#though going into my third year as a nursing student probably not soon sorry

[straight-to-the-pain]

I know I haven’t posted any original fic in ages, I’ve been a little burnt out from uni and placement and also all the scenes I’ve been wanting to write either need research (historical fiction) or require too many emotions (everyone is traumatised) but please do bear with me there will be content… eventually… I hope

[pigeonpeach]

Yandere academy Childe x Onee-san reader

A/n please read: hello! This is fanwork of another writers au aka @yestrday ‘s yandere genshin academy au. I heavily recommend binging their stuff its really good. In particular this piece takes on the sort of onee-san (big sister) route where basically y/n /reader spends most of their time taking care of the first years and overall just being a big ol sweetheart. I just LOVED how the author depicts the older students reacting and getting all jealous over not having y/n’s full attention so i had to write something. Of course i did put some of my own traits into y/n. My favs were Childe and Zhongli so i might write a version with Zhongli instead if i get the inspo.

Cn: not much really, childe is a lil creepy and touchy but y/n is kinda into it lowkey. I cant write make out scenes but theres still alot of it. Also minor mentions of hurt with bennett.

Who could possibly hate l/n y/n. A third year student with a great reputation and grades. Lots of friends, and lots and lots of admirers. But their kindness was their most beloved trait. Y/n always packed extra food for lunch in case a dear friend had forgotten or lost theirs. Y/n often helped out at the nurses office and seemed to have the most soothing voice as they’d patch up students who could be sobbing and shaking. In general they were a well liked and somewhat popular student so it was no surprise they had plenty of admirers. If only they had as much time as Y/n’s biggest flaw was also their kindness. It never felt good to turn people down. Especially when they themselves would love to spend time with their fellow seniors. However they knew Bennett would be sulking if he didn’t see them at lunch today. It honestly left a poor taste in their mouth having to turn down Venti’s offer of a picnic at lunch today. But they didn’t want to pass by the nurses office again and see him in there. Y/n’s heart was solid gold but gold itself is a weak metal that can easily bend.

What was supposed to be a picnic with Childe ended up getting canceled last minute as you held a bruised Bennett in their arms. Wrapping the bandages around tightly but not too tight. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to knock over all those chemicals in the science room!” No matter how exhausted you were though, you never seemed to get tired of Bennett, he was such a lovable little kid, you couldn’t help it. Taking care of people was just a natural instinct within you, which made you get along splendidly with Bennett who more often than not needed taking care of. “Its not your fault Benny I know. I don’t blame you one bit, I’m just glad none of those chemicals were dangerous.” You were finally finished with the last of the bandages and gave Bennett a little kiss on the cheek. “Now you’ll probably be in the nurses office for awhile, I’ll go bring you back some lunch okay? Just wait here”Bennett, his face turned a delicate pink as he eagerly shook his head.

You smiled as you exited out the door. Your tranquility was soon interrupted as you made your by a sudden tug backwards. You could barely blink before feeling your back pinned up against the lockers.

“You’re really messing with me aren’t you~ I hardly get to have any time with you nowadays and you go off to play nanny with that first year!” Childe’s fist was clenched tightly next to your head resting against the cold metal. “I was looking forward to our little date today, you had me thinking I could finally have a second of your oh so precious time and then you run off to comfort him!” He pressed himself into you trapping you against the locker.

“Okay I’m sorry about forgetting but you’re acting psychotic! What on earth are you trying to pull here huh? We’re still at school you dumb-aAH!” You barely got to cover your mouth as Childe eagerly bit into your neck. You bit your lip out of shock, you could barely focus on anything, you hadn’t exactly ever done this before. To witness Childe in such a primal and instinctual mood felt so intimate. You were almost flattered that simply forgetting a lunch hangout had been enough to get him so worked up over you... The sensation of Childe possessively biting into your neck,You could feel your resolve and hesitation melt as you try one last time to pry him off. Finally with a wet smack of his lips he gleefully pulled back revealing a big bruise right on your jugular, out in the open, unable to be hidden with the collar of your uniform. He grinned with a smile you could only describe as manic. Why was it kind of hot though-

“Y-you… You IDIOT! What am I going to do if the staff see this! Gosh I knew you were careless but i didn’t think you would be downright stupid!” Childe basked in pride at your reddened face. As you quickly opened your locker trying to find a jacket of something to cover with.

“Oh please, this wasn’t careless at all. I made sure no body was coming around these parts at this time. And besides, I have a scarf you could borrow if you’re really that insecure about it~” He pressed his mouth right against their ear. You practically died inside then.

“You better! I could get expelled if the school thought I was doing something indecent! I’m not wasting my scholarship just because you’re a little pent up you know?” You practically tugged the scarf off of his and lazily wrapped it around yourself. You were ready to chew him out again when he fixed the scarf to look more presentable. Your cheeks were warm and pink then. He chuckled.

“See? you really have been depriving yourself haven’t you, all this work just to keep that first year alive, you keep rejecting and rejecting my offers,saying you’re ‘just too busy today or maybe tomorrow’ when deep down I can tell you want nothing more than to let me take advantage of you~” He sneaked a quick peck at your cheek making you blush even more.

“Y-you’re wrong! Ah! Stop trapping me against the locker I’m trying to use it! Besides its super inappropriate!” Although, it did feel kind of nice being in his grasp. You spent practically your whole week helping Razor and Bennett prepare for some big tests in Chemistry, and your whole year so far was practically baby sitting the first years which as much as you enjoyed, wasnt always so... rewarding, it could get draining at times to be relied on too much, there was something about just pressing your back against the warm embrace of Childe that made those worries melt. You felt so… so.. desirable. You knew alot of your male peers sought after you romantically but you had no idea he was so desperate just to be with you, who wouldn’t be flattered to be so utterly wanted.

“My my, I didn’t think you would be this easy to wind up girlie, I thought you would have alot more fight in you but aside from your mouth you’re practically just begging for me. I can just tell you’re enjoying this. So why don’t you cut the talk, just let me spoil you for today hm? I’ll forgive you then for forgetting our picnic?” Childe’s hands ran up your curves leaving you to hiss in shock. His pelvis pressed oh so tightly as he pinned you to the locker infront of you.

“You..you’re really not giving up are you?” You turned your head around to weakly scowl at the smug ginger. Which he then proceeded to take the opportunity to kiss you on the lips, the last of your resistance practically melted then, worst case scenario the bell goes off and he HAS to leave then surely. He couldn’t be that dense as to continue past lunch surely! You hear his muffled chuckles as he deepened the kiss and tighten his grip on your waist. His other hand slamming against the locker keeping you from sliding out. You couldn’t help but just wrap your hands around his neck which caused him to jolt in surprise. He pulled away briefly just to look into your embarrassed face.

“I didn’t think you were that touch-starved! Don’t tell me those first years don’t know a thing or two about romance! You devote so much to them and they dont even know how to hold you right?”He laughed. You scowled.

“I-i don’t see them that way! Besides I just like taking care of people its just… I haven’t.. really.. had the chance to… be taken care of like this…you’re.. fuck just shut up and kiss me or I’ll find someone else to!” You practically dragged him back into the kiss much to his delight. He eagerly continued with the session as you let him devour you. However he pulled away a bit too soon for your liking.

“You’re perfect for me you know? Every little thing about you just enamors me sometimes. I know you feel the same too, I can tell you want this, you want me to pick you up in my arms and take you away from all thi-MPHHHff.” You pulled him by his tie back into the kiss. You didn’t have the patience to listen to his rambles. You’ve been deprived of affection for so long and if Childe was going to bother you then you might as well drain him for all he’s got to offer right? At least he seemed all the more willing. He pressed himself so tightly against you that you were convinced he was trying to absorb you. Your hands wrapped around his neck. It felt so… so

RING!!!!!!! Snapping you out of your touch starved craze was the lunch bell signaling the end of lunch and your little.. session with Childe. Catching Childe off guard, you pushed him off finally separating yourself from him as you got your lunch box and ran off to give it to Bennett. Leaving Childe a sweaty and riled up mess. Leaning against the opposite locker he grinned like a cheshire cat.

After dropping your lunch off to Bennett who luckily did not recognize your scarf, you raced to your class and made it just in time. You very shamefully sat down in your seat knowing at least a good chunk of the people here recognized who’s scarf you were wearing, but it was better than them seeing that bruise he left. You could practically feel Scaramouche’s gaze burrowing a hole in your head. You only hoped this class would be over before he decided to strangle you with the darn scarf.

[snelbz]

Tempting the Fates {Chapter 9}

Summary: It’s the final semester of Aelin Galathynius’ collegiate career and she is so beyond ready to be done. Her schedule is packed full of nursing classes and labs designed to test her knowledge and hone her skills for the real world and her “big girl” job. However, she needs one last elective to graduate, so she decides to study a subject she’s always been fascinated by: Mythology. Who would have thought that a class about gods and goddesses living complicated lives would end up complicating her own in such an unexpected way?

A @snelbz X @theladyofdeath collaboration.

Word Count: 3378

Chapters will be posted every Wednesday.

Tempting the Fates Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist 

***Announcement! *** After the completion of I’ll be Seeing You and Tempting the Fates, all of Tara and I’s joint fanfiction will be posted on a separate blog that we run together > @snacmc. Be sure to follow the new blog as we will start posting on there soon!

Hestia

– Goddess of the hearth, home and family

Mondays and Wednesdays always seemed to drag.

Thanks to her lack of Rowan in class, Aelin’s classes were boring and she found herself thinking of other things, rather than the notes she was supposed to be taking. Like the way Rowan’s eyes had been on her as she went down on him in the shower earlier than morning.

At his insistence, she’d begun using his shower for more than just sex purposes, as she’d so eloquently explained to him the week before. She was regularly staying over, getting ready for her own classes in the morning, just as he was. But whenever one of them followed the other into the tiled shower, it was used for practical reasons.

As well as sexual ones.

Suppressing a whine as she thought of the way Rowan had pinned her up against the cool tiles that morning, Aelin crossed her legs and checked her watch. Only another twenty minutes and then she had her break between classes. She wasn’t hungry, thanks to the protein bar she’d eaten just before this class started, and she was close to the gen ed building, so she decided she would drop by her mythology professor’s office. She had a few questions about the homework he’d assigned yesterday and face-to-face was always better to her than an email.

Once her anatomy professor was wrapping up, Aelin was tossing her books into a bag and hauling ass across campus. Rowan’s last class was wrapping up, too, and she didn’t want to miss him before he hurried off to do whatever else.

She could’ve texted him to stay put, but she didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

She made it to his building and dodged by those who were hurrying off to their other classes or their beds, and stopped at Rowan’s office door before giving it a halting knock.

It took him a second to answer, but when he did, he was handsome as ever.

His shirt sleeves were rolled up, the button down tucked into his trousers. When he saw it was Aelin at his office door, a silver brow lifted.

“Aelin,” he began, clearing his throat. “How may I help you?”

“I have some questions about the homework,” she began, voice low, even though no one else was around. “Can I come in for a second?”

Rowan moved aside before she had finished her question. With one last glance down the hall he shared with a few other first-year professors, he shut the door, sealing them into his office. The blinds were open, but on the third floor, it wasn’t like anyone could see the private meeting he and his student were about to have.

Even if he didn’t know what kind of meeting it was about to be.

“Are you on your lunch break?” She asked, leaning back against his desk.

He nodded. “Didn’t plan on taking lunch, but I’ve got a couple hours before my next class. Was going to work on some grading. Why?”

He had stepped closer, pausing beside one of the chairs he kept in front of the desk for students to sit in.

Aelin clearly had other ideas of where to sit though. With a smirk, she reached out and lightly gripped his shirt, pulling him towards her.

“You had questions about the homework,” he breathed, leaning away as she tried to kiss him.

It wasn’t that he wouldn’t kiss her. He just wanted to see her squirm.

And squirm, she did. “You know very well that I turned in the homework yesterday afternoon.”

She tried to kiss him again, but he fell away, even though his arms were around her waist.

“I don’t recall that,” he taunted. “Maybe you could remind me.”

“I turned it in just before I did this,” she crooned, and her lips found his.

Aelin kissed him, slowly, her arms snaking around his neck. She swore she would never tire of the feeling of his mouth on hers.

“Oh yeah,” Rowan muttered, against her lips. “Now I remember.”

It only took him a second to grab her hips and set her on top of his desk.

There was a clattering of something tipping over, probably a cup of pens or paper clips from the sound of it, but neither of them cared. Not as he gripped the outside of her thigh where her legs were wrapped around him, or her hand found its way into his hair. He was both frustrated and very glad she’d worn leggings today. While he wished she was wearing something with a bit easier access, it was probably a blessing in disguise that he couldn’t get his hand between her legs.

Or his mouth.

Or any other body parts.

That wasn’t stopping Aelin from rubbing against him, looking for friction, as their tongues battled and teeth occasionally clashed. She let out a quiet moan and he tugged on her hair, pulling her lips from his.

“We’re not fucking in my office,” he breathed, looking her in the eyes. “It is way too dangerous.”

She nodded, knowing and accepting the fact, but it didn’t mean she was done kissing him.

“Was this morning not enough?” He smirked, trailing his lips down her throat instead of returning to hers.

“It’s never enough,” she gasped. “Every time I’m away from you…”

Her words trailed off as their lips met. It was true. It was never enough. She was so fulfilled with Rowan, and the second he was gone, she longed for him.

“Come over tonight,” Aelin begged. “Stay with me tonight.”

Rowan groaned as his tongue slipped between her lips.

They stayed at Rowan’s nearly every night. The only times Aelin stayed at her own apartment was when she had an exam or homework she had to work on, without Rowan distracting her. Lysandra and Aedion had met Rowan over dinner a few nights before, though Aelin had insisted take out was much more her friends’ speed than a fully home cooked meal. However, Aelin had a lab due the following morning, so after dinner, Rowan had gone back home.

Alone.

“We have class tomorrow,” he replied, lips still on hers.

“So we’ll make sure we get up early.” Dragging her teeth across his jaw, she gripped his shoulders. “Bring over everything you’ll need to come straight to class.”

Rowan hesitated. “I don’t know.”

“We don’t live on campus,” Aelin said, quietly. “It’s not like I live somewhere surrounded by students.”

Rowan pulled back and met her gaze. “It’s important to you?”

Aelin nodded, arms still wrapped around the back of his neck. “I love being cooped up in your apartment. I really do. But, sometimes I wanna be cooped up somewhere else, too.”

Rowan huffed a laugh. “Alright.”

“Yeah?” Aelin asked, a soft smile painted across her light pink lips.

Rowan couldn’t help his own smile forming as he leaned forward and pulled Aelin closer to him as he kissed her, softly. They went on like that, dwelling in those slow, prolonged kisses. There was something personal, something exceptional about a long, slow kiss. Something sensual that made Aelin’s stomach feel like it was going to explode, even though it lacked that animalistic passion they had come to find within one another.

A quick knock at the door had them jumping apart, Rowan dragging a quick hand through his hair, not having a chance to reply before the door opened.

“Hey, Rowan, I was hoping you could— Oh.”

The pretty woman froze in the doorway, taking in the scene in front of her.

It was innocent enough, though Aelin’s lips were swollen from their kisses. That could easily be explained away, especially as her teeth found the bottom lip and gnawed on it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had an appointment,” she said, eyeing Aelin, who had thankfully gotten off the desk before she’d entered.

“It wasn’t officially booked,” he explained, slightly stepping in front of Aelin to keep her shielded. “Miss Galathynius had a few questions about the homework I assigned in class and about an upcoming project. She stopped by during her lunch break, since her schedule is so busy.”

Silence built in the office, and after a second, Rowan cleared his throat. “Did you need something, Remelle?”

“Maeve sent out an email about a mandatory department meeting for Thursday night,” she said, slowly, still looking at them both suspiciously. “A couple of us in the building were going to get drinks after, wanted to know if you wanted to come.”

Rowan cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll plan on it.”

“Good,” Remelle said, a little too quickly. “And check your mailbox in the office. It’s full.”

With another look at Aelin, then at Rowan, Remelle left and the door fell shut behind her.

Silence enveloped the room.

Rowan slowly turned around to look at Aelin, whose face was pale.

“You couldn’t have locked the door?” she whispered.

Rowan scoffed. “Yeah, because that wouldn’t have been suspicious, being locked in here with a student.”

For some reason, the word student felt like a jab coming from him in that moment. Aelin’s back straightened. “I wasn’t aware that the receptionist randomly barges into your office. If a student found it locked, they probably wouldn’t think it was weird, at all. Offices around here are locked all the damn time.”

Rowan sighed and nodded. He stepped towards her and ran his hands up and down her arms, pressing a soft kiss to Aelin’s forehead. “You should go. There’s only so much we can talk about homework.”

Nodding, Aelin wrapped her arms around his waist, and he wrapped her up in his own. “I’ll see you after class?”

“I’ll run by my place to grab some things and pick up dinner on the way,” he promised, tilting her chin up to look at him. “I’ll see you later.”

She nodded and rose up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. Grabbing her bag from the chair, she adjusted her messy bun, which was only a little messier than it had been before and slipped out the office door.

Leaning back on the spot Aelin had just been sitting in, Rowan took a quick moment to breathe before setting his desk to rights and heading down to check his community mailbox. It wasn’t full as Remelle had implied, but there were a few things in it, mostly department memos and notes from other professors. He ignored her suspicious look as he made his way back up the stairs to his office and settled behind his desk to work on the grading he’d planned to do during his lunch.

He was halfway through an essay from one of his upperclassmen when his email dinged on his laptop. It had gone off a few times since Aelin had left, but he’d ignored them, assuming they were automatic replies to Maeve’s email about the meeting.

Tapping on the track pad of his laptop to wake it up, he kept reading over the essay as his email came to life, but he waited until he was done to look over at the most recent notifications.

Freezing, Rowan’s eyes flashed over the subject of the email from Maeve three times before he actually had the nerve to open it.

Meeting in my office after your final class of the evening.

We need to have a talk.

*

Aelin felt as if she had been holding her breath for hours.

Which was exactly how long it had been since she had received her text from Rowan.

As someone who was not nervous or paranoid by nature, she hated the feeling of being so freaked out that she was nearly about to vomit. She had already cleaned her apartment once, and was pouring herself a glass of wine as she was deciding what she could clean next. Maybe she would clean out the fridge.

After downing her glass of wine, she did just that, throwing open the refrigerator door and emptying out what had been in there for over a week.

She didn’t even hear the front door open, nor did she hear her roommate and cousin walk into the kitchen.

“Ace?”

Aelin yelped, jumped, and spun around, nearly knocking over her glass of wine on the counter nearby. “What the hell?” she yelled. “You can’t just sneak up on people like that! Doesn’t anyone realize how fucking rude it is to just barge in?!”

Aedion’s brows shot up as Lysandra stepped forward. “Uh, everything okay?”

Aelin’s face fell into her hands as she leaned against the countertop. “Does it look like everything is okay?” she asked, words muffled.

“What happened?” Lysandra asked, gently prying Aelin’s hands from her face.

Her eyes were still shut, as if she could shut out the world. Taking a deep breath, she released it, answering in one, quick burst. “I think Rowan and I got caught.”

She heard something hit the floor, clearly dropped by Aedion, but Lysandra’s hands went slack on her wrist. “What do you mean?”

Letting her head fall to the countertop, she groaned once before standing up straight and looking at them. Aedion had indeed dropped the bag of pretzels he’d pulled from the cabinet.

“We both had long breaks today, so I stopped by his office to see him for a minute. I didn’t mean for anything to happen. I mean… Yeah, I kinda did. I kissed him first.”

“I don’t need to hear about this. Lys can fill me in,” Aedion muttered, scooping the bag of pretzels off the floor and heading for Lysandra’s bedroom.

“We didn’t fuck or anything,” Aelin sighed after he left. “But we did make out on his desk a bit. It was barely even PG-13.”

“So what happened?” Lysandra asked, getting another glass down and refilling Aelin’s glassed wine and filling one for herself. “How did you get caught?”

“The secretary walked in,” Aelin said, staring at a spot on the hardwood. “She didn’t see anything, we broke apart before the door opened, but… I don’t know. She sounded suspicious, looked suspicious.” Aelin took a sip from her glass. “I mean, seriously, who knocks but doesn’t wait for a come in before they open the damn door? It’s rude as hell.”

“I don’t wait before coming into your room,” Lysandra said.

“That’s different, we live together,” Aelin said, unable to control her chuckle.

Lysandra smiled, but it faded as she shook her head. “That man needs to learn how to lock his office.”

“That’s what I said!” Aelin agreed, and topped off her glass before it was even halfway empty.

“So, what?” Lysandra went on. “She came in but didn’t see anything. Maybe she just always looks suspicious. I’m sure nothing will come out of it.”

Without another word, Aelin took her phone out of her pocket and slid it across the counter. Lysandra slowly picked it up and read Rowan’s text.

Got an email from Maeve. I have to go to her office tonight. Says she needs to talk to me. Sounded urgent.

Aelin had texted back. Did she say what it was about?

No, Rowan had replied. But it doesn’t sound good.

“Have you heard from him since he sent these?” Lysandra asked, setting the phone down.

