#till he literally can’t take it anymore and he moves out even before college officially started up | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

neoculturetravesty · 4 years ago

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We met in online class - Part 7

Image adapted from here.

Pairing: Renjun x Reader Genre: College AU, romance, angst, fluff Warnings: Strong language, descriptions of a shiner, a character gets Covid-19 Word Count: 7.3k

A/N: I’m sorry for all the angst, you guys.

You only stop walking when you’re out of the apartment building. Eyebrows scrunched, face scowled like you were trying to hold onto the anger. But the more you had walked, the more you had realized that you couldn’t hold onto something that wasn’t there in the first place. It would be like holding onto smoke: futile and baseless. You weren’t angry. You stop moving to just breathe for a moment. And as the cool night air hits your face, you get a little more clarity in your thoughts. No, you weren’t angry. Not really.

Suddenly, you find yourself smiling to the sky and scoffing. Oh, how stupid. How stupid and how typical. This was classic you. Only this time, you couldn’t believe you had fallen for the broody artsy boy type. The kind of boy that blew hot and cold. The kind of boy that would keep you on edge and never like you as much as you liked him. God, you were such a cliché. Fuck, how embarrassing. So no, you weren’t angry. You were embarrassed. You had spent the last few weeks simping over a boy that never really liked you. God, you were so stupid.

‘The only reason I’ve kept you around for so long is because I wanted to get to your brother.’ His voice echoes in your head.

Your friends had told you that you were doing way too much for a boy you weren’t even official with yet. You had literally spent the past couple of weeks running to him to dote on him. Bringing him food and checking up on him even though you were drowned in work, and making sure he was okay. And all this time, he had been using you. Oh, God. You were like the embarrassing second female lead in every drama ever. The kind that would bring cartons of milk to her crush in the hopes that he would like her back. Only you had actually believed that he liked you back. Oh, how embarrassing.

‘Y/N, you are not my girlfriend. So stop acting like it.’

Oh, how freaking embarrassing. You had been acting like the girlfriend. But you had been the second female lead all along.

You groan and make yourself keep walking. You didn’t want to be near his building anymore. Not where he could step out any moment and humiliate you some more for reading the signs all wrong. You keep walking as your phone keeps ringing. You don’t pick up. You wanted to put as much space between yourself and the building as possible. You walk and you walk till you reach the bus stop. And then you finally sit and take your phone out.

There are around 8 missed calls from Haechan as well as a string of texts. You sigh and hail a cab from an app before you get the spirit to read his messages.

‘Y/N, please pick up.’

‘Where are you???’

‘I can’t find you. Where are you???’

‘Pick uppppp’

‘Can you at least tell me where you are?’

‘I’m calling Yeri.’

That’s Haechan’s last message and you let out another groan. Why did he have to call Yeri? She was going to be worried for no reason. She was already under so much stress with her thesis. You didn’t want her to sit in the apartment and have all sorts of thoughts going through her head about what happened to you. So you text him back.

‘I’m just going home. Don’t worry.’ you write back. Not even ten seconds pass by before he replies.

‘How? You don’t even have your car! And you’ve been drinking.’

‘I called a cab. Don’t worry.’

‘Y/N, please tell me where you are? Let me take you home.’

‘The cab’s already here, Haechan. It’s fine. I’ll text you when I get home.’ you say as you get into the car.

‘No way. Share your location.’

‘The cab’s already moving.’

‘Okay, but share your live location so I know you’ve safely gotten home.’

You sigh and give into his wish. ‘Happy?’

‘I’ve shared it with Yeri as well.’

You groan again, making the cab driver give you a quizzical look through the mirror. ‘Haechan, please don’t bother Yeri.’

‘Text me as soon as you get home. I’m coming over first thing in the morning.’

‘Okay.’ you reply and sigh again, resting your head against the window because it felt like the sort of thing to do in this situation. But it only makes your temple awkwardly rattle against the glass as the car moves. How did people do this in dramas? Look so elegant as they pensively looked out the window? Because right now, you neither felt elegant, nor pensive. You just felt stupid. You feel your phone buzz again and see another text from Haechan.

‘You’re my best friend and I love you to the moon and back. Nothing changes that, okay?’ the message reads and suddenly, you feel tears brimming in your eyes. That’s the first time he had called you that. What a stupid boy he was, Lee Donghyuck. Why did he have to attack you like that with all the feels? Silly boy. Well, at least there was something that came out of this mess.

How had you been so stupid? Renjun had practically told you of his motives on the very first date. He had told you that his lifelong wish was to get into Midnight fucking Arthouse. And instead of staying away, you had run to your brother the very same day to fulfil that wish. The thought chases away the tears that Haechan’s text had brought. You were so stupid. Even your brother had warned you.

“Y/N, I don’t trust his eyes.” Doyoung had told you that afternoon at the party. And you had laughed at him.

“What does that even mean?” you had rolled your own eyes at him, because really, you were watching Renjun into the distance as he talked to another artist. God, he looked so handsome, you had thought as you ogled.

“He just seems like he’s hiding something. He just seems like a guy who would have something to hide.” your brother had warned you and you had just laughed and joked it away.

“I mean, sorry to break it to you like this, big brother, but he’s a serial killer by night. The art student stuff is just for show because when people aren’t looking, his ass goes full Joe Goldberg in You.” you had teased your brother who had exhaled long and put his arm around you.

“Fine, fine. Don’t trust your big brother. Do what you want. I just don’t like him for you.” Doyoung had cut it out for your sake and you had cuddled into him happily because you were so giddy that day. Nothing could’ve spoiled your mood then because the boy you liked had just kissed you. He had held your hand and held your face and kissed you and kissed you and kissed you.

“Of course you don’t like him for me. You won’t like anyone for me because you’re my big brother.” you had baby-talked at Doyoung and cuddled him till he had ruffled your hair and pushed you away.

God, you were so stupid. Did everyone know but you? Could everyone see how he’d been using you? Had your crush on him really been so bad that it blinded you? Oh, how embarrassing. How fucking embarrassing. Well, at least the two of you weren’t official yet. That was a plus. Otherwise, there would’ve been a break up involved. Then again, that would mean that Renjun liked you enough to make you his girlfriend. Or that he would have gone so far as to exploit you like that. Would he have done it? You don’t even want to think about it.

You were fine, really. This was okay. It’s good that he cleared that you weren’t his girlfriend. This whole situation would’ve been sillier if the two of you were official. You chuckle as you enter the elevator of your building. You were fine. Everything that had happened was just a silly misunderstanding. You had just read the signals all wrong. You knock your knuckles on your head. Silly you. It was just a silly crush. You had just chased a boy you had a crush on and it hadn’t worked out. There was nothing wrong with that. These sorts of things happened all the time. You were fine.

But Renjun hadn’t been just a boy.

He had been the boy of your dreams. He had been the boy that had smiled at you over his coffee cup on your first date and you had felt that he looked into your soul. He had been the boy who would wait outside your lecture hall with the most hopeful look in his eyes and you would melt because he wore that look for you. He had been the boy who had laid his head on your shoulder and opened his heart to you and you had thought that you would do everything it takes to give him the world. He had been the boy that had held your hand and made you feel so incredibly safe that day at your parent’s house that you had found yourself falling. He had been the boy who had taken you in his arms and kissed you so sweet that you had felt like flying. He had been the boy who would lay out in the sun next to you and you’d think that everything was alright.

Renjun hadn’t been just some boy you had chased. You couldn’t lie to yourself like that anymore, even though you were trying. He had been the boy you had given your heart to.

You don’t realize that your feet had carried you all the way home till you look up to the door opening on it’s own. And Yeri is standing there like she was expecting you.

“Haechan called me.” she says and you have no idea what she sees on your face because she says “Baby…” in the softest voice before she grabs her Lysol concoction and starts spraying you carefully.

You stand there in the doorway, watching her as she sprays at your feet and takes your shoes off for you with so much love. You don’t know what it was about seeing her face. But anytime you did, all your walls came tumbling down. You could never hide from her.

She looks up at you and whatever she sees makes her speed up her sanitizing ritual. And you realize your shoulders are shaking. You feel the wetness on the tops of your cheeks. You feel the scrunching between your brows. You hear your breath coming out in sniffles. It probably looks like the strangest scene in the world. You, standing there unmoving, looking at her as you crumble in the doorway. And her looking back at you worried, and hurriedly soaking you in Lysol.

Yeri takes your hands in hers and sanitizes them, then takes your purse from you while you do nothing but just stand there, looking at her. She takes your jacket off and then your mask and then finally kisses your cheek and pulls you into her arms. She holds you and kisses your forehead and strokes your hair.

“You will always have me, okay?” she tells you and this time, you’re fully aware that you’re sobbing. Because she puts an arm around you and walks you to your room. She lets you cry as she takes your makeup off for you and brushes your hair. And you watch her attending to you with so much love in her eyes, that for a moment, you’re not sure what’s making you cry. Your broken heart, or her pure, unadulterated love for you.

For as long as you could remember, this girl had been there for you through all your highs and lows. She hadn’t just been a friend. She had been more like a sister. Come to think of it, she had been more a parent to you than your actual parents. You could never hide from her. So when she puts you to bed, you cuddle into her and cry when you tell her,

“I really liked him, Yeri.” Because what was the use of lying to yourself or anyone else? You liked him. You had unabashedly, completely and without any sort of a restraint given him your whole entire heart. And he had broken it. This was something that had happened. So why would you deny it? You had been hurt so you were going to cry to your heart’s content. That’s what people do when they have been hurt.

“I know, baby girl.” she strokes your hair and holds you and kisses the top of your head and your eyes go to your nightstand. You see things that would look like trash to other people. But to you they were the most important treasures.

A paper napkin folded up into an origami crane. Renjun had made it on your very first date.

A can of coke, flattened and leaned against your nightlight. Renjun had drunk from it the first time he came over to your apartment.

A scrap of paper taken from a notebook in a photo frame. Renjun had doodled on it one day as you two had waited for class to begin.

A daisy, pressed and preserved in a little glass disc. Renjun had randomly plucked it from the grass and given it to you as you two had lazed about. It was the first flower he had given you.

God, you were such a sentimental hoe. This boy had broken your heart and you had kept his trash in your room, right on your nightstand so his would be the last thought on your mind as you went to sleep. Realizing that just makes you cry more.

“It’s okay, baby. Your heart’s been broken so you’re going to cry. It’s okay to cry.” Yeri coos at you, echoing your own thoughts. But somehow hearing it from her makes it more soothing. She was right. You had liked a boy and he had broken your heart. It had happened. You were going to cry.

So you laid in Yeri’s arms and let her comfort you. Even Galbi the asshole had joined your pity party as he sat on top of your head and purred, as if he realized you needed comforting and all the purring was going to heal whatever hurt you were feeling. You laid and you cried and you cried till you were all cried out and sleep was taking you.

“That is a shiner.” you say, eyes wide.

“Mhmm. It’s my mark of honor.” Haechan smiles his smug, annoying smile as he leans back in his chair.

The library was emptier than usual, because really, exams were over for most students. So people that lived in and around campus were basically using it as a common room.

“I mean, it’s a shiner as big as I’ve ever seen.” you say, leaning over and lightly tracing the hues of red, purple and black under your friend’s eye. And he just sits there, chin jutting out, smiling broad, proudly allowing it to be touched like a trophy.

“It’s the outcome of me being the biggest little shit, so it goes with the vibe.” Haechan says and you make a face at him.

“Honestly, I’m surprised it took someone so long. Lowkey impressed that you’ve avoided these so far, despite being that professional little shit.” you lightly press the pad of your index on a particularly discolored area and watch as he moves away.

“Guess I’d just been looking for the right reason to get one.” he says, still wearing the smug look on his face. But he must have noticed a change in your expression because he gives you a look of disapproval.

“Hey, stop that.” he snaps at you.

“Stop what?” you retort defensively.

“Stop it with those sad puppy eyes. I don’t like it.” he almost scolds.

“I’m only sad because it’s making you look uglier than usual.” you reply pouting.

“Please. It’s making me look sexier than usual.”

“If ugly was the new sexy, then sure.”

“Yo, he’s not ugly, he’s just not in his moment right now.” he pouts and nothing on Haechan’s face says that he’s joking which somehow makes it funnier.

“What’s that even supposed to mean?” you wanna smack him on the head.

“It means that you need to give it till tomorrow to finally see it in it’s full bloom.” he says with the most satisfied look on his face but it deflates you. Shit. This wasn’t even the worst of it. He was probably going to look worse in the next couple of days.

Haechan sighs because you figure he finally sees that this conversation isn’t exactly making you feel any better. So he addresses the elephant in the room.

“He’s an asshole.” he says simply.

“Haechan…” you stop him because honestly, you didn’t really want to talk about it anymore, especially not with him. You didn’t want to be that person that makes mutual friends pick a side. Besides, Renjun had been right. They were technically his friends. But they were also your friends. This was a hot mess already and you didn’t want to add to it.

“I’m only saying it because it’s true. But, also, Y/N…” he’s taken your nickname and his voice has suddenly gone small and so apologetic that you look up, just to check if he’s the one talking. Your stupid friend had a way of never reading the room and keeping up his joking antics no matter the circumstance. So hearing his voice do that got your attention to say the least.

“I, uh…” he goes on and he looks like he’s uncomfortable, like he’s trying to find the words to break some bad news. “He’s an asshole and all, but… I’m kind of the one that put that idea in his head in the first place.” he fesses up and finally meets your eyes.

