#wearing a big sign around my neck that says Ask Me About My Thesis

[meteorherd]

mentioning the word thesis made me think about my own social psychology thesis ANYWAYS i'm like actually settled on a thesis now i'm investigating how intergenerational conflict and cultural assimilation affect asian american relationships with mental health care. if you wanna get really technical and stuff, i'm using present and future orientation of consequences as a cultural moderating factor but i am too tired to explain all of that right now it's just gonna be really cool trust me ok????

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Title: Eyes on you

Pairing: Shaw x You

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 2,901

A/N: You (Y/N) are not the MC in MLQC. This is a plunny that's been bugging me for quite a while, I had to write it. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own MLQC or its characters, but I do own the concept of this fic.

There were a few mysteries in this world that the esteemed Archeology Graduate Professors at Loveland University can't explain - for instance, the formation of the Stonehenge, the exact location of the lost city of Atlantis, the origin of the Nazca lines… and your presence at the Metro Art Gala dressed to the nines, positively gleaming as you strode arm in arm with your classmate and Thesis partner Shaw, who seemed like the perfect gentleman that evening. Thanks to your work at the Loveland Museum, you scored two invites to the gala featuring the recently discovered works of a well-known artist - an event any Archeology fanatic wouldn't let pass. The two of you walked along with LFG's Exhibition Hall, pausing occasionally to admire one of the recently discovered sculptures by the Renaissance artist D'Romani. As you both looked at the intricacies of the artwork in front of you, your charming companion would lean in slightly and whisper something in your ear, causing you to roll your eyes or stifle a giggle. 

To the guests in the prestigious gala, the two of you looked like two young people at the cusp of falling in love, but the members of the Faculty of the Graduate School of Archeology saw it differently - this was a real-life mystery if they'd seen one. 

As your eyes swiftly swept through the entire room, you could see that your professors only had one question in mind - how'd this happen? How did two people as different as day and night, who argued with each other throughout Graduate studies, end up amiably enjoying each other's company tonight? 

You drew a sharp breath and sighed. The answer was simple: Your Thesis defense was right around the corner. You needed him to cooperate, you were willing to go to great lengths to make it happen. And your Thesis partner (unfortunately) was ready to take full advantage of the situation. 

***

"Tell me why we're doing this again, " you said through the door that separated you and your date, as you were putting on the dress you bought (or invested on, as he casually stated) for tonight's gala, which he insisted on attending with you. It was six in the evening on a Friday, and you had just arrived home after cramming your workload at the Loveland Museum and foregoing your meal breaks just so you could leave work at exactly five-thirty. 

"I already told you a couple of times - you want me to cooperate with you so you can pass our Thesis, and I need a reason to be around her," the purple-haired man waiting at the other side of your bedroom door called out nonchalantly. "You can drop your fantasy about me asking you out because I'm attracted to you."

You hissed silently at his snarky remark and counted to ten. You haven't even left your apartment yet you already wanted this night to be over. "How do you even know she's gonna be there?"

She - the Miracle Finder Producer, the object of your Thesis Partner's fantasies, and as fate would have it, his brother's girlfriend. 

"They're doing a show featuring our Thesis adviser. Didn't he tell us about it during our last consultation?" He asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"I wasn't listening," you shot back, as you took off your ponytail and started styling your hair with your curling iron. You chose a one-shoulder fitted black dress that stops right above your knees, so you thought of wearing your hair down for a change. 

"Ah, yes. You were too busy looking at your notes, trying to prove me wrong as always."

You closed your eyes, as you continued to make big beach waves and prayed to the gods you wouldn't commit murder tonight. 

"How much longer are you gonna take?"

"Excited much?" You asked, smirking while you now removed your glasses and put on your contacts. "You sound like a teenager excited to see his crush in a school fair!"

"Don't compare me to you!" 

"I don't have designs on anyone in the party," you called back. "Unless your brother's attending the event, that is. From what you've been telling me, he seems like a great guy."

Silence. You arched an eyebrow as you strained your ear to listen for any sign of life outside your bedroom door. What must your grunge-rock skater boy-turned-date-for-the-evening be thinking? 

"Do you want to pass our Thesis or not?"

You struck a victory pose at his remark. Finally, one point - you, Shaw - about twenty. 

"Are you done yet? This suit is really uncomfortable. Damn, why do people even wear these?"

"Because they're decent?" You shot back. "You know, you can always go home if you're not comfortable in your attire because when we get there, you need to act decent, too. Can't have your usual swagger in a formal affair."

"Just hurry it up already!"

You rolled your eyes as you applied your nude-colored lipstick to finish off your look before putting on your black stilettos, and stuffing your phone, wallet, and your makeup in your purse. 

"All done," you replied, as you finally emerged from your room. 

***

A part of you wished that the dynamics between you and Shaw were different. While he was a pain in the neck, and too carefree for his own good, you also thought he made for a good intellectual sparring partner, quite attractive, and it was hard to deny that he's got your heart beating double-time whenever he got too close for comfort like he was at that very moment. 

"My, you two kids seem to be having fun tonight."

You gasped, at the sound of the voice behind you, and you felt your date nudge you ever-so-subtly while straightening.

"Hey, Professor Adler," he said in his usual unruffled tone, his lips stretched into a smirk as he held his hand out to your Anthropology professor and Thesis adviser, who watched you both amusedly. His gesture made your eyes shot wide open, you thought they'd fall right off. Shaw shaking someone's hand? That's one for the books. 

"Shaw. Fancy seeing you here," the stout middle-aged man greeted while shaking your date's hand. "This isn't your usual scene though."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't exactly turn a pretty lady down, can I?" 

"I can see that," your professor said as he looked at you appraisingly. "Well, well, you clean up well, Miss (y/n)."

You fought the urge to squirm at the older man's words when you heard your date cluck his cheeks with his tongue and suddenly felt his arm around your shoulders, pressing you protectively close to his side. 

***

"All done!" You happily announced as you stepped into the living room of your small apartment where your date was impatiently waiting for you. 

You could've sworn he was stunned for a second or two before he shook his head and tried to regain his usual impassive expression. Finally, he stood and walked closer to assess you better. 

"You're not wearing your glasses. I thought you said you're practically blind without them?" 

You cocked your head to one side. Out of all the things he could've complimented or called out, that's the first thing he noticed? 

"Wouldn't it look awkward if I wore glasses to a formal event?"

"Your hair is all curly," he continued as if you didn't say anything. "And your shoes are so tall, won't you trip? Also, surely you have a jacket to go with that dress, right?" 

You stared at him in disbelief. Why did this carefree, bass-playing skater boy turn into your dad all of a sudden? 

"Uh…"

"Well, at least you're not wearing red lipstick. You don't have to try too hard to look sexy. Geez! I've got plans of my own this evening, so don't expect me to be your bodyguard," he continued to mumble as he circled around you. Before long, you felt something warm and heavy on your shoulder. His coat?

"It's just until we get to the venue," he shrugged as he led you to the car he borrowed for tonight. "I don't want people seeing you freeze to death."

You sighed, your shoulders slumped as you followed your date to the car. You already expected he wouldn't throw you a compliment for looking like a proper human tonight, and you cursed yourself for feeling gutted over it anyway. 

 ***

"So, which one of these sculptures did you like best, Professor?" You sighed in relief as Shaw changed the subject, his arm still wrapped around you, making you blush furiously. 

"Oh, I have to say I liked Eros and Psyche best. In case you haven't seen it yet, it's located a little further down the hall near the bar area," the older man was starting to explain when someone tapped his shoulder from behind. 

"Excuse me, Professor Adler," a gentle voice called out, making both the professor and Shaw jump. From behind the old man, a pretty petite with brown hair and big brown eyes, and the biggest smile on her face stepped up. "My name is MC from Miracle Finder."

Almost immediately, Shaw withdrew his arm around you, almost causing you to stagger backward. He straightened up and feigned disinterest. 

"Hey. It's a little rude how you stepped in while I was talking to the Professor," he said, his tone teasing. 

"Oh, I didn't notice you here. Do you mind if I talk to your Professor? We've invited him for an interview about the exhibit," the girl said sweetly. 

Based on how unconsciously coy she acted around Shaw, and the way he kept egging her, there was no doubt that this was the girl he was crushing on. You felt like the odd person out all of a sudden and needed to step away. 

You backed away slowly, careful not to rouse their attention because it would probably suck if you knew how Shaw would introduce you to his little crush. As soon as you were in a safe distance, you turned and walked aimlessly down the hall, pausing briefly at paintings or sculptures that caught your fancy, looking at its intricacies as you did so earlier. But somehow, it wasn't as fun as it was before, so you moved on quickly, to give way to the other guests who also wanted to view the artwork.

Finally, you came upon the bar and decided to rest your tired feet at the far corner, hidden from the rest of the world. Sighing, you slipped your feet off your stilettos and quietly watched as the guests around you - mostly couples - happily chatting away as they enjoyed the beauty of the art around them and the wonderful music that filled the air. You knew somewhere in the crowd, your date was fawning over his lady love, probably getting in the way of her filming your professor. 

Tch. 

You knew he liked her - he always told you he did. And why wouldn't he? MC was pretty, seemingly sweet, and dainty - the kind of girl any guy would like to protect. And you. You were the opposite. You lived for your work, were 'one of the boys', and didn't need anyone to protect you - that's just how you were - and now you started to realize that maybe guys don't exactly like that. At least not Shaw. 

Wait, what were you thinking? You scolded yourself as you shook your head. Why were you even thinking of what he liked when you don't even like him to start with. Or did you? 

"Ugh. What the hell is wrong with me?" You groaned when a cold bottle of beer and a frozen glass was placed in front of you. 

"I was gonna ask you that myself." 

You straightened up in your seat and shot a look at the guy seated beside you. Dressed in a nice grey suit, he smiled as he raised his beer bottle in front of you. 

"You look like you needed a drink. I hope the beer is okay. They don't have fruit beer or soda," he said calmly, his amber-colored eyes never leaving yours. 

"Y-yeah. Beer is perfect," you replied while pouring the amber liquid into the glass. "Thanks," you muttered before raising the glass to your lips to gulp down some liquid courage. 

"I saw you with Shaw earlier -"

The name on his lips drove you to a coughing fit, as you choked on your drink. "Sorry, " you mumbled in between coughs. 

"No, I'm sorry," the brown-haired guy said, as he cautiously and politely patted your back. "I didn't mean to bring that up. I was just curious."

"It's fine," you replied when you finally regained your composure. "Yes, we're just classmates in Grad school who decided to check this exhibit out for the heck of it."

"Classmates, huh?"

"Yeah, that's what we are," you said, taking a sip off your glass. "Grad school classmates."

"Are you telling me or telling yourself?"

You looked up and saw him smiling. There was something about Dreamy McHandsome who was seated beside you that felt so familiar yet different at the same time, but you couldn't point a finger at what it was exactly. 

"We're classmates, and we're working on our thesis together. But we're not friends - far from it even. We hate each other's guts."

"Can't blame you for doing so," he shrugged as he drank his beer. 

"Yeah. He dragged me here so he can get with someone he's been crushing on for so long," you rambled on, frowning. 

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"The Miracle Finder Producer. You know, the pretty girl in a blue top and white skirt. He's been going on and on about her for weeks…"

"You mean my girlfriend?" 

His girlfriend. You choked on your drink once again. "Y-y-your girlfriend? You mean to say…" You gasped. Has the beer made you stupid? You've barely drunk half of it, you thought as you fought to regain your dignity. This was Shaw's brother you were talking to - and boy, we're they blessed with good genes…

… And the same social awkwardness, you noticed, judging by how he kept his hand at your back, but not exactly touching it, as if trying to assess if he had to pat you or not. 

When you finally calmed down, he cleared his throat and gave you a small smile. "Don't worry. She talks to me about their conversations. I know what that guy is playing at, and I most definitely know he's not after my girl," he said, his voice broke no room for doubt. "My name is Gavin..."

"Yeah, I know…"

"You - what?"

"Oh," you said, tapping on your glass nervously. "Shaw kinda mentioned it in passing before."

"I see."

"So, what were you saying earlier about Shaw?"

"Oh. From what my girlfriend tells me, he's got his sights set on…"

"Ahem," you heard someone say loud enough for you and Gavin to turn your heads around. And there, standing behind you, was an angry-looking Shaw. You sat up, your gaze shifting between the two brothers as the air started to thicken with tension. "I talk to someone for a minute and the next thing I knew, my date walks out on me and right into the one person I'd hate for her to meet."

"Well, if you were just honest with her as with a lot of other things in your life, maybe she wouldn't have left your side earlier," Gavin retorted flippantly. "Is she finally done with filming?"

Shaw simply grunted in reply as he watched his older brother finish his bottle of beer and stand. "Well, Miss, there's a lot I've heard about you. Seems somebody couldn't stop talking about you, but I'll leave it at that." 

With a wink and a mischievous smile upon his face, the brown-haired guy sauntered off to look for his better half, as you and Shaw watched in awkward silence. 

He cleared his throat and glanced at you. "Hey."

"Hey," you replied, shakily. 

"So, about what that jerk said -"

"Yes?" You asked, feeling your heart hammer against your chest by the second.

"Whatever he said is not true," he said dismissively, as he took his coat off and draped it over your shoulders. "I told you before, I don't find you the least bit attractive."

You felt tears starting to sting your eyes, as he continued with his harsh commentary. "You're tough, highly opinionated, and you always want to come out on top. I don't find those attractive at all," he said. "I prefer a damsel in distress. I want someone clingy… someone, needy."

"I know that -"

"Oh do you?" He teased, his amber eyes twinkling. "You seem to know a lot about me."

"We've been working together for months now," you said. "Of course, I'd know more about you."

"I see," he said, as he took a step closer to you and touched your cheek, rubbing the stray tear that had managed to slip down the side of your face. "So, you must know I'm also a good liar. After all, I've kept all these feelings to myself for quite some time."

He snickered when he saw your frown deepen and he bent down just as he had done so earlier, to whisper. "I made you think I liked someone else when in fact," his low voice made you shiver. "I've always eyes for you."

The End.

[buckyownsmylife]

t r e a c h e r o u s - chapter iii

for general warnings, author’s notes and disclaimer, please go to the fic’s masterlist

if you’re interested, you can join my taglist

A/N for this chapter: we’re in the smut, finally! From this chapter until the end, it’s just a sucession of smut smut and smut, pwp really. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Chris’ P.O.V.

“What are the rules?” I asked Sebastian, my gaze fixed on the sinful woman sitting on the bed before me. I had never felt this attraction to Y/N before. Sure, I knew she was hot and desired by men worldwide, but having met her when she already was with Sebastian, I never really allowed myself to pay much attention to her, choosing to focus on the fact that she was so young, instead. 

She was forbidden territory. That should have been enough to keep my wandering thoughts away. But everything had changed since Sebastian came to me for advice. Since that day, I had found myself wondering how he could ignore her allure, not feeling in the slightest the sexual grip his girl had. It had been so hard for me to ignore it and there he was, completely oblivious to it. 

After our talk in the bar, I finally allowed myself to think of her that way. And that very same night, I dreamt of her. I had her spread out on my bed, under me, and I pounded her like the dirty little whore I finally allowed myself to imagine she was. I mean, I had heard her songs. I saw the way she moved on stage. There was no way that girl didn’t like to be fucked hard and the fact that she had begged Sebastian to relent and try anything necessary to give her what she needed was only proving my thesis.

And by God did she look the part. Her breasts were spilling out from the top of the little black lace lingerie she had chosen to wear and despite the fact that she looked at me with the most innocent doe eyes I had ever seen, I couldn’t ignore the image I had briefly caught of her ass on the tiny excuse of a panties she had put on. 

I licked my lips, eager to finally get my hands on her.

“I don’t know. Whatever, man.” Sebastian interrupted my train of thought and I had to think for a few seconds to realize that he was answering my question. I’d forgotten I’d even asked it in the first place. “I trust you. You do whatever you feel like it’s appropriate, whatever she agrees you can do. I think it’s the only way for this to work.” And with that, he found a spot in one of the chairs in one corner of the room, crossing his ankle over the knee and settling his piercing gaze on us. 

Turning my attention back to the woman waiting for me, I noticed she shivered as I approached her on the bed. Cautiously, I let my fingers caress the skin of her arm all the way to her jaw, smiling to myself as goosebumps raised on the path I had traced, loving the way she rested her head on my open palm as I took her face in my hand.

“You okay there, princess?” I asked, my face mere inches apart from her as I searched her eyes for any signs of hesitance there. I couldn’t find any, only a lust so powerful that almost took my breath away.

“I’m okay,” she whispered, her eyes never travelling away from mine. Her breathing was coming out from her lips in short pants, and I absentmindedly realized she must have been really desiring me for her body to be reacting that way.

I forced myself to be reasonable, remembering she hadn’t had anyone touch her in a sexual manner since before she started dating Sebastian. This didn’t mean she had any special feelings towards me, one of her closest friends, only that she really needed to get laid.

“I’m going to kiss you now, okay?” I asked, briefly glancing at Sebastian, almost waiting for him to jump up and stop this, at least to say that it was a far too personal move, but nothing. He truly was about to let me do whatever I wanted to his girl, I realized. 

Oh well. I wasn’t about to lose this opportunity. Sitting down by her side, I carefully wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, feeling how tense her muscles were under my fingers. “Relax, babygirl,” I whispered, leaning into her and pulling her gently to me. 

I tried to ignore how electrified I felt the moment that our lips touched. Such a simple gesture, still so pure, and yet a carnal need I had never felt before suddenly arose from the depths of my being, urging me to swallow her whole. I separated from her for a bit, trying to catch my breath and control my emotions, but her concerned eyes made me remember what had brought me here. This was a girl who was struggling with her own self-esteem, thinking that there was something wrong with her for her boyfriend to not be able to fuck her, and by restraining myself, I was probably making her think that I wasn’t really interested in her.

So I let go of my carefully constructed control, pulling her to me once more, for a kiss that was all tongue and teeth and pure, unbound desire. I could think it was only from me, but the truth was that I felt her hands roaming my chest and the warmth that emanated from her was unbelievable. When we pulled away to catch our breaths, her pupils were dilated to the point I could barely see the color of her eyes.

So I kissed her once more, carefully laying her down on the mattress as I positioned myself between her legs. By now, I had completely forgotten about the man seated on the other side of the room, my best friend. I could only focus on the goddess in front of me, the way she tasted, how she felt underneath me. One of my fingers teased the edge of her bra, making her release the sweetest little breathless gasp as I slowly went to tease her nipple over the lace still covering it.

“Can I take this off?” After her nod, I did just so, briefly remembering Sebastian was watching us as I threw the undergarment his way. Luckly, he seemed to have thought that I had thrown it directly for him, and he caught it with a chuckle.

I tried to forget about his presence again. I thought it would be hard, but then her breasts came into view and my mind could only focus on her. I slowly rubbed her nipples with my thumbs, our eyes meeting as I silently asked if it was okay to continue. When she once again nodded, I didn’t hesitate to envelop her hardened bud with my mouth.

Y/N’s P.O.V.

It was hard not to moan at the simple sight of Chris trying not to smile at my instinctive reaction to chase his mouth by arching my back. That was something I never thought I’d get to see in my life. This was my boyfriend’s best friend, for God’s sake.

Still, Sebastian was the last thing in my mind as Chris swirled his tongue around my nipple, cautiously sucking it into his mouth. I wanted to scream. God, it had been so long. It felt so good to feel the touch of a man on my skin again. And the way Chris was touching me… It was like he really desired me. It wasn’t love, no, but I’d been frustrated for so long. This passion would serve just fine.

Chris continued with his kisses over my belly after he gave my other breast the same treatment he had given the first one. His kisses were wet, he tasted my skin as he went further down, until his lips danced just over my underwear. This time, he didn’t ask, opting simply to connect his eyes to mine and see if there was resistance before pulling it from my body and throwing it away. 

He returned his spot between my legs, but his face was now eye-level with my glistening pussy. I watched as he licked his lips, his attention now clearly fixated on the task at hand, and I tried not to shiver as he softly ran the palms of his big hands on the inside of my thighs.

The first lick was torture. He did it so carefully, only testing the waters, making sure to check my reaction. But the thing was, that simple touch was enough to awaken that part of me that I had put to sleep, in an effort to save my relationship with Seb. That one movement went straight to my brain and then I was nothing but a puddle of red hot passion, desperately in need to feel pleasure running through me.

And Chris noticed.

So he immediately latched onto my little nub and sucked, eventually going down to slurp on the wetness pouring out of my hole before coming back to languidly lap on my clit again. It didn’t take long for him to bring me to the edge, and when he noticed it by the way the muscles of my thighs quivered and I forcefully took a hold of his hair to keep him against my pussy, he pushed one finger into me and started thrusting, throwing me off the cliff of desire completely.

I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn’t scream his name.

Looking down, I noticed that Chris had been watching my reactions with a predatory glint in his eyes. It took my breath away. With one last kiss right over my clit, he started to climb up my body until he was hovering just over me once more.

“I wish I could take time with you,” he whispered before reaching for a condom I’d left on the bedside table. I didn’t have a lot of time to ponder about what he meant, because then he was pushing inside of me.

My mouth fell open at the feeling of him invading me. Once again, I’d never thought I would get to experience this. I held him tightly by the shoulders, terrified that he would second guess this moment and leave. Because at that second, I didn’t want to remember what it was like to live without him inside of me.

Chris kissed my cheek, my jaw, until he reached the crook of my neck while he waited for me to adjust to his size. Only when I tried to force him to move did he actually do so, but not without hiding his face against my skin, his hands finding mine and forcefully securing them against my head. 

It was a gesture far too personal for something that was supposed to be only sex.

His hips were the only thing moving, and I felt the way his mouth fell open against my skin as he started to thrust into me with all he had. I was being effectively fucked into the mattress where I was used to laying with my boyfriend, by someone who wasn’t my boyfriend.

Once again, it took everything in me not to moan Chris’ name out loud.

He fucked me so good, I was seeing stars behind my closed eyelids. And the only reason why I was keeping my eyes shut was because I was scared of meeting Chris’, scared of what I would find there and how it would make me feel. Of what it would bring out of me.

He might have thought the same, because he kept his head safely hidden in the crook of my neck, whispering my name so lightly it was impossible for Sebastian to hear over the sounds of Chris’ cock slipping in and out of my wet pussy. His horse voice was enough to bring me to that delicious edge again, and when he met me there, one of his hands came up to pull on my nipple while he bit on my shoulder to suffocate his own scream of release.

But he covered his teeth with his lip, mindful to not leave any marks on a body that didn’t belong to him. Still, that bit of pain was precisely what I needed to cum around him at the same time I felt him filling up the condom. Then we just stood there, catching our breaths for a moment, uncertain of how to behave around each other now, especially since Sebastian was watching.

Seb’s P.O.V.

One thing was sure, after that little show, I didn’t know if I was more horny or jealous, but the fact was: I was horny. And for the first time, I felt the pressing need to bury myself inside of my girlfriend.

“Chris…” I started, rising up from my seat. My friend immediately got out of the bed, struggling to look for his clothes. “You know where the bathroom is, right?” I continued, but my eyes were fixated on Y/N, who looked slightly out of breath, still spread out in bed. He didn’t say anything, but I assumed he nodded, and before long, it was just my girlfriend and I in our shared bedroom. “Baby.” I leaned down next to her, caressing her head to call her attention to me. “Do you think you can handle one more round?”

Her eyes grew big as she stared at me in surprise.

“You mean…?” Grinning, I nodded.

“Yeah.” She nodded slowly, her eyes traveling from mine to the bulge barely contained in my jeans. “I can handle one more round.”

“Let’s do it. I can’t wait to be inside of you.”

[bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher]

lip sync your way into my heart

( @thecomfortofoldstorries and I got into a fun head-cannon debate last night about Tik Tok POVs and this is what happened)

--- Jaskier has never really been in the loop when it comes to social media. He was behind the curve when he made his Tumblr and he was two years late to sign up for Twitter. It’s no surprise that he finally downloads Tik Tok and makes an account several months after it’s become a viral platform.

That also means all the good usernames are taken; Jaskier types in @buttercup-bard, sees that it’s available, and calls it a day. This isn’t an app he’s going to care about. It’s just to waste time during his forty minute commute to and from campus. 

Alas, he has ADHD...and this shit is addictive.

Especially, he hates to admit, the thirst-trap hotties who do weird, obscure, edgy POV videos. Jaskier knows they’re aimed primarily towards teen and young adult women but he’s a red-blooded Redanian gay. He’s horny. He can watch a few POV Tik Toks on the bus and thirst after pretty boys with big muscles...as a treat.

By Jaskier’s second week of classes he’s found a definite favorite Tik-Tokker (is that what they’re called? Or is it influencer? Jaskier doesn’t care). The guy is gorgeous. He has beautiful honey-gold eyes and long, silvery-white hair; which is appropriate since his handle is @whitehairdontcare. He makes a wide range of content, too. Perfect for Jaskier’s Concerta-focused tastes. There are some dances here and there and some Q&A videos, but for the most part he does POVs. 

Jask and his roommates, Essi and Priscilla, have spent many happy hours poring over Mr. White Hair’s account, watching and re-watching their favorites from his vast repertoire of content. Essi loves his weird, edgy-boi shit. Stuff with titles like “POV: I fight the bully who insulted your haircut” or “POV: you make a deal with the devil for true love”. Stuff that Jaskier would have been into when he still listened to My Chemical Romance on the regular (okay, he still does, but don’t tell Essie). 

Priscilla is a huge fan of Tik Tok dances. She follows every challenge and ranks her favorites, compiling them into a YouTube series that’s more for her self-gratification than anything else. Mr. White Hair is generally towards the top of her list whenever he deigns to follow a trend that doesn’t involve badly applied makeup blood smears. The guy clearly works out and the definition of his body (and the movements of said really hot body) make the dances look so much more fluid and fun. Jaskier and Priscilla clearly share a brain-cell when it comes to appreciating Mr. White Hair’s hotness.

Jaskier’s favorites, of course, are the cute little POVs that lie scattered between all the edgy ones. Stuff made for the softies of Tik Tok. Stuff made for boys like Jaskier. “POV: I fix your car for you” is the one he’s probably re-watched the most. Mr. White Hair is lying on his back beneath a jacked-up blue car, oil smeared in a few strategic places on his face, chest, and arms. At the very end of the Tik Tok he moves the wrench out of the way of his face completely and winks directly into the camera.

Jaskier hates to admit it, even to himself, but no matter how many times he’s watched that stupid twenty-give second video, that wink drops his heart straight down into his shoes and fills his stomach with butterflies.

---

“Hey do you guys carry fake blood here?” an almost terrifyingly deep voice asks from behind him. Jaskier twirls around on his heel, Retail Smile firmly in place, and loses his shit the moment he sets eyes on his latest customer.

It’s Mr. White Hair.

Here. In the middle of the aisle of the Party City where Jaskier works every weekend. He’s either going to throw up or pass out or both. 

He doesn’t though. Instead, the Demon Lord of Retail possesses his body momentarily and nods, “Right over this way!” He leads the insanely attractive influencer over to the year-round section of Halloween FX makeup and gestures towards the shelf filled with various fake blood capsules, bottles, and packets. 

“Thanks,” Mr. White hair smiles. Jaskier nods again, silent, and drifts back towards the counter in a daze. He’s the only one on shift right now (it is not a very busy Party City) and he knows that he can’t pass out on the dirty tile floor or he’ll get fired (and perhaps tetanus). He just needs to power through the next few minutes and then he can crouch next to the helium tank and freak the fuck out.

But not until Mr. White Hair is gone.

Just as Jaskier is re-learning how to breathe normally, the sexy internet star makes his way towards the counter with an armful of products and the retail worker loses it again. Thank god for the ability to compartmentalize.

“So, just these for you?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“No problem! I love your Tik Toks by the way,” Jaskier replies automatically. His eyes widen slightly. Why the fuck did I mention his Tik Toks!?

“Thanks,” the guy says and blushes. “I didn’t know they’d gotten so popular.”

“You have like two million followers?” Jaskier laughs. “I think that makes you pretty popular. Maybe even famous.”

“Oh yeah...right.” 

“Anyway, your total is going to be twenty-one fifty.”

Mr. White Hair pays and Jaskier bags all his fake blood, wondering the whole time exactly what kind of content he can look forward to seeing. More of Essi’s edgy shit, apparently. As he’s handing the plastic bag over the counter, Jaskier smiles and works up the courage to ask, “Is your hair naturally white? I don’t mean to pry, it’s just really pretty.”

Geralt’s face goes slightly pinker than before and he nods. “Yeah. Weird genetic thing. Thanks.”

