to the bar for another drink. After getting it, you looked out and spotted an open bar stool, one that you mentally claimed as your post for the rest of the night.

You made a beeline for it but in the mix of the crowd, and unfortunately for you, a rather large, person didn't see you, and they crashed into you, spilling your drink all over them and yourself.

"Oh my god I am so sorry, wasn't paying attention." He apologized while reaching out to steady you on your feet.

You looked up just about to give him hell, but got lost in a set of honey colored eyes that peered down at you over a set of aviator sunglasses.

"Maybe if you weren't wearing sunglasses inside you could have seen where you were going." You said back to him with a smirk.

"You know darlin' you might be right." He replied taking them off and tucking them in the pocket of a Hawiian shirt.

"Or maybe you got distracted trying to see over that 80s pornstache." You joke. He laughs at the comment, not a pity laugh but a hearty genuine laugh.

"You might be right about that too sweetheart." He says taking a step closer. You aren't sure why but your heart flips at the way he says it.

"Are you alright?" He asks concerned. "Yeah I'm fine, thankfully this is black so it won't stain." You tell him.

"Okay, would have hated have messed up such a... beautiful dress." He says as his eyes rake over you.

"No harm done honey." You tell him, patting his shoulder in an attempt to brush past him.

"Wait." He says grabbing your arm "Let me buy you a drink, to replace the other one." He states. You open your mouth to protest but the look on his face tells you he isn't going to take no for an answer.

You nod your head and he leads you to the bar. "Penny, can you please get this beautiful woman here another of whatever she is having and put it on my tab. I may have spilt her last one." He grins as she rings it in and placed a fresh mule infront of you. "Thank you." You say taking it.

"And anything else she drinks put it on me as well." He tells the bartender who laughs and agress

"Oh you don't have to do that really." You protest.

"I know. I want to." He says simply.

"Well thank you again...um..."

"Rooster." He says. "It's my call sign."

"Thank you...Rooster." you smile at him

"You're welcome..."

"Y/n" you finish for him.

He opens his mouth to say something else but before he can Melissa is dragging you away

"Who was that?" She sqeals as you join her near a table.

"Oh, um nobody. He spilled my drink and bought me another is all." You say defeated.

You look around and see that your friends are flanked by gorgeous men.

"So Y/n, this is Hangman... a pilot" Mel says as she points to the blonde Ariel is drapped over.

"This is Coyote." She says nodding to the man Joni is in the lap of.

"And this is Bobby." She says gesturing to the man she is cozied up next to. "Just Bob" He states.

"Boys, this our best friend Y/n, we all teach together." Melissa tells the group.

"Well, I know if my teachers looked as good as you four ladies I would have learned a whole lot more in school." Hangman says. The group throws their head back laughing. You sneak glacing back into the crowd looking for Rooster.

"Y/n!" Joni sqeals. "We should invite your new friend over!"

"Oh no, he was just righting a wrong is all. He is definitely not my... um... friend" You state shifting in your stool.

"Oh c'mon, who was it, we might know him!" Coyote prods.

"He um." But before you can finish the jukebox stops playing and a groan moves through the crowd until a smooth piano melody plays out.

"Rooster." The three men say in unison. You ears perk at the name.

The boys lead your friends, who lead you over to an upright piano where Rooster is sitting. He beings "Great Balls of Fire" and the crowd sings along. You find yourself singing with them, his energy is infectious. You see his eyes peering through the crowd, but they stop when he lands on you.

You cheeks flush a deep maroon, almost the same shade as your lipstick when he winks at you.

Could he really be into you? No, just from looking at him, you could tell Rooster was a prime example of the male species. Biology had been good to him, and you knew his type. Your friends were his type, but not you.

After he finished you disappeared into the crowd to get another drink. But when you went to pay Penny the bartender reminded you that Rooster was taking care of it.

You looked at your phone 11:30, ugh midnight was still half an hour away. The crowd was starting to be too much for you, so you grabbed your things, slipping on your red cardigan before sneaking out the back for some air.

"I thought California was always warm!" You huffed loudly once the night breeze hit you.

"It normally is, global warming happened." A voice said in the darkness. You jumped and turned around only to be met once again by Rooster.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." He states coming closer to you. "At least I didn't spill your drink this time."

"Yeah twice in one night and I would have had to bill you for my dry cleaning" you joke.

"Crowd getting too much for you?" He asks coming to take the seat right next to you.

"Yeah, I can teach high schoolers about cell division all day long, but a room full of drunk adults gets me after a while." You laugh.

"You're a teacher?" He asks. "Yeah, me and all of my friends who came tonight are." You tell him.

"That's so cool. I guess you figured by the call sign I'm a pilot." He says. "Cool. I think my friends are all with some right now. They had some funny names... or call signs sorry. But do you know a Hangman, Coyote, and Bob?" You ask sheepishly.

"Unfortunately." He laughs. "We all work together."

"Huh" you chuckle.. "what are the odd that my coworkers are going to hook up with your coworkers night." You joke

"Pretty good I'm guessing." He replies before taking a sip of his beer.

"So, what about you?" Rooster asks you.

"What about me?" You reply sipping your drink.

"Anyone taking you home tonight?" He asks with a hint of hope in his voice.

"Other than my Uber, no. I'm not like my friendd who have guys falling all over them. I'm like the mom friend who makes sure they don't get murdered and picks them up the next day and witnesses their walk of shame before we get brunch." You state.

"Oh, that's a shame." Rooster says.

You don't respond but instead turn to look at the stars.

"Wow, so beautiful." You murmur looking up at them

"Yeah." You hear Rooster agree, but you don't notice he isn't looking at the sky, but instead looking at you.

"You have anyone special to kiss at midnight?" You ask him out of the blue.

"No ma'am" He responds. "Me neither. My plan is to head in a few minutes before and get a double shot of some top shelf rosé tequila and shoot it. He laughs again throwing his head back. You're sure that it is the most beautiful sound you have ever heard.

Rooster looks down at his watch and back at you. "Stay here." He says before disappearing back in. You look at your phone 11:55... midnight is minutes away... so much for your tequila shot you think. You could go back in, but something about you says you should stay here like Rooster asks you.

At 11:59 he rushes back out, two glasses in hand.

He hands you one and you raise your eyebrown.

"Top shelf rosè tequila, double shot like you said." He tells you.

You both hear the crowd start counting down you look at each other.

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

"Happy New Year!" You both shout before clicking glasses and downing the liquid. It burns, but warms you from within.

Before you can even process it, Rooster is pulling you towards him and capturing your lips in a searing kiss. You melt into him and a small moan escapes your mouth.

You pull away when the need for air becomes to much.

"Wow." You breath out "Wow indeed" He agrees before kissing you again.

"Y/n I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like we have this connection, and I think my new years resolution is to get to know you better. Would that be alright sweetheart?" He asks still holding onto your hips.

"Yeah Rooster. That would be great." You affirm. "I'd like to do the same."

"Well then maybe you should know my actual name. Bradley Bradshaw... nice to meet you." He grins.

"Y/n Collins... nice to meet you... Bradley" you smile at him.

In that moment Bradley is sure the way hid name falls from your lips is the best sound he has ever heard.

You lean up on your tip toes to kiss him, when something cold and wet hits your face. You break apart and are mesmerized.

"No fucking way." He whispers.

"It's snowing." You state. "Snow on the beach, who would have guessed?" He laughs. You smile at him before taking off the back deck of the bar and running to the sand. He takes of after you and catches up quickly.

