#these two would never say these things about each other

[chronicowboy]

Eddie calls him about ten minutes after he finishes unpacking. And Buck doesn't—panic. He doesn't! He has no reason to panic. Tommy doesn't know a damn thing about him and Eddie. And Maddie, well. She doesn't know anything either. Not this.

Nobody but him and Eddie—and Chris—understand what they are to each other, and that's okay. Buck made his peace with that long ago. Long before he even knew he liked guys. Which. Not that that matters or has any sway on his perception of his and Eddie's relation—friendship. They're just BuckandEddie. Doesn't need to be any more than that. Just his best friend.

All this to say: when Eddie calls, he doesn't panic. He takes a very respectable three deep breaths, tries not to grimace at the leather squeaking under his ass and hits the green button with a hand that absolutely isn't shaking.

Because he's not panicking. He's happy. He's so happy. He gets to talk to Eddie. For the first time since he left. Why would he be panicking? Because of some stupid assumptions from an insecure ex? Sure, right. Like he'd ever let that touch him and Eddie.

Competition, he thinks, like Tommy ever could have competed with Eddie Diaz.

"H-hey, E-eddie." Buck isn't sure why he stumbles over Eddie's name. He's had enough practice over the past few days. Said it enough times in his life that it should be able to slip out seamlessly every damn time.

"Hey, Buck." And there's Eddie sounding sure and confident and a little tired and warm and soft and so much like his best friend. Buck aches. "Just finished unpacking. Told myself I couldn't call until I was done. Incentive, y'know?"

And Buck grins. Grins so big his face hurts and he forgets all about the stupid leather couch underneath him. He imagines the two of them unpacking at the exact same moment, finishing in the same breath, still in sync even 800 miles apart. And then the second part of it hits him. Calling Buck his reward for menial, mind-numbing labour. The idea of hearing Buck's voice getting him through all the organising and reorganising and rereorganising. Fuck, he misses him.

"I, uh, I-I actually just unfinished packing too," Buck replies. A beat too late maybe. Doesn't matter. Eddie huffs a laugh, nothing matters but that.

"No shit. Should've known it'd take us a while to shake off the synchronicity." And Eddie's voice is so warm, so fond, it soothes the ache of the inevitable loss of their bond. That special tie between them that never let them stray too far soon to be severed. And then, like Eddie can hear him, "still a team even two states apart, huh?"

"Always a team," Buck replies, too soon this time probably. Doesn't matter. Not when he can hear Eddie's smile.

"How's the house treating you?" he asks, words shaped into something beautiful by the curve of Eddie's lips. But still, Buck's heart drops right out of his ass.

How does he answer that?

I missed you so much I couldn't sleep here without you. I didn't unpack because the house still feels like yours. The house still feels like yours because I wish it was. Yours. I couldn't sleep because you weren't snoring down the hallway. And the one night I did sleep here I had to fuck my ex as a distraction just to try and forget that you should be the one in that bedroom.

But he can't say any of that. He can't.

"Uhhhhhh." He blinks. Has forgotten every word in the English language.

"Buck?" Eddie's smile is gone.

"Why'd you stop talking to Tommy when we broke up?"

Silence. Fuck.

"He broke your heart, Buck," Eddie says slowly, evenly, too controlled. Hiding something. "Why the hell would I talk to him?"

"B-because. You guys were friends before me and him got together."

Eddie's straight. Tommy scoffs. Friends.

"And I promised to have your back five years before I even knew he existed," Eddie replies simply. "There was no competition there, Buck."

Oh. Oh, shit.

"How, um, how did you find out about that anyway?" Eddie asks when Buck's silence stretches on too long. "Not that it was a secret or anything. I just... I didn't tell you because I didn't think it mattered. And I know you didn't call Tommy, so..."

"No, n-no, I didn't call him." And he didn't is the thing. Didn't call him to apologise like he said he would to Maddie. Just. Let it lay.

"What aren't you telling me, Buck?" Eddie sighs. Buck misses his fucking sighs.

"Ravi called him. Well, found him. At the bar. And brought him over."

"Jesus Christ." And Buck can see him clear as day, bridge of his nose pinched between his thumb and forefinger. "Remind me to send Ravi a strongly worded e-mail on how to be your partner."

Buck kind of really wants to read that fucking email.

"We slept together," Buck blurts out.

Silence. Fuck.

"You and Ravi...?"

"No." Buck barks out a laugh. A startled sound. "No, not Ravi."

"Okay, okay, good," Eddie breathes out. "Because that would not be one of the points of the e-mail." Buck snorts again. Sobers instantly. Gets a sharp little pang in the pit of his stomach. No reason. "So. Tommy."

"Yeah." Buck ducks his head. "Tommy."

"Did you..." Eddie struggles with something for a moment, and Buck finds himself sitting up straighter, bracing for whatever comes next. "I mean, did you... When you... y'know, did you go to his or-or... yours?"

Buck bluescreens. Blacks out maybe. What the fuck?

"Um, y-yours or, no, mine. M-mine. It was closer. To the bar. And I—" And he what? What? What is it lurking in the shadows of his brain, slipping through his fingers like sand every time he thinks he's close enough to hold?

"Okay." Eddie says it like he's taking a punch.

"Is-is that, I mean, th-that's okay, right?"

"Well, I don't know if I'd classify sleeping with your ex as okay." Eddie makes some sort of noise. Half anguished and half furious. "Where the hell does he get off—" your bedroom, Buck thinks deliriously "—hooking up with the guy who's heart he broke?"

"He didn't break my heart, Eddie." Says it. Realises it's true.

"Oh, yeah, sure."

"He was scared I was gonna break his, remember?"

"Dumb," Eddie says succinctly. Buck snorts.

"I'm not getting back together with him or anything. It was just a one time thing. You don't have to worry about me showing up on your doorstep to brood again."

Silence. Again. Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.

"I think I'd be okay with it, if it brought you to my door," Eddie whispers.

Tears sting in Buck's eyes. He presses the bottom of his phone into his forehead until it begins to hurt. Clears his throat.

"How's the fixer-upper?"

Best friends. Nothing more. Nothing less. But.

[adieutristana]

of course! thank you for requesting <3

so i lost this request but did get a screenshot. anyways never tone it down! being sassy is not a bad thing!

summary; headcanons of arcane women with a sassy girlfriend.

characters included; jinx, vi, mel, sevika, caitlyn, lest.

tags/warnings; fluff, maybe some crack?, possibly suggestive in some parts, s2 spoilers, reader is feminine/femme, can’t think of anything else

men and minors dni.

jinx;

✧.* jinx is right there with you- hello season two.

✧.* she never sees your attitude as a problem, frankly. she's usually the one to be told that she has an attitude problem despite never seeing anything wrong with it. why would she see it as a problem?

✧.* but if anyone else were to insinuate that you had an attitude problem, you need to tone it down, any of that, believe that jinx is jumping in and defending you. both with her words and physically.

✧.* "hey, i'd watch what you're saying," she'd bite, right before whipping out her pistol and pressing the cold barrel to some poor guy's neck. jinx isn't bothered by how his eyes widen, he immediately starts trembling or even his blubbered apologies. "she'll talk to you how she wants to talk to you. got that?"

✧.* seriously, though, i think jinx would consider it pretty fun to have a girlfriend just as, if not more sassy than she is. she’s been told to tone it down, to watch her mouth, but you’ve always understood because you’re the exact same way. and that makes it so much more fun.

✧.* sometimes you guys feed off each other, and jinx finds it one of her pastimes. she's always had a smart mouth, especially when it comes to her sister, randoms in zaun, and topsiders. could you imagine sassing them together? incredible.

✧.* "fancy topsider here- that top's outta season, you know?" you'd giggle, playfully elbowing jinx in the process. it'd earn a laugh from her, though a grimace from said topsider. "i know. you guys are all high and mighty but can't even follow your own rules? please. i could do better tying together yarn."

✧.* and then there's times where someone's getting under your skin, you say something witty back, and she finds herself falling for you all over again. something about a girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind and is confident.. it's so attractive to jinx.

✧.* the fact that you're so confident, you don't give a shit how others perceive you, it's just amazing to her! she loves that you're so sure of yourself and you're not afraid to ruffle some feathers if need be. you're just expressing yourself in the way that works best for you!

✧.* "jeez, toots, do you have any idea how hot that was?" she'd grin, slinging an arm around you and pulling you in close to her side, her lips landing on your cheek in a wet kiss. "all i did was stand up to some dickhead." "still, that was hot! agh, you should've seen yourself!"

✧.* jinx also really loves that you're not afraid of how she perceives you, even though you're in a relationship. jinx is used to people being afraid of her, willing to do anything they can to avoid crossing paths with her. they'll lower their voices around her and try to say things they know will keep them on their good side- but not you.

✧.* and if anything? she finds that intriguing. because she knows you'd never be rude to her or sass her necessarily, but the way you're so confident around her knowing her reputation has her falling deeper and deeper.

✧.* like.. you could just be talking to jinx about something so mundane, and the way you hold your chin up and the tone you use would make her want to jump you and kiss you senseless.

vi;

✧.* are you kidding?? vi would find it so, so attractive! don't know who here has heard of the stereotype of 'femmes with attitude problems' but that's basically what i got from this request, and my god does vi love it. you're not afraid to mouth someone off in a pretty skirt, and that does something to her!

✧.* you could be talking off someone who's annoying you, your tone one that people would usually reprimand all while holding your chin up high, and it would leave vi feeling weak.

✧.* would she want you to be like that to her? depends on the context, usually not- behind closed doors after hours, sure. but gods, just seeing you with your brows furrowed, tossing your hair and crossing your arms while mouthing someone off is just incredible to vi.

✧.* she doesn’t see it as a problem the way she knows others might. while vi sees how it could be a problem, with the way you get yourself into situations with respected figures, she still thinks it’s a good thing.

✧.* vi loves that you’re confident. loves that you’re sure of yourself, and you don’t care what others think of you. she’s confident in her own ways as well- the brawl, the strength. the way she’s built herself out of seemingly nothing. but it’s different when it comes to you.

✧.* vi isn't exactly shy, but she's the more quiet and calm of you. and she likes to have that balance- the one who stays out of the way for the most part, and the one who isn't afraid to cause a stir. the confident one. you bring out each other's strengths and compliment each other.

✧.* “and then, i told him his mother was probably so disappointed when she’d seen how he turned out! and all he had to tell me was to watch my tone. can you believe it?” you’d ask, scoffing with your arms crossed over your chest. “no,” vi would shrug, though she’s honestly too awestruck to form meaningful sentences. “but you handled him well, if that’s all he had to say.”

✧.* vi makes sure to reign you in sometimes though- not because she thinks your attitude is a problem, but because she knows others might and she doesn't want to see things escalate to a dangerous point. it's all out of concern for your safety :(

✧.* "hey, you probably shouldn't be using that tone with her-" "why not?" you'd protest, furrowing your brows. "because she could send people to whoop your ass in minutes. you're right, but she'll just be offended. please."

✧.* she'll never voice her admiration for your demeanor and attitude necessarily, but she has a sneaking suspicion that you already know. it's in the way that she can only stare at you while you're being sassy, the way she's flushed when you're next to her walking like you own the damn city. you may not actually own the city, but you've got that exact hold over vi's heart.

mel;

✧.* i feel like she'd be a bit taken aback at first, usually people are very careful with how they speak to mel. she's one of piltover's most influential figures if not the most influential, a councilor. so seeing your confidence and the fact that you don't really care about making a good impression on her, it surprises mel.

✧.* but that surprise turns into intrigue rather quickly. she's never seen anyone quite like you, and it's interesting. that air about you is something she grows to admire over time, because it's something she's never had.

✧.* mel has to be very careful with what she says, both as a medarda and as a councilor. she has a reputation to keep, and public relations to preserve. so in a way, she admires you for being unafraid to speak your mind. for being unabashedly yourself. she sees something in you that she wishes she had.

✧.* but she isn't jealous! not at all. if anything, she just respects you a lot more for being able to do some of the things she could only dream of.

✧.* and trust me, there are times where she wishes she could tell someone off. wishes she could throw some smartass remark in their face, but she can't because of who she is- and you're more than happy to step in for her. she comes from a prestigious family, but you don't.

✧.* "darling, it's fine, really-" "no. they were messing with you, why would i just let that slide?"

✧.* "hey! you think just because you're a councilor, you can talk to her like that?" you'd scoff, placing your hands on your hips. pressing your glossed lips together in a scowl, while tugging your girlfriend close to you. daring him to challenge you. "and who are you?" "her girlfriend. who are you?"

✧.* while mel won't say anything after the fact beyond shaking her head with crossed arms, she really does appreciate you sticking up for her. she just warns you to not go too far, because it could reflect badly on the both of you in terms of press.

✧.* and seeing you be so confident, so sure of yourself, does inspire mel a good amount. she's always had problems with her perception of herself, having grown up with a mother like hers. finding out that she was a mage didn't help any either, and she's felt lost. but seeing you so secure in yourself, not giving a damn what others think, it makes her think that maybe she could be like that, too.

✧.* not exactly like you, no. you both are your own people, but that's the beauty of your partnership. two people from different walks of life, with different attitudes, who compliment each other. who love each other.

✧.* "and then, i walked off! because who the hell am i to let someone waste my precious time?" you'd scoff, tossing your hair over your shoulder in that dramatic way you often do. all the while, mel is just staring- her hand rested in her chin. "you're awfully cute, do you know that?" and you'd chuckle, placing a light kiss to her cheek. "i do, but it's always nice to hear it from you."

sevika;

✧.* yeah she's smitten. i think at first, sevika might try to act as if she's annoyed by your behavior, but truly, it's attractive to her. your confidence and demeanor is like a magnetic pull.

✧.* sevika is also confident and unafraid, but she's gruff. she keeps to herself, she's more rough around the edges, and she's not nearly as expressive as you are. so it's familiar to her, but your approach is new.

✧.* she doesn't know exactly what to make of you. one of the first times she'd spoken to you out of turn was to let you know- "you're... different. somethin' about you, i've never seen it before. huh."

✧.* though after more time spent with you (though reluctant at first) she grows to accept and even admire your attitude. sevika's never been the most friendly or warm person, but part of her rough demeanor and harsh words are a survival tactic. but for you it comes naturally- your sass and rough words are just a part of who you are.

✧.* and after even more time, i think she'd come to appreciate it. maybe even find it funny. seeing the look on people's faces when some dressed-up girl with her hands on her hips starts mouthing off is pure gold to sevika. they'd underestimated you, and you had no problem putting them in their place.

✧.* there's times you just get fed up, you're not being listened to by someone and it's frustrating. they underestimate you, maybe because you're not as traditionally aggressive as the rest of zaun's folks, maybe because of your appearance. either way, it gets under your skin. "hey! i'm talkin' here, in case you forgot," you'd scoff, snapping in front of the person's face. sevika watches from the sidelines, and she'll step in if she needs to. but she also knows you can handle yourself just fine.

✧.* or there's times where sevika's brought you along to the casino with her. you're sat next to her along with a group of guys from the industry- some old acquaintances, colleagues who had left the world of crime, the like. you're not exactly participating, but you know what's going on. sevika's got these guys in a trap, she always does. she's a damn good player.

✧.* until someone decides he's done with her skills and moves, slamming his deck of cards down on the table. "fuck this, 'vika. you've gotta be cheating, there's no way-" "that she's winning? maybe you just suck at this! ever thought of that, huh?"

✧.* sevika's trying so damn hard to bite back a laugh, but a little chortle does escape her. "the fuck are you laughing at?!" he'd ask, his jaw open in an expression of shock. offense that you'd dare talk to him like that. "you heard the girl."

✧.* the two of you balance each other out that way. the roughened woman on the front lines, who takes no bullshit and fights like no tomorrow- with the headstrong, sassy woman. the one with a pretty face, yet a sharp tongue.

caitlyn;

✧.* caitlyn might be a bit jealous at first. she's got a lot of thoughts, and she's a very opinionated person. she comes from a long line of influential figures, and her role is an important one to the people of piltover. but it's precisely those things that make it so she has to watch what she says. caitlyn can't say exactly what she wants to or means, because she has a reputation to keep and she can't afford to burn any bridges.

✧.* but it's nothing personal, of course, and with getting to know you better that jealousy turns to admiration. she's happy that you're able to advocate for yourself in that way, and that you have some of the freedom she doesn't.

✧.* and her seeing a pretty girl mouth someone off and put her foot down? seeing you know exactly what you're saying, what you're worth, and how to express yourself? yeah caitlyn doesn't have a chance.

✧.* with the amount of opinions caitlyn has and things she wants to say, the thinks that it's good you're outspoken, good that you're 'sassy.' she understands that others may see it as a problem, but she's never gotten that perspective herself. the way she sees it- more power to you.

✧.* "don't hold back," she'd tell you. "if you've got something to say, say it, damn it. it's only too much for people who can't take it."

✧.* the two of you become rather attuned to one another, and it's like you can tell what cait is thinking and vice versa. if caitlyn won't say it, you sure as hell will.

✧.* you'd be observing while at a gathering with your girlfriend, an event with some of the most influential figures in piltover in attendance. she's dressed to the nines, poised and proper in everything she does- though other guests are testing her patience.

✧.* "hey, leave her alone," you'd say, idly twirling your empty glass in one hand. "dunno what you've got going on, but she's clearly not interested in your ideas. i bet she thought of the same thing when she was twelve."

✧.* though the person on the receiving end is flustered and trying to brush off what you've just said, caitlyn is enamored. it's mere seconds before the woman is pulling you into the next room, slamming her lips onto yours. "gods, that was great," she'd mutter between rushed kisses, her arms snaking around your waist. "the look on his face."

✧.* your confidence just makes you all the more attractive to cait. you've got a good head on your shoulders, and you know that. you're damn beautiful, and you know that. there's no beating around the bush, only your shameless expression. it's amazing.

✧.* as far as caitlyn is concerned? she's got nothing to worry about as long as she has you by her side. she knows how to command a room, and you know how to demand one. you're better together!

lest;

✧.* she might be a bit taken aback at first, though it isn't a matter of intimidation. you're just different to lest, and she's not sure exactly what to do with that. she's always been the more peaceful, more observant one. she sits back and does her job while stroking clients' egos and telling them what she knows will make them happy.

✧.* she's expressive, yes, but she doesn't have nearly as much bite as you do. her confidence is something more innate, she just is and doesn't have the same air as you do. but lest does come to appreciate your demeanor and fire for what it is. comes to love it, in fact.

✧.* she's just in awe. you're so beautiful, so confident, but you've got a mouth on you. she's heard what others have said: that you need to know your place, that your attitude is a problem, that you need to watch yourself before you get into some real trouble.

✧.* but to lest, these traits are only something that makes you all the more alluring. the way she puts it, it's as if you've put a spell on her with your words and body language alone. a spell she hopes never wears off.

✧.* she's so in love with the way you carry yourself, and how secure you are within yourself. you don't take shit, that's for sure- whether it's a "hey, i wasn't done talking," or "i know the idea's good, i've only been pushing it this whole time!" the way you know exactly who you are and what you're worth enraptures lest.

✧.* you could be out in public with her, someone casting sideways glances at you for some reason you can't quite figure out- though it doesn't exactly matter. her tail swishing side to side, wide eyes keeping watch of everything around her. though she notices you looking at someone for a bit longer than usual. "everything alright, dear?" she'd ask.

✧.* "yeah," you'd affirm, though you'd be clenching your fists at your side. "just looks like someone has a staring problem. a real bad one." she'd look over to the figure, someone who seemingly doesn't belong here anyways. "i'll take care of him. don't worry about it."

✧.* it's mere seconds before you're marching over to the guy, tapping your foot and telling him off- "do i have something on my face, huh?" "no, i-" "then stop staring!"

✧.* she also comes to learn that you'll step in for her if needed. you never cause any harm- you're sassy, not violent. but if a client is getting a little too demanding with her and you're by her side, lest can count on you to tell them they need to remember she can very easily drop them.

✧.* afterward, you're always quick to tug her close to you, pressing light kisses to her spotted cheeks. "you okay, love?" you'd ask, your voice uncharacteristically tender. "i'm okay, darling, really," she'd affirm. pressing closer to your touch. "but thank you. i probably wouldn't have done that myself."

[uniquexusposts]

Jumping into assumptions | C. Leclerc

Summary: Charles had always considered Y/n his best friend, never imagining anything beyond their close bond. But one evening, when he realized he had fallen in love with her, he finally asked her out, and to his surprise, Y/n agreed.

The world knew Y/n as the heart of their friend group; the one everyone protected, the one who never raised her voice, the one who somehow made every place feel like home. She was the kind of girl who brought people together, the glue of their chaotic little friend group. And for as long as Charles had known her, people just assumed she was taken.

It was a running joke among their friends, really. Every time a guy showed interest in Y/n, someone would pipe up with a playful, "Oh, sorry, but she’s definitely taken," or, "Her boyfriend wouldn’t like that." The irony? She never actually had a boyfriend. And she never corrected them.

Charles had never given it much thought before. Not when they were younger, and certainly not when they fell into this unspoken rhythm of being each other’s constant. It was always Y/n beside him, laughing at his terrible jokes, rolling her eyes at his dramatics, nudging his shoulder when he got too arrogant. And, without realising it, Charles had started falling. Hard.

