#they can be him a worker and her a high school/college student or you can make her a working adult too
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Love Espresso
Chapter Three: Grand Opening
Synopsis: after her breakup with Rafe and him kicking her out. Her best friend offers her a new job and a place to stay. But when Rafe comes back from Morocco. He realizes heâd made a grave mistake. Will Sofia go back to him? Or will she decide that her new life means more to her than him?
Sofia helped Liliana carry the big sign to the front. It wasnât too heavy but she wanted to help regardless. Once they set it down, they smiled at the sign.
The sign read:
Thatâs that me espresso
âCute.â Sofia comments, Liliana turns her head towards Sofia and grins brightly.
âThank you, thank you.â Liliana fake bows, âThank you Sabrina Carpenter for the song espresso.â A disheveled Hector comes running out the coffee shop. Heâs out of breath but manages a smile on his face.
âI need you guys to try the tiramisu cake slices I just made. I think Iâm going to send people to heaven and back.â Hector excitedly says, Sofia and Liliana make it back inside.
On the counter waits two perfectly made tiramisu cakes. They approach the counter. They were used to Hector bringing in pastries when he worked with them at the country club. So they knew how much of an amazing baker he was. But when they sank their teeth in this cake. It felt like colors exploded. Like the world became much brighter.
"Did you put drugs in this?" Liliana asks, her eyes blown as she continues to scarf down the cake. It was half way gone.
"Christ, who do you think I am?" Hector says incredulously. Sofia let out a laugh. She hadn't spoken to blown away by the tiramisu cake to speak.
"This is amazing, Hector. You weren't wrong about heaven and back." Sofia says. Hector beams at her, standing proudly.
"Te lo dije!" Liliana is cheering as she says this. Sofia finishes the tiramisu cake. She wants to lick the plate; but refuses to do it in front of them.
"Oh, business is definitely going to be blooming after this. I will take my praise now, thank you." Hector says, smiling brightly.
"Don't push it, Hector." Sofia says, Hector frowns jokingly. Then returns to the back, probably to make more cakes.
"Told you, helped him discover his dreams." Liliana points out. Sofia shakes her head.
âYour mind.â Sofia says. She goes to the back, thinking about taking another one of Hectorâs cakes.
Rafe decides to do the first thing he can think of. Trying to see if he can find Sofia at the country club. When he arrives, his heart sinks. She is no where to be found. A part of him feels guilty. He'd been the one to tell her to quit. That he'll provide for her now. No more pogue shit.
She probably lost her job for good. He walks to a random worker. He sees the brunette pouring a kook a drink.
"Hey, is uh Sofia working here?" He asks her, the girl scrunches up her nose. Then her eyes widen, does she know him?
"No, Sof-Sofia doesn't work here anymore." The girl says, Rafe frowns visibly. Shock can't begin to describe how she feels.
"D-did she ever try to get her job back?" Rafe asks, the girls face hardens.
âAnd why do you care? Do you know her or something?â The girl says angrily, Rafe tries to keep his emotions in check. He doesnât know why sheâs being rude. He sneers at her.
âSheâs my fiancĂ©.â He blinks a couple of times. âMy ex fiancĂ©.â He mumbles.
âShe doesnât work here anymore. Scram.âThe girl says angrily. Rafeâs jaw ticks, he doesnât like the way the girl talks to him. Rafe tries to compose himself. Trying to not get too angry.
âOkay, fine.â He begins to walk away but turns back. âWhatâs your name by the way. I think Iâll need to talk to your manager about your attitude.â
The girl rolls her eyes but gives him her name. âItâs Catalina.â
With that, Rafe huffs and walks away. Vaguely feeling like that name was familiar.
After a few more days, the coffee shop was finally open. They had a lot more customers than anticipated. But they managed rather smoothly. Liliana hired two college students and one high school student. Sofia typically running the register as she did when she was in the country club. It was nice, it was busy enough for her to keep her mind off of things. Especially off of Rafe. And the fact that he was back from Morocco.
âWelcome to Cozy Corner Brews. What can I get you today?â Sofia says brightly, Sarah looks at Sofia in shock. Sofias face remains the same, but internally sheâs shocked as well.
âHey Sofia.â Sarah says awkwardly, her eyes scanning Sofia. Her eyes falling on her apron. Then back up again.
âUh hi, hi Sarah.â Sofia says, she taps anxiously on the counter. She isnât sure what else to say. She waits until Sarah orders something to drink or eat.
âI didn't know you worked here." Sarah says, still eyeing Sofia. Sofia nods her head, she presses her lips together.
"Uh yeah, it's my best friends shop." Sofia taps her fingers gently on the counter. "Can I get you anything to drink? Anything to eat, we have a bunch of pastries."
"Uh, yeah yeah. Can I just get a tiramisu cake?" Sarah asks, she rubs her belly as she asks. Sofia is shocked to see that Sarah is visibly pregnant. Sarah notices and smiles.
"I'm five months. It was a shock to me too." Sarah says, she looks down at her stomach and smiles. "But I'm happy, I get to have this baby with John B. I couldn't be happier."
Sofia goes into the display to grab one of the tiramisu cakes. She looks around to see a couple of people reading as they drink their food. Others are on laptops, a few with neither just enjoying a cake or coffee drink.
Sofia can't help to feel a wave of jealousy overcome her. Not that she would want to be pregnant. Not right now, anyway. But that she had someone. She hated to admit how much she missed Rafe.
"Don't worry by the way, I won't tell Rafe I saw you. I'll keep it to myself. I'll let him find out on his own."
Sofia hands over the tiramisu cake that Sarah wanted, "Thank you." Sofia says. Sarah nods, tapping her card. Sofia hands over the receipt. Once Sarah leaves, Sofia feels like she can breath again.
Liliana slammed the door to her car, Sofia getting out of the passenger seat. Sofia bringing the straps of her purse back to her shoulders.
âIâm so excited to be shopping with you!â Liliana squeals. âJust like olden times.â
A wave of guilt comes over Sofia, realizing how much time she would spend with Rafe; over her friends.
"Tj maax, here we come!" Liliana says again, "I want to make a little bar cart for the living room.â
As they walk in, Sofia made wanders off. Sheâd remembered coming in here, looking for things to buy for Rafe and her. When heâd told her to move in with him. It sent a pang of hurt coursing through her body. She tried to think of the now, but her mind wouldnât let her. Trapping her in the then.
âAnything youâre planning on picking up?â Liliana asks, her voice dragging Sofia back to the present. Ariana grande plays through the speakers.
âUh, maybe some new socks. Iâve been losing a lot of pairs lately. Oh and I need new underwear.â Sofia laughs.
âOh my god, thanks for reminding me. I need some too.â They make it to the intimate section, Sofia lets out a sigh. She knows she canât keep her thoughts in anymore.
âDo you think heâll ever forgive me? Like- like heâll just see that I didnât mean to hurt him.â Sofia asks. Liliana puts down a pair of pjs back on the rack. Her eyes scanning Sofias face.
âWell, do you think Rafes the forgiving type?â Liliana asks. Sofia looks down at the ground. Tugging her lips behind her teeth.
âHe would always get upset; about the way the kooks at the club talked about him.â Sofia said, Liliana nodded her head. Waiting for Sofia to continue.
âBut thatâs different, no?â Sofia asks, Liliana regards her for a moment.
âIt is, your relationship with him was more intimate. He cared about you. I think you just need toâ I hate to say it this way. But just face the music. He doesnât seem like heâll forgive you.â Liliana says, not trying to be harsh but what she says comes out bluntly.
Sofia tries to mask the hurt she feels. âYeah, you have a point.â They continue shopping, Sofia trying to mask her pain. She did this to herself. She had no room to be upset.
Song Sofia is listening to on her playlist
#Spotify#sofia x rafe#rafe x sofia#sofia obx#sofia outer banks#rafe cameron#rafe fanfiction#rafe cameron fanfiction#outer banks fanfiction#outer banks#rofia
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Auron x Rikku // (Forced Cohabitation + Modern AU)
They are scammed into renting a common apartment and are forced to live together!
x - x - x / no.2
#literally the plot from Good Morning Call#except that they're not both students#or they can be if you picture them as university students the both of them#they can be him a worker and her a high school/college student or you can make her a working adult too#whatever you like#aurikku#auron#rikku#ffx#final fantasy x#moodboard#ffx moodboard#final fantasy moodboard#forced cohabitation#modern au#both sets have alt text I hope it works!
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Gotham fucking loves Brucie Wayne
Some nice Brucie Wayne headcanons for you all
Hes an idiot and a dork but he makes social events interesting because who else would fall into the chocolate fountain?
At any social event where kids are invited as well he can most definitely be found with the kids, talking to them like they are adults
He never treats anyone as inferior unless they're dicks
He once punched riddler in the face because he interrupted a girls birthday party
He has an entire fashion line that is dedicated to giving people actually comfortable practical clothes
Hes an absolute unit in bed. For both men and women. (either top or bottom)
He once held a man upside down by his ankles and shook him until everything had fallen out of his pockets because he had used to be a bully and was now a dick
Can and will walk teenagers home if its late at night.Â
Always tips very generously
He was once in line at a batburger and there was a karen yelling at the poor 16 year old cashier and he walked to the front and just started sticking 100 dollar bills into the tip jar with the nastiest smile aimed at the karen. âThe more you yell the more i tip.â (the cashier was, coincidently stephanie brown, and she high fived him)
He has a social media but never uses it unless its to draw awareness to a certain cause or to show off his children.Â
He also posts beautiful pictures of gotham, or of mundane everyday things, showcasing the beauty in life
(Is canonically a feminist)
Will protect waiters/servers/janitors from creeps or gotham elite who think theyre better than them
He stopped adopting kids but still pays for as many college tuitions as he can
Funded a city wide disability infrastructure plan so people with wheelchairs could go places too
He once rocked three guys with gunsâs shit because they were attempting to molest these little boys
Punched a teacher in the face for making a student cry
Will at any time drop everything the second one of his kids asks him to
There is an entire instagram account dedicated to pictures of him helping old people cross the street
Once a month he visits inmates at the prison and offers them jobs
Genuinely cares for his workers and buys them houses and cars if they need it
Literally created gothams public transportation system and made sure it was free
Teamed up with poison ivy to make public gardens for everyone to enjoy
Funds clean energy research
Any celebrity fan mail he receives he answers personally
One time a little girl asked him to come to her birthday party and he did and brought presents
Taught an entire school basic self defense
Brucie Wayne may be an idiotic little shit but he is the Prince of Gotham and Gothamites would lay down their lives for him more willingly than they would for Batman.
#just some headcanons#some might be tru#some not#idk#i just wanted some good bruce wayne#not batman#but bruce wayne#brucie wayne#batfam#batman#good guy bruce wayne
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Can you write something about co-workers to friends to lovers?
fix you up
pairing: peter parker x reader
a/n: i wonât lie to yïżœïżœall idk how i feel abt this one. its cute dgmw but i hope you guys like it !!! ive had this request for an EMBARRASSINGLY long time, anon if youâre upset, i totally understand
warnings: mentions of injuries, burns, rude customers, bandaging some wounds n stuff, fluff and pining !!! (disclaimer: Iâve never been a barista so forgive me if this is a lil off)
masterlist, requests are open !!
Working in a rustic-vintage-corner-campus-cafe was definitely not how you saw your college years going. Your teen self wouldâve killed to work at a place like this but when you grew up, you realized just how different the workload is between a high school student and a uni one such as yourself.Â
You werenât complaining of course. The pay was adequate, your manager was a simple old lady who never had much to say other than making sure all the equipment was clean, you got along with your coworkers pretty well for the most part and the customers were tolerable.Â
But every once in a while, youâd get an entitled shithead who seemed to make it their lifeâs mission to ruin someone elseâs day. And the problem with working a social job such as you did, is that you were an easy target.Â
It started off as a fairly simple day, you clocked in and put on your apron ready to start your shift for the day. You preferred late morning shifts, leaving afternoons for classes (and the rouge 8am lecture every now and then) and nights for going out or studying.Â
âOh, Y/N! Thank god you're here,â Your co-worker, Vanessa, exclaimed.
Vanessa was a few years older than you. She actually wasnât a student, sheâd given college a try and it wasnât her thing. Apparently, all it did was âtry to undermine unstoppable greatness.â She was chatty, but you actually liked that about her. She could keep up a conversation with a statue. When you first started off here sheâd been the one to show you the ropes and ever since then, youâd had a specific bond with her that you couldnât really put a name to.
You gave her a small smile, âYeah well, I do prefer to show up when promised. Especially when my paycheck depends on it,â you let out a small laugh.
âYes! See, that's what I love about you,â she made a disgusted face, âUnlike Peter. Honestly, I don't understand how he hasnât been fired yet! He shows up at least half an hour late to every shift yet Miss Hannigan still keeps him around.â
âOh,â you stuttered, raising your hands a little in defense, âI didn't mean it as a jab at Peter, I swear.â
She tossed a curled blonde lock of hair over her shoulders while waving her other hand in dismissal, âHoney, donât worry about it. I know you would never, youâre far too sweet for that. But I wouldnât blame you if you did, you know, having to work more than half your shift alone? I swear if Bernard did that to me,â she made a big show of gesturing to herself, "I would not deal with it.â
While what she was saying wasnât necessarily wrong, it didnât feel right talking about Peter like that. Sure, he was late most of the time, leaving you to do most of the work while you waited for him to show up (somehow when he started working you two got the same shift together and itâs just been that way ever since) and while you, also, normally wouldnât put up with this, there was something different about Peter. You never felt like he was taking advantage of you, and purposefully made you pick up extra slack. It was quite the opposite actually, he always apologized profusely and never slacked when he was on the clock. He always seemed so rushed and out of breath, you were pretty sure the poor boy just needed to learn how to manage time better. Plus, he always took it upon himself to unpack the orders because of all the heavy lifting required (you couldnât tell just by looking at him, with all the sweaters he wore, but man was he ripped.)
âHeâs actually really sweet.â Youâre not sure why exactly youâre so keen on defending Peter. You two barely spoke, outside of work of course, and you donât know much about him. But something inside you didnât like anyone assuming anything bad about him.Â
âYea, well, heâd be a ton sweeter if he clocked in on time,â she laughed as she untied her apron, getting ready to leave. You faked a laugh as well, not wanting the conversation to progress any further.Â
âAlrighty, well,â she heaved a breath, âI'm off, have a good rest of your day Y/N.â
You smiled once again and sent a wave her way before settling down in front of the register. It was slow today, not many people in the shop. A fellow student you only recognized from work sat in a corner booth with their headphones locked in and was working on what seemed to be some kind of essay.Â
There was an older woman, however, looking incredibly irritated at the table closest to you. Youâd never seen her before but that wasnât too strange. It was a near-campus cafe, after all, lots of people passing through. She looked to be typing on her phone until, suddenly, she shut it off and made direct eye contact with you.Â
If looks could kill, you wouldâve dropped dead behind the counter, which wouldnât be all that ideal considering you couldnât remember the last time anyone mopped that side of the store.Â
She stood up and walked towards you and you already dreaded the conversation to come.
âI have an order,â she spit out, as if she were disgusted to even be talking to you at the moment.Â
No greeting or anything, wow. Someone wasnât raised right.Â
Nonetheless, you put on your well-rehearsed customer service smile and gave in. âSure, Iâd be happy to help with that. Can you just give me the order?â
She rolled her eyes dramatically. âI shouldnât have to, I called in and placed it and it should be ready by now. I'm going to be late!â
You froze for a moment, not quite sure what to do, âIâm so sorry for the inconvenience maâam, but I just got here and I havenât heard anything,â you glance at the little whiteboard kept on the counter for these exact situations only to find it empty, âand I donât see anything here about a phone-placed order. Are you sure you have the right store?â
Her face was so red and steam was practically blowing out of her ears, âOf course, I have the right store! Do you think I'm stupid or something?â
âNo! Of course not, I'm so sorry,â you start to blabber off, not wanting to make her any angrier than she already was, âIâll get things ready for you right away maâam.â
You turned around and tried to make yourself not freak out as badly as you wanted to. It was so humiliating getting yelled at like this in public! And yeah, maybe if you had such a problem with unpleasant interactions like this, you shouldn't have taken a social job such as this one, but honestly, you thought people would have enough manners not to act up like this. Apparently not.Â
It slipped your mind for a moment because of how scrambled you got when the lady flipped her lid, but Vanessa has been known to do this, forget to write down orders and leave you to fend for yourself (quite literally since your coworker was never really around) and youâre pretty sure thatâs what happened here. Other customers were usually more understanding than this woman bordering on Kathy-Bates-movie-character-insanity over a drink order.Â
You reached into your back pocket, deciding youâd try to send her a hurried text about any phone calls she might remember. That just seemed to anger your customer more.
âExcuse me?! I'm sitting here waiting for my order and you're too busy chatting away on your phone?â
You lose yourself for a moment and you canât feel your face anymore.Â
âI am so sorry maâam,â you repeat, which seems to be your mantra since you started working today, âI was just checking to see if-,â
âI don't care what you were checking, or what you need to see! Give me what I paid for,â her hand started smacking against the counter loud enough for the only other person in the store to look up, broken from their reverie. They merely shot you an apologetic look before getting back to their work, leaving you to fend for yourself.
âYou have terrible customer service, honestly. I come here every Tuesday with my book club, but never again. If I donât get exactly what I asked for in the next five minutes, I'm calling your boss and not leaving until I'm sure youâre fired.âÂ
You shake your head, âThereâs no need to do that maâam, I'll get everything ready for you.â
You turned around once again, this time, heading towards the cappuccino machine. Youâre not sure why you said that considering you have no clue what âeverythingâ is that has to get ready.Â
In all honesty, thereâs a low chance that a suburban-white-soccer-mom type would have any real effect on your employment. Miss Hannigan would surely not fire you just because some order forgot to be written down and some customer got pissed. Right?
But you really didnât want to find out.Â
So, you started up the machine and turned to grab a cup. Today, apparently, was just doomed from the start. As you turned to grab one of the cups placed on the shelf over the machine, your hand hit the button that turned on the steam wand. Which was aimed directly at your other hand.Â
You bit down the yelp that threatened to escape and jumped back, the back of your hand now searing with pain. Instinctively, your other hand came to cup your injured one, which only made it worse. You fought back tears as you moved to turn the steam back off.Â
Inhaling deeply, you took a moment to try to get your mind working again. âHello?!â Of course. You turned your head and gave her the fakest smile youâve ever mustered in your whole life. âOne minute maâam.â
You could hear her going off about how she doesnât have a minute to spare, but you ignored her, trying to think of what the hell you could give her to just get her out of your face. Youâd have to guess her order since I wasnât actually taken. Youâd started playing a game with yourself since you worked here, guessing people's drink orders, and youâd say youâve gotten pretty good.Â
You peeked a look back at her. Youâd had customers around her age come in before and order, for the most part, the same thing. A plain cappuccino. Seemed like a safe bet.
Swallowing down the pain as best you could, you approached the machine again. This time, taking out the portafilter. It mustâve not been put in correctly because it clattered to the ground, coffee grinds falling around the floor.Â
You wanted to cry. Your hand hurt like hell, there was a new mess to deal with, and that lady hadnât stopped complaining since you stepped in.Â
Frozen, you began to panic a little, breaths coming out sporadically. Youâd leave the sweeping for later, but you had to clean the filter so you could use it because it was the only one. And the slightest brush of air made your hand burn even more. You had no clue how to go about this. Maybe if you-
Like an angel, Peter rushed in through the side door. Tying his apron around his waist, he looked towards you. Your hand flew up to your mouth at his perfect timing and you saw his expression grow more concerned.Â
He rushed towards you. âWhat happened?â And for a second, you forget everything that was stressing you out just a few moments before. He grabbed your hand so gently, you forgot every ounce of pain.Â
âI cannot believe this!â She wasnât giving up and you shut your eyes in frustration, turning to reply to her again. But before you can open your mouth, Peter steps in. âHold on, canât you clearly see sheâs hurt?â
She scoffed and crossed her arms, âThatâs her fault. If she knew how to do her job, it wouldnât have happened.â
You could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. His expression hardened and his mouth opened to shoot something back at her, but this time, you cut him off. You placed your non-injured hand on his shoulder and gave him a look.Â
He stared at you for a few seconds before finally giving in, blowing out some air in a frustrated huff. âGo wait for me inside,â he told you, nodding his head toward the employees-only backroom.Â
âWhat?â You asked confused. You didnât wanna leave him alone.Â
âYouâre not working right now, thereâs no way Iâm letting you. Iâll deal with her. Go, Iâll be right there,â he said, shoving you away gently.