Rooster circles his arms around your waist before lifting you and spinning you around.

You two laugh like idiots before a voice cuts into the night.

"Bradshaw!" It yells "Yeah Hangman?!" He calls back

"It's fucking snowing!" Hangman yells... clearly he has had a few.

"I know!" Bradley shoots back.

"Anyways, have fun with your new lady friend." Hangman says before waving "Yeah Y/n you have fun with your new friend too!" Ariel yells before they both leave.

You never would have guessed that when you came out tonight you would be leaving with the handsome Mr. Bradshaw.

Your chance meeting at the Hard Deck turned into a few dates which turned into a serious relationship, which turned into Rooster having you move in with him two months ago, and here you were a now, year after your first meeting, getting ready for the New Years Eve party at the Hard Deck.

Only this time, you know who you are going home with at the end of the night.

You, Rooster, your friends, and their boyfriends Hangman, Bob, and Coyote are having an amazing time.

Midnight is close yet again. You and Rooster step outside, but instead of staying on the deck you head to the sand. It's just as cold this year as it was last year, but Bradley has you wrapped in his arms and you don't care about anything else.

"You know babe, 365 days ago, we met for the first time, and I kissed a stranger at midnight, turned out to be the best decision of my life." Rooster says as you two stop walking and he looks down at you.

He checks his watch. 11:59... perfect.

"But the thing is honey, I don't want to kiss my girlfriend at midnight." He says. You look at him confused before he gets down on one knee.

"I want to kiss my fiancée." Bradley says opening up the ring box.

You're too stunned to speak, all you can do is nod your head yes while tears stream down your face. He slips the ring on your finger and pulls you in for a kiss just as the clock strikes midnight.

And as you stand there with him, for the second time in 365 days, snow falls on the beach in California.

A/N: Hi loves! So if you couldn't tell I have been binging the new TS album and was inspired by the song "Snow on the Beach". Hope you loved it!

Tag List: @dreamingathighaltitude @shanimallina87 @luckyladycreator2 @meggiemoomitchell @mak-32 @katieshook02 @samhapner6 @rosiahills22 @thedroneranger @roosterforme

[hnychn]

𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 [𝐈𝐈𝐈]

sypnosis : life with your five lovers has been more than fulfilling, but when you're paired with a student from general studies for a project, your quintet seems a little less full

word count : 4000+

warnings : mutual pining, gender neutral reader, relationship insecurities, bakugo tries but. . .it doesn't go as well as he planned, grammar errors and spelling errors, it's . . . a long one, a bit rushed at the end so uhh pls don't mind that :)

parts : [ 𝐈 ] [ 𝐈𝐈 ] [ 𝐈𝐈𝐈 ]

a/n : so sorry for the long wait LMAO- i know i said my bokuto fic would be coming out today but uhhh ahaha my depression hit me full force this weekend and i didn't even look at the dock because i was too busy sleeping, but uhh enjoy this :D

↩︎ back to student masterlist | main mha masterlist

- WELCOME TO PART THREE sorry for the log wait 😭 life has been kicking my ass but we're not here to hear me complain, we're here for the tea

- so, it's a couple months after you joined the bakusquad and their relationship. and let me tell you, it has been nothing but amazing. 😩 your days are never quiet and they're always filled with some sort of excitement and love.

- you kaminari and mina often get into trouble for leaving the dorms late at night because you want snacks and there's nothing in the kitchens. you become kirishima's pillow, don't matter about your size or whatever, you are his pillow and you better not argue 🔫 sero always puts on some type of bachata or reggaeton or some spanish song and dances with you in his dorms. and bakugo is your go to person to cook with and just generally annoy or prank since it's so easy to get a reaction out of him.

- and you couldn't have asked for a better relationship. you all are so communicative and talk about your feelings often and how you're doing. every saturday or sunday, you all go to a dorm (usually it's bakugo's cause it's the cleanest) and have a huge cuddle pile and talk about your mental states, how you're doing, what you have problems with, etc etc.

- like damn ok i see you with the mentally and emotionally stable relationship 🤪🤪

- it's so refreshing too because sometimes you'll have a tough week and you jsut need to let it all out, and you can in the comfort of bakugo's dorm and you know none of them will judge you because they're all so open about their love for you (and vise versa)

- anyways, yeah y'all got the best relationship

- you never thought about anyone else in a romantic sense because the squad took up nearly all of the space in your heart. but when you teacher announced one day the general studies kids would be coming in to have a joint project to create gadgets for the hero course students, you had no idea your life would suddenly be turned upsidedown.

- you were paired with a guy named shinsou. he looked friendly enough and returned the wave you sent him with a little surprise as he made his way to the open seat next to you. he seemed surprised when you started a small conversation but he talked to you in a quiet soothing voice. he seemed nice enough and you figured the project would be a breeze since he seemed so nice and offered to meet up over the weekend to start up some ideas for the project.

- you agreed and the two of you met up that lunch period in the library to pre-draft some ideas and get to know each other more.

"i'm surprised you don't mind being seen with me."

his sudden comment took you by surprise as you looked up from your paper with messily drawn gadgets and chicken scratch writing to look up at him, "what do you mean?"

it was true you had never seen him before or even heard of him, but his hesitance to talk to you and open up to you made you feel as though you should.

shinsou rubbed the back of his neck and looked away shyly, "so you really haven't heard anything about me, have you?"

he looked almost guilty to bring it up, his gaze falling to the table in front of him as be played with a strand of his hair.

you shook your head. you never really payed attention to gossip around school, your head always too high up in the clouds to care about rumors and gossip (bakugo often scolded you for being such an airhead and ignorant to your surroundings, but you knew he was just worried about something happening to you). plus, to you, gossip was nearly never right and more often made up and fictitious.

shinsou refused to look up at you, "well. . .i'm known throughout the school as a. . ." he looked hesitant to continue but before you could reassure him he didn't have to talk about it if he didn't want to, he continued, "well, a villain."

he prised his lips as if the words left a bitter taste in his mouth, and all you could do was tilt your head. shinsou didn't seem like a bad person - or a 'villain' as he had said. on the way to the library he held open doors for you and helped you carry some of your books to your locker and even bought you a drink you wanted buy but were a bit short of change on.

"do you think you are?"

"what?" shinsou looked at you for the first time since he brought up the topic.

"do you think you're a villain?" he shuffled slightly in his seat and looked away again from your intense stare. he felt like you were looking straight into his soul from how strongly you were looking into his eyes, he wasn't sure if you had even blinked in the last minute.

shinsou thought back to all the times he's been called a villain or a criminal. it was always unwarranted, a passing comment that seemed like no big deal to others but shattered his heart into smaller and smaller pieces. but never once had he ever thought he was a villain - a monster.

if anything, he used those comments as encouragement to become a hero, to be better than those who always thought he would turn to a life of crime. so, "no... i don't think i'm a villain."

"well, that's that."

shinsou could only stare at you, your smile brighter than any star he'd ever seen, so full of hope and encouragement shinsou felt like he could take on the world. he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck, a shy smile pulling at his lips and a weird feeling blossoming in his chest. how curious. . .

- so yeah, a new friendship 🤪 the two of you started to spend a lot of free time together for the project. you would often meet up during lunches or free time between classes to work some more on the project, all the while getting to know each other in depth. you learned many things about shinsou and spilled many of your own secrets, you laughed together over old childhood stories, and played animal crossing on the rooftop during lunch, your project discarded and forgotten beside you.