“No, but we’ve both been in class.” Aelin let her head fall to the countertop again. “He’s supposed to come over after he gets out. But now I’m wondering if that’s such a good idea. What if someone sees him getting here?”

“It’s not all students, and we’re not exactly social butterflies. We don’t know any of our neighbors,” Lysandra said, clearly trying to soothe her.

Aelin just shook her head. “I like him, Lys. A lot. I can see a future with this guy, but… What if this is all too much? It’s too dangerous. We’re jeopardizing our futures.”

Lysandra’s eyes softened. “The secretive part of your relationship is only temporary. Besides, he’s head over heels for you, too. Would it really be worth it to give that up?”

“What if Rowan is about to lose his job?” Aelin shot back. “Lys, I would never be able to forgive myself. I have to do something.”

“Always the hero,” Lysandra muttered. “Look, the best thing you can do right now is stay here, drink wine, and let it all play out. Rowan is a big boy. He can handle himself.” Aelin said nothing, so Lysandra went on. “I just want to see you happy. Does he make you happy?”

“Beyond. Happier than I’ve been in a long time,” she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the counter. “I know it’s only been a few weeks, but… I care about him.”

“And it’s pretty damn clear that he cares about you, so sitting and waiting sucks, but that’s what you’ll have to do.” Lysandra crossed the kitchen and wrapped her best friend up in a hug. Aelin’s forehead fell to her shoulder. “I can send Aedion to get more wine if you want.”

Aelin nodded.

Lysandra chuckled and said, “Then that’s what we’ll do. Why don’t you—?”

A knock on the front door had Aelin’s head snapping up and she hurried from the kitchen. Throwing open the door, she found Rowan standing on the other side. Before he could say anything, she pulled him inside and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. “Gods, I’ve been so fucking worried.”

To her surprise, he laughed quietly, and it only caused Aelin to lean back, eyes wide. “What could possibly be funny right now?”

“I’m not I’m trouble,” he whispered, arms going around her waist. “We’re safe, we’re fine.”

Aelin blinked, all anxiety fading from her body only to be replaced with confusion. “Why did Maeve call you into her office, then?”

“She just wanted to check how things were going.” He shrugged. “Being new, and her nephew, she just wanted to check in.”

“Gods, Rowan!” She shoved his chest, lightly. “You couldn’t have texted me that? I’ve been a nervous mess!”

“She’s not exaggerating,” Lysandra mumbled from behind them. “Hi, Professor.”

Rowan rolled his eyes. “Hi, Lysandra.”

As Lysandra headed towards her room, he looked down to where Aelin was staring at his chest. He tilted her chin up until she was forced to look at him. His brow furrowed and he was surprised to see silver lining her eyes. “Everything is okay, baby. Why are you crying?”

She shook her head and blinked, but wasn’t able to stop the single tear that spilled over. He wiped it away with his thumb. “I thought we got caught, that I had ruined your life.”

His heart nearly broke. “Aelin…” He wrapped her up in his arms again, holding her as tightly as he dared, as if he could keep her from falling apart. After a second, he leaned back so he could look at her, but didn’t let her go. “Being together isn’t a decision that just one of us has made. We both went into this relationship knowing the consequences. If something were to happen, if someone finds out, you aren’t ruining my life.”

Aelin snorted, and framed his face in her hands. “So we’d both be ruining your life?”

“No one’s life will be ruined,” Rowan promised. “I’m going to be with you, Aelin. Now, and when you graduate, we can have a normal relationship, whatever the hell that means. If you’ll have me, I’m not going anywhere.”

“That’s a big promise to make so early in our relationship,” Aelin breathed, running her thumbs across his cheeks.

“I have a good feeling about us,” Rowan followed, melting into her touch.

Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers, but pulled back and smirked. “But maybe I’ll start locking my office, just in case you decide to make another unexpected visit.”

Aelin threw her head back and laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck as she rose up on her toes to kiss him again.

The day had stressed them both out, but throughout it all, there was only one thing Rowan could think about: he didn’t know what his future held, but there was one thing for sure.

He wanted Aelin in it.

[i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend]

In a Heartbeat ~ Doctor!Bucky x Reader Oneshot

A/N: Title subject to change. This is a GIANT CONGRATULATIONS PRESENT for my fave Doctor!Bucky lover and yours @captainscanadian Because my girl finished undergrad today! Congrats, bby! Enjoy this doctor!bucky fluff that I said I would write a million years ago. ;) I'm so proud of you!!

Summary: What should have been a fun night out ends in the ER. At least your doctor is handsome?

Characters/Pairings: Bucky x Reader, Wanda Maximoff

Warnings: Injuries (fractured ankle), hospital, getting a cast, xrays and catscan. I think that's it. Fluff

Word Count: 2190

For the first hour of your stay in the ER you couldn’t decide if the constant beeping from the machine beside you was calming or irritating.

As it rolled into the second hour, you settled on irritating. You glared down at your ankle even though it was hidden under the blanket. You moved it ever so slightly, wincing as it caught on the sheet.

You unlocked your phone, letting your friends know that yes you were still here. And no you didn’t have any updates. And no they shouldn’t feel guilty.

A small part of you had blamed them in the first moments, after all they were the ones who convinced you to celebrate the end of finals with some drinking and dancing.

You checked your make up in the mirror next to your front door before locking up. You glanced at the door across the hall, hoping to catch the eye of your hunky neighbor before heading out. But no dice.

Oh well. At least your dress would likely be appreciated at the club. You’d even pulled out your comfy heels. Heels which were now mocking you from their spot on the chair next to your purse.

You’d been feeling good strutting down the stairs of your apartment building when a group of college kids who had clearly been pre-gaming, thundered past you, forcing you to press up against the wall. When you’d taken your next step your heel broke and you went sliding down 15 stairs.

You’d thought your ass had taken the worst of it until you tried to stand up and immediately cried out in pain.

So instead of ferrying you to a club, the Uber your friends arrived in took you to the hospital. You’d sent your friends on their way once you’d been processed and were waiting to be admitted. No need to spoil everyone’s night.

But now five hours later and bored out of your skull you were regretting that decision. You were going to lose your mind. You’d only left the room twice. Once for an x-ray and once for a CT scan.

You turned on the TV and settled on the game show network, letting the episode of family feud distract you.

You were on your third episode when a nurse came in.

“Hello. I’m Wanda, the night shift nurse. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. I’m just eager to get out of here.”

“I’ll bet you are. Dr. Barnes should be in soon,” she assured you. “He just finished up a surgery.”

“Sounds good.”

She checked your chart, noting your vitals and making sure that you weren’t tangled in any wires.

“Can I get you anything?”

“Can I have some water?”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

Wanda brought back a cup of water and a warm blanket.

“Thought you might be cold,” she explained.

“Actually yeah. Thanks. Is there any way I can take this off?” You gestured to the heart rate monitor on your finger.

She shot you an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry. It’s protocol.”

“Worth a shot,” you shrugged.

“I’ll come and check on you in a little bit.”

“Thank you.”

She bustled out of the room and you turned your attention back to the TV which had moved on the Price is Right reruns.

You must have drifted off because the next thing you know you were being gently shaken. Your eyes were finally able to focus on a pair of entirely too blue eyes.

As your brain caught up, you realized the blue eyes were set in a very handsome face. A familiar handsome face at that.

“2A?” you asked cocking your head to the side.

He chuckled as you readjusted yourself trying to discretely check that you hadn’t drooled in your sleep.

“Most people call me Dr. Barnes. Or Bucky.”

“Bucky?”

That made even less sense. You were certain the name on his mailbox was James.

“My middle name is Buchanan. And what shall I call you, 2B?”

“Y/n.”

“Well it’s very nice to officially meet you, Y/n. Although I wish it were under better circumstances. Let’s take a look at this ankle shall we?”

You nodded, and he took that as an assent to lift the blanket. He folded in neatly up over your knee leaving most of your lap covered. You grimaced when you saw the swelling was even worse now than when you arrived.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

You relayed your story to him, omitting the bit about hoping to run into him. He listened intently, making the occasional note but mainly he just nodded.

“I’m going to examine it now,” he announced.

His hands were sure and practiced as he gently turned your ankle from side to side. It twinged occasionally, so you focused on his features to distract yourself.

You catalogued each in turn but lingered on his sharp jawline. Your thoughts drifted to peppering kisses along it and down his neck.

You were startled when his cerulean gaze met yours with a concerned look.

“Did that hurt?”

“Not really. Why?”

You were genuinely confused by the question. You hadn’t noticed anything amiss in his examination.

“Your heart rate was elevated. And you, ummm,” he broke eye contact for the first time.

“I what?”

“Squeaked.”

Your eyes widened and your chest felt hot with embarrassment. You glanced at the traitorous machine which was live casting your racing heart. Although that probably was less of the issue than the fact that you squeaked.

“I guess the hospital just makes me nervous,” you lied lamely.

He didn’t look convinced but thankfully let it go.

“I just need to check one more angle.”

This time it was painful and you yelped.

“Sorry.” He gingerly placed your foot back on the pillow that had been elevating it and covered it with the blanket.

He held the CT scans and X-rays up to the light as you watched him. You once again failed to notice your heart rate climbing as you admired the bulge of his bicep.

Dr. Barnes however definitely noticed. He smiled over at you reassuringly, which failed to help the issue at all. He glanced at the erratically beeping machine, before looking back to you. You would swear that there was a hint of smugness in his expression. But he kept it well hidden.

“Well, I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news.”

“Lay it on me, doc.”

“Well, the good news is that you will not be needing surgery. It’s a minor fracture.”

“And the bad news?”

“It’s a minor fracture that requires a cast.”

“How long?”

“Eight weeks. Total.”

“Eight weeks on crutches?” You whined.

“You should only be on crutches for the first four. After that, assuming everything is healing well, you’ll be in a walking cast.”

You groaned and shot a murderous glare at your heels once again.

“The price we pay for fashion.”

“I’ll have Wanda prepare everything now. It should only take about an hour.”

“Well, that sure cuts into my dancing plans,” you joked, frustrated by being stuck there for another hour.

It would be morning before you got home.

“Is that where you were headed?” he asked as he pressed the call button.

“Yeah. My friends finally convinced me to go out with them for once and look where it got me,” you laughed humorlessly. “Well at least I’m done for the summer. So the leg won’t mess me up too bad.”

Wanda appeared in the doorway.

“What do you need, doctor Barnes?”

“I need a cast kit. For the ankle.”

“Got it. I’ll be right back.”

You expected Bucky to leave then, but he continued bustling around the room.

“You said you’re done for the summer. Are you a teacher?”

“Kinda.”

He quirked an eyebrow at you.

“I’m a graduate student. So I just finished up TAing for the semester.”

“Ahh. Are you doing research then?”

“I’m finishing up the edits on my thesis actually. So this might actually make me do it instead of procrastinating," you giggled.

“What’s your thesis on?”

You were in the middle of explaining your thesis, when Wanda returned. Genuinely interested in your area of research, Bucky continued asking you questions as he wrapped the liner around your leg.

From time to time he would grin up at you and the damn heart rate monitor would go off all over again. You’d gotten over your embarrassment for the most part, until Wanda had to suppress a giggle because your heart actually skipped a beat.

“Alright. You are all set. Wanda will grab you your crutches and your discharge papers. You’ll need to make a follow up with your Orthopedic in four weeks.”

“Since I don’t have an orthopedic on speed dial, do you know any good ones?”

Bucky chuckled.

“I’ll have her put my practice’s number on the sheet.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

“No problem. Do you have any questions before I go?”

“How long do you think getting all the paperwork sorted will take?”

“Not long. Twenty minutes or so. Why?”

“Just wondering if I should order my Uber now or wait.”

He glanced at the clock on the wall. His fingers drummed against the clipboard in his hand as he momentarily mulled something over.

“If you’re willing to wait another forty-five minutes, I can drive you home when I get off my shift.”

You immediately shook your head.

“You so don’t need to do that.”

“Please. It’s literally on my way home.”

You nibbled on your lip. It would be a lot easier.

“If you’re sure.”

He seemed almost relieved when you accepted.

“Absolutely. It’s been pretty quiet tonight, so you can just hang out in here until I get back.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.���

He smiled, softer than the other ones he’d given you so far before hanging your chart on the end of your bed and exiting the room, bumping into the glass door as he went. You stifled a giggle. Maybe you weren’t the only one affected.

It took a little over thirty minutes to get you processed. And before you knew it Bucky was helping you into his car. You went in butt first and then swung your cast leg, followed by your good leg in just a hospital sock. Bucky handed you your shoes and purse.

“So, do you chauffer all of your patients home?” You teased as you left the parking lot.

“Only the ones who live across the hall. Speaking of which, I am sorry this is the first time we’ve gotten to meet properly. Not very neighborly of me.”

“I can’t imagine why you haven’t made your way over with your loads of free time,” you deadpanned, earning you an eyeroll. “But however it happened, I’m glad that we met. It was getting to the awkward stage.”

“Yeah, seven months of passing waves is a long time.”

You hummed your agreement.

“So, how did you get into medicine?”

“Family business.”

He told you all about his surgeon mom and physician father as you drove home. His siblings were also in medicine and even his childhood best friend.

“That is so many medical degrees in one house. Must be rousing holiday dinner conversations.”

“We actually have a no shop talk rule.”

“And how long does that last?” you asked knowingly.

“Through appetizers… maybe.”

“Your family sounds amazing.”

“They are. I wouldn’t trade them for anything,” he admitted as he parked his car.

Bucky carefully helped you out of the car and up to your apartment. You’d never been so glad to live in a building with an elevator.

“I feel like I should offer you breakfast for bringing me home,” you admitted as you plopped down on the couch, and lifted your foot onto the coffee table exhausted from the crutches.

“You need to stay off that foot. But I’m sure you’re starving and so am I. Got any pancake mix?”

“Doctor Barnes, you really don’t have to do that.”

“It’s Bucky. We’re back to just neighbors here. And I want to.”

“How can I repay you?”

“Think about going out on a date with me when your leg is all healed.”

You cocked your head, as you appraised him.

“Just think about it?”

He scratched behind his ear as he shrugged a little.

“I’ve been wanting to ask you out for well… about seven months. But I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything. Because you don’t. I would have brought any of my neighbors home,” he rambled.

“You’re a really good guy,” you hummed.

“Could you tell my Ma that?” he joked, though his ears tinged pink.

“Happily. And I’d love to think about going on a date with you.”

He beamed back at you.

“I’ll take it. So pancakes?”

“In the cabinet above the fridge. Next to the chocolate chips.”

He nodded, taking the hint on your favorite add on.

“I’m on it.”

Eight weeks later when your walking cast came off, you and Bucky went out for dinner… for your two month anniversary.

Your heart definitely still raced when he smiled at you. And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

A/N: There we have it! I hope you enjoyed @captainscanadian.

[heyitsyn]

Manager!Seijoh Part 3

a/n: yall i love seijoh so much like theyre my favorite school and my favorite boys and i know their names by heart and im just so SOFT for them !!!!!

also: yall will find out what other fandom ill be writing for in the future in this one

for more seijoh content, check this masterlist out!

combined two anon requests:

- Could we get the boys reacting to finding out the seijoh manager is quite popular to both genders?? Maybe they over hear a confession?

- Why do I feel like half of the team would be all pouty when word comes around that a guy confessed to manager, the others would probably be annoyed/irritated. Oikawa being all bratty cause no matter what he tried,she never showed ant interest when he flirts. But now this boy comes alone ... (but like you said manager is too focused in school and the team)

MY HEART WAS RIPPED OUT OF MY CHEST AND THROWN INTO A BLENDER WHEN I SAW THIS PART OR JUST WHEN SEIJOH LOST IN GENERAL BC MY BABIES WORKED SO HARD AAAAAAA

oof girl the world is ending

so basically,,,,,

the entire just magically knew about what happened earlier and yahaba’s theory of team telepathy really does work bc not even a minute after it happened, they all spammed you messages and next thing you knew, oikawa was naruto-ing down from the 3rd floor to your class in the first floor

tbh, they shouldve seen this coming yanno?

you were ridiculously pretty and you carried yourself w such elegance and grace that it just seemed to hypnotize everyone into stopping what they were doing and watched you in awe doing the most mundane things like walking or sitting

lmao couldnt be me

your confessions usually happened over letters bc either tol boys kunimi or kindaichi are usually around you at all times so theyre too scared to do anything

hence why your locker was always filled with envelopes yet no upfront public confessions

it ranged from upperclassmen and upperclasswomen who expressed their interest in you and wanted to date you and get to know you better

but tf you dont even know them and you werent about to date a whole stranger

this made the boys a little peeved because you were popular with both the boys and the gals so they were constantly on edge on who was talking to you

it was like having an oikawa 2.0 but not indulging them and pretending theyre not even there

like when you walk to class and sit down, they would flock over and offer you drinks and snacks but you either turned them down or just flat-out ignored them

maybe this was what fueled others on more

your reserved attitude and your refusals made it look like you were playing hard to get and it was almost like a game on who could win the heart of the princess of seijoh

this was proven really difficult because not only do they have your dismissals, you also had guard dogs at every corner and would bite their head off at the slight indication of an interaction

however,,,,

today,,,

this morning,,,,

at 7:53 AM,,,,

they saw you walking down the hallway with a purple-haired boy holding your bag and you giggling at what he was saying

um EXCUSE ME MAAM WHAT

EVERYONE HAS BEEN TRYING TO GAIN YOUR AFFECTIONS FOR MONTHS YET YOU ARE HERE INTERACTING WITH A MALE WHO NO ONE EVEN KNOWS

ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS A MALE WHO WAS STANDING RIGHT THERE RIGHT NEXT TO YOU AND HE WASNT A MEMBER OF THE TEAM

!!!!!

and ofc, the boys would immediately know even though theyre spread all over the school

it was kyoken who saw you as he was leaning against your locker and his eyes narrowed before he secretly took a picture and sent it to yahaba, asking if there was a new guy who entered the team while he was away

when he replied with a panicked, ‘NO WHO IS THAT’

kyoken was already advancing to you

yahaba-san immediately sent the picture to the team group chat, that excluded you rood, and oikawa wasted no time and even pushed some fangirls so he could go to you

‘-and she destroyed my sheets’

you laughed at the story and hitoshi stared at you with awe in his eyes

how can someone laugh so beautifully?

like a snort should be considered ugly and gross but it was like cute little squeaks from you and he thought you were like a fairy

‘oh god, i wasnt-’

you were cut off with a hand that held your arm

you came face to face with the glaring face of one of your boys and you immediately turned to him in concern, immediately grasping an arm with the other hand on his cheek to look for any cuts

he rarely comes to you on a normal basis so you thought something was wrong

‘whats wrong, kyo-san? did you get into a fight? do you need me to patch you up?’

he didnt care what you were saying, instead heatedly glaring at this new guy, and grunted a response to agreeing with you going to the nurse

just anywhere to get you away from this,,,, stranger

‘toshi i have to-’

then you were cut off again

‘YYYYY/NNNNNNN-CHHHHHAAAANNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’

‘OI SHITTYKAWA!’

‘OIKAWA-SAN!’

‘OIKAWA!’

‘CAPTAIN!’

from behind you, 5 tol looming figures were running towards you and next thing you knew, you were in the arms of your captain

‘oikawa-san! what are you doing?!’

oikawa held you tightly against his chest and had his arms tightly around your form to prevent you from being taken away

most of the volleyball team were now circling you and pointedly glaring at the poor boy who was so confused that he wasnt bothered by the death glares

‘oh, its you’

kunimi grumbled

‘kunimi, whats happening?’

hitoshi questioned

you fought away from the hold of oikawa and pushed mattsukawa and hanamaki to stand in front of shinsou hitoshi

‘so sorry about this, toshi. i’ll help you with your room later and ill text you when practice is finished, okay?’

you sheepishly smiled and he nodded, his own smile reassuring you

‘yep. ill see you later then’

‘bye’

you softly said and he turned to walk away

but as soon as he was out of sight, you turned around with a grim looking expression and your hands on your hips, a hard look in your eyes

‘boys, what was that?’

you gritted out

‘y/n-chan! don’t you see?! he was going to take you away! he was an intrude-OW!’

he yelped when you reached up and grabbed his ear before grabbing the other closest who was iwaizumi

they both whined and complained about the ear and slapped your hand but you didnt let up

‘he is a friend, oikawa-san. you have no right on who i can be friends and who i can hang out with because i still have a life outside the team!’

you scolded and the others hung their heads low like puppies

‘sorry, y/n-chan’

oikawa mumbled and iwaizumi also mumbled his apology so you let go of them, dusting off your hands

‘and the rest of you, hold back your captain and dont intimidate him like that!’