He’d known for a while that she was special to him, more than just a friend, but he'd convinced himself that it didn’t matter. She was Y/n. They were best friends. Nothing more. Besides, if he started thinking about her like that, who would he turn to when things were tough? Who would keep him grounded and remind him not to take himself too seriously? Who would be there to laugh with him through all the absurdities life threw their way?

It hit him one evening in Monaco, when they were all gathered at a rooftop bar, the sky burning in hues of orange and pink. Y/n was sitting across from him, laughing, properly laughing, at something a friend of theirs had said. Her head tilted back, her eyes shining, her joy so contagious that even Charles found himself grinning.

She was beautiful, of course, but it wasn’t just her looks that made his heart skip a beat. It was the way her laugh filled the air, the way she made everything seem brighter. She was magic, pure and simple.

And then it hit him.

They told him that to make her fall in love, they had to make her laugh. But every time she laughed, he was the one who fell in love.

His stomach twisted. How had he not seen it before? The way he always looked for her first in a crowded room. The way he cared a little too much when someone flirted with her. The way his world felt lighter when she was around. He was in love with his best friend.

He must've been staring, because suddenly, Y/n's gaze flickered to his, her smile faltering just slightly. "What's up?" she asked, her voice full of curiosity, the way she always sounded when she caught him in the act of thinking too much.

Charles hesitated. He could brush it off, make a joke, pretend he wasn’t on the verge of losing his mind over her. But then she smiled; soft, questioning, beautiful, and he knew he couldn't keep pretending.

“Nothing,” he said at first, then exhaled a quiet laugh. "Just… wondering if anyone’s ever actually asked you."

Her brows furrowed. "Asked me what?"

He opened his mouth, ready to say something casual, like always, but the words didn’t come. Instead, he found himself leaning in slightly, suddenly aware of how close they were. The noise around them faded, the world narrowing down to just the two of them.

"If you had a boyfriend," he said softly, his voice quieter than usual, almost a whisper. "Instead of assuming."

Y/n blinked, lips parting slightly. The rest of their friends were still talking, still laughing, but in this moment, it was just the two of them, suspended in some kind of strange limbo.

"No," she admitted, her voice barely above the noise around them. "No one ever has."

Charles’ heart pounded in his chest. It was a simple answer, but it was the most profound thing he’d heard in a long time. He felt the weight of it settle over him, like something had shifted in the air between them. She’d never been asked. Not once. Not seriously. And that realisation hit him harder than anything.

There was a brief silence between them, the kind that spoke volumes. Charles could feel the tension building, a knot forming in his stomach. The alcohol in his veins buzzed through him, making everything seem sharper, clearer. His thoughts, usually muddled, were now crystallised. This wasn’t just a casual conversation. This was the moment, the one he didn’t even know he was waiting for.

He leaned forward, closer, his gaze locking onto hers, steady and unwavering. "Then let me be the first," he said, his voice low, almost tentative. "Let me take you out. Properly. No assumptions, no misunderstandings. I will show you how it works, so you at least can say that you have been on a proper date once."

Y/n’s breath caught, her eyes wide with surprise. Charles could see the wheels turning in her head, the questions, the hesitation. But what struck him was how the uncertainty melted away, replaced by something softer, something more open. And then she smiled, a smile he had never seen before; not the playful, teasing one he was so used to, but something different, something just for him.

"Okay," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the hum of the bar.

Charles’ heart leapt in his chest. "Yeah?" he asked, just to make sure. His voice was barely more than a breath, a mix of hope and disbelief.

"Yeah," she said again, her lips curling into that same soft smile. "Okay."

And just like that, everything changed. The boy who had spent years making her laugh, who had always been her constant, realised he never wanted to stop. He never wanted to be just friends.

—

The next day, Charles was practically bouncing with excitement. He couldn’t believe it. Y/n had said yes. They had both been floating in the same space for so long, so close to something more, but neither of them had ever crossed that line. Until now.

He texted her almost immediately, already planning their date in his mind. He couldn’t wait to see her, to spend time with her, and to finally, finally, be more than just the guy who made her laugh. He wanted to be the guy who made her heart race, too.

They met later that evening at a small, cosy restaurant in Monaco, one that Charles had carefully chosen for its intimacy, its quiet charm. When Y/n walked in, her smile instantly lit up the room, and Charles felt that familiar warmth spread through his chest. It was different now, though. There was an air of anticipation, a new energy between them that neither could ignore.

"You look amazing," Charles said, genuinely taken aback by how beautiful she looked, her hair cascading in loose waves around her shoulders, her dress simple but elegant.

Y/n blushed, clearly flustered by the compliment. "You clean up well yourself," she teased, sitting down across from him.

Charles chuckled, the nerves melting away the longer they talked. It was like they were slipping into their old routine, but with something new and exciting beneath the surface. Every joke felt more meaningful. Every smile felt more significant.

"You know," Charles said after a while, as they shared a dessert, "I’ve been meaning to ask you something."

Y/n raised an eyebrow. "What’s that?"

"Why haven’t you ever corrected people when they say you have a boyfriend?" he asked, his tone light but with a hint of curiosity. "I mean, you’re obviously not dating anyone, so… why let people assume?"

Y/n looked down at her dessert, her fingers tracing the edge of her plate as she thought for a moment. "I guess… I never really saw the point. It was not like, if I would say anything about it, that I would be heard,” she said finally, lifting her eyes to meet his. "It was easier to let them assume than explain it at some point. Plus, I wasn’t sure anyone would even ask me, you know? I mean, no one asked me before so then I mustn’t be in the game to date, I guess.”

Charles felt a pang of guilt, realising how long he’d let things go without stepping up. Without seeing her as more than just his best friend. “Don’t say that,” he replied. 

She shrugged.  “At some point, you will assume it is your own fault, or that you are the issue. I grew up with that. I don’t know any better. I have accepted it.”

“I should’ve asked you sooner," he admitted, his voice soft, almost apologetic.

Y/n smiled again, a small, knowing smile. "Well, you’ve finally asked," she said, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "And I’m glad you did."

They weren’t just best friends anymore. They were something more. And for the first time, Charles couldn’t wait to see where this new chapter would take them.

Taglist: @itsjustkhaos @crashingwavesofeuphoria @maryvibess @ironmaiden1313 @sltwins @heart-trees @npcmia @llando4norris

[muwapsturniolo]

Cupids choke hold જ⁀➴ᡣ𐭩 C. Sturniolo

"dad, i think i finally found the one."

⟢Fluff really, Chris just being in love with bun

@bernardsbendystraws for credit

The sun was setting over the city of angels, and Chris was entranced by his own angel.

Bunny.

He stared down at his lock screen, smiling softly to himself as the picture brought warmth to his chest. His admiration was interrupted by his phone ringing, a name popping up that he hadn't spoken to in a while. He answers the call and puts it on speaker, instantly feeling comforted by the voice on the other end.

"Hey son, where have you been?"

The question makes him feel guilty. He was always a mama's boy despite his harsh exterior, his mother being his rock and safe place, and she loved it. The mother and son duo knew to a degree it wasn't fair, but they were each other's favorites, and everyone else knew it too.

"Hey Ma," he says softly, inhaling a bit of the joint before tapping the excess ashes off. "I know it's been a minute since we last spoke...I have so much to tell you."

He begins to feel nervous like he is about to be judged. He knew it was an irrational fear, his mother would never judge him, even when he did something wrong.

"It's going to sound like a bad joke, but Ma...I fell in love, I found the real thing. I got a girlfriend and she's amazing."

A bit of shuffling is heard on the other end before she responds to him, "A girlfriend? Is the same one that- No." Chris instantly cuts her off, not even wanting to bring up the last girl. She was never his girlfriend. He would never say this to his mother, but she was nothing more than a quick fuck to him.

"No no, this...This is someone new and she's the best thing to happen to me. I probably sound like an old person, but Cupids got me in a chokehold. You know me, I've always been scared to let people in, especially girls, but she made it so easy that I threw the towel down. My white flag is waving, and I'm okay with that."

He couldn't help himself, instantly going on a long ramble about the girl he found himself to love so much.

"-I mean, she cooks me pancakes in the morning, the blueberry ones that you make me when I'm back home. God, and I'm starting to think you two use the same ingredients."

"And what are those ingredients?"

He smiles dopily to himself, looking down at his beat-up Nike slides,

"Love."

Mary-Lou finds herself smiling. She had been worried when her boys finally left the nest they call a home that they wouldn't be ok, but it seemed as if they were doing just fine, finding the right people to have in their lives and keeping their heads straight.

"Tell me more." She urges gently, not wanting to scare the boy into retreating his feelings, but also wanting to know more about the special girl who managed to capture her youngest attention and heart.

"When my stomach hurts, she always gets me Alka seltzers. When I'm sick she goes above and beyond to make sure I'm ok. If that ain't love then don't know what love is, it's like we're married."

"Well, it is through sickness and health, they say during the vows."

He chuckles to himself and continues, "We have this secret handshake, we came up with it on our fourth date when I learned she didn't know how to dapp people up. We're always doing it before she goes to practice and it just brings me so much comfort. Oh, and she even gets along with Matt and Nick! You know how close we are, and I don't think I could date someone who doesn't respect them. She even supports the YouTube shi- I mean stuff we do! I know I'm not that much involved, but she's pushed me to participate more, to be something more."

"...You sound in love..." Mary-Lou states softly, trying to hold in her excitement.

Chris chuckles to himself, nodding along despite Mary Lou not being able to see him.

"I am...I really am. If I had to pick her or the sun, Ma, I'm telling you I'd be a nocturnal son of a gun."

She laughs at his statement, soon urging him to send her a picture of the girl.

"Oh Chris, she's so pretty! And the way you look at her, it's the same way your dad looks at me. You have to bring her to Boston soon!"

So he did.

His chest was ready to burst with excitement and joy seeing the girl he loves so much getting along with his parents and older brother. She fit right in, doing crossword puzzles with his mom, playing Just Dance with Justin, and even going fishing with his dad.

It was late into the night, Chris sitting outside on the back porch, smoking with a glass of water in his hand. Bunny had fallen asleep on the couch with Trevor, both she and the dog snuggled up into a ball and sleeping peacefully. He looks up hearing the door open, smiling gently when he sees his dad.

Jimmy takes a seat in the empty chair next to Chris, settling down and letting out a deep breath. They sit in silence for a minute before Jimmy speaks.

"Tell me about her."

Chris immediately dives in, never missing an opportunity to talk about his girl.

"Dad, I think I finally found the one, the one that makes me a better person and will make you proud of me. She's like Mom, she's the best... I know there have been other girls; you've heard about them, but she's different, she's on a whole different plane. Just the way she says my name, it makes me want to give her the world, hell, even the universe."

Jimmy listens intently, watching how he talks with such passion about the girl sleeping on the couch.

"I love it when she calls me. I feel like an elementary school boy getting excited about his crush talking to him on the playground. She even has her own ringtone so I know its her calling! We used to sit on the phone for hours, doing nothing but breathing most of the time."

"She's a good girl, a real catch. I can see the love you two have for each other, I saw it when we picked you up from the airport. You two are in love and I hope it lasts."

Chris takes a sip of his water, staring out into the backyard with a smile and eyes full of love.

"I know it will, I'm not letting her get away."

He creeps back into the house softly, approaching the living room and chuckling to himself when he sees both Bun and Trev drooling in their sleep.

He goes to pick her up but stops when Justin enters the living room.

"You went soft on me," Justin voices playfully, gently pushing Chris's shoulder. Chris rubs the back of his neck, sitting down on the arm of the couch and placing a hand on the sleeping girl's shoulder.

"She's the reason, she makes it so easy to be...I don't even know. She could make the most annoying, oldest, senile man bite his tongue and talk calmly. Her eyes are so soft and comforting, it's like the sunrise on a summer day, I could stare into them for hours."

Justin watches with a knowing smile on his face. He can tell from how animated Chris gets when talking about her, that he will continue to do so forever. He's in love, and Justin knows the two will end up happily married, and he can't wait.

" She's a complete ten, the most gorgeous and graceful girl I've ever seen. She has me hooked, and I'm not complaining. She has the best laugh ever, and she laughs at all my jokes, even my dumb ones that usually piss Nick and Matt off. Like I told Dad, before we moved in with each other, we'd sit on the phone for hours not saying a word sometimes. We just wanted to be around each other and it was comforting. "

He looks down at the girl once more, toying with her curly strands gently in an attempt to not disturb her slumber.

"It may be too soon, but when I think about my future, when I think about what I want it to look like, it all surrounds her. I want to be the best version of me for her, and I want her to be happy...Call it dumb, call it luck, call it love, or whatever, but everywhere I go and do, I keep a picture of her in my wallet. I want to remember what I'm working for."

Justin walks over and plants his hand on Chris's shoulder, "I can't wait to call her my sister-in-law."

With that, Justin walks out of the living room, leaving the couple and Trevor alone. Chris is gentle when he lifts the girl off the couch, one of his hands caressing her back while the other holds her bottom. He walks up the stairs and into his room, laying her down gently on the bed.

He strips out of his hoodie, kicking off his slides, and crawling into bed, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head.

Despite her being asleep, he proceeds to whisper softly.

"I love you so much, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

She opens her eyes softly, smiling at him in a sleepy haze.

"I love you more."

[i-messed-up-big-time]

Lonely Birthday - Caleb

Caleb x Non Mc/Reader

divider creds: @/cafekitsune

a/n: ok this is my longest fic yet (can you tell he's my fav), chat i think i cooked with this one. this will be the last part in my lonely birthday series, i really hope you guys enjoyed it!!

Tags: angst, happy ending, female pronouns, reader is not MC, female pronouns, cursing, reader is childhood friends w/ caleb and MC, MC is a bit of a spoiled brat here (pls dkm), this is set in a timeline where there are no evols and caleb does not die in an explosion, this one acc has a backstory in comparison to the other parts I wrote, just cause jumping right into it with caleb just didnt feel right without a proper backstory, use of pet names (sadly he's not calling you pip-squeak in this one but he does call you baby), mentions of self harm (nothing happens its just a thought that passes), lmk if i missed smth

word count: 5.3k

masterlist

Xavier Rafayel Zayne Sylus

taglist: @rcvcgers

You were always overshadowed by her, from childhood to adulthood.

To make matters worse, your birthdays were only a couple of days apart, yours coming before hers, because they were so close together your birthdays were always celebrated with her on her birthday.

It was like killing two birds with one stone. Every time you complained about wanting to celebrate your birthday on your actual date you were told it would be unfair for MC.

Your own family favoured her more than you, sometimes you wondered whether they even considered you their daughter at all.

But then there was Caleb. Him and MC were inseparable when you first met her, always there whenever you two hung out. Eventually, you got close to him as well and began to hang outside of your meet ups with MC.

He always made you feel like you were your own person, not a shadow of someone else.

Maybe that's why you fell for him.

Over the course of your childhood leading into your teenage years you were head over heels for him. Anyone could see it was obvious, and to certain people it bothered them, and you never noticed it until it was too late.

●・○・●・○・●・

Despite being the same age as MC, there was one thing you had that she didn't. You were far smarter than those your age, that gave you the ability to skip ahead a couple of grades so that you were at a level that was more to your capabilities.

But your brain could only get you so far in certain circumstances.

You were in the same class as Caleb, so naturally you ended up being closer to him than you were before. It also made admiring him much more easier.

But nothing was ever easy for you. All throughout your school years MC would always barge in on your study time with Caleb, always needing help with her assignments.

Normally, it wouldn't be a problem if it was a one off thing, but anytime you were over at their place to study with Caleb, it became a tutoring session for MC. It was even more annoying when she would constantly brush off your help, only wanting Caleb to help her.

"I don't understand it when you explain it. You're always using difficult words."

MC whined whenever you would offer to help, and each time Caleb would laugh and ruffle her hair.

"It's okay pip-squeak, I'll explain it in simpler terms."

Whenever he would say that, you could feel a pang in your chest.

It was during that time you and MC started to drift apart. You never really understood until that day.

●・○・●・○・●・

The day before graduation you finally chalked up the courage to confess to Caleb, and to your surprise he had accepted.

You had anticipated a rejection, knowing that he was busy with prepping to go to Skyhaven to attend the DAA, and unfortunately a lot of his free time was spent with MC.

He had always been protective of her, he also extended that to you as well. Although the way he treated you was different than the way he treated her.

The fleeting glances, the lingering touches, the nights he would spend with you when things were bad. How could you not fall for a man who cared for you like that.

You thought it was just your delusions that there was something between the two of you, but him accepting your confession made those delusions become reality.

●・○・●・○・●・

Everyone found you guys to be an unexpected couple, they always expected Caleb to be with MC with how good their chemistry was, but he viewed her simply as his little sister. One that he was a little too protective of but you never found that to be a sense of insecurity.

Or so you thought.

You and Caleb had been dating for almost 4 years now. It was a bit rough with both of you pursuing your academics and not having much time to spend together, but you guys always made it work.

Sometimes Caleb would bail on your dates because something came up with his studies, and you believed him. Who knew it was because someone felt a little jealous of you guys spending time together.

You had never realized that the dates Caleb bailed were because someone back in Linkon wanted attention, and who better to ask than Caleb!

You and MC and drifted apart, and after your graduation you barely ever saw her unless you were home for the holidays with Caleb. You chose to be the bigger person whenever she tried to monopolize Caleb's time, knowing he saw you more often than her, you let it slide.

Although, deep down it bothered you that she would always try to be the sole focus of his attention or when you guys went out on a date she just so happened to be there too, turning it into a group hangout where you felt like the third wheel.

Crazy right? Being a third wheel in your own relationship, guess you could cross that off on your bingo card.

It was your birthday tomorrow, you and Caleb had planned a nice day in with him cooking your favourites and then baking a cake together. Both of your schedules had finally managed to align and you guys had a week off, so you planned on crashing at his place for some much needed quality time.

With it being your final year, you guys were buried in back to back assignments and exams, the stress was high. Having the week off let you guys finally have a moment to breathe.

You packed your bags for the week before making your way over to Caleb's place, it wasn't too far of a drive. You made a quick stop at the grocery store, grabbing your favourite snacks and some groceries so you can make him some food while you're at his place.

By the time you got to Caleb's place the sun was just starting to set. You walked into his place, unlocking it with the spare keys he gave you.

It was quiet in his home.

"Hmm seems like Caleb isn't back from his classes yet."

You thought out loud. Putting away your stuff in his room you made your way to the kitchen, wanting to cook Caleb some dinner.

Like magic, as soon as you were done adding the finishing touches to dinner, Caleb walked in.

"Hi baby, it smells good in here."

Caleb greeted you, coming closer to place a kiss on your lips.

You quickly sent him away to go wash up while you set the table. Dinner was nice and peaceful, it was moments like these that made you feel happy. No distractions, just you and Caleb.

You guys spent most of dinner just catching up about all the stuff that happened while you guys were apart. Caleb insisted on cleaning up since you had cooked dinner, so you were sitting on the counter next to the sink as he washed the dishes.

You chatted away mindlessly, he listened with a smile on his face, throwing in a response here and there.

Once he was done, you were about to jump off the counter when Caleb slotted himself between your legs, hands coming to rest on your hips.

You immediately went quiet, the mood shifting to something more intimate. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against yours, nuzzling your nose with his.

You guys stayed in that position for a little bit, enjoying the moment. The rest of the evening was spent with you guys just lounging around and catching up.

As you were getting ready for bed you could feel your stomach drop with anxiety for no reason, you brushed it off as just your nerves about sharing the same bed with Caleb after a while.

You shouldn't have brushed it off.

You got changed into one of his t-shirts and got into bed, Caleb slid in not too long after, wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you in closer to his chest.

“Goodnight.”

He said as he placed a kiss on the top of your head.

“Goodnight.”

You replied back, snuggling closer into his chest.

●・○・●・○・●・

It was around 4 am when you woke up to feeling an empty bed next to you.

It’s still warm, Caleb must have just gotten up.

You got out of bed to go look for him. The moment you stepped out the your room you spotted him in the living room dressed to go outside.

The alarm bells in your head were going off.

“Hey, where are you going this late at night?”

It was just a simple question, one that didn’t warrant the reaction you were about to receive.

“Out.”

Caleb replied in an oddly cold tone.

What’s with that tone?

“Okay, but that’s not what I asked. Where are you going?”

You asked again, something in your gut was telling you that you were not going to like the answer.

Caleb sighed out in frustration before replying.

“MC called and needed me, so I’m going to Linkon right now. You know how she gets.”

Normally you wouldn’t say anything, but this was supposed to be your time with Caleb, no distractions.

“Why do you always go at the drop of a hat whenever she calls? You’re supposed to be spending time with me, not running to her whenever something doesn’t go her way.”

Years of frustration were finally bubbling to the surface, you didn’t want it to come out but you had to set your boundaries.

“It’s not fair to me as your girlfriend if you keep putting her above me.”

Your voiced raised a bit as you spoke, you didn’t mean for it to but having to constantly deal with MC barging in on your time with Caleb, whether she knew he was with you or not, was beyond irritating.

“I’m not putting her above you, she just requires a bit more care and attention than you do.”

That did it, if you weren’t mad before you definitely were now.

“Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s exactly as I said it. MC always feels insecure, even more so when you skipped grades and left her alone. I can’t just ignore her when she calls me asking for help.”