- your sudden absence didn't go unnoticed by your lovers, and they grew curious to your whereabouts when you would blow them off for the fifth time that week to "work on your project". now, don't get me wrong, they had conplete trust in you and knew you would never cheat, but they were just curious as to what - or who - was taking up so much of your time.

- so, they did the smartest thing, and followed you. after blowing them off for the sixth time, they decided to follow you to your destination. mina and kaminari tried to be inconspicuous and wear disguises, but the fake mustache, black glasses (indoors, might i add) and hat weren't all too discreet as they thought.

- they followed you through every turn and weave you took and hid behind a corner when you stopped at a vending machine to get your favourite drink. but what surprised them the most was you also bought a coffee. bakugo was most surprised you even thought about even touching the can of caffine because he remembered you telling him you would get terrible caffine rushes that would make you dizzy if you drank coffee.

- but, as you finally reached the rooftop and made your way to a hunched over figure in the corner, it all made sense.

- they all saw how effortlessly you and shinsou acted around each other. they could see the soft looks he would send you when you weren't looking and the way his hand would hover over yours for a split second too long before snapping away as if you were made of lava. but surprisingly, they didn't feel any sort of jealousy or anger, it felt like a piece of them had returned they didn't even know was missing. the sort of feeling that walks through the door unexpectedly but it's wholesomely welcomed.

- the "oh, there you are, welcome back" type of feeling. they were happy you had found someone that made you feel comfortable, arguably more comfortable than you had been with them so far because truthfully, while you had felt welcomed and appreciated in the relationship, it still felt like you were an outsider. the five of them had inside jokes before you came and didn't get them when they came up, the five of them had habits special to each other that inadvertently excluded you. and while they never meant to hurt you (god knows that's the last thing they ever wanted to do), they had. but you knew that wasn't their intention so you held no malitious feelings towards them (not that you think you'd ever could).

- but the way you and shinsou so effortlessly opened up to each other, shared intimate details and secrets with each other - it warmed their hearts. so, bakugo grabbed them all by the back of their shirts and dragged them away, mumbling about giving the two of you space. there was a fond look in his eyes as he looked at the two of you he would be teased about later but would deny.

- it was undeniable bakugo held the softest spot for you. he tried as best as he could to include you in their inside jokes and habits but he was. . well . . . bakugo 🧍🏽‍♀️

- words aren't necessarily his strong suit and he could only hope his smaller actions let you know you were as loved and cherished as any of them there. and you knew, you caught on a little after bakugo had a little "secret talk" with the group (that wasn't really secret at all, he grabbed them all by their shirts and dragged them to a secluded spot while you distracted on your phone) and they all started to explain their jokes and include you in their habits.

- anyways, back to you and shinsou. 🤪 he was aware you were in a ployamorous relationship with the bakusquad and he's heard the way you talk about them and the soft airy tone of your voice and the starry look in your eyes; and he didn't want to get in between that. the last thing he ever wanted was to ruin your relationship for his own selfish reasons.

- so for the time being, he would be okay with watching you from afar, the sweetness of your love so close for him to taste; yet too far for him to savour.

- as more and more times passed, the bakusquad began to notice the lingering looks you would give shinsou when you passed him in the halls and how he would always be waiting for you outside of your class with your favourite drink before leaving you to go to lunch while he went off and . . . well, you weren't sure what he did during his free time, but he never brought it up so you never figured to ask.

- when you fell asleep the next time you all had a cuddle session in bakugo's room, they all talked about it. talked about your obvious feelings for each other and the possibility of including shinsou in their relationship. they spent hours talking about it and still talked about it even when the moon vanished over the horizon and the sun rose. and, in not very smart fashion, bakugo was tasked to confronting shinsou about their conclusion.

- which - almost as if there were an author behind all of this - didn't go as well as any of them planned.

it was perfect, really. almost as if the universe had been listening to their conversation and aligned itself perfectly for this very moment.

you woke up that morning with a terrible stomach ache and chose to stay back in your dorm after bakugo made you a bowl of soup and threatened you to take your medicine. his classes ended a little earlier than usual and, sending his lover's a nod, made his way over to your class, where, lo and behold, shinsou was standing near the door, the familiar brand of your favourite drink in one hand and his own cold coffee in the other.

bakugo wasn't sure what he was going to say when he reached shinsou. he opted to just speak from the heart over rehearsing lines with the others like they had wanted, besides, what kind of lover would be be if he couldn't even do this for you? but, what he didn't take into consideration, was his emotional constipation and tsundere attidute.

"hey, eye bags!" bakugo called out.

shinsou nearly jumped out of his skin at bakugo's sudden loud voice. he looked over with the same eyes of indifference he normally had, but bakugo could see the slight far in them. not at his brash attitude (shinsou could never be afriad of bakugo and confronting him before the sports fesitval was a perfect example of that) but the fear of ruining your relationship with the bakusquad.

shinsou nodded at bakugo when he got close enough. bakugo stood in front of him, his hands still shoved into the pockets of his pants, "they're sick."

it was a simple enough statement but shinsou blinked, "what?"

"y/n." bakugo stated and rolled his eyes as if the answer had been written on his forehead (and it basically had, shinsou was just a bit shocked at his appearance), "they're sick and mina's staying back with them in their dorm."

shinsou rubbed the back of his neck, "oh."

there was an awkward silence as the two boys stood in the vacant hallway. bakugo didn't know what to say and shinsou wasn't sure if he should leave or go visit you for their lunch break.

"i'll go drop this off to them-"

"no." bakugo practically growled, "i'll drop it off. go get eat your lunch or i'll make your face an eye bag."

shinsou flushed a bit in embarrassment. he was overstepping, of course he was. for a minute, having you all to himself for nearly a week straight made him forget about the relationship you were in and this was a smack of reality. you weren't his. you were in a relationship with others, other people who could give you nearly double what he could - everything he couldn't.

handing bakugo the drink, shinsou stalked away to the cafeteria, his cheeks still a light shade of pink. bakugo sighed and knew he most likely made things worse, and he came there originally to make things right.

but fate will work itself out. and what will be, will be.

- so... maybe sending bakugo wasn't the best idea ... 🧍🏽‍♀️

- because now, shinsou started avoiding you. when the two for you worked on your projects together, he would remain mostly silent and only input his opinion when he thought of an idea or needed help putting something together. you had no idea why and you honestly felt a little hurt that he ignored you as easily as breathing.

- you brought this up to your lovers on your weekly cuddle session, knowing they would have brought up your downpour attitude either way. what you didn't notice as your face was burried in denki's sweater were the glares they all were throwing at bakugo.

- "yeah, i wonder what happened..." sero smiled, though obviously strained, as he pet your head and told you shinsou was probably just going through something.

- and it was obvious you were hurt that shinsou had suddenly stopped talking to you because honestly it was kind of hard for you to make friends. a lot of people assumed you thought you were higher than everyone else because you were dating five students from the top hero course, but that obviously is far from the truth.

- anyways, a long time goes by and the two of you still haven't rekindled anything and the squad is getting a bit frustrated because hello??? join our cult lover circle ?????

- so the squad comes up with another solution and this time they don't send bakugo to collect shinsou

- they learned their mistake last time.

- anyways

- so sero goes and gets shinsou and tells him you need him for a little last touch of the project since it was near the due date and you wanted to make sure it was perfect. and shinsou agrees to meet up with you and follows sero.