‘sorry’

you sighed but ruffled their hair before turning to go to class

‘now, be good boys and dont bother others like this again’

‘yes’

they chorused and you nodded, satisfied

‘ill hold you to it!’

you shouted as you walked down the hallway

when you turned a corner, oikawa grabbed kunimi by the arms

‘you know him, dont you? who is he? what class? address? mother’s name? father’s name? age-’

‘oi stop it, shittykawa’

but despite that, iwaizumi looked at the younger, expecting answers as well

kunimi sighed

‘thats shinsou hitoshi from class 1-3. we have gym together’

and ‘we’ was kunimi and you since you were both in the same class so you constantly saw this shinsou boy?

nuh uh, dont think so, francisco

from the looks of it, you were still single and there was a pining from shinso’s part, maybe yours they dont know

and they were going to do everything in their power to keep you away from him

this was excused to them as protecting their manager from someone else and they werent going to let you be taken by someone else

during practice, they grilled you over your relationship with him

‘i honestly dont know why this is your business but if you must know, his adoptive father, aizawa-san, is my mother’s co-worker and i usually catsit for them. dont worry, we’re not dating. just friends, that’s all’

but they know it wasnt just a friendship type of situation

so when the 4 third years saw you being confessed to by this ‘friend’ outside, they almost toppled out the window as they tried to listen to what was being said

‘shittykawa get off my back!’

‘nuh uh! i want to see clearly!’

‘everyone needs to know that code red is happening!’

yall what

mattsun took a picture and sent it to the gc about their princess being confessed to 

no one replied, possibly too upset or too busy sulking

kyoken actually had to be excused outside bc he was glaring at everyone and everything and the teacher and students were so scared that they had to take him out of class

they were even more peeved when you just walked in like nothing happened

you didnt mention the confession to anyone else the whole day and when you entered the gym, it was very tense

the coaches even looked confused

‘did you guys fight?’

you questioned but no one answered

kunimi and kindaichi were playing with a ball and glaring at it as it hit the floor

the 2nd years yes including kyobabie were pouting to the side

the 3rd years looked annoyed and pissed off 

overall just not seijoh babie vibes

i am uncomfortable with the energy we have created in the gym today🧚✨

‘hey’

you gently said and walked to the captain to figure out what was going on

‘oikawa-san, what happened?’

‘are you dating him now, y/n?’

the seriousness in his voice shocked you and you took a step back in surprise

your expression made him think that you did accept the confession and he scoffed before walking away and doing a jump serve that sounded like a canon blasting

but you were actually confused and surprised that they even knew bc you were sure it was a secluded area where no one could see you

‘dating,,,? dating who?’

you asked to them and the 3rd years just knitted their eyebrows

‘dont play coy, y/n-chan’

oikawa hissed

‘no matter how many times i flirted or asked you on dates, you never said yes. never agreed or even showed a little bit of interest. on me!! your captain!!! but now!!! this little grape boy comes along and you suddenly start dating just because he has cats! what kinda bias is this?!’

he started ranting and whining and being a brat that you pinched his nose shut

‘oi, oikawa-san, are you jumping to conclusions again? first the hickey accident and now this?’

he made a whining noise for you to let go and rubbed his nose when you finally let go

you turned around to face the others and you sighed, massaging your temples

‘everyone, who spread this misunderstanding?’

no one pointed to anyone but their gazes settled on the thick eyebrow boy that you were sure wouldnt have ratted you out

a noise of surprise and betrayal escaped from you as mattsun quickly scrambled to get everyone to stop staring at him

‘MATTSUN-SAN! YOU-!’

you pointed at him and mattsun rushed forward to grab your hands before holding them close to his chest

‘y/n-chan, we just saw you when we were passing! it was makki who wanted to tell the others!’

the betrayal made iwa laugh but makki ran up to kick mattsun to the side

‘youre the one who committed the deed! i was merely suggesting it! it was iwaizumi who wanted to watch them first!’

‘IWA-SAN!’

you gasped at the normally chill third year and you didnt expect him to be the one who started it first

iwa panicked and held his hands out cautiously

‘y/n-chan, understand that i was just worried and i didnt want you to be outside by yourself after what happened, okay? i didnt know he was confessing to you’

you closed your eyes and pinched the bridge of your nose tightly

‘again! whoever and whatever happens in my love life is my business! mine! and only mine! you cannot control it and get angry at ME because i do want a boyfriend and i do want to experience dating bc i want to know how it feels to be loved like that! so i wont let a bunch of children stop me from having that!’

the third years shared a look before they they gave up and nodded in defeat

but oikawa was the most offended

‘Y/N-CHAN! I ASK YOU ON DATES ALL THE TIME AND I ALWAYS OFFER TO GIVE YOU THAT LOVE SO WHY CAN’T IT BE ME?! WHAT DOES THAT GRAPE HUMANOID HAVE THAT I DONT?!’

he whined and stomped his foot after crossing his arms and a pout on his face

you shook your head, not even bothering to answer that, and went to the others

‘dont be mad and be upset, okay? i refused him bc i have no time for a relationship when im too busy looking after my own boys. i really dont want to add another’

kindaichi and yahaba’s face scrunched as they rushed forward to hug you 

‘we thought you would leave us y/n-chan!’

‘stay as ours forever, okay?’

you were so relieved that they werent as aggressive as the oldests and gave each player their own favorite hugs

but you stopped in front of kyo, not really knowing how to hug him since youve never exactly showed any type of affection like that

so you were just awkwardly standing there with raised arms but he patted your head, you smiling and leaning more to his touch

‘hm, kyo-san, ya finally warming up to me?’

you teased but he scoffed, gently headbutting you with his forehead against yours

‘now, everyone! dont misunderstand and know that for as long as i will be a manager, i wont be in a relationship bc my time as a manager is too crucial since i would probably have to look after you so you dont get yourself to jail. a boyfriend is adding more boys in to that list and i dont want that. you will be my boys forever and i wont be taken from you so please trust on me and stop being so overprotective bc i wont give them the affection or wishes they want!’

oikawa teared up and was about to go trample you but he was held back

‘no! i want a hug! i want a family hug! cmon, iwa-chan!’

practice went by quickly but you demanded them to do 10 diving laps in punishment for all the misunderstandings theyve created 

but they gladly did it bc it meant that you wont be taken from them and you would be theirs forever and their cute manager is going to pay attention to them and them only

i got serious yandere vibes from this but its so heartwarming that theyre so overprotective and lowkey you got yourself a harem

after practice, they all wanted to walk home with you but you told them that shinsou’s house was the other direction

‘y/n-chan! you said you wouldn’t-’

you rolled your eyes

‘oikawa-san, just because i refused that confession doesnt mean i will stop earning money. i still have to catsit for his family and earn my money!’

they only agreed when kyo said that he was walking that way too but they were still weary and jealous bc he got to spend more time with you than them

as you were both walking, you looked up at him

‘kyo-san, what type of hug do you like?’

‘hah?’

he looked down at you bc we short with wide eyes and flushed cheeks

you smiled and looked forward, skipping slightly

‘everyone in the team has their own special hugs. i want everyone to have one bc you all are individually special to me so-’

but he stopped walking and pulled arm before he lifted you up, making you squeak and wrap your legs around his waist

thank god you were wearing your tracksuit and not your skirt

‘k-kyo-san?’

bruh is it obv that kyoken is one of my favorite seijoh boys like bls love on him

he didnt want you to see his flustered expression bc he still has a reputation to uphold, yanno?

so he tucked it in your neck and you softly smiled before playing with the baby hairs at the base of his neck

‘you like this kind then, kyo-san? kinda aggressive but perfectly suits you, yanno?’

he just grunted and you laughed

he wasnt about to tell you that he liked holding you on his arms bc you were so tiny and so you that holding you like this makes him feel like he was protecting you and feel good about himself bc he gets to be the one who shields you from the world

yuhhhhh get it kyo

‘so yahaba-san told me that you got kicked out of class bc you scared the teacher and kids?’

you questioned and he left his spot on your neck and pulled his face back so you could clearly see his face

it was red and possibly flustered but you just snickered

he still held you by his strong arms so you were able to move your small hands to his face where he flinched at first but relaxed when you touched his cheeks

your fingers gently pulled the sides of his lips and you tilted your head to the side

‘you,,, look really handsome when you smile, kyo-san’

you whispered and he was so surprised that his tough mask fell and was replaced by wide eyes and his eyebrows rose up, the intimidating look disappearing from his eyes

‘i-i do?’

you bit your lip bc this was so different from the aggressive kyo you knew and you didnt expect this type of innocence that he just showed you

maybe he wasnt so innocent from the fights and arguments he has started or been in 

but he was so innocent to soft touches and compliments bc he wasnt exposed to it, only used to the ones that were said due to the aura he exuded or his looks

‘yep, you do. so keep smiling for me, kay? dont have to be around the others or all the time, but i,,, want to see it sometimes’

he blinked at you but quickly went back to your neck to hide the big smile that was threatening to come out

you felt his lips move and you laughed

‘noooo! kyo-san!!! i want to see your smilee!!! dont hide it!!!’

but it was cut short when a familiar shout was heard from the other side of the street that was near the school

it seemed that oikawa was worried about you walking alone with kyoken so he followed you both with the other third years

‘kyoken-chan! y/n-chan!’

he shouted in betrayal

you were about to get away from kyo’s hold but he tightened his grip and leaned in to place a kiss on your forehead, still staring straight at the captain

‘mine’

again, do you know what happened next?

oikawa screamed

this was actually pretty funny to write bc wowza oikawa is so oikawa and hes just so oikawa-like, yanno? and im still simping over kyoken and shinsou is my ult fave in bnha and i really love him like ugghhhh :’)

[haikyuuhoo]

Habits

Pairing: Akaashi x Reader

Summary: In which Akaashi has a couple of habits you find extremely endearing.

Words: 2.7k

Warnings: Just extremely rushed writing so this might not be great.

A/N: Have a lil fluffy Akaashi fic I wrote instead of doing my reading for class today :) My excuse is that this was supposed to be a drabble but I got carried away.

Akaashi had two habits you picked up on very early—before the two of you even really knew each other.

The first was that he had this cute little way he played with his fingers when he got anxious. You'd seen him do it in a number of situations: when he was waiting in line at the campus café deciding what to order, when he stood in the kitchen at the few parties you'd spotted him at, and right before he was about to give a presentation. Another thing you noticed, though, was that it was shockingly easy for him to switch it off as if nothing was bothering him. When he approached the counter, he told the barista his order as if it was the same thing he got every time. When his friends approached him at the party, he would give them a gentle smile and allow them to push a drink into his hand. When he stood in front of the class he immediately stood straight and set his shoulders back, exuding a confidence that you could only dream of having while he gave his analysis of whatever book you'd all just read for your literature class.

Akaashi Keiji was never one to express his emotions openly, always coming off as stoic or like he couldn't be bothered to really tell people what he was thinking. But you knew better.

When you leaned your chin on your palm, watching Akaashi give his presentation at the front of the lecture hall, you could tell there was more going on in that pretty head of his. Honestly, you weren't even paying attention to what he was saying. You were studying him, trying to see if there was any millisecond where he let something other than strict professionalism shine through. But you didn't see anything, and it made you frown a bit as he came to the conclusion of his presentation.

When he finished, he thanked the class and let a small smile settle on his lips. It made warmth bloom in your chest, and you couldn't help but smile in return.

Not like he noticed. You were pretty sure he didn't even know who you were.

That was your first year of college, and you honestly didn't expect to be in many—if any—more classes with Akaashi. It was just a gen ed class, after all.

In your third year, however, you were in another class with him. You’d noticed him on the first day. You remembered from your first year that he was always early to class, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when your gaze immediately found him sitting in the middle of the rows of seats as you walked in. You instantly felt your heart rate pick up, and you honestly found it to be a bit embarrassing. You made your way to a seat a few rows behind Akaashi and settled in. Did you still have a stupid crush on this guy who you’d barely spoken a word to two years later?

Yeah, you did. How could you be anything other than enamoured with Akaashi Keiji?

The class, sadly, was a lecture with over one hundred students, so aside from looking at the back of his head, you didn’t really see much of him. It made your heart sink.

The second habit Akaashi had was one you had picked up on your first year as well, but you didn’t really see it in full swing until you noticed him frequenting the library even more than you usually did.

Akaashi Keiji was an overthinker.

Sitting behind him, you could always see the bright red A’s on his papers he got back. So why did he always look so stressed whenever you saw him in the library?

On numerous occasions you’d caught him staring at his laptop screen for probably much longer than was necessary to read over whatever was in front of him. You felt a bit bad for staring, but he made you curious. When you looked a little more closely, you noticed that behind his glasses his gaze was unfocused, meaning his mind was definitely somewhere far off from the words on the screen in front of him.

You found it kind of cute, the look he would get on his face.

But you’d still never spoken to him, so there was no way you were going to tell him that.

That was, until one day in the library when you did speak to him.

You had been sitting a few tables away from Akaashi—this time you weren’t stalking him—not that you had been before!—you were here first this time, you swear! You hadn’t even noticed him!

Well, okay, that last part wasn’t true. You had arrived before Akaashi that day, fully intent on cramming for midterms, and you only noticed him when you got up to go refill your water bottle. You almost tripped over your own feet when you saw him. And maybe you did accidentally shoulder check a bookshelf.

But we don’t talk about that.

You noticed he was working on the paper for your class as you walked by, you could tell from the fact that his copy of the book you all had been assigned sat open in front of him. It had countless flags sticking out of it and was filled with highlights and scribbles in the margins. You kind of admired his dedication.

A few hours later you’d gotten yourself back in your own groove of cramming. Your headphones played music loudly into your ears in an attempt to minimize any distractions, and your gaze was fixed on your laptop. You were so in the zone that you didn’t notice someone approaching you. You didn’t even notice him say your name. It wasn’t until you felt a hand on your shoulder that made you jump that you pulled yourself away from your work.

You pulled your headphones off just in time to hear the person beside you mumble an apology, and before your gaze raised enough to look at his face you knew who it was.

You could tell by the way he fiddled with his fingers.

“Sorry for scaring you,” Akaashi said, looking away as an embarrassed flush rose on the back of his neck.

You shook your head quickly. “No, it’s okay! My music was just really loud. I didn’t hear you,” you explained with an awkward laugh, looking up at him and setting your headphones on the table. “D-Did you need something?”

You could feel your heart pounding. You’d never spoken to him before and now he was approaching you?

“Yeah, uh, you’re in my classic lit class,” he said, and your breath caught in your throat. You didn’t think he even knew you existed.

“Yeah, I am,” you breathed, and you could feel your cheeks tingle with heat.

He cleared his throat and looked down at you. He was still playing with his fingers, which surprised you. Usually he stopped as soon as he started doing whatever was making him nervous. Why were you any different?

“I was wondering if you’d be willing to read over my paper. I’ve been working on it for hours and I think it’s making me hate it. You can say no, I know you’re probably busy with your own stuff. I just thought a fresh pair of eyes might help me.”

Your eyes widened. Not only was he in front of you looking uncharacteristically more nervous than you’d ever seen him, but now he was asking for your help?

“Sure!” you blurted, and you hoped you didn’t come across as eager as you felt.

His shoulders relaxed at that, and he smiled. “Awesome, thank you. Let me grab my stuff really quick.”

You nodded, and as you watched him retreat to his table you tried to get yourself to calm down. He was back less than a minute later, and instead of just having his laptop he had gathered all of his things. It made the heat in your cheeks spread over the rest of your face as you realized he was moving to your table to continue working.

“I’m Y/N, by the way,” you said as he set his laptop in front of you.

“I know,” he said bluntly, settling into the seat across from you.

Your eyes widened. “Y-You do?”

He looked up at you and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. We had a class together a couple years ago. You gave really good presentations,” he observed.

You felt like you were going to pass out. Not only did Akaashi actually know your name, he remembered you.

“I see you around campus sometimes too,” he continued.

“O-Oh,” you breathed, pulling his laptop closer to you. “I guess it’s not weird that I know your name too, then?”

He gave you a smile that made a swarm of butterflies erupt in your stomach. “I guess not. But I can formally introduce myself if that’ll make you feel better. I’m Akaashi. Thank you for reading my paper.”

You nodded, fingers curling around the sides of his laptop. “Of course. I’ve been working for hours too, so this will be a good break.”

“I can read something of yours in return if you want,” he offered, but you shook your head immediately.

“No, it’s okay, you’ve probably got a bunch of assignments to work on,” you assured him with a smile before looking down to the screen to start reading his paper. He simply gave you a nod and pulled a textbook out of his bag, leaning his cheek against his hand as he began working on another assignment.

It only took you a few pages to realize why Akaashi consistently aced his papers. He was an incredible writer.

You looked up, fully intent on telling him as much, but you stopped when your gaze settled on him and you noticed that familiar far away look in his eyes. You smiled, and you couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking about.

Akaashi thought you were incredibly beautiful. That wasn’t a word he used often, usually reserved only for the way authors sometimes articulated things in a way that gave him goosebumps or for the way he could see the stars twinkle on clear nights.

But as soon as he’d laid his eyes on you, the word popped into his mind nearly every day. He’d watched you walk into class the first day of his first year, and he was smitten.

You looked so beautiful, even when you were doing something as simple as coming into the early morning class nursing a coffee every day. He decided he’d always come early so he could watch you walk in.

You looked beautiful when he saw you around campus, and the warmth that bloomed in his chest when he watched you laugh with your friends only solidified the thought.

You looked incredibly beautiful whenever he saw you at the parties he went to when Bokuto was finally able to drag him along. There was just something about watching you act so carefree with a smile that never seemed to leave your face all night that made him realize that you had become his definition of beautiful.

But he’d been too nervous to ever say anything to you, and when an entire year went by without the two of you having another class together, he felt a bit hopeless. He couldn’t really go up to you on campus, and the longer he waited the more awkward it was.

“Hey, you were in my literature class a year and a half ago,” wasn’t the best pickup line.

But when he saw you walk into classic lit at the beginning of this semester, he felt his heart soar. Maybe he would work up the nerve to talk to you this time.

A few minutes passed and Akaashi still hadn’t moved. A slight giggle left you that startled him out of whatever trance he was in, and he blushed when he looked at you.

“What? Did I write something stupid?” he asked meekly.

You shook your head, unable to keep the laugh from bubbling out of you. “No! Your paper is incredible, actually.”

He frowned. “Then why are you laughing?”

You gave him a hesitant smile. “You do this thing…” you trailed off, wondering if it would be weird to admit that you noticed the way he would sometimes get lost in his own head.

“What thing?” he questioned, the pink on his cheeks darkening.

You bit your lip. Now it was your turn to be shy. You dropped your gaze to your lap and played with a loose thread on your sleeve. “When you get really deep in thought you get this cute little look on your face,” you whispered, not even sure if he heard it.

But he had, and his eyes widened in embarrassment. “C-Cute?” he sputtered.

You nodded and cleared your throat. “Sorry, I know that’s probably weird,” you said softly.

“I think you’re cute too,” he breathed.

“You what?” you squeaked, head snapping back up so you could look at him.

He quickly looked away, but there was no hiding the way his cheeks were stained pink. “Is that too forward?” he asked softly, and he was playing with his fingers again.

Without thinking, you reached across the table and placed your hand on top of his. He jumped, looking back over at you and relaxing at the way you smiled at him.

“No, it’s not,” you assured him.

“Good,” he sighed, “because I actually think you’re beautiful.”

That was three years ago, and you couldn’t help but think back to it as you took in the scene in front of you.

You’d announced yourself as soon as you stepped into his house. You knew he had a big deadline today, so you wanted to surprise him with dinner. He sometimes forgot to eat when he worked late, and you wanted to make sure he was taking care of himself properly.

Plus, you’d take any excuse you could get to see your boyfriend.

“‘Kaashi, I brought food!” you called out as you closed the door. You slipped your shoes off by the door and hung your jacket up beside his on the coat rack. When you got no response, you set the bag of takeout on the kitchen table and made your way to his office.

“Keiji,” you hummed as you opened the door, peeking your head in. You still didn’t receive a response, but you saw him sitting at his desk. He wasn’t typing, however, nor was he scrolling through the pages on the screen in front of him.

You frowned. You already knew what was happening.

You walked further into the room. “Keiji,” you said again when you approached his side. He simply gave you a hum in acknowledgement. You rolled your eyes and turned his chair so he was facing you, but he kept his gaze straight ahead. A groan left you and you cupped his face in your hands, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips.

His eyes widened, and his gaze focused on you for a moment before his eyes fluttered shut and he parted his knees slightly so you could stand between them.

“You’re gonna give yourself burnout if you keep spacing out like that. I know how much you overthink stuff like this,” you scolded when you pulled away.

He sighed, hands settling on your hips. “I know, it’s just, I’ve got this deadline���”

“I know you do,” you interrupted, “that’s why I’m here. I had a feeling you’d be working too hard.” You gave him a fond smile and ran a hand gently through his hair. “So I brought you dinner.”

He perked up at the mention of food and smiled up at you. “You’re the best.”

“I know.” You grinned. “Now c’mon, let’s go eat so you can give that pretty little head of yours a rest,” you teased, ruffling his hair once more before reaching for his hand and pulling him out of his chair.

He hummed and laced your fingers together as he stood up. “Sounds good,” he murmured before bringing your hand up and placing a kiss to your knuckles. “You know me so well.”

You smiled. “I’ve been told I’m quite observant.”

He chuckled and gave your hand an affirmative squeeze. “Yeah, you sure are.”

[thiswasinevitableid]

62. you set off the fire alarm and I have a test tomorrow, and I might strangle you

Sternclay, sfw, please!