Once you heard that heâd be following you, you were more willing. You walked through the door and took a seat at the table usually used for meal breaks. The âbreak roomâ was a small room positioned in the back of the store. You canât remember what this place used to be (a diner maybe?) but this specific room was used as an office, but Miss Hannigan claimed she had no use for an office so it was used for employee breaks.Â
Every ounce of you was grateful for Peterâs Superman moment back there. He came in today earlier than usual and heâd totally saved your ass. You were going to make sure to tell him.Â
You werenât waiting long before the door opened again and Peter walked in, holding a backpack you hadnât seen on him before. In his other hand, he held a drink. He placed the drink on the table before he grabbed one of the chairs, bringing it close to yours, and you turned your body to face him.Â
He picked up your hand again, just as gently as before. âAlright,â he let out a breath of relief, âitâs not as bad as I thought, but, itâs still gonna take a while to heal. Wait,â he leaned over, unzipping his bag and taking supplies out while you just stared at him.
âI thought you majored in biochemistry.â You blurted out. Your face heated up a little when he looked at you curiously.
âI- I saw your textbooks once when you left your bag open. And Iâve seen you around campus, near the science-y buildingsâŠand stuff.â You shrugged and he chuckled.Â
âI do,â he nodded, âany medical stuff is self-taught. I get into a lot ofâŠaccidents.â
âOh.â You nodded at him. What kind of accidents would he get into? Youâd never seen him hurt, but what did you know.Â
âI take it you donât major in anything science-y,â he said, grinning at you.
You shook your head, âNo, I donât. But I have a chemistry class I have to take for credit. Which makes no sense because chemistry has nothing to do with what I want to learn.â
He laughed and set his bag back down, everything he needed was now laid out on the table. âOkay,â he picked up a white tube with red lettering on it. âThis is gonna help with pain and scarring. Iâm going to spread some of this, then wrap it up for you.â You looked at the table and saw heâd also taken out some white gauze. What kind of âaccidentsâ did he get into?
You nodded, at a complete loss for words. You had no idea Peter knew so much about injuries and you were so thankful he was helping you out. You didnât hate each other, but you werenât close either.
He applied a small amount to the back of your hand, asking you constantly if you were okay as he rubbed it on softly. Honestly, even if it did hurt, you wouldnât have the heart to tell him.
He finished up with the cream and moved onto the gauze, expertly wrapping it up to lightly cover your wound. When he was finished with that, he carefully tied it off, making sure not to tie it too tight.
âThere,â he leaned back and smiled at you, causing butterflies to erupt in your stomach. âAll fixed up.â
 âThank you, Peter, really.â You reluctantly pulled your hand back into your lap, missing the warmth of his fingers wrapped around it.
âYou donât need to thank me Y/N, itâs the least I could do. Iâm just glad I got here earlier than usual.â
You nodded and looked down. âWell thanks anyway, you saved my ass back there. Seriously, I have no idea whatâs wrong with me today but I kept fucking everything up.â
âHey,â he said softly, making you look up and meet his gaze. âYou didnât fuck anything up. Okay? You made a few mistakes, but that's not your fault. She shouldnât have been treating you like that, especially when youâd hurt yourself.â He looked away and scoffed as he remembered the terrible customer that had ruined your morning. You wouldâve felt extremely touched by his care if it werenât for his next words.
âAll that for a plain fucking cappuccino.â He mumbled.
âA plain cappuccino? Really?â You asked excitedly, forgetting about everything, and grinning at him wildly.Â
âUm, yeahâŠwhy?â He asked you, confusion was written all over his face, but he couldnât help his own smile slightly growing when he noticed your enthusiasm.
âNothing,â you shook your head quickly, smile never fading, âI justâŠwell, I play this game with myself where I guess people's drink orders. And I think Iâm getting pretty good because thatâs exactly what I was going to make her before you walked in.â
He laughed out loud and you joined in. âWhatâs my order?â He asked.Â
You paused for a moment. âA caramel macchiato with extra caramel.â
He looked at you for a bit, âClose,â he admitted. âIt used to be.â
âSo are you gonna tell me what it is now?â
Shaking his head, he leaned over the table and dragged the drink heâd brought in earlier in front of you. âHere,â he changed the subject, âI made you this.â
Youâd completely forgotten about it, and when you took a closer look, you realized it was your coffee order.Â
Your mouth fell open, âHowâd you know?â
He just shrugged, smiling slightly. He knew it was your favorite, but the confirmation was still nice. âI've seen you make it for yourself. Educated guess.â
âOh my god,â you said, voice soft. It was a simple thing really, you had one most days at the end of your shift. But the fact that heâd noticed⊠It just meant a lot. âThank you so much, Peter.â
He just waved you off, his smile growing when he noticed your reaction to the drink. He couldnât believe he got a chance to speak to you. Truly speak to you. He was always too awkward or embarrassed or trying to avoid embarrassment. But now, while he didnât like the circumstances that led you both here, he was actually talking to you. And it was nice.
âSo,â he started, not wanting this to end just yet, âyou said youâve got a chemistry class?â
âYeah,â you nodded, picking up your drink and taking a sip. âThe one with Professor Hall. I actually have a class after this shift. I totally suck though, and he hates me. I just donât get it, and he doesnât explain it well!â
Peter nodded, completely understanding what you meant. It was a tough subject to begin with, and he knew not everyone was as into science as he was, add onto that a teacher who doesnât really teach, itâs a recipe for disaster.Â
âI actually had that class. Last year. I can help you, sometimes. If youâd like me to, that is!â He rushed out. Great, he thought, now Iâm getting awkward.Â
You looked up at him, eyes wide. âReally? Do you mean that?â
âOf course. I think Iâve still got my notes too, if you want âem.â He shrugged nonchalantly as if he wasnât saving your ass again.Â
âOh my god Peter,â you placed your non-injured hand on his knee, not noticing the way his body stiffened and he gulped. âThat would help so much. Thereâs a huge exam coming up, and it's a huge part of my grade so I have to pass. I started cramming earlier butââ
âIâll help,â he reassured you, âI enjoy science anyway, so itâll be fun for me.â
âThank you,â you repeated. Staring at him so close, you realized youâd never noticed how handsome he was. Sure there were times you thought he was cute, from afar, but nowâŠyou could see the different shades of brown in his eyes, the way one of his eyebrows was slightly curlier than the other, unwilling to sit straight. You couldnât help but stare-
âOh my god,â you repeated, except this time, you had remembered something. âIf weâre both in here, whoâs outside?â
âWhat? Oh, um,â he scratched the back of his neck, still reeling from having you so close to him. âFreddyâs out there?â
âFreddy?â You asked confused.Â
He nodded. âThe guy writing on his laptop, heâs friends with my roommate, throws the craziest parties. Heâs chill, I told him to keep an eye out if someone else walks in. But itâs been slow, so I think weâre good.â
âOh, okay.â You said, standing up. âWe should probably still go though.â
He stood up beside you, frowning. âI donât think you should work with your hand hurt. I donât want you accidentally making it worse.â
Your heart warmed at his concern. âThat's really sweet Peter, but Iâll be fine. I donât know what happened before, I never do stuff like that, even accidentally.â
He still didnât look convinced. âWhy donât you just go home? I can take it for today.â
You shook your head quickly, âIâm not leaving. I have a class later and it would just be a waste of time going back and forth anyway.â
You walked towards the door, opened it, and exited before he had a chance to argue anymore. You stepped behind the counter while Peter rushed out behind you. You watched Freddy give him a thumbs up and Peter nodded at him before he followed right after you.Â
âAre you sure you should go to class today? I can walk you home so you can take the day off,â he offered, and he looked so genuine you almost accepted.Â
âPeter,â you laughed and he decided no matter what your response was, it wouldnât matter because hearing you say his name like that was enough. âIâll be fine, I didnât break both my legs, it's just a small burn.â
He stared at you for a bit as you smiled at him, trying to get him to ease up. âFine,â he gave in reluctantly. âBut no going towards the cappuccino machine,â he waved a finger at you, âor the ovens. Or anything hot!â
âFine,â you shot back, grinning wide and he couldnât help but return it.
The rest of the morning had gone by easily and you thought maybe you didnât have totally shit luck. Peter was way more fun than you ever thought heâd be and you wondered why you didnât start talking to each other sooner.Â
It used to be silently working together but after those few moments in the break room, you guys were laughing your whole shift. He meant what he said, and he kept you away from anything that produced heat (which you told him was an insane boundary to set in a cafe) so you had extra time to make quips here and there.
You started playing your order-guessing game with him, teaching him certain traits that gave someone away:
âSide part, beanie, and a crossbody? Oh, heâs getting a tall, dark, americano for sure.â
âSheâs getting tea. No coffee, just tea. Maybe with a little lemon wedge.â
And he started to get the hang of it.Â
âShe looks like she drinks matchas right?â He said to you when a girl around your age walked in. Heâd been right and you both laughed about it afterwards.Â
When your work shift ended, you were actually upset.Â
âIâve got a class to get to,â you told him, lifting your bag onto your shoulder. Youâd both cleaned up and gotten yourselves ready, now standing in front of the door. Something in you didnât want to leave just yet, enjoying your time together far too much to end it so soon.Â
âYeahâŠâ he trailed off, you waited for him to continue but he hesitated.Â
âWhat is it?â You crossed your arms and smiled slightly, shifting your weight onto your other foot. He brought a hand up to scratch the back of his neck, âI justâŠwell, I was just wonderingâif it's okay with you of course!â He rushed out, quickly bringing his hands up. âThat I could walk you to class?â
You laughed, âIâd love that Pete, thank you.â You turned to open the door to let you both out but he quickly moved forward, holding it open for you and motioning for you to move forward.Â
Looking back at him, you smiled and noticed his cheeks were a little red. How had you never noticed how adorable he was?
The walk back to campus wasnât long but you learned a lot. He told you where he went to high school, his friends he still kept in touch with, his Aunt May, some funny moments from parties heâd been forced to attend by his roommate, and you laughed together.
You told him about the book you were currently reading, your life back home and your family, and why you chose to go to this college. He went along with your jokes, which made it all the more better for you. âI mean if you think about it,â you'd said, âit is so much easier to romanticize your life when your school campus is as pretty as this one, and thatâs real motivation!â
The conversation flowed naturally between you two and it felt like youâd been friends for ages. He dropped you off outside of your class building with the promise of picking you up afterward so you two could study together.Â
âSo Iâll be back here in an hour right,â he asked.Â
âRight,â you smiled at him. âAnd thanks again Pete, for everything.â You held up your bandaged hand, shaking it a little before setting it back down.Â
He shook his head quickly, âDonât thank me for that. Really.â
You stared at him with a warm expression. âBye Peter,â you waved as you turned to walk into your class.
âBye Y/N,â he returned. He watched you walk through the doors, shooting him one last smile before you disappeared from view, before blowing out a breath of air.Â
Heâd finally gotten a chance to talk to the girl heâd been crushing on for months, and he got to walk her to class! And they were meeting up afterward. After working so close to you and never having the guts to initiate a conversation, heâd settled for just admiring you from afar. But after today, there was nothing that could keep him away.Â
You were not having a good day.Â
Youâd just found out that your chemistry exam was being bumped up to two days from now. Even with the early studying youâd done before, there was no way you could catch up with everything that fast. You were so overwhelmed you had completely forgotten Peter was waiting for you outside.Â
You walked out, your bottom lip stuck between your teeth, and you practically jumped out of your skin when someone placed a hand on your shoulder.Â
âHey, donât worry,â he said, his voice soft yet full of concern. Peter. âIt's just me. What happened?â
The second he saw you walk out, he could tell something was off. He could literally sense the anxiety rolling off of you in waves. He had waited for you to look up and stop when you saw him, but you were just about to walk past him before he stopped you. Now, you were looking at him with distress coating every feature on your face. Your brows were pinched, your lip red from biting it, and your eyes wide and distant like you couldnât even see him and he was standing right in front of you. Something had gone wrong and he wanted nothing more than to fix it.Â
âWhat is it? Whatâs wrong? He asked frantically.Â
âOh my god,â you whispered, hands flying up to the sides of your head and gripping your hair. You werenât looking at him anymore, âOh my god.â
âOk Y/N,â he said nervously, âyouâre starting to scare me.â
âTwo days Peter!â You looked at him wildly. âTwo days! I canât go over everything in two days, is he fucking insane? I didnât even know he could do something like that, I mean, can he do something like that? I feel like that shouldnât be allowed it shouldââ
You cut yourself off and started pacing back and forth in front of him. âOh my god, Iâm gonna bomb this. And if I fail, itâll bring my whole grade down! I canât afford that Iââ
âHey,â he repeated, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder again. âI said Iâm gonna help you, and I meant it. So weâre gonna get through this together, even if we have to stay up all night.â
You stared at him, trying to wonder what youâd done in your life to deserve such an angel.Â
You shook your head quickly, âI really appreciate that Peter, but Iâm serious. Thereâs no way I can learn everything I need to know that fast.â
You tried to smile at him but it didnât reach your eyes.Â
He grinned, his expression the total opposite of yours. âWell, youâve clearly never studied with me, so donât sound too sure yet.â
Another thing youâd come to realize was just how smart Peter was.Â
You really shouldâve known when he told you heâd taken that advanced chemistry class a year ago. And passed.Â
Looking through his notes, you could see his attention to detail. He really wasnât a slacker in the classroom because everything was clearly laid out here.Â
Youâd spent that night going over everything and youâd actually started to feel hopeful about it. Peter was a way better teacher than Professor Hall, and it didnât hurt that he was so cute. He was understanding with everything and was willing to go over any part for as long as it took for you to fully grasp it.Â
At the end of the night, heâd undone the wrappings around your hand, reapplied the cream for you, and wrapped it up again.
âItâs doing okay,â he reassured you. âLike I said, itâs gonna take a while, but if it starts hurting or anything, take some medicine. Then find me.â
You were sure youâd just melted into his hands at that moment.
The next day, you couldnât wait to get through everything and see him again, even if you were going to be talking about chemistry.Â
You werenât scheduled to work at the cafe today, so youâd only get to meet up after both of your classes.Â
Lectures were a blur, nothing really catching your attention and you spent most of the time with your phone tucked in your hand texting back and forth with Peter, barely concealing your laughter when he sent you memes.Â
It was like that all day, until, finally, you made your way over to his small apartment he shared with one of his friends.Â
its very quaint đ€
(totally NOT what we say to make ourselves feel better about this shoebox)
Heâd told you over text, making you laugh out loud as you made your way over there.Â
dwđ«ĄÂ I was one of those kids who used to live in their play tents and hid in random corners and spaces
im totally ready for this
ok but be warned, we do not have a pet!!! they are not allowed per our lease!!! ignore the cat when you come in!!! tell no one!!!
what cat ??
good girl ;)
Your face flushed as you made your way up the steps to his door. You knocked three times and barely had to wait a second before Peter stood before you, holding the door open.Â
âHi,â he said, smiling at you.Â
âHi,â you grinned back. You heard a small âmeowâ come from behind him and he quickly held up a finger to his lips. You covered your mouth, stifling a laugh as you nodded at him.Â
âCome on in,â he said, stepping out of the way to lead you through the door. You stepped in and kicked off your shoes before looking around. It was plain, but that was to be expected really.Â
There was a large poster hanging next to their TV, however, that caught your eye. âBig fan?â You asked him, shoving your thumb in the direction of the Star Wars poster.Â
He shrugged nonchalantly, âKind of.â
âOh. Well, I was just asking because I love those movies. My little brother used to watch them and I got really into it.â
âOh. I meanâI donât know what I was saying before I love them too.â He rushed out, making you giggle.
He stayed staring at you for a bit, his eyes rounding out and his mouth gaping a little bit.Â
You gave him a small smile, âOkay, well we should-â You let out a small yelp, hands flying to your mouth as you jumped back.Â
The living room was small. The only things occupying it were the TV mounted to the wall, and in front of it, was a sofa. And on the sofa, was an unconscious body that you hadnât noticed until it let out a low groan. You really werenât sure how you missed it, there wasnât much else to look at, but they had just been so still.Â
Heart beating erratically, you turned towards Peter again, who was looking at you with all the amusement in the world written all over his face. âWas he always there,â you whispered, eyes wide.
He opened his arms, âWell, angel, I really donât know. Did you see anyone come in?â
âOh shut up,â you grumbled. âHe looks familiarâŠis that..â
âFreddy.â He finished for you. Right. The dude from the cafe.Â
âHe crashes here sometimes.â He added.
You nodded. âAlright.â
âShall we?â He opened a door beside him and looked at you.Â
âRight. Yeah, of course.â You walked past him and into his room. You stopped after you entered, taking a moment to look around. His room was simple, with just his bed, a desk and chair, and a dresser perched next to another door you assumed was his closet.Â
What really caught your attention, however, were the photos scattered all over the walls. The room was practically engulfed in Peter Parkerâs memories, and you really liked it. Without thinking, you approached one wall, walking through them and taking each one in.Â
There were some with large groups of people, those looked like school trips. Most of the photos were of the same two people, and based on what heâd told you, you assumed those were his friends. Ned and MJ.Â
A lot of the photos contained an older woman, who looked stunning. That had to be his Aunt May. You were shocked by how many photos he had with the Tony Stark. Heâd told you he had an internship at Stark Industries, but really, you sorta thought he just went on coffee runs all day.Â
And then, you saw a couple shots of Spider-Man. It wasnât unusual, you knew a lot of people snapped photos of the masked hero when they spotted him around the city. What was unusual, was the quality of the photos. You didnât know if youâd ever seen such clear photos of him, even on the news, as he was always swinging and in motion. In these, Peter seemed to have caught him at just the right time. You wondered how long it took him to capture the photos.
âBig fan?â You smirked over at him from your spot by one of the Spider-Man photos as you repeated your words from earlier.Â
Peter leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, content with watching go over the details of his life. He felt a little naked, like he was bared out in front of you. ButâŠit felt good too. He liked knowing you were learning new things about him, and curious to know more. It filled him with an anxious sort of giddiness.
âYou first,â he said slyly.
Laughing, you said, âWell, I donât see how anyone can hate on the guy. He literally runs around saving livesâ
He laughed as he approached you, standing by your side. Youâd be surprised. âTrue I guess.â
âWe should get to studying,â you said, breezing past him, your hand brushing his bicep as you did. He sucked in a breath, his entire body feeling electrocuted after that one touch. He wondered how you seemed so normal, laying out your books and papers on the floor beside his bed.Â
This was gonna be a long night.Â
He cleared his throat and moved to sit across from you, hoping he didnât look as flushed as he felt.Â
After a few moments of him watching you get settled, you heard him start laughing. Looking up you asked, âWhatâs so funny?â
That only made him laugh harder. âJust thinking about how scared you got before. Did you really not see him?â
You felt your face go hot. âI didnât! I had no clue he was there, and next thing I know heâs making lawn mower nosies!â
Peter was red in the face now. âThe way you flew back,â he said between fits of laughter, âI thought youâd give yourself whiplash.â
âShut up,â you grumbled at him, picking up one of your pens and throwing it at him. It bounced off without him even flinching.Â
You looked down, avoiding his gaze by busying yourself with your papers.Â
âOkay Iâm ready to be serious now,â he said. The laughter was gone but amusement twinkled in his voice.Â
âGreat! Welcome back Pete, now hand me that pen, Iâm gonna need it.â
Two hours later, you were both sprawled across the floor tossing Chess-Its at one another.Â
âCome on!â You threw your arms up in defeat when you threw another cracker at him just for him to catch it again.Â
Peter chuckled, âSorry angel, Iâve just got killer reflexes.â
âAlright whatever,â You rolled your eyes. âCome on, throw some at me.â
You opened your mouth, ready to finally win one round of this nonsenseâŠjust for a Cheez-It to hit your cheek and fall to the ground with the rest of your tries.Â
Peter laughed while you sat up, reached to grab the box of crackers, and poured some into your hand before putting it back down.Â
âOkay, Iâm done. I actually want to eat them now.â You said, munching on a cracker and sitting against the side of his bed.Â
âOh come on, donât be a quitter Y/N/N,â he grinned, leaning over and pinching your cheek.Â
You swatted his hand away with your empty one. âMânot.â
He smiled at you before sitting up. âHit me,â he said, opening his mouth and pointing at it.Â
You grabbed a Cheez-It from the palm of your hand and made a big show of trying to get your aim right. Squinting one eye, you stared at him, moving your hand back and forth before tossing it slightly more to the right. On purpose.Â
That didnât stop him from leaning over and catching it in his mouth.Â
âI donât like this game,â you said, narrowing your eyes at him.Â
âDonât act like I donât know what you did,â he said back, munching on his Cheez-it.Â
âSue me,â you told him, brushing him off with a wave of your hand.Â
He laughed before he settled down. âHowâs your hand feeling by the way.â His voice was considerably softer now, making you smile softly at him.Â
âItâs doing great, thank you again, Peter. I wouldâve been totally fucked if it werenât for you,â you told him honestly.Â
He shook his head, âDonât thank me at all Y/N. Hate seeing you hurt,â he mumbled, less to you and more to himself and he stayed staring at your wrapped-up hand.Â
âWell donât worry about that, it doesnât hurt at all.â
âYeah?â He looked at you suddenly, like he needed to know you meant it.Â
âYeah,â you nodded at him.Â
âThatâs good,â he breathed out and your heart squeezed at how much he seemed to care.Â
âWhat's your plan? Yâknow, for after school?â You didnât want to leave just yet, even with your studying done. And you wanted to know more about him. Youâd be lying if you said you hadnât taken a certain liking to him lately.Â
âWell after I get my degree, Iâm going move up a little further in Stark Industries. Iâm still undecided on grad school, I think Iâve got everything I need and Iâm probably just gonna start saving up to pay off student loans instead of adding on them.â
You nodded at him, âSo the Stark internship is going well? No offense, I sort of thought you were their coffee mule.â You grinned at him before popping a Cheez-It in your mouth.Â
He scoffed, âNo, Iâm not. I mean, it did take a while to get them to take me seriously, but I got there!â
You laughed, âWell, very proud of you Pete. Thatâs super impressive.â
He grinned at you, his face heating up at your words. He wondered if you knew how much it affected him every time you called him Pete. Probably not, but he never wanted you to stop.Â
You two stayed like that for another hour or so, time passing by without you noticing at all. You talked about your futures, where you say yourselves after school, and after that. Your admiration for him only grew as you got to know him more. You could talk to him all night and never get bored honestly, you-
Shit.Â
A random notification lit up your phone, which lay beside you on the floor, making you take notice of the time.Â
You sat up quickly, spitting out curses as you started gathering your belongings and shoving them into your bag.Â
Peter sat up as well, helping you get your things together but in a calmer manner than yourself.Â
âRelax Y/N,â he said in a soothing voice.Â
âPete I canât do it.â You turned to him suddenly, dropping everything in your hands.Â
âDo what, angel?â
âThe exam is tomorrow. Iâm not ready! Iâm gonna fail, and that one grade, that one stupid grade, is gonna hold me back and ruin everything-â
âSweetheart look at me,â he said, placing a hand on your shoulder. His grip was warm and reassuring. âYou are not going to fail. And I know this because Iâve spent the last few hours studying with you, and I saw how smart you are, and how quick you caught on. Youâre gonna walk in there tomorrow and ace that test, I know you are!