Every explanation that came out of his mouth had you seeing red, you weren’t gonna back down either.

“Don’t you dare try to pin this on me? Just because we were friends didn’t mean that I had to be stuck to her hip 24/7. I skipped those grades cause it benefited me for my future, and if she really was my friend she would’ve been happy for me instead of sulking around like a child.”

That lit a fuse in Caleb, if there was one thing he didn’t tolerate it was anyone saying something about MC, even if it was you.

“You better watch what you say, I won’t tolerate it even it it’s you.”

His tone had you taking a step back, it was a whole different level of cold. You should’ve taken that as your sign to back off and come back to this when you guys were less heated, but who were you if not stubborn.

“Omg how could I ever insult your precious MC. You need to let go of that overprotectiveness you have when it comes to her, it puts me in a tough spot when you go running to her like a dog when its owner calls.”

You probably took it too far with that but you were past the point of no return.

“You’re so infuriating! What do you not understand that MC needs me right now, every moment I spend here on this useless conversation is more time she’s alone.”

He spat back.

I’m infuriating?

That hit a nerve, but you couldn’t let him see that, not until you got all your feelings out.

“I’m infuriating?! What about MC? Every time we get some time together she always fucking ruins it! Can’t I just have all of your attention and time without her trying to barge in? It’s like she’s trying to make it so we don’t spend any time together!”

“God you’re so fucking clingy! I knew I should have listened to MC when she warned me not to date you!”

He yelled that at you, and for the first time since the conversation started you were speechless.

“What?”

Your voice was low and filled with hurt. You couldn’t believe your ears that he would say something like that.

“You heard me. I should have never dated you. I ignored MC when she warned me, I gave you the benefit of the doubt but I should’ve fucking known. MC would have been a better girlfriend than you.”

You could hear your heart breaking, you don’t know if you’d ever recover from this.

Caleb took your silence as an opportunity to walk around you to the door, slamming it behind him.

You felt your knees give out, the tears were streaming down your face in silent pain. You didn’t know he thought of you that way, you didn’t want to think that way but a part of you felt like MC was talking bad about you behind your back. It makes no sense he would say all of that on his own.

Will I always be in her shadow? Is that all I’m worth?

You thought to yourself.

●・○・●・○・●・

God knows how long you were in that position for, no sign of Caleb coming back or any calls or texts. You picked yourself up off the floor and gathered all your things, you’d be damned if you spent another minute in this house where you clearly had no worth.

Throwing on a pair of sweatpants, you made sure to clear everything you had at Caleb’s place, not leaving a single thing behind.

You put everything in your car and drove yourself home. It was 6 in the morning so the roads were starting to get busy but it was quiet enough for you to be lost in thought, a dangerous action while driving. You were so lost in thought you didn’t notice that you were approaching a red light until it was too late.

A car had crashed into your drivers side, and everything went black.

●・○・●・○・●・

*In Linkon*

Caleb had made it outside of MC’s dorm, the argument he had with you weighing heavy on his mind but his first priority was MC.

Who knew that argument would cost him everything.

It didn’t take long before MC threw open the door and jumped into his arms. He returned the hug by patting her on the head before heading inside.

“What happened? Why did you call?”

He asked, although his mind wasn’t entirely present in the moment, it kept drifting back to you.

���Oh no reason, I was just thinking about you and decided to call you. You know it’s my birthday in a couple of days so I wanted you to spend some time with me this weekend.”

For the first time ever, Caleb felt a spark of annoyance at MC’s reasoning. She had called him earlier in tears and said he needed to come quick, he even fought with you before coming here.

Pushing that feeling aside he simply smiled.

“You know I can’t do that pip squeak, I already promised Y/N I would spend my week off with her. We had a bit of an argument before I came here, so I have to go back in a bit to make sure she’s fine.”

He said.

She’ll probably be calmed down by the time I come back.

He thought to himself, boy was he wrong.

MC pouted, not liking how things weren’t playing in her favour, but she planned on trying to come up with another excuse later to get him to stay longer.

●・○・●・○・●・

A couple of hours had passed when he got that heart stopping call.

“Hello is this Caleb Xia? This is Skyhaven Hospital calling about Miss Y/N.”

The nurse spoke in a hurried tone, tt was like someone had knocked the wind out of him.

“Speaking, what happened.”

His anxiety went through the roof, what happened after he left? Did you hurt yourself? But he never say any signs of depression, was he actually putting MC above you so much that he was ignoring your feelings?

His mind was running a mil a minute with each thought progressively getting worse, the guilt from what he said to you when you guys fought was finally kicking in.

“She was involved in a car accident and needs surgery, we require a signature from her guardian to proceed. Are you able to come in right now? It’s urgent.”

“Can I give you my consent over the phone? I’m currently in Linkon and it would take me some time to get back, I don’t want to delay the procedure.”

Although Caleb sounded composed, on the inside he was breaking.

“The surgeon said that should be fine, please do make sure to be here as soon as possible as you need to fill out some forms. We’ll get started on the surgery. Thank you.”

The nurse promptly hung up, leaving Caleb to his thoughts.

Without wasting a moment he got up and made his way to the door. MC had been trying to listen to what was being said on the phone, unable to decipher what was happening based on Caleb’s words alone. Seeing Caleb getting ready to leave she jumped up, trying to stop him.

“Where are you going? You can’t just leave, you basically just got here!”

She grabbed ahold of his arm, trying to physically stop him but it was of no use, he pulled his arm out of her grasp and tried to leave again before she spoke up.

“What excuse did she come up with this time? She does this all the time whenever you and I spend time together.”

Something in him had just snapped, it was like a fog had been lifted. Never in his life did he think he would be here getting upset at MC, but life has a funny way of proving you wrong.

“What are you even talking about, when has she ever done that?”

MC was taken aback, Caleb never questioned her whenever she said anything like this before, he would just spend some time comforting her.

“I don’t have time for this, I’m leaving. I’ll talk to you about this later.”

He said in a curt tone, leaving no room for discussion.

●・○・●・○・●・

Caleb had booked it to Skyhaven, not wanting to waste a single moment.

By the time he made it, the surgery was still ongoing. Grabbing the nearest nurse he asked for an update, unfortunately they didn’t have much of an update to give him aside from the fact that your condition was really bad when you were brought in. You had ran a red light and were hit on the drivers side by oncoming traffic, the other driver made it out with minor injuries and a concussion.

Unfortunately, you weren’t so lucky. You had been brought in with internal bleeding, a broken arm and head trauma. Your recovery period was going to be lengthy, which in turn would also hinder your ability to graduate this year like you had planned, but that was a problem for next time.

Caleb slumped onto on the chairs outside the OR, the time passed by excruciatingly slow.

●・○・●・○・●・

A couple of hours later the operation was finally completed.

Seeing you in that condition physically hurt him, his chest feeling constricted.

“We were able to stop the bleeding but she’s still unconscious, because the head trauma was severe it’ll take some time before she will wake up.”

Caleb nodded, listening to the doctor’s words intently. He followed the nurses to the room where you were going to be recovering, taking a seat next to the bed he held your hand in his.

“I’m sorry, please. Please just wake up soon.”

Sadly you wouldn’t wake up for another two months.

Everyday Caleb would come to take care of you, making sure to change the flowers before they began to wilt, taking responsibility to wash you and take care of your hair, hell he would even do your skincare at night so you’d wake up in perfect condition.

Although he knew deep down inside that nothing he could do could ever make up for the things he said and how he made you feel. Caleb and MC had also grown apart during this time, constantly wishing that he had never went to see her that night, if he didn’t then maybe you’d be awake and smiling next to him instead of lying still on that bed in this lifeless hospital room.

Caleb came in with a fresh bouquet of your favourite flowers, silently he replaced the old ones, making sure to get some fresh water before putting in the new bouquet. Once that was done he made his way to his usual spot, right next to your bed.

Earlier the doctor said you were recovering well, although it would take some time and rehab for you to use your arm again. You’d also be weak from the extended period of time that was spent in bed, but Caleb was nothing if not determined to make sure he was there for you every step of the way.

“Hey baby, it’s me Caleb. You’re probably tired of hearing my voice everyday huh? The doctor says you’re recovering well, you’ll just need some rehab to help you get back into the groove of things when you wake up.”

Caleb kept getting choked up the more he spoke, he just wanted you to wake up, even if you don’t want him anymore, he’d be fine with that.

“I miss you, your voice, your sweet smile, everything. If I could trade spots with you I would. So please, please just wake up. I’m sorry for everything, I’m such a shitty boyfriend aren’t I? I can’t believe I said all of that, on your birthday no less.”

At this point the tears he tried so hard to hold back started streaming down his face. It was hard to keep up that strong front, but he tried because he felt that he didn’t deserve to be sad, not when he’s to blame for you being in this state.

He grabbed a hold of your hand, bringing it to his face hoping to feel something. Anything.

He nuzzled his face in to your hand as he silently cried. It wasn’t long before he was passed out in that chair, still holding your hand to his face.

He felt it in the middle of the night, always the light sleeper he was awake at the slightest of movements. He knew he wasn’t mistaken, he felt your hand twitch for this first time in two months.

He was now wide awake and sitting upright in his seat, watching you closely. That’s when he say it, your hand twitched in his hold, a slight groan escaping your lips, but your eyes had still yet to open.

Caleb had already pressed the call button, the nurses and doctor filling the room in a matter of minutes, that’s when you had finally opened your eyes.

●・○・●・○・●・

A series of tests had been conducted and the doctor had caught you up to speed with everything before you were left alone with Caleb. You avoided looking at him the entire time, it stung, but he couldn’t complain.

You cleared your throat uncomfortably, the dryness getting to you, but before you could even get the water, Caleb had already poured a glass and was holding it out to you.

You silently took it from him and drank it slowly, not wanting to shock your system. It was a struggle, your grip on the glass was weak. It almost slipped out of your hands if not for Caleb holding the bottom of the cup.

Once you were done, Caleb put the glass on the side, reaching out to grab your hands. You pulled them back before he could touch you.

“Why are you here Caleb? Doesn’t MC need you?”

Were you being petty? Yes, the fight that you guys had may have been two months ago for him, but for you it was like it was yesterday. The wounds from his words were still fresh.

You missed the look of hurt that flashed across his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"You don't get to come in here and think that everything will be fine. I just wanted one week with you, no distractions. All I got in return? You leaving me alone on the morning of my birthday after telling me you should've listened to MC when she told you not to date me?!"

You had tears in your eyes, but you refused to let them escape. You didn't want to let him see just how broken you were about this.

Caleb had nothing to say, how could he? He was the one who put you in this position, he's the reason you ended up in the hospital.

"Please just leave."

Your voice sounded so broken, all he could do was listen to your request even though every cell in his being told him to stay by your side. He chose to just wait outside your room, not wanting to be too far away from you but still wanting to respect your request.

As soon as soon Caleb left the room you let the tears you were holding back fall, your body shook with sobs as everything came crashing down on you.

Even with the morphine you could feel the lingering bits of pain all throughout your body.

You eventually ended up crying yourself to sleep. The silence had Caleb worried, so he had decided to check in on you, seeing that you were asleep he was able to calm himself down a little.

But the sight of your tear stricken face had him clutching his chest in pain, all he wanted to do was take away your pain.

For now, he was just going to try his best to be by your side, no matter how much you pushed him away. He was determined to make things right.

●・○・●・○・●・

A couple of weeks had passed before you were finally released from the hospital.

During that time Caleb was as stubborn as ever, never leaving your side unless it was for classes, he spent the nights next to your bed, watching over you. He was always one step ahead, if you were thinking about food or water, the next second he would have it in front of you.

You didn't want to admit it, you enjoyed having him wait on you hand and foot. But you still weren't ready to forgive him, not yet. You still needed to talk to him about what happened before you could decide where this relationship was headed.

You wanted to give him another chance, seeing how tirelessly he's been taking care of you these past few weeks. You could only assume he was doing the same those two months where you were unconscious.

In the meantime, you decided his punishment would be your silence, not speaking to him unless it was absolutely necessary. Even then you only spoke a few words.

Caleb was currently in class, it was a Friday so that meant he'd home earlier than the other days.

You didn't have much of a choice as to where you'd be staying, Caleb wanted to make sure you were taking all your medication as well as doing the exercises you were assigned for your rehab, he knew how forgetful you could be, and you were in no condition to be staying on your own. So his solution was to have you stay at his place.

Being there brought back bad memories, but you had made up your mind to talk to him about it. If you were going to be staying here you needed to know where you guys stood in each others lives.

You were currently in his room, wanting to take a nap but your mind was too active for you to relax.

It wasn't long before Caleb came home, not seeing you in the living room he immediately made his way towards his room.

The moment he walked in he relaxed, seeing that you were alright. You saw him and thought,

It's now or never.

"We need to talk."

Caleb's heart dropped, his mind went crazy thinking you were about to break up with him. Although he couldn't blame you for wanting to, but he refused to let you go, you were the only good thing he had in his life, he couldn't afford to lose you. Not before he had a chance to make things right.

"Okay."

He said as calmly as possible, not wanting to give away the immense anxiety he was feeling from this situation.

He walked towards you, kneeling on the ground next to you.

"I'm giving you one chance to explain yourself for that night."

That was all he needed to go on tangent about that night, from the call from MC where she was crying to going to her house and finding out she had been lying to him to get him to spend more time with her instead of you to him and MC having a falling out because of the things she said about you.

He laid it all out, he wasn't proud of the fact that he was so easily fooled by her. He had known her far longer than he had known you, and thought she would never lie to him, boy was he wrong.

"I admit that I have absolutely no excuse for letting myself believe her words. I can't forgive myself for the things I said that night and how I just left you there. It was all my fault."

He took your hands in his, you would've pulled them out of his reach but this time you let him hold them. You could see in his actions and in his eyes how much he regretted that night and how he had been trying everyday to make things right.

"I blame myself for your accident, if I had just stayed with you, if i had never said those words you wouldn't have ended up in this condition."

You had never really seen Caleb cry, so seeing him now in tears as his brain recounted the feeling of seeing you on that hospital bed, had your mind coming to a conclusion.

You were going to give him another chance, his one and only chance. If anything like that happens again you won't stick around, you had enough self respect to not tolerate that.

You removed yours hands from his, Caleb had a look of hurt when you did that, but it didn't last long before you cupped his face, wiping away his tears.

"You get one chance only. Mess up and you'll never see or hear from me again, got it?"

He nodded his head like a child before pulling you to the floor and onto his lap.

He hid his face in the crook of your neck as silent sobs raked his body. You ran a soothing hand through his hair to help him calm down.

It hurt to see him like this, but he also deserved it. Even if it was a fraction of the pain you went through.

"I promise I'll make it up to you. Anything you want, I'll do it."

His voice came out muffled, but you could feel the sincerity in it.

"I'll hold you to that."

[badger2025]

You and Jack Finnegan…Finn…have been best friends for as long as you can remember. You played football together in high school, chased pussy together, lifted weights and were as close as any brothers ever were. Y’all spent so many nights on sleepovers at each other’s houses that your families consider each of y’all as another son

It was in high school when he started dating your sister Mary

You, Mike Sullivan…Sully…were the smart one…tutoring Finn all throughout high school so he wouldn’t be dropped from the team and would graduate school on time…which he did by the skin of his teeth. He’s not stupid by any means…the subject matter just never interested him. Finn was the more mechanically minded of the two of you and taught you how to work on and maintain your truck. He could do anything with his hands

Y’all would spend days in the wilderness camping, fishing and hunting. This was Finn’s natural environment and he just had a knack when it came to the outdoors. He was always patient with you…just like you were at tutoring him…and the joy on his face when you got it figured out was infectious

“Right on Sully…I knew you could do it” He would absolutely beam

You found yourself working hard…not so much for yourself but for Finn’s approval. His smile was your reward and it always made you feel something…that ache

By your senior year you had pretty much figured out that you didn’t feel the same way about females as Finn…in fact, you realized you had feelings for him but you kept that pushed way down and went through the motions of dating girls. You couldn’t risk doing anything to jeopardize your relationship…you just wanted to be close to him even if you couldn’t have him

You had considered college…but knew that would take you away from Finn…so one night when y’all were lying in his room you made a suggestion

“I’m considering trade school…I spoke with my dad and he thinks it’s a really good idea…I think you should come with me”

“More school Sully?…I barely got through high school…I don’t know man”

“This isn’t like that man…no papers, nothing like that and we can get a solid job after”

Trade school was no joke and this time it was Finn’s turn to get you over the finish line. But you both made it and landed a good job at the same mechanical engineering company as pipe fitters…you actually enjoyed the work and got to spend your days with Finn

When he married your sister, you were his best man and smiled and laughed along with everyone else…but the ache was still there

Finn was married and living with your sister. You got your own place and started hooking up with a series of one nighters…random men just to take out your frustrations on…never anything serious and they were always gone well before Finn picked you up for work

Five years on and he’s in your apartment…y’all have been drinking beer…a lot of beer

”She’s fucking some guy she met”…he said…”Says I’m always working and she’s lonely…fuck Sully…she doesn’t work and the way she spends money…I gotta keep the lights on and food on the table”

You said nothing…only letting him vent…but all you could think is how much of a dumbass your sister is to throw away something you’d give anything to have

The beer kept flowing and that’s when Finn dropped the bomb

“I only married her to stay close to you…you’re the most solid thing I’ve ever had man…and I didn’t want to lose you” He was looking at his beer…his thumb playing with the pull tab

You sat there in stunned silence…eyes wide…just looking at him

“Shit Sully…did I just fuck up? Say something man”

Instead, you stood up and ran a hand through your hair and walked to the window. Finn got up and followed…standing apart but close enough to put his hand on your shoulder

“Sully?”

You hung your head and spoke “is this the beer talking Finn?”

He chuckled “yeah…liquid courage to finally tell you how I feel…how I been feeling”

“How long Finn?”

“High school…look man…”

That’s when you turned and pulled him into the kiss…furious and hard…hungry like neither of you had eaten in years

He was pressed against you and you could feel his throbbing tool against yours. You ran your hand over his hairy chest making him sigh against your lips…then you hooked your thumbs into the band of his briefs and dragged them down until you were eye level with his twitching dick…a string of sap hanging from the bright pink tip

You buried your face in his crotch…inhaled his musk and groaned as your tongue and beard rubbed against his nut sack…his cock was so rigid it pointed due north

He gasped…both hands on your head…fingers pulled your hair…and when you took him into your mouth he moaned and you felt his legs trembling. You swallowed him as far as you could…your right hand on the base of his shaft pulling on his tool

“Oh FUCK…Sully…oh man”

He shuddered as he shot his spunk into your throat…a bit leaking from your lips and down your chin. When he finished you stood up and kissed him…letting him taste his spunk on your tongue…he groaned and pushed his hand into your shorts groping for your dick

“Jesus Sully…that’s…impressive man”

You’d seen each other countless times naked in the locker room…but never fully erect. Finn’s dick was a happy average…stocky…like him. You were larger by a few inches and moaned into his kiss as he pulled on the sap slicked knob

You pulled him into your bedroom and pushed him down onto the bed and shucked off your shorts…dick standing proud…Finn’s eyes wide but he had that smile you ached for. You pulled him to the edge of the bed, pushed his muscled legs up to his chest and buried your face in the split of his ass. When your tongue flicked at his pucker he moaned…you went at it with everything you had. Then you flipped him onto his stomach with his knees to the floor…his renewed dick pointing south…you tongued the length from the tip of his cock to his asshole…he was groaning and pushing back into your face

You grabbed the lube from the bedside table and greased your dick

“Relax Finn”

He started to buck as you pushed into him…your torso on his back…you murmured into his ear

“You okay man?”

“Yeah Sully…never better” He gasped as you went deeper

When you were balls deep you just held it…letting him get used to you. Every time your dick would throb, he’d moan

Then you slowly pulled back…dragging your tool over his button and he let out a long low moan

“Oh God Sully…oh Jesus…fuck me Sully…just fuck me”

You started pumping…his whimpering made it even hotter and you could feel yourself getting to the threshold

“I’m gonna cum man…oh FUCK”

You were pumping him deep…flooding his guts while he bucked under you…his asshole tugging your dick as he came undone…again…shooting down the side of the bed onto the floor

Then you just lay there panting…years of pent up longing now deep inside Finn’s ass

You pulled out and stood up…chest heaving…admiring your best friends sweet ass. You placed a hand on his butt cheek and stroked his used hole with your thumb making him flinch and laugh

“Jesus Sully…that was…that was really something…I mean…fuck man”

After y’all had showered and were lying naked in your bed…the back of his head on your chest…your hand stroking his chest hair…you spoke

“It was high school for me too Finn…when I realized I had…feelings” He was quiet and you continued “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to lose you either”

Then he sat up looking down at you…searching your eyes…he leaned in and kissed you

“We need to make up for a lot…and I do mean a lot…of lost time..…damn Sully”

Then he smiled at you again “Seems I married the wrong Sullivan”

[wosospacegirl]

Stuck with you - part 2

Summary: Y/n’s used to Alexia’s overprotectiveness and the pressure of her career—but Kika? The shy, socially awkward teammate who’s starting to make her feel things she didn’t expect.