- sero takes him into an empty classroom and it's pitch black. the windows have been covered with tape and all the lights are off. before he could ask what the hell was going on, the door slams shut and the lights suddenly turn on and shinsou's blinded for a moment.

- and he's met with a very interesting sight.

- mina, kaminari, and kirishima are standing in front of him with sunglasses and hats on, their arms are crossed and they have a blank look on their faces (though he can tell kaminari is about to burst into laughter and nearly does but kirishima jabs him in his side.)

- "uhh..."

- "shut up, eye bags." bakugo calls from behind him. he's leaning against the door with his arms crossed and an obviously pissed off look on his face.

- sero is just standing next to him with a 'sorry pal' kind of smile.

- "what is-"

- "what are your intentions with, y/n?" kaminari shouted suddenly as he slammed his hand on a nearby desk.

- "denki- no." mina pushed him back lightly, "that's not what-"

- "did you not listen last night, sparky?" bakugo rolled his eyes and scoffed lightly.

- kaminari shyly scratched his cheek, "i might have fellen asleep-"

- "he did." sero confirmed, "he drooled on me and everything.

- "I do not drool!!"

- "yes you do, it was like a waterfall, 'ki. "

- "no i don't, right kiri?"

- "well.. only a few drops.."

- "WHAT?! and none of you told me?!"

- "well, y/n kind of made us promise not to tell..."

- "SPEAKING OF Y/N," mina interjected into the conversation, her fingers rubbing at her temples as she wondered when she became the rational one, that was bakugo's job, "why don't we stick to the script, boys."

- kirishima slung an arm over her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her cheek, "sorry, princess."

- "right." sero turned to shinsou and crossed his arms, "you have feelings for them don't you?"

- shinsou tensed. his mind was still trying to comprehend the conversation that happened just a few seconds ago and processing the fact that kaminari drools in his sleep. he wasn't sure how to respond.

- of course he had feelings for you, any rational person who came into contact with you would catch feelings. it was part of your natural charm that seemed to effortlessly draw people in and never let them go. in a matter of minutes, you had simultaneously become his best friend and his closest confidant. often at night he cursed himself for catching feelings for you when things were perfect just the way they were.

- but shinsou couldn't help it. you had treated him like a normal person and weren't apprehensive about his quirk. you gave him a taste of normalcy in his world of anxieties and judgement, and he craved more and more the more time he spent with you.

- so dispte wanting to desparately scream 'yes, i do love her' at the top of his lungs, he looked down at the ground, "no. . . i . . i don't."

- "liar."

- bakugo seethed behind him.

- shoving himself off the wall he was leaning on, bakugo walked closer and closer to shinsou as he spoke, "don't lie. we all see the way you look at them, the way your stupid face lights up with a small smile when they're with you or the airy chuckle you give when they do one of those stupid dances when they make food and-"

- "OK OK I GET IT!" shinsou snapped. mina jumped slightly in kirishima's arms and shinsou sent her a small apologetic look, "you know! I'm in love with them! i've been. . ." he trailed off before collapsing into a chair behind him, his head hanging back and staring into the bright flourescent lights hanging from the ceiling.

- "i've been trying to distance myself from them, to make getting over them easier."

- "they've been hurting, y'know."

- shinsou groaned and hid his face in his hands, "i know. you think i don't see the looks they give me when i avoid them in the halls? it hurts knowing i'm the reason they're in pain."

- "so why are you doing it?"

- "because they have you guys," shinsou sighed as it if we're the most obvious thing in the world, "you all could love them a lot more than i ever could alone. plus, they're so happy with you, i couldn't be the reason to disturb that."

- "you gotta be fucking kidding me." bakugo growled and pinched the bridge of his nose.

- kaminari snorted, "i think i just got deja vu."

- "you could say that again," mina sighed, "i'm heading back to the dorms, this is giving me a headache."

- with his arm still slung over her shoulder, kirishima agreed, "yeah, not sure how we didn't see this from the beginning. i'll walk you back, princess."

- shinsou only stared blankly as mina and kirishima left the room with kaminari in tow, complaining about getting some math work done. never in his life did he feel as confused as he did now

- lost. mans was lost..

- someone get him a map and help him please

- they acted as if they hadn't been the ones to literally kidnap him

- only to nonchalantly walk out the door?????

- sero's voice snapped him back to the remaining two people in the room, "you two really are a match made in heaven." sero smiled at him and shinsou felt head rise in his cheeks, whether it be from embarassment or something else, he didn't know.

- "i'll see you two around" and then he left, leaving shinsou alone with bakugo, who had yet to realease the bridge of his nose from his pinch.

- "you're both a pair of dumbasses."

- "i'm offended-"

- "y/n said the same fucking thing when we confronted them."

- shinsou stayed silent.

- "they felt like their presence would ruin the routine we had set a long time ago when we first started our relationship. . . sound familiar?"

- shinsou rubbed the back of his neck and opened his mouth to speak, but bakugo interrupted.

- "shut up, eye bags, i'm not finished."

- "i dIdNt eVEn sAy aNyTHiNg"

- "sure there were some things we had to adjust to include them in our schedule and a whole new bundle of emotions to incorporate into our lives; but the while point of a relationship is to open up slowly and learn to trust the ones you love. and eventually, we all learned to trust them the same way they learned to trust us; but trust isn't something you can learn over night. it's gradual."

- bakugo sighed, how in the hell did he get stuck in this situation again. at the very least no one got injured this time, "what I'm trying to say is, if y/n makes you happy, then we're all willing to let you in our relationship and put our trust in you.

- "will you put your trust in us?"

- how dramatic ˙ ͜ʟ˙

- so

- :) shinsou decides, fuck it. i deserve the good things in life, and he puts his trust in the squad the same way they all put their trust in him.

- and they decided it was a good time to surprise you too and kill two birds with one stone :)

- so you walk in to bakugo's dorm after a long day of school. you were returning from turning in your project with shinsou, and while the teacher had given you many compliments and basically secured your A, you still felt a bit sad knowing it would be the last time you would see shinsou since your schedules didn't collide and you had ended on a . . . confusing note.

- so you were just looking to cuddle with your lovers on a Friday night and wallow away in your sadness.

- when you walked in the group had been piled in their natural spots on bakugo's bed. mina was giggling with kaminari as they scrolled through tiktok, bakugo was reading a book you had reccomend to him a while a go, sero and kirishima were softly play fighting as they laughed and chuckled.

- everything was as it should be

- until you got to where your spot usually was, cradled between bakugo's warm and firm chest and mina's plush thighs and stomach, and it was occupied by someone else.

- everyone stopped what they were doing, as they watched a smile pull at your lips when you recognised the disheveled pruple hair lazily sprawled in your spot. everyone watched with bated breath as they waited for your reaction and small smiles of their own shining through as they watched your interaction.

- you lifted your hand and smacked shinsou's knee that had been raised up slightly as one of his arms lay behind his head and the other fiddled with a bracelet around mina's wrist, and his lips pulled into a lazy smirk of his own as he watched you.

- "get up, fat head, you're in my spot."

- his smirk only grew.

- "do something about it, hero."

see my pinned post to join my taglist (^ム^)

[jinnyu]

regarding romance!

╒══════════════════╕

Used artwork credits

Hop

Bede

Leon

Raihan

╘══════════════════╛

———☆️

Hop🍀

It started as the cliché love story about falling in love with your very own bestfriend

Which, actually turned out great??