“No problem. Right on,” Jaskier beams. “Well, it was nice meeting a famous person. Thanks for stopping in.”

“Thanks for helping me out,” the Tik Tokker replies. Jaskier watches him exit the store before ripping his phone from his pocket and dialing Essi. He needs to talk to her before he spirals into a giddy panic attack.

---

“Hey Jask have you seen that hot guy’s latest Tik Tok?” Priscilla asks, lounging across her futon like a queen. Jaskier looks up from his copy of The Collective History of Aedirnian Funeral Dirges and wrinkles his eyebrows in confusion.

“No, why?”

“You should go check your phone. I think you’ll be happily surprised.”

“Oh-kay,” Jaskier says, drawing out the ‘kay’ for as long as it takes him to get up from his seat on the floor and exit the room. He retrieves his phone from the charger in the kitchen and returns to Priscilla’s bedside. He opens his new favorite app and pulls up @whitehairdontcare’s page. There’s a new POV from earlier this morning and Jaskier taps on it. 

His eyes go round when he reads the caption: “POV: You’re the cute cashier at the Party City and I’m bad at flirting”. 

Mr. White Hair is staring into the camera with those beautifully golden eyes, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck with his hand while he lip syncs to whatever song is playing. He’s wearing a tight, navy blue v-neck and Jaskier can see the movement of every one of his ridiculously defined muscles as they flex. The silver wolf’s-head necklace Mr. White Hair always wears around his neck is in its usual place, dangling down between those perfect collarbones…

Jaskier takes a shaky breath and glances up at his friends, who are staring back at him with wide eyes. “It could be about anyone.”

“How many Party Cities do you think he went to yesterday?”

“I’m not going to get my hopes up,” Jaskier snorts. “He’s a social media influencer and I am one semester away from finishing my degree and my thesis. Why would he ever want to be with someone like me?”

Essi rolls her eyes and Jaskier goes back to his homework. 

---

Later that night, alone in his room, Jaskier plugs his earbuds into his phone and watches the Tik Tok over and over. He finds the song Geralt used and adds it to his Work Is Tough playlist, which he’s allowed to play over the loudspeakers at the store so long as he’s working a solo shift. 

He watches Mr. White Hair’s plush pink lips move around the words and dreams of kissing them someday, as far-fetched as that scenario is (because this video is definitely not for him, that’s impossible):

“My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me.

So won't you kill me, so I die happy.

My heart is yours to fill or burst, to break or bury,

or wear as jewelry; whichever you prefer.”

Fucking Dashboard Confessional. Of course. One of Jaskier’s favorite bands from his emo days in middle school. If this really was for Jaskier, if this really was a legitimate attempt at online flirtation by Mr. White Hair himself, it was working.

 Jaskier buries his head in his pillow and sighs. 

[carminecalico]

Eren X Armin “Fuck Away the Pain” Chapter 2

“Angel Among Humans”

The next morning leads to an interesting story to Eren's past.

This chapter uses the song “Somebody Out There” by A Rocket to the Moon

*also quick note.

My story is also on Ao3 the link is below I would love it if y’all showed it some love on there too

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28809192?view_full_work=true

Eren woke up groaning burying his face back into the pillows. "Reiner!" Eren waited for his roomate's response and when he got nothing, “Seriously Reiner? What the fu-" Eren finally sat up and rubbed his eyes before realizing this wasn't his room. He looked around the Ocean blue room and took in the decor. Various sized seashells covered the dresser and windowsill, by the window there was a hammock hanging from the ceiling. Looking above him he saw the strings of lights covering the ceiling. Eren smiled at the charm the room held before furrowing his eyebrows and rubbing his head, "What happened last night?" Just then Armin, just wearing sweatpants, walked in with two mugs in hand and everything came flooding back. His eyes widened as he looked down at himself and saw he was only in his boxers.

"We didn't do anything if that's what your little freakout's about." Armin chuckled, "You just came over to sleep. I guess you lost track of your roommate after the show. Coffee?" Armin sat down next to Eren on the bed before handing him one of the mugs. Eren smiled taking the coffee before leaning in and pressing his lips to Armin’s gently. Wrapping an arm around Eren’s neck Armin signed softly into the kiss. "Good morning to you too Eren." Armin said as they pulled away from the kiss. The two of them chuckled leaning their foreheads’ against each other's. They finish their coffees setting the mugs down on the nightstand. Eren grabs Armin by the waist pulling him onto his lap. Armin's face goes red as he wraps his arms around Eren’s neck.

"Kiss me.” Eren all but demands as he looks deep into Armin’s eyes. Armin leaned down pressing his lips against Eren’s sighing. Eren groans as he trails one of his hands up Armin's back pulling him closer. "I wouldn't be able to convince you to skip the library today would I?" Eren breathes out in between kisses. Armin giggles as he pulls back. "I'm taking that as a no?" Eren frowns and falls back on the bed.

"I'm already behind on my thesis, and you have yours to work on too!" Armin smiles as he pulls his hair back and puts it up in his signature messy bun. "You can come back over tonight if you'd like. But I need to get dressed." Armin leans down pressing a chaste kiss to Eren’s lips before getting up and walking over to his closet. "Do you need to go home and change?"

“What you don't like my look anymore?" Eren chuckles folding his hands behind his head, "Yea I need to get my laptop and everything too, I'd like to come back tonight if the offer’s there." He looks up at the lights, "I want to see these at night." Eren got up and started getting dressed in last nights’ outfit.

"Oh quiet, you know that's not what I meant." Armin walked out of the closet with a yawn. He had a white button-up on under a blue striped sweater, paired with faded blue skinny jeans. Armin walked over to his dresser and rummaged through one of the drawers for a pair of socks, "I just don't know how well a mesh crop top goes over at the library. I'd offer something of mine but I think you're a little too tall to fit." Grabbing a pair of navy blue socks to match his sweater he walked to the bed and sat down. He pulled on his socks and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. "I don't think Mikasa came home last night, hope she's okay." He went to his messages and shot Mikasa a text.

Eren chuckles, crawling on the bed behind Armin before kissing his head, "I think you just don't want others to see. I'm ready to go whenever you are blondie." Eren nuzzled his face into Armin’s neck, "I just hope Reiner doesn't embarrass me at my place. Please don't take anything he says seriously okay?" Eren wraps an arm around Armin’s waist feeling him nod. “You ready to go?" Eren asks as Armin finishes putting his black doc martens on.

"Yea let's get going to your place, I want to get a window seat at the library." Armin grabs his keys and school bag, slinging it over his shoulder. The door opens to reveal a disheveled looking Mikasa. She groans and drops her keys on the table. "Mikasa! You're okay! Where were you?! I was worried sick!" Armin rushes over to her and hugs her tightly. "You look like you got hit by a bus."

"Thanks Armin, that's so nice of you." Mikasa rolls her eyes as she rubs her head. "That bassist sure knows how to put them down and here I thought I had a-" Mikasa notices Eren walk out of Armin’s room and her eyes widen. "Oh my god, Armin! Are you feeling okay? You never go out and all of a sudden you bring a guy home?!?"She places her hand on his forehead as a mother would before being swatted away by Armin.

“Knock it off Mikasa, nothing even happened, he just slept over. But you must be perfectly fine seeing how you can still flip out over nothing. Eren c'mon let's go." Armin walks out the door and heads downstairs. Eren scratches the back of his neck before following after him. Armin grunts as he tosses his bag in the back seat of his car. "I love Mikasa but my god is she suffocating." He slams the car door shut and sighs.

Eren chuckles, "I think it's sweet she's so caring. Not everyone has a friend like that." Eren walks to the driver's door and opens it for Armin. Armin smiles at him walking over to his door going up on his toes pressing a kiss to Eren’s cheek. He gets in the car and fumbles with his keys as Eren walks to the passenger side. As Eren gets in, Armin starts the car and starts driving towards Eren’s apartment following the GPS's directions. Eren reaches over placing a hand on Armin’s thigh gently rubbing his thumb in little circles. Armin smiles and grabs his hand intertwining their fingers bringing their hands up to his lips. He presses his lips against the back of Eren’s hand. Eren blushes slightly and looks out the window.

~~~~

"Reiner please be dressed!" Eren called out as he opens the door to the apartment, he walked in with Armin in tow. Reiner rolls his eyes from the couch and stuck his middle finger up at Eren. "Oh thank god, for once you're decent. Reiner this is Armin, Armin this is my roommate Reiner he's kinda like my big brother." Armin and Reiner nod to each other before Reiner turns his attention back to the TV. "Good talk." Eren shakes his head grabbing Armin’s hand leading him to his room down the hall.

Armin looks around Eren’s room, the walls covered in band posters of Rock and Grunge bands Armin’s never heard of, the ceiling outlined with a color-changing light strip. One wall seemed dedicated to trippy posters that change colors with the lights and one corner by the bed had an acoustic guitar propped up on a stand. Even just looking at the two rooms all Armin could think is how different they are. Armin sat down on the bed while Eren slipped off his shirt. Armin stared pulling his lower lip between his teeth. He lets his eyes wander down Eren’s back before Eren walks to his closet and is out of view.

Eren walks back into view putting half his hair up in a ponytail. He's got a black button-up on with a white band t-shirt over it with black ripped jeans. He walked over to his vanity and opened his little box for his piercings. He changes out his eyebrow ring for an all-black one and put in his lip rings, one on each side of his lower lip. He quickly adjusted his skewed nose ring and grabbed a pair of socks from the drawer. He sat next to Armin who was just staring, "Like what you see love?" Eren winked at him before pressing his lips against Armin’s roughly. He ran his thumb along Armin’s cheek before pulling his socks on quickly and sliding on a pair of worn black vans. "Okay, I'm ready to go." Eren grabs his backpack then Armin’s hand and walks out of the apartment.

~~~~

"Oh perfect! There's still window seats open!" Armin drags Eren to the tables at the window and sets his stuff down on the table. He opens his laptop and rushes over to a section of books and grabs the few books he needs. Eren sat himself down at the table pulling his laptop out along with studio-grade headphones slipping them on his head leaving one ear free. Armin came back and set the books down and sat down himself. He went to start working on his thesis before pausing and looking over at Eren. "Hey, you never told me your major, or what your thesis is on."

"I'm a music major, big surprise, my thesis setup is probably a little different than yours. It’s for my composition class so basically, I'm composing a song. Though I'm struggling, they want it to tell a story." Eren leans back in his chair, scratching at the back of his neck, "Problem is,the topics we have to pick from I have no experience with." He looked over at Armin who was resting his head on his hand smiling gently. Eren looked down awkwardly and cleared his throat, “Heh, sorry I didn't mean to prattle on like that...." He looked back up at Armin smiling, "You're really easy to talk to, Blondie.”

"No I know you a little better now. Besides I guarantee my thesis will sound dull to you in comparison." Armin chuckled as Eren gestured for him to elaborate. "Well, I'm doing a thesis on Upper Ocean and Submesoscale Processes." Armin laughed lightly seeing Eren’s raise an eyebrow in confusion. "It’s interactions of ocean currents with other bodies of water, to put it simply. I'm an oceanography major after all remember?" Armin tucked one of the bits of hair that fell out of his bun behind his ear. “When you finish your song, will you show me? I'd love to hear it." He smiled as Eren nodded before he grabbed one of the books and opened it.

Eren taps his pencil on the table to the instrumental playing through his headphones, and his eyes drift to Armin. He fixes his gaze on Armin’s eyes, smiling at the faint glow behind them. He lets his eyes wander down Armin’s face as he rests his head on his free hand. His eyes catch on Armin’s lip he's chewing on in concentration before taking in the whole view; Armin flipping through pages of 3 different books while taking notes on his laptop, more strands of Armin’s hair having fallen from his bun now frame his face. Armin looks up catching Eren’s stare and his cheeks flush pink as he smiles. Eren felt his heart stop and skip a few beats seeing Armin as nothing short of an angel. "That doesn't look like you're getting any work done." Armin teased giggling lightly before turning back to his book with a small smile.

Eren dragged a hand down his face as a sole thought makes its way to the front of his mind. He scrolls through his recorded instrumentals settling on a simple light sound and putting it on loop. Eren pulls the assignment up on his laptop and stares at one of the possible prompts intently. 'A longing love story’ Eren‘s face drops and he grabs his lyric notebook and titles the new song, ‘Somebody Out There’

"Oh hi Professor Ackerman, what brings you to the library on a weekend?" Armin asks his head slightly tilted to the side. Eren's eyes shoot open before he brings a hand to his forehead to try and hide his face.

"Armin please you can call me Levi, Professor sounds old." Levi says dryly with a stack of books under one arm. His eyes shift to Eren and one of his eyebrows flicks up before he rolls his eyes. "Believe it or not I still enjoy coming to the library to read. Working on your thesis?" Levi asks causing Armin to nod. Levi lets out a sigh. "I can tell it's you Eren. Glad to see you're doing well." He deadpans as Eren lowers his hand shifting his gaze to the table. Armin's eyes shift between the two confused. "Well, I'll quit intruding on your guys’ little study date. Armin, I'll see you in class Tuesday." Levi saunters off to a far corner.

Armin looks at Eren seeing his unease and deciding it not be the best time to ask. "Hey, I'm getting kinda hungry, wanna take a break and go grab some food?" Eren nods silently and puts away his things. Armin takes his books to the shelf he found them on and walks over to Eren, ”You don't have to tell me but are you okay?" He asks cautiously as he places a hand on Eren’s shoulder. Eren places his hand on Armin‘s letting out a sigh and nodding. He stands up as he gently pushes Armin’s hand off his shoulder.

"What do you wanna eat? It's my treat." Eren asks as he walks to Armin grabbing his hand. Eren frowns seeing Armin’s distressed look before sighing. "Levi's my ex-fling, we ended things a few weeks ago. That's all Blondie." Eren groans seeing that the distressed look didn't leave Armin's face. "You know what I'll just go." Eren throws his bag on his shoulder and rushes out of the library before Armin can say anything.

~~~~~

That Thursday Armin let Historia talk him into getting coffee with her and Ymir. Ymir rests her head on her hand frowning at Armin. "I can't believe Eren’s still keeping out of touch with you. He was so smitten with you the night we all met." Armin shrugged running his thumb along the brim of his mug. "I get his ex showing up makes things awkward but still." Ymir lifts her head up as an idea pops into her head. "Why don't you come to his performance? Part of our grade is performing our originals and he's performing tomorrow. I can sneak you in and you can talk to him after, I mean he'll be pissed at me but at least you might be able to talk it out."

"You know what? Yeah, besides he owes me lunch." Armin chuckles before sipping his hot cocoa. He smiled watching Historia’s eyes light up while she talked with Ymir. "Hey did he tell you what his song was about? I never had a chance to ask." Armin asked to which Ymir shook her head.

"Guess we're both in for a surprise."