âAnd if for some reason you donât,â he continued, âyou gave it your best. You tried your hardest and you learned something, which is all that matters in the end. So breathe, stop stressing, and let me walk you home.â
âAll that talk as an excuse to ask to take me home?â You snorted, âPeter you shouldnât have.â Despite your jokes, you took his advice and took a deep breath. He was right, youâd studied your hardest, both with and without his help. All you could do was take the exam and hope for the best now.
He laughed and stood up, holding out a hand once he saw you all packed and ready. âCaught me. So is that a yes?â
You took his hand and pulled yourself up but didnât let go right away. âIf I fail, do we have to stop hanging out? Yâknow, with you being a science prodigy and all.â
He laughed again and placed both his hands on your shoulder, staring straight into your eyes. âNever.â
âOk, well, just making sure. I wouldnât wanna give you a bad rep in the science community or something-â
You were suddenly cut off from your babbling when he pressed his lips to yours. You froze for a second, unsure what to do, but it didnât take long for you to catch up and kiss him back.Â
He pulled away after a few moments, âDone with the jokes?â His voice was soft and teasing.
âUh huh,â you mumbled, eyes still closed. âBut I think you might need to do that again, just to be sure.â
He chuckled murmuring something that sounded like âtoo cuteâ but you couldnât be bothered to hear when you felt his lips on yours again, this time, expecting them.Â
You threw your arms around his neck, pulling him closer and canting your head slightly for better access. He groaned, one arm wrapping around your middle, the other settling on your waist.
You might have pictured kissing him before, just maybe. But none of your daydreaming couldâve prepared you for the real thing. The way his bottom lip covered your top one, the soft breaths exchanged between the two of you, the way he pressed himself further into you when you tugged his hair a little harder. This definitely beat all of your daydreams.Â
You couldâve stayed that way forever, and you probably wouldâve if Peter hadnât taken one for the team and pulled away first.Â
Or tried to, at least.Â
âWe should-â kiss.Â
âYou-â kiss.Â
âI need to walk,â kiss, â-you home angel.â He murmured against your lips.
âOkay,â you whispered back but you didnât move to pull away, and he didnât push you. The two of you stayed stuck, foreheads pressed together, eyes closed, taking in the atmosphere of each other.Â
âI should probably go now,â you said softly. Peter hummed in agreement, leaning in to peck your lips gently.Â
âItâs getting late,â but your voice is more of a sigh. You donât know what heâs laced his lips with but each kiss makes you weak in the knees and woozier than the last one.
âGod, dâyknow Iâve had the biggest crush on you.â He said, completely disregarding your previous statement.Â
That stops you. âWhat?â You asked him in disbelief. Peter had a crush on you? No way, you wouldâve known.Â
âYeah,â he chuckled lightly, âdonât act so shocked. I was always a stuttering mess at work whenever you so much as looked at me.â
True. But youâd just thought he was a bit more on the shy side.Â
âIâd seen you around campus before and I thought you were the prettiest girl Iâd ever seen, and I still do, but I thought I had no shot in hell with you. And when I got the job at the cafe and saw Iâd be working with you? I almost lost my fucking mind sweetheart.â You both laughed a little and you couldnât help the way your cheeks flamed up because of his words. Did he have any clue what he was doing to you right now?
âSo I just sorta kept my distance, yâknow? Admired you from afar âcause I was too scared youâd reject me. Sadly, it only took you nearly burning your hand off,â he gave you a look and you burst into giggles, him doing you and slightly pinching your waist, âfor me to get over myself and actually keep up a conversation with you. But now Iâve got you in my room, kissing me.â
âHmm,â you hummed, âlucky you.â You joked as leaned in to press another kiss to his lips.Â
âLucky me indeed,â he murmured before pulling you in even deeper. He dipped you, making you squeal into the kiss. Then he pulled you up, unable to keep the kiss going any longer with how hard he was grinning.
âOh my god,â you said, laughing breathlessly.Â
âA lot more where that came from,â he smirked at you.Â
âYou know,â you moved to pick up your bag, âfor someone who was so scared to talk to me for so long, you sure found the confidence now.â
âWhat can I say? You make it easy. Once I started I couldnât stop.â You smiled at him as he gently placed a hand on your arm leading you to the door. The living room was empty now, no one to be found on the couch or otherwise and you wondered where their cat had wandered off to.
You bent over to put on your shoes, Peter doing the same. He stepped forward and opened the door for you, letting you step out before following you and locking the door.Â
As soon as he was done with that, you reached over and grabbed his hand. âHey Petey?â You said lightly. Oh, he was going to melt. From now on, he only wanted you to call him that.
âHm?â
âIâm glad you finally decided to talk to me.âÂ
He leaned down and kissed the top of your head. âYeah? Me too angel.â
The next morning, you awoke in the brightest mood, considering you had a chemistry exam later that day. All you could think about was Peter. You were going to see him later at the cafe and you couldnât wait.Â
You leaned over in bed to pick up your phone. Speak of the devil.Â
GOOD MORNINGGGGGâ€ïž
hope you slept well angel, canât wait to see you today. and youâre gonna totally ace that exam!đ„°
seriously youâre going to kick chemistryâs butt
A huge smile bloomed on your face, almost hurting from how wide it was. Usually, you'd stay in bed for a while, scrolling through Instagram or just going through messages or something. Not today, you couldnât wait to get to work. Maybe Peter was a good influence on you.Â
After getting ready for the day, you made your way to the cafe with a little bounce in your steps. The bell jingled above you as you opened the door and for the first time since youâd started working together, Peter was here before you.Â
âHey,â he smiled, holding up your usual drink order and waving it at you.Â
âHi Pete,â you approached his, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. As you pulled away, you could see how quickly his cheeks pinked, making you grin.Â
âNo âPeteyâ?â
âDidnât know you had a preference,â you said, grabbing his hand and pulling it towards you as you took a sip from the drink and then moved to get dressed for your shift.Â
âYeah,â he scratched the back of his neck, wishing he could feel your hand on his for just a little longer, âneither did I.â
You laughed lightly as you tied your apron, the sound hitting him like the greatest melody in the world.Â
âOkay then,â you walked towards him, stopping right in front of him, âletâs start over. Hi Petey.â
âHi angel,â he gave you a dopey grin and you returned it.Â
âGreat, now that weâve got that figured out.â You patted his chest lightly before taking the drink from his hands and moving away.Â
âHey wait! Whereâs my kiss?â He pouted at you and he looked so adorable, you just wanted to pinch his cheeks and kiss him till he begged you to stop.
âWeâre at work, weâve gotta be professional.â You said matter-of-factly.Â
He rolled his eyes, leaned against the counter, and crossed his arms. âProfessional my ass, no one is even in here-,â
Before he could even close his mouth, the bell jingled, and in stepped a boy about your age. The boy moved to one of the chairs, not moving to order just yet, giving you the chance to smirk at Peter, who just rolled his eyes again.Â
âWhat do you heâs gonna order,â he asked you.
âHmmâŠa cookie, probably.â You moved lean against the counter across from him and took a sip of your drink as you smiled.Â
âHey wait, you never told me what your drink order is.â
âHmmâŠâ he hummed in consideration before he moved towards you, grabbing your hand with the drink and bringing it up to his lips to steal a sip, maintaining eye contact the whole time.Â
âIâve got to say,â he said in a low voice, âthis one has really grown on me.â
You couldnât look away, all you could do was stare. And stare, and stare, and stareâŠ
A strangerâs voice, and then, âHey, can I get one of those double chocolate chip cookies?â
You were just on cloud nine today.Â
You had taken your exam and for the first time ever in that class, you had felt confident in your work.Â
And to top it all off, after youâd handed in your paper and packed your things to leave, Professor Hall had given you a âwell doneâ nod. You! Heâd never noticed you positively before. You were going to need to drown Peter in thank-you kisses for his help.Â
Speaking of Peter, you couldnât wait to see him. He told you heâd be waiting for you after your class but when you stepped outside, there was no sign of him. You decided to sit on the building steps and wait. He was probably just running a little late, no biggie.Â
Big biggie. After 40 minutes of waiting for him, during which youâd sent him a little text and he hadnât responded, you decided to head over to his place.Â
The walk was short and your little buzz had worn off after not getting to share it with Peter. After all, you kind of owed him most of the credit. You arrived at his apartment door, and when you knocked, it wasn't Peter who answered.Â
It's Freddy.Â
You throw on a smile. âHi Freddy, is Peter home?â
He returned your smile as he said, ââSup Y/N.â He held out his fist and you stared at it for a while before you got the hint and bumped it with your own. âPeteâs not home right now, but you can totally come in and wait for him.â
You found it funny that someone who didnât live there was inviting you in to stay, but you accepted anyway. You also had no clue how he knew your name.Â
You knew little about Freddy, but you knew he was sort of a campus celebrity. Every raging party there was, everyone knew Freddy was behind it.Â
âSo,â you said as you walked in, âwhat year are you in Freddy?â
âAh nah, Iâm done with that shit. I took the bar,â he said casually, waving a hand and moving to sit on the couch. He kicked his feet up on the large Amazon box being used as a coffee table and picked up the open beer sitting atop it.Â
You stood in your place, clutching your bag. He was in grad school?
âOh thatâs awesome dude, did you not pass or something.â
âUh uh,â he shook his head, taking a swig of beer, âgot a 350.â
Your eyes widened. What. You didnât know much about law school but you knew getting a score like that on the bar was not an easy thing.Â
âWait whenâd you take it?â You asked confused. The bar exam wasnât scheduled for a few months from now.Â
âLast year.â
âDo you likeâŠwork at a firm or something?â It was insane to you that the party animal of this school had already graduated, and with an amazing score nonetheless.Â
He shook his head, âWorkin' on my music right now, and if that doesnât work out,â he gave you a wicked grin, âwell Iâve always got my law degree.â
You nodded, stunned. âThatâs sick dude. Good luck,â you told him, waving as you moved to wait in Peterâs room.Â
âKeep the door cracked kids,â he shouted towards you and you huffed a laugh as you entered the room and closed the door (leaving it open just an inch) before you sat at the foot of his bed.Â
You looked around for a second, taking it all in. Itâs amazing how he managed to take this small space and make it so him.Â
After a few moments, you took out your phone to shoot him another text.Â
But before you could finish typing it out, the window beside you started opening and you watched as the Spider-Man fell onto the bed, not noticing you gaping right next to him.Â
You stayed silent, unsure of what to do or say until he moved to take his mask off. That got you moving and talking.Â
âHoly fuck!â You basically shout, moving away, hands flying to your mouth.Â
He seemed to be just as shocked as you were because he scrambled up from his lying position. And staring back at you was Peter Parker.Â
âWhat are you doing here?â He asked you, eyes wide. It wasnât till then that you noticed the paleness of his features, his face lacking that usually healthy glow it held, the waver in his voice, and the hand clutching his bloody side.Â
âHoly fuck,â you repeated, voice lower, and for a whole different reason this time. âShit Peter, youâre hurt.â You moved closer to him, temporarily forgetting everything else as your hand reached to gently remove his so you could take in the extent of his injuries.Â
âItâs nothing,â he said but made no move to shove you away or stop you. You moved his hand and winced at the sight that greeted you, âLooks like a whole lot more than nothing babe.â
âIâve had worse.â
You look up at him, frowning slightly, âNot exactly reassuring Petey.â
âI feel all better now,â he said, shooting you a charming grin as soon as he heard the nickname leave your mouth. âAdd a kiss in the mix, and Iâll be good as new.â
You huffed a laugh, shoving his knee slightly, âShut up Peter. Iâm serious. Iâm sure youâve got some experience with stuff like this,â you wave a hand towards his suit and injury for emphasis and he gives you a quick nod.Â
âOver there,â he pointed toward his dresser, âtop shelf, under the blue sweater.â
You rushed over there, opening the drawer and spotting the sweater he mentioned. âIâm totally stealing that from you someday, this is your heads up,â you told him as you grabbed the large box and completely closed the door before you moved back to his side.Â
âYou can have anything of mine, Angel. Iâm sure youâd look better in it anyway.â His words made you blush, but you tried to ignore them so you could focus on the task at hand.Â
Peter, however, found that he really liked watching your cheeks pink up. And he wanted more.Â
âLean against the headboard, now.â You said, trying to be serious again.Â
âGod, at least buy me dinner first sweetheart.â He gave you the dorkiest smirk youâd ever seen. You just glared at him. âOn the other hand,â he said as he moved backward to lean against his headboard, âI donât need dinner, Iâm all yours baby girl.â
This got you to laugh, âPeter, be serious! Youâre bleeding out!â You moved to his side, âtake this off by the way.â You gestured to his suit.Â
He hit the middle emblem of a spider and you watched as it loosened up and fell off his shoulders. You had started pulling it the rest of the way down, gulping when you realized he wasnât wearing anything else, when he mumbled, âNot a terrible way to go.â
You refused to look up and meet his eyes but he knew he got you. Thank god he was wearing underwear, you realized, and you threw the suit to the side after youâd completely shredded him of it. He was definitely going to need a new one.Â
Now completely facing the damage, your stomach churned, and you were hit with the hard truth. âIâŠI donât know what to do,â you whispered to him. You wanted to help him, more than anything. This man whoâs been risking his life, probably since he was a teenager you realized, as you did the math silently in your head, was hurt and right in front of you, needing your help. And you needed to help him, but you didnât know the first thing about how to approach a situation like this. You were surprised you could stare at the wound for so long.Â
âDonât worry, I can do it,â he said gently, his bloody hand reaching for the huge first aid kit.Â
âNo!â You rushed out, grabbing his hand to stop him, âNo way am I letting you do that! JustâŠjust tell me what to do and Iâll do it.
Feeling more confident, you grabbed the kit and opened it. Shock coursed you as you realized just how much he went through and your confidence fell right back down where it sprouted from. The bag was full of all the medical tools and supplies you could think of, most of them completely foreign to you, and you realized how privileged you must be to not recognize any of these things. You canât imagine the âworseâ he talked about having earlier. This must be those accidents he was talking about.
âI donât usually have to use them,â his voice was soft, almost like he was reassuring you, âusually just water and a towel does the trick. Maybe a little numbing cream. And these,â he looked down at his wounds, âsome bandages, sure, but I wonât need stitches or anything.â
You let out a breath of relief, you werenât sure you couldâve handled that. You didnât trust yourself.
âOkay,â you said, grabbing some wipes. You were going to do this. Based on what heâd told you, he was always stitching himself back up, just to hit the streets again the next day. This time, though, was different. This time you were here to help him, and you werenât going chicken out of this. Even a little help was better than nothing at all.Â
You started slowly, cleaning around his wounds so you could bandage them properly. âYou sure youâre okay with this?â He asked you gently. âI totally understand if you need me to do it, angel, itâs a lot if youâre not used to it.â
âNo,â you shook your head, your voice steady, âNo way. Itâs my turn to fix you up.â You told him, looking up to meet his eyes and smiling at him.Â
He returned it and you went back to work.Â
âSoâŠ.Spider-Man, huh?â You peeked up quickly in question.Â
âYeah,â he took a deep breath, âitâs a long story. Basically, I was bit by some spider, that shit was powerful,â you laughed a little, making him smile. âAnd I got some. Of its powers I mean.â
âSo you get bit by a spider, that spider gives you powers, and you decide to become a New York vigilante?â
âPretty much, yeah,â he nodded, and you laughed again.Â
âYouâre a hell of a guy Peter Parker.â You said, shaking your head slightly.Â
âThank you, I try,â he smirked at you and you laughed again.Â
âOkay,â you said, pulling away from his side. He almost whined in protest. Honestly, he wasnât feeling any pain, not since youâd started worrying about him, and insisting you help him. Peter wasnât used to that, he was always alone when it came to this part of the job. Heâd never minded that before, just one of the things he had to deal with as a superhero, but now that someone else was taking care of himâŠit felt nice. Really nice. Especially when it was you.Â
âPeter?â You looked at him questioningly. Shit. Youâd asked him something. Â
âHuh? I'm sorry, I didnât hear you.â He said with wide eyes. Heâd gotten too wrapped up in the feeling of being taken care of, not that anyone could blame him though, the girl heâd been crushing on forever was here, in his room, helping bandage him up! It's more than he couldâve dreamed of.Â
âItâs okay sweetie,â you said, waving him off assuming he was in pain or something. Really, now he had something new to obsess over. Sweetie? While he was practically naked (albeit injured, but he wasnât thinking of that right now) in bed with you? God, he could just melt.
âI was just wondering which bandages,â you said, holding up the different ones youâd found in his bag.Â
âOh,â he said lamely, âthese ones.â He grabbed a few from you and opened them.Â
âLook,â he said, leaning over himself to see his wounds properly, âyouâve got to bring together both sides of the wound, then secure the bandage so that itâs holding it closed.â He talked as he placed the first bandage with you watching and listening with intent.Â
âOkay, I think Iâve got it,â you said as you took the rest of the bandages from him. You steadied yourself, straddling his thigh as you started placing the bandages down his wound. The biggest gash took about five, your elbow resting on his abdomen as you got lowerâŠand lower.Â
Conveniently, you missed the quiver in his breath, too focused on the work at hand, but you didnât miss the small gasp he let out when your forearm reached right between his thighs.Â
âOh my god, Iâm so sorry!â You said as you pulled away quickly, thinking youâd hurt him. âDid I pinch too hard?â
âNo, no angel, youâre fine. Doing a great job actually.â He replied, trying to collect himself. He could not let himself think of that right now. There were more important things at hand.Â
âYou sure?â You asked him, not looking convinced.
âPositive.â He replied, grabbing your arm and pulling you back in (but making sure to keep you at a healthy distance from his dick).Â
You added a few more bandages, most of the cuts only needing one or two, before pulling away again to rummage through his bag. âWhat do you use on your bruises?â
âThis one,â he said, leaning over you and grabbing a tube from the kit. You turned, your lips almost brushing over each other with how close you were.Â
âHi,â you whispered, all thoughts completely flying out of your head as you realized just how badly you wanted to kiss him.Â
âHi angel,â he said smiling softly at you.Â
Seeing you debate it in your head, Peter decided it would be easier for the both of you if he did it first. Leaning in, he closed the distance and smoothly took your lips in his. You melted into the kiss right away, feeling like youâd been craving this your whole life when really, youâd just kissed his a few hours ago before youâd left work.Â
Your hands were on his bare chest, you could feel every muscle, every move when-
âWait, youâre hurt!â You pulled away, leaving a pouting Peter in your wake.Â
âMy lips work just fine angel,â he said, trying to steal another kiss while you tried to avoid him.Â
âBut..let me finish at least,â you mumbled against his lips, barely getting a chance to pull away after heâd caught you.Â
âYou can finish, just lemme do this first,â he responded before kissing you again.
âHey,â you mumbled against his lips.Â
He hummed in response, moving to kiss your cheek, your jawline. If he kept this up you might not try to stop him.Â
âDid you know Freddy took the bar exam? And passed?â
That got him to pull away.Â
âIâm sorry,â he said, looking at you confusedly, âIâm kissing you and you decide this a good time to bring up Freddy?â
âWell, yâknow,â you shrugged, âfigured it was as good a time as any.â
He scoffed, âUnbelievable.â
You giggled, âI win.â You pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, pulling away before he could catch you and turn it into more.