His Zacian/Zamazenta loves you as much as it's trainer does, and is willing to protect you from anything

Probably because it observed Hop being protective over you, and proceeding to do the same

Sure it might took a toll on him when you defeated him on the championship semi-finals, but he wanted you to be happy more than anything

He's such a sweetheart even if he doesn't show it much

The type to appreciate small little things, especially when it comes from you

"Let's camp together!!"

You camped together

He got chased by a wild steelix whilst trying to gather data for his research later

His Zamazenta/Zacian was busy playing with your own legendary

*from the distance* "GAH! HELP!"

You ran after him and calmed down the wild steelix

Then you walked to him and checked if he got any wounds or scratches, which leads you to cupping his face gently with a worried look on your face

Hop's blushing

He's freaking out inside

You didn't notice the tint of blush dusting his cheeks,which gradually reddens with each second that passes

"im okay, dont worry" he tried his best reassuring you

Even though he's blushing, he proceeded to press his forehead gently against yours, closing his eyes and smiling

oh no he's cute

You're blushing

haha blushy reader

You let him do his thing, its somewhat calming

He's warmm

His hands are calloused, different from yours; you just remembered this when he placed his hand on top of yours while you were checking for his wounds from before

This just shows how much he's been working off to reach the champion title

And yet he's completely alright with you taking the spotlight

After all, you're his shining star

And he wouldn't have it in any other way

You let him borrow your champion cape

And he lets you borrow his labcoat

It fits just right with you! And it got his scent, which calms you down whenever you're feeling anxious

When you wear his labcoat, you're 1000000000% irresistible to his eyes

"Don't be so adorableee" he said as he pulled you into a hug and burying his face in your neck

You only laughed softly at his reaction. He was blushing too,,,

You often waited for him to finish his lab work, even if it's until late hours

He's a really hard worker, no wonder he stayed until late

"Im sorry for making you wait"

He looks exhausted, but tried his best to pull a bright smile, not wanting to worry you

You only gave him a warm hug, which surprised him at first before he hugs you back and proceed to walk you to your house

💓💓💓 < your heart

Comfort time

There's usually some jerks who'd tease you for being the champion, or flirt with you in an impolite way

If Hop caught on to this, he would politely ask them to leave

If they still dont understand, his legendary comes out of his pokeball and growl at them

He'd ask them one more time to stop bothering you, but this time, with a menacing smile that says "stay here any longer and you wont get to see another daylight"

Then he'd check up on you, asking if you're alright, if they did anything to you or whatnot

Hed wrap his arms around your waist and drape his labcoat over you, because he knows his labcoat always manages to calm you down

"It's okay, you're okay, everything is alright now, c'mere"

You let him hug you as you feel safe around him, and you two stayed in that position until you feel alright again

💕💕

———☆️

Bede🍰

He's not the best at showing affection but at least he tries

You help him come out with quizzes for his gym challenge

And sometimes joke about the poses he makes when practicing

Sometimes, he gets reminded that you're the champion of Galar and he's way out of your trainer level

Which actually motivates him to become the strongest gym leader there is by pushing past his limits

"I'll show you how strong fairy types can be"

He said to himself as he was thinking about you

People kept misunderstanding fairy types after all, and thats a big mistake

You appreciate his efforts in maxing out his strength, and you show it by coming to his fairy stadium whenever he battles a challenger

You texted him "good luck, I'll be cheering 4 u!❤️❤️👍" before his matches start

And you looked at his direction after sending the message

He has just gotten your message, and opened it

Which leads to him blushing furiously as he covers his face with one of his hands

He took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure, only to fail miserably when he saw you looking at his direction with pure ambition and determined eyes as you grinned happily

All that i could say is, he's red as a beet

He wont lose this match, not when you're watching him.

He puts extra effort when you're watching his match, and made sure not to slip up. It'd be embarrassing if he did.

Opal notices this and only smiled seeing her successor acting out of his place whenever you're around

Opal knows something that you dont, and that's Bede's feelings for you

After his match ended, his Hatterene walked towards your direction, pulling you into a tight hug

You were surprised, but apparently Hatterene has grown to like you ever since she first met you

And when you look at Bede's direction, he was looking away with his arms crossed infront of his chest, visibly drowning in embarassment

,,,you wondered, is Bede projecting on his Hatterene or what,

Yes, yes he is

So you asked him if he also wants a hug, which of course he answered with "Why would i want a hug from someone like you? That'd be an insult to me"

You let go of Hatterene and hugged him anyways

He flinched when you hugged him, not knowing where to put his hands and just let them stay still in a defensive pose

Hatterene watched with a smile from behind you, seeing her master in such a flustered state was truly something new for the Pokemon

Not long after, Bede finally let his arms wrap around your waist, giving in to his subconscious and just hug you

he wanted to hug you anyways so thats a win win situation

You were actually surprised when he hugged you back

He smells nice!! Like perfume?? Cologne?? Floral scent

His Hatterene decided to join in and wrapped her arm around you both, making you all hug even more tightly

Bede cant handle this well.

No, not at all.

His face was really red and its hot— in all honesty, its cute, but he was burning

"Why do you have to embarrass me like this?"

You buried your face in his neck, which startled him as he couldn't think at all

"Y-you!!"

He feels nice and soft, so you're not planning to let go any sooner, likewise with Hatterene.

Bede's mind: ASDFGHJKL????—GODDAMMI—

OKAY NOW COMFORT TIME

His true nature would come out when you're not feeling yourself or when people would makw you feel like shit

"Hey.."

His face shows concern, but it still his usual look of coldness— however, his actions are warm despite his cold features

He'd let you wear his coat as he battles anyone who dared to hurt you

"Are you alright now..?"

He cupped your face and made you look at his face, swiping off the tears that stained your face with his thumbs delicately

He hated seeing you cry, and he'll try better next time to make sure you didn't cry

———☆️

Leon🌟

He's kind at all but sometimes he's just... "???????"

Training!! Dates!!

More like battle tower dates because he really admires your strength as a champion

Occasionally, he'd visit your house and check up on you, wondering if you're free for the day for "quality time"

At first, he was surprised to see one of the legendaries answering the door for you

And he couldn't resist to ruffle it's hair

your legendary on the other hand was kind of irritated by it

So it let out a displeased howl

Which leads you to come down stairs and see who is it

"L—leon?"

He looked up and greet you with a goofy grin as your legendary returned to your side, walking with you

He treats you like a gentleman, and sometimes is very strict with your training regimen

In which you usually whine about because you're the current champion and you have no business listening to him

But he'd swoon you with lovely words

And you would easily fall for it

you hate this

You hate him

No you dont

You love him, you could never hate a goofball like him anyways

Hey did i ever mention Leon's sense of direction is shitty

You went on a date in Wyndon a couple of times and he still gets lost everytime

"Ah!! Hey—....."

"Im lost again aren't i?"