You jump a bit as you see a strong arm reach over your shoulder and set down a coffee cup on the table with a resounding thud. Jeno has appeared as if on cue and he now has those arms crossed over his chest as he pins Haechan down with a death stare.

Haechan looks up at his audience of two and decides to address the boy that stands there looking like he would most likely complete his shiner set. “I just told him Y/N was Kim Doyoung’s sister! You know he had been dying to get into Midnight Arthouse! And Y/N was the one that asked him out! Didn’t you, Y/N?” he looks at you with eyes that plead for help “I only told him he should accept her date, I promise. But yes, it was my stupid idea and fuck, I wish I could take it back. I’m an idiot and I deserve whatever you want to do to me, Y/N.” he holds his hands up as if in surrender as he watches Jeno’s cold expression and your unreadable one.

You reach your hand over towards him and watch as he closes his eyes and braces to perhaps be punched in the face again. But you don’t punch him. You ruffle his hair.

“Don’t do it again, okay?” you scrunch your nose at him and give him a smile to put him out of his misery.

Heachan lets out a long, dramatic exhale that finally matches his true personality. “Cross my heart and hope to die.” he says, actually crossing his heart over his chest and he looks up at Jeno to seek his forgiveness as well.

Jeno’s expression has softened and he’s smiling, almost as if he had expected this confession and its outcome. He was always more perceptive than he let on. Although his arms are still intimidatingly crossed over his chest as he says

“Follow me to the rooftop, Lee Donghyuck.”

“Yes, yes, I know I deserve it, because I know she’s your childhood friend. But she’s my best friend now and if she’s forgiven me, then--”

“--you’re a piece of shit.” Jeno declares and takes a seat next to you, laying out the rest of the breakfast he got. You snigger and hug onto his arm, as if to thank him for... everything. You and Jeno had never been one to talk things out, but an advantage of being friends for so long was that you didn’t have you. He would understand what you mean, even though all you’d done was held and leaned into his arm.

Haechan looks at the two of you fondly and waits a couple of beats. His voice is soft and empathetic when he says, “He probably didn’t mean those things he said, you know? He was drunk.”

“We were all drunk.” you agree, tracing your finger over your coffee cup.

“He’s an asshole, but… he likes you, you know?” Haechan says and suddenly, you can’t look anybody in the eye anymore. You don’t want to say anything either, because you’re afraid your voice would give you away.

So you purse your lips and take a deep breath before you say “Yeah, well… it doesn’t really matter now, does it?”

“I’m going to kick his stupid ass.” Haechan mutters but it only makes Jeno chuckle.

“You mean when you’re not too busy getting your ass kicked by him?” he pokes fun while he feeds you a bit of his croissant. And despite everything, you find yourself laughing out loud.

“Hey! I could totally take him down if I wanted to. I was just holding back.” Haechan puffs his chest and Jeno smiles wider, shaking his head.

“Ugh, you know what. We’re on semester break. We’ve literally been waiting for this time. Let’s just chill before I have to leave.” you declare.

Haechan snaps and points his finger at you. “That is the right attitude, Y/N L/N.”

After that, he goes on and on, talking nonstop about everything you could do while you didn’t have classes, doing the most to make it up to you. You listen to him fondly as you happily enjoy breakfast with your friends.

Down the rows, Renjun had walked into the hall, hoping the library could be his sanctuary for the day. How very wrong he was. Because now, he just watched into the distance as you reach out to ruffle Donghyuck’s hair and Jeno smiles down at the two of you. Unbelievable. Renjun turns on his heel right away and leaves. Because this was unbelievable.

How come Lee Donghyuck came out of this situation unscathed? It was his stupid idea to begin with. Renjun had been happy living his life normally till Donghyuck encouraged him to date you. So how come neither you nor Jeno were mad at him? Renjun was the only one that came out of this as the bad guy. And everyone else just continued on to be one big happy fucking family.

Last night, Jisung had left to stay over at Chenle’s, and Renjun assumed it was so he didn’t have to be in the same room as him. He hadn’t seen Jeno, and it was probably because he had woken early morning to have breakfast with you. The only one of his friends that Renjun saw this morning was Jaemin. But the only thing he had said before he walked out the door was that he was spending the day with his girlfriend and won’t be home either.

It seemed like everyone around him was doing their best to avoid him. He felt like a dementor. Like he was putting out lights wherever he went. Like he was draining hope, peace and happiness out of everyone that came in contact with him. That’s perhaps why his friends wanted to stay away from him.

There was maybe some advantage to that. Renjun wanted to be alone. You had pretty much stolen all his friends. It was clear that they had taken your side in all of this. No one had wanted to know what Renjun was going through. But they were all too concerned about the poor little rich girl. It’s why they were with you this morning and not him. Poor little rich girl that got her heart broken by Renjun the asshole. Of course, no one would want to know the other side of the story, Renjun thinks bitterly.

What was the other side of the story, anyway? That you had been too kind to him? That you had been thoughtful and understanding? That you made so much effort to be a part of his life, and he had made none? That you had put a word in with your brother right after you had first met Renjun, before your relationship had even begun?

You had done everything in your power to make Renjun look like the bad guy. And he realizes that this was precisely the reason he never wanted to look at you ever again. Renjun feels nothing but bitterness in his heart. He had spent all those weeks exploiting your feelings for him. Making you believe that he was interested in you so he could get close enough that you would introduce him to your brother. But all of it had been for naught. Because you didn’t need a relationship or a reason to be kind to people. You had just heard Renjun’s dream and fulfilled it that very same day you had met him. You had granted him his biggest wish whilst wanting nothing in return, expecting nothing back. You had put him in your debt. And he hated you for it.

Renjun needed a break. Because his life seemed to be throwing him more curveballs than he could possibly manage. He wanted to reverse it all. Go back to the time when he hadn’t met you. He should’ve turned you down during that ill-fated online class. Then none of this would’ve happened.

But almost as if the heavens wanted to give him a cruel reminder that all of it, in fact, had happened and he, in fact, had exploited you, he gets a phone call. Whilst he can barely make out the number through his cracked screen, he recognizes the voice right away.

“Huang Renjun!”

“Kim Doyoung.” Renjun replies automatically, because his mind is still processing the irony of it all.

“I have a proposition for you.” Doyoung goes straight to the point and Renjun realizes that he’s not talking to him as your brother right now. He’s talking to him as the owner of Midnight fucking Arthouse.

“Uh, okay?” Renjun says and almost instantly regrets it. He should’ve said something more professional, but he has to admit he has been caught off guard.

“Can you come meet me at the studio in an hour?” he states more than he asks. And Renjun gets the feeling that this man hasn’t been told ‘no’ enough. At least not in this context.

“I… I can.” Dammit. Why wasn’t Renjun able to put more than two words together today?

“Great. Let’s have a lunch meeting at my studio.” Doyoung once again states. Renjun would usually be annoyed when someone was this imposing with him. But for some reason, Kim Doyoung’s boss voice is working on him.

“Okay, see you in an hour.” Renjun says and he’s glad he’s spoken a full sentence this time.

“Great. Oh, and Renjun?”

“Yes?”

“Bring your portfolio along.”

Renjun doesn’t know how long he sits there. The steak that was served to him in a pretentiously off-centered plate remains mostly untouched. Because Renjun couldn’t keep more than two bites down. Not when Kim fucking Doyoung was standing up and flipping through his portfolio without a sound.

This portfolio was Renjun’s lifelong work. Who knows how long he had spent on each piece. Some day, when he had the time, he was going to calculate the number of man hours he spent on building the whole damn thing. And then calculate how many days, weeks or months it amounted to in total. Because the way Kim Doyoung was flipping through it without much care minimized his life’s worth to mere seconds. He had spent hours and hours on each work and Kim Doyoung didn’t even spare more than half an eyeful on each piece.

And not a single word.

Doyoung seemed to be a different person at work than he had been at the party at his parent’s home. Here, he was the Kim Doyoung, and for a moment, Renjun could finally see how he might have risen all the way up to the top. Because every single minute of his life was accounted for. From the moment Renjun had walked in, all he could see was how his assistant kept pushing him from one task to the other. He hadn’t even spent too long on pleasantries before he took Renjun to his office for lunch. And if he thought that lunch for Doyoung would be a time of peace, he was wrong. Because he ate quickly and Renjun couldn’t possibly meet his speed. He supposed that’s how successful people ate. Because every minute they ate was every minute they were not making money. Renjun was only halfway through his lunch when Doyoung had gotten up and started going through his portfolio.

And Renjun hadn’t been able to take a single bite since. His stomach was in knots. He felt small, sitting here in this grand old office in one of the biggest arthouses of the country. Weirdly, Renjun finds himself internally smiling at the fact that Doyoung had called this place a studio. Because, no way. The place that Renjun interned at was a studio. This was a fucking art museum and nothing less.

A finalizing shut of the portfolio is what breaks Renjun out of his thoughts.

“Okay, Huang Renjun, I’m going to cut to the chase.” Doyoung says and Renjun sits up straighter, his eyes and ears attentive and open. “I need new artists for the 2021 Midnight Arthouse Annuale. Every artist that I’ve ever introduced in spring has gone on to become a best seller by winter.”

Of course he knew that. Renjun could name every single artist that had gotten that exposure. But hearing it straight from the man that gave it to them was making goosebumps run down his spine.

“I’ve got two spots to debut artists that no one has ever heard of. And someone put in a very convincing word for you.” he says and Renjun feels his stomach do a flip before it drowns in guilt, because he knows that the both of them know who that someone is. “But I’m going to be honest with you. Nothing I see in here is worthy of the Annuale.” he says plainly. Renjun looks up. His heart drops.

“Um… nothing?” Renjun asks stupidly. Suddenly, he doesn’t feel like the big man that had punched someone in the face from an inflated ego the night before. He feels like the little fish in a sea of big fishes. He feels like someone is finally showing him the mirror and telling him exactly what he’s worth in the context of big names and big opportunities. And it’s a humbling and sobering experience. Because Renjun feels his hangover dissipating.

“This is basically an art student’s portfolio. What you’ve shown me is essentially a series of assignments you’ve made for your professors. Nothing is inspired. Nothing has vision. Nothing in here jumps out at me and tells me who Huang Renjun is.” Doyoung is speaking to him straight up. No niceties. No filters. He’s speaking to him like the owner of a huge motherfucking company and nothing less.

And maybe someone had to speak to Renjun this way and deflate his ego, so he could finally open his eyes to the real world. Because Renjun doesn’t feel angry or broody or venomous over these words. He feels like he has been sobered. He finds himself agreeing with everything that has been said. Like he’s opened his eyes for the first time and finally seen what he’s actually like without his ego or conceit filtering his vision. He was absolutely right. Kim Doyoung had been the one to tell him this before. But sitting here in his huge fucking office, in a building where he was surrounded by art that was in every way better than his… it puts everything in context, and Renjun finally realizes that he had been right all along.

“So, here’s my proposition.” Doyoung begins. “Make me something worthy of the Annuale. And I’ll help you make your debut.”

Renjun’s eyes widen. His mind races. He didn’t have much time. And the stakes were too high. How could he possibly make the best work of his life, the work that would help him launch his dream in a span of two weeks? It wasn’t enough time.

Then again, this was the opportunity of a lifetime. This was make or break. So Renjun doesn’t even think much before he replies “I’ll do it. I’ll show you.”

Doyoung smiles. “I had a feeling you’d say that. In that case, I have another meeting to go to. But my assistant will help you sort out the details. I’m sure you’ll understand.” he says, already getting up and putting his jacket on.

Renjun stands with him. He doesn’t believe it. Suddenly, this opportunity feels too big for his breaches. But it’s there for the grabbing. And he could only ever miss the shot he never shoots.

Yet somehow, Renjun also feels like he’s about to make a deal with the devil. Is this how the unassuming hero feels in movies when he’s made an agreement with the mob boss? Renjun reckons it comes close. He’s not sure whether to shake hands or to bow in these situations. So he stands there awkwardly and does neither as Doyoung walks to his door.

“My assistant will be in contact with you. I look forward to seeing your masterpiece.” he smiles a loaded smile and in that moment, Renjun decides that your brother was nothing like you.

“Oh, and Renjun. The theme is ‘The Past Year’ but don’t tell anybody that.” he smiles and Renjun nods as Doyoung takes his leave. He’s not sure why he’s been given that extra bit of information. He’s not sure if that pointer has come from Kim Doyoung of Midnight Arthouse or Y/N L/N’s older brother. It is a bit of a mindfuck, but Renjun tries not to dwell on it too much. He had to leave his intellectual capacities free for his bigger purpose.

Renjun looks up to see Doyoung’s assistant smiling professionally at him. “Would you like a tour, Mr. Huang?” she says and Renjun once again gets the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory feels he always got around your family’s grandeur. But this was more than riches. This was art from people Renjun had admired and closely followed. Maybe this would give him some inspiration and put him in the right headspace.

“Yes, please.” Renjun says a bit too eagerly before he is led outside.

It is once again, a humbling experience. Renjun had already seen most of the work displayed here in one form or the other. But watching it with the naked eye and up close was a different experience altogether. The art here was in a different league and now Renjun starts to understand what Kim Doyoung had meant. None of Renjun’s existing works came close to what he was seeing displayed right here. He had thought Midnight Arthouse was some sort of a viral launcher. The kind of company that only looked for social media sensations rather than trailblazers and actual talent. But Renjun realizes that he had been massively underestimating them. Kim Doyoung knew what he was doing. Renjun did not.