âNow lay down, lemme do this,â you said waving the cream at him.Â
He moved grumpily and you thought grumpy Peter was the cutest thing ever. The furrow of his brows, the slight pout of his lips. You could just kiss him. And you wouldâve if you hadnât known where it would lead you.Â
You unscrewed the cap to the cream and started applying it gently. âSo Fredâs a lawyer huh?â Peter spoke up.Â
âHe is!â You whispered excitedly, glad he was just as shocked as you were.Â
âAnd you learned this how?â He asked, giving you a look.Â
You shrugged. âHe let me in and I talked to him, asked him a few questions to get to know him better since I see him everywhere.âÂ
âWait, heâs here right now?â
âYeah,â you said slowly, âI thought you knew?â
âNo I didnât-,â he let out a sigh, âwhatever it's basically his apartment too at this point I guess.â
You laughed, âAnd youâre okay with that?â
He shrugged with his good side. âHe buys the good beer.â
You laughed again. âHe scored a 350 on the bar exam!â
Peterâs brows shot up. âOh shit.â
âI know! The only thing I knew about him was that he blacked out in that frat houseâs pool all night and the cops were called cause someone thought he was dead.â
âYeah, heâs super lucky he was on his back. Just floated around the pool like a leaf.â
You shook your head, screwing the cap back on the tube of cream, âCrazy. But anyway, Iâm done. And on the plus side,â you grinned at him, âif you ever get in legal trouble, you know someone!â
He laughed out loud, and you watched as his face scrunched up and he clutched his side in pain. Apologizing for the joke, you gave him a kiss on the cheek to make up for it.Â
âEnough about crazy Freddy,â he let out a sigh, âIâm gonna go put some clothes on, and then I wanna cuddle with my girl.â
Your heart skipped a beat at his words and all you could do was smile as he stood up, giving you a kiss on the side of your head before he moved to pick out some clothes.
You watched him get dressed, biting your lip as you watched how his muscles rippled with each of his movements. You always knew he was strong but seeing him like that, was a completely different story.Â
âLike what you see?â He asked, smirking at you before he lifted his shirt, holding it up between his teeth as he tied his sweatpants.Â
Your mouth fell open. At being caught and also atâŠhow absolutely hot he looked right now. If he wasnât injured, you would be all. over. him.Â
âSâalright angel,â he said as he stalked towards you. He was enjoying this, a lot. âIâm sure Iâd be the same if the roles were reversed.â
That did not help. Now you were thinking about being naked in front of Peter and-
He laughed, kissed the side of your head again, and laid down, pulling next to him.Â
âCareful Peter, youâre still hurt!â You chastised him.Â
He shook his head, âYou made me feel a hundred times better. Thank you, angel.â
âOf course Petey.â He smiled at you as he wrapped his arms around you, hugging you tight.Â
âSo, you came to see me right? Yâknow, before the whole finding out Iâm Spider-Man thing. Whatâs up?â
âOh I almost forgot,â you perked up, tilting your head up so you could see his face, âI think I totally aced that chemistry exam!â
âAngel! Iâm so proud of you!â He started attacking you with kisses, kissing you anywhere his lips could reach.Â
You giggled, âThank you sweetie, but seriously I owe you most of the credit, I couldnât have done it without you.â
âNonsense,â he shook his head, âthat was all you. I barely helped, you learned everything and then took that quiz, and aced it.â
âWell I havenât gotten my grade back yet, I just have a really good feeling, so donât sound too are there's a chance I didnât do as well as I thought.â
âNope,â he said, popping the p. âI have a sense, a spidey sense. And my spidey sense is telling me that you totally aced that thing. No questions asked.â
You laughed loudly. âSpidey sense?â
âNo questions,â he repeated as he nuzzled his nose into your hair.Â
âFine then,â you snuggled up further into him. âNo questions.â
#peter parker#writing#tom holland#andrew garfield#marvel#fanfic#peter parker fic#peter parker fluff#peter parker x you#peter x you#peter parker imagines#peter parker angst#peter parker x reader#peter parker fanfiction#peter parker writing#avengers x reader#avengers#the avengers#tom holland!peter parker x reader#mcu!spiderman x reader#mcu#mcu!peter parker#mcu!peter parker x reader#tom holland x reader#tom holland fluff#tom holland imagine#tom holland fanfiction#tom holland angst#fanfiction#tasm peter parker
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you make me wanna make ya fall in love
word count: 1.97k || EMT Leon || slightly ooc + flirting (HIPAA violation)
summary: the 2000s called, they want their romcom plot back
"I'm actually gonna pass out." You sit on the couch, blinking rapidly as your head goes light.
"I called 911 already, so hang in there, alright?!" Ashley stays connected to the call, holding you up as you groan, stomach caving in on itself and your eyes giving out. Oh, god, is this how you die? You focus on breathing through your mouth, ignoring the way Ashley's voice is reduced to ringing and the way you're sweating buckets. Ew. Maybe you should'veâ oh. this is because you didn't eat, huh? It is 8pm. Yeah, this one's on you. Maybe the heavens will be nice and let a nice hot EMT show up to your door and save your assâ yeah, tough luck.
You can't believe you're about to pass out and all you can think about is men. You're literally failing the Bechdel test. What are you? Some poor girl in a teenage romcom? You're not even a teenager.
You close your eyes for some shut-eye, disrupted when you're shaken awake, blinking slowly as you catch sight of Ashley first, holding her chest in relief when you stare at her.
Then, you notice himâ
Beautiful blonde hair, brilliant blue eyes, arms hard as a rock, you might've just died and landed in heaven. Are you in heaven? Surely you must be. This man looks so gorgeous it's incredible. You have to be in heaven right now. You blink at him with doe-eyes, confusion visible on your face. Ashley's here, so you're not in heaven. Did you just happen to have a super hot EMT show up to your door like you had been imagining? Oh, god, are you... psychic? This is a revelation! This is insane! You have toâ
No, seriously. You're not in a romcom. Can the narrator stop describing it like it's some sort of a romcom? The 2000s called, they want their cheesy romcom plotline back.
"Fucking hell." You groan, shifting against the wall. "How long was I out?"
"Ten minutes." The man reads. "You're just low in blood sugar. We have some orange juice, would you like that?"
"Yeah. Sure." You furrow your brows. "God, wow, count on my body to shut down without sugar."
"It happens." He thanks his coworker for the glass, holding it to your lips. "Tilt, please."
You tilt your head back slightly to press your lips to the glass, drinking it as you lean back to lick your lips, offering to take the glass from him as your arms start cooperating. "I can do it."
"Best not to." He nods. "Just finish the glass. We'll stay until your blood sugar rises."
"Isn't it almost immediate?"
"Takes around 15 minutes."
You raise a brow at Ashley, who shakes her head, and you finish the rest of the glass, watching as Leon checks your stats.
"How often does this happen..." You glance at his nameplate. "Leon?"
"More often than you'd think." He hums, tilting his head at you as Ashley talks to the other worker about your insurance. "Let me guess, you forgot to eat?"
"Yeah. My body stops feeling hunger after a certain point." You hum. "It's not super good, huh?"
"Yeah. Try to have some candy or juice throughout the day. It helps." He nods. "College student life, huh?"
You tilt your head. "How old are you?"
"Been a few years since school." He nods. "Your blood sugar's back to normal, sugar."
You hold your hand over your mouth, raising a brow at him. "That definitely breaks some sort of work protocol."
He smiles, sneaking you a candy from his pocket with a wink.
Huh. Hard caramel.
"Are you alright?" Ashley rests a hand on your shoulder, and you give her a thumbs up.
"All good." You lean against the wall to get up. "I should eat, though."
Leon grabs your arm, helping you up. "Definitely. Have something high in sugar or carbs."
"Will do, Leon." You nod. "Wishing you an uneventful work day. May no emergency be absolutely awful."
"Thank you. Those days are the best."
You send them off as Ashley starts nagging about not eating, and you pout as you lock eyes with her, door locked, ambulance gone.
"Yeah, he was hot."
"YEAH, HE WAS."
You forget about him, though. You start popping candy throughout the day, same brand as the one Leon had given you, your lips curled upwards sweetly when it hits your tongue. It's not food, but at least you won't be passing out because your blood sugar's low again.
You're also never going to see him again, so it's fine if you carry a piece of him around with you.
Except you do. You see him at the EMT booth at a local concert, Ashley in your arms because there's something wrong with her this time. (You really ought to start taking care of yourselves, huh?)
"Ah, sugar." Leon smiles. "Friend this time?"
"Yes." You set her down as he checks up on her. "Is she okay?"
"Seems fine. Just needs some water. Dehydration. How long you been out there?"
"Since morning." You glance at the venue. "Didn't eat either, though I've been having candy."
"That's not good for you, sugar." He hands Ashley a bottle of water, sending her off with you. "Go grab some food."
You watch as he fishes out a twenty from his pocket, blinking as he holds it out to you.
"I can't take that from you, sir."
"Nonsense. Concert food is expensive. It's on me." He smiles.
"You're still breaking workplace rules, I see." You rummage through your pockets, taking Leon's hand as you place a caramel in his hand. "As a thank you."
"I'm sure it'll be delicious later." He smiles. "Now, off you go. We've got quite a line."
"Wouldn't dream of holding you up, Leon." You lead Ashley to the side by the crowds, waiting for her to grab a drink before pulling her to grab something to eat. You pay for her food first, setting Ashley with the rest of your friends before waving to get something of your own.
"Get his number!" She manages to yell as you disappear into the crowd.
Now that's breaking protocol.
Yet, you use the remainder of Leon's money to get him something to eat, waiting for the line to dissipate slightly before handing him a drink.
"For me?"
"It's got... liquid IV in it." You scrunch your nose. "Hopefully that's not a scam."
"Not completely." He takes it from you, pinching at the straw to mix it. "Did you eat?"
"I was about to."
He glances at his coworker and then the intermission.
"That'd be bad, Kennedy." The woman next to him warns.
Leon sighs. "Have fun eating."
"Thank you again." You grin.
"Ah, and for dessert." He reaches for your hand, placing another candy in it. "A hard caramel."
"I'm starting to think you have a thing for caramels, Leon." You raise a brow, taking two steps back before throwing a wave his way. "I'll pay you back later!"
You grab dinner with the rest of your friends, waving bye to them when they leave to continue, Ashley making sure that you've got candy on you before she's gone. You have one final singer that you'd like to see before you leave the event. You're glad you live close to the venue. You could probably walk back or uber if you were really desperate. Though, you wonder just how long the EMT are staying.
You find yourself mixed into the crowd as you wait, jumping when your favorite artist finally appears, cheering with everyone else. You don't blame the rest of them for retiring early. You're the only one who listens to this artist anyway. The setlist has you jumping, cheering at the live vocals, yelling your heart out with the lyrics, and when the set finishes, the sun's almost down. It'd be smart of you to head out at this point.
You make a turn to head back, popping the caramel in your mouth, stopping in your tracks when a man blocks your way.
"Where ya off to, sweetheart?"
"...Oh, you know." You smile, nodding to excuse yourself.
"Need a ride home?"
"Truly, it's alrightâ"
"I insist."
You wrack your brain for a solution, yelping when you feel hands on your waist instead, pulling you backwards. Your back is flush against someone's chest, smile on his lips as you blink. Sure hope it's not some other creep.
"Hey, you good bro? Had one too many to drink? I suggest the EMT tent."
You let out a sigh in relief, watching as the guy notices the uniform and scrambles.
"Thank you." You turn around, smile on your lips as Leon nods.
"You're just too lovely, sugar. Gotta keep those flies off of ya." He nods. "You feeling alright?"
You nod.
"Gone all quiet on me?" He tilts his head. "Alright, up you go."
You yelp as he lifts you into his arms effortlessly, arms wrapping around his neck as he carries you out of the crowd. He presses his forehead to yours to check your temperature, looking to the side when you don't react at all.
"You good?"
"I'm fine, Leon. You didn't need to." You let him take your vitals, the tent practically empty now that the concert was finishing up. His coworker nods at him and heads out, and leaves you with Leon. That's gotta be illegal in some way. There is no way a law is not being broken right there. Aren't they both supposed to get off at the same time? Is that?? legal? Is their shift over?
"You seem fine." He kneels at your chair, fingers on your wrist as he takes your heartbeat. "Heart's a little fast, though."
"Yeah?" You mumble. You're sure you look embarrassed beyond belief right now, so you opt for sucking on the caramel in your mouth.
You're not surprised he takes notice. "Actually, I think my head's spinning just a little. Must be the lack of sugar. You got any on you?"
"Well, I kind of ate my last one..." You mumble, sticking your tongue out with the candy.
"I don't mind."
"Yeah?" You suck on the candy.
"Of course not, sugar." He leans in, tilting his head. "Yeah?"
"Yeah, who am I to say no?"
You let him kiss you, tongue with the caramel offered to him, sugar on your lips and his from it, though you would argue that the only reason the candy seemed to taste so good was because of him. You tilt your head to angle better, Leon's hands finding yours on the chair, pushing himself to you with a hum in his throat, tongue in your mouth as he steals the caramel from you. You don't mind. You might've just tasted a slice of heaven of your own.
You pant, tongue stuck out and mouth open as Leon shows you the candy on his tongue, smiling.
"You got a ride home, sugar?"
"You gonna kidnap me?" You raise a brow, licking your lips for whatever remnant of him is left on you.
"Not with this pretty lady, no." He smiles.
"Breaking work protocol again, I see."
"I'm off duty." He glances to the side as the new shift arrives, and Leon offers a hand to help you up. "Don't worry, sugar, you can pass out on my car. I've got all the candy you could want."
"Hm..." You tap your chin, taking his hand as he pulls you with him, not letting go.
"Hm what?"
"How about we grab brunch sometimes nearby? Just to make sure my sugar levels don't drop from forgetting to eat?" You tilt your head, watching as Leon tilts his head back to you.
"Oh, sugar. You don't even need to ask."
#leon kennedy x reader#leon kennedy#leon s kennedy x reader#reader insert#resident evil#âŸ.fics#PLEASE IGORE THE FACT I SPELLED HIPAA WRONG OH MY GOD IM KILLING MYSELF#thisis how u tell im not in health btw
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Another yapping session with MB yipeee!
nah in all seriousness i would like to talk about some things, now that my temper is gone.
we still remember the post on twt made by @/renhanasgf about Gato not being more inclusive, oorrrr that her poc character are ignored. (i wont talk about the real stuff from discord in this post since proofs are still gathered.)
well here i am! (sadly)
1.How many poc characters?
7 well known (or maybe more). who are those? well we'll start with Raven(tinr) or known as Selin as well, Chet Ichpujani(tinr/tpof), Strade(btd/tpof), Thomas(tpof), Jaqueline(tpof), Machete(tpof) and fucking Derek(tpof)
some of them dont have a full name (besides an alias) either because story wise it didnt mattered or because of their lore (Strade and Machete are criminals, doubt they would want a victim that escaped to expose their identity, no?) Also another detail, even some white characters do not have a last name,such as Sid(tinr), Dragon/Jace(tpof), Komodo/Mike(tpof), Chamomile(tpof), Richard(tpof) and probably some from 'Facility'.
their ethnicities are indeed unknown, either because it wouldnt really affect their story or it was avoided in case it could cause a conflict. dunno. about this i cant really talk a lot since her blogs are gone, thus i cannot dig into this matter anymore. although i believe having a hc on them is fine. ''- It is 100% okay to have ANY headcanons about my character!''-her website)
Raven was one of the well know character from Gato that is poc. her nationality is unknown due to the story (which i would recommend you to read tinr, pretty cool tbh). since her story goes deeper i would suggest you to also read her wiki (fanmade). sadly lots of stuff are now gone about her. still a lover character.
Strade. Strade is Strade. (kind of forgot what she said in the answer about his name but the wiki says ''Strade is not his actual birth name. It's similar to a placeholder name like John Doe. His birth name is unknown." still you can check out more here)
Chet Ichpujani is another character involved in tinr, a manager (i believe) at a semi-restaurant thing? in the end he offers to help Farz with his problem. pretty cool guy since he and Anthony Shore re-appeared in tpof. (picture below)
Machete, ''Machete is the newest member of the desert group. He had to prove himself worthy by performing various criminal tasks to be allowed in. Despite his recent acceptance, the rest of the group remain wary of him. His quiet demeanor and decisive actions tend to unsettle the other members. He regrets everything he's done to be admitted into the group, but he chose to stop at nothing to get revenge for his sister. He feels as though he's completely lost his identity and humanity to his "purpose"." -wiki (also a small detail, he did everything to revenge his sister)
Tom/Thomas, ''Tom is a college student, taking a media development course centered around sound design. He took a few years off high school, kind of meandering through life without an aim for a while. However, he eventually found a passion for making music. Despite tons of research and hard work, he was never really able to get his brand off the ground, so he decided to head to college to get some formal education on the subject. Late one night, as he was about to head home, he was abducted by Komodo and Dragon.'' -wiki
Jaqueline, "Jaqueline is a young trades worker learning to paint houses. She takes pride in her work and also frequently goes to the gym. Her mother pesters her to get a higher education, but she loves her current career path. Due to the friction with her family over her job, she tends to choose to spend time with friends instead. She was violently abducted by Jack in broad daylight, unlucky to have no witnesses." -wiki
therefore, there's plenty of information, plus that lost from her blogs.
2.Model minority
must agree, her work from 2016 looked alike yet, in the last years she actually showed more bodies (like types)
here are some examples:
also Strade's new model as well:
quite diverse, is it not? i am aware i didnt show others as well but if you wish to (and i actually encourage to) you can view the rest here! Lawrence, Ren, Celia (or on pinterest!)
3. Conclusion
i still believe everyone can create whatever they wish, whatever character. the details are on their part. now i could understand Gato for being upset when someone doesnt draw their character as they are (such as changing the body type, skin colour, etc) but also cant blame those who feel like being ignored (trust me, had to survive the genshin fandom).
so the characters exist, thus i dont see the problem of not being inclusive (also, as she often said, you can hc her characters, thus i believe their ethnicities are free to chose for yourself)
that's it. as for the real deal (the discord stuff) i believe it's the best more proofs come. rn i dont see her as a racist artist, but that comment in spanish does sound in fact xenophobic... well, until more context is posted, we'll see
stay safe!
#gatobob#btd#btd2#tpof#boyfriend to death#tinr#augh kinda getting tired of this all of this tbh might draw Law tho my pretty princess
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â§:ïŸRelationship with Chishiya â ShuntarĆ Chishiya headcanonsËâ· ê°đ©șê±
ê° ćœ đđđđđđđ ê±âHeadcannons relationship with Chishiya before Borderland + you together in Borderland.
ê° ćœ đđđđđđđ ê±âShuntarĆ Chishiya x FemÂĄreader
ê° ćœ đđđđđ ê±âFluff, cute, comfort.
ê° ćœ đđđđđđđđ ê±âmention of death and Borderland stuff, you know.
ê° ćœ đ.đ ê±â1,4k
ê° ćœ đ/đ ê±âThis chapter was written almost two years ago, so maybe my writing is a little different than usual. Remembering that English is not my first language! There may be some spelling or grammatical errors, so I apologize in advance. Feedbacks are appreciated! đ Have a good read. ËËÊâ áą. Ì« .áą âÉË
âčâËÊâMasterlistâÉ
â¶ Ë àŁȘ àš đđąđȘ đ§đđđŹ đ đđ§ àš đšïž ÛȘ âĄ Û«
đȘâĄïžâË _ To be honest, the way they met was quite clichĂ©. You have always been passionate about medicine and the first opportunity you had, you couldn't help but study this profession.
đȘâĄïžâË _ You were always first in your high school class, so it was no different in college. Exemplary, punctual, polite, hardworking and, obviously, very smart. It didn't take long for you to complete your internship at a university hospital. To be clearer, because of your intelligence as a healthcare professional, she was one of the youngest students to do an internship.
đȘâĄïžâË _ The first time he saw Chishiya was in the doctors' break room. You were interested because he was a pediatric cardiologist. You couldn't stop thinking about how a strong and mysterious man like him could deal with children so easily, especially in such critical states that most of his patients were in.
đȘâĄïžâË _ It was difficult for you to engage in a conversation with him, as he felt more comfortable with patients than with his co-workers themselves. And it was even more surprising when he started a random topic with you when you coincidentally got coffee from the espresso machine at the same time.
đȘâĄïžâË _ In his opinion, you were too dull for someone like him to get to you...but he proved the total opposite. Chishiya actually thought you were the most interesting in that place. A Brazilian exchange student who was able to stand out so brilliantly in that place. It was fascinating for him to see a woman a little younger than him be so bold and smart.
đȘâĄïžâË _ It was always the same, an exchange of words when they were resting, an exchange of glances when they bumped into each other in the corridors. Until you, unexpectedly, asked for his number. This surprised both of them, but especially you. She was always so into herself, despite being smart, social issues weren't exactly her strong suit.