~~~~

Armin’s sat on the ground in front of Mikasa who's braiding his bangs and pinning them along the side of his head while they wait for Ymir to get Armin. He's got on an emerald green t-shirt under a black cardigan with a pair of black chino pants. Armin slips on a pair of black Chelsea boots and checks the time. ‘She should be here.’ Just as he finishes his thought he hears a loud knock come from the door. Armin grabs his messenger bag and walks to the door. He waves to Mikasa before opening the door and leaves the apartment with Ymir. They sneak into the classroom and sit in the middle of the classroom.

~~~~

"Eren! Wake up!" Reiner throws a water bottle at Eren to wake him up. "You've got your thesis performance today!" Eren groans raising an arm to flip off Reiner before sitting up. "I'll make some coffee. Good luck today bro.” Reiner leaves the room to make Eren some coffee. Eren signs as he gets up and walks to his closet. He grabs a random grey sweater and a pair of black jeans with holes in the knees before quickly getting dressed. He threw on a black beanie,a pair of black socks, and his worn-out black vans. He grabbed his backpack and guitar case leaving his room to be greeted with a travel mug of coffee. He mumbles out a 'thanks' before taking the coffee and heads out the door.

Eren quietly drinks his coffee on the bus with his earbuds in, his current obsession being 'You Me At Six'. His mind wanders to Armin and he frowns as he looks out the window. 'He's too good for me.' is the main thought that takes over his brain when he thinks of the precious blonde. He finishes his coffee and tucks the mug in his bag as he tries focusing on the music blasting in his ears. But, a certain blonde has taken residence in the forefront of Eren’s brain. Resting his head against the window Eren becomes plagued with the sound of Armin’s laugh and the way Armin looked at him as they pulled away from a kiss. He lets out a frustrated sigh, 'I hope he doesn't resent me for Saturday, I just would've hurt him eventually. I always hurt them no matter what I do...’ He gets off the bus at his school and makes his way to his classroom with his head down. He sits down near the front and rests his head on his hand taking out one of his earbuds.

"Today we will be finishing the performances and out of the remaining students who have to go looks like only one is here. Looks like it'll be a short class today so Yeager you're up."

Eren grabs his guitar out of his case and makes his way to the front of the class. He sits in the chair and quickly double-checks the tuning on his guitar. He takes a deep breath before he starts playing looking down at his hands. "You deserve someone who listens to you, hears every word, and knows what to do. When you're feeling hopeless lost and confused, there's somebody out there who will."

Eren looks up with his eyes closed and a small frown on his face. “You need a man who holds you for hours, make your friends jealous when he brings you flowers. And laughs when he says they don't have love like ours, there‘s somebody out there who will.” Eren opens his eyes as he looks around the classroom. His eyes meet Armin’s and his heart skips a beat, keeping eye contact with Armin he continues singing “There's somebody out there who's looking for you, someday he'll find you, I swear that its true.” Eren’s eyes tear up as he sings the next line. "He's gonna kiss you and you'll feel the world stand still, there's somebody out there who will."

Armin’s eyes are glued to Eren the moment he walked in the door. While Eren was getting ready to perform, Armin folded his arms on the table in front of him and rests his chin on top of his hands. He lets out a small hum as Eren starts playing, Armin’s eyes wandering down to Eren’s hands. Slowly becoming mesmerized by the way his hands bend to play before shaking his head and looking back up in time to lock eyes with Eren. Armin lifted his head off his hands as he refused to break eye contact. His eyes widened seeing the tears form in Eren’s eyes.

Eren looked away from Armin closing his eyes tightly causing his brows to furrow. “He'll take you dancing and pull you in close, spin you around, and won't let you go, till they turn the lights off and he'll take you home. There's somebody out there who will." He opens his eyes looking off to the side the pained expression still present on his face. “There's somebody out there who's looking for you, someday he'll find you I swear that it's true. He's gonna kiss you and you'll feel the world stand still, there's somebody out there who will."

Eren looks back at Armin with a sad smile before continuing. “Tossing and turning and dreaming at night, about finding him and praying and hoping you might. 'Cause you deserve someone who knows how to treat you right, I know he's out there he's looking for you. Someday he'll find you I swear that it's true, and he's gonna kiss you and you'll feel the world stand still." He keeps his eyes on Armin as he finishes his song. "Oh, you need some who'll miss you, hold you, and kiss you. There's somebody out there who will." He stands up and puts his guitar back in its case.

The class erupts in applause, Eren’s performances are always something the class looks forward to, as Armin gets up and runs up to Eren. Armin throws his arms around Eren’s neck pulling him into a tight hug. "You're a damn idiot, Eren.” Armin mumbles resting his head on Eren's shoulder. "You owe me an explanation."

Eren chuckles as he wraps his arms around Armin’s waist tightly, "Yeah, I've heard that before." He leans his head against Armin’s holding the blonde as close as he can. Eren lets his eyes flutter shut while running one hand up to the back of Armin’s neck. "I know I do, I just can't believe you're here right now."

The class gets dismissed, Ymir hands Armin his bag before giving Eren a 'Don’t fuck this up again' look and she walks out the classroom calling Historia. The two settle on a small, quiet coffee shop near the college to talk. They sit in a corner booth practically closed off from the rest of the coffee shop. Eren sighs as he gathers his thoughts, before he can say anything Armin speaks up. "Look, I think I kinda get what happened, especially after your song, but I don't like when people make my choices for me." Armin looked over at Eren, "I mean no one has ever made me feel so special before, and I was with Jean since sophomore year in high school.",

"I'm not a good person Armin, I don't even know how to do the whole dating or boyfriend thing." Eren cuts Armin off before he can say anything else. "I've never done it. I mean I- I banged Levi for 3 months just ‘cause I thought it'd be fun, knowing he wanted more. You're an angel in comparison, I don't deserve that not after how many people I've hurt." Eren fixes his gaze on his mug refusing to meet Armin’s eyes.

"Who cares? Eren there's a reason it's called the past. It's past you, what good does it do to sulk over it? All you can do is learn from it now, you can't change it." Armin grabs Eren’s chin gently turning his face towards his before he leans in and presses his lips to Eren’s. As he pulls away from the kiss Armin gives Eren the same look that's plagued his mind since they first kissed. Resting his forehead on Eren’s, Armin smiles, "Just so you know I do plan on making fun of you for the whole 'sleeping with my professor' thing for a while." Eren chuckles lightly, a smile forming on his lips. "You want to be with me, yes or no?" Armin asks leaning closer so their lips are just inches apart.

Muttering a 'fuck it' under his breath, Eren grabs the back of Armin’s neck and closes the distance between their lips in a rough kiss. Eren pulls away just enough to talk, "More than anything Blondie," Armin hums in agreement as he grabs Eren’s collar before pulling him back into the kiss, both of them smiling against each other's lips.

 'Damn Blondie what’re you doing to me?'

[rideonwings]

The Enevitable Cliche Quarantine Story

Chapter 2

Pairing: Hiccup/Astrid

Summary: Stranger-Neighbors lean on each other during the quarantine

A/N: See, I told you all, I never start posting WIPs because I feel too guilty when I don't update them. Now here I am, weeks later, feeling like I've left you all hanging. This one is short and sweet, but hopefully worth it? Hoping everyone is staying safe and healthy out there.

AO3 Link 

Astrid: “Okay, guys, only 30 more seconds, keep those hips up! 30 seconds is nothing, then you’re done for the day!”

Astrid felt silly, talking to her phone camera like it was a crowd of people, but this was currently her source of income, so she was willing to be as enthusiastic as she possibly could.

“Okay, time! Great work everyone, go ahead and come down to your stomach, then shoulders back, stretch out those abs in a cobra.”

As she finished up the stretch routine, Stormfly took the opportune moment to come to rest under her chest. Astrid laughed, turning her head to rest her head against the cat’s soft fur.

“Thank you to everyone who participated today, thank you for taking the time for yourself, be safe, wash your hands, and stay sane! See you tomorrow!”

She reached over to stop the video, Stormfly protesting beneath her as she shifted on top of her. She then collected her yoga mat and weights and stacked them back in the corner of her apartment, wiping her brow as she went.

Settling on the couch, Astrid started reviewing the video. The lighting in her apartment wasn’t great, making the video shadowy and not particularly detailed. She’d have to figure out a better location for the future, because unfortunately, she needed as many people as possible to watch her videos, lest the gym decided she wasn’t worth keeping on the payroll. Still, she made some quick edits and posted it to the gym’s YouTube channel and Facebook page with a peppy message she wasn’t really feeling.

She was already sick of her apartment. When Astrid had decided to live here, she hadn’t been particularly picky, seeing as she normally spent a significant portion of her day outside its walls. Now, every flaw and inconvenience was right in front of her constantly, and she was over it. She had heard Hiccup leave the apartment this morning, presumably to walk Toothless, and was instantly jealous that she couldn’t join them. She vowed to go for a run later, to break up the monotony.

Grabbing herself a mug of tea and one of her books for her thesis, she found her way back out onto the balcony. Hiccup wasn’t out in his area, which she was surprisingly disappointed about: she’d enjoyed their chat yesterday. Still, she didn’t spend too much time on it, instead copying her position from yesterday with her legs pulled into her sweatshirt and delving into her book. She made notes along the margins and nocked pages as she read, finding key quotes she could later incorporate in her writing.

It was cloudier today than the day before, and the breeze was making her slightly uncomfortable. She was about to give up and head inside when the sliding door to her right opened and a messy head of hair poked out. He turned to look at her and smiled, the tiny gap in his teeth clearly visible even from this distance. Toothless slipped out between his legs and darted towards the railing to say hello to her.

“Hey!” He said exuberantly. “I was just checking to see if it was warm enough to bring my stuff out here to work. Are you cold?”

Astrid curled her legs in closer to herself, putting her mug on the ground. “Yeah, it’s not as nice as yesterday. I was thinking about going in.”

Just then, a particularly harsh gust of wind whipped through, making her shiver. She rose from the chair and began to collect her things as Hiccup winced, closing the door a bit to prevent air from getting into his apartment. “Yeah, probably a good call for now. I might come out later for a drink, if you'd want to join me?” He sounded oddly hopeful, which tugged at Astrid’s heart.

She hugged her book closer to her chest and nodded, smiling a little. Hiccup’s smile widened and he waved slightly before ducking back inside, whistling for Toothless. Astrid ducked her head and suppressed a chuckle as she made her way back inside, settling on the couch with her book.

Hiccup As he got up for the umpteenth time to stretch, Hiccup cursed his furniture choices for the hundredth time in two days. The chair he had at his desk was not exactly conducive to good posture, and his back was aching from being hunched over his monitors. As lucky as he was to have this kind of office setup in his apartment, he’d never really had to use it long term and had picked a fairly cheap office chair from a local big box store. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time, but he was regretting that choice now. He felt like he had to get up every twenty minutes and shake out some kink in his back or hips.

Every time he stood up, Toothless jumped up too, following him around the apartment, obviously hoping they were going for another walk.

“Sorry, buddy, not yet,” he murmured, running his hand over the dog’s silky ears. “Give me another hour and we’ll go out.” He stretched his arms over his head, releasing the knots in his shoulders and neck. The motion twinged something lower in his back, making him sigh in frustration. Finally, he flopped onto the floor, laying flat on his back and straightening out as much as he could to align his spine.

He stared at the ceiling for a few moments before Toothless’ head appeared in his vision, obviously perplexed at why his owner was copying his signature nap position. The dog sniffed around his hairline, checking for signs of distress, before he began to lap at Hiccup’s cheeks with his tongue, making Hiccup squawk in distress and curl into the fetal position.

Toothless barked excitedly, thinking they were playing a game, and pawed at Hiccup’s back to get him to re-engage.

“Toothless, no!” Hiccup cried, swatting his arms blindly to shoo the dog away.

After a few minutes, Toothless fell into his play position, forelegs flat on the ground and rear in the air, tail whipping almost dangerously as his human rolled over to glare at him. Hiccup’s face was sticky and smelly, but he couldn’t hold a grudge against his buddy for long. He reached out with both arms and tackled the dog, pulling him against his chest and rolling around as Toothless yipped in excitement. Their tussle didn’t last long before they were both flat on the rug, both of their mouths open wide in humor.

Suddenly, Toothless’ ears perked and he jumped up and darted to the sliding door to the balcony. He’d started doing that whenever Astrid opened the door, looking to greet his new friend. The habit made Hiccup smile for more reasons than one.

Honestly, since the quarantine had started (had it only been a few days?), he’d come to realize how much of his social life had depended on his job. He had very few friends outside of work, and though he felt somewhat isolated in his apartment, he couldn’t think of anyone he really wanted to talk to. He chatted with Fishlegs while he was working, and exchanged a few messages with a few other friends, but he always struggled to come up with new topics.

But he really liked talking to Astrid. Their conversations hadn’t exactly been in-depth or long, but she seemed quick and funny and he needed that kind of conversation in his life right now.

He walked over to the balcony window, trying to get a glimpse of the blonde. From what he could see, she was wearing heavy leggings and a zip-up hoodie, and her cheeks were flushed as she leaned over the balcony railing. He slid the door open and poked his head out.

“Hey,” he greeted lamely. As she turned to look at him, he saw the glistening of sweat on her brow and noticed the shirt under her quarter zip was dark along the neckline. “Go for a run?” He asked.

Astrid nodded, still slightly out of breath. “It felt so good to be outside,” she said, popping one of her legs onto the railing to stretch. “I wanted to keep going forever.”

Hiccup’s eyes widened a little as he took in her long, toned legs in her running shorts, but forced himself to meet her gaze again and relax his expression. “I know the feeling. Those walks with Toothless are never long enough.”

“Still working?” She asked, gesturing to his open sliding door as she switched legs. He nodded, shrugging a little.

“Toothless keeps bugging me to go outside” he said, suddenly remembering that he was just nearly licked to death by the lab and he probably looked like it too. He absently ran his hands through his hair, finding it still wet.

“Oh, I could’ve taken him! I didn’t even think to ask!” Astrid said, bringing her leg down and settling into a crouch by the railing closest to Hiccup’s balcony. Toothless shoved his head through the bars as far as he could reach, forcing his eyes closed comically.

“That’s nice of you,” Hiccup replied, smiling down at the dog. “I’m going to go in an hour though, so he’s fine. Maybe some other time if I get caught up in conference call hell.”

Astrid nodded, picking up a water bottle from her chair and taking a drink. “I’m going to take a shower. Can I bug you later for dinner ideas?” She asked, smiling cheekily.

“Sure thing,” Hiccup said, feeling his cheeks flush slightly. Interacting with Astrid made him feel a little bit like a schoolboy with a crush. She was definitely more attractive than any girl he’d ever been with, and seemed friendly and sane enough. He could definitely see himself being friends with her, and then… who knew?

As she turned to re-enter her apartment, she smiled over her shoulder at him.

Hiccup smiled weakly back, turning to go back inside himself. He paused with his hand on the handle, half looking back in her direction, smiling to himself a little more confidently, even as his stomach flipped.

Who knew?

[skinks]

HELLO. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPARE DILFWORTH/MAGGIE HEADCANONS 🥺 (love your writing more than life btw)

HELLO, thank you so much! Oh boy it’s difficult to come up with more stuff for characters you’re really only extrapolating a couple of pages about, but I like a challenge so here are some to build on the other big Maggie/Dilfworth post I made:

- so after the Airplane Incident they’re so engrossed in talking at the baggage claim about everything from music to shitty first jobs that Went misses his bag going around the carousel three times. In his defence Maggie’s laugh is a breathless, staccato sound like a xylophone of breezes and she runs one hand over the back of her head to grip the ends of her own dark hair every time she does, so who can blame him for trying to be his absolute funniest in between grinning like a man who’s won the lottery. Also in his defence, Maggie doesn’t leave after she’s collected hers (they both go to grab it from the carousel at the same time and kinda stare at each other, then at their touching hands. Went licks his lips a couple times and says “Sorry, don’t uh. Don’t misunderstand, I was only trying to steal it,” which makes her laugh again) and Maggie doesn’t leave because she’s busy hinting she’d like him to come visit her on campus some time, maybe next weekend? They exchange their landlines and she says “See you then, Doctor Dentist,” because there’s something about his nonthreatening calmness that makes her feel very bold in trying to ruffle it up.

- their first date is to the movies, because it’s 1971 and what else are you gonna do

- Went has the best poker face she’s ever seen, and she’d already been teasing him about being a dentist so when he asks her what snacks she’d like, she replies with a long list of the sugariest kinds they have. But he only whistles low and raises his eyebrows, sauntering off to the concession stand before she can reel him back. They eat all of it between them, and Went spends the whole movie muttering scathing put-downs about the poor choices the characters keep making and it’s the first time Maggie hasn’t ever cared about being shushed by the people in front of her

- also also also he picked her up in his car (and she’d also teased him about how she’s sure he could only drive a convertible bc he’s so tall and leggy that anything else would leave his knees up by his ears, but it’s not a convertible. It does have a sun-roof though, and after the movie they go driving, as Young People do in 1971 I guess and he’s like “Sorry the roof doesn’t fold down, I know you’d look great doing the whole Audrey Hepburn thing,” and Maggie just eyeballs him as she slides the sun-roof back. Then she’s standing on the bench seat and whooping, sticking her torso out of the roof like it’s a carnival ride and Went’s like 💕😬💕 as he holds her steady with one arm (over her dress, it’s the first date) for her dear, dear life

- I love the idea that Maggie likes sci-fi, for some reason. She loves Star Trek TOS, loves the music, wants to try and obtain a theremin for her thesis project. The first gift Went ever gives her is a signed copy of The Left Hand of Darkness when she takes him to an Ursula LeGuin talk at her college, and Maggie kisses the daylights out of him against a tree right there in the quad

- Went likes fishing and baseball and photography and fuckin... comedy records and he definitely got bullied at school for being a skinny nerd. Doesn’t have too many friends given that he’s moved cities and is generally kinda quiet, but Maggie’s friends like him. More importantly, Maggie likes him a lot, likes the endless antelope stretch of his legs when he props them up on any surface available, the lean lines around his mouth, likes how the veins on the backs of his hands form warm diamonds around the indents of his knuckles, likes that when she says “oh damn, is it raining?” rhetorically in the car at the first few drops, he rolls his window down and sticks his hand out into the wet and says “yes, Maggie, it’s raining. Wipers or no wipers, what’ll it be?” She likes to be the person he trusts enough to be silly and wry and sincere with. She likes to buy him records based purely on the cover art alone, she likes introducing him to classical music and she likes to drive his car so he can look at the maps and stick his head out the roof, and she likes that the wind makes him look like a cartoon blown up with dynamite, because he’s somehow always just in need of a haircut, and she is so, so scared he will be ensnared by the draft now that he’s left academia, as it has ensnared so many of her other friends.

- She makes fun of it, but she likes his name, “I like that Tozier has a z in it, of all things,” she says once. “I don’t know, it’s unusual. I never heard of a Tozier before.” And Went says, “Last of my kind. Like Tigger, in fact. You’re lucky you ever caught me in the wild,” as he very studiously and ineptly investigates her electric keyboard. She calls him Went most of the time, Legs when she’s particularly hot for him, but they do also have a lot of Wentworthy/Unwentworthy jokes.

- the first time they have sex is because they’re six dates deep and Went has yet to hear her sing.

- they’re lying top to toe in Went’s bed while they’re both studying (Went might be practicing dentistry now but he still has paperwork and journals to read) and he’s tapping her crossed ankle along to something she’s humming. “What’s that song? Maggie?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you sing it for me?”

“Oh, no,” she says, covering her face with her book. “No, it’s just some rock song, ignore me. I’m being disruptive to the study environment.”

Went waggles his eyebrows, examining the whole bare sweep of her legs. “That’s for sure. C’mon, you’re minoring in vocal studies, aren’t I going to hear you eventually?”

“Nope,” Maggie grins, and enjoys how warm his hand feels cupping the sleek of her calf muscle. “I’m shy.”

“The Maggie Avery I know isn’t shy, unless I’ve been wooing an impostor for the last nine weeks.”

She laughs and flutters inside, like her whole body is filled with whirling pillowfight feathers at the thought of being wooed, being courted, being allowed to exist as an interesting person and not just a skirt to be chased. At the fact that he knows how long it’s been and that he counts it in weeks, because even though they telephone a bunch, they can still only see each other at the weekends. Yeah, Carole King said it best. He makes her feel like a natural woman, alright.

“Wooing me.” She sets her book aside. “That’s what you’ve been up to?”

“Yes,” he nods, sitting up to mirror her, cross-legged. “Wooing.”

“Wentwooing,” she says, biting her lip. These games always prick up the hairs on the back of her neck.

“Damn straight,” he says, and oh, those dishy lines are breaking in lean waves around his smiling mouth. She’s a total lost cause for them. “Wooing was one of my very first Scout badges, actually.”

“Oh, so you’ve had practice?” She leans away in faux-disinterest, and her breathing picks up from somewhere deep in her body as he sways forward into the gap, like he’s charmed. She’s very aware of her heartbeat in odd places, pinking her bare heels pressed to the sheets under her knees, loud in the scoop of her clavicle. “I’m not the first to be subjected to a little Wentwooing, then, huh.”

“Not the first, no,” he allows, mild and reasonable as ever. No wonder he did well in medical school. She knows she’s not the first girlfriend, of course, just as he knows about her last ex and the others, and that’s the wonderful thing about him. He doesn’t act like other twenty-two year old boys she knows, he’s a grownup about it all. “But... I’d really dig it if you were the last. Maggie.”

She can’t stop smiling at the way he says it. Casual, contemplative, the look of a man who has cast his line and is happy to wait. It’s belied by the sound of him compulsively cracking his knuckles and the bones in his long bare feet. They’d both thrown on comfortable clothes after coming in from the rainstorm, and Maggie never knew it was possible to feel so at ease alone in a man’s room, a man’s apartment, a man’s spare boxers and faded varsity rowing tee the only things between that same man and her pretty underwear.

“I’d dig that too, Legs,” she says, and tucks her hair behind her ear to kiss him. He untucks it again and kisses her back with a heated mmph, touching her hip and her hair at once. Very light touches, but there’s something about them that makes her feel like he’s got her wrapped up completely. She swirls her arms around the back of his neck and deepens the kiss, as deep as she can manage with the way their knees are obstructive, and at the dragging quiet click of spit, Maggie finds she wouldn’t mind if he touched her firm and wanting all over, sometime soon.

She pulls back to see him flushed, his glasses kinda screwy. He makes a low sound, a sort of cross between a sigh of satisfaction and a groan of regret that their mouths aren’t still moving together. Both of his hands fall to her crossed legs, and he patters fingertips to her skin.

“I got that badge in Boy Scouts too,” he says breathlessly, after a second or five.

“No wonder you’re so good at it,” Maggie says, and raises three fingers in a salute. “Lots of practice around the campfire, hm?”

“Oh, like you wouldn’t believe,” he chortles, saluting her back. “It’s a testament to your feminine wiles I’m even interested, what with my restricted training.” He gestures at her breasts. “We never covered those.”

“Liar, you had them pretty well covered last week,” Maggie teases, her inner thighs burning as she shifts at the memory, the back row of the Aladdin Theater, her tongue in his mouth and his big, gentle hands up her shirt.

“Earned my badge.”

“Well and truly.”

“We should get to work on uncovering them, then,” Went replies, tugging softly at the hem of his shirt she’s wearing, but his eyes don’t stray from her face.

“Wentworth!” She shoves at his hand, laughing again. She has a paper on syncopation due on Friday and a performance to prep for the end-of-semester recital, but she couldn’t care less right now. Lord, she’s so happy. What if it’s love, she thinks giddily, what if I love him, and he loves me. What then?

He dodges her play-slaps to take off his glasses because he only needs them for reading, and it’s just another layer falling away from between them. He’s not Doctor Tozier, he’s not that fucking geek, in the sullen-drunk words of her project partner Jack at a party last month, he’s just... Went. Just a man, as she is a woman. He’s cute and he’s acerbically funny and he makes her feel like they’re partners in some kind of crime, even though neither of them have so much as a speeding ticket. Maggie comes to a decision.

“Alright. I’ll sing the song for you,” she says, climbing off the bed.

“Wait, really?”

“Yes, I actually—oh, here it is.” She rummages in her bookbag and produces the 7” single from its cardboard sleeve. “I bought it on Tuesday and forgot all about it, I was going to show you earlier. Such a dunce.”

“Don’t talk about my girlfriend like that,” Went says, shuffling back on his crossed legs to sit against the headboard. He looks genuinely eager. “She’s finally singing for me, don’t knock her confidence. Though, I guess we’re not getting any more studying done. Duncehood looms for the both of us.”

Maggie straightens up from the record player and unclips her hair until it falls in a dark torrent around her face. She shakes it out, feeling the strength of her voice build in her chest, feeling like she’s on fire from the glare of a stage spotlight. Getting into the mindset of a song is an important part of performance. “Would you rather study? We can study if you like.”

“No, no,” Went says evenly. His face is pink again and his eyes are very dark, watching her. “I think I’d much rather do this.”

So Maggie sings. The record cranks to a crescendo on the choruses like a runaway train and Maggie loses herself in it, closing her eyes and dancing. She’s an elegant dancer to classical music and an awkward one to rock and roll. Went is even worse, the pair of them clunking their bodies together at parties like a game of marbles because it’s funny that way, it’s funnier with two. But she tries not to feel silly, because she knows her voice is good. People tell her so. She knows it’s so, and she’s proud of her very own instrument nestled in the nave of her throat, and she wonders why it had been such a nerve-wracking prospect to let Went hear her sing. Perhaps it’s because she holds it so dear. She doesn’t know when his opinion became so important to her, but it is. The sound thunders up easily from her chest, controlled and so fluid she can almost visualize it leaving her lips like a stream, so controlled she can let the control a little loose whenever she wants to wail along with Marc Bolan, like the only rockstar in an oversized preppy shirt, get it on, bang a gong, get it on.

The record scratches to a close but she doesn’t feel finished, there’s still breath left in her yet. She segues easily into one of Went’s horribly cutting and clever comedy records, so she has an excuse for her face burning. It’s not because she can’t open her eyes and see his reaction, it’s because she’s singing about smut, of course. Every brush of the hems of his borrowed shorts against the ticklish backs of her legs, is felt. Her hair is thick and warm and her scalp is starting to sweat with all her uninhibited bouncing. Eventually she gives up and collapses to the bed, giggling and breathless. She buries her face into the covers feeling more ridiculous than she normally does in the vicinity of his generally impassive nature. He’s stable, somehow without being boring. It keeps her on her toes at least, that damnable poker face; she actually takes great delight in the way she finds herself coming further and further out of her shell, just to try and call his bluff.

“Gosh, I hope your neighbors like T-Rex,” she mumbles. She’s crouched with her knees and hands huddled under her, waiting for her fearsome blush to subside. Waiting for him to say something. She’s aware of his quiet presence at the headboard, just as she is so suddenly aware of the way his soft tee is riding up her hunched form, exposing her lower back to the fresh night air. “I’m—I should send them all an apology note for disturbing their Saturday evenings.”

“You should be charging them for the privilege,” Went croaks.

Maggie looks up at him, sharply. He stares back, still cross-legged with his hands stuffed down into his lap and a dazed expression on his face. She kneels towards him, feeling the residual magic of the music spark powerful deep through her body, between her legs. “You think I’ll pass vocal performance?”

“Jesus Christ, Maggie,” he says, unfolding his endless legs so she can straddle them. His hands are restless against her hips, moved from where they’d been hiding the thick line in his shorts. “And all this time I thought you’d been hiding the terrible secret that you’re actually a bad singer.”

She laughs against his neck. “Oh really?”

“Yeah, just awful. I figured you must be a banshee or something.”

“You did not, don’t joke!”

“I never joke,” he grins. He kisses her harder than before, restless hands squeezing at her ribcage, her thighs, just below the hemlines. Maggie presses her hips forward and grips fiercely at his ropy upper arms, gasping. “I’m deadly serious, that was—you’re a knockout at everything, it’s hardly fair.”

“Went.”

“Mags, I’m obliged to tell you I have one hell of a crush on you.”

“Went.”

“I can’t believe you’re my girlfriend,” he says, and Maggie’s stomach flips at the rare note of bemused, painful sincerity in his voice.

“Went, you can uncover them now,” she says, and shimmery heat floods between her thighs as he ruts upwards, abruptly.

“Sorry,” he pants, “what?”

“Take my shirt off, please. And I have a crush on you too, you dunce.”

He does as she asks of him and says, “Jesus Christ,” again, and a whole lot of other curse words and sweet things and silly nonsense that makes her laugh more than she’s ever laughed doing this with someone, and afterwards his hair looks the way it does when it’s his turn to stick his head out of the sun-roof.

He rolls off to collapse beside her. As soon as they catch their breath he says, “I’m gonna bring you breakfast in bed. Right now.”

“It’s 11pm!” Maggie wheezes, watching him stagger naked from the bedroom. The sight of his narrow waist flaring up into broad, bony shoulders is unbearable, now that she knows how it all feels between her legs and rippling under her hands. It makes her voracious for more. She aches wonderfully in all the right places, just like a good callisthenic stretch should.

It was quite a stretch, she thinks, and shivers, turning her head to breathe into the sweaty tangle of her own loose hair spilled across the pillow.

“Eleven is technically almost morning, isn’t it,” he calls back, clattering in the kitchen. “Plus you’ll need the energy, because we’re doing that again immediately. If you want to, of course,” he adds hastily.

“Of course,” Maggie snorts. Her cheeks ache too, from happiness. “We’ve got badges to earn.”

- anyway

- Her mom likes him too because he’s a dentist, Margaret, but her dad thinks he’s a hippie with a fake diploma because he still has sideburns lmfao. Went’s parents like Maggie, but it’s a lot to do with how she tries so hard to make them like her. She’s like, shaking by the end of day 1 of her first meeting with them like “I just don’t ever want you to have to choose,” and Went (absentmindedly fiddling with an old toy robot, they’re staying in his childhood bedroom) is like “Don’t worry, I’d choose you any time. I mean, I’d have to kill them but I’m sure they’d understand,” and Maggie’s like “I’m serious!” and Went turns to her and says, “So am I, Mags,” and then wraps all his long stick insect limbs around her refusing to let go until she’s laughing again

- He’s also very neat, he does all his own ironing so his work tunics are just right. More than once Maggie and her two roommates come back to the apartment during weekends to find him standing in socks and boxers and ironing piles and piles of everyone’s laundry, and he refuses to believe Maggie that this is weird. She thinks back to her old boyfriends who could barely flush a toilet and thinks hm, maybe it’s not so weird

- for the first few years of living together after they get married they can’t choose sides of the bed. Like, it changes all the time. “This is intimate anarchy,” Maggie says, after their tenth night in a row of switching. “I’m sure this is what the Summer of Love was all about.”