Why do fire alarms only go off in March? The one time Stern set one off (he fell asleep studying and the dinner he was reheating started smoking) it was in that endless stretch of time where the snow is no longer festive but will keep falling for at least two more months.

More importantly, who is responsible for interrupting his carefully planned out six hours of sleep before his midterm at eight this morning?

He stands in the freezing cold with the building’s other three occupants; the single man who looks like he stars in lumberjack porn and the girlfriends who live on the ground floor.

“Sorry” The other man mumbles, “I was making doughnuts and the oil I was using got too hot without me noticing.”

Stern runs a hand through his hair and keeps his voice low, “Why were you cooking with hot oil at three in the morning?”

“When I can’t sleep, I bake.”

“Can I suggest a less flammable hobby in the future?”

“Hey man, it was an accident. And it’s not my fault they stuck the fire alarm too high up for me to get to it before it called the fire department.”

“Too high? You’re taller than I am and I can reach mine.”

“My ceilings are higher and it was tucked between the cabinets and the roof.”

“Oh yeah, ours is in a super-weird place too.” Aubrey, one of the ground-floor neighbors, pats the offenders arm, “it’s okay Barclay, it’s just a little smoke.”

“That may be the case for you three, but I have an exam that’s worth thirty percent of my grade in six hours and I need my goddamn sleep.”

“Yeesh, man, chill out. They’re already waving us back in.” Aubrey points to the door of the three story house.

“I timed everything to optimize my sleep schedule so it actually is a big deal.”

Barclay glowers at him, “Look, I said sorry. But maybe get used to the fact the world doesn’t run on your schedule, mr. control freak, and fucking get over it.”

Stern keeps a smile flat as he bites out, “go to hell” and heads upstairs to salvage what’s left of his schedule.

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

The crash from downstairs comes at nine p.m; he has a huge day at his internship tomorrow, but Stern doesn’t hear any sounds after it, and he is not about to let a neighbor die on his watch.

“Barclay? Are you okay?” He puts his ear to the door, the heater drowning out all ambient noise.

“Nope, not really, agh, fuck, the doors locked, lemme try to stand-”

“Stay put.” He runs upstairs, grabs his wallet, and uses his debit card to trick the lock, “Shit, what happened?”

Barclay is clutching his forehead, blood between his fingers, and his ankle is swelling. “I got really dizzy, caught my foot on the couch and then my forehead on the table on the way down. Ow, fuck, it better not be broken” he growls as Stern kneels to look at his foot, “I’ve got a shift in six hours.”

“I can’t tell. You should get to a hospital; if it’s injured and you try to work on it, you might have an even worse fall.”

“Fuck, I’m not even sure I can afford the ambulance, let alone the fucking E.R.”

He knows Dani and Aubrey are out, “Any family in town, or a boyfriend?”

“No, if there I woulda called them.” He snaps, then tries for a slow inhale, “sorry, it just, it hurts-”

“I can take you in my car, that’ll be one less worry.” Stern helps Barclay up, gets him to his sedan, then tells him to hold tight while he gets something for his head. He ends up grabbing the first clean fabris he finds, which is how Barclay ends up in the E.R while holding a “Roswell, NM” tank-top to his forehead.

“Sorry to ruin your, uh, souvenir?” He mumbles as they wait for the doctor.

“It’s for a good cause. Besides, I know how to get bloodstains out of fabric.”

“That...that makes you sound like a serial killer.”

“If I were a serial killer I would wear things that could stain.” Stern winces, “sorry, I read too many true crime books.”

“I just don’t have the stomach for them. I like fictional mysteries but real ones?” he shivers, “makes me think an axe murderer is gonna break into my place. I mean, you did it with a credit card.”

“If you’d had the chain thrown it might have been another story. “

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Barclay shifts in the plastic seat, “you, uh, you don’t have to hang around. Know you got a rigid schedule.”

Joseph runs a hand through his hair, “I’m sorry for being so annoyed last week when you set off the alarm. I’m not always great at handling changes.”

“To be fair, doughnuts probably weren’t the best stress baking choice.”

“Did they turn out?”

“Nah. I’ll have to try ‘em another time. Did, uh, did your test go okay?”

“Yes. I, um, I got a perfect score.”

Barclay laughs, the sound like warm honey, and Stern blushes at looking so deeply nerdy in front of someone with a smile like that.

“Mr. Cobb? We’re ready to see you.”

The bearded man gives an slightly awkward wave as he follows the nurse through the double doors. Stern returns the gesture, pulls up the chess app on his phone, and settles in to wait until his neighbor is done.

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

Barclay comes out his nap the scrchh of a brush on tile. His first thought is that he’s so late for work he’s unavoidably fucked. His second one is who the fuck is in his bathroom?

His ankle twinges, jogging his memory; he got back from the hospital at 11:30, no stitches needed on his head but bedrest required for his ankle. He’d been contemplating how to convince his manager to let him shift from the warehouse to somewhere he could sit. Joseph raised an eyebrow and asked for his phone while telling him to go get into bed. All Barclay overheard was a polite, steely voice mentioning the labor laws in Dane County and how it’d be a shame if someone were to arrange an OSHA spot check. The last thing he recalls before falling asleep was Joseph telling him he had the next day off.

That doesn’t explain the cleaning sounds, though.

“Oh, you’re up.” Joseph pokes his head in from the hall. His hair is coming loose from his usual slicked-down style and he’s in a V-neck and sweatpants instead of the suit Barclay sees him in most days, “I hope I didn’t wake you; since you gave me the spare key I thought I’d check on you when I got back from my internship and leave you some take-out from the Thai place around the corner--you said the green curry was your favorite--but then I thought I should wait until you got up to see if you needed anything, so I, um, I cleaned your tub while I waited for you to wake up.”

Barclay isn’t sure what part of that is the most baffling. Or the most touching.

“Why the tub?” He eases his legs over so he’s sitting on the edge of the bed.

“It’s satisfying. And I, um, I clean when I’m stressed.” He wipes his hands on the rag in his front pocket, “I was worried about you, and my internship was murder today. They’re mounting a case against one of the biggest employers in the state and everyone’s on edge.”

“Heh, kinda makes me glad I work at WalMart.” Barclay takes the crutch Joseph offers him and hobbles into the kitchen, “oh, uh, if you want to try some cake, there’s leftover cinnamon spice cake in the fridge.”

“I think I will, thank you.” He bends into the fridge and wow has his ass always been that nice, “can I grab you a drink from in here?”

“One of those pre-bottled Kahlua things in the door; have ‘em for a friend but one sounds good right now.” He watches Joseph open it for him, setting it down before he pulls out Barclay’s chair for him. Normally, the kind of fussing and light ordering around Joseph has directed at him makes him bristle. This last day, it just made him feel safe and cared about.

He could get used to this.

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

“Good lord, we’ve even got a flood warning.” Joseph sets down his phone as rain attempts to pummel the house to dust, “Some days I wish we lived closer to one of the lakes but this is not one of them. Should we check to see if Dani and Aubrey need any emergency supplies for if we have to shelter here? I always keep more than I need.”

“Nah, Dani’s got a strong self-sufficiency streak; got her a bucket emergency kit for Christmas last year.” Barclay pops the cork on the Pinot Grigio they got for dinner, “and I don’t think they forgot your semi-drunk promise that if they ever had to run from a flood they had full permission to break open your front door to be safe on the third floor.”

“I meant it, drunk or no.” Joseph takes down the plates and portions out the carbonara; he’s been trying to cook when he has time, both because he likes it and because it gives him and Barclay something to talk about. Not that they need the help.

Things changed after the trip to the E.R; Barclay would bring Joseph fresh cookies or pie. Joseph would offer Barclay rides when their schedules overlapped. Barclay introduced him to his favorite trivia night spot. Joseph took some of his cookies to a worker-owned bakery where a former co-student worked, which led to Barclay getting a new job.

Now they see each other almost every day, whether that’s watching movies on Barclay’s cramped couch or joining Dani and Aubrey for board game night.

He’s pleased with how the pasta turned out, even more so with the fact that when their legs bump together beneath the table, Barclay doesn’t pull away.

They’re on the couch, chatting about the recurring themes in ghost movies, when the storm starts in earnest. The sky is so dark it may as well be nine at night, the lighting and thunder performing a cacophonous two-man show across it. The closer the thunder gets, the more Barclay tenses.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah” a thunderclap makes him jump, “I know it’s silly but I fucking hate thunderstorms, I have since I was a kid.” He chuckles, “my mom would always end up making a pillow fort for me to hide in.”

“We could do that now.” He offers, tapping his foot against Barclay’s own.

“Know this might be hard to believe, but I wasn’t always six-two.” The other man teases.

“Don’t count me out just yet. Wait here.”

It takes some precarity and most of his thumb-tacks, but soon he’s waving Barclay to come join him.

“Holy shit” Barclay laughs as he sees the bed and part of the floor in Joseph’s tiny bedroom are curtained in blankets, “do you ever half-ass stuff?”

“No one can ever prove I haven’t.”

“Uh huh.” Barclay climbs into the fort, “that’s Joseph speak for ‘no.’”

Joseph plugs in his UFO lights and follows him in, “I’ve failed plenty of times.”

“Not on this. Man, this is gr-” A thunderclap makes him jump, nearly knocking one blanket down, “uh, maybe if I…” He lays on the bed, Joseph deciding it’s the least awkward option to join him in that position.

“You really didn’t have to do this.” The green of the lights add a charming tint to Barclay’s eyes.

“I wanted to.”

His friend looks away, keeps his gaze on his feet as he murmurs, “How come you’re always so nice to me?”

“Because we’re friends.”

“It’s, uh, it’s not because you want something from me?”

“Of course not. Barclay,” he touches the cooks arm, “anything you’re thinking is a favor with an ulterior motive....well, it isn’t. It’s something I did to look out for you.”

“What if I, uh, I didn’t think it was favor hunting and was, uh, a different word that started with “F’?”

This time, when the thunder sounds, Barclay nestles closer to him.

“Oh, Barclay” he drapes a protective arm over his waists, “I didn’t mean it to be. At least, most of the time. There were, um, sometimes when I was more flirtatious than I’d have been if it were anybody else.”

“Do you...want to flirt more?” Barclay mumbles into his shoulder.

Joseph tips Barclay’s chin with his hand, brings their lips together as lightning flashes through the window. When he pulls back, Barclay’s eyes are wide. He kisses him once more just to see if he can make them entirely pupil, then whispers, “I hope we can do more than just flirt.”

“Joseph” strong arms slip below and across him, “fuck, babe, if it’s not flooded tomorrow, promise you’ll let me take you out tomorrow?”

“I’d like nothing better, big guy. In the meantime..” he rolls so Barclay is atop him, “I have some thoughts on how to keep your mind off the storm.”

[shinebrite97]

Part 7

read part 6 here

       Yuri placed her pencil down when the first note landed on her desk, folded into a firm triangle, she carefully unfolded it, untucking corners to see Mammon's sharp handwriting.         What did Lord Diavolo want from u yesterday? Did ya get in trouble???        Yuri scoffed, quickly writing back and following his folds to return it to the original shape. Flicking it off her desk and letting it slide across the space between then until it skittered to a stop at his shoe.        He picked it up, and she stared ahead, paying half of her attention to the lecture and the other half to the discreet sound of paper unfolding.        Wouldn't you like to know, money boy?         She even went as far as to draw a winking smile. Mammon growled, baring one canine as he did so. She smiled, turning her attention back to her summoning notes.        This ain't over, human. The voice was in her head now. One of the perks of a pact, she'd found, being able to communicate telepathically.          It was great, at least, until they caught on.

         She wondered how long she'd be able to keep this secret. Did Diavolo even want it a secret? 

          There would have to be some level of PDA, she accepted that. The small amount so far had been reasonable. 

          But what about when things progress?  

          Would there be an official announcement to the house of Lamentation, would Lucifer catch them hugging at the door? Would they need to stage a kiss for someone to catch them in the act? Would it become a scandal? The demon prince dating the human exchange student a couple thousand years his junior?

          She remembered the things Diavolo said the day she agreed. He'd already had Barbatos lay the groundwork for rumors, so it wouldn't be long before some inquiries would be made and they'd be interviewed.

          "Hey, Yuri!" She perked up, suddenly snapped from her thoughts to see Beelzebub standing at her desk.

         "We're presenting." He said. She nodded, standing up and walking with him to where Mammon stood, tapping his toes and checking an imaginary watch.

         "You doin' okay, space cadet?" He asked.

          "Yeah." She replied.

          "You first, Yuri."' Beelzebub whispered.

          "Right!"

          By the end of class, Yuri exhaled a sigh of relief as she gathered her notebook and pen, starting when a gentle finger tapped her shoulder. 

          "Beel?" She asked, turning around.

          "Let's eat outside today," he said. 

          "Okay!" 

          They weren't long in the cafeteria, at least it wasn't long for Yuri to pick up a tray with boarback, rice, and soup and she waited only a few extra minutes for Beelzebub to perfect his grasp on four lunch trays each piled high with a bit of every offering.

          He walked closely behind her, guiding her out the doors and to a grassy patch in the courtyard where Diavolo's favorite mirage flower blooms caught the light of the moon in the sky. Beel didn't say a word until two of the trays were empty and pushed to the side. By the third he managed to slow down enough to start up a conversation.

          "So Yuri," he said, leaning back and crunching on a blackened apple. "Where were you last night?" 

          "I was with Lord Diavolo." She replied. 

          "Why?" 

          "He's...tutoring me." She cringed at the rise of the end of her sentence, sounding more like a question than a statement. Shaking her head, she quickly stabbed a piece of her boarback and chewed silently.

          "Okay…" he replied wearily. 

          "It's Thursday, right?" She asked after a moment. Beel nodded into a bowl of noodles now, lips curled to slurp them up.

           "I'm on dinner duty tonight," She said. "Any ideas on what I should make?"

           "So you're actually going to be home tonight?" Beel sassed back. "No tutoring tonight?"

          "Leave me be!" She squeaked. Beelzebub smiled, poking her side. 

          "How about we go shopping after class," he said. "I'll even help you in the kitchen tonight." 

          Ending the day with Devildom History, knowing she was going shopping with Beelzebub afterwards, was a new kind of hell for Yuri and her lack of attention span. 

          But as she opened her notebook to a clean page, she noticed the last page of writing from the night before. Filled from top to bottom with her handwriting, small print to fit more information per line, names of the last ten generations of Lord Diavolo's family tree. His handwriting mixed with hers, adding tidbits or spellings when she'd messed up, and helpful pronunciations for when she met these relatives. 

          It put a new sense of purpose in her concentration. Even this boring history class could boost her royalty training.

         She opened to a clean page, taking out a few pens in case one ran out midway through, and wrote down every word she could process.

Devildom politics, origins of street names, the original bartering system, myths about the previous crowned kings. 

           She'd take it all to Diavolo the next time she saw him, hoping to get more explanations over dinner or tea. 

When do I see him again, anyway?

            Yuri shook herself out of thoughts, continuing to write until her fingers cramped, shaking them out just enough to loosen it.

           The lecture had given way to discussion, as it normally did toward the end of the lesson, and some of the older demons tossed out reminiscence about Devildom in its heyday.

"Have you heard the rumors surrounding his Majesty?" Someone asked.

            "He's going to be crowned soon!" Another voice piped up. Yuri looked back, recognizing the horns on one dark eyed demon. Satan's friend, though he wouldn't admit it. Mephistopheles. A bit of a class clown, but has information on the comings and goings of everyone in the devildom. 

          "You hear that he's got a piece of ass on the side?" Someone else asked.

          "Lucky them!" 

          "Probably some succubus who's only with him for his money." 

          Or a friend who wants to see him succeed…

           She bit her tongue behind her closed lips, trying to maintain her poker face as her classmates unknowingly called her a floozie. 

            "Now now, that's enough." The instructor said. "We have more to cover…"

          That class couldn't have ended any sooner. Yuri sighed as she packed up her books, shoulder the black messenger bag Satan had bought her back when she returned, she looked up when Beelzebub entered her line of vision.

          "C'mon, before Mammon spots us." He winked, extending an arm for her to hold onto, leading her out the door and down the hall to the main entry.

          They snacked on crepes while they shopped, Beelzebub dropped things into the basket, taking it from Yuri when it became too heavy for her to hold, and took her hand once he'd finished his snack.

          "Beel!" She squeaked. "Why are you tapping my palm? It tickles!" She squirmed to break free of his hold, but he tapped her once more and then lifted her up by the waist, carrying her like a sack of flour and listened to that bright giggle as he swung her around. 

          "Okay, put me down!" She huffed. "I know your strong." 

          "You're cute Yuri," he smiled. "Like a stuffed animal."

          "A stuffed animal with bones that are digging into my skin!" 

          Beel laughed as he entered the checkout line, easing her onto her feet.

         On solid ground, Yuri took a moment to check her DDD, seeing some new devilgram posts, a part time job application for Hell's Kitchen, and a new text.

          "It's...Lord Diavolo," she said.

          "Missing a tutoring session?" Beel asked. 

          "We didn't have anything planned today." She mumbled.

          Please come to the student council office first thing tomorrow morning. 

          Yuri's heart sank. His words felt so formal and distant, worlds different from the Diavolo the night before. 

          Yes sir.

          She clicked the device off and stood silently beside Beelzebub who moved up as the line shortened, taking a moment to glance down at her.

          "Hey," he said softly. "What's going on?"

          "I don't know." He replied. "He just said to go to the student council office tomorrow morning."

          "Do you want one of us to go with you?" He asked.

          "I should be fine," she said. "It might be about tutoring."

          "Sure." 

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

          There wasn't much else said as they returned to the House of Lamentation, and Yuri knew it was mainly because he was more focused on getting dinner prepared and eating again instead of how awkward things became in line when she clammed up talking about Diavolo.

          They worked side by side, her holding up spoonfuls of simmering sauce or chopsticks with dark venison to give Beel a taste and letting him add seasonings as he liked. 

          What followed was a typically rowdy meal where everyone noticed how quiet she was, and as the meal wound down, and Leviathan took to the kitchen for cleanup, Yuri noticed that Lucifer stayed behind. Nursing a cup of black coffee and reading a ledger. 

          "Yuri," he said. "I wanted to ask you about your day." 

          "It was fine," she said. "How about yours?" 

          "Busy," he replied. "But I couldn't help but notice that you've barely said a word since you've returned. Not even Mammon and his obnoxious behavior got a reaction from you. So what's wrong?"

          "I don't know…" 

          "I am assuming this has to do with Lord Diavolo," he said. "I'm a smart being, Yuri, you have plenty of tells when something is bothering you, and the other night was out of character for both of you."

           "With all due respect, Lucifer. I'm not really sure how much I'm allowed to say right now."

          "And that response only worries me more."

          "I know you are only trying to keep me alive," she said. "So I can tell you this much. I'm fine. I'm safe. Lord Diavolo wouldn't hurt me, and that's not what's happening."

          "I don't like being left out of things," he said. "Especially when it comes to Lord Diavolo or a member of my household. And as you fall into one of those categories, this is very disconcerting."

          "I'm sorry, Lucifer," She said. "I will explain everything once I have permission to."

          "Humans are so strange." He mused. "Such a code of honor to them, and a will that is unbelievably fragile. I wonder if I could use my power on you faster than you could use yours on me." 

          "Or you could just trust me." 

          One thin black brow rose over those ruby eyes, ND after a moment the mood shifted, the tension dissolved, and Yuri smiled. His face softened and the corner of his lip lifted into a smirk.

          Their dynamic had become way more of a power balance since she returned. She chose to believe it was his love language. 

          "Well, I see you are not the lost little lamb you once were," He said. "You never fail to amuse me, Yuri. But I suppose I can grant you this. You have the rest of this week to settle things and then I expect an answer for this strange behavior." 

          "Thanks, Lucifer."

          Diavolo stood facing the open window in his bedroom in his robe, gazing more at his DDD than the glistening moon outside. 

          Yes sir. 

          The text seemed so cold. So unlike Yuri. No emojis or cute stickers. 

          And since when does she call me sir? 

          He wanted to see her again, but didn't want to seem overbearing. He'd gotten a call that day about an interview for his upcoming celebrations, and to introduce this special someone who'd stolen his heart. 

          It was the first of many interviews, steps to take in order to advance seamlessly.

          This was where their acting mattered. The make or break for this plan. 

          But now it seemed she was angry. What had happened during the day to garner such a response?

[slipping-through-my-fingertips]

Could You Be My Little Quarantine?

AU: Mercedes has no excuse to not be zooming with Kurt right now and Blaine has the wrong Zoom ID.

AO3

A/N: This is a product of my late-night story ideas. I could see more from this 'verse developing but I'd need some ideas for what to write. If you have prompts please send them my way. I hope you all enjoy it!

Part 2 Part 3

***

2020

It wasn’t that Kurt isn’t happy for Mercedes. In all the years they’ve been best friends, they've always been supportive of one another. So, it was no surprise to Kurt that she was enjoying her two-week quarantine with her boyfriend. She didn’t flaunt her relationship around Kurt and she made just as much time for him as she always did and Kurt really appreciated it. It meant so much to see her occasionally pushing plans with her boyfriend in favor of talking to Kurt be it Zoom or a regular phone call. Sometimes, she’d cancel because of her recording schedule, which Kurt understood. When he had been rehearsing for a Broadway production of Moulin Rouge!, his schedule was ever-changing.