đȘâĄïžâË _ Over time, you started going out, becoming more and more friends. Despite being opposites, you had more unusual than you thought. They were both determined in their goals and ambitions, they always help those they really care about, perhaps you more than him, but it is still a common topic.
đȘâĄïžâË _ After 6 months of friendship, the familiarity and comfort between you only grew... and other feelings too. I couldn't deny it, initially neither of them had any romantic interest in each other, just admiration. But with time, you understand Chishiya and he loved the feeling of having someone who truly understood him and didn't judge him.
đȘâĄïžâË _ He honestly didn't feel comfortable talking to anyone, but even though it wasn't common, you were the only one he felt safe opening up to without any fear. To him you were like an angel, always there to help him and sometimes he wondered if he was there in the same way for you.
đȘâĄïžâË _ You were always very honest with your feelings so it wasn't a taboo for you. But you loved the way he treated you. You felt unique, special. And that was exactly what you were to him.
đȘâĄïžâË _ You are definitely made for each other and can clearly be soulmates in living form. After a year of friendship, their feelings could no longer be hidden. They both knew they loved each other so it wasn't difficult to declare each other.
đȘâĄïžâË _ It was so simple, but so special for you. They were happy to finally have a weekend off and decided to celebrate together. You usually went to your favorite restaurant, since he always let you choose, but this time they decided to just prepare a simple dinner together and then sit on their terrace to drink some wine while talking about trivial matters.
đȘâĄïžâË _ His chair was very close to Chishiya's chair. Both were slightly drunk, you a little more, but the two of you weren't exactly sober. You placed your glass on the small white table that was in front of you. You adjusted your leg that was resting comfortably on Chishiya's thigh.
đȘâĄïžâË _ You looked at each other for a while without saying anything. You knew that words didn't need to be described for this moment. A comfortable silence reigned between you, until it was broken with a statement from Chishiya. "You can." "What?" You asked calmly, but still confused. "You can do it, whatever you're thinking, I don't care." He said in his usual low and calm tone. "...same?" You said. "...same."
đȘâĄïžâË _ You wasted no time and approached, still calmly, his lips. At first it was a slow and deep peck, which deepened into a real kiss. Still with your lips connected, you climbed onto Chishiya's lap, overcome with emotion. He didn't complain, just squeezed her waist in confirmation, wishing more than ever that I could repeat this moment over and over again.
đȘâĄïžâË _ You didn't know that this kiss could trigger such an admirable and true relationship between you.
â¶ Ë àŁȘ àš đ„đđđđ§đđąđĄđŠđđđŁ đȘđđ§đ đđđđŠđđđŹđ
( đ¶đ» đđŒđżđ±đČđżđčđźđ»đ± ) àš đšïž ÛȘ âĄ Û«
đȘâĄïžâË _ You merely remember the day you arrived together with Chishiya in Borderland. Maybe it was like a blur, but the only thing he remembers was that you were together. Chishiya merely felt guilty for joining you in this. He thought that, Maybe if you weren't with him, you wouldn't be in this horrible place knowing you could die at any moment. Of course, both he and you are too intelligent to die suddenly, but it's still an event.
đȘâĄïžâË _ You were slightly scared by how much he closed himself off after entering Borderland. In fact, he was always a little closed off to people, but never to you. Now on the beach, he didn't treat you with so much affection in front of people. He didnât treat you badly, but he wasnât the affectionate type like he used to be.
đȘâĄïžâË _ but he didn't behave like that because he doesn't love you anymore, but rather so that you wouldn't be an easy target if someone wanted to hurt you, for example, the Niragi or the militia itself. You understood him and only helped him when he needed it.
đȘâĄïžâË _ He wasn't surprised when you did so well in games, both physical and rational. You were a great athlete in high school and that was one of the many reasons he didn't care about your death.
đȘâĄïžâË _ A very important topic in your relationship is trust, which means you tell each other everything. Which led to his great disappointment when he betrayed Arisu and Usagi behind his back. He knew that you hate people who use others, or take advantage of the most innocent, so he didn't tell you anything about his plan.
đȘâĄïžâË _ When the mess at Praia started, you were still fighting with him, which made him worried. The only thing he knew how to do was think about you. He thought that maybe because you were in such a delicate moment emotionally, you weren't reasoning correctly.
đȘâĄïžâË _ After he found you and saw that you were okay, he became calmer. So he just dragged you along the beach to find a way to get out of there and to do that they knew they needed to act rationally and not just physically.
đȘâĄïžâË _ After he explained that he took the letters just to see you well and free from that horrible place, you forgave him. Your relationship was finally stable, and even though you were worried about the picture cards, you were okay being together.
đȘâĄïžâË _ After the chaos on the beach and the fact that you were separated from the rest of the group, you had many existential and anxiety crises. He helped you as much as he could with this, even more so when he realized that his support meant a lot to you.
đȘâĄïžâË _ No matter where you were or what phase you went through, as long as you are well enough to finally get out of there together, you will be happy.
âčâËÊâoriginal by:: @hyunjinners ÂĄ Like Ă reblog!âÉ
#chishiya shuntaro#hyunjinners#fanfic#alice#alice in borderland#alice in bordeland x reader#japoneses#japan#chishiya x reader#chishiya alice in borderland#chishiya x you#aib#aib season 2#ain season 3#shuntaro chishiya x reader#ain x reader#arisu#usagi#netfilx k dramas#chishiya shuntaro comfort#short fiction#one shot aib
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Jarhead
Chapter 1 - The Set Up
A/N: this is a little series based on Jake Gyllenhaal's character Anthony Swofford in the movie Jarhead. Jake is just too cute in the movie to ignore and I just wanna give him a happy ending with lots of angst on the way there. Shoutout to @juniebugg for the idea!
Pairing: Anthony Swofford x f!reader
Warnings: mentions of bad break-ups, flirtation, language, no smut....yet
Word count: 3,185
SHARING IS CARING, SO REBLOG!
You walked into the salon, greeting your lady co-workers as you strutted to your station. Doing hair was definitely not putting your degree in practice, but it got your bills paid. And you found it rather pleasing helping other regain their confidence. The salon belonged to your aunt and you had worked there since high school. It helped get you through high school and college, though it wasnât quite enough to keep you from applying for student loans.
Despite not being in your area, you liked the salon. You liked the people you met, the elderly regulars that stopped by once a week for a perm or a manicure, the neighborhood gossip that they were always eager to share, the co-workers that always had your back.
One of them was Maria. She was a beautiful woman with long dark hair and tan skin that made even gold envious. She was admirable in so many ways. With her husband, Juan, away on deployment, she was quickly thrust into the role of a single parent to their 3-year-old son. She never complained about it. She might have complained about Juan and his habits, but never that he had to be away. In some ways, she was very thankful. The Marines had provided many benefits for them to compensate for his absence like providing stable housing, health-care and education for their family. Granted there were flaws in the system and his absence was at times unbearable, she understood and supported his decision to enlist. Aside from being a great wife and mother, she was also your great friend.
âBuenos, chicaâ she smiled hugging you. âHow was your date last night?â
âTotal dud. Just didnât really click, you know?â
âYeah, I know why too. You still hung up on that fool.â
âIâm not hung up on anyone.â
âYes, you are. That puto lost the best thing that ever happened to him, but you know what? Good for you. Youâre better without him and you deserve better than his broke ass.â
âCan we please not talk about him?â You sighed, eager to leave your ex in the past.
âAs you wish, chica. Besides, I got someone I want you to meet.â She smirked widely prepping her hair brushes and combs to make sure theyâre clean for a new day.
âHe cute?â
âDonât tell Juan, but he is fine, chica. I love my man, but I know fine when I see itâ she laughed nudging you with her elbow. âHis name is Tony, heâs gonna be at the barbeque weâre having for this weekend for Danielâs birthday. Youâre coming, right? Dannyâs gonna be so sad if you donât.â
âIâll be there, donât worryâ you chuckled as you reassured her. âI already got his present and everything. I wouldnât miss it for the world. You know how I adore that little man.â
And you really did. You often babysat him when Juan was on leave and needed some alone time with his wife.
âGood, because I already told Tony Iâll be introducing you to him.â
âAre you serious? You know how I feel about that, Mari.â
âGirl, donât worry. I showed him a picture and heâs interested. I think you guys are a great match and Juan agrees.â
âJuan agrees with everything you say, heâs your husbandâ you laughed.
âWell, just come out and meet him. You donât have to do anything and if youâre not interested, Iâll forget it. But trust me, youâre gonna wanna meet himâ she chuckled with a smirk.
"Fine. I'll meet him, but I'm not promising anything."
From everything she described about Tony, you couldn't deny the butterflies forming in your stomach as the days went by. As the hours crept closer, they quickly began to swarm in your belly and you couldn't remember the last time you felt this way.
You decided to look extra nice that day. It was more than just a casual birthday party, but you also didn't want to go over the top. Settling on a new figure flattering skirt and cute top, you accessorized strategically with a cute necklace that hung just above your fairly modest cleavage. You weren't hoping to end up married by the end of the day, but Lord knows you needed some physical action.
The party was already in full swing by the time you arrived with your renowned dish of crispy and perfectly seasoned panko fried vegetables. Knowing they were a popular favorite among the adults, you'd made more than plenty in two large aluminum foil pans.
Walking into the backyard through the side gate, you immediately recognized the song playing from inside the house. Love Like This by Faith Evans was a personal favorite of Maria's and you had sung to that exactly CD mix in the car plenty of times driving home from your girls night out.
The kids were happily playing on the bounce house Juan had rented for the day. Some played in the pool, stopping only to find their parents for a drink of water. Most of the women were sat by the picnic table setting out the food, so you quickly made your way over to greet them. You knew everyone pretty well having been a family friend for years. Some were Maria's aunts and cousins. A few were your own co-workers and you greeted everyone, with a warm, bright smile and a gentle embrace.
Looking over at the grilling area that had been Juan's third pride and joy - second to the pool he had been finally able to afford and his very own family- you couldn't help but scan over the men gathered there. You couldn't make out what they were talking about, but you knew that Tony had to be one of them. Your heart raced at the thought.
Your eyes landed on a tall man stood beside Juan, helping him man the grill. His hair was short as if he'd been growing it out after a buzz cut. His features strongly resembled Maria's description. His smile stretched from ear to ear as he patted Juan on his shoulder, possibly complimenting him on something. You couldn't tell what he said; the distance and music didn't quite favor that. His long thick eyebrows intensified the bright blue orbs that shone even from a distance and sent goosebumps down your arms the second he caught you staring.
You blushed and quickly looked back down at your dish as you removed the aluminum foil to reveal the fried tasty side dish, secretly praying he hadn't noticed. But unknowingly to you, he had.
Just as you knew who he was, he knew exactly who you were as well. Juan told him all about you the day after he'd agreed with Maria to hook you two up. And Tony couldn't be more thankful. He was starstruck the minute he saw you arrived. Juan nodded at you with a smirk as he laid another steak on the grill.
"That's her, man. What do you think huh?"
"I think she's fucking beautiful, that's what I think" he chuckled excitedly as he patted his friendâs shoulder. "Whatâs her name again?â he joked.
"Dude, I know your brain is small and can only process shit at a slow pace, but please don't fuck up her name" Juan joked.
"I got it covered, man. Relax. Y/N will be in good hands soon enough" Tony chuckles back at him.
After sharing a couple smiles and glances, you decided to make the first move and walked over to grilling area as the guys began served the perfectly charred meats.
"Think you fellas could spare me a steak?" You smirked glancing between them.
"You can have your pick, sweetheart" Tony smiled back. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Tony" he stated holding his hand out.
"Pleasure to meet you. If you're Tony, then I guess we hardly need an introduction. Maria's told me a bit about you already" you smirked shaking his hand.
"Has she?" You nodded with a smirk.
"Good things though. She said you're a real gentleman."
"I try to be, at least" he smiled.
Seeing him up close now, you couldn't help but take in all his details. His long brown eyelashes only embellished his blue doe eyes. Small brown freckles adorned his skin. His beard was grown out just enough to notice he had nice potential of beautifully growing it out to its full extent, but not long enough to hide the skin, dimples and freckles underneath it. He was a sight for sore eyes.
The attraction between you and Tony was undeniable. You invited him to sit with you at one of the fold-out tables to eat. The conversation flowed naturally as you savored your meal and watched the children play while the hours passed. It might have been due to the fact that you had a bit in common like similar musical taste or interest in movies and books.
Not everything was in mutual interest and Tony liked that you were willing to debate and defend your beliefs. He admired that about you, that you stuck to your guns. He also liked that you didn't shy away from teasing and joking. It had felt like you'd known each other for years before. Like two old friends reunited after years apart, almost as if time had no effect. Tony had craved for that: the instant connection and not only attraction. He'd met plenty of girls before, but it had been a while since he felt a connection with someone. Due to the way his last relationship with his ex, Kristina, had ended, Tony hadnât allowed himself to get too comfortable with girls. He had his flings and they stayed just that: flings with no emotional attachment. Until now. Until he met you. And his favorite thing about meeting you? How easily you made him forget about the world surrounding you both.
You two seemed to be inseparable the whole day until Daniel raced over to you, excitedly asking about the present you had promised. It was only then that you realized you forgot it in the car.
You made your way to the gate and left the backyard to walk out to your car. It had barely shut behind you when you heard it open back up. Turning around, you found Tony stepping out.
"Tony." You smiled curiously. "You forget something too?"
"Uh, no. Not exactly."
His lips curled into a smirk as he tenderly cradled the side of your neck. Guiding your lips to his, he pressed a sweet kiss. You could feel him smile into it as he relished the wet warmth of your lips slowly melting into his.
"I'm sorry. I probably should've asked first, but I've been dying to do that all day."
You could feel the blood rushing to your cheeks as you beamed up at him.
"N-no, don't apologize." You stuttered, still stunned at the very pleasant surprise. "I'm definitely not sorry about it at all."
"Neither am I really." He smirked and returned to the backyard with the widest grin on his face.
Juan was quick to notice the smile and seemed to read Tonyâs mind when he walked back to continue his help, slicing and distributing the steaks, sausages and chicken wings.
âOh, you went for it, didnât you? Cabron! I knew you would. Youâre a dogâ Juan laughed, nudging his friend.
Soon after everyone had had a couple slices of the delicious chocolate cake, the party had come to its end and you offered to stay and help the small family clean up. Tony stuck around as well since you promised him a ride home, but he was more than quick to help out. So, you got ahold of a large garbage bag and went around the backyard, collecting the disposal plates, cups and forks that some guests had forgotten to throw out. Tony was further down the yard, helping Juan scrub the grill down.
Daniel sat up on the porch, opening his brand-new presents. You smiled as you watched his excited reaction to the new water gun you'd gotten him. It was more like a rifle and the size of it made the little boy even more eager to try it out. You were quick to offer to help him fill it up. Once it was full, his little legs quickly ran across the yard toward Tony and his father. His first victim was Juan. Tony was right after.
"Oh, no! Man down! Man down!" Tony exclaimed, holding the wet spot on his chest as he fell to one knee.
"Please, Danny. I thought we were friends. I let you have a cupcake before the cake." His voice was strained as if in pain.
You had to admit, Tony was a pretty good actor. The way he fell to his side when Daniel sprayed him again was pretty realistic. He played dead until Daniel was close enough. Suddenly shooting up, he grabbed the child careful enough to not hurt him and wrapped his arms around him. Daniel's laughs filled the air as he dropped the toy gun.
"Get his weapon, Cortez!"
Juan smirked and quickly picked it up to spray his son.
You chuckled as you watched the wholesome scene. Tony clearly had a way with kids due to his playful nature. It made you wonder if he would be the same with his own kids. It made you think about having your own kids and you wondered if that could happen with Tony, but it was far too early to even think about that.
"So, what do you think, chica?" Maria asked coming into the kitchen and snapping you out of your daze.
"Huh? Oh, sorry" you chuckled blushing. "About?"
"About Tony, duh!"
"He's uh definitely cuter than you described." You smirked, replying in the most modest way possible.
"I told you he was fine" she laughed. "You know he likes you too?"
"Does he?" You smiled thinking about the kiss.
"Yeah, but I think you knew that already."
Damn right, you did.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Maria handed you a couple of containers full of leftover food and cake. She'd always separate some for you to take home after get-togethers. It was her way of thanking you for all the help you gave them when they needed it.
âYou sure you donât mind that Iâm kinda wet?â Tony asked slightly worried that heâd ruin your passenger seat as he fidgeted with the containers in his lap as you drove to his home.
âDonât worry. This car has seen a lot worseâ you chuckled. It wasnât the fanciest car, but it served enough to get you from point A to point B.
âYou got a pretty nice way with kids. You got any of your own?â
You wanted to be as subtle as possible about your curiosity in his past relationships and his opinion on having kids.
âI donât, no. But who knows one day? I do have a sister though. Rini⊠Sheâs younger than me. Guess thatâs how I got my way with âem.â
âOh, thatâs cool. I didnât know you had a sister. She nice?â
âSheâs great. Real sweetheart. I love her to death.â
âI take youâre very close?â
âYeah. We try to be, at least. My folks arenât exactly the Brady Bunch, so we try to be there for each other.â
The way he didnât delve into too many details made you think it might have been a sensitive subject to touch on, at least for a first date. Despite being curious about his family history, you simply nodded and glanced at him with a smile.
âFamily can be tough. Wouldnât be family if they werenâtâ you chuckled.
To diffuse the hidden discomfort, you reached out and turned on the radio. Skimming through the channels, he grinned when he caught the sound of one of his favorites, Hip Hop Hooray by Naughty By Nature.
âN-no, no, leave it there. This is a great song, one of my favorites.â
He quickly jumped into the middle of the first verse, rapping along to the song perfectly knowing every lyric by heart. You smiled widely listening to him before joining him in the chorus, waving a hand side to side to the beat of the song. He was surprised when you joined in on the second verse, proving you knew just as much as he did.
You sang along together the rest of the way. If there had been a worry in mind, neither of you could think about them now. It was a perfect ending the day you had. Neither of you wanted it to end just yet.
Pulling to the front of his humble townhouse, you parked and shut the car off.
âYou know somethinâ?â He started as he leaned back against the headrest, rolling his head over to gaze at you longingly. âI had a really great day, thanks to you. I was nervous when Juan said youâd be there today. I didnât really know what to expect. But Iâm really glad I met you.â
You smiled as you unconsciously mimicked his movement and leaned back into your seat.
âDonât sweat it. I was nervous as shit tooâ you chuckled. âBut I have no regrets. I had a great time too.â
âIt doesnât have to end if you donât want it to.â
âYou trying to say something, Tony?â you smirked.
âMaybe. Iâm just sayingâ he shrugged with a sly smile. âMaybe you could come in and I dunno. Maybe have some wine with me.â
âIâm driving tonight though.â
âYou could sleep it off at my place. Drive home in the morning.â
You wanted to say yes. You wanted nothing more than to mount him like a horse and ride him all night. You were eager to get laid at first. You hadnât expected to really like Tony. The fear of coming off desperate must have been radiating off of you. You couldâve sworn he was reading your mind when he reached over to hold your hand as you began nervously picking at your nails.
âWe donât have to do anything if you donât want to. I really mean that, sweetheartâ he said with a soft comforting tone, looking down at your hands aa he thought about how perfectly they would fit together with his. âI just really like talking to you. And itâs been a long time since Iâve wanted to just talk, you know? You can crash on the couch if you want. Iâll keep my hands to myself.â
His concern for your sense of security was genuine. He wasnât going to come onto you if you donât want him to. It was everything you needed to hear to silence the doubt in your head.
âYeahâ you smiled from ear to ear. âIâd love some wine. And just you know, you donât have to keep your hands to yourself.â
#anthony swofford#anthony swofford x reader#anthony swofford x you#anthony swofford x y/n#jarhead#jake gyllenhaal#jake gyllenhaal x reader#jake gyllenhaal imagine#jake gyllenhaal fanfic
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The Student Worker. Baji Keisuke
Baji, having not the best history with school and all things intelligence related, was having the worst time going through college. Of course, it was his ultimate goal to become a vet, but right now he just wanted to survive his classes with good grades and a high GPA.
"What books did you need?" And yet he still wished he hadn't brought Chifuyu along for book hunting. "Your papers should have the ISBN, right? Let me see."
Once again Chifuyu was acting like a father taking his kids to buy binders for classes, annoying Baji to his wits end. The wrinkled paper made a racket in the quiet bookshop as he pulled them from his pocket and passed them to Chifuyu. Every year he had the same problem with the books and finding what he needed for each of his classes.
Chifuyu rattled off the numbers to himself, searching the shelf in front of him as he cross referenced the numbers. His whispering blended in with the soft atmosphere of the bookshop, the other people who were also whispering and double checking numbers to be sure they had the right books. Writing, math, even chemistry books were being grabbed left and right by other young adults and even some seniors who grinned to themselves over the victory of finding what they were looking for. Baji hated them, nothing personal on his behalf, he just wished it was so easy for him to buy his materials without needing Chifuyu to hold his hand.