“Oh, I thought it was about cunnilingus,” Went says brightly, slotting a bookmark into his copy of Jaws and turning off the side lamp. “My mistake. Goodnight, love.”

“Wait!”

- Went comes into the delivery room after Richie’s born, looking more shaken than Maggie herself, ashen and stressed. “I could hear you screaming from out there,” he whispers, kissing her forehead and jerking his thumb back over his shoulder, bloodshot eyes locked on the swaddled bundle on her chest. “Darling. Oh, Maggie.”

“We’re alright now,” she says, hoarse. “I was just letting him know however loud he is, he gets it from his mother.”

“Him?” Went bleats, his eyes so wide. He still only needs his glasses for reading. “He? It’s a boy—we have a—”

“A son, yes,” Maggie says, and wipes at her cheeks. She’s had quite enough fluids on her face for one night, thank you. “Here, take him away from me before I lose my temper with him again.”

She nearly starts crying again when she sees how tiny the baby—Richard, that’s right, they’d decided on Richard for a boy—how tiny he looks in Went’s big, capable hands. They manage not to wake him in the transfer and Wentworth cradles him against his collar for a moment, looking lost. Then he seems to come back to himself, shooting Maggie one of his big, crinkly grins (and God, she’s still a lost cause) as he addresses the consequence of their actions.

“Did you do this?” Went whispers into the blue folds of blanket, pointing one free finger at Maggie. “Look what you’ve done to my wife. How dare you. She looks terrible.”

“Shut up,” Maggie laughs, as quietly as she can.

“She looks terrible and more wonderful than ever,” Went continues in the baby’s ear. “Is this your doing? We’ll make a good team, I think. Between the two of us she doesn’t stand a chance, by thirty-five she’ll be too beautiful to look at and then she might get some peace and quiet.”

“You’re delirious from the thin atmosphere, Legs,” she says. “Give him back, if you drop him from up there he’s done for.”

“I won’t drop him,” Went insists, “you had him for nine months, let me have a turn.” He holds onto Richard while she sleeps, but not before she grabs at his arm and sobs thank you for him, Went, thank you, and Went cries a little too and says what are you thanking me for, I’d get a participation trophy at most, which makes her laugh and say, if anyone deserves a trophy for their participation technique it’s you, and then she falls asleep before she hears his reply.

- they play so much rock and roll for Richie, Maggie makes up her own songs for him and sings to him all the time. Maggie only had older sisters, and Went was an only child so neither of them have very much experience with babies, but Maggie’s friendships with Andrea Uris and Sharon Denbrough from the neighborhood and from book club help a lot, they all seem to have wound up having their firsts in the space of a few months. She values language too much to baby talk Richie, and Went would be clueless as to how to begin, so pretty often she finds him deep in conversation about politics or baseball with Richie babbling in his high chair.

- as I said before, I hc that Maggie speaks maybe French and Italian, and Went finds it incredibly sexy. He can’t reply, of course, he just babbles along in Richie’s ridiculous Voices, it’s basically the Swedish Chef but French or Italian. He calls her Marguerite if it’s French, and Margarita in Italian (“That’s Spanish!” Maggie hoots, stroking his hair back at both temples where it’s frosting to silver already, and clasping her hands around the back of his head. “What do margaritas have to do with Italy?”

“Not Margarita,” Went says. He traces a line between all the pretty moles on her chest, sweeping down between her breasts to the one just beside her navel, the soft little rise of belly that sits in the cup of her iliac crest. That spot always flicks her hips forward with ticklish heat, and if they’re not careful then Richie might end up with a baby sibling Maggie’s not quite ready for yet. “Margherita, like the pizza. You’re cheesy, sweetheart.”)

- both of them smoked but Maggie gave it up when she got pregnant, and now Went doesn’t smoke inside the house. He of course gives it up for good after he gets cancer of the larynx in his late 50s when Richie is 30, which makes Richie quit too

- they love their son and just want him to be HAPPY even if they’re sometimes misguided about what would make him happy, but hey, so is Richie

[boilerevans]

A Waiting Game

Summary: Carrington Price was a small-town girl with a big dream. She just didn’t think it could become real life. 

Pairing: Chris Evans / Original Character 

A/N: So this is the first fic I’ve written in a long time and it's taken me over a month to post. All comments are welcome. 

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: None

Chapter One  

Walking down the tile path, the young woman looks out the large windows to see a night sky, no daylight left. The closer she got to the terminal exit; the more people begin to appear. It seems much busier than one would expect for a Sunday night at… What time was it? She pulls her phone out of her jacket pocket.

23:36

Carrington sighs and begins to calculate the hours she has until she has to wake up for work. Thirty-five more minutes to the apartment. Which meant she wouldn’t be going to bed until after one to turn around and wake up at 4:30. She couldn’t complain too much, she was going to be taking to the first step to her dream career. It finally felt like the past six years hadn’t been a complete waste of her time.

Yes, bags get mixed up and things get misplaced. But being put in the wrong apartment and then getting moved up three floors, that was a major inconvenience. Now it was 2:30. ‘At that point, why even sleep?’ she thought. She has already been up for nearly 21 hours. What was two more right? She had just gotten out grad school, she could pull an all-nighter.

----

Carrington shifts quickly, waking up from a nightmare. She rolls over to check the time before falling back to sleep.

5:15

SHIT! Now there was no time to do her hair, no time for a coffee before she made it to set, and barely enough time to put on a real face. She throws on her best jeans and a plain white V-neck tee. She wasn’t worried about looking exceptional, she wasn’t trying to impress them with her looks. Dry shampoo and a ponytail would have to do. She was making very good time but of course, there was traffic and dumb drivers. The fact that she hadn’t called an Uber yet. Breathe Carrington, breathe. Then she hears her phone ringing from the nightstand. She leans across the bed to reach it.  

Cooper

“Coop, I really don’t have the time.” She complains, walking back into the bathroom.  

“Chill out and take a breath.” He says in a calmer tone than usual.  

“I am breathing.” Rolling mascara onto her lashes.

“Sis. Everything is going to be fine. Have they told you what project you’re on?”  

She trips trying to put both her shoes and jacket on at the same time.

“I still have only been told, Mary Lou. I’ll know in about an hour if you would leave me alone.”

“Well I see mom today and I didn’t know if you wanted an update?”

“I’m sorry. Yes, please. Thank you for calling but I really do have to go. I’ll call when I get back.”

“I love you, Carrie. You’ll be great.” He says and ends the call.  

She locks up the door and heads towards the elevator trying to send for an Uber. The one day she tries not to over plan and now the day is completely ruined. The elevator door opens and she enters, accidentally running into a man’s chest.  

“Ope, I’m sorry. Late start.”  

“No big deal.”  

She glances over at the man’s shoes. Sneakers. Hmm. Plain. Carrington looked back at her phone to see that there was an Uber upfront. The elevator doors open and she quickly rushes to the front door.  

“Have a great day!” The man yells behind her as he walks out behind her.  

The girl turns to wave with a small smile. She just caught a glimpse of him. Tall, beard, wide smile. He, on the other hand, paid attention to all of her. Dark brown wavy hair. Jeans that hugged all of the curves of her long legs. A V-neck that showed just enough of her chest. He couldn’t help but follow her.  

Her feet hit the sidewalk and the cold hits her face. She quickly zips up her jacket. Who would have thought Atlanta would feel like this? Like home? She opens the door to the black Toyota and shuts it behind her. Before she can scoot over, the door opens again. She looks down to see the familiar gray sneakers from not too long ago. She looks up at the man to see the familiar beard, but no smile.

Chris Evans.

“I think this was mine.” He says to her.

“I am so sorry.” She blushes.

“Oh. You uh, you can take it. You’re in a hurry.”

“Are you sure? I should have checked.” She says and swings a leg out of the car.

“You’re running late. I couldn’t.” He says, reaching down to put a hand on her leg.  

Her first reaction is to flinch away but leaves it for a few seconds before putting her leg back in the car. She starts to dig through her purse.

“Let me get you some cash to pay for the other Uber.”

“Hey, it’s really okay. You go.” He smiles and shuts the door.  

She looks out the tinted window to see him still smiling and running his fingers through his hair. She couldn’t help but smile herself. Carrington dug through her purse one more time to find her phone and to text Cooper. Every time she looked out the window all she saw was his smile. Who would have thought you could be grateful for a late start to a morning?  

Making record time, she finds the building that she had mapped out in her head to find faster. She could see the large filming studio in the background as she entered the small office. A man about her age sat behind the front desk.  

“Hello. My name is Carrington Price. I’m supposed to start on the Mary Lou project as a production intern today.”  

“Um. Let me call someone. I don’t know where exactly to send you.”

The timid man left the room and she glances back down at her phone.  

6:50

Yes, she was early but you’d think that they’d send someone, right? They don’t have many interns for what seemed to be a big production. But again, she reminds herself that this whole thing was much bigger than her. She was just one small part.  

“They’re gonna send someone to get you. Shouldn’t be too long.” The man says as he walked back into the room. “You can, uh, have a seat I guess.”  

Carrington looks behind her and saw no chairs except a bench outside in the cold. She turns back around and gave the man a dry look as if to say, ‘you’ve got to be joking’. The door opens, and she turns back again. A middle-aged woman stood there as she threw the hood of her jacket off.  

“Hello, you must be Carrington. I’m Jennifer. We’ve spoken on the phone.” She said, reaching out a hand to introduce herself.  

“Hi. It’s so great to meet.”  

“Come with me and I can take you to set.”  

The women step outside where a golf cart sits just past the door of the small building. The sky had become grayer than earlier in the morning and drizzling rain had started to fall from the overcast. Yet again she found herself feeling grateful for the late start and a simple ponytail.  

“I promise you it’s not always so dreadful here. Just give it a few hours and it’ll be sunny.” Jennifer chuckles as we drove to one of the larger buildings.  

“Just wasn’t expecting it to be so breezy. Feels like I’m home which is nice.”

“Boston, right?”  

“Uh, that was grad school. Indianapolis is home.” Carrington says, stepping out of her seat.

“We have some agreements you have to sign. Nondisclosures and stuff.” Jennifer says, opening a door and stepping into a long hallway.  

They make their way down the hall before Jennifer pauses in front of a large blue door. She reaches in her bag and pulls out her iPad.

“Now you just have to read and initial for now. We can do hard copies later this week.”  

Carrington’s eyes quickly skim the bright screen she’s been given. DISNEY. MCU. MARY LOU. Everything starts adding up. She looks up at Jennifer with wide eyes.  

“This is Marvel,” Carrington says, but also asking at the same time.  

“Yes. Is that a problem?”  

“No, ma’am.” She says and quickly initials the page.  

They walk through the doors and the lights get brighter. Green screens line a lot of the back walls. She follows Jennifer around the set and all she can think about is Chris Evans. What are the chances that she would meet him and then be on this set? When would she see him again? All of the cliché possibilities roamed her head.  

“So, you are going to be meeting a lot of people but you’ll mainly be working with me. I try not to make it like the typical internship with the coffee and the running around. We could really use someone like you on this set. It’s a big production and we need as many hands-on-deck as possible.” Jennifer’s voice brings her back to reality.  

“I’m here to help. I’m just kind of in shock I was picked for this project. Especially with the thesis, I presented for grad school and the application.”  

Jennifer stops walking. “What was that?”  

“The history of sexism across the superhero film industry.”  

“That’s exactly why we picked you for this set.” She says and keeps walking. “Over the next two movies, we are adding more and more female actors to the film. We need someone with your kind of thinking for the smaller details.”  

Carrington smirked slightly. “What’s on our agenda for today?”  

That’s when she heard him. Just behind her, a roar of laughter erupted. A laugh she could recognize from watching one too many interviews in college. Carrington couldn’t help but to turn around and then she saw him. He had just walked in followed by Mark Ruffalo. She now notices that he was wearing a hoodie and dark jeans. How could someone be that happy all the time?  

“You’ll just be with me. It’s the first day with a lot of the originals. Oh, Good morning Chris. Hello Mark.”  

And that’s when he saw her. For a second, it felt fake. Especially since he was just telling Ruffalo about the girl that stole his ride.  

“Boys, this is Carrington Price from Boston. She’s our production intern.” Jennifer introduced.  

“Uh. Indianapolis actually.” Carrington corrects.  

“Nice to see you again and officially meet you.” Chris smiles.  

“Evans! Get to the trailer!” Someone yells.  

“Oh, we can come with you. That was my next stop on the tour.” Jennifer says, making a slight step forward.  

“Actually, I was meaning to find you, Jenn. I had a few questions. I’m sure Chris can take care of this young lady.” Ruffalo says, with a cocky grin on his face.  

Both Carrington and Chris look at him, and then at each other.

“Well, uh. If you wanna follow me.” Chris says as he reaches his arm around her to the small of her back.  

They walk across the set. Weaving their way through the crowds. Once they made it outside, it’s quiet again. It was all a lot to process for both of them.  

“So, what did you say to Ruffalo?” She asks him.  

“It’s really not a big deal.”  He says and runs his hand through his hair.  

“Good deflection.”  

“So, Boston?” He asks.  

“I went to Emerson for grad school.”

“Grad school, huh? And you’re how old?” He asks, turning the corner.  

They begin to walk in between rows of dozens of identical white trailers. Each one having a different last name than the one before it.  

“Why does that matter?” She asks him.  

He stops walking and she runs into him.  

“You’re not very coordinated, are you?” He chuckles.  

She looks and sees “FITTINGS” on the door of the trailer.  

“I’m twenty-six by the way.”  

“Would you want to go out sometime?” He says as he takes a seat on the step.  

“Excuse me?” Carrington crosses her arms.  

“I mean, there’s obviously some attraction between us and you’re a beautiful woman.”  

“I don’t think that would be very appropriate.” She begins to walk away to make her way back to set.  

“Wait, wait.” He runs up and grabs her arm.  

“What?”  

“Just come out to drinks tonight. A bunch of us are going and it’s always good for the newbies to meet everyone. If you don’t have a good time, I won’t make another move, I promise.”  

“I’ll think about it.”  

As he watches her walk away, he smiles. The way she quickly flicked her long ponytail off of her shoulder. How her body moved as she walked away from him.  

----

The day was long, but that was a job. Carrington had a constant sweat on the back of her neck from running around. She felt good for the first time in a long time. Doing what she loves. While she was on cloud nine, Chris watched her from afar. How she talked. How she carried herself. It was unlike most movie set interns. Especially on a production this big.

When the day came to an end Carrington searched the room for him and found him quickly. As their eyes met, he smirked at her. They begin walking to each other, their eyes never leaving sight of each other.  

“So, where can I meet you?” She asks him.  

“Give me your number and I’ll send you the address.”  

“You’re a clever one aren’t you.” She says, taking his phone from him.  

They felt their fingers graze and their eyes locked.  

“I have my days.” He says.  

“Do you want to share an Uber back?” She asks, giving him the phone back. “Before I steal one from you.”  

“I’m actually gonna leave from here in a bit.”  

“Okay.” She turns from him.  

He took one step closer to her and whispered in her ear. “I look forward to seeing you.”  

She felt the connection but also felt very wrong. It was against the rules, no doubt. But the whole thing seemed so meant to be. And even thinking it, Carrington felt dumb.  

“You still up to sharing a ride?” Mark asks Chris as they walk off the set.  

The sun had set and a few bright lights lit the lot full of trailers.  

“Oh yeah. Definitely. I’ll shoot you a text when I’m cleaned up.” He says.

Chris splits away from Ruffalo and heads to his trailer. He quickly goes up the short steps and into the dark trailer. He flicks on the light and locks the door behind him. Stripping down and getting in the shower, Chris can’t help but hope that Carrington will come tonight. Never had he had an instant connection like that before. He didn’t want to take it too far too fast. And all of the consequences crossed his mind too. This job could be her big break and he didn’t want to ruin that for her. She was young, had a whole life ahead of her and he didn’t want to take that away either.  

He throws on his pants from the morning and a fresh tee. He grabs his phone off the charger and sends a text to Ruffalo. He runs the towel over his hair one last time before using his fingers to push it back from his face. There’s a knock at the door and Chris goes to open it.  

“Hey come on in. I’m nearly done.” He says, inviting Mark in.  

Chris heads back to the small bathroom to brush through his messy beard.

“So, did you invite her?” Ruffalo asks from the other room.  

He steps out and lifts up his shirt on he puts on deodorant.  

“Yes. And I think she actually might come.” He smiles.  

“Are you gonna make a move or will I have to work my magic?”  

“I think I’ve got it covered. You good to go?”  

Chris walks towards the door, putting his wallet into his back pocket. He grabs his sweatshirt off the counter and they make their way out of the trailer.  

As Carrington got ready, she thought of what to say and what not to say. She takes her hair out of the ponytail and massages her scalp. That was a mistake, too tight for the first day. She let her wavy hair fall past her shoulders. She rummages through her unpacked suitcase. Carrington picks a flowing, white tank that had small blue flowers all over it. She puts on white chucks and the dark grey jacket from the morning.  

When Chris and Mark get to the bar, they quickly realize that they are the last ones in the group to arrive.  

“Hey, Scarlett! You’re early for once huh?” Chris laughs as he walks through the bar to a set of tabletops.  

“Evans, I don’t really want to hear it okay.” She says and gives him a hug.  

Chris walks up to the bar.

“Could open me up a tab and for right now I’ll take a tall Stella please.” He says and then heads back to the group.  

Walking down the dimly lit street, Carrington’s heart began to race. She hadn’t had nerves like this since… Well since a long time. After a short walk, she made it to the bar. Smiling at the greeter, she walks in through the two sets of doors.

Chris knew the moment Carrington walked in but didn’t want to make it obvious. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her as she looked around the room trying to find him. He could see her smile as she started across the bar to the group. And that’s when he looked to her. They make eye contact and she stops walking to wait for him.  

“Chris? Hello? Are you listening?” Scarlet asks, waving at him.  

“Sorry. Um. Carrington’s here.”

He gets up from his seat and pulls up another for her. Right next to him. He then walks through the group of people to her, a smile on his face. When he reaches her, she looks up at him. He smiles at her and moves a piece of hair back behind her ear.  

“Hi.” She says softly.  

His hand reaches around her back and they start to walk towards the group.  

“I’m glad you came.” He whispers to her.  

Everyone’s eyes begin to move to the two of them as they get closer. And the conversation dies down.  

“Hey, guys. I’d like you to meet Carrington.”  

The group smiles and a few people gave a wave. Carrington smiles in return. She follows Chris to the two empty chairs near a table. It was a lot for someone to take in. Being around so many important people at once was extremely overwhelming. She glances over her shoulder at the bar. Carrington gets up and makes her way over to the bartender.    

“Hi. Can I get uh… a double of Crown and a tall draft of Blue Moon please?” She asks with a smile.  

“You bet. Give me just a sec.”  

As she waits, she turns back around to watch the group. They all seem to be having a good time. Maybe she shouldn’t have come? It was rather intrusive. She watched Chris as he desperately tries not to look over at her, but fails. He glances at her and again has a big grin on his face.  

“Here you go. It’s thirteen dollars.” The bartender says.  

She pulls out her wallet from her jacket pocket and begins to search through the cash. Before she can get anything out. A twenty is placed on the table next to her. She looks over expecting Chris and sees Mark Ruffalo.  

“Keep the change.”  

“Thank you.” She says to him.  

“Oh, no biggie. Just helping out my friend.”  

“What do you mean?” She asks and takes the shot of whiskey.  

“You know loosen you up a bit. You seem shy.”

“Just intimidated. A lot of important people. I don’t want to make a bad impression.”

“Just be yourself. Chris likes that girl already.” He says and makes his way back to the group.  

Carrington takes a minute to process what Ruffalo had said. She and Chris had barely talked, so what was there to like already. She quickly drinks the rest of the whiskey and takes her beer with her. When she sits down, Chris puts his arm around the back of her chair.  

“So, um… you’re an intern then?” Scarlett asks.  

“Yes.”  

“And you’re from?”  

“Indianapolis.”

“Indiana… That’s uh…”  

“Boring as hell. Corn, pigs, and basketball. Oh, the Indy 500.” Carrington says. “I was one of the lucky few that actually got out.”

A few people chuckle.  

“Well, now you’re lucky enough to be hanging out with us.” Chris smiles, rubbing her back softly.

“Damn Chris. You’re really laying it on thick huh?” Scarlett chuckles.  

Carrington looks over at Chris and gives him a reassuring smile.  

“It’s the most attention I’ve had in a long time. I’ll take it.” She says.  

They all talk for a long time. Movies, politics, family. Every so often Chris would give a gentle squeeze on her shoulder or rub his thumb up against her arm. She slowly found herself scooting in closer to him.  

It was a nice change of pace. Carrington was never the person that made friends. Her whole life the past six years was college. The room slowly got quieter as people started to leave.  

“Do you want me to walk you back?” Chris asks leaning into her.  

“I’d like that.” She nods her head.  

They get up from their seats and Chris says his final goodbyes.  

“It was really nice meeting y’ll.” Carrington smiles and gives a wave.  

As they walk away, Chris puts his hand around her waist. The street is dark. Many of the lights have shut off. Carrington shivers as a breeze.  

“Here do you want my jacket?” Chris asks, beginning to unzip his thick sweatshirt.  

“Oh no. Please. I’ll be fine.”  

Carrington moves in closer to him and grabs his hand. He gives her hand a squeeze and brings her in closer to him.      

“I’m glad you came.” He says and looks down at her.

“Me too. I had a good time.”  

Chris steps forward and pushes the door open to the apartments. He lets go of her hand as they walk to the elevators. Carrington felt as though she had done something wrong. When they got into the elevator, they stood in opposite corners.  

“Are you okay?” She asks him.  

He looks over at her. “Yeah. There’s just a lot of cameras. I just wanted to be careful. For you.”  

She looked down and smiled. The elevator doors opened and they both walk out. Chris follows behind as Carrington walks to her room. She fumbles in her pockets trying to find her keys. She finds them and opens the door.  

“Thanks for the invite. I had a good time.”  

“Yeah me too.” He says scratching the back of his head.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She says and quickly walks into her room.

Carrington shuts the door and goes to sit down on the bed. She lays back and her head hits the comforter. If only she could just talk to her brother. But telling him the slightest thing could get her fired. She sighed heavily. She missed her dad. She could talk to him about anything and he wouldn’t say a word. But Cooper was too much like Mom and would tell the first person he could find.  

She gets off of the bed and heads to the bathroom. As she walks, she takes off her jacket and throws it on the floor. She flicks the lights on and looks at herself in the mirror. Damn. She looked good? She pulled up her jeans and looked over her body.  

Carrington felt the urge to see Chris again. She goes to her suitcase and digs through trying to find a cute bralette to throw on under a white tank top that she had. She finds high waisted denim shorts and quickly changes into them as well. She goes back to the bathroom and looks in the mirror again. Even better. She runs her fingers through her messy hair to take care of the tangles.  

She opens the door to find Chris. He was now just wearing a light grey tee shirt and the same dark jeans. His arm lifted up, as though he was about to knock.  

“Hello there.” She smiles.  

“Where are you headed?” He asks.

“I was actually coming to see you.” She looks down and then back up into his eye.

A grin comes across his face and he moves in towards her. Carrington moves back and opens the door wider so that he can come in. She shuts the door and turns to find Chris exploring her small apartment.  

“This is pretty nice.” He says.

“So why were you coming here?” She asks him.

“Oh uh. I just wanted to see you.” He sits on the bed. “I like being around you.”

She sits next to him with one leg folded up onto the bed and the other hanging off the edge. He pivots to face her. He places his hand on her knee and gently rubs his thumb against her thigh. They look up at each other and the tension builds. Hair falls into Carrington’s face. As she reaches up to tuck it behind her ear, Chris beats her to it and pushes it from her face. His hand rests on her cheek and again his thumb brushes her skin.  

Her hand presses into his thigh as she leans forward to kiss him. As their lips meet, it feels so natural. His beard rubs up against her chin. They both lean in for more as their lips continue to meet each other. Carrington pulls back and looks at Chris.  

“Wow.” She says.

“You’re amazing.”  

Chris leans forward to go in for another kiss. Carrington pushes her hand against his chest.  

“Wait.”

“What is it?” He says, giving a concerned look.

“What do you want out of this? Us?” She asks him and scoots back.  

“I want to get to know you. Kiss you more.”  

“We can’t date.” She says.

Carrington gets off the bed and begins to pace around the room.  

“This job is a great opportunity for me and if something were to happen it would be awkward. I would have a reputation.” She rambles and quickly runs her fingers through her hair, shifting the part.  

“Hey. Calm down.” Chris stands up and grabs her arm. “Take a breath. We can talk it out.”  

She sighs and sits back on the bed. Chris sits next to her.  

“What do you want?” Chris asks her.  

“There’s just too much at stake.” She says, putting her face in her hands.

“No. What do you want?”  

She looks over at him. His eyebrows are furrowed, expressing a concerned look.  

“I want you.”  

“So, let’s start there and see where it goes?”  

“Okay.”  

“I’m gonna kiss you again now.” He smiles, leaning into her.

[kukiwi]

Bad Company

Series: Kingdom Hearts Pairing: Riku / Ienzo Rating: M Summary: Ienzo doesn't know what it's like to have friends much less how to make them. Perhaps he's lucky that day he runs into Vanitas. Sometimes a person just doesn't know what they need until it slams right into them and threatens to beat them to a pulp. A/N: For the beautiful and most amazing @mis-kitty ;w; Tysm dear <3 <3 Also On: AO3 || FFN

Alone even when he has people rushing around him that are constantly making sure he has everything thing he needs and that he's alright. It's something Ienzo has been since his parents died. Rather, perhaps even more that. He's not quite sure and doesn't care to really think about it.

He's lucky though! At least that's what he hears everyone whisper when he's allowed to go to the store with his siblings or anywhere really. He's just always lucky to have them. Even Isa tells him how fortunate he is that Aqua has taken up the mantel of making sure they didn't get split up.

Even though it's only possible because of the small fortune their parents left behind for them. Unlike most they made sure that no matter what that there would be safety nets for their children no matter what or when. Especially considering how much travel they always did.

Ienzo would trade all of that to have them back. Trade everything to know what is going on and why every day feels like he's just drifting in and out of consciousness. Every single day blends together in his young twelve year old brain. Nothing makes sense and yet he stores is all in the shelves of his mind.

From home to school back to home. There's no friends or extracurriculars. He's exhausted just from having to do that much. Yet angry that he's where he is. So furious that he's treated like he's a baby and can do nothing for himself. That is aside from the homework he brings home.

Of course Ienzo wants friends. Every kid does. But he can't seem to find any common ground with any of them. And certainly not now that no one knows how to approach him since he's been gone a week to mourn. Then again, this special school for "genius" intellect isn't exactly thriving in social skills or how to develop them. It's all about being the smartest and pampering each child so that they can go onto the best things.

It's not the kind of atmosphere Ienzo wants. Yet he's told it's what he needs. To be placed in a tiny box with his name labeled on the front. Despite his young age he's already thinking far too ahead. Further than any child should and the fear and doubt that bubble up inside of him every day only continues to grow.

He just wants to have some fun.

Which is exactly why he's staring at his feet as he stands outside of the large pristine school's steps. Ienzo smooths his hands down the front of his gray blazer with the white and dark red emblem. He knows very well what he's supposed to do when he misses the small bus used to take the sports kids home. As well as though that have stayed late.

But Ienzo has made sure to stay even later than that. If only by a few minutes he's managed to miss the bus and has decided not to call either of his siblings to see if he can get a ride soon. Oh no. He's more than determined to make it home all on his own.

This idea isn't something he planned. It simply fell into his lap since one of his teachers asked him to stay to discuss what he plans to do about his project since he hadn't turned in a thesis. Rather, he had forgot it at home.

It's simply the perfect storm. Or as Ienzo sees it, opportunity.

Still, he's having problems with taking the first step. Resisting the urge to pull his backpack around and dig out the small phone Aqua bestowed upon is harder than he ever thought. He shouldn't worry them, the only family he has left, but he can't keep the rebellion inside of him at bay.

Desire to have other experiences, to prove he's capable - he just has to have it.

Ienzo knows his way home. He watches the roads and the signs. Not to mention Aqua made sure of it. Better to know just in case, she always says. He takes a deep breath as he finally steps onto the sidewalk and makes that fateful turn. The one that has him treading away from the school.

The nerves in his stomach are nonexistent for the sole reason that he's determined. If can get home on his own then maybe Isa will ease up on him. Just maybe.

Every step has him closer to his home and more determined than before. That is until he comes to a crossroad where he's not sure which way to take. He knows it's right or left. Ienzo bites at the inside of his cheek and glances both ways. The long slate colored hair draping over the right side of his face sways against his cheek.

The wrong way and he'll be lost.

Left.

Ienzo makes the split second decision and quickly marches on, the way that avoids him having to cross the street with the crowd that's waiting for the light. This way he can keep moving. Not that he attracts any attention as it is. No one so much as glances his way.

This bothers Ienzo as well. It's nothing new that no one notices him or reaches out. Even if he tries it tends to not last long. He's just not sure what he's doing wrong. It all becomes more apparent when he comes across a small playground with kids of all ages running around while some parents watch from the sidelines. Even a few older teens are there, surely having to keep up with their siblings.

Everyone seems to be having fun despite the chill in the air that makes Ienzo's nose become red. He looks on, observing quietly from the sidewalk.

So easy… it just looks so easy to have friends.

But his interests aren't the same as anyone he's talked to. Sure he's good at almost all of his subjects but that isn't his hobby. It's not his desire. It's not… fun. He's just not sure about anything right now.

Now the way those kids race through the playground and howl at each other doesn't particularly spark anything in Ienzo either. But it does have a small smile touching his round face. He licks at his lips and tilts his head, craning his neck to see more of the jungle gym fashioned in a large train around the area.

It's the lack of any purpose for the tomfoolery that resounds inside of Ienzo. All of that left the day his parents died. Perhaps slightly before that if he thinks hard enough. His older brother and sister try. But lately they're never together except for dinner. Unless Aqua manages a day off.

"Hey there."

Ienzo starts, taking a step back as his eyes widen. Bright sapphire stare straight through the boy in front of him. So caught up in his thoughts Ienzo never heard or saw him coming. The other child smiles cheerfully and holds out a piece of candy in the prettiest magenta wrapping that Ienzo has ever seen.

"Are you lost? Or did you wanna come and play?"

Still he can only stare. He's conflicted and curious. But most of all he's a tad enraptured by those large blue-green eyes that actually look at him. Never mind the white hair or the impossibly bright yellow t-shirt. Ienzo is in awe just with the boy's smile. At least that is until the smile shrinks a little and brows pinch upward in concern.