All this time, Renjun had walked the earth with a chip on his shoulder. He had been envious of everyone who ever did better than him. He had resented every artist that had risen to fame for reasons Renjun could not understand. He had judged every person ever who was well connected enough to rise to the top.

And now, standing here in the majesty of Midnight Arthouse’s proud displays, all Renjun feels is small. Like he’s been served a slice of humble pie. For the first time in a long time, Renjun feels inspired, but not from a place of envy or jealousy or bitterness or vengeance. He feels inspired to make the most out of the opportunity that his life had given him. Because who was he to judge anyone that used connections when he was standing here doing the same? The mere fact that he, a junior in college had gotten a meeting with Kim Doyoung over lunch in his office while his assistant was personally showing him around… that was proof that Renjun had become one of those well-connected people.

Renjun’s initial feeling had been right. This was a deal with the devil. Because Renjun had paid a pretty big price for it. His stomach feels queasy. Was it only last night that he was going around throwing punches and being a general asshole? He doesn’t want to think about it. Because then he’d be forced to remember the faces of all his friends, and he didn’t want to revisit that memory through the lens of a deflated ego and a dissolving hangover. So Renjun is almost thankful when Doyoung’s assistant speaks to him.

“Are you ready for some paperwork? Just some general entry applications and agreements.” she says, still smiling that strictly professional smile.

Renjun takes a deep breath in. He feels unprepared, yet ready. He was going to take this opportunity. Or everything he had done this past year would have been for naught.

“Let’s do it.” Renjun says, nodding.

“Great. Follow me.” she says and Renjun starts walking. Each step forward feels like a heavy, purposeful and loaded step towards his future. Here it was, a few strides away from his grabbing. Forget the past year. His whole life had been amounting to this moment.

Every stroke of his brush had led him here. Every drop of his sweat. Every sleepless night. Every decision he had made. Every heart he had broken. Every friend he had lost.

Renjun was walking towards his goal a man with nothing left to lose. And he had heard that they made the most dangerous men. His future was two strides away now. Two more strides and he’d be one step closer to achieving his life goal.

But when he’s about to make the final stride, Renjun receives a phone call that shatters his entire world as he knows it.

And in that moment, he turns on his heel and runs faster than he ever had in his entire life. The future that was so close that he could almost taste it, now becomes smaller and smaller as it fades into the background behind him. Because Renjun had run in the opposite direction and left it in his dust.

Renjun pushes through the doors and doesn’t even absorb the pain he should be feeling in his shoulder from the force of the contact.

“Where is she!” he yells. He doesn’t feel like a person. Because how much could one person take, anyway? How many times could he be beaten down by the universe before he would fall to his knees and beg to be spared?

He looks around and finally spots the man he calls his father standing near a watercooler, talking to someone he doesn’t recognize. So he has no care about rushing up and getting in his face. Because what more was there left to lose?

“Where is she?” he yells at his face. His father nods a farewell at the unassuming man before he turns to his son.

“In the isolation ward, Renjun. Where else would she be?” his father says and his voice is so calm that Renjun wants to grab at his collar. But he takes in a deep shaky breath to calm himself. It doesn’t happen. So he finds himself yelling again.

“How did this even happen! She hasn’t even been outside her house this entire time!” Renjun is trying so hard to hold back the tears of rage. But they’re threatening to explode any minute now.

“What does it matter how she got the virus? It’s a global pandemic. She has it now, like thousands of people around the world. The doctors are doing all they can.” his father says and if Renjun had been in his right mind, he would’ve realized that this was the first time he had spoken to him in over a year. But all he could think of right now was so what if others had it? So what if every fucking person in the world had it? How dare his father say that?

“How are they doing all they can when she’s on fucking life support?!” Renjun growls through his teeth and he’s inhaling sharp breaths to keep himself from breaking.

“Your mother is with her, Renjun. The best you can do now is pray.” he replies and Renjun wants to hit him. He wants to punch that holier than thou look off his face. His grandmother was probably on her last breath and his father had the audacity to ask him to pray.

“I have to go see her. I have to take care of her.” Renjun turns and looks around, breathing heavily before he begins to move. But his father grabs at his arm.

“You can’t see her, Renjun. Are you even listening to me? Your grandmother is in the isolation ward. There’s only one family member allowed and your mother is it.” he has raised his voice at him.

“She doesn’t know! She doesn’t fucking care about her! I’m the only one who knows! I have to be there with her!” Renjun shouts at him and he’s only acutely aware that he’s sobbing because his words are loud but inchoate.

“Renjun. Son. There’s nothing we can do.” his father shakes his head at him and watches with his mouth open as his son sobs and barges to the door like a madman. Because Renjun will find a way to get to her. No one cared about her like he did. No one loved her like he did. It had always been him and his grandmother against the world. He needed to be there for her. But the hospital staff is grabbing at him and pushing him out while his father watches from a distance like a helpless man.

Renjun is barely aware that he’s doubling over because his tears are blinding him or that he’s been led outside because the cool air is hitting him. He gets up to charge back in but his resolve is so much weaker now and he feels another hold around him, keeping him back.

"Renjun I'm so sorry. Your mother called me. I don't think she knows about us." Yoo Jimin whispers softly as he falls to his knees. She crouches next to him and puts her arms around him.

And in this strange, awful moment, Renjun finds himself realizing that the arms that are holding him aren't the arms that he wanted. The arms that are soothing him and holding him while he cries into the ground are not the arms he craved.

He wanted the arms that had held him that one night while Renjun had laid his head on their shoulder and bared his heart for the very first time. He wants the arms that had enveloped him and had, for at least a moment, made everything alright. He wanted the arms of the person whose heart he had cruelly broken.

#renjun fic #renjun angst #renjun fluff #ficscafe #kpopscape #neowritingsnet #dreamwritersnet #huang renjun #renjun #nct #nct dream #nct fic #nct dream fic #nct angst #nct fluff #nct college au #renjun x reader #we met in online class

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shinahbee · 4 years ago

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November Favorites 2020!

Hello!

So as you may have seen I have been uploading a bunch of art all of November, not every week because of my crippling job at the moment taking away my sanity.lol. But i did try my best to update whenever I can. I do have so much more to complete so please look out this December for more digital art being pumped out

How are you all doing? I'm holding up decently, I'm trying to avoid talking about covid since that's all i've been hearing from work and home and it's really making me anxious since i'm not able to work from home due to the nature of my job. I hope you all are holding up hope and taking care of your selves, let's all remember that there is a time after this and we will get through this.

with that being said I will have a lot more time to spend on my art after January since my work term is going to end and I don't plan to stay for an extension, so maybe then I'll catch up on all of my previous art that I was supposed to upload, a.k.a my hero academia ones.lol

also I'm still chugging along reading more manhwa (web toons ) from korean and chinese artists, i'm so disappointed in myself for not discovering these sooner, these stories are really good and so much effort was put into the art panels, as I have said all I've read was manga so i'm used to just seeing black and white panels, so i never really dove into web toons though I have appreciated the work put into it, now that I'm down the rabbit hole I am discovering really good story lines that are different from the manga I've read thus far and I'm really enjoying it!

so i'm excited to share my thoughts on everything I've been liking

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Manhwa/Manga/Webtoon

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so previously in last months recommendations I have talked about a few of the manhwa I've been reading so I'll briefly list those below since they are all still ongoing

1) who's baby is it

2) to be or no to be

3) social temperature

4) salad days

all of them are still ongoing and i'm still in the process of reading them so I can't give a full review till it's completed but so far I am still enjoying them, that's definitely a good sign since i tend to just drop something after I don''t find it interesting anymore at some point in the story. If you have not read my October favorites journal please do so for my initial thoughts on these manhwas. Now i'm actually going to talk about some of the ones that are completed , so you can definitely read all of them without waiting for the an update from translators, lol

this is in no particular order, just fyi

1) Path to you

"When almost college dropout Jensen attempts to drink away his problems, unemployed Nathaniel( Neil ) suddenly pukes on him and ruins his night. As an apology, Nathaniel offers to help Jensen with his studies. Despite Jensen's difficulties in getting along with people, the two become friends and something deeper begins to grow between them...”

this is the summary from one of the manga websites I was able to find, it does not even describes the emotional plot line that goes along with this later, this is ones of my absolute favorites! I love this manhwa so much, its a great depiction of a coming of age story for collage students going through their life journey and slowly getting though life's difficulties and challenges, one character is going though emotional trauma and trying to over come it for years and another character is going through anti social disorder and discovering his sexuality, it's a plot line that portrayed human aspects in life quite well. I love the relationship between the two main character and how their relationship developed over time from being friends to being a couple. there is a lot of relationship building and minimal drama, which is really refreshing from mangas that I've read, so if you are just starting to delve into BL webtoons, please read this first! you will not be disappointed

with that being said, I love Neil, so much.... you don't even know. lol. He's so precious, literally like an actual cinnamon roll. LOL. i'm exposing myself ...so i'll leave it at that, i’m also wondering why his name is neil instead of nathan or nate...? lol.

2) Here U Are

"Orientation of the newcomers is a task for YuYang, and he ends up helping the unsociable and towering LiHuan, the kind of person that does everything to be disliked. But after better knowing each other, he discovers that the giant isn’t that bad of a person at all...”

I really wish I could find better summaries, lol. but it's to the point without giving away too much so i'll take it. This is one of the most popular series and I can totally see why after reading it, this story has every possible human aspect and relationship building between the two main leads, I actually teared in some parts of this manhwa and I've never done that before! such a good story and plot line, if I were to pick any series in a web toon to be animated then I would choose this series hands down. There's also sub plots between different characters as well and how they deal with their interpersonal relationships and relationships between the two main leads, I love it! This is everything I want in a story, so please check this one out

also yuyang looks a lot like miyuki Kazuya from Daiya no ace and that just made me drawn to him.I really liked his personality and in the manhwa he has girls and guys in love with him and dude...I get it.

3) BJ Alex

"Every night at 10, Dong-gyun locks himself up in his room, grabs a box of tissues, and watches a live cam boy show hosted by Alex, a BJ (broadcast jockey). Timid Dong-gyun admires not only Alex’s ripped body, but his candor in sharing his sexual experiences with viewers. One night, Dong-gyun downs too many drinks at a school networking event and passes out. When he wakes up, he’s in bed staring up at a shirtless hunk. A hunk who looks an awful lot like...Alex.”

so um...this is more yaoi than shounen ai cause of all the graphic scenes in the manhwa, if you are veteran you may have already read this one cause its really popular. It also has a lot of comedic elements to it too so it's not too serious, but the relationship developed between the two characters later on is really sweet despite the infinite amount of sex scenes. Not much else to say about this story, it's easy to follow and the only abuse in here is the emotional kind

I'm not really entirely sure how i felt about it in the beginning but the end is really good

4) No way, vampires don't exist

"Four college housemates — Juwon, Eunho, Seongjae, and Gyumin — are in desperate need of a fifth person to fill a vacant room in their place. But their main concern isn’t about paying rent: they’re ravenous vampires, dying to sink their teeth into a fresh, live human! So they can’t believe their luck when Dongha, who grew up isolated from society, eagerly moves in with no idea of what awaits him. To the vampires’ dismay, however, Dongha doesn’t weigh enough for them to suck his blood! As they shower their unsuspecting new housemate with food and attention to fatten him up, have they gotten too attached to their would-be prey? And is there more to sweet, naive Dongha than meets the hungry vampires’ eyes?”

I have to preface by saying that ever since my twilight phase, I didn't consume anything that had to do with vampires for a very long time, for obvious reasons, but this one I just came across after reading path to you and thought I would at least check it out. It started off really comedic and I was like...what am i reading? but it gets really light hearted and wholesome later on in the story. What I like about this is the character juwon, If you look at him he's that type of character that would look like the stoic a-hole of the story and those characters never appeal to me. But turns out he's the sweetest person most decent person of this story, it makes you want to route for him and another thing I like about this story is that it looks like a harem but you can tell that there’s only one person the main character doungha treats differently from the rest and how the two are compatible with one another. in these kind of stories, it’s always treated as every character is a possible route that leads to their own story but in here....there's only one...let's be real. This is one that is an odd ball cause it's technically completed but the translations are not...so i had to read the rest in korean, which makes it a good practice for me since i'm learning korean at the moment, it’s a good exercise...lol

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Anime/ Drama

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Not going to lie this department is lacking...lol. I have only been watching Heavens official blessing as mentioned in the last journal

but I have just found out that there is a remake of Shaman king in the making....and my little girl heart is screaming cause I loved shaman king when i was younger...so I can't wait for that

as for dramas, I've tried watching Start Up but I didn't like it so I dropped it, I might try watching crash landing on you since my best friend was obsessed with it, I watched a little of it but I left it since I was busy so i may get back to watching it from the beginning

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Music

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i'll put together a play list for you when you read these manga/manhwa...lol. cause that's what i've been doing

Playlist

Crush- No words

Sam kim - Breathe

Crush - let us go

Kim feel - falling

Paul kim - Dream

Kim feel - Hallelujah

Davichi - please don't cry

Yoo mirae - say

taeyeon - a poem called you

baek yerin- Here I am again

I wish tumblr has a way to play music on your page, without copy right..lol. I would share all of these songs cause they are so good

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so that's it for the month of November, lets' see what i get up to for December, I will be updating as frequently as possible so please look out for more art from me and follow me on my social media , I will see you all next time

bye!