Tonight was different though because Mercedes had no excuse to cancel on Kurt. She was literally ordered to stay in her apartment. There were no recording sessions, no producers to meet with, and her boyfriend was basically living with her so Kurt’s a little frustrated to be left waiting on Zoom. He’ll give her 15 minutes before texting her. He's still using the college 15-minute rule. As in if the professor doesn’t show after 15 minutes, the class is free to leave. Except, in this case, Kurt was planning to text his friend until she responded.

Kurt did what he usually did while waiting. Played a new word in Scrabble against Carole and went through his recently saved photos (deleting the ones automatically saved from his Instagram Stories) before ultimately opening his fashion Twitter account and scrolling endlessly. He’ll periodically look at the time and note only a minute has passed since he last looked. Until someone who is definitely not Mercedes joins his Zoom meeting room and says hello.

“Hello,” Kurt says, putting his phone down.

“Um hi,” the other man replies. “You’re not Cooper.”

“And you’re not Mercedes.”

“No, I’m not. This is awkward.” He runs his hand through his black curls. “I’m so sorry. I should probably hop off and yell at my brother for giving me the wrong Zoom ID.”

“It’s no problem, my friend’s likely ditching me for her boyfriend. This was a nice surprise.”

“Is it?” he asks. “Cause I feel pretty embarrassed right now. What are the odds I typed an actual Zoom ID in?”

“Well, you were looking for your brother,” Kurt says. “I imagine it’s similar odds to dialing the wrong phone number.”

The man laughs. “You’re probably right. I’m Blaine by the way.”

“Kurt.”

“Wait, you aren’t…” Blaine trails off and leans closer to the camera like he’s trying to get a better look at Kurt. “You are,” he concludes. “Kurt Hummel?”

“Um yes?” Kurt winces at his voice cracking.

“I saw you twice on Broadway last year. You were outstanding as Christian. Moulin Rouge! is one of my favorite movies so when I heard it was going to Broadway, I knew I had to get tickets. Then, after I saw it the first time I didn’t shut up about how incredible it was so Coop brought me tickets again for my birthday, which ended up being much better seats than I could afford.”

“Oh, well thank you. It’s one of my favorite movies too. That’s why I auditioned in the first place but I was shocked to get the lead. I was told so often that a voice like mine didn’t get the romantic roles of the stage.”

“Are you kidding? They couldn’t have cast a better Christian! I saw you in Peter Pan too. Stunning performance.”

“You saw Peter Pan?” Kurt questions. “I performed that for a charity event at a nursing house like five years ago.”

“At my grandmother’s nursing home to be exact.” Kurt thought Blaine was turning a little red but maybe it was the lighting. “I’ve been following your career ever since. I hope Moulin Rogue! won’t be your last performance. It’d be a waste of talent.”

Kurt smiles. “I appreciate your support. I don’t intend to make it my last but I’m taking a short break from performing to get back into student mode. I’m finishing up my last semester of grad school at NYU.”

“I did my undergrad at NYU. Great professors,” Blaine comments. “I was actually supposed to be making my debut on the stage this summer but alas COVID-19 has shut us down for a bit.”

“Debut in what? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“David Mamet’s American Buffalo.”

“Let me guess, Bobby?”

“Yeah,” Blaine replies grinning.

“I’m sure it’ll be back up and running soon. I assume you still live in the city then?”

“I do. New York’s my real home. I always felt out of place in California. My mom moved us there after her divorce and Cooper got his first gig so we stuck around.”

“Gig? Like a band?” Kurt asks, wondering if Cooper ran in similar circles as his college friend, Elliott.

“No, like acting actually. Sorry, poor word choice on my part. He did credit-score commercials for a while but now he primarily does soap operas.”

“Wait, you mean your brother is Cooper Anderson?”

“Um yeah, he is,” Blaine admits.

“Now, it’s my turn to be embarrassed.” Kurt feels his face warm up. “I might’ve had the jingle to that credit-score commercials as my ringtone back in high school.”

“No, you did not!” Blaine exclaims, laughing a little.

“I’m afraid so,” Kurt tells him. “No offense but Cooper was every young gay teen’s fantasy in Ohio. And by every young gay teen, I mean myself because there was only one gay teen in Lima.”

“Kurt, I promise to never tell Cooper of this because his ego is already too large to handle however I will be holding this secret near and dear to my heart only to remember it fondly when I need a good laugh.”

“Oh hush.” Kurt bats his hand at the camera.

“So, what are you studying at NYU?”

This question led the two down a rabbit hole of their favorite classes and professors. Similar experiences they had during vocal performances and various laughter-inducing stories of their off-campus activities. Kurt’s friends’ weekly karaoke nights, Blaine’s goal to try every coffee shop in Greenwich Village, Kurt’s dream role to play Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz, and Blaine’s secret identity Nightbird, who made yearly appearances in October when Blaine went to sing-a-longs at local children’s hospitals.

“Sam learned the hard way that Gatorade hurts more coming out of your nose than chocolate milk does,” Blaine chuckles.

Kurt is about to jump in with another story but a third box shows up on their screens. It’s Mercedes.

“Kurt, I am so so sorry,” she says. “Oh, hello.”

“Hi,” Blaine waves. “Mercedes, I presume?”

“That’s me.”

The call goes silent for a moment.

“Mercedes, this is Blaine.” Blaine smiles. “You were apologizing…”

“Right,” she says, ignoring Blaine’s presence for a minute while she explains.

Meanwhile, Kurt is typing a chat to Blaine so Mercedes won’t see it.

Kurt: Lovely chatting with you tonight. I’d love to meet up again sometime.

Blaine: Me too. Text me.

Kurt quickly entered the number into his phone and nodded confirming that he was both listening to Mercedes and was agreeing to text Blaine.

“Apology accepted,” Kurt tells Mercedes once she’s finished.

She grins.

“Well, I don’t want to interrupt. Lovely to meet you both but I think I’ll try and call my brother now as I had originally planned.”

Blaine does a two-handed wave before leaving the meeting.

“You have a lotta explainin’ to do, mister,” Mercedes says. “Who was that cutie?”

Kurt sighs dreamily. “If all goes my way, a potential boyfriend.”

Mercedes claps excitedly and proceeds to pull all the information Kurt’s willing to divulge about Blaine Anderson.

[faulty-writes]

I want to join the Bakugou vs Mirio bandwagon too! This is one spicy love triangle! Ok, so my idea is - what if reader got hurt doing hero work and has to stay at the hospital, so the boys go visit her. Bakugou goes to her room number only to find Mirio is already there, giving yn cuddles and insisting that he wait on her hand and foot. Of course Bakugou is mad, but he can't duke it out with him here, so he tries (and probably fails) to one-up Mirio.

[ I’m gonna throw you all a curveball with this. ] 

Every student took their Hero Work-Studies with great pride, learning every bit of information they could from the Pro Hero they chose to work with. They gained real-life experience which sometimes got them...well injured. In this case, you were on patrol when things turned violent. Minor villains tended to get desperate sometimes and in this case, you ended up straying from your Pro Hero. You had stopped the villains from hurting innocent civilians.

But your own body took a beating and you were transported to the nearest hospital. U.A was informed about your condition and though you didn’t expect it, they had sent someone to the hospital with your homework. Of course, your teacher, Aizawa informed the class that you were recovering in the hospital. Some of your classmates seemed surprised, while others showed concern and some didn’t seem to respond at all. Bakugou in particular chose to hide his emotions from others.

But the truth was, as soon as he heard you were in the hospital. His stomach twisted with worry and he had the urge to drop everything to go see you. Though there was a hidden motive to his actions, despite the fact that he wanted to make sure you were okay. He also wanted the opportunity to get some alone time with you, lately, a certain third-year seemed to be stealing that away. Despite the fact that Bakugou came to terms with his feelings for you, he found himself lacking the courage to speak the words that screamed from his heart.

However, even when he attempted to try and show you how he felt. It came out wrong and if he was being honest, he was afraid if he continued like this it would cost him the chance to be with you. Well, this time was going to be different. He’d try to be calm and show you what he was capable of. Be that hero that everyone would see him as one day. Even if it meant showing you his softer side, which he hated. Being vulnerable wasn’t something he was well known for and it made him feel weak. But you meant something to him and if he had to lower his walls in order to get your heart, so be it.

Still, thoughts of your well-being riddled his mind throughout the school day and he was more than happy when the bell finally rang. While most of the students walked to the dorm building, Bakugou headed straight for the hospital. Though he glared at everyone as he passed through the entrance and marched to the front desk. “I’m looking for someone named Y/n, where the hell are they!?” he demanded with a snarl and the nurse behind the desk took a step back, almost as if she were afraid of him and for good reason.

Nevertheless, Bakugou found himself getting into the elevator and impatiently tapped his foot. “Sheesh, this damned elevator is too slow,” he growled, though he was relieved when it finally came to a stop and quickly walked down the hallway. Double-checking to see if he had the correct room before sliding the door open, “Hey Y/n, what the hell did you-” his words came to a halt when he saw you and it was almost as if something exploded inside him, a sort of fire that burned with jealousy.

“Togata…” he growled, he knew he should have seen this coming. But he didn’t expect to see you in his arms, pressed right up against him. Mirio seemed quite pleased with himself as well, damn it. You leaned back, surprised to see Bakugou in the doorway. “Hm?” Mirio turned his head, though he continued to rest his chin on top of your head and his arms tightened around you. “Oh hey, Bakugou. How are you? Did you come to see how Y/n was too? I was just delivering their homework, though I guess I kind of got carried away when I hugged them.” his hug turned into a cuddle session, which you didn’t mind.

It felt nice to be in Mirio’s arms and his sweet promises of taking care of you and getting you whatever you desired were beyond words. Though you weren’t used to being spoiled, Mirio somehow always made you feel special. But you found yourself now feeling awkward and part of you prayed that they wouldn’t start a fight. You watched as Bakugou clenched his fists, damn it. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He promised himself that he would finally tell you how he felt, but how the hell could he do that while the damned third year was present?

“Hey,” Mirio said as he released his hold on you. “Do you wanna join in on the hug too? I’ve always liked cuddle sessions.” you couldn’t help but look at him, clearly confused. Was he offering to have a three-way cuddle session? That sounded weird, though Mirio was always open with his affection and that much you could understand. The guy seemed to have a lot of love to give and it wasn’t a bad thing. “Pff.” Bakugou responded before stomping over to the bed, “I don’t need your damn hugs or cuddles or anything else. What the hell are you doing here!?” he repeated the question and Mirio chuckled, which only seemed to anger the blond more.

“I think I already said that right?” he replied and a deep growl came from Bakugou. “Yeah, yeah...smartass,” he muttered before crossing his arms over his chest and shifting his gaze at you. He had to figure out a way to get Togata out of here or at least impress you more. He took a deep breath, trying to push down the jealousy that continued to consume him. “How...are...you...Y/n?” each word came out of his mouth in a struggle and it made you a little worried.

“Uh, I’m fine...Bakugou. I’m...just surprised to see you here.” you watched him clench his jaw and you swore you could hear his teeth scraping together. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!?” he snapped and it caused you to jump back, luckily Mirio pulled you close once more. “Hey now, better watch your volume,” he warned gently and Bakugou sent him a massive glare. “Shut up!” he snapped again and you shook your head. Why was there so much tension between them?

Mirio shrugged, “Suit yourself.” he said before looking at you, “Y/n, is there anything you need? Are you hungry?” he questioned and you tilted your head, tapping your chin. “Well I…” you hesitated to respond and Bakugou huffed before walking to the other side of the bed. “Pff, well they’re obviously tired of hospital food, dumbass!” he snapped, his glare directed at Mirio who frowned in response. “Hospital food tends to be more healthy and in Y/n’s healing condition-” Bakugou interrupted him.

“Cram it!” he snapped before pulling out his phone, “I doubt if you actually cared, you’d be making Y/n eat hospital food,” he said before smirking at you. “Don’t worry babe, I’ll order you some real food.” you blinked, again with that nickname. Mirio seemed confused and leaned over to speak in your ear, “Are you and Bakugou...you know?” your eyes widened and you looked at Mirio as though he were crazy. “No…” you responded before glaring at Bakugou who currently had his back to you.

It appeared he was going through with his word and had his phone firmly pressed against his ear. “Hm…” Mirio shrugged before wrapping his arm around your shoulders. You let out a squeak as you were pressed against his chest once more and hesitantly looked up at him. “I don’t think whatever he’s ordering is going to be good for you, I’ll go to the cafeteria and get you something. Will you be okay by yourself for a few minutes?” you had to admit, you were a little nervous and looked over to Bakugou who seemed to be done with his phone call.

“Mm…” you chewed on your bottom lip before looking back at Mirio and hesitantly gave a nod. “I guess so,” you replied before Mirio chuckled and stood up, his gaze seemed to be on Bakugou as he walked to the door and opened it. He looked at you one last time before leaving and you heard Bakugou huff in response. “Where’s that dumbass going?” he hissed before walking back over to you, “And what the hell was up with you? Why were you cuddling him?!” he snapped, once more making you jump.

Bakugou took notice of the expression you were wearing, it was something between confused and hurt and it almost made him feel guilty. Damn it, it wasn’t his fault that damn Togata made him so...jealous. He took a deep breath and glanced to the side, “Sorry.” he muttered and you tilted your head. “What?” you questioned and he growled in response, “Nothing!” he snapped before grabbing you by the shoulders.

You shivered in response which made Bakugou growl once more, he wondered how the hell he could possibly tell you what he needed to. He only had a limited time before Togata came back and he’d be damned if he’d give that third-year more time with you. Instead, he took a deep breath. Feeling his heart pound in his chest before he released your shoulders and sat down on the bed. He was clenching his jaw and though you were a little scared, you couldn’t help but notice that Bakugou looked as though he were struggling with something.

“Uh, are you-” before you could finish your sentence Bakugou grabbed your wrist and pulled you toward him, you gasped as you found yourself against him. His free arm wrapped around your waist, trapping you there against him. He kept quiet and you shivered when you felt him lean forward and nuzzle his nose into your hair. Almost as if he were trying to inhale your scent and he indeed was, in a way it calmed him. He closed his eyes, ignoring the butterflies that began to erupt in his stomach.

Though at the same time, it filled him with a sort of rage. He hated this, he was a hero damn it, and yet he found himself being afraid to tell you this one simple thing. Maybe it wasn’t so damn simple, he had been struggling with this since the day he met you. If Togata wasn’t in the picture, then things would have gone differently. But since he was, Bakugou had no choice but to push through. After all, if he didn’t then he’d regret it. A dull ache began to course through his jaw and he parted his lips to try and soothe the minor pain.

“Uh...Bakugou, can you let go of me?” you questioned and he slowly lifted his head, “I like you.” he said, though his voice was a little shaky. Almost as if he were uncertain of telling you, but either way it was a shock and you looked at him dumbfounded. “Y-You what?” you repeated and once more, that famous growl came from Bakugou. “Damn it! I said…” he retracted the arm that was wrapped around your waist and reached up to grab his hair, pulling at it.

“Uh…” well, this was new. Bakugou took a deep breath and lowered his hand before looking at you. He frowned and reached over, tilting your head up with his hand. You were surprised to see how soft his eyes looked in that moment, seemingly absent of the anger he was known for. “I said…” he leaned close and though you hated to admit it, you felt your cheeks begin to flush. “I like you,” he repeated, removing the hand that was currently holding your chin up and bringing it to your cheek.

You gasped as his fingers brushed along the side of your face and a smirk came to his lips as he felt how warm your cheek was. Finally, he was the cause of your blush, and somehow, it made him happier than he’d admit. You were a little confused by your own reaction to Bakugou’s advances, you were blushing and your heart was beating unusually fast. “Here…” he said before pulling your wrist as he proceeded to lay down, you knew what he was indicating.

You had been cuddling with Mirio when he walked in, though you wanted to deny it wasn’t cuddling. The fact was, you felt safest in Mirio’s arms but seeing this side of Bakugou, you couldn’t but confirm something that Kirishima continued to mention. That the angry blond had a soft spot and though he didn’t show it very often when he did. It was like he was a completely different person, you paused and stared at Bakugou as he laid there. His head was pressed against the pillow which caused his hair to become slightly askew.

You almost thought he looked peaceful and hesitantly laid down next to him. He pressed your hand to his chest and you could have sworn you felt the rapid state of his heartbeat. Though it was almost nice, unfortunately, Mirio was on his way back from the cafeteria. He was holding two containers and two bottles sat on top, after all, you couldn’t eat something without a drink. He was smiling as he approached your hospital room and quietly opened the door.

Opening his mouth to speak, however, instead, he was greeted with the picture of you and Bakugou laying together. It looked almost as if both of you were asleep and he slowly backed up, closing the door. A frown was now present on his face, was Bakugou getting close to you, or were you lying when you told him you two weren’t dating? Either way, it was a little weird, “Hm…” he debated about what to do, he could go back in there and wake up two up.

But that would be kind of rude and he did promise to get you food. He took a deep breath, letting out a sigh before he headed to the waiting room and placed the containers and drinks onto the table that was currently piled with magazines. He couldn’t help but cross his arms as he leaned back into his seat. Was Bakugou getting closer to you than he was and was there a way he could get you all to himself? Maybe he wasn’t trying hard enough to express how he felt about you and if that was the case, well he’d just have to try harder. Wouldn’t he?

[havethetimeofyourstyles]

For Your Eyes Only

Would definitely recommend listening to If I Could Fly!

*gif not mine*

♫If I could fly, I'd be coming right back home to you.♫

"I miss you, baby."

"I miss you more, my love."

"Just a few more months then I get to come home."

"I've been counting down the days ever since you left."

"You're looking very comfortable in our bed."

"It's not as comfortable when you're not here."

"I'll be home soon, I promise. If I can be anywhere in the world right now, its to be with you."

♫I think I might, give up everything just ask me to.♫

"Jeff, you can't do this shit! It's not fair!" Harry yells, pulling his hair.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but there's no way you have time."

"We talked about this! We talked about this months in advanced. I informed you before we started planning!"

"The schedules got mixed up. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do, I already tried.” Jeff says in sympathy as Harry storms out.

Harry wipes his eyes and sniffles, "This isn't fair. I was suppose to be with you in two months and now they prolonged it to five? Why would they do that?"

"I'm sure it's not his fault, baby. Maybe he genuinely got the schedules mixed up." You say as your try to make him feel better.

"I just want to be with you. I just want to hold you." He says, looking into the camera.

"I know, love, I know."

"This is making me so stressed." Harry stands up from the bed. “Tell me you want me with you."

"Of course I want you-"

"Then tell me to leave. Tell me to leave everything here and fly back home to you. Tell me and I will drop everything without hesitation. I will do it in an instant."

"I know you will, baby, but I can't do that. That’s a lot to ask from me. As much as I want you holding me, I can't let you ruin your career. I can't do that. You're so passionate about it and you love it so much. Plus, your fans? You love them and they've been waiting for so long to see you." You try to reason out.

♫Pay attention I hope that you listen, cause I let my guard down. ♫

He's always loved that about you; how you're so supportive in what he does.

You met harry when you were a student in uni. It was your last year and you had just passed your finals. A few friends invited you to a party that was organized in a hotel and the people invited were family members and close friends, so about 40 people were at the gathering. You arrived alone, heading straight to your friend, which she just so happens to tug your arm and introduce you to her cousin, Harry Styles. Of course you knew who he was, you had a phase when you were a teenager in high school. You were completely shocked, also because your friend didn't tell you that she was related to harry.

"You're very pretty." Harry says shyly.

"Thank you so much, you're very handsome." Harry blushes at your comment.

The rest of the party, it was simply you getting to know him personally, and him getting to know you. as the night ends, it was all time to head home.

"It was really nice talking to you." Harry says as he walks you to your car.

"Likewise. I had a nice time." Harry smiles.

"Listen, I don't do this often because people tend to take advantage of the fact that my career is my career, but I would love to see you again. I've never had anyone listen so deeply to what I had to say and I really appreciate that. I've also never told said some things out loud, so you're the first person to know some things, and it may be a little risky to do that, but I trust you."

You smile, "Thank you so much for trusting me, Harry, and letting your guard down tonight. I really appreciate you sharing your stories and experiences."

Harry sighs sadly, "But I'm passionate about you and I love you so much."

"And I love you so much more, but we'll get through this. The next five months will go by quick."

Harry nods and agrees for the sake of agreeing.

♫Right now I'm completely defenseless. ♫

"I just want to be with you and our little one."

You rub your stomach and smile at his words. You're four months pregnant, and you and Harry are extremely excited to start this new chapter in both of your lives. You fell pregnant a few weeks after yours and harry's third year anniversary as a married couple. You both agreed to just spend it inside, cooking, baking, and watching movies, and once the night was coming to an end, he spent the rest of the night loving on you and vice versa.

"We want you home too. She misses you so much."