He tried to find his way back to you but got surrounded by paparazzis

Even if he's not the current champion

You saved his butt since he couldn't say no to the people and his fans

He said thank you and hugged you, lifting you up to the air before pulling you close to him

This only made you laugh softly as you hugged him back, letting your fingers comb his thick lavender like hair

His body is warm and comforting, you really like his cuddles and hugs

He came into your house one time when you didn't answer his calls or messages, only to find you drown in your anxiety and self loathing

He pulled you in his arms and let you cry on his shoulder until you're all done and alright again

He'd draw circles over your back and tell you reassuring words— tell you that you're more than enough and he's grateful to have you here, alive and well

Your Zacian/Zamazenta got out of it's pokeball and helped you in calming you down too by giving you small licks on your knee

It'd whine whenever you're sad and climb onto your bed, nudging your arm afterwards as if it's asking what's wrong

You're lucky to have them both whenever you need them the most, and they're lucky to have you

———☆️

Raihan 🐲

It's finally the Character y'all been waitin for, dragon boi coming through

Okay serious talk here— Raihan is TALL

His hoodies makes you look smaller than you already are

You tried copying his "Gaooo~" pose a couple of times while wearing his hoodie

Its cutest thing he has ever seen his entire life

It makes him melt everytime

Okay aside from that, he's gentle and laid back, even if his personality is quite the opposite when he's on battle

He's cLINGY ASF

Don't forget his fangs, never forget his fangs

You're actually curious about his fangs since the first day you saw him

And he lets you touch it whenever you like

Youre still curious, because what the hell, its so cool

The first day you saw him after defeating him in a match and gain your gym badge, he immediately took an interest in you and your strength

"Hey Challenger!"

He called you before you tried to take your leave, gaining your attention

He then asked you if you want to practice with him next time, and have a rematch when you've become the champion

You agreed and exchanged numbers

What can i say, he spams you like?????? A lot

And casually sends you pictures of him and his duraludon

You love his dragons, especially flygon

Flygon loves you too, and one time it wanted to come with you

Raihan lets you keep his Flygon and you send him pictures of you with it

He sends emotes of duraludon crying, wanting to join you and your fun trip with Flygon to grab the Champion title

After you took the Champion title, Raihan greeted you with a big hug

And you hug him back with no hesitation

"Congratulations, may i have a selfie with the new Champion?"

He asked in a teasing manner, letting you down on your feet as you nodded

You took a selfie selfwith him numerous times before he posted it to his social media

He captioned 'First person to get a selfie with the new Champion'

He took pride in that, and some of his fans were jealous that you managed to get a selfie with him

From that day onwards, he'd have casual selfies with you, sometimes hilarious one and sometimes its just for showing off

You didn't mind it really, he's a celebrity anyways, so you understand why he does that

"Hey.. do stars have feelings"

It was three am what the fuck Raihan

You squinted at your screen seeing his message

"Why in the Galar would you be awake, dear Dragon tamer?"

You answered him

And immediately he answered "oh? The Champion is awake?"

You guys didn't sleep afterwards and was sending streaks of blurry selfies

It was fun and helped you cheer up

You got some of his blurry pics that he captioned "party rock in the house" when clearly its just him and his pokemons

What a goofball pt.2

You love him anyways shut up

Haha smol reader pt.2

[mendesbhraanth]

Request

Heart shaped eyes

Pairing: Shawn x y/n

Word count : 1 k

Warning: slight mentions of smut. Fluff.

A/n : thank you so much for requesting this. Hope you like the story ❤️😊

Shawn collapsed beside you with a sweaty forehead and panting chest, taking rushed breaths, just like you at the moment. You both were trying to catch your breath after what previously happened.

"That was amazing!!!" He said whilst panting like he had run a mile. Well..he was doing something just as energy consuming as "running a mile" but a lot more fun.. if you know what I mean..OF COURSE YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN🤷🏻‍♀️. You let out a few breathy laughs at his words.

"Babe no joke..that was amazing!! The best thing I've ever had!! That was so good!! Nothing in life can ever be as good as that!" He said. With all that panting going on, man couldn't even speak properly but he just HAD to tell you.

"Stop it Shawn" you said jokingly rolling your eyes at the ceiling and trying to breath while smiling and blushing and panting.

You were looking at the ceiling while your mind ran around all the places he touched, gathering up tingling sensations and making you feel like you were floating. You definitely were floating. You had your head in the clouds and you were trying to process how good it felt. It was amazing. It always is.

You felt a hand on your abdomen and you looked up only to see shawn supporting his head on his arms and looking down at you with the most love sick look on his face. If this was a cartoon his pupils would've been heart shaped right now.

He smiled at you, a toothless smile which symbolised pure adoration and love for you and he started gently moving his hands up and down your abdomen.

He looked so soft right now, looking into your eyes as if there was some sort of magic in them.Hair a mess, plump lips, blushed cheeks looking down at you like you were the most wonderful thing he's ever seen and you indeed were. Shawn couldn't even believe this moment actually. Infact he couldn't even believe that YOU were actually real. The love of his life. So beautiful. Laying beside him. You smiled back at him with the same amount of passion.

He wasn't panting anymore but his mouth was still open and was hanging low like he had been wonder struck.

You twisted your eyebrows in a funny way at his expression. You brought up your hand and lightly poked his nose with your finger which made him snap out of his daze while his hand came all the way to hold your's and laughed while looking back from your hands to your eye's.

"Why did you do that?" He asked softly while placing a soft kiss on the back of your hands.

"Why were you looking at me like that?" You said while you held his hands, slowly bringing it to your lips and kissing it just like he did with yours.

"Like what?" He asked with a funny face.

"Like.....you were looking at me like Donald duck when he sees daisy" you say, chuckling at your own explanation, poking his nose again. He again took hold of your hands to protect his nose and also..to hold your hand while letting out soft laughs. You giggled at him. And he laughed more. In a few seconds y'all were laughing like little kids.

"Donald. Really babe?" He said in between laughs.

"Yeah! You literally had heart shapes inside your pupils" you said and he gradually stopped laughing to go back to the state he previously was in. Wonder.

"What can I say? Im in love with you for real!How are YOU even real? You're too good to be true." He said while looking you up and down carefully as if to confirm you were actually there, making you feel all giddy inside as if you weren't feeling like your insides were melting already.

"There's no way your real.." he said in a matter of fact way, now resting his head on your bed sheet covered chest.

"I'm real Shawn..but I doubt if you are! Like..I can't believe that I'm literally a y/n" you said, jokingly, remembering all the fanfictions you've read whilst bringing up your hands to play with his soft messy hair.

Shawn let out a small laugh and then got up from your chest and supported his weight on his elbows with your hands still in his hair. You gently scratched his scalp which made him tilt his head back and lean more into your touch. This boy was a sucker for hair playing. You laughed softly at his action.

You took your hand out of his hair now resting it on his cheeks. Shawn made a small noice of protest but then focused on how your hand felt on his cheeks. Soft and gentle, just like you.

He them brought one of his hands up and covered your hands with his gigantic ones.

"You know why I look at you with heart shaped eyes?" Shawn asked, slowly bringing his sight into your eyes.

"Yeah" you said. Was that sarcasm? You didn't even know what you meant yourself. Shawn let out a soft laugh at it.

"Of course you do. I'm that obvious aren't I?" He said and you slowly nodded.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same-" he was cut off by you placing your index finger on his lips.

"Are you kidding? Of course I feel the same! I would be a fool to not fall in love with you and all that you are! I'm head over heals in love with you that I can't even breathe when your with me! Unnecessary confession but you need to hear this..I'm a total SIMP for you bish! You literally make me feel like I'm floating when ever your with me and I love you so so much! " You said in one single breath.

It even took you a few moments to process your own outburst about how you feel about shawn. You looked up to see Shawn looking at you with his mouth wide open and that's when it hit you..was he not talking about love? I mean...you both are yet to confess that. I mean he said if you "don't feel the same" and all but..

"Hey shawn?" You said and he came back to his senses and let out a breath that seemed like a sigh of relief.