"Hello! Is there anything I can help you find?" The student worker appeared next to them. Stupid, Baji already knew he was stupid, but he'd have to be absolutely braindead not to realize how captivating the girl was. Beautiful hair and bright eyes as she flashed her sunshine and rainbows smile. Her kindness was part of the job, that much Baji was smart about.
"Actually-" "No! No, thank you!" Baji rushed, taking has papers back from Chifuyu, "He doesn't even go here, he's just helping me look for the books, but we've got it, thanks though."
Her laugh was sweet and thick, like Baji's favorite honey brand, "Alright, well, find me if you change your mind."
That wouldn't be happening, but the guys nodded and Baji felt like he could breathe again as she left. For him to be so flustered was strange for Chifuyu to see, especially around a girl. His friend had always been cool, suave even, though he was sure that Baji lacked the ability to make a girl fall for him.
"She's out of your league."
"I know."
"You're blushing."
"I know."
Baji went back to searching for the books listed on his paper, successfully finding three of them before giving up and dragging Chifuyu from the building so he couldn't ask the cute girl for help. It was more than obvious that the girl would know where the books were that Baji needed, but he couldn't take even the idea that she would think he was dumb. Or maybe she would find his idiocy endearing?
Unlikely.
The atmosphere of his home was much different from the campus bookstore. Lighter in the sense that he knew he didn't have to be quiet, and it didn't smell of paper and wooden book shelves. But he preferred the smell of books over the booze that currently tainted the air from his late night celebration of getting through another semester. Hey, he was allowed to be proud of himself for making it through more time in school, so what if he had a few drinks...alone...watching tv. Okay, so he wasn't celebrating and he was just day drinking. Baji felt better saying that he was ringing in the new semester than admitting to himself that he drank a twelve pack by himself. And ate two bags of family sized trail mix. And drank a whole gallon of coffee, or what felt like a gallon. Baji Keisuke was more than aware of his pathetic nature. Drinking alone, eating half his weight in the food in his kitchen, chugging coffee to stay awake, and all because his friends had moved on and had their own lives and families. Yet there he was, living alone and being in college while working part time with Chifuyu and Kazutora, all while needing help with something as simple as finding textbooks.
A light pinging caught Baji's attention, an email popping up on his phone screen from his advisor.
[email protected]: Hello, Baji! Just checking in to make sure you have all the deadlines still, and making sure the hunt for next semesters materials is being fruitful! Don't hesitate to use the many resources around the campus and even off campus!
The advisors cheerful nature only added to his annoyance. First, he rambled and made a fool of himself in front of the girl that he thought was insanely cute, and now he was faced with two links of deadlines that were coming up quick. He'd probably have to suck it up and risk having books late so he could order them online. And he would've risked it if one of his deadlines wasn't in a week.
So Baji sucked it up and took the long drive back to the campus. It was beyond embarrassing for him to walk back into the bookstore, even with his hood up so no one could see his face.
There she was again, her light pink painted lips pouting over her hand as she rested against the welcome desk, ocean eyes calmed from her boredom as she seemingly waited for anything to happen. Here Baji was to be that anything.
"Hey..." Baji slid the paper towards her, a little taken back by how swiftly she grabbed it and looked at his chicken scratch handwriting and scribbles, "I, uhm, need help finding the ones that aren't marked off..."
When she perked up, Baji couldn't help but think she looked like one of the birds at the pet shop. The ones that talk nicely when customers came by, saying, "pretty hair, pretty hair," or "wanna hug?" She was the prettiest damn bird he'd ever laid eyes on. "A couple of these are in our animal sciences, but they aren't on the shelf. I can contact our other campuses and have them here in a couple days if that is fine?" Her tilted head reminded him of the dogs, how they'd beg for people to pick them up and pet and love on them.
"S'fine, thanks." He mumbled with a slight nod. At least he would be getting them before his deadline.
Painted fingernails tapped the paper, "I can get you this one, though. Follow me."
He took the chance to notice her height. She wore flats, which for Baji meant she was practically barefoot, and couldn't hide how tall she was. Her pants were a little tight, accentuating her assets in a way he would only describe as alluring. What? He thought she was deserving of respect and he refused to think wow, nice ass.
Her fingers looked nice as she grabbed the spine of a book, leaning it out before grabbing it and looking in the cover at the numbers printed inside. "So, what are you in classes for?" The softness of her voice startled him a little, "All these animal science, anatomy and surgical books make me think vet, but maybe it's something more specific?"
Fuck, she was observant. "Vet, yeah." Baji grinned a little, his canines flashing at the worker, "Third year."
Chiming bells. That's what her laughter sounded like, "I admire the dedication. I'm going to classes for business."
"Business? Typa business?" Shit! He couldn't even speak properly?! "Business management." She passed the book to his hands, "I'm hoping to run my own shop one day!"
Baji was more focused on making his tongue from the words this time around, "What type of shop, if I can ask?"
"Arts and crafts type of things." And he never would've imagined that red looked so good on her cheeks, "I doodle and make things in my free time, so I figured I might as well make it profitable."
"That's real smart." Baji followed her back to the counter, reading her 'School Life!' T-shirt as she scanned the book.
"Why'd you choose veterinary?" She set the book close to his hand, her eyes trained on where the little receipt would be printed. Baji would have to sign a copy and she'd file it and then he'd get his copy. "I love animals." Was his simple answer that he wished was as deep as hers the second it left his stupid mouth, "I help run a shop with some buddies of mine, though I'm only working part time right now with college."
"You do? Is it around here? What's the name?" Her eagerness was cute, too. So he gave her the name and helped her find the address on Maps before signing the receipt and making his way out to his car.
Baji was many things, but he wasn't a gossip girl. At least, he didn't think he was until he was leaning backwards on the counter at the pet shop while telling Kazutora all about the pretty girl with brains that helped him get his books. Kazutora was rolling his eyes and chuckling, because of course it was Baji who had a crush on some girl that was just trying to do her job. "Let me get this straight; this girl helped you get your text books, you thought she was super cute but now you think she's even more cute?"
"Dude, she's gorgeous!" Baji leaned forward, "She's gorgeous and smart and dresses nice and she wears this really pretty pink lipstick."
"And she's here."
Baji whipped around at the girls voice, turning a deep and dark shade of red before ducking down under the desk to hide. Kazutora rolled his eyes, "What can I do for you, miss?"
And once again it was that chime like laughter that made Baji's heart flutter, "Well, Baji Keisuke was telling me that he worked here, and your website says that visitors can hold the animals."
"You can. I'm sure Baji-" Kazutora kicked him as he spoke, "-wouldn't mind helping you at all. I would, but I love to watch him suffer when he gets caught talking about someone."
She giggled and smiled more than Baji had ever seen before, then again he'd only ever seen her working and behind that counter. Who could smile a lot when they were at work, anyway? Scratch that. Baji would smile about work if it was paying for college, too. She pointed at the cats pen, "Can I hold the calico?"
"Her name is Katara. She can be moody, but mostly she loves scratches right under her chin and on her chest." Baji unlocked the pen and Katara started meowing loudly, "And she's very talkative."
To ignore the redness in his face and forget that everything he had said was heard by the same girl he was talking about was too much to ask of the universe. Because he couldn't get the tingling from his cheeks off his mind and the girl kept chuckling every time she looked at him, as if his embarrassing moment kept playing through her mind. Part of him was relieved she'd heard so know he didn't have to pretend that he was just some weirdo, but now she knew that he thought those things. She knew!
"I don't want you to think I'm weird or anything..." She used a soft voice no matter where she was, it seemed, "But I looked up your campus ID and got your number. I was going to text you and let you know but I thought that would be really weird and that you'd think I was strange so I didn't but I guess showing up at your place of work and telling you this is also kinda weird..."
She rambled just as much as Baji did, and that was almost enough to put him at ease. "It's cool. Just, uh, just text me whenever you want so I have your number, yeah?" Butterflies were flitting around like crazy in his stomach, twisting everything into a knot and pulling it tight.
"I'm Y/n." She pet Katara gently, her light pink fingernails scratching softly under the kitties chin.
#anime#manga#tokyo revengers#x reader#tokyo rev#tokyo rev x reader#fanfiction#keisuke baji x reader#baji keisuke#baji x reader#tokyo revengers baji
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for the ask meme: principal snyder
[Reverse unpopular opinion meme.]
Not sure how unpopular a take this is but I really like Principal Snyder. He is genuinely one of my favorite minor characters on the show.
There are, I guess, a few different reasons for that.
The first is just a question of good timing. Snyder arrives during the second half of the first season, which is â to my mind, anyway â the point where the show really starts to find its feet. (This is also, I suspect, part of the reason Iâm so fond of Jenny Calendar, who shows up at around the same time.) And heâs a recurring figure throughout the showâs second and third seasons too, which â while they might not be objectively the showâs best years â are certainly the seasons I personally have the most nostalgic feeling for and whose failings Iâm most willing to overlook. Snyderâs part of my favorite two and half seasons of the show, so Iâm predisposed to enjoy him as a character.
Second, and along similar lines, Snyder is a type of character that I think that the latter seasons donât really have: a recurring character who is somewhat important to Buffyâs regular life but entirely ignorant of the supernatural side of that life. Yes, we find out early in Season 2 that Snyder knows more about vampires than he lets on, and that heâs reporting directly to the Mayor; but that connection doesnât seem to add up to him being in on the Mayorâs big Ascenion plan and he doesnât show any sign of knowing that Buffy herself is the Slayer.
After the high school seasons, who else is there like this? Parker Abrams, I guess, very early in Season 4, but ⊠thatâs it, right? There are characters who could have taken up Snyder's mantle â Dawnâs social worker, for example, or Buffyâs second manager at the Doublemeat Palace, both in Season 6 â but for whatever reason nobody does. Almost everyone else Buffy meets after high school either turns out to be deeply connected to the supernatural -- other than Parker everyone she spends any time with in college turns out to be a demon, a witch or a member of the Initiative; the next Principal of Sunnydale High is the son of a previous Slayer, the doctor she starts talking to when her Mom gets sick is the mortal vessel of a hell god -- or just not a regular part of the show at all. I canât even remember the name of any of Buffyâs college professors other than Maggie Walsh.Â
And I think thatâs a shame, because the existence of Principal Snyder as a low-level recurring antagonist makes Buffyâs life as a regular teenage girl feel a lot more consequential than it otherwise might. If Buffy only had problems with one-off teachers weâd never seen or heard of before, or if she frequently complained about getting into trouble with an off-screen principal we never got to see on screen, the world of the show would just feel a little less grounded. And, in particular, Snyder's function as the show's clear unsympathetic authority figure implicitly helps make both Buffy's Mom and her Watcher much more sympathetic than they might otherwise be
More important than either of those points though, I think Snyder is just really fun to watch? For my money, the writers strike almost the ideal balance between making him an unpleasant self-important bully and making him a ridiculous comic figure (one who, crucially, at no point shows any sign of being in on the joke). Armin Shimerman is unfailingly great in the role from his very first appearance, and he gets such wonderfully silly lines to say.Â
Some of my favorites:
âThere are some things I can just smell. Itâs like a sixth sense.â Â
âWhat are you, ghouls? There are no dead students here ⊠this week.âÂ
âThatâs the kind of wooly-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten.âÂ
"Children everywhere ... Like locusts, crawling around, mindlessly bent on feeding and mating, destroying everything in sight in their relentless, pointless desire to exist."
âWhy couldnât you be dealing drugs like normal people?âÂ
"This is a time of celebration. So sit still and be quiet."
âThere are things I will not tolerate: students loitering on campus after school, horrible murders with hearts being removed. And also smoking.â
Finally, I really like the fact that â unlike, say, Shimermanâs other big 90s genre TV role, Quark on Deep Space 9, and unlike somebody like Jonathan who was also a recurring character in the high school years who didnât (then) know that Buffy was the Slayer â Snyder really never gets any more depth or attempts to make him sympathetic. He never gets fully brought into the magical world or gets given some sort of character arc or has any previously well-hidden virtues suddenly revealed.
Yes, okay, thereâs the aforementioned ties to the Mayor and the brief glimpse we get of teenage Snyder in Band Candy. But for all practical purposes the Principal Snyder we see in Season 1âs The Puppet Show â delighting in causing Buffy and her friends problems for no reason while boasting about how, unlike his predecessor, heâs too tough and disciplined to ever get eaten â is the same Principal Snyder we see in Season 3âs Graduation Day, getting eaten.
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summer 1963.
Part One of She's Like The Wind
Pairing: Reader x Stray Kid's Lee Know AU: Summer love, based on the film Dirty Dancing Genre: Angst, Fluff (this part) Preview: âYeah, I carried a watermelon.â The words tumble out of your mouth before your mind can comprehend them. At this, Minho spares you a judging glance that makes you feel small, not bothering another word before turning and walking back to the dance floor. Words: 7.9k *Warnings under cut
Warnings: Some curse words, mentions of food, eating, and being full, mentions and allusions to drug use and bad side effects of said usage, overall mature themes.
Your head lulls softly to the side, pulling your gaze to the window- the same green stretch of grass stuck in your view for the past couple of hours of your drive. The deep colors seem refreshing even in the summer heat, much more appealing than the grey concrete that you were accustomed to.Â
Looking to your right, you see your older sister trying for the fifth time this hour to paint her toes a deep red without messing up with the occasional bumps on the road. In the passenger seat, your mom flips through a home decor magazine- one of the hundreds she brought to keep herself busy during the long ride to the countryside. Driving, your dad stays concentrated on the destination all while humming along to the songs coming from the radio.Â
Youâve come to love the idea of spending your last summer with your family at a resort a couple of hours away from the city. When your parents first mentioned the idea, it seemed less than appealing- being more focused on quality time with your friends before everyone moved away for college. But now that youâre here, youâre glad to have this time with them knowing once you leave to the college an hour from home- everything will be different.Â
You push those thoughts away for now-Â the inevitable change that is making you more nervous by the day but you want to focus on what you have now.Â
Not a half-hour later, the car makes its way on the dirt path to the large buildings surrounded by vast fields of green. The many guests loiter around outside, walking to their next destination or sitting, soaking up the sun. The closer you get, you spot a large lake just down the hill, complete with some volleyball nets and kids splashing in the water while their moms try their hand at tanning.Â
The scene is so different than the summers youâre used to and suddenly you canât wait to see what else there is in store here.
Pulling up to the front behind several other cars, your dad parks and gets out, everyone else following in suit. A worker, no doubt a high school student with a summer job, quickly comes to assist with taking your luggage out of your car. You let your eyes wander to him, feeling bad as heâs left to heavy bags by himself as your family follows your father- heâs just spotted the owner of the resort and his old friend and excitedly makes his way to greet him. Staying behind, you make your way to the back of the car and start to hand bags to the boy. He gives you a genuine smile, his eyes nearly closing as he does and you canât help but return it.Â
âYou really donât have to help, itâs my job, yaâknow. Youâre here to relax.â He claims as he places the bags on the bell cart. You smile softly, âI know, but itâs the least I can do. My sister tends to overpack, that would explain why we have eight suitcases when thereâs only four of us.â You chuckle and the black-haired boy joins in. âWell, thank you for your help. I hope you have a wonderful stay.â He says piling up the last of the bags. âThanks,â you let your eyes wander to his nametag, âJeongin. Have a nice day.âÂ
Jeongin waves you off as you make your way to find your family. Youâre thankful you donât have to go far when you see them standing in front of the resort, your dad still talking to his friend. At your presence, your father puts his arm around you bringing you closer into the view of his friend, introducing you as his youngest daughter.Â
âAnd this is here is my roommate and dear friend from college, Max Kellermen. He also owns this lovely place and invited us here for a stay.â Your dad smiles brightly as he talks about his friend. The middle-aged man politely shakes your hand as he smiles just as bright, the two of them clearly excited to catch up.Â
âI have no doubt you and your family will have a life-changing experience here. This vacation will be like no other.â
After a slow afternoon of settling in and wandering around the property, you find yourself sat between your dad and sister at the dinner table. One of the nicer dresses you packed feeling much harder to breathe in after the five-course meal that was presented to you. Dinner at the resort was held in a fancy ballroom-like hall where all the guests gathered to be waited on by the multiple waiters from the kitchen. The whole thing was enjoyable but the events from the day were starting to wear on you. You quietly stir at your coffee, barely listening to your father who loudly babbles on to Max who has joined your table for dessert.Â
âIs there anything else I can do for you all?â Your waiter for the night, a polite, handsome young man with an enjoyable sense of humor, asks checking in on you all once again. Max and your father smile up at him, âI think weâre good, Chan.âÂ
Chan smiles his charming smile and you speak up before he can leave, âActually, can I have a box for my leftovers. I wouldnât want to waste,â You finish off bashfully almost embarrassed by your comment. Your father nearly rejoices by it though, âThatâs right, Chan. We could all use some boxes. Wasted food and hunger are the worst problems in our country, could you believe?â You feel second hand embarrassment by your fathers words, clearly being affected by the wine he had for dinner. âYou see,â he speaks to Chan and Max, âMy youngest here is going to change the world. She starts college this fall and then after that, the Peace Corps that President Kennedy foundedâ He smiles proudly at you and you feel nauseous by the statement. You grew up close to your father, whereas your older sister enjoyed tea parties, ballet, and shopping trips with your mom, you tended to golf and volunteer with your dad. You suppose your closeness has allowed for him to push his views on you, so it shouldnât surprise you at this point how much faith he puts into you and your nonexistent aspirations.
You hate it.
All this he talks of, college, peace corps, those are his dreams not yours. You fear that after all this time you lost a sense of who you are without your father's interference. You love the man to death, but hate the fact that you are living under his idea of a perfect daughter.
Max merely smiles at you before turning to your sister, âWell if she is going to change the world, what are you going to do, Daisy?â Your mother chuckles speaking up, âOh, sheâs going to decorate it.âÂ
It takes you all by surprise when Chan speaks up as he clears the used dishes, âI think she already does.â He smiles at her before excusing himself. You giggle at the redness of her face and give your mom a look knowing just how much your sister loved it.
The conversation drags even longer between the two and youâve even ended up asking Chan for another cup of coffee to help keep the sleep off of you.Â
Sometime later, a young man comes to your table seeking Max out, âUncle, there you are. Iâve been waiting at our table or an hour now.â He chuckles and you glance over him. Max lights up at his presence and stands to wrap his arm around his nephews shoulder, âEveryone, this is my nephew, Neil. He is one of the managers here at the resort.â He proudly smiles at the boy. Neil politely greets everyone before taking an empty seat next to his uncle, âYou must be the family my uncle has been talking nonstop about all summer. Heâs so excited you all could finally make it out.â He keeps a wide smile on his face, letting his eyes wander over everyone at the table.Â
You keep a small smile on your face but inwardly groan at the thought of the conversation continuing any longer. The next fifteen minutes are spent with your dad being utterly impressed with Neil as he talks nonstop about himself and his accomplishments for being so young. You donât think you've ever heard one man talk for so long about only his own matters and it didnât take long for you to be completely put off by the boy.Â
Your relief came not long after when the boy stood, âWell, it was so nice to meet you all but I must be going. Iâm due in the lounge to watch over the dancing.â He politely smiles. âThereâs dancing?â Your sister asks curious about the activity she has yet to see at the resort. âOh, yes. Every night we have a live band in the longue and most guests come to dance the hottest dances- from the foxtrot to the mambo. We even have professional dancers staffed that can teach and demonstrate to the guests. Itâs really great.â Neil explains the situation and Max nods along proud of the popular activity the resort could provide.Â
Your mom and sister look to each other clearly interested in the activity whereas you could care less, never really have been much interested in dancing yourself. You look up with a start as your dad calls your name, âDoesnât that sound fun? You know, Neil, maybe you should take her over to check it out, I bet she would love it.â Your dad smiles excitedly and you realize quickly he was so impressed with the boy heâs started to play matchmaker.Â
Trying your best to keep your emotions contained, simply looking to your father. âI donât know, daddy. Iâm quite tired from traveling today.â âWe donât have to stay long,â Neil smiles at you, âYou can just check the scene out that way you know where it is for other nights.â âThatâs a good idea, sweetie. Why donât you go check it out for us and let us know if we should all go over tomorrow night.â Your mom speaks up nodding at you.