"You okay?" He tilts his head to the side, bending down slightly to get a different angle on Ienzo. "Can you talk?"

"I…" Ienzo glances off to the side as his phone rings. The vibrations seep through the bag and into his back. He knows he'd better answer, and soon, or there will surely be hell to pay.

That's when the boy notices the mark on Ienzo's jacket. His mouth forms a small 'o' while he straightens back up. "You must be from that fancy school! I'm glad we don't have uniforms, that must be weird to wear the same thing… every day?"

The boy trails off as Ienzo quickly removes his backpack, "I'm fine. Thanks."

He turns on his heel but the boy won't let him leave so easily. He grabs for Ienzo hand and in that split second of contact he presses the candy against Ienzo's palm. It doesn't stop Ienzo though, he merely keeps moving until he's well away from the playground and that boy. The one that made his heart thump loudly in his ears.

Once he calms down enough he drops the candy in his bag, but only after looking at it and wondering why the boy bothered, and grabs out the cell phone. It's nothing fancy like some of the others kids in his class have. Although it does exactly what it's intended to do.

Call Aqua.

It barely has a chance to ring before her voice comes to life, "Ienzo? Ienzo, where are you?"

"I'm on my way home."

"Did you miss the bus? Where are you now? I'll come pick you up."

Her frantic tone has Ienzo's heart dropping into his stomach. The last thing he wanted to do was worry her. "I just passed the playground. I'm okay though, really."

"I'll be right there, don't move and stay on the phone with me okay?"

"Okay."

He steps out of the way of some adults so they can pass by him and resigns himself to waiting. He can only hope his brother didn't come with her. Ienzo knows he'll make a big deal out of this too. No different than when he wandered off to get more napkins at the movie theater last weekend.

It's not very long before the small white car that he knows very well comes to a stop before him. The driver's door swings open and Aqua practically tumbles out with how she ends up kneeling before Ienzo. Her hands are all over him trying to make sure he's not hurt anywhere.

"Aqua…" She doesn't take notice until he huffs, "Aqua, stop."

She hesitates, mouth agape and eyes worried as she stares up at him. Her short cerulean hair brushes about her face as the wind picks up again. Her gaze, an identical shade to his own, looks up at him with nothing but concern. There's only love in the way she suddenly reaches forward and wraps her arms around him, pulling him close.

"I'm sorry. We can talk about it when we get you home."

"Yeah…"

Ienzo knows very well what that means. He's not out of the frying pan yet. In fact, when Aqua finally pulls away and gets back into the car Ienzo can finally get in as well. Only to realize he's jumping right into the fire when he sees Isa in the back seat also. He doesn't dare say a word and merely climbs in, shutting the door and cradling his book bag on his lap.

It's his safety harness, tethering him to a place where he won't get that look from his older brother. The one that says he's disappointed. The one that says that Ienzo should have known better because he's not a child yet he is. However, Ienzo is surprised. Isa is quiet the entire drive home. One that's filled with furtive glances over at his brother. He can never tell what he's thinking or feeling.

Once they're home and all safely inside the single floor house does Isa finally speak up. Ienzo can barely get his shoes off before Isa is turning curtly on the heel of his sneakers. He's intimidating solely on the fact that he's taller and the way his blue hair frames in his green eyes only forces Ienzo to look at them all the more.

"Why didn't you call if you missed the bus? Something could have happened."

He never truly raises his voice. Not that he has to. It's the calm anger that has fearful nerves knotting up in Ienzo's stomach. Isa is only fifteen, Aqua only two years more than that, and yet to Ienzo at this very moment it feels like more. He feels tiny and insignificant. To the point where nothing he says will make any difference.

"I… I know the way home."

"Obviously you don't. What if someone had run off with you? You scared us to death doing that."

Aqua reaches out, placing her hand on Isa's shoulder. It calms him immediately. Rather he resigns back into silence so that Aqua and step forward. She gives a reassuring smile to Ienzo, one that helps settle him back into a sense of security. At least a little.

"We're not… mad. We're just worried about you. The three of us is all that's left, we have to look out for each other. Don't you agree?"

Ienzo stares down at how his fingers tightly clench onto his backpack. He gives a small nod.

"So, to make sure we know we're all safe and sound after school I'll always come and pick you up okay? And when Isa can do it and I can't then we'll let you know." Aqua stands up and gives him a stern look, "Just don't ever do that again. Not when you can call one of us."

He tries not to seem frustrated or guilty even. He just keeps his gaze down even as she pats him on the head. "Come on, let's get some dinner and we can do our homework together."

0-0-0

Ienzo's pre-teen years are no different. In fact, very little has changed in two years. The only difference is that he's gotten a bit taller and now Isa is the one that primarily retrieves him after school since Aqua is working. Even though their parents left them a nice little nest egg didn't mean anything to her. It won't last forever after all.

However, Aqua and Isa are very aware that the thing that truly won't sustain is Ienzo doing as he's told. School is the only thing they don't concern themselves with. Ienzo is always at the top of his class and working towards getting into a bigger field if he wants it later on. He's impressed many.

Yet there's still a part of him that aches to be recognized by his siblings. Enough to be able to go down the street to the corner store and back. He's fourteen, he should be able to at least pull that off without worry or so he believes. Ienzo has attempted to try and do things out of favor with this guardians.

Not calling when he's ready to be picked up or even answering his phone on the first try. They aren't very rebellious in theory but it's enough to show he's trying to push away.

However, for a few weeks he's been slipping out when he's left home alone. It's nothing big. Just down to the corner and back. But today is different. Ienzo sits on the couch reading a book when Isa walks over to him.

"Any homework tonight?"

"No, I finished it all in class. Were are you going?"

Isa gives a smile, a petite one that's heartwarming to say the least. "Meeting up with a friend. We have a project to finish and he forgot his notes about it at school."

Ienzo raises a brow, "Do I need to do anything about dinner then?"

"No," Isa begins as he strides over to the door with his bag on his shoulder. "Aqua will be home in time. Don't make any trouble for her while I'm gone."

Ienzo bites back the retort he wants to give and instead fashions another. "I'll see you later then."

The second the door shuts after Isa leaves he feels a little more free. He jumps up and rushes over to his room. Of course he doesn't bother changing out of his clothes. That'd take too long. Instead he grabs his wallet and his phone while throwing a note onto the kitchen counter before rushing out the door as well. Although he is careful to give Isa enough time to get some distance away.

Heart pounding in his ears and excitement rushing through his veins, Ienzo can barely help himself. He's happy. Everything feels so empty lately that even that the smallest amount of outside stimulant has his palms sweaty and a smile on his face. He did make sure to leave the message in case Aqua gets home prior to him. He's not sure if she'd believe he's with friends but they don't ask much about any relationships anyway.

There's a place his parents used to take them to now and then, just as a treat, that has priority today. Well past the corner store in this tiny neighborhood and out onto the larger streets he goes. It's not very far away, close enough to walk to even.

Frozen Delight.

The small ice cream store is the best in this part of the city. Although Ienzo is a bit biased considering it's the only one that sells certain flavors; specifically sea salt. All he has to do to get to it is round one more corner. So close he can practically taste it already.

Thud!

Ienzo stumbles back after slamming straight into someone else coming from that direction. The person in question yells as he nearly falls backward as well save for the friend that grabs onto his shoulders. A little disoriented, Ienzo looks up to see a very disgruntled dark haired teen with bright golden eyes. To say he's fuming is an understatement and Ienzo knows better than to anger someone, especially someone that Isa would deem bad company.

The teen looks friendly aside from the angry look on his face. He merely dresses far different than anyone else Ienzo has ever met. From the black jeans with rips and restitching down the fronts to the matching tank top and dark red jacket drooping off one shoulder. Then again, Ienzo can't take his eyes off the thick boots that stomp over to where he's picking himself back up.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Vanitas…" the boy behind him starts, trying to curb his fury.

"Nah-uh, this brat just ruined my ice cream. I don't just let that go!"

The much taller redhead behind this Vanitas rolls his eyes — eyes that glimmer like emeralds. He places his hands on his hips. "I can buy you another one. Come on, if we don't hurry Larxene will yell again."

But Vanitas is paying him no mind. He's already up in Ienzo's personal space and despite being just a hair shorter he doesn't seem like it. Not when a fist curls into the front of Ienzo's blazer. He's so focused on Vanitas and the glare he's getting that he doesn't even notice the look that the other teen gives him. Those green eyes widen slightly — just enough as he realizes something.

"Sorry, I didn't see you coming."

"Sorry is not cutting it punk! You're going to buy me another one for that or you'll get a-"

"Hey, Vanitas," the redhead says as he slings an arm over the mentioned boy's shoulders. "I think we should get a little more than just ice cream."

"Eh? Lea, this is my prey or do you not get it. He screwed up my-"

Vanitas finds himself staggering to the side as Lea tilts his head, trying to meet Ienzo's eyes — rather his visible one. "Ya know, you probably shouldn't go out on the town in your uniform." Lea taps his knuckles against the emblem of Ienzo's school blatantly on the front. "Gives you away."

Ienzo raises an eyebrow, "How so? It's just a school logo." He glances over to Vanitas, trying to remain calm even though he's freaking out inside. "I can buy you another. I really do apologize."

"So what's a prep mouse doing out and about anyway? Don't you have homework?"

Returning his attention to Lea, Ienzo sighs. "You should to unless you'd rather be in school the rest of your life."

Lea's eye twitches but it doesn't matter. Vanitas heard what he wants, it almost has him snickering. He pushes Lea away and grabs Ienzo's wrist, "Ignore the flagpole and let's go get my ice cream."

He rushes to catch up. Which isn't hard considering Lea is taller than both of them. "Wait, wait, wait!" He skids to a stop in front of them with his hands out to force them to do as he says. "I'll buy the damn ice cream if he takes that jacket off. Don't wanna get any looks from people."

Ienzo is about to ask when Vanitas lets go of him. "Hurry up, kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"Yeah, whatever."

Removing his jacket, Ienzo throws it over his arm and allows Vanitas to lead him over to the door of the shop. Lea goes in and it leaves the two of them alone. Something Ienzo isn't too thrilled about. Yet, he's surprised when Vanitas glances over at him before quickly looking away.

"What's your name?"

"Ienzo."

"Heh, so are you some goody-goody that does what Mommy and Daddy say?"

Ienzo looks down at his feet. He's not sure what to say to that. It makes his heart ache to even think about. He does have people he still answers to in that regard. But the original two — the ones that meant the world to him, the ones that were his indestructible heroes — are gone.

Vanitas must notice the way Ienzo's eyes glaze over. In fact, he's about to say something — more than likely tactless — when footsteps near them. Footsteps that bring four friends laughing and chatting as they get closer. No matter how much Vanitas wants to reply he can't help but send a glare at the blond that speaks low, although Vanitas still hears him.

"Maybe we should wait till they leave."

A cruel smirk carves onto Vanitas's countenance as he turns, hands sheathing into his pockets. "I guess the geek squad likes ice cream too. Well and Roxas too."

Roxas, the blond with spiky hair and fierce blue eyes, marches up to Vanitas. He stops short and instead reaches for the door. "I still get better grades than you. Aren't you failing science?"

Vanitas's eye twitches. He hears enough of that from his parents. It doesn't help that Roxas is his lab partner either. Exhaling through his nose, Vanitas is about to let a string of curses, perhaps even a response, leave his lips when Lea opens the door. It forces Roxas to step back to the rest of this friends.

None of them truly catch Ienzo's eye. Not the way the one in the back does. He's taller and looks just like the little boy he met two years ago. He doesn't know his name but he's seen him around since then. Aside from different clothes he looks the same, so much that Ienzo has to tear his eyes away. Although, it's not before the object of his attention notices.

"Come on, can't we just get along and have ice cream," Lea says as he holds one out toward one of the girls.

She smiles and brushes some of her short black hair behind one ear. In fact, she's about to reach out for it when Roxas steps in front of her. "We can buy our own ice cream unlike you."

Lea merely shrugs and instead hands it to Vanitas. "Then can we get out of here? Don't wanna keep them waiting."

Vanitas huffs and begins to walk back down the street, backwards at that, and Ienzo wonders how he hasn't run into people all the time. "Hah! Don't eat too much they might kick you off the soccer team small fry!"

Ushering Ienzo along, Lea tries to get them as far away as possible before Vanitas pops like a balloon in a room of needles. But if there's one thing that Roxas always gets with Vanitas it's the last word.

"You're shorter than me, five foot three!"

That's all it takes. Lea hands the bag of ice cream pops to Ienzo and grabs for Vanitas. He spins the dark haired teen around and pushes him away — anything to get them to round the corner. In the distance, as Ienzo is the last in the little train, he can hear the dark haired girl sigh.

"Why can't you two get along, he's your brother after all."

Ienzo picks up his pace and rushes to keep up with Lea. Which happens to be a lot harder than it looks. Once they come to a stop a street and a half away, Ienzo returns the bag to Lea. "Roxas is your brother?"

Vanitas glares at him, "Yeah. And so are the other two goody-goodies. Three hellspawns that are beyond perfect."

Lea grins wide as he takes out an ice cream and hands it to Ienzo. "He's better at other things. Like pissing people off." Without hesitation Vanitas punches Lea on the arm. "Oh! And math."

"Math?" Ienzo says as he raises a brow. "I could help you with your science-"

"I don't need anybody's help!"

Laughing like a madman, Lea claps Ienzo on the back. It's not very hard but with enough force to have Ienzo taking a step forward. "You might want to be careful."

Just as Ienzo is about to open the ice cream he can feel his phone vibrating in his back pocket. A sigh slips from his lips as he reaches back, pulling it out. Lea quickly swipes it from him but he doesn't answer like Ienzo expects him to. After he rejects the call, Lea cycles through the commands and swiftly inputs his number.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

Lea smiles down at Ienzo and hands it back, "Text or call me if you wanna hang out. Got it memorized?" The confusion on Ienzo's face is well worth it. Lea chuckles, "I put Vanitas's number in there too. Besides I could use the study help."

Vanitas glares, "You should ask before you give away my number. Might lose a hand doing crap like that."

"Yeah, yeah I hear you over there." Lea leans in close, whispering into Ienzo's ear. "He's like a cat. Get on his good side and he'll stick to you."

"Hey! What did you just say to him!" Vanitas is about to walk over when Lea meets him half way. "I mean it, I'll kill you if you're making fun of me again."

Once they're down the corner Ienzo dials back the only person who would call him; Aqua. It doesn't even really ring. She answers immediately, "Ienzo? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I was at the store. I'll be home in a minute."

"Okay, I'll be there about the same time then. Just wait for me and I'll help with dinner. Love you, see you soon."

"Love you too."

Ienzo hangs up the phone and slips it into his pocket once more. The way home isn't anything other than bliss. Eating as he goes, Ienzo feels a little pleased with how this turned out. At least now he has an honest excuse when he says he's going to hang out with friends.

Not that he's entirely sure about this. Then again anything is better than nothing. And from the sound of it he'll be seeing plenty more of those others in the future as well.

0-0-0

Aqua smiles over at him as she sets down the smoothie in front of him. She's taken up quite the interest in blending whatever fruit she can get her hands on. However, she'll never hear any complaints from Ienzo. There hasn't been one batch that he hasn't liked.

Ienzo glances over at his phone as it chimes a few times. He takes a sip and puts his book down, settling for grabbing his phone instead. Glancing up at Aqua, he tips the drink toward her. "This one is the best so far."

She claps her hands together, "I'll make sure I get more strawberries then."

The text isn't one he expects. Sure he's been hanging out with Lea and Vanitas lately, not to mention the other two. Well save for Larxene. He's met her in passing but hasn't gotten the chance to truly meet her. The past few weeks have gone rather well and none of them make him feel unwanted. Each is a little rough around the edges but so is Ienzo. He feels happy being around them.

It's never dull at least.

"Hey, Aqua?"

"Hm?"

"May I have a couple friends over?"

Aqua thinks on it for a moment, crossing her arms over her white blouse. "Well… I don't see why not since you don't have any homework." She strides around the counter, the heels of her light brown ankle boots clicking and clacking against the tile. "If you need me I'll be in my room."

As she walks away there's a chorus of knocks on the door. It has her stopping with a smile and deciding to get it for Ienzo. Except the friends she expects to see definitely aren't what she imagined they'd be. Nor that they'd be here so soon.

Vanitas is no different than usual. His clothing is in tatters in many places and his nails are colored a dark red. Not to mention the two piercings on his left brow. The much taller boy beside him, Demyx, is less of a threat visually. He looks rather plain save for the way he styles his dirty blond hair and the small dot of a nostril piercing.

"Oh hey! You must be Aqua!" Demyx beams as he reaches out a hand. Aqua doesn't know what to do other than to meet it, allowing him to vigorously shake her hand. "We've been trying to come over and say hi forever now."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you both."

Ienzo is by her side in the next second and gives Demyx a look, one that says he's overdoing it again. Demyx only laughs while Vanitas scoffs. Gesturing to each in turn, Ienzo introduces them both. "That's Vanitas and this is Demyx."

Aqua takes a step back and begins toward her room, "Well, feel free to make yourselves at home. Ienzo, if you need anything-"

"I know."

She gives a final smile toward him, happy he has friends he can have fun with, and leaves him to do just that. As for Ienzo, he knows better. Once she turns into the hallway to her room at the back of the house he raises a brow. "Why are you two really here?"

Demyx scoffs, feigning pain. "I'm hurt, Ienzo. We just wanted to see you."

Ienzo turns and makes his way back to the kitchen. Of course his friends follow with the sound of the front door shutting in their wake. Ienzo sits back down on the barstool he was on, piling his things together in front of himself on the small island in the middle of the kitchen. Vanitas hops up to sit on it next to Ienzo while Demyx is too busy looking about.

Leaning back, Vanitas grins. "If I go home Roxas is just going to yell at me for doing the project wrong. Let him do it himself if he's so smart."

"What about Lea?"

Vanitas raises an eyebrow, "What about him?"

Ienzo can't help but sigh. At least until his eyes catch onto something shiny, something that shouldn't be at that. Though, Vanitas does keep talking which is exactly what Ienzo is hoping he'll do.

"He's with Larxene. Something about pianos and I'd rather not have to follow her around while she looks at 'em." He swings his legs back and forth as he talks. "I was expecting some place that was super fancy. This is kinda…"

"Normal." Demyx finishes as he returns from rummaging around. "Got any soda?"

Ienzo nods, "Back of the fridge."

"Score!"

It's the fact that Ienzo never takes his eyes off of Vanitas's mouth which gives him away. Vanitas means nothing by it but he can't resist leaning forward until his face is right in front of Ienzo's. His fingers curl against the counter, keeping himself steady, as he does. "Like my face or something?"

A light tinge of pink dusts over his cheeks. Ienzo fights it back and shakes his head. To Vanitas it's far too easy. The back and forth between them is usually nonexistent anyway. He'd rather not listen to the lectures that Ienzo can give should get started on a subject.

This is why he opens his mouth, showing off the small little ball resting on the middle of his tongue. Just as quick as he gives it he takes it back, "Curious?"

"Didn't that hurt?"

"Hah! Not at all! Were you thinking of getting one?" The dramatic shake of Ienzo's head has Vanitas bursting with laughter. "You don't have to get one like mine. Hmm, maybe the ears?"

"Can I… see it again?"

Demyx glances over from where he's poured himself some grape soda. Vanitas leans forward once more and sticks out his tongue. It's just then that the door clicks shut and Isa is suddenly standing in the open threshold to the kitchen. His eyes widen as he looks on, unsure about the characters that are with his little brother.

"What's going on?"

Ienzo doesn't even turn around. He keeps his back to his brother as long as he can lest he lose his nerve entirely. "Aqua said I could have some friends over."

"I see… and she is?"

"Her room."

Isa quietly takes his leave, obviously wanting to go verify this and these other two boys as quickly as possible. Especially if it means he can kick them out before they taint Ienzo further. Little does he know it's too late. The small tastes of freedom these new friends have given him is more than enough to have him try exploring who he is and not what he's meant to be.

Ienzo gives a hum of thought, "Maybe an earring wouldn't be so bad."

Vanitas laughs again while Demyx walks over. The blond smiles wide, "You know what, you haven't even met Larxene yet when he's not rushing around. I think it's about time." Demyx leans against the counter. "I think maybe she could help you with that."

"What?"

"The piercing. She knows the lady that does it."

Vanitas grins, "Hey, you two wanna go grab some ice cream?"

"I'll pass."

They both look at Ienzo, a little disappointed but knowing full well why. Vanitas chuckles as they head to the door. "Try not to upset your guard dog too much. We'll steal you away next time."

0-0-0

Meeting Larxene all those months ago helped change Ienzo a little. There's just something about the blond that demands everyone that's around her to be the best of their own self. She doesn't tolerate cookie cutter anything. Differences are what she thrives on. Well, that and poking fun at Demyx. But that's only because he's more than certainly the smartest out of them all. Hidden intellect, Ienzo calls it.

Isa didn't, and still doesn't, agree with Ienzo hanging out with them. However, Aqua is more forgiving. Her only stipulation is that Ienzo keeps his grades up. He's even found something he's interested in. Still, he's not sure biochemistry is truly something he wants to pursue. Which is why he thrives in the hours after school or on the weekends that he can be with his friends.

Although neither of his siblings agree with him slipping out without a word about where he's going. He's gotten a bit better about it but nonetheless he can't help it if Isa won't listen to a word he says.

Which is exactly why he always informs Aqua. Much like today where he finds himself sitting outside the large mall. Beside him is Vanitas, who is very proud of himself for helping pick out a majority of what Ienzo bought, as they wait on the others to finish up at the last store. Something about suspenders being on sale.

Vanitas nudges Ienzo with his elbow, "Make sure you keep it clean and follow the instructions."

"You follow instructions?"

A glare is what Ienzo gets in return. "If you want an infection go ahead. Not even I'm that stupid." He makes a couple wild gestures as he does this and makes the small chain connecting two rings on his middle finger to jingle. "I bet you can't do it. You'll take it out and let it close up, don't want your guard dog to get mad."

The grin on his face at the end dares Ienzo enough to want to prove him wrong. Even though he'll be keeping the earring either way. Having someone to go up against doesn't hurt either.

"And if I do you'll pay for my next one."

"Pff- Fine."

Ienzo glances over at him, "How did the test go"

"Got a C. It'll keep everyone off my back at least," Vanitas huffs.

"Then I'll see you Tuesday after school to study."

Vanitas turns, confused and a little agitated with the sudden plans. "What? Why?"

"Because you have another one coming up. You need to study more."

Demyx, Larxene and Lea all come out just as Vanitas groans. None of them ask what they could have been talking about. Instead, Larxene gestures to the two black and white bags at Ienzo's feet. "Get enough, dork? Or do we need to hit another store?"

Her sharp, and sometimes cruel, tongue doesn't bother Ienzo much anymore. Spending almost a year now with her has made that easier to handle. It's just how she is. If anything she's just as fierce as she is beautiful and her final word on any matter with the group means more.

"No, this should be enough to start with. Thank you for your help, Larxene."

She places her hand on his head. Larxene is already taller than him but even more so when she wears her boots with the three inch heels. "See, he knows how to thank me. What the hell is wrong with the rest of you?"

Lea shrugs and Demyx whines, "That's 'cause you're mean."

"And you're a snotty baby, what's new?"

Demyx sticks out his tongue when Larxene isn't looking. She's too busy basking in the praise the baby bird of the group is willing to give her. Tussling his hair, Larxene gestures toward the parking lot. "Alright, Demyx, where's the car?"

His face turns white as a sheet.

"You've got to be kidding. You had one job."

Vanitas pushes away from the wall and strides past Demyx, but not before whispering something to him. To everyone looking in at them it would seem that Larxene and Vanitas are the harshest members of their little group. But to Ienzo, they all help hold each other together.

"Ah, I remember! Four, we were at four!" He gives her a smirk, "Now who's useless?"

Larxene rolls her eyes, "Let's just get going I have practice in the morning and it's late enough as it is."

Now that Lea has license or as good as one that no one will question because he drives safer than anyone else on the road, he's their chauffeur. Lucky for Ienzo he's usually the last to be dropped off. Not that he'd ever complain. There's something nice about the peaceful silence, comfortable silence at that, which settles between Lea and himself.

Well, except for tonight. Lea glances at Ienzo from the corner of his eye. "Did you really save up your allowance for this?"

"Of course. Aqua isn't going to just hand me a hundred dollars without me explaining what it's for."

Lea, safely at the last red light before Ienzo's neighborhood, looks at him. "Wait. Hold on, you didn't tell her what you were doing today?"

"She might be okay with it but Isa wouldn't." Ienzo turns his gaze out the window with a huff. "He doesn't like change."

"Yeah… I get that."

Ienzo can feel it. Lea doesn't particularly agree with his decisions since they've met. But it's no different than any other kid looking to rebel. The only thing that they do bad is Larxene smokes occasionally. Even then Ienzo is pretty sure it's only in certain situations or around a particular group of friends that get under her and Vanitas's skin.

Pulling up on the curb, Lea gets out as well. It confuses Ienzo at first but he often forgets that despite the raggedy layers of clothing and obscene about of black and red plaid there's a gentleman in there. Ienzo tugs his bags along and heads straight for the front door. He just gets inside, with Lea idling at the threshold, when he hears his brother.

"You're home late."

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Sorry, got distracted," is all he says while shucking off his shoes.

But Isa is already there with his arms crossed over his chest. He's already dressed for bed, a simple black tank top and some sweatpants, and Ienzo can only assume Isa has waited up for him. "You could have called."

"You could have too."

"Get to bed, you have to be up early. It's not my fault you won't have enough sleep."

Ienzo shoots him a glare before walking off. But not before giving a wave over his shoulder to Lea. Just in the hallway he stops, suspicious of the lack of sound from a shutting door. He's sure Aqua is asleep. Which is why it surprises him when he can hear Isa raise his voice ever so slightly.

"I don't know what you think you're doing but stop. He has a good path in front of him, he doesn't need you screwing it up."

Lea glares back, "Me? You're the one pushing him away. You know, that thing you did to me too." Isa is about to counter when Lea cuts him off. "You walked away, Isa. I was just trying to be there for you when your parents died and you cut me off. I tried for months only to be told to go away."

"I have to take care of-"

"Ienzo? Because Aqua does everything and you just want to lessen that burden? Maybe if you weren't so damned busy trying to fix what you think is wrong with Ienzo you'd realize you're the one that's unhappy instead."

"You don't have the right to say that to me."

"Right back at'cha, buddy. When you wanna be friends again, I'll be waiting for you to unlock the door so I can get back in. 'Cause I'll just keep trying."

Ienzo panics a little, scurrying for his room, as the door finally shuts. He slips away while Isa is left at the door. His chest hurts and he knows Lea is right. He's the one that's done this. That pushed away every friend he had and when Lea needed him too. After all, the same thing happened to him. Isa sighs and leans against the door, "It doesn't matter now."

0-0-0

The next morning finds Ienzo more than just tired. He's mentally exhausted. Of course he had an idea that Lea knew Isa. But he didn't realize they were that close. It would explain why Lea drops everything if Ienzo needs something. Even so he can't bother with thinking too much about it. Today is about Aqua. It might only be her twentieth birthday but every single one is important to them as a family.

Ienzo grabs the small white and blue box that has Aqua's present and slips it into the back of his dark purple jeans. The only thing that isn't new on his person is the pair of sneakers. Even the white shirt with black sleeves is new. A simple chain necklace is around his neck and of course the small silver ball piercing his earlobe.

No matter what he'll never be awake early enough to beat Isa. By the time he's out of the room and in the kitchen at a sharp ten in the morning Isa already has everything done save for plating the food. Isa doesn't turn around, "Ienzo?"

"Yes?"

"Go wake Aqua up for me. Breakfast is ready."

Ienzo spins on his heel and retraces his steps back to the hallway. The only difference is instead he takes a left toward Aqua's room. He gives a few knocks on the door before a tired voice tells him to come in. Ienzo strides inside to see Aqua wrapped up in a dark blue blanket, not wanting to crawl out of bed just yet. Only her head pokes out the top. She yawns before giving him a smile, "Good morning."

"Happy birthday," Ienzo counters as he walks over. "Did you sleep well?"

She nods and sits up, pushing the blanket down to at least her waist. Aqua rubs at her eyes and yawns again. Her sapphire eyes glance over him and she can't help gesturing him to come closer. Ienzo knows she's always had a keen eye. She'll notice something far before anyone else he knows. Aqua sees him after all. Not saying Isa doesn't, but he's far too busy trying to keep Ienzo safe half the time.

Ienzo sits on the edge of the bed while Aqua pats his leg. "I like the color. I might have to get a pair myself." A giggle leaves her at the look on Ienzo's face. "I'm kidding. But I do think you look good in them."

"You can always go with me next time, we all could." The end of his sentence ends in a whisper, unsure of it even still.

"Well, I hope you don't mind me buying you jewelry for your birthday now. I know just the earrings you'd like."

His eyes widen as she reaches forward, brushing her thumb over the little stud.

"Sorry."

"I just wish you'd told me. I would have taken you myself."

The sad look in her eyes isn't from what he's done and he knows it. He took a moment they could have had together away. Something she wanted to be there for. He swallows hard and tries to reassure her, "I didn't plan it. I'm… I hope you don't think I'm giving up and wanting to run away from school work."

She laughs softly and reaches out for him, pulling him in for a hug. "It's okay. I know you're committed. You're just… finding yourself. But, do let Isa and I help you. Don't make him the enemy, okay?"

He knows what she's saying. They've all had it rough and nothing seems like it'll be perfect again. Yet they still have fun. They can get along. They love one another. He just has to meet Isa halfway more and more. Returning the hug, Ienzo presses his face into her shoulder.

Aqua pushes him back, hands on his shoulders, "Just stay out of trouble alright and be safe. That's all I can ask for. I know Lea won't let you do anything too crazy."

"You-"

"Isa might not want to talk to him but he answers me just fine."

Ienzo tries not to laugh. He doesn't doubt that at all actually considering how Aqua can be just as convincing as Larxene. "You'd better wash up. Isa already has breakfast ready."

"Alright, I'll be right there."

Leaving her to get ready, Ienzo hurries out and back to the kitchen. The second he's there he notices that Isa has already plated everything and gotten the drinks out. All he's doing is cleaning things up while he waits for Ienzo and Aqua to return.

Ienzo strides over, beginning to hand him some of the dirty dishes out of his reach. "She's just getting dressed."

There's a moment of silence before Isa finally speaks up. "I'm sorry about last night. I think I wsa a little… too harsh."

"My friends aren't as bad as they look."

"I'm just-"

"Worried. I know." He steps away from the counter and heads for his seat. "You don't have to pretend. Just being my brother is fine. It's more fun when you're not trying to control everything that happens here."