Warnings: Y/n is absolutely oblivious to everything, Kika is adorably awkward, Alexia is a complete idiot, Aitana is old, and Olga is mother. <3 Real warning now - angst!! Alexia and Y/n fight on this one, again.

Word count: 5.5k

MASTERLIST

| PART 1 |

..

The week of training had been intense.

An Él clássico was approaching, and Romeu was making sure all the girls were physically and mentally prepared, even if it meant pushing them to the brink with his bizarre ideas about team dY/namics.

Y/n wanted to win the game, of course, but she also wanted to keep all her limbs.

When Alexia and Y/n arrived at training–without any fighting, miraculously– they were quickly separated by the assistant coach into two teams: seniors and youngsters. 

“What is he doing?” Vicky whispered to Y/n as they made their way to the left side of the pitch. “I bought new training boots, tio [bro], I wanted to use them for, you know…football, not this.”

“I have no idea,” Y/n replied. “He always comes up with the most absurd ideas ever known to mankind, or well, manager kind.” 

“Guys, guys!”

Y/n and Vicky turned around at the sound of Jana’s voice.  She was walking towards them, her ponytail swishing with each step she took on the grass.

However, it was the girl on Jana’s side that caught Y/n’s attention.

Kika.

She had the same sweet smile on her face as she always did. People might expect Kika to be tired by now; it was Friday and she had completed her first full week at Barcelona, but instead of tired, she seemed excited and full of energy.

The whole team had warmed up to her already, even Alexia. Y/n had noticed the other day how Kika and Alexia had a cordial and amicable conversation in the changing room.

It was something about Alexia wanting to learn Portuguese–Alexia had never mentioned this desire to learn another language to Y/n.

“I think we’re doing a tug of war,” Jana said, a mischievous glint in her brown eyes.

“What?!” Y/n and Vicky said in unison.

Romeu was known for creating…unique training methods. Most of them had weird rules and were very physically demanding, but tug of war? That was–peculiar– even for Romeu.

“How the hell would tug of war help us in anything?” Vicky asked exasperated. 

“We’re just going to get burns on our hands,” Y/n muttered, facepalming. “Now it’s a good time to pretend to have cramps or what?”

Kika chuckled at Y/n’s remark, which brought Y/n’s attention back to the Portuguese girl.

She had a pretty smile, and a cute laugh as well.

“Kika said she saw the biggest rope in Romeu’s office, and that he was searching about how the tug of war could be beneficial to other sports,” Jana explained, placing her hand on Kika’s shoulder, who leaned into the touch.

Hmm, okay.

Y/n shifted the weight between her feet, trying to suppress the uncomfortable feeling in her chest. It looked like Kika was really settling in.

“What were you doing in Romeu's office?” Vicky asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He called me to talk about how my first week went,” Kika replied.

The conversation was cut short when Romeu walked onto the pitch. And it looked like Kika was right after all.

Romeu had the largest rope Y/n had ever seen. All the other girls were staring at it weirdly, wide-eyed.

“Alright, girls! Today we’re doing tug of w–”

“Why?” Y/n interrupted, deadpan.

“Huh?” Romeu asked, raising an eyebrow while turning to Y/n. The large rope on his hand made the scene look…comical, to say the least.

“Why are we doing this? Does it have a real benefit?”

Romeu was silent for a moment, not used to the players questioning him.

“Hm, yes, Y/n.” He said. “It’ll make the team grow closer together, it’ll tighten the bond you all have with each other.”

“Why tug of war, though,” Jana asked, clearly confused. “Is this supposed to make us stronger or just humiliate us?”

“You guys will have to work together as a team,” Romeu explained. “And it’ll be fun, trust me, no humiliat–”

“I don’t think it’s fun,” Vicky said bluntly. “Does anyone think it’s fun? To pull a rope around and what? Laugh at the team that loses?”

“Yeah, it seems boring,” Pina chimed in.

“We could just play volleyball if we’re trying to build team spirit,” Vicky suggested.

“Or we could just play football,” Y/n added with a shrug before looking at her arms disappointed. “I’ve got the upper body strength of a noodle, this isn’t gonna end well.”

“I’m with Y/n on this one,” Pina agreed, leaning in on Patri, who also nodded in agreement.

Jana raised her hand like she had a better idea. “Oh, we could also–”

“Do you girls want to go back to La Masia?” Romeu interrupted, emotionless.

The four girls immediately shut their mouths and shook their heads.

“If you’ve got better ideas, you can coach next week,” he muttered. “Kids…” 

Y/n rolled her eyes but stayed quiet, listening as he explained the dY/namics of the game.

She was zooming out when she felt a sharp tug on her ear.

“Stop talking back to Romeu,” Alexia whispered, a typical frown on her face.

The girls were too busy listening to the instructions to hear their conversation. Thank God, Y/n didn’t want everybody to hear her getting lectured by Alexia…again.

“Stop tugging my ear like I'm five!” y/n hissed back.

“Stop acting like you’re five,” Alexia replied. “I know it’s hard for you, but try, yeah?”

“Why don't you tug Vicky's ear too?” y/n asked annoyed. “She’s just as bad as me.”

“Because I didn’t practically raise Vicky like I did you,” Alexia said, smirking slightly. “Be on your good behaviour, please.”

Y/n turned to Romeu and the group, making sure they were all too absorbed in the tug-of-war thing before turning back around to face Alexia.

“Ale, come on,” Y/n said. “Don’t make a deal about it.”

“Managers are supposed to be respected,” Alexias said, ignoring Y/n, with a tone that made it clear she was serious.

Alexia was the perfect little player. She always trusted her manager, always listened to them, and always made sure to be the best captain and athlete for them, especially for Romeu.

It wasn’t that Y/n was impolite to Romeu or any other manager she had, it just was that she didn’t put them on the same pedestal that Alexia did. 

Y/n didn’t see a problem in questioning Romeu, but Alexia felt like she was the only one allowed to do that, or else, it was disrespectful.

“I didn't disrespect him! Why are you bothering me about it, tio?” Y/n argued.

“You know he’ll bench you if he doesn’t like your attitude,” Alexia said quietly. “I want you on the pitch, not sitting on the sideline.”

Y/n’s heart softened at her words, but she still didn’t like how Alexia tugged at her ear like she was a kid. 

But Alexia was right–only this time, though. She needed to be on Romeu's good side to play one of the most important games of the season.

Last month Patri said something to Romeu that he didn’t like and she was benched for two whole games. Y/n didn't want to end up like that, especially with El Clássico approaching.

“Okay,” Romeu said, clapping his hand. “Split yourself into those two teams I talked about, seniors take the right end of the rope, youngsters, the left.

“Aitana, you stay with the seniors,” Romeu said, pointing at Alexia, Marta and other players.

Aitana looked at him confused. “But Ona is with the youngest and we’re just months apart.”

“The classification is based on who has more back pain and who forgets where they put their keys,” Vicky teased.

Aitana gave her a blank stare while the whole team laughed. 

“Right, so I’m basically a walking cane now,” Aitana said dryly, crossing her arms as she started to walk to the other side.

Alexia greeted her with open arms, a victorious smile on her face, even though the teams hadn’t even started the game.

“She’s really like a big sister to you,” Y/n heard Kika’s voice behind her. “Oh–sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on your conversation,” Kika said laughing nervously. “I just– I overheard it.”

“Yeah, she’s…too much sometimes,” Y/n said with a small, amused smile before preparing for the tug of war.

Kika positioned herself directly in front of Y/n.

And then it began.

Both groups were pulling the rope with everything they had.

Y/n’s fingers were burning from the friction, but what was really burning was the spot on her thigh where Kika’s leg was pressing against her. 

Kika was directly in front of her– bent low to keep her foot– so in consequence, her thigh was firmly pressed against Y/n’s.

Y/n shouldn’t have worn shorts to training, she should have stuck to her leggings, or sometimes that covered more skin. 

Y/n tried to ignore it.

Y/n was going to think of puppies. Flowers. Anything but Kika.

“Pull the fucking rope!” Jana’s voice barked from behind her. “Why are you letting it slip?”

Crap. She was distracted.

Kika distracted her.

Y/n gritted her teeth and pulled the rope harder. Across from her, Alexia’s face was set in that determined, slightly terrifying expression that usually meant she was winning. 

But this time, La Reina lost.

When Alexia’s team hit the ground in defeat, Alexia shot up unnaturally fast, her white training kit smeared with dirt and grass. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she pointed at the younger girls.

“They cheated, Romeo!” Alexia protested furiously.

Y/n had been too busy celebrating to care about Alexia’s reaction. She hugged Vicky, and then Jana, then Ona–and finally, without thinking, she wrapped her arms around the nearest body around her.

“We did it!” Y/n said, happily, still riding the high of winning over the seniors, and especially, Alexia.

That was until she realised it.

Kika. She was hugging Kika.

Y/m froze when she realized, pulling back immediately as if she had touched something on fire.

“Oh– I'm sorry,” Y/n stammered.

“No, it's…alright,”  Kika said, her voice nervous, but softer at the same time.

Kika’s ace was flushed, the redness creeping down her neck, her hands shifted at her sides, not knowing exactly what to do.

Y/n gave her an awkward smile before heading to the changing room.

That should’ve been the end of it — except when Y/n glanced back, she saw Kika laughing with Vicky and Patri, an arm draped around each of them.

Kika didn’t seem to get nervous when the other girls were around her, only when Y/n was. She didn’t seem to tense up around them.

Maybe it was something personal? Maybe Y/n made Kika feel uncomfortable somehow? 

Y/n wasn’t the most charismatic person around. That’d be Vicky and Jana, but she didn't like to think her personality was prone to make others uncomfortable.

Y/n thought she was rather distant already. She didn’t fuss over anyone like Alexia did–so she thought she and Kika were okay, but seeing how Kika just looked way more at ease with the other girls left a bitter taste in Y/n’s mouth.

Yeah… Y/n needed to back off.

It wasn't the first time Kika acted nervous around Y/n.

Just yesterday Y/n asked if it was okay if she used the treadmill next to Kika at the gym and Kika began stammering.

Was Y/n that unbearable to be around?

It wasn’t like she wanted Kika to be nervous and uncomfortable around the other girls. She just wished Kika could.

Maybe be more at ease with her, too?

..

That doubt lingered in Y/n’s mind as she poked at food later in Barcelona’s restaurant. Marta and Aitana were chatting away, but Y/n couldn’t focus. 

The stranger feeling in her chest–one that she couldn’t put a name in–was too loud.

Y/n was pulled out of her thoughts when Alexia sat down by her side, putting her plate–filled with greens– on the table and grumbling under her breath.

“What?” Aitana asked.

“Just… the tug of war was so unfair and–”

“Déu meu,” [Oh my god] Y/n muttered as she pushed her chair back, grabbing her plate.

“Estrellita, where are you going?”

Y/n rolled her eyes at the nickname. How many times will she have to ask Alexa not to call her that?

“Eat in peace.”

“What do you mean?” Alexia challenged. “Do I disturb your peace?”

“Every day,” Y/n shot back.

She heard Alexia mumble something about how Y/n still hadn't lost the teenager's moodiness but ignored her. She just wanted to find a new table.

Unfortunately, every spot was taken–except one.

Kika's.

She was sitting alone, though she didn't seem to mind.

Y/n hesitate. She wasn’t about to pull an ‘Alexia’ and invade Kika’s space.

But then–

Kika waved.

Y/n blinked confused, Maybe it was for somebody else. She looked at her left, then at her right.

Kika continued to wave.

Y/n furrowed her eyebrows and looked behind her.

“You are hopeless,” Alexia muttered, pointing at Kika. “Don't you see Kika waving at you? Go sit down!”

Before Y/n could process it, Alexia gave her a light shove in Kika’s direction.

Y/n found herself standing awkwardly in front of Kika’s table, unsure what to do with her hands.

“Hi?” She tried.

“Hi,” Kika smiled.

They were in silence. 

“Do…do you wanna sit?” Kika asked nervously. 

There it was again– that nervousness. Yep, Y/n was definitely making her uncomfortable, no doubts about that now.

Maybe Kika was just being polite and offering a seat because she felt bad watching Y/n standing in the middle of the restaurant.

“No, it's okay,” Y/n said quickly.

“Oh, are you sure?” Kika asked, looking around. “All the other tables are full.”

Okay. So it was just pity.

“Hmm,” Y/n looked at the free chair in front of her, not really sure about what to do…eating while standing up seemed pathetic, even for her.

“I can eat standing up with you, if you want” Kika offered, saying, already moving her plate.

“Oh no! I’ll– I’ll just sit,” Y/n blurted, hurriedly sliding into the seat before Kika could follow through. “Here. I’ll sit here.

Kika's expression faltered a bit. 

Yep, she definitely did not want Y/n there.

It was like one of those moments when you offer someone food–to be polite–and they actually say yes.

It wasn’t like Y/n didn’t understand it. She wasn’t the easiest person to be around. She was–in addition to other things– quiet, grumpy, maybe a little rude when she absolutely didn't mean to and when she did mean to.

And now she was sitting here, and probably bothering Kika.

Y/n shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She was going to eat fast, keep her head down, and leave before Kika could notice.

But when Y/n looked up, Kika was eating normally, seemingly unfazed, almost as if Y/n wasn’t there.

Y/n decided to follow Kika’s lead and appreciate the amazing fish Barcelona’s cook had prepared. 

The silence between them stretched on, heavy and awkward.

Y/n was good at silence, the best ever. She could be quiet for hours without a problem. 

But in some way, being in silence in Kika’s presence felt…wrong. 

“So…how’s your day been?” Y/n asked,  trying to steer some conversation. Asking about Kika’s day was good, casual, safe territory. 

Although she pretty much spent the whole day with Kika, she knew almost everything that had happened. Next time she should try asking about the weather.

Kika smiled shyly, taking a bite of her food before answering. “Good and busy! I’m getting used to everything here.”

Y/n nodded, offering a small smile pressed in a tight line on the lips. 

Before she could respond, Kika reached for her glass of water, but her hand slipped, and the glass tipped over, spilling water all over the table and onto Y/n’s lap.

Kika’s face flushed red immediately. "Oh no! I’m so sorry, I–”

Kika quickly grabbed a napkin and started dabbing furiously at the mess on the table. “I’m so sorry, I didn't mean to–It just–” The girl kept rambling, her words tumbling over each other as she panicked. “Do you have a change of shorts?! Merda, you can grab one of mine, no problem.” [shit] 

Y/n just… stared at the whole thing for a moment. Not in a mean way, just in a–blanky way, like her brain needed a minute to process whatever had just happened…because of course, this would happen today.

Right at the moment that she was having some–very minor–success in trying to socialise with other people the universe decided to pour cold water on her, literally.

“It’s okay,” Y/n muttered after a few seconds, barely loud enough for Kika to hear. Y/n wasn’t sure what she could say, she never spilt her drinks or anyone or had anyone do it to her…and it really was okay. It was only water. 

Should Y/n…take more napkins? They were all in Kika’s hand already. Should she get up now? Maybe grab a towel in the kitchen to dry the table? Oh that would be a good idea, maybe Y/n could grab more napkins while she was in the kitchen and–

“I’m such an idiot,” Kika mumbled under her breath.

“No you’re not,” Y/n said quickly, too quickly. 

Y/n bit her lip, feeling like she already said too much. She wasn’t the best at comforting people, and knowing her luck, she shouldn’t even try to comfort Kika, she would probably make her feel worse. 

She always seemed uneasy around y/n, especially now.

Kika turned away her attention from the table to Y/n’s legs. She started at Y/n’s tights, and then at the napkins on her hands, and then at Y/n’s leg again. She took a step closer and nervously began drying Y/n’s shorts–and bits of her skin.

Y/n’s breath got caught up in her mouth. She just…froze, again. Kika rubbed the rough material of the cheap napkin against shorts, but the fabric had already absorbed most of the water, so it felt like Kika was drying–y/n’s skin?

“Hey, it’s okay,” Y/n said firmly, reaching out to grab Kika’s wrists before she could rub another napkin into her skin. They kinda burned.

Kika froze instantly, her hand still hovering just above Y/n’s leg. Her fingers twitched while holding the napkins, almost as if she wasn’t sure whether to pull away or insist on drying Y/n off.

Then Kika looked up, her brown eyes wide and startled, and for a moment she just…stared.

Y/n, as a great connoisseur of social interaction, stared back, slightly pressing her hands against Kika’s wrists. 

Her skin was soft and warm, and Y/n liked it. It feels comforting to touch it.

“I should, hm–” Kika stammered, yanking her wrists away from Y/n and moving too fast and nearly knocking Y/n’s glass off the table in the process. “I-I will..grab more napkins.”

“Yeah, right,” Y/n nodded, stiffly, watching as Kika hurried off like she was running from her. Again.

Y/n stabbed the piece of fish with her fork bitterly, not caring about how wet her tights were. She only cared about how Kika hurried off like she couldn't get fast enough.

In the end, Y/n didn’t see Kika for the rest of the day. She wasn’t training at the pitch in the afternoon, but Y/n didn’t know why. 

So she asked around, very casually, about the missing girl.

At first, she tried Vicky and Jana.

“Hi,” Y/n said, leaning in one of the lockers while Jana changed her shirt and Vick did her hair. “How was lunch? Didn’t see you guys at the restaurant.”

“We went to that Italian place I told you about,” Jana said while bending down to fix her boots. “The one you said was way overpriced and that you’d never go?” 

Y/n rolled her eyes at Jana’s comment. Y/n didn't like to go out much, not even with her friends — she just liked to play football and go home. Vicky understood that better than Jana. Jana’s love language was quality time or something like that.

“But it was good,” Jana added, “I ordered caprese salad and Vicky had some fettuccine alfredo.”

“Hmm,” Y/n said, trying to sound disinterested.

“Why do I think you only asked about our lunch because you want something?” Vicky asked. “What is it? Just say it.”

“Have you–like–seen Kika?” Y/n asked, playing with her hair and not making eye contact, “I’m just curious, haven’t seen her around for some time.”

Vicky and Jana shared a look Y/n couldn’t quite decode.

“We haven’t seen her since the tug of war earlier,” Jana said, smiling at her. “But maybe she’s at physio?”

“Yeah, I don’t know either.”

Y/n mumbled something that sounded like a thank you and left the room.

She needed someone nosy, someone who was always in other people’s business.

And that’s when she saw Aitana and Alexia at the pitch, both stretching their legs while having a conversation.

Without thinking too much, Y/n casually walked over, positioned herself next to them and started to stretch, trying to look as nonchalant as possible while awkwardly pulling her thigh up against her body.

“Estrellita, hi!” Aitana said smiling. “What do you want?” Aitana was always straightforward.

“What? Can’t I just hang out with my lovely teammates?” Y/n said, voice just a little too casual.

Aitana raised an eyebrow while Alexia looked amused.

“Well–” Y/n said, looking at the two girls. She couldn’t be as honest as Aiatana, so she had to…play around a little bit. “I was wondering about our schedule for the day.”

“Schedule?” Alexia asked, confused. “What schedule? We do the same thing every day: gym, training, lunch, training, go home.”

“Hm, right,” Y/n said. “But it's not always the same for every player.”

“Yeah, that’s why they send us our own weekly calendar,” Aitana pointed out, her tone suspicious.

“Are you looking for someone?” Alexia asked, a knowing smile on her lips.

“What?! No of course not,” Y/n said way too fast. “Why would you think that? I’m just trying to have a conversation here…”

“Right,” Aitana said suspiciously, dragging out the word like she didn’t believe her for a second.

“Well, if you happen to be looking for someone–” Alexia said, “And that someone happens to be the new Portuguese girl, just know that she’s doing some media training for the rest of the day.”

Alexia winked at her.

Y/n felt her face heat up instantly. Great. Just great. Without saying a word, she turned on her heel and stormed off, nearly tripping over her own shoelace in the process. ‘Perfect’, she thought, scowling. ‘Now I look like an idiot on top of everything else.’

..

“Fix your face,” Y/n muttered while sitting on the passenger seat, Alexia by her side, hands on the wheel as she started the car.

“I’ll fix mine when you fix yours,” Alexia grumbled back, in the same tone as Y/n. 

They were in silence.

Y/n hummed through the songs playing on the radio while Alexia had a frown on her face, her lips in a tight line.

“I just think it’s unfair, Estrelitta,” Alexia stated after 14 minutes of no talking–Y/n counted, it was the closest she got to heaven.

“What?” Y/n asked as they drove through the park Alexia used to take her to train a few years ago when she still was a teen.

It was a good memory.

“That you guys cheated!” Alexia snapped.

“Déu meu, Alexia,” y/n said as she considered throwing herself out of the moving vehicle. “How can you cheat at fucking tug of war, Alexia?!”

“Okay, first: language,” Alexia said sternly, “Second, you can cheat by using magnesium to get a better grip on the rope.”

Alexia said magnesium in the same tone someone would disclose a big, juicy, secret.

“And where do you think we would find magnesium,” Y/n asked exasperated, she tried to be a chill person but Alexia really brought out the worst in her. “We’re footballers not fucking Rebeca Andrade e Simone Biles.” 

Y/n made sure Alexia saw her rolling her eyes, to get her point across. 

“I saw something white on Jana’s hand,” Alexia continued. “Maybe she got it from someone else…do you happen to know any gymnast?” 