Harry tears up, wanting to be home to his wife and daughter. "Put the phone next to her." He waits until he sees your stomach, "Hi baby girl, it's your daddy. I miss you a whole lot. I'm sorry I can't be there right now, but I will be very soon. I miss talking and kissing you every night, but we have a few more months and I'll be right beside you everyday, I promise."

You tear up at his words, wanting nothing more than to hold him and stop his crying. Once he's done talking, you bring the phone back to your face.

"And for you my wife, thank you for understanding every single time. I've said this a million times, but I just want to hold you in my arms with the comfort of our baby. I'm just nervous and scared that I won't be there in time when you she comes."

"Of course, Haz. And don't worry about that. You will make it on time, and if you don't then that's completely okay, we'll just have to have another one." You say winking, trying to lighten the mood up.

Harry chuckles, "God, I've missed you."

You both talk for a few hours before it was time to end the call and sleep another sleep closer to him coming home.

The next four months went by smoothly. Harry facetimed you every single day to talk to you and the baby. You facetimed him when you were out buying last minute things for your daughter that was due in the next month.

At the end of your eighth month, you're preparing for the arrival of your baby girl. You organize the little baby clothes that you bought and starting putting them into drawers.

You then sit in the rocking chair due to exhaustion and start rubbing your stomach.

"Almost there, bubba." As you're rubbing your large belly, you feel like something's off. you want to ignore the feeling, saying that it's nothing, but you can't. So you get up, grabbing your stuff, and heading out.

"Hi Harry, you're probably on your way to your hotel or you just landed, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm at the hospital. Something didn't feel right, so I wanted to make sure everything was okay. I'll keep you updated. I love you, see you soon."

As soon as you end your voicemail, you hear your name being called. You've done this procedure many times. The cold gel spurting onto your stomach as the nurse rubs it around and looking at the monitor. It takes her a while to say something and you also look at the monitor, trying to see what she sees.

"Uhm," she clears her throat, "I'll be right back." She leaves the room and you can't help the shakiness of your hands. Soon enters a doctor.

"Hello, let's see what we have here, shall we?" You nod, not trusting your voice.

The doctor rubs around with the probe. He hums and puts the probe down.

"Listen, we're going to have to perform an emergency c-section." Your eyes immediately feel like they're going to fall out.

"W-what? Are you sure? I don't want that!" You feel tears prickling your eyes.

"It's the only thing we have to do for your baby to make it out alive. You see, we couldn’t find the heartbeat, so she's not breathing and you came in just in time for us to perform this surgery." You feel like you're about to vomit.

Your baby isn't breathing.

♫I've got scars, even though they can't always be seen. ♫

The nurses told you that you'll be awake the whole time while being under the anesthesia because it's just suppose to numb you. They said it would take about 45 minutes for the whole procedure and you trust them that it's no longer than that.

You've just gone numb and it was time to cut your stomach open.

You turn your head to the side as you talk to a nurse and she's happily talking to you back.

"Where's harry?" You say loopy.

"I'm not sure, he might be on his way, but we don't know where he's coming from. Do you know?"

"He's coming from Washington D.C. He has a show there."

The nurse nods, hoping he'll be here quick.

"Do you know if he's going to make it on time?" You ask.

"We'll see, love. All in good time." You nod at her response, just wanting harry to be here.

♫And the pain gets hard, but now you're here and I don't feel a thing. ♫

You both chat for a few minutes, until you don't see the nurse anymore. She steps aside and Harry comes into your vision.

You smile, "Baby."

"Hi my love, I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner." He gives your forehead a kiss.

"It's okay."

"How're you feeling?" He asks.

"Better now that you're here.”

Harry blushes, "Well, I'm glad."

You and Harry talk for the rest of the procedure. Both of your eyes never leaving each other. Harry only takes his eyes off you when your baby is out.

Like the doctor's prediction, the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. Harry's heart is pumping out of his chest as he sees the doctors getting her to breath. They squeeze a suction in her mouth and try warming her up. Harry feels as if he can cry any minute as he's witnessing the second love of his life being brought to life.

And soon enough, his baby girl starts crying. Harry's shoulders relax and turns back around to look at you again.

He kisses your forehead, "She's here, love. Our baby is here."

You smile in content, happy everything went okay.

And everything went black.

♫For your eyes only, I'll show you my heart. ♫

Harry sways while holding his daughter in his arms. It's 3 in the morning and she's about 3 months old. He heard her through the baby monitor as she cries.

He isn't wearing a shirt because he loves the skin-to-skin contact he gets when he's holding her. It makes him feel closer to her and he admires the way her cheek lays on his chest.

Harry hums as he bounces his baby lightly. She won't go to sleep, but she has stopped crying. She looks up into his eyes in the dim lighting. His eyes light up and presses a small kiss to her nose. She flutters her eyes at him. Harry's sure he's never seen anything cuter in the world.

“I just wanted to say how much I love you, princess. Ever since I found out your Mumma was having you, I was so ecstatic. Mumma and I were already so happy with each other, but we didn't know that we needed you here until now because you're the perfect cherry on top in our lives. And I promise you from this day forward, I will show you and teach you everything you need to know. I will open my heart up to you and protect you from the cruel world we have. But i know you will be the sweetest, kindest little angel in the world and the world needs angels like you."

His baby girl falls asleep to the sound of her father's voice. She smiles in content hearing her favorite man's vocals as she sleeps soundly.

Harry puts her back in her crib and quietly walks out and into the bedroom. He climbs back in bed getting comfortable behind you as he holds you. You turn around to meet your teary eyes to his.

"Why're you cryin', love?" He says concerned as he wipes away your tears.

"Heard what you said to our girl." Harry nods and smiles, kissing your forehead.

"Meant every word of it."

"I know.” You smile.

Harry then starts to tear up again, a few tears streaming down his face.

♫For when you're lonely, and forget who you are. ♫

"What's wrong?" You ask, confused with his sudden reaction.

"I-I'm just sad I got to miss out on your pregnancy. I missed out on watching you grow in front of my eyes.” He cuddles into your neck and you wrap your arms around him.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, baby. As long as your here now and forever, I'm happy."

"It's cause of my stupid job. It made me miss out on the preparation of everything. It takes up almost all my time and when I come home, everyone is already asleep. Plus, some of the shittiest articles are released about me, but they're not true... they're not." Harry frowns.

"Haz, don't call your job stupid. Yes, it makes you be away from us, but your job makes you do what you love. Those fans make it happen also. And I know the articles aren't true, baby, but fuck what they think. All that matters is what you think and I will always be here to remind you who you truly are if you forget. I'm here to support you through thick and thin."

♫I'm missing half of me, when we're apart. ♫

"I'm so grateful for you. I truly don't deserve you." Harry kisses your lips softly.

"Yes, you do. You deserve all the happiness and love in the world, and I'm happy I can be a huge part of that."

"It's just I feel so bad for being away for so long. You had to go through almost everything by yourself, and I wasn't there. I just wanted to come home to you so bad. It felt like my heart wasn't complete and I wasn't myself when you aren't right next to me."

♫Now you know me, for your eyes only. ♫

"But now you're here, baby. You're home and I couldn't be any happier you're here with us. Don't worry about all of that stuff, what matters to me in this very moment is that you're here where I can hold you, and that you're happy." You reassure him.

"I'm extremely happy." He smiles softly.

"So there you go! No need to feel bad about yourself or for me."

Harry nods in agreement. You smile and give a kiss to his forehead.

"You have my heart entirely. You're the only person who knows me inside and out, and I wouldn't want any other person who will treasure my heart like you do. You're made of gold and I have so much respect for the tenderness of your heart. I adore the amount of kindness you keep and I will forever value the words you speak, the way your mind thinks, and the way your body moves. You are an amazing human being, and as ironic my job makes me, I am for your eyes only."

say thanks to your moms (bio or not) for giving birth to you and tell her you love her!

this was something I wrote back in March as I was sitting in my developmental psych class

taking blurb requests for this! also taking other requests!

[dandelionflower]

She Sits Alone

Based off of the haunted mansion AU by @miraculous-of-salt

——————

Marinette was on the bus to the Culpa Mansion and she was sitting alone.

Normally she would feel hurt, but this was nothing new. She sat alone in class, she sat alone on the plane to the US, she was sitting alone on the bus now. She just felt numb by now. So numb she was barely excited for the mansion.

The Culpa Mansion. Marinette could babble about the history of the Culpa Mansion for hours.

~~~

Once the home of the businessman Garfield Culpa, it was a refuge for injured soldiers. One such person was Abigail Laurens, a nurse who got injured when an explosion hit her base. She critiqued his process and he fell in love.

Years after, their daughter Harriet Culpa met Darrian Poll. They were in third grade. He pulled her hair and she chased him around the playground.

They lost contact after high school and reconnected after college. She was a pro wrestler and he was a librarian. They got married as Harriet and Darrian Culpa. (She insisted on keeping her last name.)

Their son Micheal Culpa married Wenda Delair. They were unable to have children and assumed their bloodline would die with them until they saw a young girl rummaging in their trash can. They instantly adopted Rosemary and began training her in watercolor.

Usually, Marinette would be cut off from talking now and she would recite the rest to herself.

Rosemary never married and opened her home to any starving or homeless artist who couldn’t get on their feet. She passed the Culpa mantle to one of the more present artists, Denise.

Denise never married, though she had plenty lovers. She continued the tradition of housing the starving and homeless but allowed them to be employed in the manor as cooks, maids, gardeners, and security. She eventually gave birth to a son, Felix Culpa.

Felix had nearly every trait of the Culpa family, despite not being blood related to any of them. He was caring and cynical, like Garfield and Abigail. He was physically able and a bookworm like Harriet and Darrian. He was a lover of the arts like Micheal, Wenda, and Rosemary, and he was suspicious of the existence of love like his mother.

He became suspicious no longer when he met Bridgette Chang, the designer child of an author and illustrator pair. She designed all of Denise’s favorite gowns and was commissioned for Felix’s first suit. She struck up a conversation about his favorite novel and they became fast friends.

Soon, they fell in love and they were inseparable until Felix left for college. Even then, they were the only thing on each other’s mind. Felix wrote daily letters to Bridgette and whenever she didn’t read them, she was weeping in the private room Felix gave her.

The minute he returned, he proposed. They were set to be married, if not for one tiny detail.

Delila Ross.

She was a fellow member of Felix’s college and was obsessed with him. She almost got her hooks into him when she used a love spell. Luckily, Felix knew some witchcraft of his own and was able to fight it off. She disappeared soon after.

However, the day of the wedding, she returned to kill Bridgette. Felix warned all of the staff against her and threatened them with extreme punishment. She came in and, assisted by the staff, stabbed Bridgette through the heart with her favorite flower pin.

Theorists say Felix went insane, but Marinette didn’t believe that part. He allegedly killed every member of the staff that allowed Delila to enter the mansion and soon he died himself. Legend has it that he roams the halls of the mansion, now a hotel, in search of the reincarnated soul of his loved one and when he found her, he would have the power to return from the dead and be with her until the end of his days.

~~~

Before she met Adrien, Marinette had fantasied about being the reincarnation of Bridgette, after all, Chang and Cheng were very similar. However, now she had met Adrien and was dating him.

Speaking of, Marinette checked her phone. Sure enough, there was a text from her boyfriend.

Sunshine 😍: Hey sorry bout not sitting w/ u 😰

Sunshine 😍: It would have seemed rude if I turned lila down

Princess 💞: It’s fine! I totally get it.

No, she didn’t get it! She was Adrien’s girlfriend and he still managed to make Lila a priority over her. And not just Lila either, Marinette knew Adrien thought she didn’t notice the stars in his eyes whenever Ladybug was mentioned. How touchy he would get with other models during a shoot.

Marinette growled and pulled out the vest she was embroidering. Half was black with small white snowflakes and the other half was pink with little flowers. It was based off of Felix and Bridgette’s favorite seasons; spring and winter. She had already made a strictly Felix themed outfit for the trip and a Bridgette themed outfit, she wanted to make one based off of the relationship the two had.

After finishing, she took a nap, dreams of swirling snowflakes and a blue eyed cat approaching her filling her mind. She woke up with Adrien sitting next to her, tapping her shoulder.

“Hey, Princess. We’re here.”

She bolted up and pressed her face to the window. “What? I missed it? But I heard such great things about the gardens…”

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her temple. “We’ll find some time to check them out, promise.”

“‘Kay.” She hummed and leaned forward for a proper kiss, before another popped up.

“Hey, Adrien?” Lila. “You mind helping us out back here? We’re stuck on a level of Super Penguino, and I, as an award winning player, need a partner. Would you want to help me out?” She bat her eyes innocently and Marinette felt the all too familiar sense of rage well up inside her.

No, don’t do that again, she reminded herself. You don’t need this, Adrien loves you and he doesn’t want you to get in trouble.

“Sure, Lila! I’m sure Marinette won’t mind.” He pressed another kiss to her temple and went back to Lila’s seat.

Marinette sighed and stared out the window as they finally approached the mansion.

———-

There was a bit of concern over rooming, there was an odd number of students and the teacher surely couldn’t room with anyone. They talked about three in a room, but Lila said she read a study that claimed that three in a room was harmful to sleeping patterns.

“Alya! Want to room with me?”

Alya gave Marinette a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, girl. I told Lila I’d room with her.”

“Oh, alright.” That meant she’d be rooming by herself then. “Have fun.” She sat on the bench again, alone.

She heard a giggle from across the room. “Yeah, I’m definitely the distant relative of Bridgette. Who knows? Maybe I’m his soulmate and Felix will come back from the dead for me.”

“He’s supposed to come back for the reincarnated soul.” Marinette muttered. “Not the relative.”

“You know that?” A red headed boy in a cap approached her. “No one knows that, Grace and I usually have to tell them a million times. Grace!” He shouted over his shoulder. “Grace! Come over here! This chick knows the Culpa story!”

“Wait, really?” A girl with a two long braids walked over from the reception desk. “No one knows the Culpa story.”

“My parents told me some when I was little, I did some research.”

“Well, the fact that you know it makes you a celebrity to us. I’m Grace, this is Finny. What’s your name, celebrity?”

She grinned. “I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m with the school trip from Paris.”

Finny gasped. “You mean you’re, the Marinette Dupain-Cheng? The same Marinette Dupain-Cheng who designed Jagged Stone’s favorite sunglasses, and his album cover?!?!”

“Fin’s a bit of a music nerd.” Grace snorted.

Fin, meanwhile, was patting his pockets down for a pen. “I don’t have a pen! Grace! Can you give me a pen?”

“No, ask her for he autograph later, dork. It’s the middle of the night, she probably wants to get back to her room.”

“Oh, right, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his head. “But I am totally asking for one later.”

Marinette winked. “That’s fine with me.”

“Where are you staying, anyway?”

“Umm, I actually don’t know. There was a room problem.”

“I can handle that.” Grace winked and Marinette noticed her eyes were a beautiful silver. “I’ve got some pull.” She sashayed over to the desk and started scribbling on a piece of paper. Apparently satisfied, she picked up a key and tossed it to Marinette. “Here. It’s the key to Bridgette’s room. A huge honor. Not something we take lightly around here.”

“Thank you! It’s not something I take lightly either.” Then, seeing her class was leaving, she lifted her bag and followed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I hope!”

“We hope so too!” Finny yelled after her.

—————

Marinette hummed to herself as she began unpacking, planning her outfits for each day.

Her Felix themed set for museum day.

Her Bridgette themed set for the art museums.

Her Felix and Bridgette themed one for tour day.

And her ghost themed ones for all the other days.

Satisfied, she turned around and admired the room. It was exactly what she would have wanted. Pink everywhere, a beautiful white lace canopy over the bed, flowers all over the balcony and above the bed there was a portrait of Felix and Bridgette mid-proposal, Felix on one knee.

Marinette snapped a picture of it. Perfect for inspiration.

She texted Adrien a quick goodnight and went to sleep, soon to be struck with the same dreams of the blue eyed cat and the swirling snowflakes.

——————

Meanwhile, a sleek black fox and an orange bee held a meeting in the basement.

You think he knows yet? The bee asked.

I don’t know, Fin. He will once he makes his rounds.

She has to be her. Gracie, her life directly parallels with Bridgette’s. All the way down to the company she keeps.

Speaking of, we need to get everyone locked down and in their punishments for the night before Felix starts his rounds.

Before you do, a white and turquoise turtle crawled into view, we need to have a conversation about the other her.

What about her? Grace asked innocently.

What will we do about the ghosts? If they see her...

They’ll go insane.

Maybe they won’t, Finny suggested, they might just ignore her.

Unlikely. They’re more likely to torment her, which will end on the mansion being quarantined.

They won’t do anything without Felix’s permission, Allegra. Grace rolled her eyes. Which he won’t give until he has his bride.

But, it wouldn’t hurt if we let them scare her a little… Finny landed on Grace’s head. Would it?

Allegra and Grace smirked, well, as much as a fox and turtle could smirk.

Probably not… Allegra mused

I’ll spread the word when I lock up my section. See ya, Allegra.

As the bee and the fox climbed out of the basement, unnoticed in the empty halls, thunder cracked and a red headed boy, paired with a raven haired girl strolled the mansion, unaffected by the ghoulish shrieks of horror that followed them.

—

The rest

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 3

The group around us gasped collectively. I looked up and saw some of the boys on our team seem to have light bulbs go off, while others seemed to be attempting to do advanced level calculus in their heads. “We can be shocked and discuss later. Can someone explain what happened in very simple terms. Just because we are married doesn’t mean I understand the sport.”

“He got hit and went down really hard. We won’t know more until we get him to the hospital.” The medic explained, immediately shifting to a much more professional tone.

“Okay.” I muttered, feeling mild shock begin to set in.

The ambulance arrived a few very nerve-wracking minutes later. Or maybe it was closer to fifteen. I couldn’t really be sure. They quickly assessed Montgomery on the ground and did their jobs very well. They needed assistance lifting him onto the stretcher but aside from that they handled themselves very professionally and before I knew it, they were on the way to the hospital.

Justin had run over while I was arguing with the team medic, “do you need me Coach? Or can I take Addy to the hospital? I don’t think she will be able to drive.”

“No, no you’re good. Take her and make sure she is okay. Call me with any updates.”

“I’ll bring your bag over after the game.” Scott told Justin. “Addy, everything is going to be okay. He’s strong.”

“Uh huh. Thanks Scott. I’ll text you when we hear anything.”

As we left, there was yelling from my friends and Clay had run down. Justin waved him off, “we will explain later. Right now Montgomery is the priority.”

The drive to the hospital was silent and quick. It felt as though I blinked and we were there. We went to the front admitting desk at the hospital.

“How may I help you?” the nurse asked.

“I’m looking for information on Montgomery de la Cruz. He was brought in by ambulance for a knee injury.”

“Are you family?”

“Yes, he is my husband. My name is Addison de la Cruz.”

“Okay, I will just need to see some photo ID to verify.”

“Alright.” I said, digging through my bag for my wallet. Handing her my ID with shaking hands she verified the information.

“He has been seen in the emergency department and they have admitted him. He is on the third floor. Room 3107, go to the nurses’ station upstairs and they will be able to direct you. Don’t forget your visitor stickers.”

“Thank you very much.”

Justin and I made our way to the third floor, his arm around me while we waited for the elevator. “I hate hospitals.”

“I know you do Addy. But Scott is right. He will be okay.”

“I know. I’m just scared. There could be no going back from this.”

The rest of the way to the room was quiet. I was trying to focus on my breathing so that both of us didn’t end up in the hospital tonight.

“Hello, my husband was just admitted a little while ago and the nurse in admitting said to come up here and find his doctor.”

“Patient name?”

“Montgomery de la Cruz.”

The nurse looked on her computer and found his file, “he is in room 3107, which is just up the hall and to the left. His doctor’s name is Dr. Marcus and he should be in shortly. Caroline is the nurse assigned to him up here so she will be in and out of the room from time to time.”

“Is he okay?”

“He is conscious and as you are family you can go in.” She looked at Justin, “and you are?”

“He is my brother.” I said quickly. I need him here for this.

“Alright.”

“Thank you.”

We once again made our way through the halls of the hospital quietly. When we arrived at his room, his nurse was checking his vitals. I cleared my throat quietly, so as not to disturb her.

“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone was here.” Caroline said.

“No, please. I’m his wife. I was told by the nurse at the desk I could come in.”

“Alright. He is asleep right now but I see on his chart we are allowed to give you information. I’ll go find Dr. Marcus and have him speak with you. For now you can wait here or in the waiting room.”

I nodded and looked at Monty. He looked so peaceful, though I attributed that to the likely large dose of painkillers they were giving him. Not wanting to disturb him, we decided to wait in the hall. I texted Scott that we were at the hospital and Justin texted Coach Kerba to let him know. I felt the shock set in more the longer we waited. By the time the doctor arrived to explain things, I was shaking and had begun to develop tunnel vision.

“Mrs. de la Cruz?” Dr. Marcus asked. Still not used to hearing that and adding in the shock, I didn’t answer until Justin nudged my arm.

“Yes? And please, call me Addison.”

“Alright, Addison. Your husband had an X-ray in the ER to see what happened and we are just waiting on the swelling to reduce before we take him for an MRI.”

“What is the MRI for?”