Sheena

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Social media

Devianatart: she-be.deviantart.com

Instagram: shinb_art

Tumblr: shinahbee

#monthly favorites #november favorites #anime and manga #manhwa #manga favorites #journal #kpop music #kdrama #path to you #here u are #bj alex #no way vampires don't exist

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miracleboiz · 5 years ago

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Hectic

Life is hectic. People need to run everywhere and be in different places, no one ever just sits down and relaxes anymore. Kenma knows life is hectic, and with two boyfriends it means his life is twice as crazy. It also means it’s twice as loving and Kenma doesn’t mind waiting a little bit for those moments.

Words: 8.5k

Chapters: 4

Relationships: Kurokenyaku

Warnings: None

Read below or on AO3, Don’t forget to reblog!

Mornings are hectic. There’s no nice way to put it, no matter how many times Kenma thought it over. There’s no peaceful awakenings like there had been when his boyfriends were in college. Sometimes, if he was lucky, one of them would have the day off and no morning plans and he could relax with them at least while the other ran off.

Already he could hear their voices from the kitchen. Mori was arguing with someone, probably over the phone. Tetsuro was calling out jovially, the barest hint of Sawamura’s voice drifting through the wall. Their two cats were calling angrily for their food bowl, the last one on Kenma’s back. Docosahexaenoic just curled up tighter when Kenma shifted, uncaring about the bright white hair she was shedding or the claws in his skin.

Kenma sighed, pulling the blankets further over his head. He could still feel the warmth of Mori’s spot behind him, could smell the rich scent of Tetsuro’s fruity shampoo, and his chest ached. He wanted them here, with him.

Sure, he knew they had their jobs and his was easier. He did what he loved every day, with only occasional meetings for his company and the rest was done over Skype or email. Yet he wanted nothing more than to just wake up with his clingy and snoring boyfriends and lay with them.

“Kenma~” Tetsuro’s voice came through with a crack of the door opening. “Hey, hon. Get up, you have a meeting today at three and you need to eat.”

“No.” Kenma pulled the blanket down just enough to stick his tongue out and covered himself back up.

“I can tell you’re a very mature and grown up adult.” Tetsuro said dryly and Kenma immediately rolled himself tighter into the blanket, more then well aware that Tetsuro would rip the blankets off otherwise.

“Make Sawamura go to my meeting. He’s mature and grown up.” Kenma grumbled. It was the new year, which meant it was payroll time which meant he was going to have to keep himself from firing everyone who wanted to give themselves raises without offering raises to anyone else.

“Sawamura~ has to keep people safe in Miyagi, he can’t come all the way up here because a certain Kitten doesn’t want to get out of bed before noon.” Tetsuro hummed, fingers poking around Kenma’s wrapped form, looking for a weakness in the blanket. The cat hissed before submitting herself to Tetsuro’s petting and jumping off the bed to join her siblings.

“It’s seven am, the meetings not till three.” Kenma complained.

“Yes but Morisuke won’t be back until late and might have to spend the night at work-“ Tetsuro started, pulling back as the blanket monster started to wriggle free.

“Why didn’t you just say that?” Kenma sighed, slipping out of the blanket and reaching out for Tetsuro to take his arms and pull him the rest of the way from the bed.

“Why does that work? I have literally begged and pleaded and you’ve refused to get out of bed. I can’t believe this entire time Mori was your favorite.”

Kenma gave him the driest look he had in his arsenal. He didn’t stand even as Tetsuro had to shift his hold to keep him up at head height. Even five years out of highschool, Tetsuro’s bed head was still untamed and Kenma wondered if he’d be upset if they shaved his head in the middle of the night. Not too much, maybe an undercut… Or copying Yamamoto’s mohawk.

“I thought it was obvious from the beginning.” Kenma said, rolling his eyes at Tetsuro’s gasp of betrayal. Kenma finally pulled his legs under him, standing up and pulling away from his taller boyfriend and making his way to the dining room.

Morisuke had four papers in his hand, his phone pressed in his ear as he tapped away at his computer. His brow was creased in genuine annoyance as he growled out a response and tried to fight the cat food bag at the same time.

“I don’t care if I have the copies, you need to be more responsible with the paperwork or else it will be your ass I’ll be handing to Hanamaki Eiichi when he comes looking for someone to fire when we lose this case.” Mori glanced up at the sound of their footsteps. His gaze softened, lips twitching up into a gentle smile. He put the papers down and leaned up to press a kiss to Kenma’s forehead, arm moving up to lead the sleepy head onto his shoulder. He stroked through his long hair, tilting his head to kiss Tetsuro gently.

“Look. You take what I just emailed you. You print them. Get them signed and if you’re not done by the time I get there then I’d better not see you until you are.” Morisuke hung up without waiting, gently scratching at Kenma’s scalp. “I swear Sato-san lives to make my life hell. Go sit down Kenma, I’ll grab breakfast.”

Kenma groaned comically, lips twitching slightly at the chuckle he got from both of them. Tetsuro’s hands moved to his hips, leading him over to the table as Morisuke disappeared behind the wall. He returned a moment later, one plate held up where the curious cats couldn’t jump to try and eat it before Kenma could.

Tetsuro took the plate and slid it in front of Kenma before turning and tilting Morisuke’s chin up. Kenma leaned back against his chair, head on his hand as he watched, carefully feeding a piece of chicken to one of the cats. Kirby’s giant mouth reminded Kenma a bit of Lev, and he considered officially changing the Russian Blue’s name to Lev.

“I’ll bring dinner by later, ‘round seven. So let me know if you start craving anything. I gotta go already, school waits for no man.” Tetsuro hummed, kissing him lightly before Morisuke reached up and cupped his face. Mori didn’t let go, dragging out the kiss before finally letting him go, a smile on both of their lips.

“Bento is in the fridge, actually eat it this time. Don’t forget to text your dad and tell Bokuto we’ll see him next week and stop calling Sawamura just to harass him, he has enough shit to deal with.” Morisuke grumbled, straightening Tetsuro’s shirt. Tetsuro just laughed, kissing his head and moving closer to Kenma.

“Were you watching us kiss? You pervert.” Tetsuro gasped, snickering when Kenma swatted at his face. He caught his hand and pressed a kiss to the palm before leaning in and kissing him fully on the lips.

Kenma melted, kissing back and wanting the moment to last forever. Medical school was Tetsuro’s dream, well other than somehow making his own fungus that was a rainbow that he could name himself but Kenma wasn’t holding out on that dream coming true. He knew Tetsuro had to go, and yet... he kissed a little deeper, a little needier before Tetsu’s hands both folded over his own and he pulled away.

“I’ll see you later Kitten.” Tetsuro murmured, eyes gentle and warm as he leaned in to kiss his forehead once. He let go, looking like he didn’t want to leave anymore than Kenma wanted him to. Then he turned and disappeared into the kitchen, the sound of the fridge opening and closing before Kenma and Mori could hear him leaving. One cat watched him before turning back to her other humans, curious as to why they still weren’t being fed. Kenma didn’t really know how to explain that the other food bowls were filled it was just the one in the kitchen that was empty but he doubted they would care even if he could explain.

“You gotta go too?” Kenma asked, burying his chopsticks into his rice. Of course Mori did, but sometimes he’d stay at-least until Kenma was done with breakfast. Mori’s face dropped slightly, reaching out to cup Kenma’s face and gently cradle his cheek.

“Unfortunately. I’m sorry love. I’d stay home if I could, but this case is major. It took us two years to prove the cyber attacks came from our competitor and if we don’t get everything taken care of we’re going to be out who knows how much money and they’re just going to do it all over again. Once this case is over though, I am taking a vacation. Me and you, get to hang around and do absolutely nothing and mock Tetsuro for having to put effort into things.” Mori teased, thumb gently tracing his bottom lip before Mori leaned in and kissed him. It was shorter than Tetsuro’s, Morisuke actually had self control and wasn’t as easy to distract, but it was soft and Mori peppered three more across his cheeks and nose.

“I have to go, Kenma.” Mori murmured, fingers finally dropping off his face. He turned away, grabbing papers and closing his laptop.

He hesitated in the doorway and turned back to Kenma, looking at him affectionately. He tilted his head and smiled softly at him, a gentle one that had Kenma feeling like putty even in a chair. How long had they worked together for this? Mornings together and laced with love instead of heartbreak trying to stay apart from each other.

“I love you, Kenma. I’ll see you as soon as I can.” Mori said, then he was hurrying out the door, leaving Kenma alone with the cats. Two caterwauls rose up and Kenma sighed, burying his hand in the bag and pouring a small handful into the dish. Immediately all three of them rushed over... and then walked away.

Yes mornings were hectic. But he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Chapter 2

“Kenma~ Kenma~ Kenma~” Tetsu’s voice came through the house, getting louder and dripping with annoyance though Kenma could easily hear the smile on his face. The sound of the refrigerator closing echoed through the house and Kenma turned to face his probably smiling boyfriend. Sure enough, Tetsuro was grinning when he poked his head into Kenma’s computer room.

“Are you aware,” Kenma drawled, leaning back in his chair to look at his boyfriend, “that just because you get more annoying does not mean I’m more likely to pay attention?”

“Weird, because I’m pretty sure I annoyed you into being my boyfriend.” Tetsuro snickered, a hyena like cackle coming from him before he was stepping up behind Kenma. He tilted his head and planted a kiss on Kenna’s forehead, sticking out his tongue when Kenma glowered at him.

“Perhaps you did.” Kenma rolled his eyes, making sure to accent it to annoy his boyfriend. Tetsuro didn’t seem to care, however, simply stepping more to his side and leaning down to kiss him.

Kenma grabbed onto his arm, fingers sliding over the rough material of his sweater, and used him to swing the chair around. He wrapped his legs around Tetsuro’s waist, arms reaching up and around his neck and resting them there as their lips brushed.

Kenma relaxed after a moment, pulling Tetsuro as close as he could and burying his face in his neck. The sweet scent of cherries still lingered on his skin from his late night shower and Kenma couldn’t help but nuzzle closer. Tetsuro grunted and put out a hand against the chair to stop himself from falling, but he didn’t push away. Instead, Kenma felt his nose on his hair gently brushing against the bleached strands moments before a gentle kiss was being pressed there.

Kenma missed this, missed having one of his boyfriends just an arms length away. He ached for the days of walking through the apartment to cuddle against one of their sides when it got to be too much to be alone.

He didn’t mind being alone, in fact he loved it. Leave him alone with his games and some food and he’d be fine for hours, content with his own company and the occasional text from Shoyo or Tora. It was the day after day loneliness that got to him, when he couldn’t remember the last time he’d spoken out loud or heard someone call his name. When his boyfriends rose before him and returned after he was asleep and all he had for proof of their existence was bentos in the fridge and well fed cats. When his skin prickled from lack of touch, craving the heat from another person and the gentle stroke from hands in his hair.

“You okay, kitten?” Tetsuro murmured softly, his free hand moving to run soothingly up and down his arm. Gentle kisses, barely brushes of lips against his scalp, peppered themselves over his head everywhere Tetsuro could reach without dislodging him.

“I’ll be fine.” Kenma muttered back, tightening his hold for a moment. He would be. In a few minutes he’d be perfectly fine again, ready for another week of stolen moments between the hours of solitude and work.

“Not what I asked.” Tetsuro pulled back slightly, feeling Kenma’s hold lessen in response. He ignored the legs around his waist and straightened, both hands moving to cup Kenma’s face. He brushed a few strands of hair from his eyes and gently smiled at him.

“ Are you okay? Right now.” Kenma melted into the hold, letting his body relax until Tetsuro was holding his face up. He understood why the cats did this now, it was very nice.

“Yeah… I am now.” Kenma said, lips barely moving enough to get the words heard. Instantaneously, Tetsuro’s face blazed red to the tips of his ears. Kenma’s lips twitched in a smile nearly giving him away but he managed to squash it, wanting to tease him a little longer.

“Keeeenma.” He whined, dropping his head down until their foreheads were pressed against each other. “Why do you have to do this to me?”

Kenma let out a soft snort, twisting his wrist so he could gently stroke the hairs on the back of his head. Tetsuro hummed, pressing harder against his forehead to encourage it.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“ I’m ridiculous? You’re the one being… being…”

“Being?”

“Geh. Forget it. All that matters is… that I love you. Even if you’re a big bully-bully.” Tetsuro said, rubbing their noses together. He pushed gently, knocking their heads together like an over affectionate cat and Kenma loved him even more.

He kissed him, gently scratching through his hair. His chest warmed as Tetsuro kissed back, leaning back in the chair until Tetsuro was pinning him down again. Tetsuro’s breath was hot against his lips as he pulled back minutely, teeth tugging at Kenma’s bottom lip before he was kissing the smaller man harder. His tongue slipped into his mouth and Kenma let out a soft groan, pulling his legs in tighter until Tetsuro was flush against him.

Then Tetsuro pulled back, breaking free of his hold easily and kissed his forehead. He grinned, managing to kiss his nose before Kenma came back to himself and swatted him away.

“Sorry kitten, but as much as I would love to spend the day with you, you have a meeting.” Tetsu reminded him, making Kenma groan again this time with frustration. “It’s until seven and we need to leave in the next forty five minutes and you’re still in your pajamas ... actually I think those are actually Mori’s pajamas that started out as mine.”

Kenma glanced down. He was right.

“What’s your point?”

“.... I…. don’t have one, but get up and go put clothes on. I have a job shadowing that starts at three so I need to drop you off a little early to make it on time. I should be off by the time you’re finished.” Tetsuro patted the legs around his waist, chuckling when they slid off with an annoyed groan. “C’mon baby, you love starting discourse at work and you know it.”