Isa switches the water off and spins around, drying his hands on a towel as he marches over to Ienzo. "You won't pay attention to other possibilities so I have to do it for you."

"If you don't let me fall how can I learn to get back up. I just want friends and to have fun, what's so wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I just…" he stops as Aqua rounds the corner, coming toward them. "Happy birthday, Aqua."

"Thanks you two. And you made so much!" She takes a seat next to Ienzo and gestures to him. "You and I need to take him to get some real earrings for him next week."

Isa's eyes widen but only for a moment. He quickly regains his composure and grabs for his glass, opting to stand while they sit on the stools on the other side of the island. "Alright."

Quiet and trying to let the tension leave the room as best he can, Ienzo reaches into his back pocket and pulls forth the box once they've made it through breakfast. He scoots it closer to Aqua. "I wanted to give it to you early since you're going out with friends today."

"Oh, Ienzo." She quickly pulls the top of and can barely believe it. The little bracelet with the single star charm on it is absolutely beautiful in Aqua's eyes. Against Ienzo's wishes, she leans over and pecks his cheek. "Thank you so much, I love it. I'll make sure I wear it tonight!"

Ienzo blushes and slides off the stool, "Um, Isa, do you want me to do dishes before I leave too?"

"That'd be nice, thank you."

Once he's managed to do all of the dishes, Ienzo makes a break for the door. He hasn't even called anyone to see if they're free. But it doesn't matter. Not after Isa gave him that look when Aqua mentioned the earring. He's just reaching for the doorknob when Isa grabs his wrist.

"Ienzo, wait."

"I'll be back early tonight, okay? I promise." He glances back at Isa, wishing for his brother to trust him. Just to let him leave. "And I'm sorry, I get it. Just… can I go?"

Isa sighs. "Call me if you need a ride home. If you're late you have to clean the house tomorrow with me not just your chores."

"Understood," is all Ienzo says before slipping outside and shutting the door behind him.

He's not happy they aren't spending the day together doing something for Aqua. But she's not a kid anymore. She has friends and they'll be out having a good time. Their little party for her can be tomorrow once the weekend hits. After a few streets he finally reaches for his phone. It's easier for Lea to pick him up at the ice cream place anyways.

But his fingers go into his pocket to find nothing. Not even his wallet. He wants to hit himself for even thinking of checking to make sure he grabbed them. It must have been when he decided to grab Aqua's gift first instead. He lets out a sigh as he stops, glancing to his left to see that little playground he happened upon all those years ago. The same one his parents took him too every now and then.

So enraptured in his thoughts, Ienzo doesn't notice his feet have kept moving and he slams right into the person coming around the corner. Ienzo falls backward, landing hard, while the other stumbles backward with ice cream dripping down his shirt. "You… have got to be kidding me."

"Calm down, it's just ice cream Roxas."

Ienzo looks up and indeed he's right there. Vanitas' brother. "Uh, sorry about that I wasn't paying attention."

Roxas glares, "Don't tell me Vanitas put you up to this. Where is he?"

"He's not here."

"I-" Roxas stops as the boy next to him steps around him, extending a hand toward Ienzo. "Riku?"

Short white hair and those shimmering blue-green eyes. He's the same every time Ienzo runs into him with his friends. Of course Roxas usually does all the talking considering his history with Vanitas. But Ienzo's eyes always manage to find this… Riku. The name sounds a little exotic and Ienzo would love to be able to say it aloud. But he doesn't. What he does do is tentatively take the hand offered to him.

Riku helps him to his feet. He begins to talk, although it's toward Roxas instead. "Go ahead and meet up with the others, I'll be doing something else."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, tell Kairi I'll make it up to her later." Riku waits until Roxas hurries past, heading toward where Kairi and Xion are waiting. "Are you okay?"

Ienzo stares up at him, confused by how Riku has gotten so much taller than him. "I… I'm okay you don't have to stay. You'd have more fun with your friends."

"Says who?"

The retort has Ienzo's lips sealing shut. He doesn't know how to respond in the slightest. All he can do is watch as Riku chuckles.

"It's fine. But you look upset. We can talk about it over ice cream if you want."

"Ok…"

Ienzo isn't sure why he goes along and allows Riku to turn around, his hand finally leaving his own, and guide Ienzo back toward the shop. All the way he tells Riku what's happened. He doesn't know how it's so easy to spill everything to a boy he's only looked at from afar. Perhaps it's because he's on the sidelines of Ienzo's life that it doesn't matter.

The entire time Riku listens. All the way till they get to the counter and sit down at one of the tables inside. It's only then that Ienzo sighs, feeling as though a boulder has been lifted off his shoulders. "Thanks… Riku."

The name feels strange on his tongue. Not that he can focus on it when Riku leans back against the bench like seat. "I'm glad you have siblings that care though. It's hard being an only kid."

Ienzo glances over at him as he eats the sweet and salty treat. "Oh… yeah. I know."

"I remember when I first saw you actually. When your sister came and picked you up. I thought it must be great." Riku takes a bite out of the ice pop. "It's just me and my dad. But that's not so bad either. He doesn't get onto me when I get a low grade on an essay at least."

"Do you need help?"

Riku looks over, "Don't you go to that fancy school though? You must have no time to-"

"I finish most of my work before I leave school. If you need help with anything I could tutor you. I already assist Vanitas."

At this Riku laughs, "I was wondering how he suddenly was getting good grades. It's been driving Roxas crazy." Standing up, Riku glances down at Ienzo. "Don't move. I'll be right back."

He rushes away back to the counter only to return with what looks to be a pen. Ienzo raises a brow at him but doesn't flinch when Riku grabs his free hand. Riku lightly holds onto Ienzo's fingers and begins to scribble a number across his skin.

"I'll let you know when I'm free and we can meet up."

"Alright."

0-0-0

Weeks turn to months that Ienzo has been helping Riku. They've grown closer to where they don't just meet up to study. Sometimes Ienzo will go over to Riku's just to play games or meet the rest of Riku's friends. Of course he doesn't completely stop hanging out with Lea and the rest. Something that Vanitas gives him earfuls about all the time, not to just ditch them. He's sure Vanitas has gotten a little attached. Then again, he cares about them all in return too.

Even so, it's no different than today. Ienzo finds himself in Riku's living room with books sprawled across the coffee table. Riku sighs as he drops his notebook on top of everything else. "Finished, finally."

Ienzo glances over to him, "You should be able to ace the math test now at least."

"Hey, Ienzo?"

"Hm?" Ienzo hums as he gathers up his materials and pushes them into his backpack. He knows Isa should be here any second to pick him up after all.

"I was wondering if you'd want to go to the movies this weekend."

"Don't you usually go with your friend to work out then?"

Riku leans his arm against the back of the couch and then his head on his upraised hand. "I'm trying to ask you out on a date, Ienzo."

Ienzo whips his head back around to look at Riku so fast that he's sure he just gave himself whiplash. He swallows hard past the lump in his throat. Words aren't something he's good at when he's caught off guard like this. He can only stare for a moment and let out a small noise, "Me?"

"No, the textbook. Of course you."

"But… why?"

"We hang out all the time. You're smart, kind, and cute on top of it. Besides, when you call or text me… it makes me happy to see your name on my screen."

The blush that covers Ienzo's face doesn't want to dare go away either. "I… I'd like that."

Riku, seeing that Ienzo is open to this, reaches down and grabs one of Ienzo's hands. He laces their fingers together and brings Ienzo's hand up just as the doorbell rings. A single kiss to the top of Ienzo's hand has the latter practically melting in his seat. "I'll see you then, you'd better hurry before Isa has to wait too long."

Ienzo nods, barely able to talk at this point, and picks up his bag. Riku walks him to the door with their hands still clasped together. In fact, Ienzo doesn't even think about it until the door is opened and Isa's eyes glance down at the joined hands. Nothing shows on Isa's face as Ienzo finally pries himself from Riku. He hurries to the car but not before giving a wave back at Riku. He covers his mouth and gets into the car, unable to believe this is happening, that his crush has actually born fruit.

Meanwhile, Isa raises a brow at Riku. "I'm sure you know what I'll do if you hurt him."

"A good thing you'll never have to."

Isa smirks as he turns around. He's at least glad Ienzo has been with better company, in his opinion at least. But the last thing he wanted was his little brother to get into a relationship. He'll definitely have to talk to Aqua about this one. They're going to need more ground rules. It's just a good thing that Isa is aware that Aqua knows Riku's dad. That'll make it a lot easier to deal with.

0-0-0

Summer is just within his reach now. The only thing that truly stands in his way is the project he has to do during the break. Yet his siblings have come to an agreement that he can do that any time while he's off. While Aqua is on vacation as well they're going to spend a weekend at the beach. It's a nice little drive to get there but every second is something Ienzo has enjoyed.

The two days with just the three of them has been the most enjoyable and healing moments with them. Just a little bit of fun has eased a lot of the tension that's been building up between Isa and Ienzo. It's just a shame that it's coming to an end.

Isa ruffles Ienzo's damp tresses as they walk back up to where Aqua is packing a few things up. She's always ahead of the game but she's also the one that gets to drive back. Just as they're getting close there's a voice from a little ways away that calls out to Ienzo.

"Hey!"

Ienzo turns just in time to see Riku run over to them. Isa gives a look before heading off to help Aqua finish gathering everything to go home. Although for once Ienzo wishes he hadn't. He can see Riku's friends off in the distance. He's sure they were probably here earlier and it makes him wish they didn't have to leave just yet. Even though it's only a little after noon they have to get back since Aqua has work tomorrow.

"I didn't know you were coming to the beach."

Riku laughs, "It was spur of the moment. Kairi and Xion really wanted to come before they go on vacation with their family."

"And you're the driver. Don't you have to have an adult with you?"

"Haha, technically." Riku chuckles. "Are you leaving already?"

Ienzo is about to answer when Aqua is suddenly behind him. She smiles at Riku over the top of Ienzo's head while her hands fall onto his shoulders. "Oh, Riku are you all just here for the day?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Then would it be alright if I left Ienzo with you? I have to get back early because of work but if you could promise he'll make it home safe?"

"Of course. I'll make sure he's home before it's too late or I'll call Isa."

"Thanks." Aqua pats the back of Ienzo's head, "I'll have Isa bring you your back and I'll see you tomorrow."

Ienzo turns, watching her walk away. There's a smile on her face and he knows she's probably proud of herself for that one. If anything it means he gets to spend more time with Riku. Of which, Riku grabs his hand. "Come on, if you're not too water logged let's go."

The rest of the afternoon and even the beginning of the evening vanishes far faster than any of them had planned. Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end. However, there is one silver lining and it's that he's the one that gets dropped off last. It only makes it that much better that Riku walks him up to his door to top it all off.

Riku hands Ienzo his bag, having carried it for him. "I'll pick you up tomorrow around noon, is that okay?"

"You can't stay?"

"I don't think Isa would like that," he says with a laugh.

Ienzo nods, he understands that much. But it doesn't stop him from wishing Riku could come inside for the rest of the night. Ienzo turns only for Riku to step around him, holding onto his shoulder. Riku looks him in the eye and gets his lips a little closer to Ienzo's. It's no different than the countless other times they've kissed yet somehow Ienzo feels it is.

They've been officially dating for awhile but this is so much more. The kiss that pushes against his lips makes his stomach knot and his eyes close merely on instinct alone. Everything about it is perfect to the point where Ienzo drops the bag and instead grabs onto Riku's arms. He tries to keep him there as long as he can but Riku must notice something he doesn't. Something that has him pulling away with a smile.

"Tomorrow."

"Mhm."

Ienzo doesn't dare watch Riku walk back to his car. His face is too hot and his vision dares to sway. All he can do is scoop up his bag and hurry inside. Not to mention avoiding looking Isa in the eye as he does.

0-0-0

Nothing has truly changed in almost two years. Then again, there's nothing to change. There's a quiet understanding. Ienzo is surely going to rebel in some form and Isa is going to be all over him about it. But Ienzo finds it comforting now more than ever at least. It's a comfortable mess that they enjoy nonetheless, especially since Ienzo will be going off to school where Isa can't hound him at all for getting to bed on time or eating right.

To a degree, Ienzo will miss it. He'll miss everything and how normal it is. But there's one thing that won't be changing and that's Riku. There's only one person that's going to be in the same city and close enough to harass him. Not that he'd change it. He wants nothing more than to push this relationship further.

But for now he has to wait for Riku to even come pick him up. Ienzo takes a deep breath and walks out of his room, spotting Isa on the couch once he makes it down the hall. "Isa?"

"Hm?"

"I'm going out with Riku. Might be back late."

"Again?" Ienzo passes by the couch and Isa is quick to stop his retreat. "Wait, just a minute."

Ienzo decides it's better not to push his brother. He knows he's tired after working all week. "Do you need something?"

Isa looks up at him. Those green eyes seem to hold secret emotions that Ienzo only wishes he could tap into. Then again, Isa never has been very good at expressing how he really feels. If there's anything he's learned from his brother, and Lea as well, it's that. They're both a mess and it drives Ienzo crazy. Perhaps that's why he takes a moment to sit on the edge of the couch.

"I actually want you to meet someone. Well, he wanted to meet you actually." Isa gives him a rather concerned look, he had thought he met all of Ienzo's friends already after all. "I know you don't always like who I hang out with or how something might change but… thank you for being there for me."

A knock echoes off the door and Ienzo goes to stand. But Isa won't let him. He's already grabbing Ienzo's wrist and yanking him forward. The hug that Ienzo is met with is one that has him realizing Isa might just be a little scared of things changing again. He knows it because he's the same. But it has to happen.

Isa says not a word, just lets Ienzo rise and answer the door. The silence means more than any words ever could. Then again he might not feel that way once Ienzo does open it, revealing a familiar shock of red hair waltzing into the house. Ienzo keeps his hand on the doorknob, "I think you'll get along. I'll message if I'll be late."

The second he's out the door Ienzo can't help giving Riku a smile. Unlike Lea's car, which is parked in their driveway, Riku's is humming at the curb. He has to resist sprinting over and launching himself inside. Instead he calmly makes his way over and settles himself onto the passenger seat.

He's just buckling his seatbelt when Riku grabs his hand. Lifting it up, Riku places a soft peck to Ienzo's knuckles. It has Ienzo's face turning beet red. "W- What are you doing?"

"Apologizing for being away for your birthday."

"You already did. A dozen times."

"But not in person." This time he turns Ienzo's hand over and another kiss lands on the inside of Ienzo's wrist. "Presents are nice but not when I couldn't be there to give it to you that day."

Ienzo swats Riku away with a chuckle, "Are you sure you're not just glad to be home?"

Riku laughs and finally pulls away, putting the car back into drive so they can leave. "Maybe, but you're here after all. I guess you finally talked Lea into sitting down with Isa?"

"Sort of. I still think he'll keep tabs on me even when I leave."

"That's just being a good brother though."

Ienzo glances out the window, "Yeah I know."

"Any place you wanna go?"

"No, just your place is fine."

The drive is quickest that way. Riku doesn't live very far away and before they know it Riku is pulling up in the driveway. Getting out of the car, Riku strides for the mailbox. "Go ahead and make yourself at home. I'll grab us a couple drinks and be there in a second.

Doing just that, Ienzo heads inside. He doesn't hesitate and goes straight for Riku's room. Ienzo slowly sits down onto Riku's bed while he waits. He glances about the room, wondering when Riku is going to begin packing. It's a little ways off before that comes into play but even still Ienzo knows very well that time flies by.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Riku walks over and sits next to Ienzo. There's a smile on his countenance as he hands him one of the sodas he's brought.

But Ienzo doesn't pop the top or even look at it. He's too busy gazing at the young man next to him. To say he's never not enraptured with Riku's eyes is an understatement. They're a window into Riku's very soul and it's the most beautiful thing that Ienzo has ever seen. No little baby crushes have ever solidified like this one has.

Riku reaches out with his now free hand and cups at the side of Ienzo's face. His thumb brushes over Ienzo's cheek to his ear, bumping up against the piercings he's gotten over the years. However, to Riku he sees something entirely different. While he feels the same, he also can feel the uncertainty pooling in Ienzo's eyes. It's the same gnawing notion that resides in the back of his mind as well.

There's no way this can last. They're so young still, just at the cusp of adulthood, and there's so much left to life. Surely they can't help from growing apart. That maybe they're just two dumb eighteen year olds clinging onto each other because it's all they know.

Then again, maybe that's not so bad.

Ienzo can't even think of moving away, not that he'd want to, when Riku leans forward. He wants the kiss that ensues and wishes it never has to end. The lips against his own are soft and seemingly so sure of how they move against his. Ienzo simply can't fathom being apart from them at the moment.

Reaching out, Ienzo lets the can drop to the floor with a soft thunk with Riku's joining it soon after. Neither pay it any mind. Not when Ienzo's hands are grasping onto the front of Riku's t-shirt. Riku is pulling away far too late and they're both left breathless. Ienzo gasps for air as he drops his head to lean it on Riku's chest between his hands and the fabric they clutch at.

Riku presses softly at Ienzo's shoulders and the latter understands. He falls backward onto the bed while also succeeding in taking Riku with him. Their legs are a tangled mess but their chests are together and their faces only an inch or so apart. Ienzo's hair falls away from his countenance and for a moment Riku is lost in those swirling blue depths.

So lost that it wraps around him and has his face dipping down to kiss along Ienzo's jaw. Along the curve and across his neck, Riku can't stop himself from leaving evidence all over the flawless skin. Ienzo mewls and sighs as Riku's hands join in on the fun. The slip up beneath his shirt, pushing it up to reveal his stomach — all in the effort to reach the sensitive peaks.

Ienzo won't let Riku have his way for very long. He's too determined to touch Riku in return, never has their affection for one another been one sided. The instant that Riku lifts his head to place a chaste peck to Ienzo's bottom lip is when Ienzo strikes. He flips them over with relative ease. So much in fact that he knows from the look on Riku's face that he had no qualms in helping Ienzo do so.

Lips seal together all over again. Ienzo pushes his hands up into Riku's hair, tangling his fingers with the short strands. All the while Riku's drift down to Ienzo's waist. Fingertips tease the waistband and a shiver races up Ienzo's spine. Riku kisses his way from Ienzo's lips to his cheek.

"If you want to stop at any point, just say so, okay?"

He blinks a few times. Ienzo wants to continue. There's no doubt in his mind about that. Especially not when his skin feels as though it's on fire wherever Riku decides to touch. Ienzo dips his head down further and whispers back to Riku, "…okay…"

Riku is swift about unbuttoning and pulling the zipper down for Ienzo's jeans. All so he can slip one hand down the back of them and his boxers. The cool touch of Riku's fingertips against his rear is enough to have goosebumps rising to Ienzo's skin. Riku, noticing the slight squirming, gives a smile.

"Cold?"

Ienzo brushes their noses together, "You could have given a warning."

"Or just give me a second and I'll warm you back up."

This is nothing new. He's used to the way that Riku's hands cup and caress his body. The only difference is there's a purpose now. One that should leave them both surely twitching with the desire to do it again.

Ienzo leans into each and every touch until Riku withdraws completely with but a lingering kiss left on Ienzo's lips. Flipping their positions once more, Riku lies between Ienzo's legs. He grinds down against Ienzo. It ignites the fire into an unstoppable force of need.

Wrapping his arms around Riku's shoulders, Ienzo pulls Riku down to lock their lips together. Their pelvises grind together while hands continue to roam as if they have nowhere to truly land. At least until Riku dares to slip his hand down the front of Ienzo's jeans next.

"A- aah! Riku…"

It's certainly not a plead to stop. The surprise in his voice cannot be matched by the way he pushes up into the hand cupping at his heat. Fingers wrap so securely around his length that for a moment Ienzo can't help but break away from the kiss he instigated. Riku pecks the side of his jaw, "Too much?"

"No… more, keep going."

As if Ienzo opened the door and invited Riku inside, the latter spurs forth to do just that. He rubs his hand up and down the hot length as best he can without pulling it out completely. Their bodies hum with a desire so rich and hot that Ienzo can't resist it. He copies Riku and sends his hand into the latter's pants as well.

The rhythm they fall into is one they could comfortably stay in for what feels like an eternity. But they both know that can't happen. At least, Ienzo still has enough sense to know he can't wear Riku's clothes back home. Ienzo pulls away entirely, "Riku, wait."

He backs off immediately, sitting back on his haunches and giving Ienzo a rather concerned look. He's about to ask what Ienzo would rather do when Ienzo grabs at the waistband of his jeans and yanks them down. Calling Riku's bluff is easy when he can use that as a distraction from the fact that he's nude down to his knees.

"I never said stop."

Riku can't help chuckling. Of course Ienzo would say that. It's why he gives a roll of his eyes and slides off the bed. He strides over to his dresser. Plucking a few things they'll need, Riku glances over his shoulder. "Then you'd better get those off the rest of the way."

This time he's not surprised to turn back around to see Ienzo's jeans and such on the ground piled atop his shoes. Riku doesn't bother with his own, save for kicking off his sneakers, before getting back on the bed. He raises a brow at the modest way Ienzo covers himself.

"Ready?"

"Just… let me turn over or-"

"I thought you liked my face, why run?"

Riku lets what's in his hands drop to the bed besides him before grabbing at the backs of Ienzo's thighs. He guides them up, knees bent and spread open. Ienzo hurriedly reaches forward and grasps onto his own legs. It frees Riku's hands up once more so he can pick up what he brought.

The pop of a cap happens twice before Riku brushes his slick fingers between Ienzo's cheeks. The cold touch is unmistakable to the point that Ienzo jolts a little. They both give a nervous laugh at this. If only to shake off the tension of Riku pushing a finger inside of Ienzo.

Uncomfortable and foreign. He's done it himself plenty of times but to have Riku be the one who is stretching him now has his mind on fire. Much like the rest of his body. Ienzo tries so hard to keep himself relaxed. He just can't resist tightening around Riku when a second fingers dares to enter.

Seconds. Minutes. What feels like hours.

Ienzo doesn't know how long it takes for Riku to finally be able to get four fingers inside of him. At least to the point where it's not this unforgiving stretching feeling, as if there's no way he can be opened up any further.

"Are you… Are you done yet?" Ienzo huffs as he finally chances looking down at what Riku is doing.

On the other hand, Riku has been staring up at Ienzo. He's watched how Ienzo's face has contorted with each motion or when he added a digit. The hazy eyes and the way his flush has spread from his face to his ears as well as down his neck and touching his chest. Not to mention how excited he is from just this.

"Yeah, just a second."

Riku has taken the opportunity to figure Ienzo out just a little. He's never done this before with anyone else. Everything from here on out is a new adventure he can't wait to be on with his boyfriend. He tries to busy himself after he pulls his fingers out of Ienzo with a wet pop. He's slow in how he gets ready. And Ienzo watches it all with baited breath.

From the opening of the condom, putting it on and then finally slathering it with extra lube.

Ienzo is fixated on Riku as he settles up so that he can push right into him without missing or making a mess. The softened muscles twitch as Riku begins to pierce Ienzo with his manhood. The prep and slickness make it that much easier for Riku to sheath himself into Ienzo little by little.

The resistance is still there and it's all Ienzo can do to try and keep breathing. Even if he doesn't tense up he's still tight. So tight that Riku can't believe the pressure. It feels so good. There's nothing about it that he doesn't like; suctioning around him, the heat, and of course the mewls that come from Ienzo when he moves even the slightest bit.

Completely connected, Riku leans forward and braces his hands on the bed on either side of Ienzo. He gives Ienzo a small smile, "You okay?"

"Y- Yeah."

The breathless exchange isn't nearly as loud as their heart thumping loud in their ears. It's deafening. Ienzo lets go of his legs and instead lets them wrap around Riku's waist, securing him where he's at. That is while his hands clasp onto the sides of Riku's face and bring him down. "Move and kiss me," he demands in a soft murmur.

Riku smiles as they kiss, "Sure."

The instance that their lips meet is when Riku pulls out just enough to push back in. The grueling struggle to get out is only made up for the fact that Ienzo's body eagerly welcomes him back in. This is nothing like what they usually do. So far past the point where they normally stop and simply cuddle up together that Ienzo isn't sure how long he can handle this.

It's as if Riku is turning him inside out, making a mess of all of his insides. These new sensations envelop the two lovers to the point where nothing else exists. The only thing they care about is remaining connected until the euphoria takes them over. The waves of bliss rush up their bodies each time Riku thrusts back into Ienzo, only for the latter's heels to press hard against him, urging him to continue.

Their mouths barely stay connected. Continuing to maintain their lip lock gets harder and harder each second that this lasts. Sometimes their lips even miss but all that matters is that Ienzo can wrap his arms around Riku's shoulders and keep him close.

They're together and that's all that matters. Especially since Riku can't last much longer. Ienzo is far too tight and hot to hold out. Ienzo lets Riku's tongue into his mouth just as Riku cums, all of the heat building up in Ienzo — filling the condom. It's a strange feeling to say the least but he's not quite there yet himself.

Riku seems to notice this when he retreats from the kiss. He sits up, pulling away from Ienzo's hold, and smirks. He pours some more lube onto his hand and grabs for Ienzo's erection. Legs dropping from around Riku, Ienzo reaches down for Riku's hands only to stop short. He can feel Riku still inside of him even though nothing is coming of it.

That coupled with the slick fingers jerking him off has Ienzo bringing his hands back to his face. He covers his countenance and tries to muffle his own moan as he cums. The relief and bliss mingle together inside of his body as Riku withdraws. He doesn't notice the older boy cleaning everything up or chunking what's been used into the waste bin on the other side of the bed near his desk.

What he does know is that Riku is on the bed next to him, flopping down rather suddenly. It has Ienzo bouncing a little before Riku turns him over. Chest to chest and nose to nose, they idle for a moment. Riku smiles and brushes Ienzo's hair away from his face, "Think you can stay the night?"

Ienzo smiles back at him, "I don't see why not."

[notnaturalanahi]

What Kinda Lame Name For a Demon is Dean?

Characters: 1st person Gender neutra!lReader, Demon!Dean, nameless Demon, OC’s (also unnamed). It can be a Demon!Dean x Reader if you want to.

Wc: 3167 (consider this a long drabble)

Warnings: Foul language, drinking, violence, blood, death (minor character), loose ends and loopholes, open ending. 

[This is a crack fic, don’t lose sleep over it]

Summary: I decide to stop  for a drink on my way home and it’s defenitely not what I expected for a wednesday night.

A/N: This piece is my entry for @evansrogerskitten Ash’s Hottest Dean Challenge my prompt is bolded in the text and there’s also a gif. I have so much writing this one. It was supposed to be a drabble of this scene that popped into my mind, but it turned out into this cracky/action thing. 

Unbetad, brace yoourselves for mistakes.

Check out my Masterlist - Also you can Join my TAGlist - Or Talk to me, gimme some feedback

Whatever, love you. bye!

The weather’s chilly and drizzly tonight, from where I’m sitting at the counter I have the perfect view of the dark night and the empty street outside. Well, empty with the exception of the occasional car that rolls by with the windshield wipers mid speed or the passerby covered head to toe and carrying an umbrella or a few street dogs… Okay, maybe not that empty. Anyway,  since I forgot my umbrella and only realized it after I got off work I decided to make a stop when I saw the bar down the street from my office was open. This first half of the week had been dreadful, so I deserve a drink to cut short the week.

Staring at my drink in hand I reconsider my previous plans. I made the decision as I walked into the establishment that I would only have two drinks, but now as I contemplate the last of the 2nd one I find my mouth itching for more, maybe just a 3rd or even a 4th after that one… I know I shouldn’t, I have an early morning tomorrow and I should be at home right now finishing with the retouches of my thesis. It’s been a long way but I think after the professor’s last corrections it’s gonna be perfect… so yeah, I’m going home.

A sudden chill runs down my spine, as if a cold breeze hit my skin or someone breathed right behind my back, twisting my neck I see noone. The front door remains closed, a big clock above it telling me it’s 8:45pm. Taking in my surrounding for the first time since I walked in 30 minutes ago I see the bar is almost deserted. To my left, a happy looking couple, too immersed in their own conversation, looking super cute together, sitting on the same side of the booth. To the right a drunkard nursing on his beer, eyes looking beyond anything, right into the astral plane. Also somewhere around the back is the bartender, a middle-age guy who looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

Sighing I look up and notice the amount of dirt in my glasses, I’ve lost count of how many times a day I had to wipe them today, I snatch a paper napkin from the metallic holder while removing them from my face and proceed to carefully rub the lenses. Once I finish I put them back on. Why can I just not wear glasses, what’s the meaning of having eyes if they’re not gonna work properly?

Ugh, the story of my life.

I shiver again and take it as a cue, in one semi-large chug I throw back the rest of my vodka, grimacing at the scolding sensation traveling down my esophagus and I know I’m gonna regret that in five minutes or less, my stomach’s not gonna let me forget about it. Immediately I fish onto my bag for my ever evanescent wallet. When I find it, I pull a big enough bill to cover for both my drinks and a very, very modest tip -sorry to the bartender but as student/trainee I don’t have much to spare-. And slide the sleeves of my jacket over my arms, followed by the strap of the crossbody bag before jumping off the barstool.

Apparently my eyes were closed or maybe I’ve fallen asleep while moving; I don’t know I’m tired, it’s been a long day, because I only notice the tall man standing right next to me when my face collides with the solid, yet tender wall of muscles that is his wide chest. I open my eyes.

“Oh shit! Sorry, I didn’t see you there. Almost like you appeared outta nowhe-” I can’t help it, I look up adjusting my glasses already fuming at the back of my head cause I will have to wipe them again and my words cut short, I swallow the rest of my apology down. At the end of broad shoulders and resting above a thick neck I find an extremely handsome face. Jawline for days, covered with sexy scruff. Plump lips -cocksure smirk- slightly crooked nose, deep, deep green/ hazel eyes that stare down at me and all of that served with a side of freckles dusted all over.

So hot, I hate him.

He just stares, smug smile and wrinkly eyes. He’s wearing more layers than a normal person needs tonight -it’s not that cold- and his hair is combed to the side.

“Leaving already?” obviously he ignores my apology.  

I blink the salacious thoughts away and focus on his piercing gaze “It’s late,” I explain plain and simple.

I attempt to sidestep him but apparently somewhere in the middle our four words conversation he laid an arm on the back of my old chair, successfully trapping me between himself and the unmovable counter.  I look back up and of course the mother fucker knows what he’s doing, a mischievous glimpse sparkles in his eyes.

I sigh, dramatically.

“Look I’m flattered. A tall, hot guy like you coming up to me. But hooking up is not why I’m in here tonight. So I dunno. Maybe we can exchange numbers, you know… get a raincheck. You can call me on the weekend? Tonight I have plenty to do, and unfortunately you’re not on the list.” I know he hasn’t say anything and I’m rambling a little. But certainly I don’t give a shit. Perhaps I did some time ago but at this point in my life, I don’t anymore.