“The MRI will confirm if what we saw on the X-ray is correct or not. Based on the imaging we have now, it appears that he has a near complete to complete tear of his left ACL. I will be able to give you more information after we get the MRI results back. I checked on him before I came out here and he is still asleep. You are welcome to stay tonight as we may get him in for an MRI tonight and he will need someone here for emotional support.”

“O-okay. That’s… alright.” I said, more confused than before. As he walked away, I turned to Justin. “What?”

“According to that, he may be out for the season. He is young and healthy though so he could recover faster, who knows. He’s a good player so schools shouldn’t rescind their scholarship offers. This isn’t a small injury Addy.”

“I didn’t think it was. I was just hoping that it wasn’t as bad as I expected.”

“Do you want me to stay? I can call Coach and let him know what the doctor said.”

“You can stay. Don’t call Coach though. I don’t want to talk to anyone until we know something for sure. I should call his mom though. She would want to know.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until you hear something first?”

“Maybe? I don’t know. I don’t know what to do Justin.” I felt tears well in my eyes and I wiped them away with my sleeve, angrily.

“Hey, hey don’t cry Addison. Everything will be okay.” He soothed, pulling me into a hug. “I’m just going to text mom and let her know I’m staying here. You go back to his room. You need to try and get some sleep.”

I nodded and walked back down the hall to Monty’s room. He was still sleeping peacefully. Caroline came in to check on him again, “Dr. Marcus said you were staying. I can get you a pillow and a warm blanket if you would like.”

“That would be great, thank you Caroline.” I whispered.

Upon her return, I gratefully took the linens and laid on the padded windowsill. This is surprisingly comfortable. Before long, I fell into a light slumber.

Sometime later, I heard voices around me. Groggily, I opened and rubbed my eyes. Looking to the clock on the wall, I saw about two hours had passed.

“Hi Addy. Sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you. I was just bringing Justin his bag.” Scott said quietly.

“It’s okay. How was the game?”

“It was dirty. But we won so that’s good.”

“Good, that’s good.”

“How is he?”

“I don’t know, he’s been asleep the whole time. They have him on some pretty heavy duty pain medication.”

“Well, let me know how everything goes. I’ll see you at school.”

School right. Friends. Suddenly the implications of tonight’s events came rushing back to me. Oh fuck. This is going to be a nightmare. “Yeah. Have a good night Scott.”

Justin and I sat up and talked quietly with each other for another half hour or so until Monty began to wake up.

“Hi sweetheart.” I said, softly as I stood and walked to his bedside.

“Hey bookworm.” He replied, his voice thick with sleep and pain.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like my knee isn’t a knee anymore. How long have you been here?” He turned and nodded to Justin. Justin nodded back.

“A few hours or so. The doctor talked to me while you were asleep. We are still waiting on an MRI for you.”

“Okay. They said neurologically everything checks out and I don’t appear to have a head injury. The head CT they did didn’t show anything, so that’s good at least.”

“I’m glad. Do you want me to call the doctor? Oh and Scott dropped by to drop off your bag and Justin’s bag. He said we won.”

“No, its okay. I think Caroline should be back in soon. She will call him.”

“Do you want me to call your mom?”

“Not yet. I’d rather not worry her until we know what is going on.”

I nodded in agreement, “that’s probably a good idea.” I kissed his forehead gently before going and sitting back down. “Tonight is going to change everything. Everyone knows now. We can’t go back from this.”

“I know.”

“My friends know now. The school knows. Bryce knows.”

“I know. But it will be okay.”

“I guess. But it is the student body of Liberty High. So anything could happen.”

“That’s true. They are unpredictable. If your friends are really that mad at you for not telling them, maybe they should consider why you felt like you couldn’t tell them.”

“Montgomery, it’s not like we have been dating for a few months and didn’t tell them. We have been together for over two years. We got married for crying out loud. They will be mad.”

“I’m aware we are married Addison. I was there. I understand they will be upset, but if they are really that mad at you, then they aren’t really your friends, now are they?”

“No, I suppose not. You’re right.”

“I’m sorry, what was that? Justin, did you hear that?”

“I did.”

“I heard it too.” Caroline chimed in from the doorway.

“I know not of what you speak.” I replied, smirking.

“Mhmm, I’m sure.”

“I hate to break up this little lover’s spat, but I need to check his vitals and the swelling.” Caroline said, before setting to work. “Vitals are stable. The swelling seems to be going down. How’s your pain?”

“It’s manageable. Like a six or seven I guess?”

“Alright. Your pain medication should be okay for now. We might get you for an MRI tonight yet Monty.”

Monty sighed in relief. The sooner we get the MRI results the sooner we know what we are dealing with.

“I’ll let Dr. Marcus know you are awake and we can see about maybe getting you on the board. Did you want another blanket?”

“Thanks Caroline. Another blanket would be nice.”

“Coming right up. Just press the nurses’ button if you need me.”

“I can go if you guys want. I’ll take your stuff home Monty and grab you both a change of clothes on my way home. I can drop it off in the morning on the way to school.” Justin offered.

“That sounds good. See you in the morning.” Monty said.

“Have a good night Justin. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“Great. You’re going to be okay.” He said, pulling me into another hug.

After Justin left, Monty and I sat quietly waiting for the doctor to come in. About fifteen minutes of quiet, with the exception of the beeping machines, Dr. Marcus come to check on him. I waited with bated breath while the doctor checked his cognitive functioning again. Letting out a sigh of relief that all checked out, I smiled at him encouragingly. The relief grew when the doctor said the swelling had dissipated enough to get an accurate MRI.

“I will put him on the board and when it opens up, we will take him up and hopefully be able to give you a clear answer. I’m hoping the results don’t take very long to come back so we can discuss our options. I’ll be back in a while.”

“Thanks Doc.” Monty said, trying to hide his nerves. I saw right through it and squeezed his hand gently. This is what I signed up for. Monty’s nerves began getting the best of him, so I dug around his gym bag for the book he threw in during the move. With any luck he forgot about it and it’s still at the bottom somewhere. Got you. Sitting at the foot of his bed, I began to read to him. Thankfully I was able to calm him down some and we waited patiently for the scan to open up.

During my reading, Caroline came in and had him drink some contrast. After another half hour or so, the MRI opened around two am or so.

“The scan will take between thirty and sixty minutes so you can go get a cup of coffee or something while you wait. Someone will come find you when he is back to his room.” Dr. Marcus told me before taking Montgomery to his scan. I nodded and wandered down to the small twenty-four-hour coffee shop near the cafeteria. The longer I waited for the scan to be completed, the more anxious I became. What if it’s really bad? What if he can’t play sports again? What the hell happened on that field? What if? What if? What if? By the time Caroline came to find me to let me know the scan was completed, I was seriously considering going to ask for a Xanax or something.

My anxiety only increased the longer the results took to come in. Monty and I tried to get some sleep but neither of us were able to get any that would be decent enough to function. After what seemed like days but was really only a matter of a few hours, the clock struck six. The minutes seemed to pass in slow motion. What is taking so long? Finally, the doctor came in with the MRI results. My relief at seeing him was very short lived.

“Well, I’m not going to sugar coat it. These are not the results we were hoping for.” He said as he sat down. I grabbed Monty’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

“What’s the damage?” Monty asked, clearly very nervous.

“It appears you have a complete ACL tear. When you were hit, your leg extended and tore the ligament. After speaking with your coach and the team medic, I have an idea of what exactly happened and how we can proceed. Luckily somehow, your MCL wasn’t injured so that is a good thing.”

“What does this mean?” I asked.

“I can go over your options and my recommendations. This is a common but serious injury. It is clear to me after speaking with you Montgomery, that your goal is to be able to play football again. Preferably by the time training starts at your school of choice for the fall season. But right now, my concern is getting you on your feet and walking again.”

“What are my options?”

“Based on your scan and the way the swelling reacted, I recommend doing surgery to repair the tear. I see this a lot in athletes. Taking into account your medical history and given that you are young and healthy, I can see you having little to no issue going back on the field when you are healed. If you choose not to go ahead with surgery, there is no guarantee you will be able to play football again. I cannot make this choice for you.”

“What would recovery look like?”

“With surgery you would be looking at six to nine months of recovery. Without surgery you would be looking at four to twelve months of recovery time. Both options leave you wearing a brace for at least six weeks. You would do physical therapy in a few weeks. You should be able to return to sports after about four to six months.”

“Alright.”

“How would you do surgery?” I asked.

“I usually take a hamstring approach with athletes so there is a shorter, less painful recovery and less chance of complications.”

“Okay. Do we have time to discuss things first?” I asked.

“Yes, but I recommend doing surgery today. I’ll leave you to discuss this.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

Once again, we sat in silence for a long time. I decided to break it. “What do you want to do Montgomery? This is your choice.”

“I don’t know. How can I make this decision? My entire future is riding on this Addison.”

“I know. But I can’t make this decision for you. You need to make it. I will support you regardless of what you choose.”

“What would you do? If you were me?”

“Well, if it was me, I would do the surgery. Based on the information we have, that would be your best option.”

“Okay. Let’s do that then.”

“Do you want me to call your mom? Or call Scott? Or someone else?”

“Maybe call mom and let her know. She doesn’t need to come or anything. I would give Coach a call to let him know what is going on and tell him I’ll be out for a while.”

“I will. Everything will be okay babe.”

“I know. Major surgery just wasn’t how I was expecting to spend our first year as a married couple though.”

“That’s true. I’ll go find Caroline and let her know we made a decision. You try to get some sleep.” I told him, before giving him a kiss and before he could protest, pulling up his blanket and tucking him in.

After letting Caroline and Dr. Marcus know we had made a decision, I went to get myself a cup of coffee and a muffin. I hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday. When I got back upstairs, the doctor was going over the risks and such of the surgery with Monty. I hadn’t missed much and sat through the rest of the explanations. Paperwork was signed and soon enough, they had taken him in to preop. I texted Justin to let him know that I would meet him in the waiting room and sent Scott a text letting him know Monty was heading in for surgery. Coach Kerba sounded like an easier place to start, so I gave him a call.

“Hello?” he said after the third ring.

“Hey coach. It’s Addison. I was calling you with an update.”

“Hey Addison. How is he doing?”

“He seems okay. They have him in pre-op right now. He tore his ACL and the doctor said that a surgical approach would be best for him and his chances of being back on the field.”

“Oooo yeah, that’s not a good injury. Did they say about how long he would be out?”

“They said four to six months depending on how quickly he recovers and how often he does PT.”

“I’m sure I don’t have to kick his ass to PT since he has you?”

“No Sir. He will be going to every appointment, I can assure you.”

“That’s good. I’ll see if I can swing by the hospital after school. Let him know we are all rooting for him.”

“Will do. Thanks coach. I probably won’t be at school today so I’ll see about Justin getting my homework.”

“Okay. Have a good day Addy.”

“You too.”

With Coach out of the way, I took a deep breath before dialing his mom’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hi Lucy, it’s Addison.”

“Oh, hello Addison. How are you this morning?”

“I’m alright, yourself?”

“I’m doing okay dear.”

“That’s good. I was actually calling about Montgomery.”

“Oh no, has something happened to him?”

“Yes. There is no need to panic or anything, but he did get hit pretty hard at the game last night. We have been at the hospital all night and they found that he has a torn ACL. They have him in surgery to repair it now.”

“That sounds serious. Do you want me to come down there?”

“It’s not great by any means but it could have been much worse. Don’t worry about coming down now. We have everything under control. We just wanted to let you know what was going on.”

“Alright then. Just give me a call if you need anything.”

“I will. Talk to you later Lucy.”

“Bye Addison.”

When I hung up, I was surprised to see Scott standing beside my chair, holding a bottle of juice out for me. “I figured you could use some moral support.”

“Thanks. You didn’t have to come down here Scotty.”

“I know. But he’s my best friend and you’re his wife. Therefore, it is my responsibility to keep you company when he is in surgery.” He said, before sitting down and taking my hand, comfortingly. Justin stopped by and dropped off a change of clothes before going to school. He promised to come by later and see how I was doing. Scott and I spent the rest of the morning sitting silently together waiting for news or Monty to be out of surgery.

[angry-slytherin]

Heaven Help Me(Ch 2)

Jo is reading scans from an email on her cell phone when she hears a voice behind her.

“Hey, Jo, wait up!” Jo whips around on her way to the coffee cart outside the hospital. She stops just short of the doorway. Amelia is walking briskly toward her.

“Okay so I know probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I’m dying to tell someone. Meredith is going on a date with Hayes. Don’t tell her I said this, she’ll kill me.”

Jo gives Amelia a look of confusion. “Uh, first of all I don’t know who ‘Hayes’ is and why are you telling me this?” Jo and Amelia had of course met through Link, and Jo likes her well enough, but she feels it’s weird that Amelia is sharing personal information about her sister’s dating life with her.

“Doctor Hayes! Pediatric co-chief of surgery! And I told you before, I needed someone to tell. You were on the way to the coffee cart and I don’t think you’ll blab to Meredith.”

Jo nods, “Right. You getting coffee?” Amelia frowns.

“No, I have surgery.” She says, and Jo just watches her walk off towards the elevator. Jo is just glad Amelia is self-aware of her crazy. That much is true.

Jo sees Rayn coming up the hall and quickly turns back toward the doors.

“Before seven is mine, Doctor Rayn. I told you this.”

“Doctor Wilson, I think you’ll want to come see this.” Rayn is tight-lipped.

“Fine; tell everyone I’ll be there in ten. I need sustenance or I’ll be crankier than normal. You don’t want that.”

Rayn agrees, still somber. “See you in ten. And I know we’re professionals, but I think it’s important you know that know my first name is Carleen.”

Jo studies the younger doctor carefully, realizing she reminds her of herself during her early residency years.

“Thank you, Rayn. I’ll be there in ten.”

Rayn goes to turn away, but Jo finds herself compelled to speak again.

“My first name is Jo.”

Rayn grins wide at Jo, before rushing back to the lab. Jo finally reaches the doors, stepping outside into one of Seattle’s rare clear mornings, and takes a deep breath. The fresh air helps to clear her mind.

“Good morning, Doctor Wilson.”

Jo jumps. Behind her is Alex Karev, scowling.

“Jesus, you scared me. Good morning to you too. What’s got you in a mood?”

“Got into a fight with my wife.” He practically tears his wallet out of the pocket of his jeans, and opens it.

“Oh, well. Don’t let it get to you too much. She loves you. And you don’t have to harp on it if it’s nothing that important.” Jo then remembers to take her wallet out of her own purse, fishing out a couple dollars.

“It was about— You know what, it doesn’t matter, you’re right. I’m just going to forget about it.”

“Right then,” Jo awkwardly moves on, “Did you read the article on ex-lap efficiency from Doctor Yat-Sen at UCLA? It was really interesting, the way he argued that you can minimize OR time by immediately doing a biopsy on the healthy tissue also.”

“I actually did. I dunno if it’s practical for me. It’s harder to decide on things like that with kids. They’re so compliacated. Like my wife.”

Jo openly laughs at that.

“Don’t hate on your wife. I thought you were forgetting about it?”

Alex groans, scowling again, “Right.”

“You’re right about the kids part though. Peds was super fun to me, but in the end I ending up in general, specialty-less.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Indecisiveness in the end. I never thought too far enough into it in the first place. Plus now, I have my research.”

Alex stands behind her on the coffee line, and Jo orders a lemon scone.

“What do you want, Karev?”

“I can pay for my own coffee.”

Jo turns to the clerk, “One black coffee please.” She smiles and hands the clerk the money.

“How could you possibly know how I like my coffee?” Alex says, accepting the cup.

“Please, you’re clearly not a sugar and milk person. You’re such a grouch.”

Alex keeps his scowl, but thanks Jo nonetheless.

***

“Good morning, all.” Jo greets the team as she enters the research lab. ‘The team’ being surgical resident Cross, oncology intern Rayn, and three biomedical engineers— John, Armani and Deborah.

“Doctor Wilson, we have great news. The mice are fine.” Deb is smiling, and the other engineers follow in suit.

“I don’t understand. That means our cells are flawed.” Cross furrows his eyebrows Jo sighs.

“Yes. It means we have lots more work to do. Actually, that’s the bio engineers’ job. Us doctors have to sit back now. Doctor Rayn, you’re of course welcome to help, as you’ve got the most extensive knowledge of cancer. Doctor Cross, thank you for all your help, but your services are no longer needed here.”

“It was wonderful to meet you Doctor Wilson. Hopefully we can call you back soon, once we’ve better understood this in our lab.” John sticks his hand out, and Jo shakes it.

“Thank you all. I look forward to it.” Jo nods, and she and Cross exit the lab.

“Doctor Cross, you should scrub in on as many surgeries as you can. I appreciate all of it, but your time spent here has set you back as a surgeon. Take some extra nights on-call for a while. Thank me later.”

Cross looks both solemn and grateful, and he simply walks away. Jo feels surprisingly upset at this; she knew her idea wasn’t the end all be all, but she had hoped it would’ve fleshed out more. All she had done was make mice ill, not help anyone.

She had gone and given up a great surgery fellowship, for one of her ideas to fail within only a little more than a week. Her favorite research already up in flames.

Then her pager goes off, and she is being briefed by a senior resident on a hernia patient who came into the ER last night. The woman whose scans she recieved this morning.

“Audrey Davis, 36. Came into the ER last night complaining of abdominal pain. After CT, it was concluded she has an epigastric hernia.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Jo nods to the resident.

“Doctor Wilson,” a medical student begins, “Am I correct to assume you’ll be performing a hernioplasty?”

“I will. Does anyone know why?”

“Yes. Mesh has proven to be exceedingly effective in long-term hernia repair.” A third-year resident answers.

“Doctor Wilson, will you be using an animal-based mesh or a composite synthetic one?” Another medical student.

“A bio human-based one. Why?”

“Because there’s a lesser chance of rejection.” A second-year.

“Alright, anyone who answered a question can join me in the OR today. Baker, scrub in. The rest of you can watch in the gallery. Find me later if you have further questions. Now excuse me.”

Jo makes her way into the patient’s room and the woman is surrounded by multiple people, ranging from toddlers to elderly. Jo counts thirteen.

“Good morning Ms. Davis, and family. I’m Doctor Wilson, and I’ll be your surgeon. I’ll be performing a laparoscopic repair for your hernia, and then hopefully in a day or two, you can go home. Do you have any questions?”

The elderly man speaks up, “Honey, are you the nurse? Because you need to speak up. I have hearing aids for god’s sake.”

“No, sir. I’m the doctor. Doctor Wilson, the surgeon who’ll be operating on Audrey.” Jo tries her best to muster a smile.

The patient rolls her eyes, “I’m so sorry Doctor. He’s especially irrational when he’s stressed. My mom was the first one in our family to have a surgery, and she died a year ago.”

Well that explained the whole gang showing up.

“No problem, Ms. Davis. I will see you in surgery.” The patient nods and Jo moves on to her post-ops. One med student trails her, with a concerned look on his face.

“How could you possibly not yell at that old man, it was crazy sexist what he said.” Jo faces the not-yet doctor, sighing.

“It’s the world we live in. As a female doctor, you learn to get used to it. You could probably ask your female peers” He frowns at Jo, shaking his head.

“Somebody should change that.” Jo is nearly crushed by his hope.

“Somebody should.”

She bumps into Izzie Stevens as she walks past the med student.

“Sorry, Wilson. I should’ve been looking where I was going. It’s been a long morning.”

Jo remembers Alex’s grumpiness this morning and guesses he probably slept on the couch.

“Don’t worry about it, I understand.”

“Are you married? Have you ever been married? It’s exhausting.” Izzie says it tiredly, not antagonistically.

“No, I mean I- yes. I have been married. But not anymore.”

Jo does not wish to share her own experience with marriage. She feels bad for Stevens and Karev, but their petty arguments hardly compare to her memories. She went to therapy for a long time after it ended.

“My husband — I think you know him — Alex, is just exhausting. He always thinks he’s making me happy, but half the time it’s just him pushing his wants onto me and calling them mine. Sorry, you probably don’t care.”

“It’s okay, I could use a break from my own thoughts.” Jo gives her a small smile, but the other doctor is right, she doesn’t care.

“Sorry, sorry again. Goodbye Doctor Wilson.” Izzie rushes off.

Jo finds several residents and med students waiting for her at Willy O’ Connor’s room.

***

After performing two appendectomies, Jo takes respite on a hallway gurney. She rubs her temples, leans her head back against the wall, and closes her eyes.

“Feeling okay? Fellowship life getting to you?” Link’s voice rings in her ears, her head pounding. She feels him sit next to her.

“I feel more tired than on a 24 hour shift as a resident. I research, and then I do surgery, and then I do more research, and then I do more surgery. It’s like everything I’ve ever wanted but it is so draining. I am so tired.” Jo opens her eyes and looks at her friend, fatigued.

“Ah I remember when I was a fellow, I actually slept through a M&M. The resident next to me who’d been there all night woke me up. It’s so much better than residency though. You’re basically an attending and still learning.” Link looks at Jo.

“Yeah,” Jo lets out a breath of air.

“So how is wedding planning going?”

Link smiles, “Well we set a date. July 18th. At the Old Mill Factory.”