The longue is much bigger than you expected and the dimly lit room made for the perfect atmosphere. The live band continuously played upbeat and slower tunes to appease the large crowd of dancing guests. Though, much to your dismay, Neil insisted on having one dance with you and yet here you both were three songs later. You were never much of a dancer, not even interested in the deed during your final prom in the spring. Not much has changed as you stand swaying boringly back and forth with your partner. Though all the people around you seem to be having the time of their lives lazily moving to the music, you were bored from the moment you started.Â
As Neil continues his nonstop talking, you begin to think maybe itâs your partner that is making the dancing so miserable. The owner's nephew was very polite, but it didnât take long for you to realize just how full of himself he is. The past fifteen minutes were full of him going on about how amazing he is to have started managing- not one but three resorts, at such a young age. You were able to slip in a few words about how hardworking he must be but other than that, he seemed to be content with you just listening to his whole life story.Â
The song finally comes to an end, the crowd stops their movements to applaud the band. Youâre thankful for the opportunity to prepare yourself to tell Neil just how tired you were, but the band starts again- playing a much more upbeat tune than that of any you have heard the time youâve been here.Â
You look on with curiosity as the crowd starts to cheer and clap as a couple makes their way into the center of the circle the guests have carved out for them.Â
Your eyes follow the couple in awe as they command the spotlight and start to dance, clearly much more advanced than anyone else in the room.Â
Youâre unable to even find it in yourself to leave Neil as youâre absolutely captivated by the way the pair move across the floor all by themselves. Eyes wandering to the boy as he swiftly and gracefully moves across the floor, effortlessly gliding his partner.Â
A smile pulls on your face as he lifts her slightly, spinning her around letting the coral dress sheâs wearing flow freely around her. The two were clearly professionals and watching their dance brought you joy as well as all of the other guests who stayed aside to watch their show. You had never seen professional dancers before but watching them now you were allured by their talent, unable to take your eyes off of them. Every part of their bodies seemed to move to every beat, everything about what they did seemed natural and intentional at the same time. âTheyâre amazing,â you let out as your eyes continue to follow the couple whose looks are as beautiful as their movements. Neil scoffs from beside you, âYeah, well they should be we pay them for it.â He shakes his head as he continues to watch their routine, âTheyâre supposed to be selling lessons to the guests but theyâre just showing off.â You want to argue that everyone around them is clearly enjoying the act but you donât bother using the energy to talk to the boy.Â
You stay watching the couple, unable to tear your gaze away from every twist and twirl they make. They eventually end and bow respectively to the crowd who cheers loudly for their talents. Even then, your eyes stay focused on the gorgeous girl and boy who shines just as beautifully. You watch as they go their separate ways, making their way in the crowd to politely dance with some of the guests- a clear part of their attempt to sell lessons. You follow the boyâs head until you can no longer see it, mind wandering to ask your father to pay for dance lessons this summer. That would be a great idea, you thought, if only you liked dancing.
The next couple days of your vacation were uneventful- relaxing but nothing too memorable. You often found yourself wandering the resort by yourself as you parents partook in the multiple activities offered and your sister spent as much time as she could with the waiter, Chan.Â
This night wasnât much different as you wandered around the different paths of the resort after dinner, picking daisies that littered the grass. The sun had fallen long ago but you couldnât find it in yourself to stay cooped up in the room when Daisy had gone into town with Chan and your parents were watching a screening of a new movie in the small theater within the hotel. So, much like any other time, you found your feet carried you outside and simply walked where you could.Â
You hum along to a song thatâs tune has been in your head all day as you hop along the rock-paved path going to the bottom of a hill you have yet to explore. Half way down, you notice the presence of another. It was a boy who seemed to struggling to carry something as he walked further in front of you. Squinting your eyes, you notice the boy is familiar. âJeongin! Hey!â You call out with a smile, happy to see another person you know. You jog briskly down the hill to meet him where he stopped with a smile. You hold your white dress to keep it from flowing too far up and you make your way to the black haired boy, sending him a big smile as you finally reach him. âHey,â he returns your smile and you look down to see him struggling to keep his grip on a couple of watermelons. You automatically go to grab one with a huff as itâs much heavier than you first expected, âWhere are you going? Iâll help take this there.â Jeongin chuckles at you, âWhat? Donât you have to go meet your manager boyfriend?âÂ
You frown at the mention of Neil, the boy clearly having seen your parents attempt of having you spend time with the conceded boy. Rather annoyed by his comment, you roll your eyes, roughly pushing the watermelon back into his arms and turn around to take your leave, disappointed by the boy you were originally pleased to see.Â
âHey! Wait! I was messing around, câmon I could use your help.â You spin around, sending the boy a glare as you pull the extra fruit from his arms. Jeongin laughs and hoists the fruit he still has further up in his arms, âWell, letâs go then. But donât you dare even mention what Iâm about to show you.â he says the threat with such a light tone that you barely register what he was saying. âWhat do you mean?â You ask as you follow him further away from where you met. âWhere weâre going is only for staff members, so youâre not even allowed to be there.â He says nonchalantly and your confused as to whether he is being serious or not. âAnd when I say that, I mean only certain staff,â he huffs as you two make your way up a hill, âSo donât mention it to nobody, especially not the manager.â You roll your eyes but refrain from biting back at the comment about Neil once again.
Finally making your way to a small wooden building, Jeongin roughly shoves the two doors open using the back of his body, making sure one of them stayed open long enough to safely let you in. Yet youâre so surprised by your new surroundings you canât even find it in yourself to thank him.
Though the lighting is dim just like the dance lounge on the main resort - that is the only thing that you find familiar. The room is hazy and filled with smoke and there is a loud booming from the speakers playing music from the record. A completely different genre from that of the live music you enjoyed at dinner and in the lounge. It sounds much like the music your peers listened to on their own record players when you visited their homes.
As you try to keep your gaze on Jeongin to follow him to the designated destination he had in mind, you find it nearly impossible. The room was crowded with workers who are enjoying their time off, dancing to the loud beat of an unfamiliar song. And though you try your hardest to keep your eyes on Jeongin through the tight-nit crowd of people, you canât help them wandering to take in just how the people around you are dancing.Â
Never in your life have you seen just- frankly to put it; crude dancing. You werenât really sure if you could call it dancing at all.
Pairs of people who pressed together so tightly it was nearly difficult to tell where one body ended and the other began. There was groping with wandering hands and groins pressed and rocking together. Your cheeks flushed as were almost certain these moves were only meant to be done in private.Â
Finally reaching your destination, you place the watermelon on an empty table beside Jeongin's. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he chuckles probably taking in your flustered reaction. âDo you like the dancing?â he moves a bit to lean back against the wood, moving his view the the crowd of moving people before you both.Â
Following his actions, you move closer to him, making sure he could hear you even with the blaring music, âSo they are dancing?â You arenât even sure yourself if your question is facetious or not. Jeongin merely lets out a laugh, âCould you imagine if people danced like this out on the main floor?â He shakes his head just thinking about it, âMax would have all of our asses out on the street.âÂ
You smooth the fabric of your dress down, suddenly feeling self conscious of how you're dressed. Compared to those around you, you feel like you're dressed for church. "Wanna try?"Jeongin speaks up from next to you, raising his eyebrows, as you swiftly shake your head. There was no way you would dance like that. Not only did you not believe your body would move like that, but you were sure you would be far too embarrassed.
Your attention is drawn back to the crowd when everyone seems to let out a small cheer, looking you notice they make way for a new couple to join the dancing right in the center of the room, where everyone can see them.Â
Immediately, you recognize the pair.Â
It was hard not to, with the man striking features and the smoothness in which both of them move. Though this dance is completely opposite than that of what they danced to the last time you saw them. You enjoy watching them nonetheless, you could hardly keep your eyes off of them, absolutely captivated by their swiftness. Automatically, your head starts to bob to music. âTheyâre incredible!â You lean closer to Jeongin to express your fondness. âRight? Theyâre the best this resort has. That there is my cousin, Minho. And his partner is Momo!â The boy has a smile on his face as though he is proud to introduce you to the talented pair he happens to know very well.Â
âThey make such a great couple.â You let out, even you could see their chemistry.Â
âYou would think so, huh? Theyâre not romantically involved though.â
Pursing your lips, you look at Jeongin after his comment, blown away with the information he just shared with you, âSeriously?â
He nods quickly, crossing his arms, âOh, yeah. They tried it out once in high school, ended it two days later. Momo actually has a boyfriend who lives in town.â
You let out a small hum of acknowledgment, letting your eyes stay focused on the pair you two talked about, âAnd what about him, your cousin?â The younger boy laughs beside you, âOh heâs single, alright.â The current song comes to an end and some pairs start to break away. Almost as if he knew you were talking about him, his cousin's eyes wander over to where you and Jeongin are resting.Â
And much to your dismay, he starts to make his way over to you both.
As the boy makes his way in front of you both, you realize how intimidating he was. His dark eyes are sharp and unimpressed, sweat lingering on his face from dancing in the hot, crowded room. Maybe it was because you were aware you weren't supposed to be here, but you swear his gaze was intense enough to make you sweat yourself. You do your best to keep your eyes locked on his chest, his arms, his neck, anywhere that kept you from meeting his eyes. All the while you could feel his own locked on you.
âWhat is she doing here?â The older boy questions his cousin. âOh, she helped me out on the way here. Saw me struggling and all.â Jeongin trails off as if to observe what his cousinâs reaction would be. âYeah, I carried a watermelon.â The words tumble out of your mouth before your mind can comprehend them. At this, Minho spares you a judging glance that makes you feel small, not bothering another word before turning and walking back to the dance floor. And as soon he turns your eyes rolls and you mumble to yourself about your idiotic words, shaking your head with a sigh as you wish you could forget the awkward encounter.
The next couple of songs play without incident; you stay by Jeongin's side, making idle small talk as you enjoy the music. All the songs being played are quite different from those that the live band play on the main floor, but you might even enjoy these songs even more. As each melody goes on you find yourself subconsciously moving and bobbing to the beat, especially as you watch everyone around you flowing along with the instrumentals.Â
Continuing your small movements with a small smile upon your lips, your eyes wander around the room, taking in how the crowd changes their movements when a slightly more upbeat song starts to play. As your eyes make their way back to in front of you, the smile you once sported falls just as you still your body. You find a familiar dancer making his way straight towards you.Â
He makes his appearance without a word, simply reaching out to grasp your hand with his nimble fingers. Minho gently gives you a tug, head nodding towards the dance floor as he walks you there. You feel your mouth slightly part in surprise but you find yourself unable to protest, head glancing back as Jeongin as he merely gives you a shrug, looking almost as confused as you are.
Minho doesnât stop until youâre both in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by the other moving bodies. He makes his way in front of you making sure he has your attention, âWatch.â You swallow deeply as the taller boy starts to move, simply swaying his hips back and forth to the beat of the song. âGo on.â He states again and you bite the inside of your cheek questioning if you would rather run back to his cousin than to attempt to dance in front of him, but you figure you can attempt this basic move he basically saw you doing before he dragged you out here.
You start to move after a deep breath, following along the best you could though you could already tell you were not nearly as smooth as the dancer.
âGood,â he nods his head âNow bend your knees, lower your hips.â He taps his pelvis to draw attention to the next move, his body now lower even as he continues his swaying movements.
Your body awkwardly lowers to try to match him and you suddenly become aware of how foolish you must look. A fish out of water compared to how smooth everyone is around you. Quickly glancing around you, you try to see if anyone else is seeing how awful youâre doing.
âHey, look at me. Keep your eyes on me.â You draw your eyes back to Minho as he attempts to keep your attention on him. You do your best to keep everyone else around you out of your mind and hope you donât draw their eyes in with your bad dancing. âNow roll your hips right,â he demonstrates slowly, âAnd then left.â He smoothly rolls his hips in a circle, alternating sides as he told you.Â
When it was your turn to attempt you furrow your brows clearly having to concentrate more to get it done. He chuckles slightly at you but still praises, âGood, thatâs it.âÂ
The two of you continue that for a moment before he creeps closer, grabbing your waist and pulling you flush against him. Your breath hitches in your throat as he holds your hips to his, having to place one of your hands on his bicep to keep you from stumbling, both of you still moving with the flow he taught you moments before. You can feel your face flush at the proximity and the mere movement you both are doing together. The only other time you can think of doing something similar involves the last boy you were with and being between the sheets, the movements could almost be the same you find yourself thinking. Only the thought flushes your cheeks even more.
As the two of you fall into a more comfortable rhythm matching the song, Minho starts to move more. He skillfully sways you both side to side even dipping you back slightly, your hand finding its way to his shoulder to steady yourself. Itâs all much funner than you expected and you canât help the smile that finds its way onto your face along with a giggle that breaks through your lips as he pulls you closer to him.
Unfortunately the fun and the song have to end at some point, Minho separates from you, magically twirling you around as the last notes of the song play. The crowd around you stops dancing and the room fills with claps and cheers end off the music.Â
Still giddy, you clap along turning around with a smile only to find the boy was nowhere to be seen.Â
Awkwardly stopping your movements, you flatten your hair and start to move through the crowd looking to make your way back to Jeongin, suddenly feeling red and flustered, your heart still pounding in your chest from the small dance you just shared.
Itâs only a few short nights later that you find yourself in the presence of Minho once again, but this time the circumstances are very different.Â
You stand under a well lit gazebo along with your parents and Max. The large platform acts as a dance floor, many bodies dancing classically to the soft music, a change of scenery from the usual ballroom floor. The fairy lights are bright enough to brighten up the whole area, the music plays from a record player in the corner; a contrast to the live band, and being outside once the sun goes down allows for a coolness to cover the space. Itâs not much, but you are glad you decided to wear your cardigan.Â
You stand closely to your mother, both of you keeping an eye on your sister who dances in the center of the place with Chan, who had the night off. Glancing up at her you both give each other a knowing smile at the kind boy that has caught Daisyâs eye this summer.Â
As they move a bit from out of your sight, you bring your attention back to your father and Neil as they talk of their old college days.Â
As the bodies continue to sway and move you canât help but notice Minho among the crowd, his expert moves sticking out like a sore thumb. You watch as him and his partner move closer to the corner where you stood. You look at the girl in his arms and notice itâs not his usual partner Jeongin introduced to you as Momo. Instead this woman you could immediately tell was much older than Minho in age, that was obvious in appearance. And unlike Momoâs professionalism, this woman seemed much more interested in staying close to the boy rather than any real ballroom dancing.Â
âHello, Ruby. How are you doing?â You turn your head towards Max who speaks to the woman in Minhoâs arms. She gives him a cunning smile, resting her head on the dark-haired boyâs shoulder, âIâm doing just fine, Max.â Max keeps a smile and nods as the pair continue their dance moving on along the room.
Once theyâre far enough you hear Max sigh, âThatâs what we call a Bungalow Bunny here.â This has the attention of both you and your parents, âThey come every summer with their husbands, though their husbands only come down on the weekend. Rubyâs husband pays for her dance lessons,â he puts out his head to where she was with Minho. âItâs a difficult situation, she must be lonely.â He states and you swallow at his implications; that Minho is offering much more than dance lessons to this married woman.Â
You find yourself getting sleepy the more you stand there, no longer interested in any of the conversation your father and Max find themselves having. And just when you thought your mood couldnât be more sour, you spot Neil entering the gazebo and make his way over to the corner. You politely greet him but you dread it when he asks you to join him for a dance, âOh I donât know, Neil. Iâm practically falling asleep here.â You force out a giggle to keep the atmosphere light. âWell how about a walk then? Thereâs a full moon tonight and the view will be beautiful by the lake.âÂ
Youâre just as ready to turn his offer down again, but you feel your mom slightly push your lower back. You know right away what this means, go on with him. Though you dread it, you know itâs the right thing to do when his uncle is standing right next to you and he being the one to invite your family to stay at his resort.Â
So thatâs how you find yourself walking along the grass towards the lake, the moonlight being the only form of brightness in the night. Neil has been dragging on about how he got in an argument with one of the lifeguards and you havenât been able to get a single word in since you started your walk. Finally getting to the dock, you take a deep breath and enjoy the view trying your best to block out Neilâs ramblings.Â
Your view seems to almost be ruined though, when you feel the boy place his arm over your shoulder, âAnd I said, you know what Jimmy doesnât have? Three hotels!â The boy laughs at his own joke and you give him a tight lipped smile to keep your rudeness at bay.Â
But that seems to be getting harder to do when you feel Neil start to play with the ends of your hair, taking it softly in the tips of his fingers. âYou know, when it comes time, there are much more important things than looks when choosing a man is involved.â
An unamused laugh leaves your lips as you slip yourself from out of his grip, âYou know Neil, Iâm actually kind of hungry. Maybe we can head back so I can have a snack.â He smiles at you, not at all fazed by your actions, âNo problem at all, thereâs actually a small kitchen for the staff in this building, we can grab you something there before heading back.âÂ
You follow him to the small building by the lake, you look around the dark building as Neil points out the sights. âAnd here is the kitchen, itâs pretty small but itâs usually just for the staff to have their lunches when theyâre working around the lake.â He stands by the doorframe as you walk in the narrow kitchen. The boy continues to talk about some of the different staff schedules as you hear a small whimper coming from the corner.Â
Looking alarmed at Neil, he doesnât seem to notice as he continues his talking. Carefully you move further into the room pretending to look at the different arrangement of snacks. Finally you hear the sound more clearly and look in the corner, someone is hunched between the fridge and the wall. The person looks up and you fight the gasp that threatens to leave your throat. You make eye contact and immediately know who it is, you would recognize his partner anywhere.
Momo looks up from you, whimpering and shaking, clearly having been crying for who knows how long. Â
You swallow quickly and trust your gut.
Turning around you make your way back to Neil, grabbing an apple in the basket by the door, âI think it will do, Neil. Thank you for showing me this, and for the snack. I think we should head back now, I wouldnât want to worry my parents.â
âOf course, letâs go.â He shuts the door behind him and you make your way back to the gazebo as quickly as you can.Â
Your heart is in your throat and you consider yourself lucky that Neil has separated himself from you by the time you get back to the gazebo. You try to think of the best way to approach the situation and decide itâs best not to interrupt Minho, whom you still barely know, especially when heâs with his client in the middle of the dance floor. Recalling from earlier in the night, you remember you saw Jeongin in the opposite corner from you, doing his job of handing out drinks to the guests.
Relief floods your system when you see the dark-haired boy in the same spot as before. Rushing over as quickly as you could without drawing attention to yourself, you finally place your arm on his shoulder. A friendly smile starts to form on his face but before he could even greet you, you bring your mouth to his ear, hand cupping around them both in order to tell him of the questionable situation you were in before finding him.Â
His eyes widen at your words and he quickly makes his way to Minho in the middle of the floor, obviously not having the same worries as you did about interrupting him. You keep your eyes on the two boys and you notice Minho becomes just as alert as Jeongin when he tells him. Thereâs a part of you that is relieved you told the boys, it seems as though you made the right decision with how theyâre reacting as you watch them rush out of the busy gazebo.Â
And before you can tell yourself any better, you follow them.
The adrenaline is still high in your bloodstream as you follow both of the boys as they nearly run to reach Momo. Youâve realized long ago you really have no place to be here but your curiosity gets the best of you once again; you need to know whatâs happened to the girl and you can only hope itâs nothing bad.Â
âDo you know what happened?â you ask and they get closer to the location and Jeongin looks back as if heâs shocked youâre still there. He answers nonetheless, âSheâs having a bad high.â The older doesnât seem pleased by the information his cousin disposed and he nearly yells back at him, âFuck, Jeongin! You canât just go around telling people that shit.â
Your heart is stuck in your throat as you feel youâre being told off, perhaps you now know why curiosity killed the cat.
âNow sheâs going to off to tell her manager boyfriend, gonna get us all firedâ Minho mumbles even further and you canât help but your blood to boil at the underming comment. âI would never tell anyone, Iâm not some kind of snitch.â You bit back not even getting the chance to explain your nonexistent relationship with Neil before youâve reached the destination.Â
You stay put outside with Jeongin and Minho hurriedly picks up Momo and comes out to continue along the path.Â
Figuring youâre already in deep enough, you continue to follow them to where you assume is their home for the summer.Â
Further down the dirt road, youâre met with a series of small apartment-like houses; thereâs a sign further up the hill reading âStaff Housingâ. Theyâre quaint and obviously not as well taken care of as the main resort. The porch creeks under the weight of you all as you make your way into room numbered 143.
You stay put by the door youâve closed behind you, keeping your hand on the handle; ready to leave if the hosts deemed your presence unnecessary (though you already knew it was).Â
Watching quietly, you take in how Jeongin brings her a glass of water and Minho wraps her in a blanket, sitting beside her on the small couch and urging her to drink.
Momo mustâve had been alone for some time because she already seems to be sobering up and paying attention to Minho who rubs her back comfortingly.Â
âYou have to do the program, Mo.â He speaks softly to her and you listen carefully to their hushed conversation.Â
Jeongin, who had made his way back to stand closer to you whispers to you, âThereâs a program sheâs found out about that could help break the addiction.â You nod at him, silently thanking him for explaining to you once again.Â
The girl finishes her water and the boy beside her repeats himself once again, softly removing the hair from her face in order to look at her properly. She scoffs in return, turning her head away from his hands, âYou know I canât.â
âWhy not?â You speak, what you meant to be a whisper where only Jeongin could hear but your voice comes out much louder than you intended. The couple on the couch look at you and your face flushes with the feeling you donât belong.Â
âThe program costs a lot of money,â Jeongin murmurs, still answering your question whether the other two wanted it to be known or not.Â
Momo, who seemingly just noticed you were here, stares at you for a second before speaking up herself, âYeah, try three hundred dollars. Thatâs a whole summerâs worth of paychecks.â She leans back into the couch but keeps her cold gaze on you, âBut you wouldnât understand that, would you? Must be nice to have access to daddyâs money.âÂ
Itâs clear the words are spoken with the purpose to hurt you but you donât make a move, not giving her the satisfaction. It feels as though you both are in a staring contest until Jeongin makes the first move, âIâll make you a sandwich, you should eat.â Momo turns her eyes to the younger boy, giving him a smile and you take the chance to quietly leave the room you were never welcome in.