“Do I look like I know a lot of people to you?” Y/n asked impatiently. “Better yet a gymnast…? You sound like you would prefer Jana to have cocaine on her hands rather than magnesium. Chill, Ale.”

Alexia never dropped an argument, never. 

Y/n learned to deal with this by simply walking away. She wasn’t one of those people who always needed to be right, but Alexia was.

Unfortunately, Y/n couldn’t walk away from a moving car.

Alexia did not stop complaining though. 

Alexia moaned for 9 minutes straight–y/n counted, again – about the tug-of-war thing. Y/n was going to burn the fucking rope next time she was at the training centre so Romeu would never bring it up.

When Alexia brought up her hallucination about Jana using magnesium for the eleventh time, Y/n decided it was enough.

Y/n had a bad day.

Kika had been acting weird around her while acting normal and friendly with the other girls. She got all wet at the restaurant because Kika spilt water on her–not that she was mad at the girl. And to top it all off, Y/n made a lot of mistakes during the afternoon sessions.

The only–small–victory of her day was the stupid tug of war, and Alexia was taking that away from that by being a whiner.

“Alexia! Please, shut up,” Y/n snapped, turning her torso to stare at Alexia, who seemed to cough off guard by Y/n’s sudden shift in attitude.

Moments ago she was just listening to it. Her usual grumpy face. But now? Now she was mad.

“I really don’t know how Olga can deal with you,” Y/n continued. “You’re impossible to put up with! It was a game, Ale! A game! Get over it.”

They had finally arrived home and Alexia turned off the car before she turned to Y/n, anger on her face.

“At least, I have someone to put up with me,” Alexia said as she got out of the car, slamming the door shut. 

Y/n mouth was agape. “And I bet Olga has to really try because you’re annoying as fuck!”

Y/n followed Alexia inside the house, making sure to slam the car door even harder. When Alexia opened the door, they continued their yelling.

Olga who was lying on the sofa in her pyjamas couldn’t understand a thing of what was happening and why the two women were yelling at each other.

Alexia threw her training bag on the floor. “I’m annoying but at least somebody loves me!” Alexia said angrily. “I'm not angry and cranky all the time like you are.”

Alexia’s words felt like a slap to her face. 

Y/n froze, staring at Alexia, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to do. Especially because, deep down, and given her history, it was true.

Y/n’s parents had sent Y/n off to live with someone they didn't know when she was only fourteen. Laura, her ex-girlfriend, had only been with her for the money. 

“Alexia!” Olga sternly said, getting up from the sofa quickly.

If Y/n wasn’t so upset by what Alexia had just said, she would have laughed at the way Olga tugged at Alexia’s ear–the same way Alexia did to her–while giving her a full lecture about empathy.

Unfortunately, the damage was done. 

She quickly took her training bag and made her way to her room, ignoring the way Alexia and Olga were calling for her.

..

Hours had passed, maybe two, maybe more. 

Y/n had already taken a shower and changed into comfy clothes. She decided she was going to take the sadness away.

She was lying on her bed, her face buried in her pillow when she heard a soft knock on her door. Y/n didn’t answer, hoping whoever it was would just leave her alone.

“Y/n,” Olga’s voice called softly before she opened the door anyway. Typical.

“I brought you some water,” Olga said, setting the glass on Y/n’s nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed. “Also thought about bringing some chocolate, but I was scared you would…throw it at my head”

Despite herself, Y/n let out a chuckle against the pillow.

“There she is,” Olga said with a smile. “Look, I know Alexia’s a complete idiot sometimes and what she said earlier…”

Y/n tensed, her smile disappearing as she pressed her face closer to the pillow. It was like if she couldn’t see Olga, then Olga wouldn't see her as well.

“She didn’t mean it like that,” Olga said quietly. “I know it sounded bad — like really bad — but she was angry, and you know how her mouth runs faster than her brain sometimes, well, most of the time.”

Y/n swallowed hard, her throat tightening.

“She’s not wrong, though,” Y/n muttered, her voice muffled. “At least she has people who care about her– her parents, her sisters…you.”

“You really believe that? That you don’t have people who love you?” Olga asked, her voice softer now. “Because if you do… then you’re more oblivious than I thought.”

Y/n turned her head slightly, just enough to see Olga sitting beside her on the mattress, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“You think Alexia doesn’t care about you?” Olga continued, looking at Man's face, her wide eyes reminding her of when Y/n was just a kid. “That I don’t? That the girls don’t? Even Alexia’s family treat you as their own, Cariño.”

“That’s different,” Y/n said quietly.

“It’s not,” Olga insisted. “I know things haven’t been easy for you… with your parents, with…” she hesitated, “…with Laura. But you’re not alone, Y/n. Maybe your family doesn’t look the way you thought it would, but you have one. And Alexia? She’s part of it — whether you like it or not.”

“She’s just... bad at showing it sometimes,” Olga added. “But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you’re family to her and that she loved you very much and–”

Olga smiled sweetly. “ And I know that I love you very, very, much.”

Y/n finally turned her head completely to Olga, no longer hiding half of it on the pillow.

“She has a funny way of showing it,” Y/n muttered. “We just…fight all the time.”

“She just... she says stupid things when she’s pissed off,” Olga said, a sad smile on her face. “But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that she’d do anything for you. 

Y/n blinked quickly, trying to fight the stinging in her eyes. “She's annoying, though.”

“Yeah,” Olga chuckled lightly. “She’s Alexia. Being annoying is part of the package–it’s her charm.”

Y/n let out a small, tired smile.

“I’ve already talked to her,” Olga said more seriously. “But if you want, I can give her the same lecture again in front of you.” 

Olga sat close to Y/n, her hands caressing her scalp. Y/n let her do it. It felt good. Comforting.

“I would love that more than anything,” Y/n said teasingly, but Olga knew her and could tell Y/n still wasn’t okay. 

Alexia’s words had stung her– badly.

“Do you want me to go?” Olga asked softly, her finger still running gently through Y/n’s hair. “Or to stay? It’s up to you. Alexia’s sleeping on the couch either way.”

Y/n smiled at Olga.

She thought about saying no, about curling back into her own thoughts and just…trying to get back on track on her own. But decided against it.

“You can stay…if you want to,” Y/n mumbled, changing her gaze from Olga to the mattress. “Only if you don't mind tough.”

“I would love to stay here with you, cariño.” Olga shifted her position so she could get more comfortable, her back against the headboard while Y/n lay by her side, her hands never leaving Y/n’s hair.

It was quiet. Y/n liked quiet–except if it was with a certain Portuguese girl–but here with Olga, it felt comfortable, almost motherly. 

Y/N's breathing slowed, and she felt her eyes heavier and a slight pain behind them. Y/n let herself fall asleep.

She heard Olga saying something, but she couldn’t remember it when she woke up the next day.

..

Notes: taglist on the comments. Let me know if you want to be added and if you don't want to be part of it anymore!

Please like, share and let me know what you think! Feedback is important and makes me want to write even more. :D

MASTERLIST

PART 1

[witherby]

I need a whole (ish (however much you want)) fic of cy and mouse now (if you wanna ofc) 🥹

Maybe like what him babysitting or a day spent tgth would look like

🧃

I can't do a fic, but I can do a lil drabble!

The Littlest Wayne: Cousin Cyborg

Anytime the bat family is occupied, in or out of costume, and it's either not safe to keep Flittermouse in the watchtower or they don't wanna be up there, they call Cyborg. He could be in the middle of any important event, from watching a championship game to getting ready for a date, but he'll drop it to go pick you up.

"M'n'M!" He exclaims every time he picks you up. "You eat yet?"

"I ate," you reply every time, grinning, "and it's Mousey."

"That's what I said: Muppet."

"Mousey."

"Mickey."

"Mousey!"

"Yeah, Mickey Mouse, I just said that."

You always groan and roll your eyes and flop against him dramatically, but you're both grinning.

The first thing Cyborg does is throw some options at you. Bruce gave him one of his unlimited cards to treat you and himself however he chooses, so he'll usually ask "Inside Activity or Outside Activity?" unless he's told you have to stay inside for safety. Based on what you pick, you get further options from there, then spend the next several hours having a fuckin' Blast together.

Trampoline parks. Ice skating. Escape rooms. Scary movie marathons. Board games galore. Hell, once you asked if you could watch him do maintenance on his robotic parts and just sat together and did that for a couple hours. Cyborg knows you live in a family that's pretty used to the grittier side of life — and he is, too — but there are so many more beautiful things outweighing the bad that you have to take time to focus on that whenever you can. He does his best not to let you be sad if you miss your family, or distracts you from any stressors from school.

You're also just fun to talk to. Cyborg invented a game for you two to play called "Tell Me About It." One of you will sink down onto a piece of furniture like a couch or chair and groan like you've got the entire world on your shoulders. Then you'll look at the other player and lift both your eyebrows and quirk your mouth to the side to indicate the start of the game.

"What's up?" The other person will prompt.

"You're never gonna believe this: Doritos are turning people bald."

And the other player will say "oh, tell me about it!" and have to take that and proceed to go on a whole tangent about it as though it were a real thing, and like they have extensive knowledge on that imaginary topic.

All in all, when Cyborg babysits, you know you're in for a great time. You guys are best friends for real. When you first call him Cousin Cyborg he cries a little. You have matching Crocs and friendship bracelets.

You also ruthlessly make fun of each other.

"Whattup, it's your favorite babysitter —"

"No way, Uncle J'onn! I'm so happy to see you!"

"Tt. You almost said something funny, Rat."

"It's Mouse to you, Baldy."

"That was low. Just like your height."

"I can go lower. Like your credit score."

"How'd you get my credit score!?!"

[gtgbabie0]

⋆⁺ ✮⋆⁺ Wilderness!Lottie Matthews x Reader

Synopsis: {Headcannons loosely based on this request} AN: I say loosely because I got so carried away with this, sorry. I love her sm. Thank you for the request annon. !!-18-!! towards the end.

♡︎ Lottie was attached to your hip from the moment she first met you—you were the new girl in the neighbourhood who moved in from out of town. There was just something about your energy she absolutely adored, and the pair of you immediately clicked together like puzzle pieces!

♡︎ You two soon became inseparable— wherever Lottie was you were and vice versa. The rest of the Yellowjackets have an absolute field day making fun of you and the whole ‘codependency’ thing you two have going on.

♡︎ Sleepovers were a constant thing— Lottie always went all out, like above and beyond. Daddy’s money paid for fancy face masks and other self-care stuff that cost what should be considered an illegal amount, matching pj’s, rented DVDs, nail polish, etc… etc.

♡︎ She borderline spoils you. Birthdays or a random ass Tuesday morning it didn’t matter to Lottie. You were her best friend so why wouldn’t she want to appreciate you?— or steal the occasional item here and there because it was literally made for you so duh you just have to have it!

♡︎ Lottie splurged extra hard on one particular piece of jewellery— it was a bracelet, a pretty rose gold colour encrusted with the most beautiful gems that twinkled oh so prettily with a matching one in a slightly different colour. As soon as she had seen the set she immediately thought of you.

♡︎ It was worth all the trouble, seeing your eyes light up in surprise— the “Oh Lot I can’t take this, this looks so expensive.” That flies from your lips, it makes her so happy and she immediately shakes off your worries with a gentle, “Don’t be silly, we’re matching now.”

♡︎ You go to every single one of Lottie's games whether they were away or at home and each and every time she’d be looking out for you in the stands— a smile so wide it hurts her cheeks, watching you jump up and down, waving at her with a Yellowjacket painted on your cheek.

♡︎ Lottie soon came to the devastating realisation that she felt a whole lot more than just friendship towards you after she won a game and you came rushing out onto the pitch with everyone else— beelining to her to congratulate her. It makes her head spin.

♡︎ Her heart has never pounded against her ribcage so violently before, the feeling of your arms wrapping around her tightly. It almost took her out— she doesn’t know if she’s shaking from the adrenaline or the fact that you’re so close to her, wearing her number, her jersey, in her team colours.

♡︎ Lottie really wanted to kiss you the night before they left for nationals. After the party when everyone else had left and the pair of you were sitting in your car outside of her house— your fingers drumming nervously against the car wheel. You looked so pretty, with gloss on your lips that she desperately wanted to kiss off as you went on about how much of a bust the party was— she wasn’t even listening.

♡︎ But unfortunately she totally chickens out and spends the entire night completely torn up over it— the poor girl didn’t get a wink of sleep.

♡︎ You weren’t even meant to be on that plane— but you were the photographer for the school's paper and they wanted you to snap some shots for the team during nationals so there you were, sitting next to Lottie, pinky curled around her own as she tries to calm your nerves.

♡︎ The crash had really taken everything out of you— the first day wasn’t bad, you clung to naive hope that you would be rescued— you clung to Lottie who made sure you were eating the rations and drinking water, changed the bandage on your palm and wrapped extra blankets around your shoulders during the nights, but then the days turned to weeks.

♡︎ It felt like everyone had embraced different roles with ease whereas you kinda just floated around— flitting between just sitting there with a blank expression to doing an odd job here and there with the least amount of effort, trying to not be seen as a deadweight.

♡︎ It scared her more than she’d like to admit, watching the light slowly dwindle away from your usually bright eyes— your attitude doing a complete one-eighty from normal. It only made her hold you extra tightly as you slept, whispering soft affirmations against your shoulder. “We’ll be okay.” Reassuring herself just as much as you.

♡︎ She felt so helpless just watching you retreat in your own head— you didn’t speak much to anyone and Lottie only got a few sentences out of you, little victories she’d call them. “Hey, come braid my hair?” She’d ask softly, nudging your shoulder in hopes the task might keep you grounded, anything to get you out of your own head. “Mhm, yeah, kay.” The smile that ghosts over your lips is enough for her. And for a few short moments, it almost felt like a sleepover again, one big fucked up sleepover as you weave the damp locks of her dark hair into a braid.

♡︎ Lottie got you to do a little bit more than just what was expected of you— helping you wash clothes and so on because she didn’t want the other girls to start berating you. “I’m sorry.” your words were nothing short of guilty, a dejection in your eyes that pained her. “Hey, it’s fine. You’re fine.” She’d always reassure you.

♡︎ She’d watch you sketch out the surrounding landscape— cheek resting against your shoulder marvelling at the way you drag the pencil across the paper. Those sketches would soon help make a map that Natalie and Travis became reliant on, it was one of the tiny ways you helped out. Plus it was fun, you enjoyed it— mostly enjoyed the way Lottie would sit right up next to you praising your work beneath her breath.

♡︎ The cabin could be suffocating at times so the pair of you would take walks— enjoying the nature and peace that it brought despite the rough times. Mostly she just liked to admire you, watching you pluck wildflowers to decorate the cabin. “Those a pretty.” Her voice would be impossibly gentle, always with you, her fingertips brushing past yours. “You’d suit them,” she adds in a whisper, tucking the flower behind your ear and all you can do is stutter out a soft— “O-Oh thank you.”

♡︎ The one thing Lottie couldn’t handle was you being distant— drawing away from her, she would call you out on it. “You’re acting strange.” She would state as if you hadn’t been acting ‘strange’ since the crash. Her words only make you scoff, shaking your head. “Yeah, no shit. Look around Lot, we’re fucked.” The quiver in your tone dismantles her into something much more gentle, her hands reaching out for yours to stop you from sharpening the hunting knife. “We’ll get through it, just— just please stop pushing me away, I need you.” She practically pleads with you, squeezing your hands a little tighter as her soft, brown eyes tear up slightly. You nod with a shaky sigh, “I need you too Lottie.” She doesn’t hesitate to pull you into a hug, face pressed into your neck with a mumbled, “I’ve got you.”

♡︎ You’re the only person she really trusts, she would spend all night talking to you about her ‘Visions’ and you’d soothe her— hand over her heart guiding her through breaths. “You— You can feel it too, right?” She asks, trembling. “Yeah, I feel it, Lot. I feel it.” And you did, you felt it through her. Something at least.

♡︎ Lots of late nights, your head resting in her lap as she plays with your hair— it was during these times that your voice would find you again, if only briefly. “I’m scared Lottie.” The words muffled against her thigh. She brushes her thumb over your jaw, making you look up at her. “Don’t be. It loves you, it’ll protect you. I promise.” and you trust her.

♡︎ Lottie would give you little trinkets to keep you safe. It brought you impossibly closer and you believed it was the only reason you kept surviving through each day, that Lottie was the only reason.

♡︎ She had a whole morning routine with you, she literally couldn’t start her day off without it— otherwise, she wouldn’t stop worrying about you even if you spend the whole day practically attached to her. “What do you hear?” Her hand was warm, clasped around your own. “The firewood, crackling, it’s like an applause,” you reply, thumb caressing over her knuckles slowly.

♡︎ It all became so different one morning— it happened after a particularly rough night and Lottie really just needed to feel closer to you more than ever. “What do you feel?” Her voice was low, calm as always yet now twinged with a certain edge— her forehead resting against your own. “You, I feel you, your breaths… it’s comforting.” Your words are hushed, breathing intermingling. “I feel you too. I always feel you.”

♡︎ The pair of you leaned in until your lips met, the kiss was slow— tender. “Lottie—” you whisper, her hands immediately cupping your face, mouth chasing after yours with a feverish, “I know…” as she deepens the kiss.

♡︎ Lottie quickly became utterly addicted, hooked on the taste of your lips and any excuse was a good one when it came to sneaking you out of your chores. You would be trying to hang up the washing when her arms would snake around your waist, lips grazing along the sensitive curve of your jaw— “It’s calling for you, the wilderness, it needs you.” whispered hotly against your neck.

♡︎ You’re all hers no matter the cheap excuse— she was just too damn good at convincing you and kissing you.

♡︎ Lottie would ‘bless’ you in her own unique way down in the lake— her thumb pricked and pearling with blood that she rubs across your forehead, a pattern you couldn't see. “Nothing will hurt you.” It’s a statement, a promise, that she seals by pressing her bloody thumb to your lips, dragging it across the pillowy flesh, before kissing you— the coppery taste only urges her to deepen the kiss.

♡︎ Blessings to the wilderness would just be her laying you down beneath the craved-out tree stump— her face between your thighs making come undone on her tongue and fingers over and over again until the ‘wilderness’ was sated— although it was never truly sated, it was a bottomless pit when it came to you.

♡︎ The codependency jokes from before the plane crash were never truer— you definitely got some snide comments from the girls especially during the colder, rougher days when everyone was really feeling the hunger. Lottie wouldn’t hesitate to immediately step up for you with furrowed brows and a curled lip— “Back off.” bared teeth and a wild glossiness glazing over her big brown eyes.

♡︎ Sometimes they get to you because a part of you— deep down knows what they say is true. You were dependent on Lottie, more than you even realise. She comforts you whenever their comments stab a little harder than usual. “They’re right, Lot. I’m useless— I don’t do shit.” you sigh, face pressed against her shoulder as her hand caresses your back slowly. “Sshh, they don’t know anything— they’ll understand soon, how important you are.” She gives you a caring smile, pressing a lingering kiss to the corner of your mouth and it's enough to make you feel better.

♡︎ There are times when you don’t understand her, but it’s the blind trust that keeps you by her side without question—a trust that she’ll keep you safe no matter what happens, and it makes all this a lot more bearable.

[inthelibrarybtw]

you want me to pretend | six

SERIES MASTERLIST

pairing: college!basketball!captain!rafe x college!student!reader content: fluff, college au, smau/irl, cursing, inaccurate basketball talk

summary: You were trying to make one problem disappear. You were tired, so you lied. That small lie led you to contact the last person you wanted to ask for help. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Rafe; only that you didn’t want to deal with his constant teasing more than you already did. Also, you two weren't that close, but this one lie was going to bring you two closer and maybe help some truths come to light.

word count:

authors note: oops! anyways I won't be posting until saturday or sunday, I love this fic as much as you but I need to lock in for college. taglist is still open so let me know.

05 | 06 | 07

Today

Economics hadn’t been your favorite class during high school, but college had given you a new perspective. More like, you actually understood it this time, so you enjoyed it. This class was one of the others you shared with Rafe. He was the only one there you could consider a friend, so when the professor paired everyone up and he called out his name and yours together, it was a relief. You knew how to work with him, and he knew how to work with you.

“I think the universe is forcing us together,” he joked, sitting next to you.  

“Oh, so you believe in the forces of the universe now?” you replied with a soft smile.  

“I think there is a bigger power that is pushing us together. This is the second presentation slash project we have to do together, and it’s the third class we share.”  

“It’s just coincidence.”  

“Is it now?” he smirked.  

“Let’s just decide what we are going to do with this, and we can work through it during the week.”  

“Whatever you say.”  

“Thursday, let’s get together. Now that you’ve been to my house, we can work there.”  

“Is this just an excuse to get me to play your boyfriend again?” he smirked. “Because if you want that, just say so.”  

“Oh, screw you! Not everything is about that,” you rolled your eyes. “I prefer working at my house, but if you don’t want to, let’s do it somewhere else.”  

“I never said I didn’t want to,” he chuckled. “I’ll be there at five?”  

“Yeah, okay.”  

After that, class was over, and you said goodbye to each other. You made your way to your car to drive back home while Rafe walked toward the basketball court.  

“Oh, captain, my captain,” JJ teased, and the rest joined in.  

“You need to stop doing that shit.”  

“And not piss you off? That’s not happening.”  