He chuckles. A hand comes up and I still myself because I have no idea what’s so funny or what his intentions are. Thick and long fingers -I gulp at the sight- pass through his mane, pushing it all back and I think he looks even better that way than styled to the side.

“What?” I ask while trying to push his arm off the metallic bar at the back of the stool, realizing how solid it is, pure fucking muscle. My hand pulls at it but nothing happens.

“Dollface, I’m not here to flirt and sleep with you,” he states, “although I wouldn’t say no to you,” he adds giving me a once over and throwing a chin shrug to the mix.

When he stops talking my eyes shoot up, no longer entertained with the way my fingers look hooked around his forearm, or how the tips don’t touch each other as I wrap them around his wrist. With a coked eyebrow I demand to know what he means.

“I’m here to kill you,” he simply says, like it’s nothing.

I back away a little and snort at his joke. It’s gotta be a joke right… Who comes up to someone they don’t know at a bar and tell them they’re gonna kill them?

I let out a chuckle that I can’t hold in and he joins me. Our laughter increasing by the second and soon we engage in a full body laugh, belly shaking and I let my hand lay on his firm chest because I need to feel that firmness again. All of the sudden he stops laughing, I’m too busy to notice though, cackling away. Both my hands now on his chest, supporting my weight missing the way he leans in forcing me to bend backwards until my back hits the barstool.

My eyes flutter open and his face is right there, deadpan expression. “I’m serious,” he hisses, hot breath fanning my face.

“Okay,” I gush rolling my eyes.

His gaze drops, entrusting me to do the same and as I follow his line of sight down his chest and hairless stomach, up to the waistband of his jeans where he’s pulling the hem of his shirts up for me to see… and Oh. My. God! That belt’s kinda low around his hips and ugh they’re so narrow. Why are his hips so narrow? Is this how he wants to kill me?

Sign me up, please!

His hand let go of the fabric and it lowers down, my eyes widen because I think he’s gonna open his fly or something and flash me and I don’t know if I wanna see that … not here at least.  Except what I see is the handle of a knife, a blade that seems to be made out wood or bone or something… Eesh!

“Are those teeth?” I slap myself mentally, seriously though? The guy it’s showing me his lower abdomen and a knife, of curse the knife is actually what matters! I compel myself to stop looking, because as alluring that sight may be, he just told me he was here to kill me. Closing my eyes I lift my head to I can look at him in the eyes and-

“FUCK! Your eyes are totally black. Are you aware of that?”

He only nods.

“Okay it’s that because some medical condition or some like that and I’m being a total asshole for bringing it up. I’m so sorry!”

“I’m a demon,” he says with a malicious smile.

“Whaaaaaaat? No you’re not!”

He sighs, not even trying to conceal this exasperation,and with a blink his eyes go back to the normal deep green -yeah I’m gonna go with green- and he signals to the bartender, asking for a whiskey when the server gets closer.

“Hey!” I complain and he quickly changes his order from one to two. “Thanks! If you’re gonna kill me, at least buy me a drink first… like common courtesy,” I joke.

Breathing through his nose he pulls the barstool next to the one we were standing by and sits down. He’s so tall he only needs to move his ass to the side and he’s sitting. Me on the other hand, almost need crampons to climb into that thing like the first time, but I make it just in time to see the bartender deliver our drinks and some peanuts.

“I’m assuming you know everything about me, or at least enough… I mean, you’re sure I’m the one you wanna kill?” I say.

“I’m sure,” he answers before his lips latched to the glass.

“Oh-kay…you have a name?”

“Dean.”

“Dean, Really?”

“What the hell’s wrong with my name?”

“Nothing it’s just… Kinda lame ain’t it. I was hoping for a Moloch or Aemon or I don’t know… errr Abaddon?”

He gives me a killer look. “Dean’s fine though… Yeah, or perhaps you could also go with Deacon. Deacon has more of a demonic charm I think.” Dean makes a sound, kinda like a growl or something. “Okay, okay. Dean!”

“So what’s the deal, Dean. How’s this gonna happen? You gonna get me drunk and stab me with your big bone?”

He turns to face me, smirking, lines appearing in his forehead because of his questioning eyebrows. A horse laugh escapes me when I realize what I said, but I cut myself, this is not a funny situation.

“I mean, you come in here, pretend you wanna sleep with me and at the last second you drop this bomb on me and that’s it? When you gonna do it or why?” I move my bag from the middle and start removing my jacket.

“Shut up,” he commands. Breathing deeply he combs his hair with his hand again and looks at me sternly.

“Fine,” I complay and bite my lips into my mouth and turn to hang my jacket on the back of my seat, sitting forward in silence. He has the knife, so I should do as he says I guess. Taking a peanut from the bowl I play with it, rolling it around my fingers. Pulling that little tip of and chewing it with my front teeth.

I open my mouth to say something, closing it right away because I don’t even know what to say. I take the small rimmed glass in front of me and take a big gulp almost spitting it all out instantly. “God, I hate whiskey.” After that we both remain silent for I’m not sure how long until I can’t take it anymore and I jump off the stool.

He does the same and stands right in front of me. “I’m just gonna go to the restroom,” I tell him, lifting my right hand up as promise.

“How do I know you’re not gonna run on me?”

“If I do run, would you come after me, find me?” I allow my hand to lay on his arm, enjoying the way his muscles twist under my touch.

“I will,” Dean promises, roaring near my face.

“Then it’s useless for me to run. I’m gonna pee, if I don’t come out in… let’s say 4 minutes you can come looking for me.” With a couple of soft slaps on the side of his arm I walk past him and towards the restrooms, not even looking back to see if he’s watching me because I can totally feel the way his eyes pierced a hole in the back of my head.

Once in the restroom I sigh and closed the door behind me. Apparently I’m dying tonight… That’s happening. Shit!

Bending down to take a good looks in the stalls I check all of them are empty. I don’t like going to the bathroom with people sitting right next to me where they can hear everything I do. I pick the one on the far back and do what I have to do. I can see the stains all over my glasses again but chose not to wipe them to hurry it up a little just in case. When I get out I go to wash my hands and I hear the door sing open. The bar was empty so of course I assume Dean came to check on me.

“Hey it’s been like 2 minutes, you could have a little more trust in me. I told you I wasn’t gonna run,” I joke to my killer because that’s how I am and rinse the foam of my hands. “Besides, the moment I start running I will trip over my own feet and that’d be it for me,” I add while giggling but the second I lift my gaze from the jet of water I see someone else. A man, definitely not Dean standing right behind me at the sinks.

I turn around, my eyes scan his tall form, and head to toes black attire. He blinks and his eyes match his clothes.

“Fuck!” I try to go for the door, but he’s quicker than me -of course- and steps in my way, pulling my head and throwing me back. I stagger but surprisingly I keep my feet on the ground, his large hand lands on my throat and he’s pushing me to walk back, until my back hits the wall of the first stall.

My hands grip around his forearm, but no matter how much force I apply his grip won’t loosen, he’s a lot stronger than I am -not that that’s so hard to accomplish.

“I already have a demon here to kill me,” I force myself to speak through his hold, maybe he doesn’t know about Dean.

My eyes are starting to get lazy though and the blurry spots appear in my line of vision. The bathroom door whips open, crashing against the wall and closing again due to the forced and I’m able to see Dean walking towards us.

“A demon,” I scream, although I know it’s barely a whisper and I’m not really sure Dean can hear me, but I point to the demon with my finger, so he can catch my drift.

Dean retrieves the bone knife with teeth from his jeans and launches for this other demon, who ducks in time and he toss me aside, as if I were just a piece of paper. I land with my side of a trash can, wailing in pain.

The new demon, flashes from under his sleeve a long silver pointy knife, and it makes me wonder what’s with demons and funny shaped knives. It’s that like a trend?

They both stand right in front of each other, like facing a duel or something. “All you Abaddon groupies are the same, you know that?” Dean asks rhetorically.

Wow, Abaddon does exist it’s not just mythological!

“You can’t just can’t accept that the queen is dead, can you?” Dean continuous.

Oh, and it’s she and she’s dead. I sit up because I never in my life thought I see a demon, less of all two demons ready to duel… Will they count their steps?

“Maybe we just can’t accept that a douche like you was the one who killed her,” the other demon spits with anger.

It doesn’t truly surprise to know it was Dean who killed her. He does look like the guy who’d take down a  big bad legendary demon. “Ah. Yeah, that’s got to hurt, doesn’t it?”

That was too cocky, Dean should learn to be a little more humble.

The fight it’s quick, the other demon, swings to get Dean with his pointy knife but Dean is faster -ugh soooooo hot!- and blocks his move, spinning him around and jabbing his bone, teethy knife into his chest. I gasp, unintentionally when orange light shoots from the demon’s eyes and chest.

Then Dean let his body fall to the ground once he’s dead and blood start pooling around his body. I get up as fast as I can, I don’t want his blood to touch me. Dean looks at me, not even preneting he’d help me get up and nods towards me.

“I’m okay,” I raps clearing my voice. My throat feels swollen already.

He comes closer to me, his hand moving up and I freeze because he’s gonna kill me. He’s gonna do it and my last words were I’m okay, so lame. At last second his warm palm rests on my chest, fingers inspecting the bruises forming around my neck and I open my eyes.

“Let’s go somewhere you and me,” he says close to my face. I blink dumbfounded.

“What, you and me?” I swallow, the soreness of my throat still there. “Where?”

“I dunno, anywhere,” he shrugs, bending over to clean his knife of the dead demon clothes.

“You wanna kill me,” I refresh his memory in case he’s forgotten.

“I just save your life,” he defends.

“I guess you’re right, I’m still alive. But what are the chances of that becoming a thing?” I caress my own neck, whining in pain.

“Let me ask you this. If I really wanted to kill you, wouldn’t’ve done it by now?”

It’s my turn to shrug. “I guess.”

“Let’s go. You should get some ice on that neck before it gets worse,” Dean says, his hand on my lower back as he hold the bathroom door open for me and leads me towards the back door of the bar.

Everything: 

@nadiandreu7, @thegreatficmaster (no Sam/Jared), @mogaruke, @samisimportant, @ria132love, @donnaintx, @feelmyroarrrr, @just-another-busy-fangirl, @love-kittykat21, @emilyymichelle, @walkingkhaleesi, @imagining-supernatural, @kdfrqqg, @charliebradbury1104, @thedevilinthedetails, @docharleythegeekqueen, @artprincessbree, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @tardis-full-of-fallen-angels, @supernatural-girl97, @sam-inaflannel, @sammys-lost-shoe, @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester, @nanie5, @roxyspearing, @emoryhemsworth, @rambling-rabbit, @akshi8278, @meganwinchester1999, @geekgirl1213, @maui137, @creepykatftw @novakfandoms, @waywardasfudge, @kickasscas67, @spnwoman, @tattooedmomster13, @yoursmilemakesmeloveyou, @asgardianvamp21, @michell868,

@possesstheheart, @thatpeachybandgirl, @read-the-reid, @supernaturalmistress @jensen-gal, @its-my-perky-nipples, @esoltis280,

Dean/Jensen: 

@missmotherhen, @valerieshubin, @chennyetomlinson, @justanotherdeangirl, @jennell79, @ruprecht0420, @jalove-wecallhimdean, @evyiione, @laurafloradora, @fanfreak07, @superapplepie, @wingedcatninja, @sandlee44, @plaidstiel-wormstache, @lessons-of-red, @supernatural-fan-123, @mandilion76, @blackcherrywhiskey, @akshi8278, @papertrailsstrewnacrossthefloor, @shut-ur-face-and-get-in-the-car, @aly-winchester, @winchesterdemon67, @supernatural-strangerthings-1980

[ennergetics]

FILLED REQUEST: conditional expectations, an unconventional soulmate au with kang daniel (ft. kim jonghyun)

(image credit)

pairing: daniel x reader (feat. kim jonghyun) genre: soulmate! au, fluff, slight angst summary: You don’t believe in soulmates. Meeting Kang Daniel makes you wish doubly hard they’re not real.  (as a bit of a math nerd myself, i enjoyed writing this, even if it made my heart hurt. check this out for some interesting calculations on soulmates, and don’t believe the ones i wrote up for the fic!)

‘given a set of rational criteria, the chances of you looking into your soulmate’s eyes are one in ten thousand.’

your mother tells you this when you’re six years old and asking her what the name marked right above your bellybutton means

your schoolmates whisper about your little family, muttering about you’re being raised by a single parent

“that’s what happens when you don’t wait for your soulmate.”

when you’re younger, you’re just as concerned about finding “the one” as everyone else around you

but the single-minded obsession with which the others seem to hunt for the names they have on their wrists and ankles and necks, it soon begins to seem ridiculous to you

soulmarks may be a recent development, but they’re already deeply embedded in human culture

as romantic as it sounds, there’s so much more to life than finding the one whose heart beats in perfect sync with yours

the vastness of the stars and the beauty in the order in the universe capture most of your attention as you grow up, and you watch your friends find their soulmates with only a twinge of jealousy

(one day when you’re seventeen years old, you look up the name imprinted on your skin, but it yields no results) 

entering university, you know exactly what you want to do, your heart in the science of numbers 

you’re a little quiet, a little shy, but one boy in your sophomore literature class manages to bring out a side of yourself you didn’t expect to see 

kim jonghyun is even more withdrawn than you are, his sweet smile hidden by those overly large hoodies he likes to wear 

and though you don’t mean to, you fall hard and fast for the terribly inaccurate impersonations he does whenever you don’t do well in your essays, for the way he insists on staying up with you when you’re cramming for basic stat class, for the tender way look in his eyes when he asks you to have dinner with him

you know your name’s not written on the spot where his right scapula begins, and he’s seen the mark on your stomach, kissed it tenderly the first time you make love 

you’re better than soulmates, you think, holding tight to what the two of you have

but the world can be cruel 

and the pull of expectations and conventions is too strong 

jonghyun meets his soulmate at the coffeeshop exactly eleven months after he asks you to be his

he doesn’t tell you until you remind him about your anniversary plans to get matching tattoos

for the first time in your life, you find yourself wanting to make a scene, not caring what your loud sobs in jonghyun’s dorm room must sound like

you make it to your own room, a feeling of numb taking over you as you check your messages and find a long apology letter 

the two of you never really break up, but when you see him holding hands with someone else at the library, you finally accept what’s happened

in no time at all, it’s your last year at university, and you decide to be a little more adventurous

your future’s more or less set, anyway, with your applications for masteral programs ready to be sent out

during recruitment week, you sign up for the university’s recreational dance club for the fun of it; you’re not terrible, and without a relationship in the way, you have enough free time

the coach turns out to be a modern dance major with a big, goofy smile

(and a killer body, the rumour goes)

your first session with kang daniel is a delight, and you enjoy the careless, innocent way he flirts with everyone in the room 

it doesn’t hurt that he often takes off his shirt near the end of practice sessions, letting all of you ogle him shamelessly

he’s so friendly and so confident that it rubs off on all his students, and dance club becomes the highlight of your week 

daniel always asks everyone to have dinner with him, and one day you take him up on it

the two of you go out to a cute barbecue restaurant, and he cooks the meat happily for the both of you

when he asks you about your thesis, he seems truly interested

and when he laughs—it’s way over his head, he says—you’re able to simplify it, scribbling an illustration on the napkin when you’re halfway through your dinner

“you’ve made math sound so exciting,” daniel says with a toothy grin, and you feel that tight feeling in your chest unclench a little

that one dinner turns into a regular meals out, with daniel taking you to his favourite hole-in-the-wall bars and you suggesting the best breakfast places in the neighbourhood

daniel’s always falling in step with you, offering to help you carry your things

somehow, he finds something to talk to you about, whether it’s the latest song he heard on the radio or a cute stray cat he saw that morning

and you find yourself slowly, slowly telling him about yourself

you’re both at your regular Thursday haunt—a Western ice cream parlor three blocks away from your dorm—when the topic of soulmates comes up

“i don’t know,” you say, taking a spoonful of daniel’s peach-mango scoop, “but i think it’s silly that people care so much about their soulmates.”

“oh?” daniel says, and you don’t notice the sudden tension in his posture

“yeah, because you’re tying yourself down to loving one person. people get so caught up in finding their soulmates that it consumes them,” you reply, waving your spoon around, “but what do you think?”

“mmm, i don’t think too much about it,” daniel says, unconsciously rubbing at his outer left thigh

daniel sees the tears pooling at the corners of your eyes and changes the topic

“hey, my thesis performance is coming up soon!” he says, grinning

you’re sitting in the front row, taking up one of daniel’s guest spots

the whole dance club is a couple of rows behind you

and you’ve all seen daniel dance when he teaches you but none of that prepared you for daniel’s performance

he’s utterly breath-taking, from the melancholy expression on his face to the mesmerizing lines of body 

and at that moment he catches your eye in the crowd, you feel your soulmate mark pulse right above your belly button 

during the intermission, you run to the bathroom to check if it’s changed somehow, if fate is being rewritten

but it still says the same name

after the show, you congratulate him on his piece, pulling him into a hug and ignoring the odd heaviness in the pit of your stomach

and the whole club goes out for celebratory dinner, drinking till an ungodly hour

daniel offers to walk you back to dorm and you take the long way home, and the silence between you two is companionable

you feel an impossible fondness for him, a satisfaction at your life that you haven’t felt in a long time

when he takes your hand, something bursts inside you and you blurt out

“daniel, i love you.” 

you’re under a streetlight and he stops walking, your hand still in his

“ah, Y/N,” daniel says softly, “i have to confess something to you.” 

the shadows hide his eyes when you look at him, and you just know that he’s found his soulmate elsewhere

the probabilities had been in your favour, but sometimes lightning strikes the same place twice 

you’re being irrational but emotion overtakes you

“i knew this would happen,” you say, the hurt clear in your voice as you try to remove your hand from his grasp

but he holds tight even as you start to cry 

“i thought maybe something had changed, that maybe you were my soulmate instead, or that maybe soulmarks wouldn’t matter at all.” 

and he pulls you into an embrace, stroking your hair as you cry

“i’ve found my soulmate,” he says, his tone serious, “i’ve got you.”

the words don’t make sense to you 

and you grip his shirt and let out a hollow laugh, saying, “i’m happy for you. in my heart, we’re soulmates even if your name isn’t fucking kang euigeon.”

daniel chuckles awkwardly

“that’s the best first attempt anyone’s ever done of my name.”

and you’re????? confused????

did you hear that right???

“what did you say was the probability you’d meet your soulmate?” he says, tilting your chin up so you can see his face

“one out of ten thousand if you don’t know their name,” you say, reciting from memory

“and if you do?” daniel says

“should be approximately one in five, averaging out the difficulty of finding one with a common name,” you say slowly

“and the likelihood of you finding me after my parents legally changed my name just before i entered high school?” he says, scrunching up his nose

“why didn’t you tell me?” you say, the tears flowing freely, “did you—did you not want me?” 

“you always seemed too busy chasing your dreams to even think about this kind of stuff,” daniel murmurs, “like there was no room for me in the equation”

“of course there’s room for you, you stupid, hot, lovable potato-head,” you say, holding him tight, relief flooding through you

and the two of you kiss for the first time under the dim light on the street 

rationally speaking, your circumstances ought to have made it impossible for the two of you to meet

if you hadn’t had your heart broken; if daniel had said something about his name the minute he’d met you; if your feelings hadn’t burst out of you at that moment, then you wouldn’t have found your soulmate

but hey

what are the odds?

[ruination-fangs]

“This is… the science hall?”

The building in front of Jude is huge and relatively new-looking, compared to some of the campus’s other structures. The windows reflect the glare of the setting sun, but as far as Jude can tell, most of the blinds on the other sides are closed. There’s hardly a student in sight at this hour; Jude stands alone.

Despite the university being hardly more than a few blocks away from his high school, he’s almost never been here. Maybe a few times for interesting lectures or workshops, or to visit the campus library for a text his own school didn’t have – but those are different buildings. He’s never been inside this one.

Which is why he has no idea where to start looking for Professor Haus.

Jude’s mentor was supposed to be giving a demonstration today, borrowing the university’s facilities because the high school doesn’t have quite the right equipment, so of course today is the day Jude realized he needs Haus’s signature on these documents as soon as possible. He can’t submit his thesis proposal without his advisor’s approval, and it’s supposed to be in by tomorrow morning.

So it would really help if he could find Haus tonight… but now that he’s here, staring down the main doors, he’s not sure this was a good idea. Is anyone even here anymore? He’d thought Haus might still be cleaning up, or talking to the students who always hang around to ask questions after these kinds of events, but maybe Jude overestimated how long the demonstration would take. Or maybe he’s just running late, as usual.

He sighs as he approaches the double doors in the entryway. Even if the place seems deserted, he ought to at least have a look around, since he came all this way. But when he pulls on the door, it resists. He tries again, and the interior lock thuds against the door frame.

Locked, at this hour? It seems odd for it to be closed so early… But then again, this is a university. Maybe it’s not like his own school. Maybe there’s restricted access to all the buildings after class hours?

If that’s the case, maybe all he needs is a student or staff member to let him in. He takes off along the edge of the building, idly flapping the papers in his hand and glancing in through the few uncovered windows. All the classroom lights seem to be off.

About ready to give up hope, he rounds a corner and nearly jumps when he sees another moving body. It’s a person, crouched on the concrete outside a side door, peering at the lock.

For a long moment, Jude can only stare. He supposes she must be a student here; she looks about that age, and she’s wearing the uniform… he thinks? He can’t be entirely sure, since her socks don’t look like they belong, her skirt can’t possibly be within regulation, and… is that a spiked collar around her neck??

It seems she still hasn’t noticed him, and he considers turning around and walking away while that’s still the case, but something propels him onward. As he gets closer, he can see that she’s jiggling something around in her hands, and – oh, god, she’s trying to pick the lock, isn’t she?

But it’s too late to back out now. Her head snaps up at the sound of his last step, and both of them freeze.

“Um. Hi?”

Jude’s voice resounds across the stretch of pavement between them. The woman places a finger against her lips.

“Sorry to, uh… interrupt,” he tries, a little more quietly. Is this really okay? Maybe he should just go…

“What are you doing here?” the girl asks, and Jude blinks several times before answering. What is he doing here?

He holds out the papers in his hand. “I’m looking for a professor who was working here today… I need him to sign these forms. I, uh, don’t suppose you’ve seen him? Gray hair, glasses…?”

The woman shakes her head and, amazingly, goes right back to messing with the lock. Feeling a little braver now that she’s not staring him down – and with little idea of what else to do – Jude asks, “What are you doing here?”

“Is that not obvious?” She doesn’t look up. “You should go, before anyone sees you. They might think you’re with me.“

That sounds like a solid plan. But still, something tugs at the corners of Jude’s mind. He’s just about to keep talking when something clicks and the woman’s expression lights up. When she stands and pulls on the door, it opens easily. Without another glance at him, she steps inside, and Jude hurries to catch the door before it shuts.

At least the lights are still on in the hallway. The woman turns around. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“W-Well, I’m just going to have a look around,” Jude says. “To see if the professor is still here. If not, I’ll leave. No harm no foul, right?”

She looks at him for a moment more before turning her gaze down the hallway. He could just leave it at that… but of course he always has to open his big mouth.

“Why? Are you up to no good?”

The look she gives him makes him step back a pace. Dressed in that outfit, and picking a lock to sneak into a closed building… maybe this isn’t really the kind of person he should be tagging along with?

But she remains impassive. “I’m here to finish my business and then leave, just like you.”

She walks away then, her boots clicking against the tile floor, and for some reason Jude scrambles after her.

“Wait! Are you, uh, a student here?”

“Yes,” she answers without turning around.

“Then you know your way around, right?”

The girl stops, frowning and looking at the nameplates on the nearby doors.

“No, not particularly. I’ve only been here a few times, myself.”

Jude approaches her with cautious steps. “Well, then you still know more than me. Do you mind if I… stick with you for a while? My advisor is a health sciences teacher, so if there’s any sort of medical wing…”

The woman only shrugs and continues onward.

It doesn’t take long before Jude starts to find the atmosphere eerie. There’s no sound but for the echo of their footsteps in the empty corridor and the soft buzzing of the lights above them. Occasionally they pass by a window, and rays of orange sunlight streak the tile floor, but the walls are largely lined with doors – classrooms interspersed with offices, storage rooms, and labs, probably.

Yet none of those doors are open, and all the interior windows show nothing but pulled shades or darkness. All the way down the hall and around a corner, and there’s no sign of anyone else in the building.

Jude scans the labels as they go – room numbers on classrooms and closets, occasionally the name of a professor he doesn’t recognize. Nothing points him any closer to Professor Haus, and he’s thinking so intently about what to do next that he almost doesn’t realize when the woman stops.

Stepping back a hair’s breadth before he runs into her, Jude directs his gaze to the door she’s looking at. It bears another name he’s never seen, but one that evidently she has, because she immediately tries the handle.

He’s not sure what she does this time - he doesn’t get a good look at what she jams into the keyhole, whether it’s a key or another pick. Either way, within moments the door swings open, inviting them inside.

The only light in the new room is the faint glow around the shutters over the window and the bright rectangle of light shining in through the door. Without bothering to look for a light switch, the woman crosses the room to the desk in the far corner and begins to sift through everything on top of it.

Jude leans through the doorway, keeping his feet firmly planted on the tiled floor of the hallway, and looks around. Judging by the rows of tables, this is a classroom rather than an office - one wide enough that the next door down the hall is probably connected to it, too. Shelves and counters around the walls are covered in an array of objects, difficult to make out in the dark.

Wood scrapes against wood as the girl pulls open one of the drawers on the inside of the desk.

“What are you doing?” Jude whispers, taking a hesitant step into the room. He’s almost not sure if she can hear him; another drawer rattles as she pulls it open and rummages through the contents.

Eventually she says, “Taking back something the staff was never meant to have.”

Jude’s brow furrows, but despite his concerns, curiosity drives him forward.

“What exactly is it?” he asks, stopping by the desk. When the girl shoots him a sharp glance, he adds, “I mean, I could help you look. If it’s… something that belongs to you anyway?” One finger scratches at his cheek. “You’re being really vague, so…”

“You shouldn’t get involved,” she says. “Just find your professor and go home.”

Jude glances at the light coming in from the hallway. “I don’t think he’s here anymore.”

“Then you can skip straight to going home.”

Still, Jude frowns. His desire to help her wars with his desire to do the right thing - report her, probably, though he's already sure he won’t go that far. She’s right that the best thing for him to do would be to leave, but something makes him stay beside her, watching her hands rove through another drawer.

He’s almost compelled to open the last drawer himself to help out, but that’s when the security guard comes in.

The sound of the door opening is the loudest thing Jude has heard in a long time, and immediately makes him jump. He whips around to see the officer standing in the doorway, backlit by the light in the hallway, but illuminated just enough for Jude to see that he looks as startled as they are.

“Hey, what are–” he starts, but at the same time the woman curses under her breath and barks, “Run!” Not a moment later she’s taken off toward the other door without a second glance.

Either it was left unlocked, or the doors don’t lock from the inside, or she has even more of a knack for breaking and exiting than entering – in any case, she barely pauses before barreling through the doorway. The security guard is obviously conflicted, taking a step back into the hallway to shout something, then immediately turning back to Jude.

Jude still hesitates. Surely he can explain? Surely if he tells the guard he had nothing to do with this, that he just happened upon the scene – but that’s a lie, he willingly came with her, he’s complicit at the least. He doesn’t even go to this school, but that might just be justification for them to turn him over to the police instead, and if his parents find out he’ll be grounded for the rest of his life, and –

Before he knows what he’s doing, his feet are pounding along after the other student. He has no idea where he’s going, but he’s not so far behind that he can’t trace her path, and he catches up to her in the courtyard outside. By the time the guard crashes through the hallway doors they’ve already escaped through a side gate.

Fearful that he might have seen them turn that last corner, they don’t stop there, and keep running down the alley and onto the sidewalk. Jude thinks they must be at least a block or two away by the time they slow down.

Both of them lean against the wall, gasping for breath. There are people staring, but Jude is too exhausted to care. None of them have campus security badges; that’s all that matters to him right now.

The streetlights are coming on overhead by the time Jude stops panting. His heart is still pounding, and it's only when he thinks to wipe his sweaty palms off that he realizes one of them is still clutching his thesis forms. They’re crinkled up where his fist was clenching the edges too tight.

“…I never did find Professor Haus,” he says.

“As you said, I imagine he wasn’t there.” The girl already looks more composed than Jude feels. “The building seemed pretty well deserted.”

“I guess…” Jude says, but can’t suppress a sigh. Now he’s going to have to get up early and go look for him tomorrow morning… and maybe get a new copy of these forms, so he doesn’t have to turn in anything that looks like he just picked it up off the ground.

“Hey.” The student’s voice gets his attention. She’s looking down the street at nothing in particular. “Do you know how to get to the station from here?”

Jude follows her gaze, then finds the closest street sign. “Yeah. Do you… not? We’re only a few blocks from the school.”

“Yes, but it’s on the other side of campus, and…” She crosses her arms, looking rather more troubled than the situation deserves, Jude thinks.

“What,” he says, a hint of laughter edging his voice, “you only know the route directly from the station to the school and nothing else?“

To his dismay, the woman nods. “Exactly.” She seems pleased that he understands her predicament, but while her smile grows, his fades.

“…Seriously? You never… Well, whatever. I, uh, I can take you there if you want. It’s not far. Though you’re right, it’s in the other direction, so we’ll have to skirt around campus a bit…”

“I would appreciate that.”

Jude picks a street and starts walking, the woman following at his side. His legs are still a little shaky, but he seems to have caught his breath now, and when he casts a glance at his tagalong he notices that she doesn’t look rattled at all.

“So, uh,” he starts as they turn the next corner. “What was this thing you were after, anyway? You’re not going to get in trouble, are you…?”

Just the thought makes his chest tighten. He’s fairly certain the security officer couldn’t have gotten that good of a look at him, at least, so even if it’s important enough to be pursued he’ll probably be safe. Probably. Plenty of dark-haired boys in high school uniforms in Fennmont.

But this woman is… well, a bit more distinctive, and she’s a student at the university, so she’ll probably be a lot easier to identify than him.

She only shrugs. “I ended up not finding it. I’ll just have to try again later.”

Jude nearly stops in his tracks. That close to being caught, and she wants to go back for more? Now he’s more curious than ever to know what she’s attempting to do, but, figuring that if she hasn’t explained by now she isn’t going to, he lets the matter drop.

Their footsteps against the pavement and the moderate traffic on the street next to them are the only sound that accompanies them for the next block. With the sun setting, most of the day’s foot traffic has died down, and they have long stretches of the sidewalk to themselves. Jude shifts his hand against his papers and glances at the woman again.