"Y/n I love you too"

[monscastle]

"you're still eating out of y/n's hands you know."

he choked, the only thought in his mind being 'no wonder this tastes familiar.'

pairing ; lee felix x gn! reader

for ; @writearctic 's chronicles!!

genre ; angst & fluff

warnings ; mild cursing, smoking

words ; 1.6k

author's note ; not today! just enjoy and feel free to give feedback!! sorry for any mistakes!! 

"hey, let's go eat." chan smiled while pressing up against the other australian.

felix hummed, not really listening as he gripped the remote in his hands and flickered the buttons with his thumbs. "where?"

"uh, that one restaurant that's like, thirty minutes away from here-"

felix glanced a glare at chan before turning back to the screen of the tv. "any reason?"

"they have a special." chan then proceeded to put he flyer in front of felix's line of sight, making the younger grunt.

felix paused his game, sighing and glaring at his friend. "alright, fine. but you're paying." 

chan grinned, "fine by me. get dressed and look decent, don't pull a jisung." 

"...i'm right here." 

______

"hello! table for three?" the host asked as soon as they walked inside. 

chan nodded, following the host with his two friends. as soon as they sat down they were handed menu's. 

"would you like to order drinks right now or when you order your food?" 

felix scanned the options, not seeing the special that chan had mentioned. he was gonna question the older until said man asked the host about it. 

"uh, i saw that y'all have a special on a flyer…" 

"oh! yes we do! we got the word out this morning, that's why it's still not on the menu. the special lasts until next friday. would you like to order that?"

"do you guys want it?" chan turned to them. 

"what's the special?" jisung rose a brow. 

the host smiled, "fettuccine alfredo pasta." 

felix hummed, thinking about it. "yeah i'd like that."

"me too." 

chan nodded, turning to the host who took out a notepad and pen. although she wasn't a waiter, she could take down orders and hand them over to the cooks. 

"great. any drinks?" she asked while tapping her notepad with the tip of the pen.

jisung nodded, "peach tea for me." 

"i'll take lemonade." 

"sprite if you have that." 

she nodded and scribbled it down before repeating their order to make sure she didn't make any mistakes. once everything was confirmed and settled,  she excused herself to order their assigned waiter to fetch their drinks. 

jisung followed her trail until she opened the kitchen doors, noticing something- more like someone, for a split second. 

"well, while we wait, let's catch up." chan sighed while staring at his friends.

"on what?" jisung asked while turning to him. 

the older thought for a second before shrugging, "i don't know, what have you guys been up to lately?"

felix propped his elbow on the table,  resting his chin on his palm. "nothing, i'm enjoying my break to the fullest."

"by being locked up and playing video games?" chan rose a brow, obviously disappointed. 

"at least he's doing something, i've been sleeping most of the time." 

"he only gets up when he needs to pee or eat." felix chuckled. 

chan frowned, "that explains a lot…" 

"anyway, what about you? changbin-hyung told me someone had the hots for you and vice versa." 

the older sputtered, "th-that's not true. and maybe it's just a new friend." 

jisung and felix rose a brow, sharing a glance before sighing. they had the habit of being synchronized without wanting to, which many found scary and or amusing. 

"you're bad at lying, you know that?" jisung chuckled, glancing at the kitchen doors that opened as a waiter came out with a tray with drinks. he smirked at his confirmation,  it's been a while since he's been this entertained. 

chan blushed, avoiding eye contact. "i know…" 

felix laughed, jisung was known for reading others. changbin was known for it too, and it was always funny when someone got exposed or confronted. 

the waiter walked up to them, placing down their drinks. "your food is ready and i'll bring it right now, i'm sorry the sudden delay in your drinks, we had a minor...issue." 

"no it's fine! thank you!" chan smiled as he took his drink and sipped from it. 

jisung stared at the kitchen doors, once they were opened he tried to find the familiar face, and he smirked to himself when he saw it. he wasn't going to say anything yet, he liked waiting it out. 

"so, who is it?" felix jabbed at chan, wanting answers.

"i- you don't know him, he's not in your major." chan nibbled at the straw. 

"and? i still wanna know." 

"it's probably someone older than him, maybe by a year? let me guess, he's also studying music production? and you met him in the cafeteria." jisung smiled when chan choked. 

felix stared at his roomate in awe, "holy fuck." 

chan gasped, staring at jisung with wide eyes. "you scare me. you're hanging out with minho aren't you?" 

"sure." 

"what do you mean sure-" 

felix grinned, "so he's right?" 

"...yeah… i'm amazed you even guessed the gender…" chan pouted, gnawing at the straw again. 

"thank you, i try." jisung sipped from his drink as the waiter returned with their food. once the waiter left he spoke again, "what's his name?" 

"why are you asking?" 

"cus it's about time you had a love life." felix rolled his eyes,  "you barely get sleep, and now you have the hots for someone? you need to go out and live a little. " 

chan scoffed, the tips of his ears still red. "yeah, look who's talking. you're probably staying inside the dorms and not going out cus you're still upset about the y/n situation." 

jisung gaped, amazed chan could strike like that. "not wrong-" 

felix growled, "y/n has nothing to do with how i'm spending my break. we broke up, that's it. nothing more nothing less to it. no hard feelings." he frowned and stuffed his mouth with some pasta, the taste making him pause and ponder.

jisung stared at the young australian, "you're still eating out of y/n's hands you know." 

and he choked, the only thought in his mind being  'no wonder this tastes familiar.' 

chan gave felix's back a few pats, " jisung stop joking around." 

said male frowned, "i'm not. y/n's in the kitchen, pretty sure y/n is the one who cooked the food." 

felix heaved, "it...does taste familiar…

"and to think you were over y/n.." 

"i am!" 

"are not, but we'll talk about this later. chan, you never told me the guys name-" 

"yah! i'm not telling." 

________ 

"you're not going back with us?" jisung asked as they exited the restaurant.  

the fact y/n was one of the chefs was forgotten once they went back to chan's possible love life topic. felix didn't really think anything of it until they got up to leave. 

"no i wanna check out that store. i'll go back on the bus." felix waved them off. 

chan frowned, "sure, ok… call if you need anything." 

"will do." 

jisung rolled his eyes, following chan to the older's car for the ride home. felix walked inside the store that was across the restaurant they had eaten at, he looked around, heart racing. 

he saw a small penguin plushie, smiling at it's fluffiness once he grabbed it. he made sure he had money before going to the register, paying and walking out. just as he did, he glanced at the restaurant and saw you. 

you stood there, lighting up a cigarette. when you glanced at him, you froze, both of you did. 

felix gripped the bag in his hand. it's been a month since the two of you broke up, quite a small amount of time considering everything. 

the reason the two of you ended things was no mystery to eithers friend group. you had suddenly gotten distant, claiming to focus on exams, which wasn't a lie. felix grew upset with the absence of you, and whenever he tried to reach out, you sounded uninterested.  

and it wasn't that you weren't,  you were just going through things. felix took it the wrong way, and the tip of the iceberg was when he saw you all touchy with someone else at a party you had said you wouldn't attend. 

instead of facing you, he played fire with fire. 

"hi…" your voice was soft, and you stared across from you, not wanting to face him. 

"hi." felix now stood next to you, staring across the street as well. 

there was a silence, and felix then glanced at the puff of smoke you let out. he was questioning himself, maybe he should go and wait for the last bus. maybe he should have gone back home with his friends. maybe-

"i'm sorry." 

felix snapped his head towards you, staring at you like a lost puppy. you were still facing across the street, cigarette in hand. 