Kenma glowered at him, allowing himself to be harassed out of his chair. Just because it was true didn’t mean Tetsuro had to point it out.

He made his way to the bedroom, eyeing the three cats splayed out on the bed who opened an eye at his entrance. He debated joining them, snuggling under the blankets and letting them drown him in fluffy affection especially after someone decided to leave him hanging.

“Don’t you dare lay with those cats.” Tetsuro called and Kenma flipped him off despite knowing Tetsuro couldn’t see him. “And put down that middle finger, there are children in the house.”

“The only child here is you,” Kenma called back, ignoring the fake gasp of offence. The cats settled back down as he stripped and pulled his clothes back on, well aware they wouldn’t get any attention during this routine.

Kenma tugged on his work shirt, finishing the last button when he heard steps behind him. Strong arms wrapped around his waist and tucked him against a muscled frame. He leaned into it, head tilting back against Tetsuro’s shoulder.

“I’m proud of you.” Tetsuro murmured softly, affectionately nuzzling his cheek. “I know it’s not much comfort, but this will only be a little while longer. Mori-kun is almost done with this case and then his hours will be more stable and he’ll have time off. I have a little longer but once my internships are over and I’m a full pediatrician I can settle in the hospital and have a set schedule and we can be together more.”

“... Tetsuro.” Kenma said softly, turning his head to run his nose on the underside of Tetsuro’s chin. “It’s the most comforting thing of all. Knowing we’ll all be happy and together.”

Kenma leaned his head comfortably against his shoulder, smiling softly up at him. It would take time, but he was patient. He waited three years to get both of them within reach, he could wait a while more for things to finish falling into place. He didn’t care how long it took, as long as they got there.

He turned and reached up to cup Tetsuro’s face, his chest warm and feeling soft at the dopey affectionate look on Tetsuro’s face. Tetsu was a nerd, a big giant, adorable nerd and Kenma didn’t want to live a moment without him. Kenma leaned up and brushed his lips against his cheek.

“We have to get to work, stop distracting me.” Kenma drawled, letting go of his boyfriend and escaping the room. Tetsuro spluttered behind him, calling Kenma’s name in a drawn out cry before Kenma heard him cooing at the cats. He rolled his eyes, wondering how he’d managed to get stuck with this doofus for all eternity.

He grabbed his laptop bag while waiting for Tetsuro to leave the cats alone, slipping into the game room to grab his phone and send a quick response to Shoyo. Apparently, he’d run into Oikawa again and Ushiwaka tried to arm wrestle both of them. If the photo was anything to go on, Atsumu had his hands full trying to hold Bokuto back while Shoyo was trying his best to get Kageyama to join in.

“Kenma?” Tetsuro asked, probably wondering if he ran off.

“Sorry, I’m coming…. Tell Bokuto to stop bullying Atsumu, I think his arms are going to fall off and if that happens Shoyo’s going to come bother me about it.”

“Shrimpcake is going to bother you either way. Is it even bothering when you prefer him to me?” Tetsuro hummed as if genuinely thinking it over as he tugged out his own phone and sent a message to Bokuto. Kenma just rolled his eyes at his words and tugged him out of his room, pushing him towards the door.

Kenma paused to dash into the kitchen and grab Tetsuro’s bento from the fridge where he’d put it after returning home. He pushed it into his chest with a half glare.

“You forgot to eat it again.” Kenma accused and Tetsuro’s cheeks flushed light pink.

“I was busy…” Tetsuro mumbled, looking partly ashamed of himself and Kenma sighed. Tetsuro had always been that way, no matter what he said about Kenma, when it came to being too distracted to eat Tetsu was a hundred times worse. If he got it into his head he had to finish a book or essay or quiz, he wouldn’t stop unless someone took away his pen and put chopsticks instead.

“I know, now eat. It’s only a twenty minute ride to my work and a ten minute walk to your hospital, so we have about ten minutes for you to eat. Less than that if you keep staring at me like a weirdo.”

“Kenma.” Tetsu breathed, hand moving over his heart. Kenma smacked it back down and shoved him towards the table. Tetsuro laughed and listened, unwrapping the bento and digging in with a hum.

Kenma leaned against him, waiting for the outcome of the impromptu arm wrestling match when a message came in from Kai. Kai was backstage with… Ushiwaka and Shoyo?

I think you should see this . Was Kai’s message, followed by another photo of a familiar taller man with dark skin and a buzzcut under a thick top of hair who was shaking hands with Bokuto. Atsumu was nowhere to be seen but Kageyama and Shoyo were both attempting to squeeze between Bokuto and the other guy.

I just wanted to see Silver Swan backstage, I wasn’t aware it was going to turn into a reunion. Kai sent another photo, this one a selfie with someone else Kenma recognized from Fukunaga’s posters. Semi Eita, lead vocals and song writer for Silver Swan and ex-volleyball player from Shiratorizawa.

I thought Hinata’s head was going to explode when he saw me and Oohira waiting back here for Semi-san. Apparently Oohira and Ushijima always come to visit Semi after a show, they’re quite sweet. I would say they remind me of you three, but no one’s tried to bite anyone yet (^-^)

Kenma rolled his eyes, removing his weight from Tetsuro as he finished his bento and went to lay the container in the sink.

You may act cute, but I know you’re evil Kai Nobuyuki . Kenma sent back, though he knew it didn’t mean anything. Kai was the sweetest person he knew, which was saying something because Kenma knew both Shoyo and Shibiyama.

If that’s how you want to think of it, I won’t argue. I have to go, I’ll try and keep Hinata out of trouble for you. Don’t tell Fukunaga, but I’m getting Semi to sign a bunch of merch for his birthday. I can say some of its from you if you’d like, I know you’re busy and the others have been working non-stop. Let me know if you have any free time this week or next, we can get lunch! (◠ω◠✿)

“If I didn’t love you and Mori,” Kenma said as Tetsuro looked up from tugging on his shoes, confusion clear, “I would marry Kai right now.”

“.... I mean, who wouldn’t? The guys like, an angel. And I know Shibiyama!” Tetsuro snorted, holding out his hand for Kenma to take as he shoved on his own shoes and let himself be led out the door.

Chapter 3

Kenma didn’t move as the house shook with the front door closing. His fingers slid over the controller, deftly moving his character behind a rock to avoid being seen. He glanced at the time, 3:18 a.m. The only one who would be moving around that early was-

“Kenma?” Mori’s voice whispered, scratchy with exhaustion before his head poked into the room. He glanced at the game on the screen, then Kenma curled up in his chair with one cat on his lap and the other on the top of the chair.

“No, I don’t see it.” Kenma said into his microphone as one of his co-op players called out to him. “Give me a second.”

Kenma flipped the switch on his head phones, turning to look at Mori better without losing sight of the game.

“Lev abandoned me for Kuro.” Kenma said, glancing forlornly at the spot the gray cat had vacated a few hours ago. Mori snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Stop calling him Lev, you’re going to confuse Tetsuro when the real Lev comes to visit.” Mori said, eyes moving from Kenma to the game curiously. “Midnight release? Mind if I sit in with you?”

Kenma shook his head. “Charity stream, making people pay to listen to screams.” He hummed, turning his eyes over to the couch as he flipped his microphone back on.

“Kodzuken? Are you playing with your cats while I’m dying? I’m deducting this from your pay.” Sandixie called into his ear, echoed by ArcadeFox.

“No I am not being distracted by my cats… You don’t even pay me… You don’t pay me either! None of you pay me, go away or I’m leaving you all to die.” Kenma winced as three screams echoed in his head set as his team members found themselves being chased. “That’s why you don’t fuck with me… dammit now I have to bleep that out… I hate editing streams, you all suck.”

Morisuke laughed softly, careful to keep his voice too low to be picked up by the microphones. He made his way towards the couch, scooping up the orange tabby from the back of Kenma’s chair. Carolina Reaper meowed pitifully before Morisuke sat down and lowered him into his lap. Immediately the cat snuggled up, purring loudly at the presence of her favorite human.

Kenma glanced back at him, watching Mori’s eyes droop and sink before flashing open again. After a moment Mori noticed his gaze and stuck out his tongue, fingers buried in Reaper’s fur.

Kenma hummed, turning back to the game and heading away from the stalking Mike. He turned behind a house, pausing his movement to look up at his struggling companion, Zebstrikah. Through the headset he could hear complaints and the other two players laughing.

“Now, next time you want to harass me remember, I can and will leave you to die.” Kenma purred, then tapped the button to help the character down to his feet. “I’ll distract him, he’s about to hit stage three and I’m the only one of you who hasn’t been hooked yet…”

Screams erupted from his headset as Mike appeared behind them, scaring the rescued Zebstrikah. Kenma sighed, shaking his head and running his character towards the killer just as the music hit. Like he thought, the other player took the bait and downed him, quickly hanging him on the nearest hook and letting the other player go free.

“The things I do for you people.” He grumbled, gently flicking Docosahexaenoic off his lap. The white cat hissed as she landed, flicking her black tipped tail and strutting out of the room to join a less moving human. Sighing and keeping his eye on the screen so he could see who was coming to save him, Kenma stood up and moved the chair away from him and made his way to the couch.

He was free a second after making himself comfortable and quickly turned to run in the other direction, hiding away in a dark corner and healing himself before making a beeline towards the last generator they needed to get done. From the sounds of it, Zeb was getting hooked again, but it was his third time. No use saving a dead man. Morisuke shifted until he was leaning against him, easily falling into place as the screen lit up with the finished generator, two orange lights in the distance showing where both exits were.

“I should have played Monster Hunter,” Kenma sighed, listening to the frustrated shout of “Oh come on! A Mori?! Really?!” as one of his companions died, Sandixie if his cursory glance at the bottom left of the screen was any indication, though he was more focused on opening the exit door. “Then I would be able to play in peace .”

“You don’t talk enough as it is Kodzuken, your fans would fall asleep if you played alone.” ArcadeFox chirped into the microphone, loud enough for Mori to hear and nod in agreement despite Kenma’s glower of annoyance.

“I talk enough… Also Mike’s here at my gate, hope you know where the hatch is.” Kenma’s voice was almost sing-song as he crossed the border to freedom.

“SON OF A-” ArcadeFox cut himself off with a yelp as he ran straight into the killer on his way to the exit Kenma had opened, the game quickly ending with Kenma as the only survivor.

“Oops.” Kenma snickered, stretching. “I can’t believe we still have two more hours of this stream.”

“Let’s do it for charity,” Zebstrikah mocked, “It’ll be fun Zeb, so much fun. No one bothered to mention it’s the most terrifying game ever!”

“It is not, you’re just a baby.” Sandixie snorted and Kenma let out a snort.

“He’s not wrong, you are the biggest baby.” Kenma said into the microphone, flipping the switch to turn it off while waiting for the game to find another killer for their group. He turned to Morisuke, nuzzling his temple.

“You sure you don’t want to crawl into bed with Tetsu? He has Doco and Kirby.” Kenma murmured softly, one arm moving to slide small fingers through Mori’s hair. “And he won’t be talking like I will.”

“No, I want to hear you talk. I miss your voice.” Morisuke said softly, eyes already closed at the gentle stroking of his hair. Kenma’s chest bloomed with warmth as his face turned red and he was suddenly grateful he didn’t have a camera on him right then.

“Why don’t you lay on my lap then, c’mon, you can rest while I play.” Kenma scooted further down the couch and carefully directed Morisuke’s head to his lap and waited until his feet were comfortably on the couch before returning to the game. Still another thirty seconds. He flipped on his microphone.

“Hey, do you think people would pay more to watch Zeb’s face when he gets attacked?”

Kenma slid out from under Moriske to turn off the system as the charity stream finally came to an end, humming softly as ArcadeFox chattered in his ear.

“You’re really ending the game already? Usually you’re the one streaming for another few hours, you feelin’ okay?”

“Yeah, my boyfriend got home from an eighteen hour day and I have to make sure he takes care of himself. Otherwise he’ll drag himself into work again and work himself to death.” Kenma sighed, looking fondly over at the passed out lawyer.

“Uh… Kodzuken… we’re still live.” Zebstrikah coughed into his ear. Kenma’s face warmed as he realized he’d just accidentally outed himself to the entire internet. Well…

“This is my last stream, goodbye forever, all of you.” Kenma groaned, face palming. That was great. Actually, he supposed it didn’t matter, he doubted he would actually lose many viewers and would probably gain some by being out and even if he did, he made enough money from his company to be perfectly fine.

“Don’t worry Kodzuken, we still love you, forever and ever.” Sandixie laughed as Kenma hovered his hand over the exit button.

“It’s still embarrassing… I’ll see you guys later, bye.” Kenma mumbled into the microphone before turning it off completely. He sighed and leaned back, letting his spine crack as he tried to work through what just happened. After a moment he shoved the thoughts away, well aware he couldn’t do anything about it now.

He let his gaze travel over the room, sliding over Morisuke’s frame as the shorter man curled around Reaper and Kirby started to climb his way onto Morisuke’s hip and lay as spread out as he could. Kenma stepped closer until he could kneel beside the couch and gently stroke through Morisuke’s hair, leaning in to press a kiss onto his forehead.

It had taken Kenma a while to admit it, but he couldn’t help but be more physical with Morisuke. With Tetsuro it was different, they knew each other so well that Kenma could show his love in smiles or actions or even in calling him out on his nerdiness. But Morisuke… Being so close to losing him not too long ago just made Kenma want to hold onto him until Morisuke knew beyond a doubt that Kenma loved him, would continue to love him, wanted him around.