He was about to leave for the dressing room, but the coach called them.  

“We have a home game on Thursday, so tomorrow you need to clear your schedules. I’ll write a letter for you guys to send to your professors. Tomorrow is full basketball; I don’t accept no’s. So no practice today, and you guys have the afternoon to prepare.”  

A part of him was relieved he didn’t have to practice today, but he knew he had to cancel on you. That wasn’t going to work, so he grabbed his things and left the gym, headed straight to his car, and texted you.

At 2:40 PM, he arrived at your house. You didn't even have time to protest because he was already on his way when he texted you. You welcomed him into your home with Coco, the dog you were dog-sitting that week. Your neighbors had gone on a work trip, and they knew you loved dogs and that Coco loved you, so she was at your house.

Coco was a friendly dog, and the moment Rafe set foot in your home, she threw herself at him. You knew Rafe liked dogs, but you had never seen him with one. You noticed how he smiled and sat on the floor with Coco. She didn’t waste a second and lay down between his legs.

You both settled to work in your living room, sitting on the floor because, according to him, if not, Coco would feel too alone. You didn’t debate him on that because you didn’t care where you were as long as you got things done. While starting to work on the presentation, you both were on your phones texting people until finally, you both put them down. You continued chatting about what to do, and then silence fell. You hated working in silence.

“I will play some music,” you said.  

“Yeah, go ahead.”  

“Just a heads up, there’s probably going to be a lot of Taylor Swift,” you smiled.  

“I figured as much,” he chuckled.

You hummed along with some of the songs or silently sang them. Rafe didn’t mention it. You were so focused, and he was trying his best to accomplish what he needed to do. He was struggling to concentrate, but your soft hums and quiet singing were making it impossible. Don’t get him wrong; it’s not that he found it annoying; it was actually the opposite. He was enjoying it a lot more than he would ever admit to himself.

After a while, both your phones pinged at the same time; it was the BeReal notification. You just looked at him, and he nodded, silently communicating that he was okay with showing up in yours. You both took it and then continued working on the presentation, now talking a bit more about anything that came to mind at that moment.

You lost track of time, and the door opening along with your mom’s voice asking you a question brought you back to the moment. It was five o’clock.  

“Honey, whose car is that?” she said, walking in, and the answer to her question had Coco on his lap. “Oh! Rafe, hi! I didn’t know you were coming today.”  

“Hello, Mrs.—”  

“Don’t Mrs. me; call me Laura,” she smiled at Rafe. “Looks like Coco likes you… Anyway, honey, I brought you the ingredients to try that new cookie recipe.”  

“Oh, thanks, Mom,” I smiled at her, helping her with the items and bringing them to the kitchen. 

You didn’t hear, but Rafe had walked right behind you. While your mom was putting some things in the fridge and you were taking out the ingredients, he hugged you from behind. You tensed up a bit at the sudden motion but then relaxed.  

“Are you baking something now?” he asked, his face right next to your ear. You hated the effect he was having on you.  

“Maybe; do you want to help?”  

“Yes, I would very much like to,” he kissed your temple and took a step back. You couldn’t stop yourself from thinking back to sophomore year; if this had happened back then, you would’ve died.  

“You two are so cute,” your mom said before leaving the kitchen.  

You took a deep breath and started preparing all the things you needed.  

“I think you deserve to play music now,” you said to Rafe, and he chuckled.  

“I’m honored.”  

The cookie-baking session had gone well. You had laughed a lot, and having Rafe in your house didn’t feel weird anymore, even though it hadn’t been that long since he first set foot in. You knew he had taken a picture of you, so you made a mental note to ask for it later.  

You were cleaning up the kitchen when "Carnival" by Kanye started playing.  

“Rafe, can I change the song?”  

“Yes, princess; my phone is on the counter,” he said from the living room, where he was picking up his stuff.

You could swear your heart stopped after seeing that notification. Was he dating someone? Why had he said yes then? Was this considered cheating? Did she know? You changed the song and set the phone back on the counter. 

The sound of your dad’s voice mixed with Rafe’s brought you back to reality. Rafe walked back into the kitchen, continuing his conversation with your dad. Your head was elsewhere, and he seemed to notice your expression. 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I think I’m just tired.” You tried to sound convincing; he wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t want to push your boundaries. 

“Okay,” he said, kissing your cheek a few times before returning to talk to your dad. You grabbed your phone, opening the chat with the only person you could talk to at that moment.

He stayed for another forty minutes. You were hardly there anymore; you were aware you needed to keep up the act since your parents were around, but the anxiety just grew more as the minutes kept passing by. You took a deep breath and decided you would deal with this later because again, you didn’t even know how to start the conversation. 

Before he left, you packed some cookies for him to take back to his house. You walked him out of your house, and after that, you went to your room. On the bright side, the presentation was done for next week. You played the same song over and over again until you decided to grab a book to think about something else.

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INTHELIBRARYBTW ✧.

[ithilien-writes]

here have some fic about it actually

-

Would It? [Buck/Eddie, T, ~1k]

He keeps thinking about it, is the problem. It's like now that Tommy put the thought in his head, it just keeps bouncing around inside his skull, like the old dvd logo that used to show up when you paused a movie for too long. It's not even about Tommy though, not really. If anything, their last encounter just solidified the fact that he doesn't actually know anything about Buck. That he never cared to.

But Maddie, on the other hand.

It wouldn't be so crazy.

So it's his sister's voice, really, that's been echoing inside his head for weeks now. When he wakes up in the morning. When he gets off of a call with Eddie and Chris. When he finds something of Eddie's still mixed in with his stuff at the house. When he looks across the station loft for Eddie and finds Ravi instead.

It wouldn't be so crazy.

It makes him feel... angry, honestly. Not at Maddie, he doesn't think. But angry all the same. Because it would be crazy! It would be crazy. It would be stupid and crazy and... pathetic. Which Buck is not.

He's just pissed off.

"Well, sorry I'm not Eddie!" Ravi says, throwing his arms up when Buck snaps at him for the third time that morning about not sticking to Buck's system as they stock.

Buck feels his now constant, low-simmering anger flare up all at once, bright and hot, but before he's even managed two steps towards him, Hen is there between them, her hand on Buck's chest.

"Okay Buck, walk it off," she tells him. It's not a suggestion.

So Buck takes the stairs up to the roof three at a time and then paces under the early morning sun, quietly seething.

And that's, of course, exactly when Eddie calls him.

"I didn't expect you to pick up," Eddie's voice comes over the line, warm and soft in Buck's ear. "I would've facetimed. I thought you were on shift."

"I am," Buck says, shorter than he might have in other circumstances. "But we haven't been out on any calls yet."

There's a beat before Eddie responds, and when he does his voice is tinged with concern.

"Okay, what's going on?" he asks. "You sound- Is everything okay?"

Buck blows out a breath.

"Yeah," he says, running a hand through his hair. "Ravi was just being annoying earlier, it's fine."

Eddie snorts a little.

"Yeah, you sound fine," he says sarcastically.

"I have a system for a reason!" Buck explodes, hand coming out of his hair as he gestures frenetically, even though Eddie can't see him. "I've explained it like a hundred times by now. It's not that complicated."

"Well, it's a little complicated," Eddie disagrees with a small chuckle, his voice still warm. "Maybe give him a minute."

Buck deflates a little, stopping his pacing to lean back against the outer ledge of the rooftop. He lets out another heavy breath.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" he hears himself ask, after a beat. "O-or like. Pathetic?"

"What?" Eddie's voice comes back sharp. "Did Ravi say that?"

"No, no- I just. Maddie said something to me the other day, and I- sh-she didn't mean it like that but... I can't stop thinking about it," he admits softly.

Eddie hums over the line.

"What did Maddie say?"

"Just- it doesn't matter," Buck mutters. "She was just- Tommy said something and then she was sort of agreeing with him-"

"Wait, Tommy?" Eddie cuts in. "When did you talk to Tommy?"

Buck feels himself flush, suddenly embarrassed.

"A-a few weeks ago," he says. "We just ran into each other. At a bar. It wasn't like I planned it! But I was already a little drunk by then, and he was talking about how he'd been wanting to call me, so. I don't know. We ended up... hooking up."

"Why am I just now hearing about this?" Eddie asks. "Are you getting back together?"

"No!" Buck says quickly. "No, it was nothing like that. Or well- maybe it was starting to- um. He did bring it up, I guess, after. But then he said... the thing he said. And then I said some things too, and uh, yeah. I- I doubt I'm gonna hear from him again anytime soon."

"What did he say?" Eddie asks, the edge back in his voice.

Buck makes a motion to wave away the question with his hand, as if Eddie can actually see him.

"That's not important," he says again. "The point is, I told Maddie about it, w-what he said, and she asked if he was right! A-and then when I said of course not because that would be ridiculous, she said it wouldn't be so crazy."

"Buck," Eddie says, slightly exasperated, "you know I'm gonna need a little more context here."

There's just silence then, for a few long moments.

"It just sucks," Buck manages eventually. "You being gone."

"Yeah," Eddie agrees, voice slightly rougher. "It does."

Buck hears him clear his throat slightly.

"But that doesn't mean I can't still help," he says. "Come on, man. Tell me what's really going on."

Buck wonders if he knows how much it already helps, just hearing his voice.

It wouldn't be so crazy.

"Uh, I- I should go," Buck says, after a moment. "I left Ravi stocking by himself and I'm gonna have to fix everything he's done, so."

"Buck-" Eddie tries again, but Buck doesn't let him. Not this time.

"I'll call you later," he promises - lies, maybe - before hanging up.

He feels the ache in his chest - the one that's been there ever since he watched Eddie drive away - like it's suddenly pushing out against his ribcage. Something almost feral, gnawing at his bones, trying to escape.

But he can't. He can't.

"It would be. Crazy," he says aloud, stubbornly, to an audience of absolutely no one. Feels the shape of the words in his mouth. Listens to the way they sound in the early morning stillness of LA.

It's not particularly convincing.

no but seriously maddie's "it wouldn't be so crazy" is !!!!! like that's his sistermom. that's the person who knows him the best outside of eddie. and she is always so careful not to tell buck how he's feeling so she's not gonna literally say "actually i've always wondered.." but this was her basically saying exactly that!! like. that just happened. buck said he's not in love with eddie and maddie said well.. are we sure though?

[meelusinee]

LOVER'S INTRODUCTION | T.N X READER

word count \ 4.5k | fuliffty fluffnut sandwiches | slash / theodore nott / wolfstar daughter!reader

in which you and theodore introduce each other to your families. at least, most of them

part one | part two

You and Theo had been dating for quite some time, a fact you sometimes forgot.

In all honesty, being with Theo felt like forever. Like you had just reconnected with a part of yourself that had been wandering around time and space just waiting to find you. He liked the things you like, and he disliked the things you disliked. Talking bad about politicians who wanted nothing more than to line their pockets with his father’s money was always a must whenever he took you to grand galas. Much like he always found it a must to take care of you after every full moon that took a toll on your body.

He had gone so far down his love for you that you had figured out he became an Animgaus, A black cat that was small and ducked well from your form, though you never had attacked him before. You also knew that your parents would be rather proud of his cunning, even if a certain one would brag about it being his idea first. 

The two of you were sitting in the Astronomy Tower right now, no cigarettes or joints nearby. It was just a night for each other’s company, the only thing truly getting you high nowadays being the scent of his cologne near the crook of his neck.

“What’re you thinking about?” you asked him curiously.

He raised an eyebrow before laying his head against yours. “Introductions.”

“Introductions?” you giggled.

He smiled softly at the sound, wrapping his arm around your waist. “Yeah, introductions. Like, introducing you to people.”

“Like with your dad?” you deadpanned. Theo’s father was a rather rocky man, to say the least. He had tried to convince Theo to break up with you, right in front of you nonetheless. Though you felt your heart beating at the memory of him yelling words back at his father you’d never even thought could go so harshly together. 

Theo smiled, though it was a solemn smile at best. A smile that meant serious business, one you saw more often nowadays than you liked to admit. “Like, to my friends. Mattheo and them.”

“Mattheo knows me, doesn’t he?” you asked quietly. 

“Not Blaise, or Enzo.” he whispered. “Minnie doesn’t either. Not as my girlfriend, you know?”

You smiled quietly at him, kissing the side of his forehead as he spoke. Introductions were a rather scary topic, you’d been thinking about them just as much as he had been by the sounds of it. Ron and Hermione certainly weren’t happy about your relationship with Theo when you first told them about it, and Harry had been more so cautious than anything else. You couldn’t really blame any of them, but you also knew that Theo was a good guy. 

“I’ve been thinking of introducing you to my friends too.” you whispered quietly.

Theo raised an eyebrow at that, looking over at you from where you sat beside him. “Really?” he asked you quietly.

You nodded, a small smile on your lips. “Yeah, just a little.”

He chuckled quietly at that, shrugging his shoulders as he looked out of the Astronomy Tower’s walls and to the sky. It was the night before a new moon, nothing more than a sliver of light left radiating in the sky. “With the amount of complaining I hear Ron do whenever I walk down the halls, I think he’d try to crucify me if you introduced us.”

“What complaining?” you asked confusedly.

Theo shrugged. “He complains a lot when I’m walking down the halls.” he stated again. “Really loudly. One time he said I was a manipulative prick and tried to shove me, but the shoving didn’t really work.”

You pouted quietly at that, leaning your head on his shoulder a bit better than before. “I’m sorry Theo.” you whispered quietly, smiling as his hand embraced yours. “I didn’t know he did that.”

“It’s not that big of a deal, amore mio.” Theo whispered to you. “I find it funny.”

“Course you find it funny.” you giggled softly at his words, rolling your eyes as you scooted closer. You were able to lay on his lap then, head resting against the ribs protecting the beating heart inside of his chest. Despite how nonchalant he liked to act around you, moments like these made you glad as you realized just how much he truly liked you. You were also contemplating whether you’d need to take him to Pompfrey with how fast his heart was beating.

“What’re you thinking about, principessa?” he asked quietly.

You looked up at him with a soft smile. “Minnie first?”

“Minnie first.” he chuckled quietly, lips catching yours in a kiss that lasted a lifetime.

“You’re late.”

Theo opened the door to McGonagall’s office with a soft huff, having ran to the other side of the building to try and make it on time.

The topic of meeting family and friends had been heavy on his mind ever since you two discussed it a couple weeks ago. It was a thought that haunted him everywhere. How would you react to hanging out with his friends? His family? Would you laugh along with their jokes? He could imagine you sitting on the couch with him, both basking in each other’s presence while Lorenzo and Pansy had their rap battles. His hands wandered to where he pictured your thighs being whenever he was with McGonagall, though they never reached them. 

McGonagall had been the first to catch on. She organized the meeting arrangements before he could even tell her no. 

“I had to get Y/N, Professor.” he whispered quietly, smiling to the side as he held the door open for you.

You had worn a different outfit than your usual uniform. A floral print dress with just the tiniest of flairs at the end, in a cut that was long and fit your body perfectly. You also had a matching ribbon for it tied to your wrist, a detail he absolutely adored.

“Hi there, Professor.” you said, albeit a bit awkwardly. McGonagall had heard much about you through Theo and through yourself, you had even told Theo that you two had some tea sessions on your own as well. With that in mind, they weren’t quite as often as his, and you certainly weren’t as close despite your parents adoring her.

“Y/N,” she hummed out, placing a cup of tea in front of the second seat. “Theo’s told me about you before.”

You chuckled quietly as he closed the door, a soft groan escaping his throat as he realized the path this conversation would be taking. “Oh, has he?”

“Very.” she said, a small yet noticeable smirk on her face. 

“Why don’t we drink this tea?” Theo asked, his tone a bit breathless as he spoke. He really did not want this conversation to go down the route he was expecting McGonagall to take it, as ironic as it sounded. Sure, he had wanted this meeting to happen in the first place, but that did not mean that he wanted this meeting to be awkward for him. He didn’t want McGonagall to be talking about him like a mother would talk about baby photos.

“Distracting McGonagall now, are you?” you chuckled, turning your eyes to her. “Can you believe his audacity, ruining our conversation?”

“Truly a trifling man.” she said, humming quietly.

Theodore groaned quietly, resting his head in his hands as the both of you spoke.

It seemed quite tame at first. Pleasant introductions the both of you went through, questions about your parents both. While Theo appreciated Lupin while he was still a teacher, he had never learned much about his old professor past the material that he teached. He found it nice to hear about your fathers, even if he hadn’t met them on the terms he would be meeting them soon. 

That thought had sent a shiver down his spine.

He’d be meeting your parents soon. Your parents, who you spoke so highly of that it made him fall in love with you all over again. You treated them with so much kindness and respect that he found it impossible not to like them, almost able to imagine them being his own dads for a change of scenery. But as much as you admired them, he knew they could still be dangerous. One was a werewolf with a litany of scars he couldn’t even imagine carrying half of, and the other was dangerous in a way he had yet to figure out. You were rather cautious of revealing things about your other father, all things considered. Theo had learned that he rode a bike and grew up in a strict environment, one that taught him how to fight early on as a child.

It was safe to say Theo didn’t want to fight either of your parents.

His fears, of any level, seemed to disappear the moment that you held onto his hands. He zoned back into the conversation, one that he immediately could tell was extremely awkward. 

“He writes poetry about you, you know.” McGonagall said with a smirk, before her smile turned into something far more genuine and warm. Like a mother proud of her son. “It’s actually rather sweet. I’ve proofread a couple of them before.”

“Poetry?” you asked, looking over at Theo with a wide smile. What he wouldn’t give to see that smile plastered on your face any chance it could be. “I love poetry.”

“You’re a good muse.” he whispered, voice quiet and hoarse as he spoke.

You giggled and rolled your eyes, sitting up a bit higher in your chair. “Do you have any I could read?” you asked him and McGonagall both, a wide smile spreading on your face as he handed you a small booklet of trinkets he had gathered over the past few months. 

There was poetry in there, most certainly. Words about worship and adoration scrawled over the coffee-stained pages of a booklet that was just barely larger than his hands. But there was more than just that. Photos of you that he had taken, photos of the both of you together. Drawings he had made of any part of your body he missed that day. Two pages straight had been dedicated to nothing more than your irises. Small trinkets that could be glued on as well, the pages stuffed with tiny sticks and leaves he had found on walks with you in late afternoons.

Suffice to say, there was quite a bit.

McGonagall smiled quite wide at the picture in front of her. Two of her favorite students were absolutely enamored with each other, one reading the journal that the other had dedicated to their name and honor. It was quite romantic, to say the least. 

“Theodore.” she mused quietly, her voice only heard by him as you lost yourself in the journal’s pages. 

“Yes, Professor?” he asked quietly.

She smiled quietly at the sight of you still reading, a blush covering your face the more words you absorbed. 

He remembers writing the page you were reading right now, a poem he had written about how your legs looked like nebulas whenever they had bruised. He remembered your knee getting quite injured on a walk the both of you took, leaving a purplish blue splotch on your leg that he adored fully. He could see the speckles of stars hidden underneath your skin, could feel the cosmos underneath your fingertips when you caressed his hair after he attempted to kiss the bruise better.

“Please,” McGonagall said. “Do bring her around more often.”

Theo chuckled quietly at that, squeezing your thigh affectionately as you read. “I will.”

“When are we going to be able to meet your girl, Theo?” Pansy asked. There was a small but proud smirk pressed onto her mouth, like the grin of a vulture finding a pile of dead bodies.

Theo looked up from his book casually, raising an eyebrow. “What?”

“Your girlfriend!” Enzo whined. “Mattheo’s met her, hasn’t he?”

“She’s a sweetheart.” Mattheo bragged, his chest puffing up dramatically before he bursted out into a laugh. Theo looked at him and rolled his eyes, closing his book with a resounding huff as he looked to the door of the Slytherin Common Room. 

“Why would it matter if we meet her or not?” Blaise asked. Theo wasn’t sure whether his voice was genuine or not though, all things considered.

Theo sighed quietly before looking at the three of them. “She’s coming tonight.”

“She is?” Enzo asked excitedly, him and Pansy clapping their hands together excitedly. He wasn’t quite sure why they were excited to meet a girl they knew nothing about. Though he supposed that, if it was you, he could reason it. 

“That’s sugar!” Mattheo said out loud, a wide smirk on his face. 

Pansy and Enzo were confused at his sentence, both of them turning around to look at whoever Mattheo was talking about. 

And there you stood.

Theodore felt his heartbeat racing faster than the speed of life, looking at you with hearts in his eyes as he watched you walking over to him. You were wearing thermal tights and a mini black skirt, one of his sweaters wrapping your body in a loose cocoon of warmth. His Skytherin sweater, his Quidditch sweater with his name and number on the back of it. 

Enzo whistled quietly as he saw you, and quickly received a book to the face.

“Amore mio,” he whispered, standing up and walking over to you as fast as he could. His veins itched rather loudly in his hands, thrumming underneath his skin to touch you. Those hands made their ways around your waist, a small smile gracing his lips as yours widened happily.

“Theo!” you said happily, kissing his lips before twirling happily. “Look, do you like it?”

Theo chuckled quietly, looking at you with a look on his life that not even the most talented of sculptures could illustrate well. “You look divine, principessa.”