“It’s gorgeous there! Oh I’m so happy for you both!” Jo squeals and suddenly she’s energized.

“Speaking of my wedding, how would you feel about being my best man?”

Jo smiles slowly, “Really? I mean I would of course be the best woman but minor details. Yes, of course Link, yes.”

Link grins at her. “Not that I’m doubtful, but I’m going to need you up there. Because me and Amelia will both be nervous wrecks.”

Jo bites her lip, “I bet. It’s gonna be great.”

***

Jo makes her way to the attending’s lounge on the third floor, but her desire for hot chocolate and a comfortable seat is prohibited by a screaming couple in the room already.

Jo decides she’s had a long enough day and braves the sparring lovers. It’s Alex and Izzie, of course. Jo shrinks, just wanting hot chocolate. That’s all she wants.

“-well that’s rich! You haven’t thought about what I want in a long time!”

“Oh so now you don’t want kids? We’ve always wanted kids, what changed?”

“Of course I want- that’s not what I’m saying, I’m saying I can’t give up more time for maternity leave. I have a lot going on right now with my patients and I need you to be willing to take time!”

“And I’ve told you I’m willing. But I’m not being a parent alone. That’s no— Iz.” Alex looks over at Jo and she widens her eyes, scooping up her mug.

She awkwardly smiles, “I’ll just be going now.”

God, she thinks, what a mess.

Alex follows Jo out of the lounge.

“Sorry about that.” Jo furrows her eyebrows, frowning.

“I thought the argument this morning wasn’t important.”

“It wasn’t.” Alex grunts. Jo doesn’t want to aggravate him more, but kids seems like a big topic. Kids are always a big topic.

“Kids are a big decision. I was a kid no one wanted, not even my own mother could stand to keep me for more than two days. She was under different circumstances, but no kid wants parents who can barely agree before they’re even a clump of cells.”

Alex fumes, “Who the hell says you get to comment on my marriage? What gives you the right? You’re not married, you’re not a parent. You have no idea.”

Jo rolls her eyes, “You’re right, Alex. But I’ve been married before, and I- you should think about what you’re getting into.” Alex waves her off.

“Screw you, Jo.”

Jo takes a deep breath, moving on to her surgery.

[girls-scenarios]

Back and Forth

Idol: Siyeon (Dreamcatcher)

Prompt: Hello, hello<3 I would like to request a Hogwart AU where the slytherin!fem!reader has this relationship-not-really-a-relationship-some-flirt with.... choose your fighter: Hani (EXID) or Siyeon (Dreamcatcher)

Writer: Admin Kiwi

A/N: I decided to make Siyeon a Slytherin as well in this case since we’ve written her as a Slytherin before, hopefully you didn’t want her as a different house? Also I’m sorry I haven’t been writing much for, well, a lot of reasons, but I hope you al enjoy this story and hopefully I'll be back to my normal posting schedule soon.

♡ Tip Jar♡

“Did you do something new with your hair, (Y/N)? You look even more stunning than usual.” At the sound of your housemate’s familiar voice, you looked up with a smile, watching as she sat down in the seat at the table beside you.

“Awe, Siyeon, you noticed? I got a little trim, do you like it?”

“I love it, but I love everything about you, babe,” Siyeon said dramatically, tossing her hair over her shoulder and sending you a wink. Collectively, your friends around her groaned, making the two of you laugh.

“It’s too early in the morning for this. Can’t your cheesy remarks wait until at least lunch?” Gahyeon remarked, wrinkling her nose in mock disgust.

“Nope, I have to be cheesy and greasy at all times or I will combust on the spot, Gahyeon my dear.”

“You’re so dramatic,” Sua said as she throw a piece of her food at the other girl. Siyueon ducked, avoiding it easily, but still pulled an offended face.

“Don’t throw things just because I’m better at flirting than you!”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“I don’t have to. (Y/N), aren’t I the best flirt, babe?” Siyeon turned to you with a spark in her eyes and a grin on her lips, and you rolled your eyes, knowing that she just wanted to hear you praise her.

“Yes, yes, Siyeon, you’re the best flirt in the Slytherin house, just like always,” you said to appease her, clapping sarcastically and making Gahyeon laugh, but Siyeon seemed pleased, turning to Sua with a smug smile.

“See? Told you!”

“Your girlfriend’s vote doesn’t count.”

“We aren’t dating,” both of you said at the same time, used to this by now. One of the younger Slytherin guys, new to the group, looked up with his eyebrows raised.

“Wait, really? I thought you guys were a thing!”

“Nope.” Siyeon threw her arms around your shoulders, and you swallowed as she pulled you closer, your face heating up slightly. The two of you always did this, so you should be used to it be now. But you weren’t, and you hoped no one noticed the slight flush as you made a face at her affection. “We’re just flirty friends.”

“That’s not a thing,” Gahyeon pointed out, “please just date and stop confusing people.”

At the thought of dating Siyeon, your stomach twisted in your stomach and your heartbeat picket up, and you slowly pulled away from her, suddenly not feeling hungry. You knew you shouldn’t feel this way, not with Siyeon. But for some reason, you couldn’t help it.

“Please, (Y/N) is out of my league. Don’t insult her.”

You laughed along with everyone else, but it felt hollow. “Oh, so that’s the excuse now? I thought you said last time that you were out of my league.”

“I changed my mind after you beat my potions grade for the third year in a row. I just can’t keep up with you, but that’s why I love you.” She blew a kiss your way, obviously joking, and you wondered if she knew how much it made your heart hurt to catch it.

“Obviously, Siyeon here is delusional,” you said, only half-joking as you stood up. “I needed to stop back by our rooms to grab a book before class so I’m going to get going. I’ll see you all in class.”

“You didn’t eat hardly anything, are you sick?” There was genuine concern in Siyeon’s voice (which was a little weird, she was usually snarky) but Sua snorted, ruining the soft moment.

“Sick of you.”

“Hey! There’s no way she’d be sick of me! I’m her favorite person in the world!” As Siyeon’s voice raised, ready to fight Sua, you rolled your eyes and turned away, sighing as you went to throw out your leftover food. If only Siyeon knew just how true that statement was....

-

“You might as well just tell her, at this point.”

“Jiu, I seriously cant do that. What if she thinks it’s weird? This is all just a game to her, you know? She likes the back and forth, the playful flirting with no strings attached. She wouldn’t want me to fall in love with her for real.” Orange and red were terrible, awful colors, you decided as you laid on Jiu’s bed and stared up at the ceiling. The brightness of it all hurt your eyes, and you were reminded of just how glad you were that the sorting hat decided to put you in Slytherin.

“So you’re just going to mope on my bed forever instead?” Jiu turned around from where she was doing homework, a small smile on her lips and her arms crossed. “Why do you always come here instead of asking me to come to your dorms for once?”

“Because you have more privacy. The moment I admitted my feelings for Siyeon out-loud, someone would be listening and in minutes the entire school would know.”

“I think you’re exaggerating.”

You closed your eyes, to get away from the offending brightness of the room. Why couldn’t your best friend have been sorted into Ravenclaw instead? At least blue and silver were bearable. “I’m not. I never exaggerate.”

“Whatever you say, honey. But I seriously think you should just confess. I think Siyeon likes you more than you think.”

“She’s just like that,” you retorted, “she’s one of the school flirts. It’s not like I’m any different from any other students she flirts with.”

“That’s not true, at all. I’ve known Siyeon just as long as I’ve known you, and I’ve seen the way she treats you. She flirts with you way more than anyone else and she’s always paying attention to you or staring at you. Remember that time you came down with a cold and she stayed in your dorm room for three days nursing you back to health? She wouldn’t do that for you if she didn’t care about you.”

“She cares about me like a friend.”

“No offense, but I’d never stay right beside someone’s bed for three straight days, skipping all my classes and risking getting in trouble just to make sure a friend was okay during a little cold. I’d also never call any of my friends ‘babe’ and I’ve certainly never told my friends that I wanted to kiss them.”

Your face heated up and you opened your eyes, turning to glare weakly at Jiu. “That was after she drank that weird potion Gahyeon made her to make her fever go away! She was basically drunk, drunk people say things they don’t mean all the time.”

“Sometimes being drunk makes you more honest,” Jiu pointed out. “I’m just saying that Siyeon liking you is more likely than you’re acting like it is.”

With a sigh, you shook your head and stood up. “Thanks for trying to encourage me, but I still doubt it.” You gave your best friend a little smile. “I’m going to head back to my dorm now. Have a good night.”

She looked like she wanted to say something, but she just shook her head and smiled instead. “Alright. Goodnight, (Y/N).”

As you walked back to your room, you tried not to let the things she’d said get to you. But you couldn’t help but think: what if? What if Siyeon liked you? What if everything Jiu was saying was true? What if you actually had a chance with her? Shaking your head, you tried to chase the thoughts away, You shouldn’t be fantasizing when Siyeon was, well, Siyeon. It was playful flirting, that was all. You needed to find a way to get over her before things got out of hand.

Before you realized it, you were back at the Slytherin dorms, and you let out a sigh as you stepped inside and headed for your own room. You needed to take a nap and clear your head. So you ingored everyone else in the commons room, focused on just getting into bed when....

“Do you think (Y/N) hates me?” It was Siyeon’s voice, and your hand stalled on the door to your room, body frozen in place. Her voice was coming from Gahyeon’s room beside yours, and you couldn’t help but be curious. Especially because of what you’d just heard.

Swallowing, you made sure no one else was around before standing close to the door, listening carefully as Gahyeon hummed in thought.

“Well, no. You guys are always hanging all over each other so it’s obvious that she doesn’t hate you. Why do you ask that?”

“It’s just that she doesn’t seem to have noticed how I feel. Like, I cling to her and flirt with her and tell her that I love her all the time and she just laughs it off and is so quick to dismiss it. She’s so fast to tell people that we aren’t dating too. It hurts a bit, you know? And it makes me think that maybe she doesn’t like me at all.”

“I feel like that’s jumping to conclusions,” Gahyeon said with a sigh. “You’re being dramatic.”

Siyeon whined. “I’m allowed to be dramatic! I’m in love with (Y/N) and she hasn’t realized a thing!” Wait, what? Were you dreaming? Had Jiu cast some sort of spell before you left? What was going on? “I really thought that she’d get it after I told her that I wanted to kiss her that one time, but nope! How? How doesn’t she know?”

Your heart was pounding in your chest and you wanted to both run and burst into the room at the same time, but you stood by the door, rooted to the floor and unable to move from the shock of it all. Inside, Gahyeon laughed.

“Maybe because you’re the biggest flirt in the Slytherin house. I’m sure that has something to do with it.”

“I’ve cut down on the flirting I do, though! I really only flirt with (Y/N) these days.” Siyeon groaned, and you heard robes rustling. You were sure she’d just put her face on Gahyeon’s shoulder. “I regret being such a flirt in my youth.”

“Again, you’re being dramatic. Just tell her straight up, she’ll get it.”

“I doubt it. Because we joke flirt like that all the time, you know? She’d probably just think it was another joke! I’ve set myself up for failure.” She was right. Had you heard her say half these things in any other context, you would have thought she was still just joking with you. But she was talking to Gahyeon about you, without knowing you were there to see. This wasn’t fake. This wasn’t a joke. This was real, and your breath caught in your throat, butterflies going crazy in your stomach as you took everything in. Jiu had been right.

“So you’re just going to let things continue the way they are?”

“I might just give up, honestly. If she doesn’t like me that way, I’m not going to keep pushing her. I get it, she doesn’t like me. I’ll leave her alone.” Those words were what made you finally move from the spot you’d been rooted to, throwing open Gahyeon’s door with a blush on your cheeks and your eyes wide.

“No, you’re wrong!” At the sound of your voice, both of the girls jumped, and Siyeon spun around, her mouth dropping open.

“(Y/N)? W-wait, how long have you been listening?” You had never seen Siyeon’s face so red before, but you also knew that yours was no better as you stood there, mind racing as you tried to think of what to say.

“From the beginning, I think. But please don’t give up on me. I like you too, I was just too dumb to realize that you were actually flirting with me. I thought it was all a joke, and that you didn’t do romance.”

“I didn’t do romance before I met you,” Siyeon said, voice soft and shy, and your heart melted. “You really like me too?”

“I do. I’ve liked you since the moment I met you.” A grin spread across your face, silly and cute and very un-slytherin, and you shuffled awkwardly, not knowing what to say as Siyeon smiled back at you. “Um, so are we dating now? Like, for real?”

“I mean, if you want to.”

“Oh my god you two. Just date and get out of my room!” Gahyeon groaned, shoving you both out by your shoulders, but even as the door slammed behind you, Siyeon laughed and reached out to hold your hand.

“So should we? Date, I mean.”

With a smile, you reached over to kiss her cheek, relishing in the blush that appeared on her face. For once, you were glad about the lack of privacy in the Slytherin dorms. All it had taken was an overheard conversation for you to finally spit out your feelings. And yeah, it was embarrassing, and both of you were definitely going to hear about it later, but right now, you were on top of the world. And nothing was going to bring you down.

“Yeah, I think we should.”

[rosewilliams1736]

Kimallura + high school au (I love when you do these kinds of prompts, by the way, your stories are always so creative and sweet!)

Yep, this one’s totally three sentences too. Thank you for the lovely note Anon, it made my day!

As used to moving around as Allura was, starting at a new school in the middle of the year was easily one of her least favorite things to do. It didn’t help that the students of Westruun High were a little rougher around the edges than she was used to. It’d only taken a quick sweep of the unwelcoming faces in the lunchroom for Allura to decide to eat her lunch in the privacy of the nearest restroom.

She was just starting to pack up her trash when she heard the bathroom door slam open. She turned around in time to see a girl about half her height stumble into the room and shut the door quickly behind her. The newcomer had a thick line of blood running down her face, an eye that was starting to swell shut and was holding her arm as if it may be broken or her shoulder was dislocated. 

Allura dropped the rest of her lunch in a nearby trashcan and rushed over to the girl. 

“Gods, are you alright?”

The other girl wouldn’t meet her eye and mumbled something about ‘stupid football players always treating their girlfriends like shit’. She didn’t say much more before leaning her back against the wall and sliding down it with a loud groan. Allura went to ask her for more details before she heard a thunderous knock come from the other side of the door. 

Allura crouched down so that she was at eye level with the other girl. “What’s your name?” The girl finally looked up and locked eyes with Allura. 

“Kima.” She said simply.

“Okay Kima, I’ll go see if I can take care of this. I’ll be right back and I’ll see about getting you to the nurse after that okay?” Her voice was soft and gentle, which seemed to be all Kima needed to finally relax a bit. 

“Don’t, please. Those guys are dangerous and they won’t think twice about trying to snap you like a twig.” 

Allura raised a single eyebrow. “Is that so? We’ll see about that.” She gave Kima a confident smile and rose to her full height before heading to the door. 

Kima tried to grab onto the bottom of Allura’s dress, but the taller woman was just a touch too fast. 

Allura pulled the door open and was met with a wall of heavily muscled teenagers. The anger on their faces turned to confusion when they saw her instead of the girl they were after. 

“Where’s the little bitch? We weren’t done with her.” Asked the one in front, likely their fearless leader. Allura had to keep from rolling her eyes. 

“And you must be the football team. I haven’t been able to catch a game yet, but I’ve heard mediocre things.” 

The boys all furrowed their brows in almost perfect unison at that before looking around at each other with increasingly confused expressions. 

Allura took their pause as an opportunity to speak again. “You best be on your way, I’ve heard that Principal Tal’Dorei doesn’t take kindly to his students using such inappropriate language and beating up on one another.” She placed her hands on her hips. “And it would be a real shame if you all got suspended and had to miss the game on Friday. We wouldn’t want that now would we?”

The thug in charge moved to take a step in her direction, but got stopped by two of his buddies. “Let it go Xanthus, coach said he’d make us run until he got tired next time we got in trouble.” 

Another of the boys spoke up then. “Yeah, come on man. Her and her little friend aren’t worth it.”  

Xanthus glared at Allura but started to back away. Allura held his gaze until his buddies dragged him around a corner and out of sight. 

With a small celebratory grin, Allura turned on a heel and walked back into the bathroom. Kima was still on the floor, and by the sweat on her brow and the pain on her face, she wasn’t doing any better than she was when she first arrived. Allura’s face softened immediately as she made her way over to the girl and kneeled by her side. 

“The boys are gone and we have a clear path to the nurse. Think you can make it over there?” 

The smaller girl’s head snapped up. “No! Please, I can’t go to Ms. Trickfoot’s office right now. She’s seen me get into way too many fights and I don’t think I can take another lecture about picking fights I can’t win right now. I just need some help getting up and I’ll be fine.” 

Allura bit her lip. The idea of this girl picking herself up and going back to class like this was hard to wrap her head around, but just by looking at her Allura could tell that convincing her not to would be impossible. 

“Can I at least help you get cleaned up?”

Kima looked down at her shirt and shrugged, only remembering after the fact that she had an injured shoulder. 

“It couldn’t hurt.” Her voice was lower and more gravely this time, the pain clearly affecting her. 

“Alright, give me just a second.”

Allura stood up once more and collected a wad of paper towels before hustling over to her backpack and pulling out a pair of black rubber gloves. She stopped by the sink for a moment to wet the paper towels and then made her way back over to the shorter woman.

Kima watched the whole process and shot Allura a questioning look when she returned. 

“I spend a lot of time messing with chemicals and I’m not a fan of the gloves that most schools keep on hand.”

The words slipped out of Allura’s mouth before she had the chance to process them and as soon as she realized what she said, she felt a blush start to crawl up the back of her neck. 

Much to her surprise the other girl gave her an approving nod. “You’re a hell of a lot better prepared than most everyone else around here. I should probably keep you around for the next time this happens.”

Allura sat down next to the girl and carefully started cleaning the blood off her face. “Does this happen often?” She asked, pausing for a moment to wait for her response. 

“Only when someone says something to piss me off.”

“So daily then?” Allura asked with a smirk. 

Kima grinned right back at her. 

“Oh, I like you.” She flinched a little when Allura touched a particularly painful spot. “Shit, sorry, I’m the worst with manners. I never got your name.” 

Allura blushed harder at that. “I’m Allura,” She said, standing up and double checking her work. “And it looks like I’m all done here.”

“Well Allura, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” 

Allura turned away under the guise of throwing away the bloodied paper towels, but it also had to do with her attempting to hide her now bright red checks. 

“Hey Allura, can I call you Allie?”

Allura turned around in surprise. “I-uh I guess so. No one’s ever called me that before.”

“Cool, Allie it is then. Can you help me stand up?” 

“Right, of course.” 

After a moment of figuring out the easiest and safest way to get Kima to her feet without hurting her shoulder, the girls worked together to haul Kima up. 

Kima tried to stand up straight on her own, but crumpled almost immediately. “You know what,” She ground out through clenched teeth. “I think I might need to go see Ms. Trickfoot after all.”

Allura placed a hand on Kima’s good shoulder and wrapped her other arm around Kima’s back and put her hand on the girl’s side. As gently as she could, she helped Kima stand back up. Allura intended on cracking a joke, but the pained look on Kima’s face stopped her in her tracks. 

“It’s alright, I got you.” 

“Are you always this nice to strangers?” Kima asked as they slowly made their way to the nurse’s office. 

“I usually don’t talk to strangers, unless they’re cute.” The end of the sentence trailed off and Allura hoped that Kima was too focused on walking to notice. 

“I must be the exception then. I’ve never been called cute a day in my life.” 

“Well, there’s a first for everything.” 

Kima didn’t look up, but Allura caught sight of the tips of her ears turning red. They fell into a comfortable silence after that. It only lasted for a few moments though because as soon as they got close to the nurse’s office a small blonde haired woman, presumably Ms. Trickfoot, rushed over to them with a wheelchair. 

“For Sarenrae’s sake Kima, this is the third time this month.” She said as she approached the girls. 

As she got closer, Ms. Trickfoot’s expression went from being one of anger to one of concern. “Oh gods, they got you good this time didn’t they? Come here, let’s get you checked out.” 

With Allura’s help, they got Kima down into the wheelchair without much issue. Once she was secure, the blonde woman turned to Allura. 

“She usually has to haul herself down here, but I’m glad she had some help this time. I’m Pike by the way.” 

“I’m Allura. Is there a reason that Kima calls you by your last name?” 

Pike smiled and shook her head. “Ah, well, she comes from a military family so that kind of thing is pretty normal for her.” 

Kima cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to her. “Hey Allie?” Allura walked around the side of the wheelchair so she was standing in front of Kima. “Thanks.” 

Allura smiled down at her. “You’re welcome. Try and stay out of trouble okay?” 

Kima grinned back. “I won’t make any promises, but I might be a little easier to persuade if we hung out some more.” 

Allura felt herself blush again but did nothing to hide it this time. “I’d like that.” 

“I hate to ruin the moment ladies, but I’ve got to go get Kima checked out before Principal Tal’Dorei catches wind of what happened.” Pike gave Allura a nod and then started pushing Kima back in the direction of her office. 

Allura watched them go before heading back to the bathroom to grab her backpack. Maybe Westruun High wasn’t going to be that bad after all.