“I, um…” he starts, and then pushes forward before he can regret it. “Can I ask your name?”

“My name?”

The woman seems surprised at the question, but not displeased. Still, Jude hastily looks away, cheeks starting to burn. What does it matter, anyway? This was a chance encounter, and now it’s almost over. After ten minutes he’ll probably never see her again.

He’s about to tell her to forget it, when her voice startles him into looking up.

“Milla,” she says, “Milla Maxwell.”

She smiles at him then, and he can’t help but notice that she’s actually… really gorgeous.

“Oh, uh, I’m Jude. Mathis.”

He stops to hold out his hand; Milla pauses for a minute, looking at it blankly, before she shakes it. For some reason her confusion almost makes Jude laugh.

What a strange person. Suddenly Jude thinks that he wouldn’t mind getting to know a little more about her. He’s hardly a thrill-seeker, but this is more excitement than he’s had in ages - maybe even enough to make the fear and frustration of the last hour worth it.

At the least, he doesn’t think he’s ever going to forget this day.

[moonlitjiminn]

Purple Part Eight | Taehyung, You

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Why do you have to be different?

​​​​​​​The lake became their 'spot', they met each other there almost once a week. Their lives became busy again, Taehyung having to finish his final copy of his part one for his thesis, Tori having to study pretty hard in order to ace her exams (she decided she should try harder this time round considering she was dating the smartest kid in her class) and apart from that Taehyung would often go to the library or to the gym – and only ever during dusk – while Tori would be at the mall with friends or working her part time job at the grocery store.

Although their few hours in the dead of night, just talking about life and what their week was like, what annoyed them, their science teacher being a jerk and picking on Tori because he knew she didn't know the answers. As well as what made them happy, mostly their calls and text exchanges, and their few run-ins on campus.

But they couldn't help waiting impatiently for the few times they did get to see each other.

"Ooooh you're watching TV?" Tori asked, peeking her head around Taehyung's front door.

He grinned, "Yeah," he pat the seat next to him.

"I wanna wat-" She stopped talking when she saw the screen. "Penguins? You're watching a documentary about penguins?"

"It's pretty interesting, actually," he paused it, "Did you say you wanted to watch?"

"Ugh," she sighed, plonking herself on the sofa next to him, "You're so boring."

He chuckled, "Me or the documentary?"

The documentary.

"You," she huffed, and he gave her a knowing smile.

"You didn't go to your literature lecture," he noted, looking at the time.

"Eh," she waved it off, "We're learning basically the same thing we did last year so I thought I'd check in on you, how's your 'studying' going?" she finger quoted 'studying' as if she didn't believe that was what he was doing.

"Great actually," he leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other, pointing the remote at the TV and pressing play, "Now if you let me get back to-"

He stopped when he saw her cheeky smile, reaching for the remote.

"What ar-" she grabbed it, turning the TV off. "Victoria..." his eyes scanned her face, dropping from her eyes to her mouth, which was getting closer and closer to him.

She drew him to her, her hand moving straight to his jaw, "Am I a distraction?" her voice was gentle, as gentle as the kiss she gave him right after.

"Yes," he whispered back, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her closer, his lips brushing hers. It wasn't an innocent kiss, but more like a hot, fiery, passionate and demanding kiss, making her giggle against his lips.

"Are you hungry?" she joked, the way he was kissing her was like he hadn't eaten in years.

He inched back, looking into her eyes, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"I may know everything about nuclear physics, but I can never figure you out," he pecked her lips, "And yet, I don't even care," he kissed her again, "believe me, when I don't know something, I can never sleep until I find out what it is I'm missing."

She smiled, the smile he loved. The skin around her eyes crinkled ever so slightly (not as much as his did, though) and her eyes literally sparkled.

He was beginning to think that his favourite colour was changing.

Because he now loved the colour purple.

"I can never figure you out, either, Tae," she laughed, meeting his forehead with hers.

He leaned up, kissing her again, "Thank you for coming," he whispered.

"Even though you told me like a hundred times not to come?"

He shook his head, amused, "Yes, even though I told you not to come, I'm glad you did."

"You see, this is why I don't like waiting seven days before I get to see you," she sighed, her legs draped over his lap.

"I don't like it either," he said sadly, and it honestly surprised her.

He was so different today, a great wave of confidence had overwhelmed him, not to mention his want, his need to be closer to her.

"Well let's savour these few house that we do get to see each other," she threaded her fingers in his hair, "And leave the penguins alone."

He laughed, "But the poor penguins!"

She took his glasses off, wearing them herself.

"Do I look smarter now?" she asked, "I bet I do."

He shook his head, "Nope, you look like Victoria."

"Are you saying I'm not smart?" she exclaimed, her hand on her heart.

"Yeah," he nodded, innocently.

Her hands cupped his cheeks, squishing them together, just finding him so cute.

He frowned at her gestures, but didn't let them affect him for long. He took the glasses off her this time, putting them on the coffee table and pulled her closer, "When will I see you again?"

"Today next week probably?" her voice was just like his; sad.

He pouted and she laughed, pecking his lips, "You're so cute."

He pulled her back, kissing her harder, "I don't want to let go."

"You don't have to," she hummed, welcoming him as she let her lips trace a path from his own to his neck. He gasped, a quiet, soft gasp, but she loved how she made him run out of breath.

He was new to this, and decided to just let Tori continue, he didn't want to ruin the moment.

She let her kisses linger on his shoulder blade before she stopped, tearing away from him and he gave her a surprised look.

"I should probably leave before I do something dangerous," she grinned and he looked away, his cheeks burning up.

But she didn't let him blush for too long, turning his head to face her.

"Or should I stay?" her smile was mischievous and he had to avert his eyes to answer.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

That night, Tori found herself not just staying 'for a few more hours' like Taehyung had said, and instead waking up in his bedroom.

She bolted out of bed, and rushed into the kitchen, not knowing if she was going to catch him because she knew he went on morning runs.

But there he was, when she opened the bedroom door, standing at the stove with his back to her, holding the frying pan. She tiptoed to him, slithering her arms through his and around his waist.

He jumped at her touch but her voice soothed him, "It's just me," she whispered.

He visibly relaxed, although was stiff considering her arms were still around him.

"Good morning," she hummed, her lips deep rooted in the nap of his neck.

He shuddered at the sensation it gave him, but he couldn't deny it was a captivating feeling.

"Morning," he replied and she rocked him from side to side, while he continued to flip the pancake on the pan.

"Tae?" she called, tilting her head to look up at him.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Can you sing?"

His eyes widened.

"Huh?"

"Can you sing?" she repeated, "It's just something I've been curious about for a while."

"Why?"

"Wondering if you could be anymore perfect," she said, stroking his hair.

"I'm not perfect," he muttered.

"You're right," he turned around to put the pancakes on the counter and she spun with him. "But you're as close to perfect as any human can get."

He looked away, blushing.

Aww where did my Taehyung from last night go?

That made him blush even harder, he, himself, didn't know where the Taehyung from last night even came from. He kept trying to tell himself that it was late and he was tired, but he kept getting to the conclusion that he was becoming more and more compelled to Tori every day.

"Let's eat," he said, hoping to lighten the atmosphere and she happily skipped to her seat.

"Do you have any siblings?" Taehyung asked in the middle of breakfast and Tori raised an eyebrow. "Well, I know about your parents but I don't know if you have any-"

"Yeah, I have two brothers, one's older and one's younger, and I have a younger sister."

"That's a big family," he noted and she nodded.

"It is, it can get messy at times."

"But do you like it?"

She nodded again, "I love it, although I'm often compared to my older brother, he's a bit like you, crazy hard working, but other than that, I love it."

His smile faltered, he couldn't start to fathom the idea that her parents wouldn't like her the way she was.

"Sometimes I wish I had siblings," he told her, finishing off the last bit of his pancake.

"They would love to meet you, I bet you'd get along with them as if they were your own brothers and sisters."

He smiled at her, "Thanks."

"Oh fuck," Tori muttered, checking her phone for the time, leaving Taehyung to laugh at her language.

"You're starting to corrupt me with that dirty mouth of yours," he told her and she beamed at him.

"Well isn't that a good sign?" she asked, standing up and running around the counter and leaning down, "I need to get to my Government lecture in ten minutes."

He craned his own head up and let her kiss him, "Study hard."

"Oh, you know me," she winked at him and scurried out of the door, "See you later Tae!"

He sighed, shaking his head. He didn't understand the effect she had on him but whenever he was with her, he was all smiles. And whenever they were apart, he would be thinking about her, and wouldn't be able to stop smiling.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"Jimin told me that you didn't want to go to Mark's party last night with him."

"Yeah," Tori nodded, chewing on her sushi.

"Tori, you can't really think you and Taehyung are going to work out."

Tori sighed aloud, "Jen, you can't really think I'm going to listen to that."

Jen shook her head, "Jimin's so head over heels for you, I can't believe you're doing this."

"Well I'm so head over heels for Taehyung, it's possible."

"This is so unfair," she puffed out her cheeks.

"Jen, do you like him?" she asked, scrunching her eyebrows at her.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Girl!" Tori laughed, "Why you trying to set him up with me then? You should go for him!"

"He doesn't look at any other girl but you."

She looked down. That was inevitable.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and Jen shoved her arm playfully.

"Why are you sorry? Not your fault that jerk fell for you."

Actually...

"He's coming," she sighed, "Don't look up."

"Hey Tori!" an enthusiastic voice chirped and a thud hit the table, she looked up to see a large duffel bag on it.

"Hey Jimin," she said, giving a nervous glance to Jen.

"I should probably g-"

"Jimin, I've gotta get going, can you keep Jen company while she finishes? I feel bad for leaving her alone."

"Of course," Jimin smiled at her as she stood up and walked away.

Tori knew that every single guy Jen falls in love with, dates and brings along to meet her will fall in love with Tori straight away. But she has the feeling that one day there will come a guy who starts to love Jen more than Tori, and that will be the one for her.

Her phone started vibrating and she found herself grinning like an idiot when she read the Caller ID.

"Hey!" she boomed into the phone.

"Hey Victoria," she could hear the smile in his voice and that made her smile too.

"What's up?"

"Just wondering where you were, I came to Uni to hand in my physics assignment, and remembered you had just finished a lecture, you still here?"

"Yes!" she tried not to sound too happy, "Where are you?"

Taehyung looked around, and in the corner of his eye saw her standing by the cafeteria doors, her phone to her ear.

"The library, you?" he lied.

"I'm just by the cafeteria."

"Okay, I'll come to you," he said and he saw her nodding vigorously, making him smile.

"See you soon!" she sung and hung up.

He took a step forward, observing how she put her phone into her pocket and started to thread her fingers in her hair, tying it up one way, and then shaking her head and changing the way it looked.

He shook his head, she was doing all this for him?

"Tae!" she beamed when she finally caught his figure.

He waved, finally reaching her, "Hey."

She scooped his hand in hers, "When do you have to go back?"

"My professor gave me today to rest," he sighed, "We've been doing a bit too much work the past two weeks."

"Yeah, I hardly ever see you," she nodded in agreement.

"Have you eaten? You probably have, you were just in there," he pointed at the cafeteria.

Ugh I'm full

"Nope, I just met Jen, that's all, you wanna eat?"

"Nah, it's okay," he shook his head, he wasn't all that hungry anyway, he had been eating late, it was a habit now.

She narrowed her eyes at him but he ignored her, squeezing her hand (something he had never done before), "Do you wanna do something before going back home?"

"Like what? Do you wanna get some coffee?"

"Hmm," he hummed, nodding, "The cafe down the road?"

"Sure," they walked to the exit of the campus, hand in hand.

"I'm going back to meet my family this weekend," she told him as they swung their arms to and fro.

"Really?" she loved the genuine excitement in his voice.

"Yeah," Tori said, "I thought it was about time I went back, do you want to join me?"

"What?"

"I mean, if you're not busy in the weekend."

Truth be told, he had to attend a few crucial lectures on the Saturday so this trip would have been a problem anyway.

"I don-"

I can't go alone.

"I do-"

Tae, if you don't come with, I don't think I can go back.

"Yeah, I-I think I can come," he nodded, "But do you think that would be okay? I mean, what if your family doesn't-"

"They'll love you!" she gushed, opening the cafe door.

"What if-"

She pulled his hand up to her lips and pressed them against it, "I know they will," she told him, "Trust me."

They walked up to the counter and placed their orders, as well as buying a small cheesecake for the pair to share.

Tori spent the next two hours telling Taehyung stories about how she grew up with her family, and he was much too happy to listen.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

The next three days, the two of them didn't ever see each other apart from the few five minute facetime calls and texts and phone calls they shared. They also packed their bags a bit too enthusiastically, too eager to spend the weekend away from reality.

"Tae!" a voice boomed while Taehyung was standing in the airport, hands in his pockets, scanning the departure board.

He turned around to see Tori running to him, a large duffel bag over her shoulder. As soon as she reached him, she crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Woah," she huffed, at the impact.

"Hi," she whispered, panting.

"You okay?" he asked, pulling back and brushing the hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah, just missed you," she looked up at him, excitedly, "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I got a B+ average for all my papers this year so far!"

He thought for a moment, not knowing what to say.

I guess a B+ average is good for her, right?

"That's great!" he exclaimed, ruffling her hair.

"I did good, didn't I?"

"Yes, yes you did," he scrunched his nose, "I'm proud. Next time you're going to get an A+ average, right?"

She pouted, "Gosh."

As they carried their luggage again, Tori spoke.

"I couldn't stop thinking about this weekend, everything I did was because of this," she entwined their fingers.

He grinned, his normal rectangular smile that she was growing to love.

He didn't know that being in love would ever have made someone feel the way he felt.

"My parents are going to pick us up from the airport," she sighed, "I just hope they woke up on the right side of the bed this morning."

Taehyung squeezed her hand as he led them to check in, "You'll be okay, Tori."

Her eyes widened and she snapped her head around to look at him.

"What?" he asked, completely surprised, as he handed the lady at the counter their tickets.

"You've never called me that before," she blinked.

"I-Is that a big deal?"

The lady stamped something and gave the tickets back, pointing to the direction of their gate.

"Yes it is!"

"Oh... sorry," he looked down.

She pinched his cheek, "You never fail to surprise me everyday."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

When they landed, Taehyung walked out as normal, while Tori trailed slowly behind him, peeking around every so often, too afraid to look.

He exhaled and stepped to the side, catching Tori's waist, the movement so swift she didn't believe it was him.

"Can you see them?" he whispered in her ear and it was probably the first time she was taken aback by his smoothness.

"Uh..." she looked around, and there they were, standing right in the middle, waving at them. "Yeah..."

"Well, let's go then," he followed her gaze and saw the couple waving at her, and led her to them.

"Tori!" the exclaimed as soon as they were within earshot.

She dropped her hand from Taehyung's waist and opened her arms for the both of them.

Taehyung watched them in adoration, but that was only until her mother caught his gaze and let go.

"You must be..."

"Taehyung," he heard Tori whisper and she nodded.

"Taehyung."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr and Mrs Chandler," he bowed, holding his hand out.

"This is the first time I'm meeting the guy Tori's been seeing, you must be someone special."

Tori looked to him and winked.

"C'mon, let's get the two of you home."

Tori's dad took their luggage and her mother started for the exit. Tori pulled Taehyung by snaking her arm around his waist.

"They're what you were scared of?" he asked, leaning down close so that they couldn't hear.

"When you get to know them, you'll understand why I'm terrified."

"Still terrified? Victoria, they're ecstatic to see you!"

She tightened her grip on him, making him flop his body against hers, "You keep me sane."

He shook his head, thinking that she was completely blowing this out of proportion, but she couldn't say anything because his phone rang.

He raised an eyebrow while he pulled it out, no one ever called him and when his phone did ring, it was 100% always Tori.

"Hello?" he asked, after checking the ID: unknown number.

"Is this Taehyung?" the grungy voice on the other line said.

"Yes, it is, may I know who's speaking?"

"Taehyung..." the voice softened, almost seeming loving, "It's your dad."

I hope you liked that chapter!!

Here are a few text conversations that happened between Tori and Taehyung :)

[pumpkin-lith]

Poor, poor Art Student

We had a lovely bout of metaing with @jhaernyl​, @thebisexualmandalorian​, @punsbulletsandpointythings​ and @the-last-hair-bender​ . It started about Fox showing up to model for an Art class. And then Wolffe got involved. I felt it was too good and amusing not to be shared. Long, so under cut.

jhaernyl: A class of students gets treated by a naked clone, tied up tight.In a classic shibari position.

the-last-hair-bender : Fox gets talked into posing for art classes

jhaernyl: Rope wrapping around his muscles, outlining selected portions of the clone's skin. Think ARC. Think Fives. Kneeling on a pedestal. All tied up in a position he supposedly can't get out of. His back displayed. His thighs sectioned by the rope. Arms wrapped tight

thebisexualmandalorian: I need to lie down

the-last-hair-bender : joins thebisexualmandalorian on the floor

jhaernyl : There for them to look at and draw. No touching. Head tipped back. Showing off his neck. Looking at you with a half-lidded gaze. And then the lesson ends. And he slowly straightens up. Muscles straining. And he rolls his shoulders and the ropes just fall off of him.

Pooling at his feet. And you can see the indents on his skin. Where the ropes bit into it just a little. And he stretches out, slowly and leisurably working out the kinks. And then the teacher's pa brings in the uniform she's almost collapsing underneath. And he just says "Thanks ma'am" in that rough, deep Tem Morrison voice of his. And starts to pull on his blacks, unhurriedly. Big hands smoothing them out and checking that the fabric over his legs is evenly put on

Puns .: Someone in the class whimpers audibly

jhaernyl: Because no one wants to deal with badly put on blacks. So he's running that big hand over his trunk-sized thigh

Puns .: Fffff Oh no but. Wolffe meets him as he's leaving. Looks past Fox at the class Smirks And slowly and deliberately wraps an arm around his waist

jhaernyl: And there would be a bite-sized scar on the back of Fox’s neck. And one on his ass. You can be sure of that. Paler than the rest of his skin, texture just rough enough that they are not yet fully healed

Puns .: Wolffe flashes his teeth at the class. And they know

jhaernyl: Hell yes they know. After spending two hours staring at those scars. Maybe one on the inner left thigh, too. That was only visible when you walked in the right spot. And Wolffe was the one who tied Fox up

Puns .: Oooh and all the piercings

jhaernyl: Or the piercings were taken out. And you get to see the holes. On his nipples, to say one

the-last-hair-bender : Listen. If it’s Wolffe, Fox would look like he'd been mauled by a nest of gundark

jhaernyl: They knew Fox was going to be there. He restrained himself. He's gonna go to town on Fox afterward. Doubly so, because he had to restrain himself

pumpkin-lith: Fox has to call in sick the day after, he can't move. "sorry Chancellor, I have uh... the flu." (his voice is so rough, it totally works)

jhaernyl: Oh yes. It would work better on his neighbours, even, if they hadn't heard the howling

pumpkin-lith: "the flu. right. I wouldn't mind a flu or two myself..."

jhaernyl: And then the ace non-humanoid alien neighbour 'The flu. Right. Humanoid species.'

pumpkin-lith: the non-ace other neighbor could move. But she's leaving vicariously through the noises that come from the flat next door. Aaah to be under 80 again...

jhaernyl: cackles

pumpkin-lith: the art student living upstairs is trying to find the courage to go ask the damn animal to be more quiet, please , he tries to sleep at night (and then he'll blushes so hard because fuck me it's the model)

jhaernyl: Even worse The model wasn't in any state to open the door. So the boyfriend of the model opened the door. And fuck his life. The guy is too hot to be fair

pumpkin-lith: or fuck it's the model's boyfriend. "coudlyouqietnight ?" is probably the only thing that'll get out. if it's barely that coherent

jhaernyl: cackles Yes, exactly. That's what he sounds in his own head. He sounds worse out loud. And Wolffe just grins like a shark at him. "Care to repeat that?" Making his voice lower and rougher. Because yes, he is that kind of asshole. And then the Wolf Pack comes in. Shouldering past the student. All 'sorry about that' 'Just a moment' 'Hey mind moving? I've got a keg here'

pumpkin-lith: NOT FAIR There is a collection of male models in the flat under his, how is this his life. They're popping everywhere . Like DAISIES

jhaernyl: And the howling just won't quit. He needs sleep. "You need to get fucked." Booster offers, from down further on the fire escape, where the guy had retreated with his padd to try and get some work done and was bitching at his online friends, who are all being THE MOST UNHELPFUL. The art student makes a noise like a mouse stepped on. And scurries back inside

pumpkin-lith: hello, tomato red, he will not need any lamp turned on tonight omg the online friends are 1) cackling 2) not believing him 3)asking him to take pictures

jhaernyl: Sinker goes to knock on his window, with the excuse of apologizing for Booster. Which really, is just because they made a bet on who can get the most interesting noise out of the art student.

pumpkin-lith: omg asshoooooles <333

jhaernyl: And Sinker gets props for the crash that comes from art student tripping over his rug. Because Sinker has only his blacks on. And they are stripped to the waist. 'cause it's summer

pumpkin-lith: "do I win if he brained himself on his desk"

jhaernyl: cackles The Wolf Pack is the bane of the Art Student. Meanwhile Old Lady is the bane of the Wolf Pack because there is no getting past her without getting your butt pinched. She lures you in with cookies and then she grills you like a quartermaster.

pumpkin-lith: nobody believes him. At first, yes, but as the night goes on "come on man, you're exaggerating" "I'm telling you he knocked on the door, holding an ice cream, asking if i wanted some, and there was drops of it on his chin and chest. bared chest " "No way" "Yes way. It's 3 am who eats ice cream at 3 am i wanna sleep"

Puns .: Oh no the poor ace neighbour like "I’m hearing these noises send help i can only jack off so much /PLEASE/ stop" "I don't WANT THIS" "I'm a good person!"

pumpkin-lith: or they are writing so muuuuch porn fic. All the ideas. free shopping

jhaernyl: There's a bit of a discussion downstairs and then Comet comes up all 'I want to apologize for my brothers, they are assholes. May I invite you to break-" and then he trails off because there's a holocamera pointed at him. And Art Student is like "Yes? Please continue." BECAUSE HE IS GETTING PROOF NOW YOU ASSHOLES

pumpkin-lith: add in that little side of "they are all looking the same " "are you drunk "

jhaernyl: "They must be twins. Some multiple pregnancy thing." "There is no way that many twins are all into each other. You're definitely drunk."

pumpkin-lith: "... with, like, 7 of them ?" "hey, don't be human-centric, it's totally plausible"

jhaernyl: "How long has it been since you slept?" "ASK THEM."

pumpkin-lith: assholes holonet friends <3 "I'll foot your next month's caff bill if you go ask them"

jhaernyl: Art Student goes to lesson, goes to sleep at a friend's. Comes back for clothes and two of them are hanging out. HE DOESN'T KNOW WHICH ONES. But he knows they give him points for the 'walk of shame' AND IT WASN'T ONE They rattle off stuff they should give points for and make a point of discussing it. Standing there, bare chested. Drinking caff. He is moving past hormonal mind-wipe into 'I am going to kill them' territory.

pumpkin-lith: he numbers them when they have distinctive signs. Or nicknames like asshole number 1, 2 and 3, ice cream bastard, smirking ass...

jhaernyl: Ice Cream Bastard is Booster. Window Hyena is Sinker. Because he cackled when Art Student tripped on the rug

pumpkin-lith: Smug Smirking Asshole is Wolffe

jhaernyl : Model of course is Fox

pumpkin-lith: Comet is maybe Holocam Thief

jhaernyl: Because he made off with it. He let Art Student film him. And then leaned in. And when Art Student's brain rebooted. Comet was turning around the corner. With his holocam. PART OF HIS THESIS PROJECT IS ON THAT HE NEEDS IT BACK "Working up reasons to go knock?" His online friends drag him.

pumpkin-lith: but every time he knocks, it's Smug Smirking Asshole opening and back to "ndmycambck". He'll send old 80yo lady to get the cam back. (there is a new file on it. He doesn't open it)

jhaernyl: He carefully saves it on his hard drive, tho. Just in case he ever decides to check

pumpkin-lith: yup. For… references

jhaernyl: It's gonna be his graduation present to himself And then And then He thinks it's one of the Asshole Bros at his door. But it's Smug Smirking Asshole, on what immediately feels like the hottest day of summer, wearing something that seems military related on his legs, with clean sweat all over his chest, that smug smirk of his and a wrench in his hand.

pumpkin-lith: omg wolffe

jhaernyl: "Our sink is broken. I need to check how a working one looks like." And then he muscles inside.

pumpkin-lith: omg that is the worst excuse ever

jhaernyl: Art Student leans against the wall, curling in on himself. Looking like a rabbit about to bolt. Smug Smirking Asshole's smirk turns full fledged shark grin. HE IS NOT GOING TO COME OUT OF THIS ALIVE. ART STUDENT KNOWS.

pumpkin-lith: he goes to hide in 80 Gran flat

jhaernyl: Smug Smirking Asshole saunters to the sink, opens the doors. And then leans down And it's obscene Art Student trips over his rug (again)

pumpkin-lith: the squeak of doom

jhaernyl: His attempt to flee undone by the bending

pumpkin-lith: wolffe wins the 'make him do the noise again" contest. Tripping is even worse, because the view from down there

jhaernyl: Oh my fucking deities that view

pumpkin-lith: the teachers and fellow art students all notice a certain... theme from Art Student's works those last few days. He's gotten VERY GOOD AS DRAWING MUSCLES

jhaernyl: His teacher in anatomy commands his work

pumpkin-lith: "very good, though I'm not sure a lot of humanoids are quite this muscled" "I beg to differ , Ma'am"

jhaernyl: And then the teacher who did the art class offhandedly comments on how she is thinking of getting a clone back for some more posing and Art Student, who came in late at that one lesson, is like "Clone?". Because that was the morning he spilled his caff all over his clothes. And had to go back and change

pumpkin-lith: omg that explains so much i'm not going crazy

jhaernyl: And traffic is a bitch. Art Student to his online friends MODEL WAS A CLONE. THEY ARE ALL CLONES. GAR CLONES "You bitch. " "Why do you never invite us over?"

pumpkin-lith: "pics pics PICS"

jhaernyl: "How did you not know? Don't they look like that dreamy Captain Rex from the holonet?" "I DON'T BELIEVE IN THE HOLO NET YOU KNOW THAT. IT'S ALL PROPAGANDA." Reactionary Art Student "Propaganda is worth it when you get to ogle Captain Rex and Hottie-Want Kenobi." "Pics Pics PICS" "We are coming to your place and you cannot stop us" "GOOD YOU CAN BE A BUFFER BETWEEN ME AND SMUG SMIRKING ASSHOLE"

pumpkin-lith: "I'll foot your caff bill for a YEAR. PICS" "are you inviting me for a 3some ?"

jhaernyl: Keysmash is the answer to that question Art Student doesn't even want to get laid anymore. Art Student wants the Asshole Brothers to stop getting laid.

pumpkin-lith: spoiler alert : they dooon't. (even when they do, they make noise. It's fun to rile up the civvy upstairs)

jhaernyl: Art Student is regretting taking summer courses. He should have gone on Zeltron like his mother wanted.

pumpkin-lith: art student is regretting all his life's choices. next life drawing class, Model walks in, Art Student walks out

jhaernyl: HE DOESN'T NEED TO STAY IN TO GET THE CREDIT FOR THAT COURSE HE KNOWS THOSE MUSCLES GROUPS HE KNOWS THEM BETTER THAN ANYONE IN HIS CLASS

pumpkin-lith: plus, if Model is here then he's not getting fucked at the flat so SLEEP IS AVAILABLE FOR THREE HOURS.

jhaernyl: Art Student walks out and Art Student walks into Smug Smirking Asshole's chest. Because Wolffe was right out.

pumpkin-lith: DAMMIT

jhaernyl: Art Student books it Wolffe watches his ass go, with calculating eyes

pumpkin-lith: breaks a few speed records while he's at it

jhaernyl: And then comms Sinker.

pumpkin-lith: asshooooole

jhaernyl: Art Student doesn't know that it's stupid to bolt from the Wolf Pack. That just riles them up. Also Art Student got booty.

pumpkin-lith: i like where this is heading he ran from Wolffe I can just see Sinker and Booster being all

fatal erroooor

jhaernyl: Oh man... I can see the Wolf Pack taking that as a challenge Can you see the Wolf Pack taking that as a challenge?

pumpkin-lith: totally

Conclusion : You CAN’T run from the Wolf Pack.

[pbandjesse]

I'm feeling better today but my neck is still hurting. I slept okay but I couldn’t really lift up my head without putting my hand on the back of my neck and helping pull it up. Which was super annoying. But I still slept okay. I woke up at 9 and was alright. Sore but okay.

I had some toast. Tried to do some yoga. Tried to stretch my neck. I showered and got dressed. I wore some leggings and they were incredibly long. I forgot how long these were. But it was fine. I just wanted to be comfy today.

I decided to not go ballet. I just wanted to chill and take care of myself. I played with sweetP and I played with makeup. Made myself all pretty. I had some lunch. I mostly hung out and watched tv. Thought about thesis. Didn’t do much work but I mostly just needed to take care of myself today. Plus it was nice to just spend time in my apartment.

I was supposed to have lunch or something with Ashlyn but we pushed it back to a late lunch. Works for me. We were to meet at the Reverie at 3 but its only like 2 minutes walking so I left a little later then I normally would. So Ashlyn beat me there.

I've never been to this café but were going to try to go more often because it was really good. Completely vegan menu but not shitty or pretentiously hippe.  She got tacos and I got a bbq sandwich. They accidently brought me a different sandwhich at first that looked really good so I’ll try that next time but they soon brought the correct things. Which was very good but had a bit to much filling so I deconstructed it a little. The bread was my favorite part. Really good spot.

We stayed there and talked for an hour and a half. I wish she would have decided to come to the activated artists meeting but she had other things she needed to do so at 440 I left to go walk up to the church. I was going to stop and get a donut but they were closed so I went to the Mexican bakery and got churros instead.

I couldn’t figure out how to get in the building and there was another girl trying to get in as well. But we figured it out together. There was a lot of people there! More than last week. A really awesome group of people. We went around the room and introduced ourselves, the artistic discipline we practice, what our social cause is, and our favorite animal. We only had one repeated animal in a group of like 40 people so that was really neat.

We broke up into small groups after that. I decided that the labor party would serve my causes best. I really care about ecological and reproductive as well but labor is smaller and I feel like because I come from a union background its important to me. It was 6 of us at the table and we worked to come up with some programing and ideas for community involvement and then made protest signs for a Muslim Ban Protest on Tuesday. I was a big of a beast about it and made about 15 signs. Everyone else made like 1 or 2. But I was just cranking them out. And honestly I was just having a really good time talking with everyone and coming up with ideas. I also told them about the patch I made for my backpack to wear to the airport on Tuesday since I have to travel. Mom and dad are worried I’ll get jumped but honestly bring it. Dad says don’t be violent but defending yourself in the face of violence is different. I will do even a stupid small thing of wearing a sign if I can use my white girl privilege for good. I want to be on the right side of history no matter the cost. And honestly I dare someone to try to hurt me. Seriously fuck off I have so much pent up anger you don’t even know.

I started getting tired around 7 so I headed out. It was really fun hanging out with everyone s I cant wait to be more involved. I hope I get to see someone holding one of my signs.

I took the bus home because it was dark out. And now I'm just resting. I'm really tired. And my neck is still really stiff. But I'm in a good mood. Tomorrow I am going to wake up and wash my hair. Do laundry. make an omelet. Go to the studio. Then I have my first thesis meeting. Which I'm nervous about but its okay I’ll figure it out. I might ask Don to come over a little before the official meeting to talk but I haven’t decided yet. Now though I'm going to get ready for bed. I hope you all stay safe tonight.