You smiled before guiding him over to his friends again, letting him sit down with you on the small loveseat that he had saved for the both of you. Your head rested on his shoulder then, arms wrapping around his as you both relaxed fully. 

“So,” Pansy said, with a small smirk on her face. “This is sugar, Matty?”

Theodore rolled his eyes with a soft sigh, not quite liking the nickname Mattheo gave you but not being able to disagree himself. You were as sweet as sugar, even sweeter than something like thaumatin. “This is Y/N.” Theo said to them both. “You’re not calling her sugar.”

“She’s sweet like it though.” Mattheo said, more like a genuine compliment than a flirtatious remark. “She made me a scarf, Pans!”

“That scarf with the snake head?” Pansy asked incredulously, looking over at you. “You can crochet?”

You looked at her with a small yet nervous smile, squeezing Theo’s hand as you nodded.

“That’s so cool!” Enzo said, who you could tell from his rather floppy hair. He had a wide smile on his face as he looked at you. “I’m learning how to knit.”

“They’re different, you know.” you muttered quietly. “Similar, but different.”

You and Enzo had started talking about knitting and crocheting then. Theodore gave you a blanket to cover your lap when you decided to sit criss cross, his arm wrapping around the back of your neck. His head rested on yours, your head resting on his shoulder as you talked to his friends.

You talked about knitting and crocheting with Enzo, and plants with Blaise. Pansy talked with you about schoolwork as she realized how smart you were. Mattheo filled you in with gossip on Pansy, Enzo and Blaise, much to their displeasure. 

It was sweet.

Theo felt his heart melting every single time you talked, looking down at you to admire the way that your lips moved with every word that formed. It was beautiful, almost hypnotic in a sense.

“You’re beautiful.” he whispered to you, smiling gently as he spoke. The other four had started their own conversation on Quidditch scores, which left him alone with you in his own little world. “Did you know that?”

“You only tell me every single day.” you smiled softly, kissing his lips. “I love you.”

“Love you.” he whispered, caressing your shoulder lovingly. “Do you like them?”

You nodded with a soft smile, resting your head on his shoulder again. “I feel rather happy here.”

“Good,” he whispered. “That’s good.”

“Are you ready?” you asked Theo teasingly, hand on his as you walked down the street.

You were about to introduce him to your parents. Chances are that you were more nervous than he was, especially since he didn’t know about Pad’s innocence. You figured that Harry being in the dining room before you two walked in might help prove it, though it was still a hard thought to explain.

Theo, of course, was also just as nervous. He had gotten a present for the both of your parents, decided based on the facts that you had told him. You knew that they would love their presents, and you also knew that it would put him in their good graces.

“They’ll love you.” you promised him. “Promise.”

“I hope you’re right.” he whispered.

You walked closer to the house, which slowly opened up to the both of you the closer that you got to the front door. “Are you excited, at least?” you asked him.

Theo chuckled quietly, fidgeting with the two gifts that he currently had in his hands. A bottle of expensive red wine that he knew most Purebloods quite enjoyed, a symbol of peace for your father. As much as he quite liked to distance himself away from his past and his family, you knew that he still quite liked to indulge in the finer things in life. Remus, who Theo knew much better, would be gifted a first edition classic. 

“They’ll love you.” you said again, kissing his cheek before opening the front door.

Harry was sitting at the table with Sirius and Remus, though you saw him and your parents before Theodore did. He was more focused on taking off his shoes and coat, unpacking the gifts with as neutral of an expression as he could create. You knew that the vibes of the house had probably set him off, as much as your parents tried to fix it up. It still had that nasty aura around it. One that used to choke you as a child. 

“Dad, Pad!” you called out, leaning forward to take a hug from Remus first. Remus was standing near the doorway looking at Theo with an analytical eye, eyebrows raising curiously at the wine.

Sirius turned the corner next, a wide smile growing on his face as he recognized the wine. “Is that my favorite wine?” he asked incredulously, not noticing Theodore’s shocked face as he moved closer and grabbed it. “Dove, did you tell him about my favorite wine?”

“He guessed it.” you shrugged, smiling softly at Theodore. 

You noticed the shocked expression on his face quite easily. For all he knew, the infamous yet supposed murderer of one of your best friend’s parents was currently standing right in front of him. Examining the wine that he had brought. He walked off quickly to pour a couple of glasses, which left you and Theodore staring at each other. “That’s my other dad.”

“Your other dad is Sirius Black?” he asked incredulously. 

You nodded quietly, head barely moving as you fidgeted with your fingers. “Yeah.”

He looked at Remus and Sirius near the kitchen counter before looking at the dining table. Harry was sitting there, a curious expression on his face as he looked at Theo. You were sure that his mind was running laps around inside of his skull. 

“So he’s innocent.” Theodore deadpanned, looking over at you.

You looked at him incredulously with a small smile on your face. Hopeful. “What?”

“Well, I figured that he wouldn’t be sitting here so casually in front of his parent’s supposed murderer.” Theo shrugged, still holding Remus’ gift in his hands. “And I know that the Ministry lies a bunch. So I assume that they lied about this too.”

“They did.” you whispered, sometimes quite shocked by his deduction abilities. 

Theo nodded before moving into the dining room, placing Remus’ book down in front of his coffee cup. It had been wrapped in brown tissue paper, a small twine bow and a sticker on it. He sat down between you and Harry, his face a bit calmer than when he walked in. 

“This is absolutely incredible.” Sirius said as he walked back into the dining room. "Was this aged?”

Theo looked at him with a small smile on his face. “Stole it from my dad.” 

“I love him already.” Sirius said excitedly, clapping and setting down a glass in front of his and Remus’ seat before one in front of Theo. “I used to do that all the time too!”

“Padfoot,” Remus said incredulously, moving the glass from in front of Theo’s seat. You giggled quite loudly, remembering a conversation your dads had told you about similar to this. “He’s a kid, don’t give him alcohol.”

“Fine,” Sirius grumbled, taking a sip of alcohol. “More for me.”

Theodore chuckled quietly and smiled at Sirius before pointing to the book, looking up at his old Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. “For you, sir.”

“Oh.” Remus said surprised. “A book?”

“You mentioned wanting a signed copy back in Third Year.” Theo pointed out.

Remus looked up at him before opening the present rather excitedly. You were happy that he was happy, especially after the recent full moon and its spirit crushing effect. You hadn’t seen him smiling like this in quite a long time, though you chalked that up to also being at Hogwarts for such a long time. 

“I love it.” he whispered quietly, looking at Theo. “Where did you get this?”

Theodore shrugged calmly. “My dad doesn’t need every one of his Galleons.”

You giggled softly at that, smiling as Sirius and Harry bursted out laughing much louder than you did. Remus was still staring at the book, calloused fingers caressing the signature.

They began talking about any topic under the sun that they could. 

Sirius talked about being a Seeker, with Harry talking about his experience as well. Theodore talked about his position as a Chaser on the opposing spot, though they all bonded over their shared interest in the same professional teams. Theo even gave Harry some pointers that Chasers and Beaters look out for, which you hadn’t expected him to do. 

Though you supposed he always loved a challenge. 

Harry began talking about school too, complaining a bunch about Umbridge and her restrictions that she’d been placing. You had planned to join in before Theodore did, rolling his eyes as he spoke about her behavior with the Slytherins. He had been utterly convinced that she wanted to sleep with Malfoy’s dad, Lucius, though you always found the idea of them sleeping together hilarious in any context. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

“You haven’t seen the bedroom eyes she’s given that man.” Theo spat out, breath shaking almost as if he was genuinely traumatized from the sight. You couldn’t blame him. 

Both Harry and Sirius’ face contorted in disgust at that. “Absolutely absurd.” Sirius said. “Why would anyone want to sleep with that ruffled peacock?”

“Money?” Theodore suggested, his tone more questioning than serious.

Harry shuddered rather loudly. “I don’t want to imagine those two going at it.”

“What do you think I’ve been doing for the past three months?” Theodore exclaimed, his voice shifting into a rather loud whine. “I didn’t even know something like bedroom eyes could be so sickened. Tarnished, even.”

“Remus, I’m never giving you bedroom eyes again.” Sirius said sternly, much to the spluttering sound of your father.

“Don’t talk about you guys in front of me!” you exclaimed, covering your ears and making a rather loud sound to block them. Harry joined in with you, his face contorting in even more disgust as the two of you started yelling. Theodore covered your ears with his hands as well, pulling you into a rather dramatic reenactment of a hug. 

Remus couldn’t find it in him to stop laughing.

“Maybe I could meet your friends in a different setting.” Theodore suggested quietly. “Ron and Hermione.”

You looked over at Theodore with a slight furrow in your eyebrows, easily noticing the slight worry in his voice he was never able to hide around you. Usually, you two would tease and prod each other to no end. 

But that was usually.

Right now, you knew that the mood was different. You could almost smell it in the air, the worry radiating off of his sweat. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“They don’t like me.” Theodore muttered quietly. “I don’t think they will for a long time.”

You shrugged simply. Ron and Hermione didn’t quite like him, and you weren’t going to lie to the poor boy and say that they did. That’d be nothing more than false promise. “Harry does.”

“Harry listens.” he retorted, his voice a rather pouty grumble.

You chuckled quietly and scooted a bit closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder. “He does.” you whispered, hand intertwining with yours. “You do know I don’t care about their opinion, right Teddy? You’re still my Teddy no matter what they think.”

“I know,” he whispered quietly. His lack of nicknames for you was rather concerning, it was something he liked to sweep into any sentimental moment between the two of you. “It’s just that, you know, sometimes I don’t know. You know?”

“I know.” you whispered. “But I don’t need them to approve.”

“You don’t?” he asked quietly. His voice was small when he spoke.

You smiled softly and kissed his cheek, looking him in the eyes as you spoke. “You’ve earned the approval from my parents and my brother. That’s more than enough for me.” you reminded him, squeezing his hand. “The only reason they don’t like you is because they’re judging you for what they think you are. If they weren’t ignorant and actually spent time with you, I know they would love you.”

Theodore chuckled quietly, his hands wrapping around your body as he kissed your forehead.

“Not my fault that they’re being silly.” you said, hugging him back just as eagerly. 

“I love you.” he whispered into the courtyard. A courtyard which, luckily, hardly had anyone in it at the current moment. “You know that? That I love you?”

“I know Teddy.” you whispered quietly. Your lips touched his softly yet reverently, like a whole new form of religion the both of you made every time you touched. “I know.”

AUTHOR'S NOTE

hello everyone!!! sorry that i haven't posted in quite a bit of time, i've been trying to write through a rough patch of writer's block. (it comes in waves sometimes, so hopefully it goes away soon) i hope that you enjoyed this tho, and that you've all had fun while waiting for this second part!! if you guys want a third for the ron and hermione introduction, i'm planning on having them meet at the yule ball!

AS ALWAYS - please like, comment, and reblog!

[yuriskies]

Visual Symbolism in Ave Mujica 12

One of the strengths in Ave Mujica is how well the visuals complement the story being told. The fact that animation necessarily conveys part of its story through visual means seems like an obvious statement, but some productions are definitely better at it than others. If you're interested in learning about cinematography, the theatricality of Ave Mujica makes it a pretty decent starting point. It is never particularly subtle, as every narrative beat is accompanied by a strong visual device to emphasize it. The scene composition, the objects in it, and the lighting and coloring are deliberately chosen to complement mood reversals, the relationships between characters, or even consciously reference the narrative's literary inspirations. The clear intentionality in the production team's visual staging are really instructional in how these choices work to complement stories in general. I'll share a few neat examples below the break for spoiler containment.

The episode's opening scene is a wonderful illustration of how the production team handles the visual pacing for a narrative beat, and I'll talk about it here because it also sets the wider theme for the episode, which I'll come back to in a bit. Sakiko is about to be carted off to Switzerland on her grandfather's orders. The sheltered but smothering environment her grandfather has created for her are conveyed by the desaturated tones of the scene and the claustrophobic framing of the shots. She is protected from a storm, at the cost of her personal freedom. At the same time, she muses whether this is the fate that God has chosen for her.

When Sakiko makes it to the airplane stairs, we arrive at the narrative decision point of the scene. She can either submit to her grandfather's orders by boarding, or she can reject the fate that has been decided for her. She hesitates, musing "I'm always like this. No matter how much I struggle, no matter how much I fight, everything gets swept away by the raging current." Each step to remain sheltered, to remain controlled, are a reminder of the unhappiness that following her grandfather's instructions have created.

The scene's climax is reached when Sakiko makes the decision to reject her grandfather. Sakiko says, "I'm not getting on board." There is a short shot where she reaches her decision, a slightly longer shot of her hands clasped as if in prayer to find the resolve to follow through. There is a shot of an airplane flying away, symbolizing a departure without her, followed by the turbine wash blowing the umbrella out of her butler's hands. The sequence functions as a moment of divine providence. It answers the question posed as the decision point: a decisive no. Sakiko turns and runs before we cut to the series ending theme.

The decision to swap the running position of the ending and opening themes is itself an interesting narrative choice. Lyrically, the song is written from Uika's point of view, with a pastoral verse expressing a desire for Sakiko to come to her and goth metal chorus demanding a tight, everlasting bond between the two. The verse section is marked by visually spare images symbolizing the cast's loneliness, the bridge to the chorus accompanied by images of a mansion being demolished by flames, and the chorus conveying the various ways the cast feels trapped. Notably, the last shots are Uika reaching towards the light, a hand grabbing a sheet made into a rope, and then the Ave Mujica stage. Its placement at the beginning of the episode complements Sakiko's decision: she is irreversibly burning down the world her grandfather created to follow through with her lifetime commitment to the members of Ave Mujica.

That imagery neatly cues up the next part of the episode, which establishes a bond between Hatsune/Uika and Sakiko. I won't go into as much detail here, but there are a few neat things this segment does with visual metaphor, framing, and color that I would like to talk about.

There is some really neat visual symbolism in the rose garden scene where Sakiko first encounters Hatsune. This setting is established as Hatsune's world, so it reflects her landscape. Sakiko's appearance poses them on opposite sides of the frame, and this division is mirrored by the colors of roses present. Hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers, is a useful key to this frame composition: red roses symbolize love, pink roses symbolize trust/confidence/happiness, and yellow roses symbolize jealousy. Hatsune's decision to leave Tokyo and give up on Sakiko is symbolized by her trimming the red roses from the trellis, and the pink roses that surround her could be interpreted as something like self-confidence in her decision to do so. The mix of all three colors on Sakiko's side of the frame represent the turbulent whirl of jealousy, trust, and affection Hatsune feels towards Sakiko.

When Sakiko announces herself, she first calls for "Uika", causing Hatsune to drop the roses and begin running. It is the invocation of her "true name", Hatsune, that brings her to a halt. This is the moment where she, like Sakiko at the airport, needs to commit to her decision. Here, the framing emphasizes Sakiko's pull on her. A single, prominent red rose at her shoulder visually outweighs the pink roses behind her. The trellis of red roses, her love, shrinks into the background to converge on Sakiko, the villa, and the yellow roses. To stack the cards in her favor, Sakiko begins picking up the dropped roses, and holds them in a way that symbolizes she has received Hatsune's love. When Hatsune says that they shouldn't be together, Sakiko firmly commits by saying, "I'm not going back". The final shot conveys Hatsune, almost free of her love, with multiple paths ahead of her in a slightly less colorful world. Behind her, there is only one path leading to Sakiko and the Togawa villa, brighter, more well-tended... and deterministic.

Although Sakiko manages to pull Hatsune back into her orbit, the ensuing conversations still have an underlying sense of tension to them. Hatsune and Sakiko are never shown directly looking at one another. The framing of these scenes use a variety of head-on close ups, shot/reverse-shots with the back of one character's head, low-angle shots at hip level, or wide shots that show them from a distance. The production team does everything but show the characters making eye contact while talking, intentionally creating a sense that they're talking at one another, not to one another. This decision also makes perfect sense in context: Sakiko is refusing to accept Hatsune's feelings of guilt and unworthiness, and Hatsune refuses to accept Sakiko's offer of forgiveness. This approach drags on so long - nearly ten minutes of runtime - that it begins to feel a little uncanny.

This tension continues to escalate until it's suddenly broken by the words Hatsune has desperately wanted to hear the whole time: "Our destinies are one. Didn't you give me your life?" After this point, the framing emphasizes their reactions to one another.

The unease created by the framing is emphasized further by the use of color in this episode. When they're shown together, the colors come across as slightly off - dark and muddy, even sickly. Before Hatsune accepts Sakiko's offer, the color choices are intense but desaturated. The color choices in these scenes might be conveying a sense of the darkness that Hatsune feels about her deception. After Sakiko makes the final decisive break with her grandfather to embrace "happiness" with Uika/Hatsune, there's a pale greenish tint to some scenes and an unnatural warmth to others. It suggests that there's still not something not quite right with their relationship.

I think the sickly lighting in the "happy" section loops back around to the central narrative theme of the episode, which constructs the idea that Sakiko is playing God. Her rejection of the fate God - her grandfather - decided on is echoed at the end with her declaration, "I have come to realize there is no need to meekly accept fate. There is no God. So, I will become God myself." There are little messianic overtones throughout the episode, like the shot of her bandaged feet to emphasize her suffering, the extended sequence of her accepting Hatsune's "sin" of betrayal (Uika even referring to herself as Judas in the lyrics of KiLLKiSS), and the direct references to resurrection in her script for the new Ave Mujica show. She has decided to become the master of her own fate, and in so doing, the fate of Ave Mujica's members.

Ave Mujica consciously styles itself after Gothic literature. Within that literary framework, the decision to play God often marks the start of a terminal descent into madness. This descent into madness is often accompanied by the narrative point where the protagonist accepts the tragedy of their fate, surrendering their happiness to the inevitability of their own hubris. The letter Sakiko writes to Tomori at the end of the episode has an air of finality to it, echoing the Gothic protagonist severing the relationship to the one they truly desire. Sakiko's Faustian bargain for the lives of the Ave Mujica crew is the hubris she invited, her fate is to nurture them in perpetuity at the cost of her own happiness, as hinted by the lines in the script Nyamu is reading.

Again, the staging drives some of these points home. The first hint that something is awry is where Uika and Sakiko are laying together in Uika's loft. Their moment together is first interrupted by Umiri bringing band business to their attention. Her text comes at the exact moment the background music shifts to its outro. As Uika gets up to make coffee, she tells Sakiko she loves her, at which point the music cuts out completely. Although we see Uika's earnest intentions conveyed through her face, Sakiko's internal dialogue is telling. She stares up at the ceiling and says "Even if I turn away from fate, from the world, nothing will change. This little world will eventually come to an end, like waking up from a dream in the morning. Suddenly, and without warning." The camera then cuts to the pair of coffee mugs, established earlier in the series of symbolic of their relationship, as Sakiko says, "This smell, I hate it."

There is also a wonderful pair of mirrored shots in this episode, one of Sakiko playing in the Togawa garden with Uika, the other with her looking out the window as she praises Tomori's strength. The first shot symbolizes Sakiko's connections to her mother (the doll and piano) while showing the two splashing water on one another behind multiple barriers (the window, the garden fence). The second shot shows Sakiko looking outside wistfully from the piano, and placing her on the other side of the barrier from Uika. She closes her letter to Tomori with, "I may not be able to do it like you do, but I will protect my band in my own way."

Taken as a whole - the unnatural coloration of their scenes together, the coffee monologue, and this paired shot function to highlight Sakiko's position as a Gothic protagonist. Her romantic overtures towards Uika are less a matter of her true feelings (which seem directed at Tomori) than they are a necessity to uphold her end of the bargain for Ave Mujica. Sakiko is performing a necessary act to coax Uika into a cage to keep watch over her fate as a member of Ave Mujica. The artifice of Sakiko's relationship with Uika doesn't make it any less real, but it does make it clear that it is not the fate she would have chosen for herself.

I honestly have no idea how to wrap this all up. Maybe one last point, not related to the visual presentation but tying the narrative points of playing God and tragic fate together, is the Gothic concept of corrupting blood. Hatsune's monologue in episode 11 suggests that the power of the Togawa family is matrilineal, as Sakiko's father and grandfather are both "adopted" into the family by marriage. This stages both the act of playing God (the power of a Togawa to force the creation of Ave Mujica) and the tragic fate that follows from that power. Her rejection of her grandfather is accompanied by the statement that he's the only one of them scared of the Togawa family. This makes sense, as her grandfather's position within the family can be jeopardized, but Sakiko's position as the true heir cannot. Her embrace of her bloodline and its corrupting influence comes at the end of the episode, when she reminds her old manager who she is: "Oblivionis of Ave Mujica - Togawa Sakiko". She off the carrot of the lead member of a top-selling stage act, but doesn't hesitate to show the stick of old money connections and power.

Sakiko's challenge to her ex-manager leads neatly into placing the opening theme at the end of the episode. Its placement symbolizes the permanent return to the managed madness of Ave Mujica's stage act, its members trapped in a funhouse mirror of their own identity constructed through Sakiko's manipulations.

[myrleius]

the side hustle — kozume k.

kozume k. x fujoshi fem!reader│word count: 1.2k

synopsis: Kenma finds himself supplying BL intel to his hopelessly addicted girlfriend.

notes: Had a 3 AM flashback to my high school days when my guy friends kept feeding my BL delusions just to see me lose my mind. And thus, this fic was born. Please don’t take it too seriously. Just my sleep-deprived brain doing its thing.

cw/tags: crack, fluff, established relationship

Kenma wasn’t sure when his life had turned into this.