You knew you shouldnât let the words Momo said affect you so much, she had not been in the right state in the first place. But nonetheless, her comment played through your head as you toss and turn in bed that night.Â
The next morning you found yourself trekking to the golf course bright and early to find your father. Walking along in the cool morning youâve tried to justify your actions by convincing yourself what youâre about to do is for the sake of helping someone else. But no matter how many times you repeat it, you know thatâs not the reason at all for your petty actions.
âDaddy!â You call out finally locating your parents practicing their putting. Grabbing his attention, he looks up with a smile, âGood morning, my love. Did you already have breakfast?â. Keeping the bright smile on your face you go to hug him, âI was on my way to but thought I would say good morning first since I didnât see you last night.âÂ
He hums, taking another hit at a ball. âDaddy, about last night,â you start recalling the lie youâve made up, âI made a friend and sheâs trying to buy a place ticket. Her mom is sick and she wants to go home and see her but she has no way of affording it.â He silently looks at you and you take the chance to continue, âSheâs a worker here and they donât pay enough for her to buy it herself.âÂ
He nods and hits another ball, âAnd what do you suggest we do?â You make your smile a bit smaller, âI was hoping we could help her, daddy. As a doctor I know you always help people in need so I thought this could be my way of helping her, wouldnât that be nice?âÂ
Knowing youâve hit a soft spot with him as he tries to hide his smile, you keep your own bashful. âI suppose youâre right. Iâm so lucky that my daughter has a good heart like you. Iâll write you a check at lunch.â
Walking into the workers lounge late that night, you feel almost powerful with the check in your hand. You confidently make your way in, moving through the bodies closely dancing together until you spot Jeongin on the side of the room.Â
You make your way to him giving him a smile which he returns. Just to the right you notice Momo dancing with Minho to the calm song playing over the speakers and you take the chance to approach her. Jeongin follows closely, either curious about what you have to say or worried she wonât be happy to see you.Â
You slightly tap Momo on the shoulder, grabbing both her and Minhoâs attention. Motioning for them to follow you, you go to the edge of the dance floor where they could hear you better.Â
The pair follow without question, obviously curious about what you have to say. They stare at you for a moment and you hold out the check to her, âHere.âÂ
She cautiously grabs the paper and looks shocked when she realizes what it is, âAre you serious right now?â Minho looks just as surprised, grabbing the check to look at it himself. You merely nod at her, keeping your face serious. âHow did you get this?â The dancer speaks up as he examines the check and you keep your gaze steady, âIt was easy, all I had to do was go ask my daddy.â You look at Momo raising your eyebrows, âRight?â You canât help but the petty comment to slip your lips but you thought it was the least she deserved.Â
She bashfully looks down and takes the check, passing it back to you, âThanks, but I canât take it.âÂ
Your eyebrows furrow, âWhy not?â Your confusion grows as even the man beside her looks shocked, âYeah, why not? You need to take it, Mo.â She merely shakes her head and itâs Jeongin who finally speaks up. âThe program takes place on Thursday nights,â at the comment Minho seems to understand, a frown forming on his face.Â
âWhat does that mean?â Jeongin looks at you, âThey both have another gig at a hotel a little away from here. If they donât show up they lose their spot not only this summer but next summer too. They need the money,â he trails off.
You think quickly, âWell canât someone else take your place?â Minho rolls his eyes at your suggestion, âNo, no one can take her place. Everyone works around here but thatâs not something you would know about.â
Eyebrows furrowed, you feel fed up with the comments about your work ethic and youâre half tempted to grab the check and leave, never having to talk to them again.
But before you can even process, Momo lights up, âThatâs right! Itâs perfect, everyone does work but she doesnât! She can take my place!â You already panic at the weird idea and you can see right away Minho does too, âWhat, absolutely not! Sheâs not a dancer!âÂ
His cousin on the other hand seems to agree with Momo, âI think itâs a great idea! I mean, you were literally just teaching her how to dance the other night, werenât you?â Jeongin states almost smugly. At this Momo turns her head to Minho, raising her brows, âWell, then thatâs that.â
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[TW: Corporal Punishment, Child Abuse, Child Neglect. Cruel and Unusual Punishment Of A Minor]
Molly Parker and Beth Hundsdorfer at Capitol News Illinois, via ProPublica:
It was on L.J.âs 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided on the spot to remove the boy along with his baby brother and sister â the âIrish twins,â as their parents called them. His mother begged to keep the children while her boyfriend told child welfare workers and the police called to the scene that they could take L.J.: âYou wanna take someone? Take that little motherfucker down there or wherever the fuck he is at. Iâve been trying to get him out of here for a long time.â By that time, L.J. told authorities he hadnât been in a classroom for years, according to police records. First came COVID-19. Then, in August 2021 when he was going to have to repeat the third grade, his mother and her boyfriend decided that L.J. would be homeschooled and that they would be his teachers. In an instant, his world shrank to the confines of a one-bedroom apartment in the small Illinois college town of Charleston â no teachers, counselors or classmates.
In that apartment, L.J. would later tell police, he was beaten and denied food: Getting leftovers from the refrigerator was punishable by a whipping with a belt; sass was met with a slap in the face. L.J. told police he got no lessons or schoolwork at home. Asked if he had learned much, L.J. replied, âNot really.â Reporters are using the first and middle initials of the boy, who is now 12 and remains in state custody, to protect his identity. While each state has different regulations for homeschooling â and most of them are relatively weak â Illinois is among a small minority that places virtually no rules on parents who homeschool their children: The parents arenât required to register with any governmental agency, and no tests are required. Under Illinois law, they must provide an education equivalent to what is offered in public schools, covering core subjects like math, language arts, science and health. But parents donât have to have a high school diploma or GED, and state authorities cannot compel them to demonstrate their teaching methods or prove attendance, curriculum or testing outcomes.
The Illinois State Board of Education said in a statement that regional education offices are empowered by Illinois law to request evidence that a family that homeschools is providing an adequate course of instruction. But, the spokesperson said, their âability to intervene can be limited.â Educational officials say this lack of regulation allows parents to pull vulnerable children like L.J. from public schools then not provide any education for them. They call them âno schoolers.â No oversight also means children schooled at home lose the protections schools provide, including teachers, counselors, coaches and bus drivers â school personnel legally bound to report suspected child abuse and neglect. Under Illinois law, parents may homeschool even if they would be disqualified from working with youth in any other setting; this includes parents with violent criminal records or pending child abuse investigations, or those found to have abused children in the past.
The number of students from preschool to 12th grade enrolled in the stateâs public schools has dropped by about 127,000 since the pandemic began. Enrollment losses have outpaced declines in population, according to a report by Advance Illinois, a nonprofit education policy and advocacy organization. And, despite conventional wisdom, the drop was also not the result of wealthier families moving their children to private schools: After the pandemic, private school enrollment declined too, according to the same report.
In the face of this historic exodus from public schools, Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica set out to examine the lack of oversight by education and child welfare systems when some of those children disappear into families later accused of no-schooling and, sometimes, abuse and neglect. Reporters found no centralized system for investigating homeschooling concerns. Educational officials said they were ill equipped to handle cases where parents are accused of neglecting their childrenâs education. They also said the stateâs laws made it all but impossible to intervene in cases where parents claim they are homeschooling. Reporters also found that under the current structure, concerns about homeschooling bounce between child welfare and education authorities, with no entity fully prepared to step in.
âAlthough we have parents that do a great job of homeschooling, we have many âno schoolersââ said Angie Zarvell, superintendent of a regional education office about 100 miles southwest of Chicago that covers three counties and 23 school districts. âThe damage this is doing to small rural areas is great. These children will not have the basic skills needed to be contributing members of society.â Regional education offices, like the one Zarvell oversees, are required by law to identify children who are truant and try to help get them back into school. But once parents claim they are homeschooling, âour hands are tied,â said Superintendent Michelle Mueller, whose regional office is located about 60 miles north of St. Louis. Even the stateâs child welfare agency can do little: Reports to its child abuse hotline alleging that parents are depriving their children of an education have multiplied, but the Department of Children and Family Services doesnât investigate schooling matters. Instead, it passes reports to regional education offices. [...]
Thereâs no way to determine the precise number of children who are homeschooled. In 2022, 4,493 children were recorded as withdrawn to homeschool, a number that is likely much higher because Illinois doesnât require parents to register homeschooled children. That is a little more than double the number a decade before. In late fall of 2020, L.J. was one of the kids who slipped out of school. After a roughly five-month hiatus from the classroom during the pandemic, L.J.âs school resumed in-person classes. The third grader, however, was frequently absent. At home, tensions ran high. In the 640-square-foot apartment, L.J.âs mother, Ashley White, and her boyfriend, Brian Anderson, juggled the demands of three children including two born just about 10 months apart. White, now 31, worked at a local fast-food restaurant. Anderson, now 51, who uses a wheelchair, had applied for disability payments. Anderson doesnât have a valid driverâs license. The family lived in a subsidized housing complex for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
In an interview with reporters in late February, 14 months after L.J. had been taken into custody by the state, the couple offered a range of explanations for why he hadnât been in school. L.J. had been suspended and barred from returning, they said, though school records show no expulsion. They also said they had tried to put L.J. in an alternative school for children with special needs, but he didnât have a diagnosis that qualified him to attend. The couple made clear they believed that L.J. was a problem child who could get them in trouble; they said they thought he could get them sued. In the interview, Anderson called L.J. a pathological liar, a thief and a bad kid. âI have 11 kids, never had a problem with any of them, never,â Anderson said. âIâve never had a problem like this,â he said of L.J. The boy, he said, lacked discipline and continued to get âworse and worse and worse every yearâ heâd known him.
To support the idea that L.J. was combative, White provided a copy of a screenshot taken from a school chat forum in which the boy cursed at his schoolmates. At the end of the school year, in spring 2021, the principal told White and Anderson that the boy would have to repeat the third grade. Rather than have L.J. held back, the couple pulled him out of school to homeschool. They didnât have to fill out any paperwork or give a reason. On any given day in Illinois, a parent can make that same decision. Thatâs due to a series of court and legislative decisions that strengthened parentsâ rights against state interference in how they educate their children.
[...] Faced with cases of truancy or educational neglect, county prosecutors can press charges against parents. But if they do, parents can lean on Illinoisâ parental protections when they defend themselves in court from a truancy charge. [...] More recently, the ISBE made one more decision to loosen the monitoring of parents who homeschool: For years, school districts and regional offices distributed voluntary registration forms to families who homeschool, some of whom returned them. Then last year, the state agency told those regional offices that they no longer had to send those forms to ISBE.
[...] Over the years, the legislature has taken up proposals to strengthen the stateâs oversight of homeschooling. In 2011, lawmakers considered requiring parents to notify their local school districts of their intent to homeschool, and in 2019 they considered calling for DCFS to inspect all homeschools and have ISBE approve their curriculum. Each time, however, the stateâs strong homeschooling lobby, mostly made up of religious-based organizations, stepped in. This March, under sponsorship of the Illinois Christian Home Educators, homeschoolers massed at the state Capitol as they have for decades for Cherry Pie Day, bringing pies to each of the stateâs 177 lawmakers. Kirk Smith, the organizationâs executive director and former public school teacher, summed up his groupâs appeal to lawmakers: âAll we want is to be left alone. And Illinois has been so good. We have probably the best state in the nation to homeschool.â
This @capitolnewsil / @propublica story on how a set of parents decided to homeschool one of their kids, and it served as a crude excuse to abuse and torment that child.
This is one of the reasons why regulation-free homeschooling is a bad idea, and there ought to be some common sense regulations on homeschooling.
The main reason why Illinois remains regulation-free for homeschooling is the homeschooling lobby, which is disproportionately dominated by conservative evangelical/fundamentalist Protestants.
#Illinois#Homeschooling#Child Abuse#Corporal Punishmment#Cruel and Unusual Punishment#Illinois Christian Home Educators#Education#Child Neglect
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As we've entered into the 2024 election year, I Beg you all that feel disappointment and rage at the disgraceful excuses for politicians we have in the US rn to look into the campaign of the two women shown in this video.
Claudia de la Cruz and Karina Garcia are running for President and VP in 2024. Here's their campaign video, as I can only include 1 vid per post. And here is their website.
I implore everyone who has the ability to vote in the November US election to read up on them.
Claudia De la Cruz (Presidential Candidate) is a mother, popular educator, community organizer and theologian. Being at the nexus of many different projects, organizations and social movements, Claudia connects different groups of people to link and merge struggles together in the overarching fight for justice. Born in the South Bronx to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, she was nourished by the Black and Caribbean working class communities of the Bronx and Washington Heights in the 1980s and 90s. At an early age, she was already questioning the conditions of poverty, violence, and oppression in her neighborhood, and what she saw and experienced served as her first entry point to understanding working class consciousness. When she was 13, Claudia began her political organizing work at her home churchâIglesia Episcopal Santa Maria (later the Iglesia San Romero de Las AmĂ©ricasâUCC), grounding her work on principles of liberation theology. She actively participated in campaigns to free political prisoners; to get the U.S. Navy out of Vieques, Puerto Rico; to end the U.S. blockade against Cuba; for the freedom of Palestine; against police terrorâto name a few. In high school, she became a peer educator, conducting workshops on reproductive health and safe sex at community hubs and progressive churches, particularly for youth in the Bronx. It was through this work and her experiences as a working class Black Caribbean young woman that she understood there was only one solution to our collective problems: to fight for a better future, a socialist future
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Karina Garcia (VP Candidate) is a Chicana organizer and popular educator who has been fighting for a better world since she was 17 years old as a high school student in California. From El Barrio in New York City to the border areas of Texas, she has helped lead campaigns against landlord abuses, wage theft, and police brutality, as well as fights for reproductive justice, immigrants rights and student financial aid reform. She is a founder of the Justice Center en El Barrio in New York City and is a member of the Central Committee of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Karinaâs father migrated to the U.S. from Mexico when he was just 16 years old, and the will of working-class immigrants like him to survive and thrive inspired her to take on life with determination. This served her well when Karina received a full scholarship to study at Columbia University. She moved across the country by herself, knowing that she had to seize upon every opportunity to give backâa single year of tuition was the equivalent of her family's entire household income. As soon as she arrived, she joined every conceivable progressive organization on campus. She led struggles to expand financial aid for low-income students, for immigrant and worker rights, and to speak out against the Iraq war. In 2006, her activism received national attention when she led a campaign to confront and shut down the anti-immigrant fascist militia, the Minuteman Project. When Karina took a semester off to do a speaking tour in California, she met with high school and college students to keep building the movement for immigrant rights. That same year, she joined the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Graduating with a degree in Economics, Karina went on to become a New York City high school math teacher. After school, she advised a student group that protested against budget cuts, the Iraq war, police brutality and anti-immigrant laws. In 2012, she moved into a national organizing position for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice where she worked for nearly a decade training immigrant women and working-class Latina activists in New York, Texas, Virginia and Florida.
[Taken from the About The Candidates section on their website.]
Understand that despite the mainstream medias desperate attempts to make us believe that our choices are really just Biden and Trump that that is not true.
We have other options.
We have better options.
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Recreyo Fic Ideas:
(Feel free to use any of these, I don't mind)
Coffee Shop Den Au: Where Den meets George, who is a batista at a local shop, she visits a lot because of him.
IKEA 2.0: Curt is a divorced/widowed dad with his daughter Sarah and his son Miradon. He takes them to IKEA for some new furniture, and Sarah wandered off from Curt. Scared for his daughter, Curt asked a group of IKEA workers (Den, Christan, Chilly, Ivan, and Kristine) for help.
Secret Keeper: Kristine is a college student in her junior year who applied to intern a powerful politician for 1 year and got accepted! When she started working, she found out that the politician is a fucked up person (like that's a shocker đ) but since she knows his secrets, she posts them on anonymous websites and watches him crash and burn.
Runaway: Christan had an argument with someone close and left his place, running for a while until he reached Curt's apartment. They both have a personal conversation about life and what their lives become.
A God's Existential Crisis: Den and Chilly both have to worry about their godly duties, and they have a mental breakdown
Killer Queen: When Woodberry High School gets a new student named Ivan, weird things have been happening. Students are going missing, and blood is being found in the woods. When someone investigated this mystery, they discover that Ivan is the main reason it's happening (you can choose the reason what and why).
SpiderDen!, SpiderDen!: Den gets bit by a radioactive spider and becomes Webshooter, New York's hero.
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More of that community Wizarding college au
Fun fact due to the way Rolan takes care of himself and presents himself most students think he's wealthy but bigger colleges wouldn't take him because he's a tiefling. The only one who knows is the one person who talks to him frequently, his friend the merchants son who doesn't give a damn. He thinks Rolans grand fun and hangs out with him as often as he's able.
It seems reasonable to the others that he can't attend other schools, but for something similar to an open house or award ceremony of sorts, they're expected to bring their family for this. He's thrilled. He can't wait to show them what he's done so far.
How bizarre to the rest of his class and their upper middle class parents when Rolans family arrives.
His mother and siblings wearing their best as cleaned and polished as can be. Though all still worn thin in places and other with patches and mismatched thread holding parts together. Boots worn ragged but polished, hair uncut but washed and clean.
A ranking of students and skills and progress and it wasn't even a contest. Time at the docks continuously healing workers every damn night left him with field experience that the others didn't have.
Cal and his mum cried when he was called to the stage to be given a sash declaring his place in class, Lia standing and cheering, surprised when Rolans one friend did the same.
He immediately went off stage to take the sash off and put it on his mums shoulders. After all, if she didn't believe in him, he wouldn't be here. Some of those teachers wanted to be upset but it was hard when they were so busy blinking back a few tears.
As he expected a number of parents had something so about his place and all he could do was laugh until they turned to his mother. An attempt to beat her down for bringing that boy and clogging up the bracket as they said. She only raised her chin and leered.
"Why are you so mad? You had a head start with all your money and still your whelp remains below my son. If you want to outrank him, you'll have to work harder than him and you don't know what work is."
She spun on her heel and marched away, showing the class exactly why he walks with his chin held high.
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Listening to a podcast and it has reminded me of two first dates and a guy I never dated back in college.
The guy I never dated learned I'd always wanted a cloak (note: I no longer have this desire) and offered to make a full cloak for me as a gift. We were just friends. I knew how much good fabric could cost and so I categorically refused. He pushed and I....shut down all contact and blocked him. I still regret this a bit because he was so fun to talk with. When I unblocked him, we chatted a bit, but the magic of it was gone.
On one date, I realized partially through the date that the guy was agreeing with me on whatever I said. He wasn't completely obvious about it, but once I knew about it, I started, well, playing with him. I would flip flop on opinions and hold back my smile when he did the same flip flop. I refused a second date.
On the other date, the guy and I went to get coffee. While there, we talked about previous relationships, crushes, etc. And he told me about a heartbreak he'd endured and was very open and very vulnerable about how much the relationship had hurt. I was as comforting as I could be in the moment and then avoided him after the date. It wasn't the topic of information being shared, but the level of detail and emotion.
(Later, in Japan, a fellow teacher asked to meet up for drinks. She framed it as celebrating a student's recent victory in an English competition. I knew better than to spend time with the teacher. The letter from my predecessor had warned me about her and another teacher who worked in the area had done the same. In addition, I had already seen evidence of their words. This is the woman who demanded to know what others had told me about her when I asked her to "please be patient with me." Anyway, I liked the kid who won so I showed up. The location was a bar and no one else was there. When I remarked I'd expected others to be there, she offered to call the HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT out to the bar. I refused. She then dumped on me the story of her divorce and how lonely she feels. It was a lot of intense emotion).
In high school, a friend and I talked a lot about manipulation and the various levers a person can use to manipulate others. Too expensive and time-intensive gifts in an otherwise chill friendship? Striving to always say the right thing and not share honest opinions? Sharing too much emotion early on?
Gifts are my love language, but sometimes, receiving a gift can feel like an obligation to be worthy of the gift or like you have to let little things go since they spent so much time/money on you.
Being on the same wavelength is one of my favorite aspects of friendship, but someone who always agrees and hides their true opinions is either a liar or a coward. (Or are in a power dynamic where they can't disagree). (Or they have some other ulterior motive).
Vulnerability is a way to connect with others, but it also can create a sense of obligation. You don't want to add to their hurt or you want to be worthy of their trust. Etc.
In every case above, I cut off contact completely or to the degree possible (e.g., the teacher and I still worked together).
All that said, when I was in the first few years of my current job, my spirit was crushed by a co-worker. I got out of that situation because someone outside of it saw what was happening and pulled me onto other projects. I know very well my own levers.
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