Kenma and Tetsuro were a rhythm written for each other, crafted to complement and support. Morisuke was a later addition to their rhythm and Kenma knew Morisuke felt that bridge was sometimes too big a gap but Kenma could never go back to just him and Tetsuro. Morisuke was the heartbeat to Tetsuro’s spine and Kenma’s brain, an integral part of who they had become.

“Kitten?” Morisuke mumbled, breath ghosting along Kenma’s neck. His eyes still weren’t open as he mumbled the nickname again and Kenma kissed his forehead again.

“Keep sleeping, I’ll be right back.” Kenma murmured, watching Morisuke’s shoulders go lax as he fell asleep again.

Kenma straightened and moved back to his feet, slipping into the kitchen and flipping on the rice cooker. If he was up, he might as well make breakfast for once.

He debated on waking Morisuke up, happy to see him sleep peacefully for once instead of tossing and turning and searching for a few minutes of restfulness. Kenma sighed, leaning down to push Morisuke’s shoulders gently. Morisuke hadn’t eaten, Kenma had to make sure he did, after all his boyfriends both went out of their way to make sure he had eaten all the time.

“Mori? I have breakfast ready.” Kenma said, laughing when Mori tried to swat him off but couldn’t move his arm far enough. “I made bacon.”

“...Not fish?” Mori hummed, cracking open an eye. Kenma wrapped his arms around Kirby, letting the cat shift until he was hugging Kenma’s neck in a move Kenma still wasn’t sure how Tetsuro had taught him.

“No fish, if Tetsu wants to cook himself fish he can but I won’t do that.” Even Kenma knew Tetsuro ate way too much fish and it was probably his way of pushing his agenda that fish is better than meat.

“Thanks Kenma.” Morisuke mumbled, hand dropping onto the carpet and eyes sliding shut.

“Should I bring it in here?” Kenma asked after a minute passed, curious if Morisuke was even still awake.

“Am.. I not moving?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“Son of a…” Mori sighed, sucking in a breathe before opening his eyes and sitting up. Reaper jumped off, pouting up at them before flicking her tail and walking out of the room, probably to stare at the food bowl and hope someone gave her a treat.

Kenma held out one of his hands, the other cradling Kirby, and took Morisuke’s and twined their fingers together as he pulled him up. Mori’s face pinkened when he realized Kenma wasn’t letting go but he just gave him a fond smile and allowed himself to be led to the kitchen and sat at the kotatsu.

“You’re being clingy.” Morisuke commented, not an admonishment, if he thought it was bad he would have told Kenma to stop doing it. It was a comment, especially when Kenma pouted at having to release Morisuke’s hand in order to hold the chopsticks. Kenma waited until he was nearly finished eating before answering.

“Well, I just outed myself to the entire internet as gay, and also you’re like a heater and my hands are cold.” Kenma said, finally letting Kirby go free in order to shove both hands under Mori’s shirt. Morisuke jolted in surprise, the bacon slipping from his grip.

“Outed yourself- are you okay?” Mori put the chopsticks down but Kenma just shrugged. He shifted until his feet were sticking out from under him instead of sitting properly on the cushion and could heat up quickly. He snuggled against Mori’s steady side, pulling the blanket a little higher up so they could both be comfortable and give Kenma time to think of a response.

“I’ll be fine. I just forgot the stream was still live and mentioned my boyfriend, you. It was a surprise and I’m… trying not to worry about it. I mean, logically I know that I probably won’t lose viewers and will actually probably get more and that I have more than enough money if I get suspended… But I never really ever meant to come out and I just hope no one figures out I mean you or Tetsu, I don’t want to put your jobs at risk.”

Morisuke’s arm wrapped around him a moment later, his free hand moving to tilt Kenma’s head up. Morisuke’s hands were warm as his brown eyes searched Kenma’s for any sign of upset or panic.

Strangely enough, there wasn’t any. Thinking on it, Kenma knew his highschool self would have cancelled his account and hid under his blanket until Tora or Tetsu came to drag him out. It’d been a long while since then and part of Kenma still wanted to hide himself but a stronger part, the side that had grabbed both Tetsurou and Morisuke and held them together, refused to let himself be shamed for what he was. He wasn’t a child afraid of rejection anymore, he was an adult with his own house, friends who didn’t care about his sexuality, two boyfriends who were amazing in so many different dorky ways, and more than enough money to live his life without any homophobic viewers.

Kenma tilted his head, bumping their noses together as Morisuke’s face softened and he tugged Kenma into his lap. Morisuke nuzzled against his back, pressing a kiss down and trailing a few more over his neck and jaw before finally resting his chin on his shoulder. Kenma shivered slightly as the breath rolled over his ear before wiggling to get more comfortable.

“Kenma, don’t worry about us. Hanamaki-san wouldn’t fire me for being gay, he already knows Sakusa-kun and Issei-kun are and he doesn’t care. As for Tetsuro, I highly doubt he hasn’t already told multiple people because he loves talking about you and he would rather be out then struggling with a homophobic boss. He’ll probably just have to be careful not to let the patients’ parents know and he’ll be fine… Then again… He loves talking about you.” Morisuke hummed, nuzzling Kenma’s cheek obnoxiously as Kenma groaned. He’d definitely been living with Tetsuro too long.

“Don’t remind me. I’m starting to think he might be in love with me.” Kenma sighed, fluttering his eyes purposely at Morisuke as he picked up the chopsticks and snagged a piece of rice to feed him. “What are we going to do if he confesses?”

“Mm… I suppose we could always kick him out.. Maybe give him a chance? He is attractive…” Morisuke hummed, taking the bite and kissing Kenma a moment later. Kenma smiled softly, the corners of his mouth just barely lifting as he kissed back, leaving a teasing nip on his lip as he pulled back.

‘Yeah but all those cat puns… Are they worth it?”

“Oh that is true… and his bedhead is the worst… If we kick him out, then at least Doco will go with him and stop being a bitch-”

“I cannot believe you just said that about my princess.” Tetsuro gasped, said cat curled in his arms with her usual grumpy scowl on her face. He was only half hidden but easily seen in the doorway from the reflection on the TV.

“I can’t believe you just sat there watching us, you pervert.” Kenma said, not even bothering to look back as he picked up another bite and fed it to Morisuke.

“I can’t believe he was more offended about the cat than his bedhead.” Morisuke said, leaning on Kenma again and nuzzling him affectionately.

“No I can, we all know he fails the mirror test.”

“Oh true, failed the one test Lev can actually pass.”

“You two are the worst boyfriends, Bokuto wouldn’t do this to me.” Tetsuro whined, making his way into the dinning room and taking a seat on the other end of the kotatsu.

“Keiji would.” Kenma said, reaching over to grab the bowl of bacon before Tetsurou could.

“Keiji would.” Morisuke agreed, taking a piece as Tetsu groaned.

“You two are the meanest people ever… Are you leaving me already?” He pouted when Mori finished the rest of his bowl. Kenma and Morisuke both stuck out their tongues, grabbing the dishes and making their way to the sink. Kenma returned a moment later as Mori washed them out.

“Mori just got home a few hours ago, and I was doing that charity stream. I’m keeping him at home today.” Kenma said, leaning down to kiss Tetsuro’s pouting face and pat his head teasingly.

“You two need to sleep more, doctor’s orders.” Tetsuro said, poking Kenma’s side and snorting when he got slapped away from the ticklish area. He grabbed Kenma’s hand and pressed a kiss to his palm, leaning backwards to snag Morisuke as he tried to sneak past. He tugged the shorter man closer until Morisuke gave in and kissed him.

“Sure thing, Dr. Bed Head.” Kenma sighed, grabbing Morisuke’s hand and tangling their fingers together.

“Do you know what the word respect means Kenma?” Tetsuro asked good naturedly, watching them head to the bedroom. Breakfast would be quiet this morning, but at least he would know they were getting enough rest. He glanced down as his lap got heavier, Kirby’s mouth already hanging open and ready to yowl, it wouldn’t be quiet after all.

“Nope.” Kenma called, holding out his middle finger before Morisuke pulled him down the hall with a laugh.

“You can be such a brat.” Mori laughed, face bright even with the dark lines under his eyes. Kenma fell back on the messy bed and pulled him over. He smiled up at the amused face and leaned in to kiss him.

“You love it.”

“That’s not the point.” Mori pointed out, smiling softly and kissing him sweetly. Kenma melted before finally pulling away and sliding under the blankets, moving to the middle so Morisuke could move in behind him.

Strong arms wrapped around him, Morisuke’s face tucking itself behind his back as they got comfortable. Kenma tugged the blankets up further, listening to Morisuke’s breathing until it finally smoothed out and he knew his boyfriend was asleep. Then he finally relaxed, drifting off.

Chapter 4

Kenma woke up alone. The blanket behind him was cold, though Kirby was doing his best to warm up Kenma’s head as he licked at his hair.

Kenma shifted, leaning up to glance at the clock against Kirby’s mewled wishes. Six in the afternoon blinked on the alarm clock, he’d slept for nearly twelve hours.

He sat up more, reaching up to scratch the tangles out of his hair. Hopefully Mori had probably managed to get four or five hours of sleep before waking up, he was never able to sleep in. He looked around the room, wondering if Tetsuro was passed out on the floor somewhere when a voice came from the kitchen followed by a laugh. Kenma slipped out of the bed, padding towards the kitchen curiously.

Tetsuro was standing against the fridge, holding a bag of sugar above his head despite Morisuke’s growled orders. The med student just laughed and leaned down, making kissing noises and Mori let out a groan.

“You’re absolutely ridiculous.” Mori snapped but his glare softened as he grabbed Tetsuro’s shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. Immediately both of them melted against each other, laughing softly as they broke apart and Tetsuro bumped their foreheads together. Tetsuro tilted his head, stealing another kiss as Mori managed to get the sugar. Twice more, Morisuke kissed back before he finally turned away towards a bowl filled with peeled apples.

Kenma’s heart warmed at the sight, the gentle look in Mori’s eyes and the glee in Tetsuro’s. They way they leaned into each other without hesitance, moving around each other on instinct. Something that would have been impossible three years ago, but now was becoming an everyday occurrence.

“Hey Mori, try the stir-fry.” Tetsuro hummed, snagging a knife as he switched places with Morisuke to grab the cutting board. He pressed play on the speaker above the fridge and music filtered in, making Tetsuro wiggle as Morisuke laughed at him.

“Needs more flavor, tastes bland.” Morisuke said, gasping when Tetsuro stuck his finger in the apple pie filling.

“Needs more flavor, tastes bland.” Tetsuro mocked back, easily moving out of range of Morisuke’s kick before making his way back to his side to slice the meat. “What’s wrong with my sauce?”

“It’s sweet.”

“Oh so you mean it tastes good.”

“I mean it tastes absolutely terrible, who taught you to cook? Bokuto?” Morisuke laughed, bright and clear at Tetsuro’s mock gasp of insult. They leaned in together naturally, kissing before going back to slicing.

“How was school?” Mori hummed, easily dicing the apples and popping one into his mouth.

“Ugh, I was a practicum all day, which normally I love but it was Nishimoto-sensei today and that guy could put even Kai to sleep. I’m not even sure what we talked about, it’s just a fuzzy gray memory.” Tetsuro groaned, slicing through the beef before tossing it in the simmering pan.

“Oh that’s not worrying at all, I hope you’re not trying to become a doctor.” Morisuke laughed, shaking his head as Tetsuro stuck his tongue out at him again. He held up an apple bite and Tetsuro leaned in, snagging it with his teeth and chomping down on it noisily.

“Why must you bully me, why must you harass and demean and be supercilious and-”

“I love you,” Morisuke hummed without looking up from mixing the filing with the apples. A yelp slipped out from him as Tetsuro wrapped his arms around him and spun him around.

Tetsuro dropped him back on the ground and turned him so he could pick him up again and kiss him in the air. Morisuke’s fake anger rant was cut off and he laughed softly, reaching down to cradle Tetsuro’s cheeks. Both of them ignored the sugar on Morisuke’s hands as the smaller man wrapped his legs around Tetsuro’s waist and leaned down to kiss him, teasingly squishing Tetsuro’s cheeks together.

“I love you too.” Tetsuro said, tongue flicking out and catching a bit of sugar on his lip. “Oh, have you thought of adding salted caramel?”

“Hm? Oh no I haven’t… That does sound really good, I don’t think I’d need to change the recipe much for that… Craving caramel?”

“Oh, am I that obvious?” Tetsuro gasped and grinned when Morisuke kissed him again. “Cravin’ you too, Mori-kun.”

“Don’t be perverse Kuroo,” Morisuke admonished but his eyes softened as he rubbed their noses together. Another gentle peck landed on Tetsuro’s lips, slowly morphing deeper and slower as Tetsuro lowered him back to the ground. Morisuke’s fingers finally moved from Tetsuro’s face, leaving handprints of sugar that Morisuke couldn’t help but laugh at as he flipped on the water and grabbed a towel.

Tetsuro watched him, lips turned up in a soft smile as Morisuke cleaned his hands and turned back to him. The med student bowed down as Morisuke approached, letting Mori gently brush off the mess. Morisuke paused, gently stroking Tetsuro’s cheek.

“I missed you too, Tetsu.” He murmured, smiling at the dramatic gasp that broke from Tetsuro. “You’re a brat. Of course I missed you, I miss you even when you’re only away for a few minutes. I miss waking up with you when Kenma crawled into bed at four in the morning and we’d hug him until he whined and settled down to sleep. I miss going to the zoo with you to take pictures of owls to fuck with Bokuto. I miss coming home and watching tv together or brushing Reaper, or reading. I miss you Tetsuro, I love you.”