"i'm sorry i didn't face you like i should have. i'm sorry i didn't talk things through with you… i really have no justifications for anything i did. maybe i was just confused, we were both just trying to pass our classes..you were just trying to make our relationship work… and i...i… " 

"you gave up." felix finished your sentence, now staring at the bag in his hands. 

you finally turned to look at him, "no... i got bored of trying. i got bored of us. of you."

each word made felix stagger, and you took a second to grab his hand, holding it gently. he blushed, staring down at your hand on his. 

"but i didn't want to let go of you." 

he swallowed, "then why did you…" 

"that's…a good question." you let go of his hand, and he was quick to take it again. 

"i'm sorry too. i think...we lacked communication." 

you smiled a bit, taking the cigarette in your mouth again.  "obviously...”

felix squeezed you hand, “do you think...we could try again?”

“you don’t hate me?”

he shook his head, “we were both at fault, do you hate me?”

“no....”

“so...wanna start from zero?”

you sighed, the puff of smoke intoxicating his nostrils. you didn’t pick up on smoking until after the two of you broke up, “yeah...i’d like that.”

“me too...and...jisung said you cooked our food, that true?”

“felix, i have no idea who comes into the restaurant. i just do my job.” you laughed softly, shaking your head, “but i’m the only cook today, so yeah, i guess i did. you enjoy it?”

he nodded, “i always enjoyed your food, still do.”

you tugged at his hand, “want a ride home?”

“yeah...”

[vbee-miya]

[Until The Symphony Ends]

✥︎ chrollo lucifer x gn! reader || m.list

type: short fanfic

warnings: none that i know of

w/c: 1.3k (1320)

a/n: enjoy this fellow chrollo stans y'all scare me. and i scare myself

You took it upon yourself to head over to the new marketplace.

You heard there’d be a new book shop opening there. With your love and adoration for reading books it was a must to check out this new place.

“Um excuse me. Can you help find the 16th street for me?”

You turned around to find a child looking at you. However their features looked far more mature for a child. Oh well people are different right?

You walked next to them as you yourself were also heading towards 16th street. After all that was where the new bookshop was going to be opened.

The walk was awfully quiet between the two of you. So you decided to lively the air around you both.

“So I’m [name].” You turned towards the figure next to you and smiled. They looked at you and nodded.

Geez so much for getting an introduction.

“Feitan! There you were.” A man no taller than you approached the figure next to you.

Feitan huh. Pfft

“Feitan you’re so damn short we almost lost you.” A girl with gorgeous locks of pink hair appeared in front of you. You figured it would be best you split away from the now growing group. Besides you were now on 16th street and there it was. The book shop you have been dying to see.

The store was smaller than the others around, but it smelled nice. You took some breaths in before starting your little adventure.

One thing that was truly astonishing about this shop was how high and uniquely built the shelving units were. They were made of stone like material that twisted around one another with golden rims at the ends of each twist. The books were all different from each other. Not one single book was similar to the ones in the same shelving.

It was truly a sight. When people say not to judge a book by it’s cover, this book shop really emphasizes that saying. It was much bigger than you expected. I mean there was a whole balcony inside you wanted to look up at. However you weren’t allowed there.

“Wondering what’s up there right?” A man walked near you.

“I mean yes I’d assume, but it says only for authorized visitors.”

The man who is now ahead of you turned around he looked welcoming however his eyes were telling a darker tale. He nudged his head towards a set of stone stairs. You followed closely behind the man hoping to not get caught.

“So why are you here?” He had both hands in the pockets of the black coat he wore. The coat itself was odd, but it didn’t matter.

“Well I guess you could just say I like books. In fact I collect some actually.”

The man gazed down at you, “is that so? So you’re a collector, that must mean you have books of all sorts of literature. Right?”

You baffled at the question this man in front of you had stated. “Well you could put it in that sense. It’s not like I collect rare collections of books. In fact many of the books I have aren’t what people would deem ‘auction’ worthy you know?” You shook off the ridiculous connection you made with a laugh.

The man was now looking at you, eyes piercing almost through your soul. “Do you think auctions are a joke?”

“Pardon?”

He leads you towards one of the tables up in the library balcony gesturing for you to sit. He sat quiet waiting for you to answer his question.

“Sigh, well I guess it can’t be helped now can it?” You dared to look at the man’s eyes. His clothing said enough to know who he was. “Well I’m not interested in auctions myself, however unlike you Phantom Troupes it’s like a daily thing for you. Isn’t that correct?”

He showed little to no expression regarding the statement. Rather he ignored it. “Auctions aren't something to take lightly.” He stood up and walked himself to the library window.

The view was beautiful indeed.

“That auditorium.” He glanced back at you now walking back to the table.

“Let me guess, it won’t be there anymore, because you and your band of thirteen are always planning to do something notorious? Aren’t I right?”

“I’m intrigued you know so much about us.” He sat himself down once more, “Let me guess you at least majored in one of those criminal studies haven’t you?”

“And if I didn’t?”

“You wouldn’t know anything about us.” He gave an almost snarky look.

He was right of course. Normal education as such rarely talks about the infamous Phantom Troupe, however there was a reason for you to know who they were.

You were a Hunter not as skillful to be known in the spotlight which wasn’t that bad. Knowing that if you were you’d most likely be killed right about now, but if you mentioned you were a Hunter you’d also get killed.

“Well? Why do you know us?” He gave a stern look. Yet once again his eyes pierced though your soul.

“Shh, listen.” He raised an eyebrow and as both of you sat quiet you could slowly hear waves of a symphony entering through the walls of the bookshop.

You walked over to the library window and there formed a group of musicians and a choir in the middle of the place. Chrollo didn’t care to look at the symphony.

He got his pen and his book. He didn’t know what your deal was and the reason behind how you knew so much about the group.

He figured as much that you were hiding something. He’d admit you were hiding the secret well, however not well enough. He decided to toy with you a bit just to see if you’d end up coming clean to him. Though there was no reason for you to do such a thing after all you both barely knew each other, but despite that the aftermath was something he’ll be looking forward to. Not that there was much to even look forward towards.

There was no stopping the symphony anytime yet. Chrollo was a patient man he could wait. However time wasn’t on his side, he had to get rid of you before you end up finding out the real motive behind his plan. Besides he figured he’d said a bit too much, which really wasn’t like him. So it was even more of a reason to get rid of you.

Chrollo wasn’t aware that you had gone somewhere away from the window, because you had come back to the seat placing down two books. To be more detailed they were books about all the notorious criminals that the country of Yorbian knew.

You flipped to a page titled ‘The Phantom Troupe’ you turned the book over so he could read it. “You’re one of the most notorious criminals in Yorbian, specifically in all of Yorknew City, but yet this page is nearly half empty.”

“Indeed, it’s quite odd isn’t it?” Silence fell upon you both. You could’ve started a staring contest if you wanted to, but you’d rather save the eye contact when you kill him. So rather your attention fell on the book. The picture was barely even clear and you could only depict three bodies. You let your hand gently fall by your side touching the hidden weapon in your pocket.

“You know [name], you’ve kept your secret well. But it wasn’t good enough.” The statement baffled you quite well. You were hesitant to say anything in fear of getting killed. There was no need to hide that fact now.

Chrollo stood from his chair and walked away.

“Wait you’re not going to kill me?”

He continues walking and lets the question linger awhile. “You’re not worth my time just yet. Not until the symphony has ended.”