One minute, he was living peacefully—gaming, volleyball, minding his own business. The next? He had a girlfriend. A loud, affectionate, chaotic girlfriend.

For all their differences, they just fit. Yn was all bright eyes and boundless energy, always ready with a new obsession, a wild theory, a reason to make the world more exciting than it was. Kenma was quieter, content to observe rather than chase. But with her, watching wasn’t enough. She made things feel worth engaging in.

She never dragged him along—just opened the door, left it unlocked, and smiled when he eventually wandered in. She could fill a room without suffocating it, knew when to push and when to leave things be. And even in her loudest moments, she never felt too much. Kenma didn’t think he needed that. Until he did.

But there was one tiny downside.

She was a massive BL fan.

Not just casual, oh-this-is-cute levels of obsession. No, Yn was the type to pause mid-conversation just to gasp at two guys standing within five feet of each other. The kind to turn a simple, innocent interaction into a star-crossed love story before he even had time to blink.

And somehow, he’d been roped into the madness, officially serving as her dealer, slipping her BL intel on the volleyball team while she, a hopeless addict, kept coming back for more.

He honestly didn’t get it. What was so special about imagining people who weren’t dating… dating? But then she would just light up at the smallest details, gasping dramatically like she had just uncovered a hidden treasure.

Yeah. That was probably the reason he went along with it.

Which is why, even though this was objectively ridiculous, he still let her in when she came over, already knowing what she was about to ask.

The door to his room slammed open.

Kenma barely flinched. Without looking up from his Switch, he deadpanned, “You’re late.”

Yn practically bounced at the sight of him, her eyes already gleaming with barely-contained excitement. “Were there any important developments?!”

Kenma sighed, saving his game before setting the console aside. “Close the door first.”

She kicked it shut behind her and hurried over, plopping down cross-legged on the floor. Elbows propped on his bed, hands clasped under her chin, she leaned in expectantly. “Report.”

“Lev got hit in the face with a volleyball today.”

Yn nodded sagely. “Classic.”

“Yaku patched him up while cursing him out. Lev said, ‘Wow, you’re so gentle, Senpai.’” Kenma kept his voice as flat as ever, knowing full well she was already eating this up. “Yaku kicked him.”

She squealed, grabbing his arm and shaking him. “That’s so cute!”

Kenma gave her a pointed look. “It’s assault.”

“But it’s their love language.”

He propped his elbow on his knee, using his hand to hide the smirk twitching at his lips. “Right.”

Yn’s eyes sparkled, no doubt already conjuring up an entire romantic subplot in her head. She clutched his sleeve, gaze full of manic determination. “Did he say anything else?”

Kenma pretended to think, dragging it out for maximum effect.

After a long pause, he finally said, “Lev thanked him. Then Yaku just grunted and told him to shut up.”

Yn gasped, eyes widening before slamming her hands onto the bed. “They’re definitely in love!”

Kenma snorted, shaking his head. “That’s normal, Yn.”

“No, no, no.” She scooted closer, eyes alight with conspiracy as she went full lecture mode. “Kenma, it’s the classic ‘grumpy pretends they don’t care but totally does’ dynamic. You know, the grumpy one does something nice, the soft one gets all flustered, grumpy brushes it off like it’s no big deal. But then it keeps happening, over and over, until grumpy finally snaps and is like—” She dropped her voice to a dramatic growl. “‘Why do you make me feel things?!’”

Then she flung her hands up for emphasis. “And boom—accidental love confession, the soft one melts, they kiss, and then they finally fu—”

“PG-13, Yn.”

She waved him off. “Right, right. My point is, it’s only a matter of time.”

Kenma rolled his eyes, watching as she practically glowed, completely lost in her own world. “You’re so delusional.”

Yn grinned, completely undeterred. “Oh, Kenma. My sweet, naïve, blind-to-true-love Kenma.” She patted his hand like a disappointed parent. “You just don’t have the vision. The ability to see the tension, the build-up, the inevitable.”

He stared at her, unimpressed. “Yeah, crazy how I missed the deep romance in ‘shut up, Lev.’”

Yn grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly. “IT’S CALLED SUBTEXT!”

Kenma lets out a quiet chuckle, letting her have her moment. Arguing was pointless. She was too far gone. And, really, he didn’t mind.

She recovered quickly, but the moment her eyes flickered toward him with that mischievous glint, Kenma already knew what was coming.

“And what about you and Kuroo?” she asked, grinning.

Kenma side-eyed her. "What about us?"

She clasped her hands together, forming a finger gun before pointing it at him. “Did he ruffle your hair today? Call you cute? Maybe stare at you for too long?”

Kenma sighed. “I lost rock-paper-scissors and he took the last vanilla ice cream at the convenience store.”

Yn gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. “The betrayal.”

Kenma nodded solemnly, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. It had become an ongoing joke that yn shipped him with Kuroo. Worse, Kuroo was entirely on board with it, feeding her delusions at every opportunity just to mess with him.

“I told him we were over,” Kenma said, indulging her.

She crossed her arms and nodded, looking thoroughly pleased. “Childhood best friends turned bitter exes.”

Kenma huffed out a laugh, shaking his head before reaching up to pinch her cheek. “I can’t believe I’m dating you.”

Yn beamed, her voice dripping with affection. “You love it.”

And, yeah. He did.

Kenma wasn’t sure when it had happened. When her chaos had become something he craved rather than tolerated. When her dramatics had turned from amusing to endearing. When the idea of not having her around felt... unthinkable.

She made things complicated, ridiculous. But he wouldn’t change a single thing.

Before she could say anything else, Kenma turned slightly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. No hesitation, no build-up. Just done.

She froze, her body going completely still. Kenma’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “You get excited over the dumbest things,” he murmured against her skin before pulling back.

When he met her gaze, her face was bright red, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“It’s cute.”

Yn let out a strangled noise before flopping forward, burying her face in his shoulder. He let her, wrapping his arms around her with ease.

“That was… so boyfriend of you,” she mumbled.

Kenma didn’t even blink. “I am your boyfriend.”

She groaned, clutching his hoodie tighter. “Stop. I can only take so much.”

Kenma let out a quiet chuckle, gaze flickering toward her. For all her dramatics, she really was cute.

For a moment, she stayed curled up against him, completely still. Then, without warning, she shifted slightly and grumbled, “I still don’t understand why Kuroo thinks he’s the top between you two. You give off way more top energy than he does.”

Kenma hummed in agreement. “Mm.”

A beat passed. Then, with zero hesitation, he added—

“I’d top you too.”

“WHAT?!”

[greeniegirl23]

Random Alastor Blurb Because I Love This Weird Radio Man PT#3! (NSFW)

(Welcome to part three of my silly lil blurbs! These will be random rant posts I make about Alastor whenever the ideas come to me. Love him and there are things, thoughts, and ideas I have about him that I would love to share!)

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• Okay, when I think Alastor and a NSFW individual, I'd like to think that he wouldn't mind after you two have been together for a very, very long time

• I'm talking years of being with each other, comfortable and able to be the rawest version of yourselves without the other judging, but accepting and being supportive. Good and bad, thick and thin, y'all may as well be married before he even plays around the notion of having sex

• You being a supportive and loving girlfriend, never pushed him into anything he'd be uncomfortable with. So you found your fix in other ways, overtime and unbeknownst to you, Alastor kinda found an issue with that. Slightly insecure with being able to fulfill your relationship in every way except that one.

• It's not that he doesn't care, it's just that he knows he can't supply that emotional connection most people seek when indulging in to sins of the flesh and he'd rather not do it at all than to try and make a fool out of himself.

• With the two of you being as close as you are, it wouldn't take long before you catch this and talk with him about it. At first he avoided you like the plague, until you literally pinned him against the wall and made him confess, is when he finally told you how he felt about it. Of course you reassured him that it wasn't that big of an issue for you and that you'd only allow it if it was something he really wanted.

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

"You've got nothing to prove Alastor, to me or to anyone. I don't care that we don't have sex, that's not why I'm with you and I know how you feel about being touched. I want you to be comfortable and happy with me and of sex is out of the question? So be it."

You watched him closely as he seemed to fidget under your gaze. This wasn't the first time you've seen him nervous, dare I say bashful, but it didn't make the sight all the less rare.

"I suppose if that's how you feel about it, then I won't allow it to bother me any longer. If you are truly satisfied with me, then I can accept being worried about nothing."

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

• And for a while, he did. Everything went back to normal....

• Until one morning, while he was getting dressed for the day and you were showering, he could hear you making sounds of pleasure from the bathroom. It was ever so faint, yet he couldn't stop the flicking of his ear as he heard the gentle whisper of his name from your lips...

• Immediately he left the room, feeling bad again and remembering your words. Alastor wasn't a stranger to the warmth building in her abdomen and heading straight down south, but he was strong enough to ignore it for now, wondering if there was something, anything, he could do to hear you make those noises again, without having to bump uglies with you directly.

• After about a week of being somewhat awkward, telling bad lies, and hoping that he wouldn't regret this. He realized he needed help and decided to go to the one person he knew that was close enough and easily threatened enough, to lend him aid in this rather precarious predicament...

• It's safe to say Angel Dust almost woke up the entirety of the Hotel when he entered his room after a long day of work, only to find Alastor sitting in a recliner, trying to convince Fat Nuggets to 'plumpen up', and screamed loud enough the five circles below the Pride Ring could hear him.

• With the snap of his fingers, Alastor silenced his target, closing the door before anyone could come by and sat Angel down on his bed before speaking in a very dark, very serious tone.

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

"You," Alastor said, pointing towards the pornstar. "Are going to help me with a rather serious problem. A problem that only someone with your choice of careers could help me with, this discussion and all future discussions will stay between you and I. If I find out otherwise, I can assure you, you and your pet swine will suffer a date worse than death. Am I clear?"

Angel Dust fercily nodded. With a flick of Alastor's wrist, regained the ability to speak once more. "..What the hell do you want from me?"

"I request you assistance with.." Alastor cleared his throat. "Pleasing the opposite gender... Carnally, of course."

"Ya askin me, to help you have sex with ya girlfriend?" Angel Dust deadpanned. "Ya seriously threaten me and my precious baby over dat?!"

"Yes, I am. If you have a problem with that then that's too bad. We made a deal and you will abide by it, regardless of if you're fond of the idea or not."

"Just take it slow n' stick ya dick in er. It's sex, not rocket science!"

"That's just the issue my effeminate fellow! I'm not too keen on the idea of direct intercourse, so I'd rather find other ways to make my beloved happy. Without the cost of me being uncomfortable and her being deprived of her desire for my affections."

Angel raised an eyebrow. "You mean like eatin her out or sumthin'?"

Alastor's face made a disgusted expression, " Why on earth would I eat her? I want to please her, not have her for breakfast!"

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

• As one would imagine, Angel Dust had to hold himself back from laughing in Alastor's face as he explained that the term was not literal.

• He then explained to Alastor the many different approaches he could take to satisfy your needs without inserting himself in you. Your partner was surprised to hear about most of these methods, mentally taking notes on this, that, and the third as Angel essentially gave him a crash course for your one way ticket to a interesting shift in your relationship.

• Finally, at 2am, Alastor had enough information (and emotional support from Angle Dust) to put his new knowledge into action. He thanked Angel Dust with a wad of cash, based off the hourly rate the spider usually made and a tip for being cooperative, before leaving the poor man to rest.

• Now that he was armed with the power of knowledge, it was now time to wait.

• Like a predator laying in wait for its prey, Alastor was patient as the days went by. Making sure you didn't suspect a thing during your interactions and doing his best to strike at the perfect moment.

• Then it came, one night while you were in bed reading your favorite novel. You were wearing one of his shirts, no bra, and clad in your favorite underwear while being nestled in a small fort of blankets and pillows.

• He climbed into bed next to you, a bit closer than usual considering the fact that he slept similar to that of a vampire on most nights, and at first you thought nothing of it.

• That was until he began touching you. Slow touches on your wrist and your arm, his claws teasing your skin as he rubbed your thighs beneath the thick duvet.

• He got closer, making sure you could smell his scent. Still caressing your skin, before being bold and sticking his hand up your shirt to gently fiddle with your breasts.

•At first it felt inexperienced, experimental if you will. But little did you know, he was hyper aware of your body's responses. He could smell your pheromones, very fitting of your personality. He could feel your heartbeat pounding against your ribcage, your nipples peeking from the teasing from of the pads of his fingers. The biggest tell was your thighs, rubbing together anxiously as usual when you were aroused.

How cute.

• A part of you wanted to ask what this was all about. If he had forgotten what you had spoken on before, but something was telling you that this was alright. That your lover was fine and actually wanted what was going on right now.

• You could hardly bring yourself to look at him, for as long as you had been together, this was the first time in a while where you were actually embarrassed. The wetness in your underwear, rendered them soaking wet. Anxiety struck your heart for a moment when Alastor used his fingers to ever so gracefully trace his fingers around the shape of your mound.

• You did your best to make your book the most interesting thing going on right now, but Alastor didn't like that. Slowly coaxing the book out of your hands, tossing it somewhere on his side of the bed as he used his powers to cut the lights out in the room.

•It was practically pitch black. Raising the height of your senses as your eyes begin to adjust. You could hear the sound of fabric tearing, a faint gust of cold air brushed your now bare lips.

• Butterflies raved in your stomach and in your core, your breathing becomes slightly heavier. Anxiously, happily, and somewhat desperately, you wait as Alastor's hands palm your heat. Getting a feel for you, the shape of your intimacy, before slowly and very carefully slipping his fingers between your folds.

• The moan that left your sweet lips was one Alastor swore he'd remember for the rest of his afterlife. Adoration swelled in his chest when you gripped his nightshirt, holding on to him for dear life while slowly grinding your hips against his digits.

• It was dirty, lewd, sexy, and all those other words one could use to describe an intimate moment such as this. Of all his years of both being alive and dead, he never thought he'd find himself actually enjoying something like this. But it was because he got to please you, to hear you sing a song for his ears only, to see that look on your face as you fought back being loud, steadily unraveling on his very fingertips.

• You willfully closed your eyes. You were already being forced to listen to your own arousal, clicking softly with Alastor's movements as he began to find a rhythm you were comfortable with. It would be too much for you to bare to watch, even if it was dark.

• His pace quickened as he remembered what the spider stated. Based on that, he was sure that you were getting close. Already your legs had opened wider for him, giving him access to slip the full extent of his fingers into your core. The palm of his hand rubbed perfectly against your puffy bundle of nerves, sending waves of pleasure throughout your body.

• The world seemed to disappear and you were on the edge of crashing like a wave against a rock. However, Alastor wanted to do just one last thing.

• Swiftly, he forced you to lay flat on your back. A shocked look overcame your face as he stared down at you. Close enough for you to feel his breath on your neck, his length straining almost painfully in his pants as it rested against the fat of your thigh, as he continued to slowly, yet forcefully bring you to euphoria.

• Finally the knot in your stomach snapped and you gasped, biting your lip while you whined. Alastor wasn't having that nonsense however, grabbing your chin and crashing his lips against yours. Forcing his tongue past your lips, he drew out those sounds of yours, the same sounds he heard in the bathroom that morning you were showering. Swallowing them up one by one, still pumping his hand to teasingly milk you for what you were worth in that moment. Thank whatever Heaven there was out there, because he almost reached his peak with you as you moaned his name once again.

• It took a moment for the shock to settle in. Alastor carefully removed his fingers from your entrance. Playfully, damn there lovingly tracing upwards. As if he were silently praising you for being so good for him.

• He allowed you to clean yourself up in the bathroom first while he changed the sheets, handled himself, and washed his hands thoroughly.

• Time resumed itself, as you both climbed into bed, you were sure to give him a hug and kissed his cheek.

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

"That was... amazing." You said. "I'm not sure what spurred that on but, thank you."

He turned to you, smiling happily before booping your nose. "You are ever so welcomed darling, should you ever require such a thing again, I have no problem offering my assistance to you. I rather enjoyed it, I thank you for respecting my boundaries when it comes to physical touch. It's appreciated more than you think."

You giggled, before cutting yourself off with a yawn. "No problem Alastor, I think it's time we head to bed. It'll be morning before we know it..."

"You pose a good point darling. I hope you sleep well."

"You too Alastor.."

Cuddling up to him as he assumes his best imitation of Plank from Ed, Edd, N Eddy, you both bask in the afterglow of each other's company as you drift to sleep. Happy and satisfied with the possibilities to cum.

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

Thank you for reading my blurbs once again! I think I might start categorizing these so I'll let you guys pick what blurb I write about next! :D

[ayukas]

synopsis in a city that never snows, the first flakes arrives on the night two lovers say goodbye.

genre angst, missed timings word count 873

notes to celebrate molo... (ᵕ—ᴗ—) this was heavily inspired by the song, 认真的雪, by joker xue! renjun covered this song back in 2022 as well :D as always, constructive and kind feedback, comments and reblogs are very much appreciated, please enjoy!

the first time mark held your hand, it was on a summer night, with your fingers sticky from too many candied strawberries. you had laughed, warmth coursing through your hands, and he had sworn under the blinking neon signs that he would love you forever.

the last time mark held your hand, it was winter, but not quite cold enough to snow. his fingers trembled when you pulled away, leaving only warmth fading into absence.

☃︎☃︎☃︎.

you had spent your entire lives together. first as childhood friends, then as lovers, and eventually, as fiances. but somewhere along the way, life happened.

mark was constantly buried in music—late nights in his studio, endless hours tweaking beats, lost in melodies that never seemed to be perfect enough. you were drowned in wedding gowns and floral arrangements, your days filled with wine tasting, venue visits, and frantic brides who wanted their special day to be flawless.

at first, it didn't seem like a problem at all. you both had dreams, and you supported each other's ambitions. you saw how mark's eyes lit up when he talked about a new song idea, just like he saw how you thrived in the chaos of planning the perfect wedding for your clients.

but slowly, the distance started creeping in.

☃︎☃︎☃︎.

"are you free for dinner tonight?" you had called him one evening, hopeful after realising that it had been a week since you last saw each other.

mark hesitated, fingers still hovering over his keyboard, the track on his screen unfinished. "i'm sorry baby, i can't. i'm in the middle of recording."

"okay. maybe next time." you swallowed the lump in your throat.

another night, mark had sent you a text. wanna go for a walk with me? it had been his way of making up for lost time, a small attempt to piece things back together.

you stared at your laptop, stared at the intricate lace details you were designing for your next client, before sighing. sorry markie. i have a deadline tonight.

missed opportunity after missed opportunity. you were always just a second too late, a step too far apart.

☃︎☃︎☃︎.

one night, as you left your office, the city's skyline stretched out before you, wrapped in a haze of golden streetlights. you exhaled a breath you didn't know you had been holding and pulled out your phone.

looks like it's about to snow tonight.

mark's reply came quickly. this city never snows, silly.

you smiled as his response, but somehow, it felt more like an ache than amusement.

☃︎☃︎☃︎.

you should've known that love wasn't just about holding onto memories, but more about making new ones. but how could you, when you and mark were just echoes of the past, too exhausted to build a future?

it was in the soft glow of a wedding hall, watching your clients, a bride and groom, sway in each other's arms, that the realisation hit you like a slow-moving train.

you could plan the perfect wedding for someone else, but you couldn't save your own.

you thought about your own engagement. the excitement you once felt when mark got on one knee and whispered promises of forever to you. but what was the point of a wedding if there was no time left for love?

☃︎☃︎☃︎.

mark had wanted to play you a song that night. a song that he had written for you, about you. it was the reason he had asked you to go on that walk.

he imagined sitting beside you on a bench, fingers strumming softly against his guitar strings, watching the way your face would light up like it always did when he played for you.

instead, he played it alone. in the dim glow of his studio, voice cracking on the last verse, wondering if you'd ever get to hear it.

after all, you were always missing each other's timing.

☃︎☃︎☃︎.

and so, when you finally sat across from each other in that quiet cafe, it wasn't anger that filled the space between you. it was resignation. exhaustion.

you both knew it was coming, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"i love you," mark whispered, voice breaking on the words.

you smiled, but the tears welling up in your eyes was unmistakeable, "i love you too."

"but love isn't enough, is it?"

you looked away.

you weren't sure who let go first, but eventually, your hands fell away from each other.

there was no dramatic fight. no desperate pleas. just silence, punctuated by the soft clink of a spoon against a coffee mug, and the sound of both your hearts shattering.

mark reached for his coffee, but his hands were shaking too much to even lift it. you had watched him for a moment longer, memorising the curve of his jaw, and the way his eyelashes cast shadows against his skin.

and then, you stood up.

he didn't stop you.

☃︎☃︎☃︎.

that night, as mark stepped out of the cafe, he tilted his head back, letting out a slow breath. that was when he felt it.

a snowflake. then another.

his phone buzzed, a message from you.

it's snowing.

mark broke.

right there, in the middle of a city that never snowed, he wept for the love you had lost.

perm. taglist ♡ @renjunsversion @ddolbyong @f6llsun @egojo1st @sungbites @nonverdolly @strwberie @blondemrk @chenlezip @markkiatocafe @stqrgr7 @jisungji @taroddori @haeriaes