“Mori...” Tetsuro said, voice barely above a whisper before he leaned down and pressed a kiss against Morisuke’s temple.

“Mm, we should finish cooking before Kenma wakes up, he’ll be hungry.” Morisuke said softly, smiling up at him before finally slipping free and moving to grab the caramel in the fridge.

Tetsuro stepped behind him, humming along to the music as he leaned down. One hand moved to his waist before brushing along the edge of Morisuke’s hair and dropping a featherlight kiss against his skin. Morisuke shivered before his shoulders relaxed and he tilted his head, inviting more.

Tetsuro gave him what he wanted, kissing his neck again and again, pulling him closer as Morisuke put the caramel on the counter. He sucked lightly, just enough to make Morisuke gasp and groan his name softly.

“You’re a terrible influence, we have to cook.” Morisuke said, but he didn’t step away even when Tetsuro’s teeth scraped over his neck. He moaned softly, turning to wrap his arms around his neck when he caught sight of a blur.

“Tetsu! Cat!” He yelped and Tetusro spun, grabbing Docosahexaenoic as the cat landed on the counter and was already trying to eat the raw beef.

“No! Bad! Raw meat is bad for you, princess. I’m sorry baby.” Tetsuro cooed, dropping the cat back on the floor. Instantly the white cat spun and hissed, tail fluffing out before strutting over to Kenma and curling around his legs.

Kenma was doing his best to hide his laughter but it broke out when he caught sight of Tetsuro’s pouting face. Tetsu just let out a low whine, pointing at Kenma when Morisuke just rolled his eyes at the two of them.

“You’re cute.” Kenma purred, a slow smirk growing on his face when Tetsuro’s cheeks flared red and his tongue stuck out.

“Why does Kenma make you blush, but when I say I love you you just get handsy?” Morisuke snorted, raising an eyebrow at Tetsuro’s whine as he turned to look at his other boyfriend.

“I’m being harassed, it hasn’t even been a few minutes and you two are already double teaming me.” Tetsuro complained and both of his boyfriends rolled their eyes together. Morisuke grabbed the caramel and turned back to the pie filling, lifting the lid from the cooking vegetables.

“Might want to throw that meat in soon, otherwise they’re going to go soggy and be even grosser than your sweet recipe.”

“ You’re grosser than the sweet recipe.” Tetsuro mocked, spinning back to the meat and picking up the knife again. “Kenma, watch the cats.”

“Yes sir, captain, sir.” Kenma said sarcastically, bending down to stroke Doco’s fur as the cat purred loudly. After a few moments she finally relaxed and turned to walk down the hall away from the cooking.

A few steps further and Kenma stepped between them to the sink, flipping on the water and grabbing the brush. He started scrubbing at the dishes already used, grabbing the cutting board as Tetsuro finished and the mixing bowl as Morisuke did.

A hand descended on his hip moments before lips pressed against his cheek and the mixing spoon joined his dishes. A moment later his other side grew warm as Tetsuro leaned against him and nuzzled his forehead, knife being passed over with a kiss.

The kitchen was warm between the three of them, cats scared off with flicks of water from Kenma’s hands. They nestled together as the music rambled in the background, effortlessly switching between jobs and letting Tetsuro drag them into more than one dance. Laughter and sweet kisses filled Kenma’s awareness and he smiled to himself as he pulled the pie out of the oven, listening to Mori and Tetsu tease each other over movies.

Mornings were hectic and so were nights, but Kenma wouldn’t trade it for anything.

#HQ #haikyuu!!#Kuroken #Kuroyaku #Kuroken Yaku #Fanfiction #fluff #Featherfur writes

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sinsdaycorp · 5 years ago

Text

All In.

Supercorp One Shot. Kara confesses a secret - but not the one Lena expects. Also known as: "Gayness and cheesecake and karaoke, Oh my!”

— — — —

The next page was an article on exactly that, written by her new friend Kara Danvers.

A knock on her office door had her setting her tablet down beside her half empty, now stone cold coffee and calling whoever it was in.

"Kara, I was just reading your article," Lena said, smiling brightly as she stood.

"Not worth your time, but this," Kara pulled a hand out from behind her back to show a tray holding a to-go coffee and a white bag. "This is better than a silly article on Supergirl."

"Nonsense. Your writing is amazing, much better than all the other Supergirl articles."

"I think we've officially said the word 'article' too much," Kara said with a soft laugh.

She took the coffee out of the holder and held it out for Lena as she rounded the desk.

"It does lose its normalcy for a word after a while," Lena said, taking a seat on the couch, gesturing for Kara to join her. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh!" Kara scrambled to open it up and leaned it towards Lena so she could see into the bag.

"A doughnut and a muffin?"

"One for each of us. You get first choice though."

"Are they both chocolate?"

"That's literally all they had. I'm sorry. If you don't like them I can-"

"Who doesn't like chocolate?" Lena asked with a small laugh, reaching for the doughnut.

The chocolate glaze had started to melt, and the hole that had been used to fill the doughnut with Nutella started to ooze slightly as Lena took a small bite.

"So, what brings you to my office now? Aren't we meeting for lunch later?" Lena asked.

"I-Uh," Kara looked down, setting the bag with the muffin still in it on the small coffee table. "I need to tell you something. And I wanted to tell you sooner, since we grew closer, became best friends-"

"That you're Supergirl?"

Kara seemed to choke on air and stutter as she clenched her fists and avoided looking at Lena.

"Flew here on a bus? Oh Rao? The same piercing eyes and scar between your brows?"

"I-I... Lena."

"I'm not mad, Kara," Lena said, setting the doughnut on the edge of the bag so chocolate didn't get on her table.

She licked her fingers to clean the chocolate off them and used her thumb to wipe the edge of her lips to make sure there wasn't chocolate on her face.

"Not mad? How?" Kara asked.

"Because we've only known each other for a few months, we became fast friends. Then became best friends. You have a secret, and I didn't expect you to come in here ready to tell me today."

"Well, actually, I didn't come to tell you that," Kara said with a nervous chuckle.

"So why did you?"

"I came here to c-come out to you."

"Come out? So, you're not Supergirl?"

"Oh, no, you were totally right about that. I don't want to hide that from you either."

"So, you wanted to come out to me?"

Kara nodded, swallowing audibly.

"Why?"

"Well, my sister suggested I come out to someone I trust, someone like you... Her words. And I said that it should be you, because I trust you, and value you."

"Kara, that's... that's so sweet. So, wait, you haven't even told your cousin? Or your friends?"

"No, only you and Alex."

"And what did Alex say other than to tell me?"

"She laughed and said something about how Eliza would react about us both being gay."

"Eliza, Alex's mother, right?"

Kara nodded, biting the inside of her lower lip.

"Can I ask you something related to Supergirl?"

"Of course, anything."

"Your family, what happened to them?"

"Krypton blew up, so my parents sent me and my cousin in a pod to earth... I got stuck in space for a few years, the blast knocked my pod off course, and when I landed the Danvers adopted me."

"Blew up?"

Kara nodded slowly, reliving the day in her brain, having to feel the blast, looking back and seeing krypton, her home, gone.

"That's terrible, Kara, I'm so sorry." Lena rested her hand on top of Kara's giving it a gentle squeeze. "I can't imagine what that must have been like, living through that."

"Every superhero has a tragic backstory, right?" Kara asked, a tight smile on her lips as she tried to make light of the situation.

"Kara Danvers is my hero just as much as Supergirl is," Lena said softly.

"Lena, that's so sweet. Thank you."

"I do have one other question."

"Shoot."

"Is anything about your powers different from Superman?"

"Not that I'm aware of, apart from my appetite being so much bigger, but the only plus I have is I don't get the monthly monster that other women do."

"Bitch," Lena said with a teasing smile that made Kara's heart flutter.

"So, when did you find out? A-About Supergirl?" Kara asked.

"The second I met her after meeting you, your voice, your smile, the crinkle of your nose."

A knock at the door made Lena's head snap up as her assistant walked in.

"Miss Luthor, your eleven o'clock just cancelled. You're free till one."

"Thank you, Jess. Would you hold my calls, please. I'm going to take my lunch early."

"Of course, Miss Luthor."

The assistant nodded before stepping back out and closing the door behind her.

"Oh, I should have asked. Is that okay with you?"

Kara nodded quickly, pulling her phone from her pocket. "I'll just let Alex know I'm busy."

"Where would you like to go to feed that appetite of yours?"

"Truthfully, I'm craving cheesecake. Can I take you somewhere?"

"Where?"

"I want to fly you to Maine, if that's okay."

"What's in Maine?" Lena asked, reaching for her doughnut.

"A restaurant that's amazing, and has amazing cheesecake," Kara said with a shrug. "Or we can do something here and go another time."

"Maine sounds like a nice change of scenery for lunch. I'm in."

~•~Supercorp~•~

Leaning back slightly in her chair, Lena laughed softly at having heard just how Kara got the scar on her forehead.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you weren't hurt too bad. What did your mother say?"

"She chastised me for chasing the stray dog and said I was lucky the tree branch didn't knock me out or cause any more damage than the minor scrape and forbade me from leaving her side."

"Harsh, but certainly understandable."

Kara adjusted her glasses as the waiter came over to them, clearing her throat before looking up at the man.

"May I interest you in desert?"

"Can I have a slice of plain and a slice of cookies and creme cheesecake, please," Kara said before looking to Lena.

"I'll just have the coffee cake, thank you," Lena said, reaching for her water.

"Certainly, would you like me to bring the bill with them?"

Lena looked to Kara who only shrugged and waved her on to make it her decision.

"Yes please," Lena said before she set her water back down as he walked off.

"How do you know about this place?" Lena asked, watching Kara who just shrugged and smiled.

"I used to sneak out when I first got to the Danvers', sometimes with Alex, other times alone. I took a photo of myself at every border in America next to the state name. Alex is in like ten or twenty of them. The rest of the time I was alone."

"And where ended up being your favourite?"

"Home, no matter how tough life got. Going back to Midvale was always something I looked forward to. Talking to Eliza after a rough day at school was way better than seeing how far I could go on the map and better than ninety-nine percent of the adventures I ever went on."

"Ninety-nine?"

"The trip to Australia was pretty cool, that one I did while I was in college, so I could really take the time to look around."

"How long were you there?" Lena asked, completely invested in learning everything she could about Kara.

They were interrupted by the waiter bringing back their desserts and the cheque.

Once he was gone again, Kara picked their conversation back up.

"I was there for a month. I mostly went to zoos and saw a lot of red dirt when flying over. I have so many pictures. I'll have to show you sometime."

"Sounds like a date... uh, I mean..."

"It's okay, I understand."

"What made you want to come out? Have you got your eye on someone?" Lena asked, changing the subject as her cheeks tinted pink.

Kara took a bite of one of her cheesecakes as she shook her head. "No, I just got sick of hiding it."

"That's understandable. I came out as bi when I was fifteen. Lilian went off her rocker at me."

Kara smiled sadly, but Lena waved it off. "It didn't change anything, I didn't hide who I was despite her asking me to numerous times, on many blind dates."

Kara grimaced and shook her head. "I hate the idea of blind dates. I've only been on two. Alex stopped trying to set me up when I came out as Supergirl."

"That does put a damper on things I assume, always being on call."

Kara nodded, moving on to the second slice of cheesecake.

"How's your cake?" the blonde asked, adjusting her glasses as she looked up at Lena.

"Quite good. Yours?"

"Delicious. Want a bite?" Kara asked, already loading her fork up and holding it out.

Lena leaned forward, mouth wrapping around Kara's fork without a thought before she pulled back and swallowed. "Delicious is an understatement. Scrumptious."

Kara laughed softly and shrugged. "Scrumptious? Been a while since I've heard that word. Are you sure it's real?"

Lena rolled her eyes half heartedly and shook her head gently.

"I believe it is, but who knows anymore?"

"Scrumptious," Kara murmured, chuckling to herself.

Kara's phone started buzzing across the tabletop, and she looked down at it before apologizing to Lena. "It's Alex, it could be important."

Lena waved her on and Kara lifted the phone to her ear.

"Finally, I've been trying to contact you for a full minute," Alex said with a sigh. "We got a burning building that no one can get into. We need you ASAP."

"Text me the location, I'll be there in ten minutes," Kara said before pulling her wallet out. Lena stopped her, already placing money down on the table and standing.

"Let's go," Lena said, ushering Kara out quicker. Once they were completely out of sight, Kara wrapped her arms around Lena and carried her bridal-style through the air as soon as she was in her Supergirl outfit.

Lena lifted her arms to hang around Kara's neck, watching the world whizz by in the blink of an eye.

~•~Supercorp~•~

Kara touched down after putting out the fire with the aid of the fire department, looking through the crowd to see her sister standing there with an unimpressed look.

Kara slowly walked over, putting on a plastered smile as she saw a few cameras and phones pointed towards her.

"What part of always be in contact don't you get?" Alex asked, crossing her arms.

"My earpiece must have slipped out somewhere. I'm sorry, Alex."

Alex just shook her head, frowning. "I shouldn't have let you go out of town. Especially with her."

"Hey, what's your problem? The buildings out, everyone's safe and alive-"

"You shouldn't have told her, Ka-Supergirl."

"I didn't. She figured it out."

#supercorp #supergirl #kara danvers #lena luthor #AllIn #Supercorp Fanfiction #Part 1/3

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theartofbeinganerd · 7 years ago

Photo

Sooo, I meant to post this a couple of days ago, but Thursday I was out all day to see Infinity War, and then yesterday AoS was on, so here it is finally, Chapter Three of These Stars Will Guide Us Home.

I’m not completely sure, but I think the pace will be picking up soon and I’ll be skipping ahead in time a bit (since this was only supposed to be five to ten chapters lmao), so we’ll see.

(Ao3)

A few days later, Jemma and Daisy had been in the process of walking up the driveway to their friend Bobbi’s flat, but Daisy had just come to an abrupt halt halfway there, in response to Jemma’s impromptu declaration of, “I’m pregnant.”

Though Jemma had known about it for a handful of days by then, she’d wanted to wait to tell everyone (besides Fitz, of course) until after she’d gone to see her OB to confirm it. Which, was exactly what she’d done earlier that day, and she’d figured that she owed the truth to Daisy – after all, she’d started and ended each day lately by asking if Jemma had gotten her period.

“Are you serious?” Daisy asked in shock, her eyes growing wide and her hands dropping to her sides, the bag of potato chips in her right looking dangerously close to falling to the ground. “You’re really…”

Jemma nodded in response, offering Daisy a weak smile. “I know this a lot to take in –”

“Um yeah, it is!” Daisy interrupted, her eyebrows darting up her forehead. However, then she blinked, taking a half-step closer and asking gently, “Have you decided what you’re going to do? How long have you… Does Fitz know?”

“Yes, he does; I found out on Saturday,” Jemma answered, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “And well, we talked about it, and…we decided to have this baby. I mean, we would’ve wanted kids eventually – this just moves the timetable up a bit.”

“Or a lot.” Daisy was quiet a moment, then she gave her a warm smile and told her, “Even though I’m still…wrapping my head around Jemma ‘work comes before everything, including boys’ Simmons settling down and having a kid, and I won’t believe it till I see it, I’m happy for you. Congratulations, Jem, seriously. Oh, and of course I’ll help in any way I can – even after Fitz gets his ass back from space.”

Jemma couldn’t help the little sigh of relief that she gave at Daisy’s words. Of course she’d known that Daisy would be there for her, but the confirmation that she’d have someone by her side through this was relieving in a way that she hadn’t predicted. “Thank you, Daisy. Truly.” She reached out to catch her free hand, giving it a grateful squeeze.

Daisy grinned in response, teasing, “I hope this officially puts me in the running for godmother, then.”

Laughing in surprise, Jemma dropped Daisy’s hand to lightly elbow her in the ribs, instead pointing out, “We should get inside – they’re probably waiting on us.”

As she then continued up the driveway, Daisy called while she hurried to catch up with her, “Will you at least think about it?”

In response, Jemma simply rolled her eyes fondly, a little smile ticking her lips up at the corners. She climbed up the porch steps, knocking once on the front door before opening it and stepping into the flat, calling, “We’re finally here, sorry!”

Bobbi, Jemma’s university roommate and longtime friend, appeared after a moment, carrying a tray of chips and salsa from the kitchen to the living room, her eyebrows raised as she teased, “Jemma Simmons, late? I never thought that I’d see it with my own two eyes.”

“Oh, be quiet,” Jemma shot back lightly.

Behind her, she heard Daisy mutter, “It’s more likely than you think,” as she shut the door.

Narrowing her eyes, Jemma reached back to smack Daisy’s arm for the comment, glancing over her shoulder when Bobbi wasn’t looking to show her that she wasn’t amused, but Daisy just shrugged unrepentantly in response.

They both followed Bobbi into the living room then, where Elena was already sprawled on the couch, sipping a beer. Initially, Jemma and Daisy had gotten to know Elena because she went to the same gym that they did, just down the street from their flat. But, when Daisy had set her and their friend Mack up on a blind date and they’d had an instant connection, she’d cemented herself as a part of their group of friends, and now they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Hey, finally,” Elena greeted them, smirking as she lifted her beer bottle in a little salute.

In retaliation for the comment, Daisy playfully shoved Elena over until she’d moved enough to make room for both her and Jemma on the couch, Bobbi dropping down into the arm chair across from them.

This was the first girls’ night that they’d had in some time, everyone’s busy schedules finally synching up to allow them to carve out some time for it, so they spent a bit just catching up, talking about work and relationships. Elena informed them about how things had been with Mack lately (they’d just started talking about moving in together), and Bobbi confessed (much to their displeasure) that she and her ex (who was also a friend of theirs), Hunter, were back together again – for the fifth time.

“This is the time it’s going to stick!” Bobbi insisted over the sound of their playful booing. “Or, well, I might just kill him – but, either way, this time will be different.”

From the silence of the others, Jemma had to assume that neither Daisy or Elena believed it anymore than she did, but by silent agreement they kept their opinions to themselves; Bobbi was allowed to make her own decisions, even if they were bad ones, and they’d support them – and, of course, be there when it all inevitably crashed and burned.

“Hey,” Elena said suddenly, leaning around Daisy to speak to Jemma, “how was your trip to see that old friend of yours?”

Startled, Jemma asked her, “How did you know about that?”

“Oh, I may have mentioned it to her while you were gone,” Daisy admitted, shrugging apologetically, but Jemma quickly waved it off to show that she wasn’t upset with her.

“Old friend?” Bobbi repeated, arching her eyebrow curiously. “Is this the mysterious ‘Fitz’ that you’ve been talking about ever since college, but that in ten years I’ve never met?”

“Yes, it is,” Jemma replied simply. She played with her hands in her lap briefly, laughing awkwardly as she lifted her left hand and wordlessly displayed her engagement ring.

Bobbi literally spit out her mouthful of beer, and Elena’s eyes grew wide as she muttered under her breath, “Oh my god.”

“I know, right?” Daisy interjected, nodding rapidly in agreement with their shocked reactions.

“What happened?” Bobbi asked, shaking her head in complete disbelief as she absently dabbed at her lap, where a few droplets of beer had ended up landing. “You never said that you and Fitz were together!”

“We weren’t,” Jemma confessed.

Before she could elaborate on that, though, Bobbi held up a hand and said firmly, “Okay, we are definitely going to need something stronger if we’re going to talk about this.” She stood and left the room briefly, coming back with a pitcher of margaritas and four glasses.

She poured each of them one, and though Jemma accepted hers, she then set it down on the coffee table in front of her and apologized, “I’m sorry, Bobbi, but I can’t…I shouldn’t be drinking.”

Bobbi stared down at her blankly for a moment, then asked sharply, “Jemma Anne Simmons, are you pregnant?”

In response, Jemma just smiled weakly and shrugged. It wasn’t how she’d planned on telling her friends about the baby (not by a long shot), but nothing that had happened since she’d taken her trip to see Fitz had gone the way that she’d planned, so she figured that she should try just going along with it.

There was a beat of tense, heavy silence, then Bobbi plopped back down in her seat, took a drink of her margarita, and told her, “Alright, I’m ready now; tell us everything.”

A handful of nights later found Jemma perched on her bed, surrounded by every single book that she could find on pregnancy and babies at the local bookstore. She was waiting on a call from Fitz, but had figured that she could use this bit of free time to get started on reading through them. Already, she had several marked pages, and had a growing list of things to look further into, as well as another list of everything that she was going to have to do before the baby came – in her opinion, it was never too early to start preparing.

She was in the middle of a chapter on labor when her laptop screen lit up with an incoming call from Fitz, so she flipped the book over, making sure to keep it open to right page, before tugging her laptop closer and answering it.

“Hey,” he greeted warmly the moment that the call connected, and simply from the expression on his face, Jemma knew that he was just as happy to see her as she was to see him; they hadn’t had a chance to talk for several days by then, what with both of their work schedules making it difficult to find time for it.

“Hi Fitz,” she replied softly, her lips automatically curving into a smile.

“You look tired,” he commented, his brow furrowing a bit in concern.

Jemma shrugged one shoulder, agreeing easily, “I’m sure I do; I’m exhausted more often than not these days. Which is normal for the first trimester of pregnancy, of course. Oh!” Turning away briefly, she reached over to grab something off of her bedside table, explaining to Fitz, “I went to see my doctor earlier this week, and I had my first ultrasound to confirm my due date.” With that, she held the little square photograph up to the camera so that he could see, pointing to the little white blob toward the middle of it. “That’s the baby right there.”

Fitz leaned in closer to his screen, awe filling his expression as he gazed at it, whispering, “Wow, that’s…that’s…” He didn’t seem to have the words to finish that sentence, and ended up just slowly shaking his head instead.

Jemma understood, though. “I know,” she murmured, her own voice slightly breathless with her own lingering awe over the reminder that their child was growing inside of her at that moment.

He blinked and gave a short shake of his head, as if forcing himself to focus on her rather than the picture, asking curiously, “When’s your due date, then?”

“February 5th,” she answered, lowering the ultrasound photo from the camera and carefully placing it on the bed beside her.

“Good, that’s good – I’ll be back by then, if all goes to plan up here,” Fitz replied, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Good,” Jemma agreed with a nod, unable to imagine not having Fitz there with her when she gave birth.

He was quiet a moment, then told her, “Hey, I finally had a chat with my mum yesterday, and I told her everything.”

“Everything?” she repeated in surprise, her eyebrows arching on her forehead.

Fitz’s brow furrowed in confusion as he answered, “Yeah, everything. Why?”

“I haven’t even worked up to telling my parents about the pregnancy yet,” Jemma confessed, “and they already knew about our impromptu engagement. How…did she take it, then?”

He gave a little shrug as he responded, “Well, she was surprised, of course. Told me that she couldn’t believe that I would propose to a girl that I hadn’t seen in ten years and then up and leave for space – all while leaving that poor girl pregnant and alone. You know, she gave me the old ‘I raised you better than that’ spiel.” Rubbing at the back of his neck and chuckling a bit, he added, “I definitely came off looking a lot worse in her eyes, but I’m not surprised – when you put it like that, after all, it doesn’t sound all that great.”

Despite his words, Jemma couldn’t help but still feel a bit anxious, so she pressed, “But, she was okay that it was…me? She was okay with everything?”

Fitz gave her a look, as though she was being utterly ridiculous or something. “Of course she was; Jemma, I told you, she’s loved you like a daughter since we were kids. Truthfully, she’s thrilled that you’re officially becoming a part of the family, and was even on me about not asking you to marry me sooner. Y’know, since it was ‘so obvious’ that we were meant to be together – her words, not mine.”

Jemma felt a rush of relief at the confirmation; she absolutley loved Fitz’s mother, who had been like a second mother to her when they were growing up, and she couldn’t even imagine upsetting her with something like this, especially to the point where she didn’t approve of or like Jemma anymore.

She supposed, though, that those fears were a bit preposterous to begin with, especially when she knew how much Mrs. Fitz loved her, but she hadn’t been able to help but worry (perhaps, she thought to herself, it was the fact that her hormones were all out-of-whack that had caused her overreaction).

To Fitz, she said simply, “Good, I’m glad.” Then, just to make completely sure, she asked, “And, she’s…alright with the baby?”

Giving her a bit of a look, Fitz reminded her, “We’re not teenagers, Jemma, we’re adults – I don’t need my mum’s approval to have a kid.” But, when she just arched an eyebrow at him, he sighed and assured her, “Yeah, of course she’s okay with that too. In fact, I believe the words ‘my first grandbaby’ were used at one point in the conversation. You’ll no doubt be receiving a bunch of phone calls with tips on child-rearing from her, and knitted baby blankets and hats in the post every other week or so.”

The obvious affection behind the gestures that were just so patently Mrs. Fitz had Jemma smiling, even though she knew that Fitz was teasing – she’d always loved how warm and nurturing his mother was. Not that her own mother wasn’t, of course, there was just a marked different between them, one that Jemma had never been able to quite put her finger on. And, well, there had always been something about the Fitz family home that had been so welcoming to her growing up.

“Well, I’ll look forward to them.”

“You say that now…” Fitz muttered, but Jemma chose to ignore it.

Instead, she changed the subject, telling him, “You’ll never guess how some of my friends found out that I was pregnant.”

Animatedly, she began telling him the story of girls’ night (which had, inevitably, reached both Hunter and Mack by the end of the night, and she’d woken up to a concerned phone call from the latter and a text saying simply ‘you got knocked up??’ from the former the following morning). He was surprised at all the right moments, laughing along with her by the end, and Jemma’s heart was absolutely filled to the brim with love for him.

For what felt like the hundredth time in the past couple of weeks, she found herself wondering how she had ever gone so long without him (though, truthfully, she’d spent quite a bit of time talking about him during that period, enough that it sometimes felt as though he really was there), but now she was secure in the knowledge that he wasn’t going anywhere – except space, obviously – and that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, with their own little family. And, honestly, she had never been happier.

Sure, things were a bit of a jumbled mess right now as she tried to figure out what step to take next and how to properly fill the next nine months so that she was ready for the baby when it came, but just then, none of that was pressing.

Instead, Jemma focused on Fitz, who was gazing back at her with the same overwhelming amount of love in his eyes that she was sure was written on her own face; that was all that truly mattered in that moment.

#shayna writes #fsfic #fitzsimmons #these stars will guide us home #astronaut au #chapter three #baby fic #pregnancy #wow i can't believe #i already broke my promise #to keep this around 5 chapters #there's no way this is going to be 5 chapters #fyi #i don't know how to write anything short #yikes @ me

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